BPR Full Show 1/29/21: Dream On

Today on Boston Public Radio:

Dr. Howard Koh, former state commissioner of the Department of Public Health, talks about new updates from pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson on their forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine, and the risks posed by the coronavirus variants that are popping up around the world and here in the U.S. He also speaks about President Biden’s handling of the pandemic during his first 10 days in office, and the bumpy vaccine rollout here in Mass.

Next, we open lines to talk with listeners about your experiences trying to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Mass.

Boston City Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi George calls in to talk about her newly-announced mayoral campaign. She speaks on her push to bring more mental-health professionals into Boston schools, offers her take on Boston mayor Marty Walsh’s handling of the pandemic, and talks about what she’d do differently to support struggling businesses.

Ali Noorani, CEO of the National Immigrant Forum, talks about President Biden’s reversal of his predecessor's immigration agenda, and the pushback he’s getting from GOP leadership. He also talks about his impressions of Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.

Beat the Press host Emily Rooney critiques the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Mass., recaps recent clean-energy goals set by automaker GM, and does her best to explain what’s going on with GameStop and the stock market.

Dr. Deirdre Leigh Barrett, Harvard researcher and author of “Pandemic Dreams,” gives an update on her work studying pandemic-era dreaming, and talks about the apparent impact of factors like gender and occupation on how we're process the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley discusses her concerns with members of Congress bringing guns in congressional chambers, President Biden’s plan to move forward with printing Harriet Tubman’s face on $20 bills, and the passing of actress Cicely Tyson. She also defends the barbecue of her hometown, Memphis, Tenn., as the gold-standard.