Boston Public Radio Full Show: Testing the Waters

Today on Boston Public Radio:

We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about whether they’re continuing to be cautious as COVID-19 cases rise.

E.J. Dionne previews what’s in store for the Democratic Party in 2022, and talks about the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.”

Dr. Renee Crichlow discusses COVID-19 rates across Mass., and the burnout healthcare providers are facing as the world nears its third year of the pandemic. Crichlow is the Chief Medical Officer at Codman Square Health Center and the Vice Chair of Health Equity at the Boston University Department of Family Medicine.

Next, we ask listeners for their tips and tricks on finding COVID-19 rapid tests.

Dr. Irene Bosch shares her story of creating a COVID-19 rapid test in the early weeks of the pandemic, only to face red-tape from the FDA despite meeting 2021 standards. Bosch is the founder of the diagnostic company E25Bio. She’s also a visiting professor at MIT, and adjunct professor of medicine at Mount Sinai University in New York.

Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about Pope Francis’ letter of support to LGBTQ+ Catholic advocate Sister Jeannine Gramick. They also weigh in on Judge Timothy Walmsley’s minute of silence before he sentenced Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan Jr. to life in prison for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Emmett G. Price III is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast.

We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether an honor-system approach to store check-outs through Venmo or tip jars could help with retail labor shortages.