Today on Boston Public Radio:

EJ Dionne weighs in on what the infrastructure bill, the Virginia mayoral race and the status of voting rights and the filibuster all mean for Democrats in 2022. 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."

Then, we ask listeners about whether they have hope in the U.S. political system, or if the country is doomed to political silos.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey reflects on her time as the first woman and first person of color to lead the city, how she brought her lived experiences to the job and what’s next for her after mayor-elect Michelle Wu takes office. Janey is acting mayor of Boston.

Michael Curry discusses the state of the pandemic, including the availability of COVID-19 treatment pills, and a push from legislators to save local hospitals. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors and chair of the board’s advocacy and policy committee.

Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III argue that medical professionals need to go into churches to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, and talk about the role of white women in elections. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast.

Ali Noorani talks about cycles of anger towards immigrants, why it is so hard to unite the country around immigration issues and how to ease the Green Card backlog. Noorani is the president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum. His forthcoming book is “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.”

We end the show by asking listeners if their opinions towards marijuana have changed after five years of legalization.

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