Boston Public Radio Podcast

Numerous states are looking into extending food stamp use to restaurants and prepared meals to keep up with what academics are calling the lack of time, skills, resources, and physical abilities of some SNAP users. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday to share why more states are looking into joining the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program, and where food policy needs to change. “When it comes down to it, realistically, the people who need and rely on nutrition assistance often work two jobs, they’re supporting families, and they have no time at all to cook and prepare the wholesome food that SNAP was originally designed to restrict them to buying,” Kummer said. When Restaurant Meals started in 2003, 19 states participated in the program. That number shrank to just four states by 2018. Now, six states — Arizona, California, Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Virginia — let some people who receive SNAP benefits use food stamps at restaurants. Illinois and New York are both in the process of applying to the Restaurant Meals Program. Kummer told Boston Public Radio that states have to prove that there are enough high need residents — such as “adults over 60, people with disabilities, and those who are homeless and their spouses” — to get exemptions in the Restaurant Meals Program and SNAP. While the Restaurant Meals Program has been applauded by food equity advocates and anti-hunger organizations, small restaurants have been slow to participate in the program due to lengthy bureaucratic processes. Instead, large chains like McDonald’s and Subway are often state-certified for the program. “It's a lot of paperwork on the part of the restaurant, and so this in the beginning seemed like it was going to be a boon for for smaller restaurants, especially with [something like a] high volume, local sandwich shop that opens,” Kummer noted. “But [the paperwork] turned out to be so cumbersome that it discouraged all but the largest chains.” Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners about the debate between in person and remote learning as Omicron surges. Michael Curry updates listeners on how community health centers are responding to Omicron, and the state of schools as cases rise. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 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. Trenni Kusnierek talks about a U.S. speedskater giving her winter olympics spot to a teammate, and the Yankees promoting Rachel Balkovec to manager of their minor league Tampa team, becoming the first woman working as full-time manager of a major league affiliated team. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Ali Noorani discusses why President Joe Biden hasn’t been able to take action on former President Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, and population slowdown in the U.S. 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.” Cindy Hughes shares the impact of eliminating parking spots in favor of bike lanes on her business in Cambridge. Cindy Hughes is co-founder of Fast Phil’s barbershop on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on bike lanes versus parking spots in Cambridge. John King updates listeners on the latest national politics headlines, including the state of voting rights legislation and opinions on term limits. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners their opinions on term limits.

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their favorite snow day activities. Shirley Leung updates listeners on the state of Mass. and Cass, and which New England businesses continue to donate to election-denying politicians a year after Jan. 6. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Callie Crossley talks about the death of Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Oscar for best actor, bomb threats at HBCUs and a Black-owned startup incubator based in Roxbury. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko discusses Winnie the Pooh’s freedom from copyright and updates from the world of car technology and foldable laptops. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Tracy Chang weighs in on vaccine requirements for restaurants and the state of the food industry. Chang is the chef and owner of Cambridge’s PAGU, as well as the co-founder of two non-profits: Off Their Plate, which empowers local female and minority-owned kitchens to provide free meals communities across the country, and Project Restore Us, which provides grocery supplies to struggling restaurant workers.  Sue O’Connell talks about tennis star Novak Djokovic’s detention in Australia due to his vaccination status and Betty White’s legacy. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. We end the show by asking listeners their reaction to Pope Francis chastising couples for choosing pets over kids.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd reflects on the one year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and reacts to President Joe Biden’s speech marking the violent event. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners their reflections on the anniversary of Jan. 6. Andrea Cabral weighs in on the outcome of the Elizabeth Holmes trial, in which Holmes was convicted of fraud for her company Theranos, which failed to deliver on its promises of a blood test with the prick of a finger. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville updates listeners on the latest in the chaos of back to school plans amid Omicron, and the future of standardized testing after Harvard waived its requirement until 2026. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Myrieme Churchill talks about how to deradicalize people who have fallen prey to extremism, and why people feel drawn to extremist circles to begin with. Myrieme Churchill is a psychotherapist and the Executive Director of Parents for Peace, a non-government public health non-profit that helps families and communities address and treat the radicalization of loved ones. Rep. Katherine Clark shares her memories from the Jan. 6 insurrection, her reactions to Biden’s speech and what she thinks the Democrats must do to fortify democracy. Clark is assistant house speaker and represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts. We end the show by continuing our conversation with listeners about the legacy of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Michelle Singletary gives financial advice for the new year, including navigating the buy now pay later trend, the state of inflation and overdraft fees. Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, whose award-winning column “The Color of Money” provides insight into the world of personal finance. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on the buy now pay later trend and other financial plans. Juliette Kayyem discusses the chaos on I-95 which closed this week due to snow in Virginia, and the latest on the Jan. 6 investigation one year after the insurrection. 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. Lauren Kennedy talks about Omicron’s strain on child care and early education workers during the latest surge, and the work her group does to provide access to testing. Lauren Kennedy is co-founder of Neighborhood Villages, a non-profit that works to improve access to affordable child care and early education. Art Caplan updates listeners on the latest with Omicron, and how he thinks the country should navigate the next couple weeks as cases surge. Caplan is director of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Jared Bowen previews the newest arts events in the region, including an exhibit about love at the Worcester Art Museum, Immersive Van Gogh shows and “WITNESS,” a show about Jewish immigration during times of antisemitism. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We end the show by asking listeners if they have returned to movie theaters at this point in the pandemic.

On Tuesday’s Boston Public Radio, food writer Corby Kummer said he’s hoping more companies follow in the heels of coffee behemoth Starbucks, which is now requiring proof-of-vaccination for its hundreds of thousands of U.S. employees. Workers who opt out of vaccines will have to submit weekly tests, conducted at the employee’s expense.  “This is an example of a big company saying ‘we’ve had it, we just have to get vaccinated, this is the wave of the future – no more pussyfooting around,’ and I think it’s great,” Kummer told hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan.  He did, however, raise concerns that public perception of Starbucks as a “liberal” corporation might dissuade business leaders on the conservative side of the political spectrum to shirk responsibility for getting employees vaccinated against COVID-19.  “I think that we all wish that it wasn’t a seeming political litmus test,” he lamented. “‘Oh, Starbucks must be Democratic, they must be liberal!’” Kummer went on to list Tyson Foods as an instance of a corporation with a perceived conservative bent taking steps to protect workers from infection. “If there were more and more right wing-perceived companies mandating this, it would really help,” he said. “But Starbucks is big [and] publicly influential, and I hope this will have the effect of causing many others to impose mandates.” Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they’re faring as students, teachers and parents figure out back to school plans amid Omicron spread. Trenni Kusnierek talks about Antonio Brown walking off the field mid-game and getting fired from the Buccaneers, and a hockey fan saving an NHL staffer from cancer by spotting a mole from the stands. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Carol Rose discusses the ACLU’s national and local priorities in 2022, including work on voting rights, police reform and facial recognition software. Rose is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. A.C. Thompson previews his documentary on the Jan. 6 insurrection, and weighs in on the state of far-right extremism in the U.S. Thompson is a senior reporter at ProPublica and a FRONTLINE correspondent. His documentary, “American Insurrection,” airs at 10 p.m. eastern on PBS and will be available to stream on Frontline’s website, YouTube, and the PBS video app. Corby Kummer talks about the Biden Administration’s push to aid small meat producers, Starbucks requiring all U.S. employees to get vaccinated and a pastry program in an Italian prison. Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. John King weighs in on the status of Build Back Better and the state of media and democracy in the U.S. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners what phrases they would like to get rid of in 2022.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by checking in with listeners about how they’re doing as Omicron spreads in the new year. Mike Deehan updates listeners on the state of the governor’s race, including potential Democratic and Republican candidates, after Governor Charlie Baker announced he will not be running for reelection. Deehan covers the statehouse for GBH News. Charlie Sennott discusses the latest international news, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s funeral and the state of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson talk about Mayor Michelle Wu’s transit agenda, including free fare pilot programs, and the problems with parking in the city. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss Tutu’s legacy in helping end South African apartheid following the Archbishop’s funeral Saturday. 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. Sara Jensen Carr tells stories of how epidemics throughout history have shaped geographic landscapes, including in the Boston area. Carr is an assistant professor of architecture, urbanism and landscape at Northeastern University. Her new book is “The Topography of Wellness: How Health and Disease Shaped the American Landscape.” We end the show by asking listeners about their new years resolutions, if they’re setting them at all.

In the last episode of Boston Public Radio in 2021, we're bringing you some of our favorite chefs from recent months. Joanne Chang talks about her latest book inspired by her baking journals, “Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes.” Chang is a James Beard Award–winning pastry chef. Bren Smith shares different ways to eat kelp in his book “Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change.” Smith is a former commercial fisherman and executive director of the non-profit GreenWave, focused on regenerative farming in water ecosystems. Jacques Pépin and Shorey Wesen discuss cooking together as grandfather and granddaughter as part of their latest collaboration, the cookbook “A Grandfather’s Lessons: In the Kitchen with Shorey.” Pépin is a chef, author and PBS contributor. Wesen is his granddaughter and cookbook collaborator. Dolores Huerta talks about why her work as a labor leader for farm workers’ rights remains as relevant today as it was in the 1960s, and about coining the phrase “Sí, se puede.” Huerta is an activist and co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association alongside Cesar Chaves. Nathan Myhrvold dives into the world of bread baking with his latest cookbook, a 50 pound, six-volume series titled “Modernist Bread, The Art and Science.” Myhrvold is a Microsoft executive turned experimental chef and founder of The Cooking Lab. Marcus Samuelsson highlights Ethiopian, Swedish and other international cuisines in talking about his PBS show “No Passport Required.” Samuelsson is a global restaurateur, chef and TV host. Andrew Li and Irene Li share food and tips from their latest cookbook, which they wrote with their sister Margaret Li: “Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen.” Andrew Li and Irene Li are co-founders of the restaurant Mei Mei, along with their sister Margaret Li. Christopher Kimball previews his latest Milk Street cookbook, “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean: 125 Simple Weeknight Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine.” Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, a food media company which produces Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine. He’s also the host of Milk Street Radio and Milk Street TV.