BPR Full Show: Must-See TV

Today on Boston Public Radio:

We begin the show by asking listeners how they felt about the shift to remote working.

Jonathan Gruber explains how Los Angeles Angels player Shohei Ohtani is breaking the economic rule of comparative advantage. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is "Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream."

Juliette Kayyem discusses the decision to ban in-person spectators from the Tokyo Olympics as COVID-19 cases rise in Japan. She also talks about the evacuation of Afghan refugees after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Bina Venkataraman shares recent editorials from The Boston Globe, covering topics such as transparency in the Massachusetts Statehouse to the investigation into the Baker administration’s response to the COVID-19 crisis at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.”

Ben Downing talks about his run for governor of Massachusetts, and talked about how growing up in Pittsfield influenced his campaign. He also shares his thoughts on the Baker administration’s handling of COVID-19 deaths at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Downing is running for governor on the Democratic ticket.

Art Caplan weighs in on Montana’s vaccine discrimination law, and calls for mandatory vaccines. He also talks about a Texas abortion law that offers a $10,000 minimum bounty for citizens to turn in abortion providers thought to be in violation of the state’s so-called “heartbeat ban.” Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine.

We end the show by asking listeners whether the Emmys have lost their status as a cultural touchstone.