Boston Public Radio Podcast

Washington state could soon become the first in the nation to mandate time and a half overtime pay for farmworkers. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Friday about the state legislation that will likely be passed into law by the end of the month. “Washington state has finally agreed to pay farmworkers living wages by agreeing to overtime,” Kummer said. “The state is taking the lead in employment protection and acknowledging that farmworkers work much longer than 40 hour weeks, and so their employers are required to pay time and a half for anything over 40 hours.” The average farmworker works 60 hours a week, Kummer noted, and those hours have never included overtime pay. Kummer praised Washington for becoming the first state with such strong laws but noted his frustration over how long it has taken to secure such rights. Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners what they thought about universal basic income. Sue O’Connell shares her thoughts on America’s gun culture in the wake of a shooting at a FedEx warehouse in Indiana. She also talks about Bessemer Amazon employees’ vote not to unionize. 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. Dr. David Ludwig explains how the obesity epidemic in the U.S. exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for people to be gentle with themselves with weight gain and loss. Dr. Ludwig is a physician specializing in obesity at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His latest book, which he co-authored with Dawn Ludwig, is “Always Delicious.” Callie Crossley discusses the police-involved death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, and a bill in Oklahoma that would give protections to drivers who run over protestors. She also previews this week’s edition of Under the Radar. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Shirley Leung talks about learning the history of anti-Asian hatred in the U.S., and Cambridge’s new program providing guaranteed basic income for single parent households. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Corby Kummer discusses a proposal in Washington state that would grant increased overtime protections for farmworkers, and explained how school cafeteria lunches are becoming a major source of nutrition for kids. 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. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their experiences with work from home back pain.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from attempts to grant D.C. statehood to the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, host of “Meet the Press Daily" on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. Next, we talk with listeners about their post-vaccine reunions. Andrea Cabral discusses Derek Chauvin invoking the Fifth Amendment during his trial, and the white Milton Police officer facing backlash after she harassed teenagers attending a sleepover for liking Black Lives Matter social media posts. She also talks about the rise of the Boogaloo Boys. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko talks about Facebook whistleblower Sophie Zhang, who alleged that the tech company didn’t prioritize dealing with fake pages and likes if they were impacting politics in largely non-western, poorer countries. He also discusses the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Broadband Data Collection program. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Paul Reville explains why some kids would rather stick with online school than go in person, and shares his thoughts on the teacher shortage in the U.S. 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.” Andrew Ryan discusses the Boston Globe’s investigation into child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston police officer Patrick Rose. He also talked about the difficulty of accessing public records in Massachusetts. Ryan is an investigative reporter with the Boston Globe. We wrap up the show by asking listeners about eco-friendly commutes, following Google Map’s new promotion of eco-friendly driving routes.

Former state secretary of education Paul Reville spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about how online virtual schooling could be here to stay even after the pandemic. “There’s an interesting phenomenon developing that some families and some students might prefer virtual schooling,” he said. “There are any number of reports from students and from families that their particular child learns more easily in this kind of a fashion due to special needs, their own personality, or anxieties about going out to school.” An increasing number of school districts are taking the initiative to launch virtual schools and to provide a virtual option to people, not just this year in the midst of this crisis, but in the long run, Reville noted. “They intend to set-up virtual schools to give parents the option, should they want, to have their children learn from home,” he said. “And this is more widespread than expected.” One of the multiple downsides of having a permanent virtual schooling option is that students would miss out on socialization, Reville added. “The social function of education is to help children learn to interact with one another, to disagree agreeably, to make common cause with their peers, to have fun, to make relationships, and if we make it highly individualized there are risks and downsides,” he said. “But there are also obviously position features that if were you a parent and had a child that really needed this, you could hardly blame that parent for wanting the school system to provide this, now that we know we can do it.” Reville is a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-author of the upcoming book Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Seth Moulton shares his thoughts on President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. He also talks about potential cross-country high speed rail stemming from President Biden’s infrastructure plan. Congressman Moulton represents Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional district. Next, we open the phone lines, asking listeners whether they’d give up their cars if the U.S. invested in high speed rail infrastructure. Juliette Kayyem talks about the Capitol Police inspector general Michael A. Bolton’s findings in an investigation on how the Capitol Police handled the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. She also discusses the recent increase in gun violence across the U.S. 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. Patricia Wen discusses the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigation, which found that multiple Boston hospital board CEOs have been moonlighting on corporate boards. She also speaks about the Globe’s reporting of the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Wen is the editor of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Art Caplan weighs in on federal officials’ decision to pause the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and explains how it could increase vaccine hesitancy. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. TJ and Hadley Douglas talk about how they kept their South End wine store, the Urban Grape, afloat during the pandemic. They also share their experiences over the past few months as the death of George Floyd prompted calls for racial justice and equity. TJ Douglas is the founder and CEO of the Urban Grape. Hadley Douglas is the founder and CMO of the Urban Grape. We end the show by asking listeners what hobbies they’ve picked up during the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about vaccine hesitancy in the wake of the U.S. government pulling the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Trenni Kusnierek shares her thoughts on Minnesota sports teams postponing their games after the death of Daunte Wright. She also talks about Julian Edelman’s retirement announcement, and explained what it means for the Patriots. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Karim Hajj previews the FRONTLINE documentary film American Insurrection, which looks into the rise of far-right violence across the U.S. Hajj is a producer for FRONTLINE. He helped produce American Insurrection in collaboration with ProPublica and UC Berkley’s Investigative Reporting Program. You can watch American Resurrection on April 13 at 10 p.m. EST on your local PBS station. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses U.S. federal health officials’ decision to pause the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women developed rare blood clots. She also answers listeners’ questions. Gergen Barnett teaches in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s briefing on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the trial of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by asking listeners if they’ve found their favorite products dwindling in stores due to pandemic shortages.

Today on Boston Public Radio: E.J. Dionne weighs in on President Joe Biden’s formation of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. He also shares his thoughts on calls for Justice Stephen Breyer to resign. 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.” Next, we open the phone lines, talking with listeners about local government transparency in the wake of a Boston Globe article detailing the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston Police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Charlie Sennott discusses increasing unrest in Northern Ireland, and President Biden’s return to Iran nuclear deal talks. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. 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. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price talk about the death of Daunte Wright, and the ongoing trial of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin happening just miles away. They also share their thoughts on the reluctance of white Evangelicals to get vaccinated. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is an executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Together, they host GBH’s *All Rev’d Up *podcast. We then ask listeners how they felt about plant-based alternatives to meat. Latanya Sweeney discusses the prevalence of racial bias in popular search engines, and calls for more proactive responses to racial bias from tech giants. Sweeney is the Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Science, and the director and founder of the Data Privacy Lab. Sweeney appears in the NOVA documentary short, “Search Engine Breakdown,” on Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start off the show by talking with listeners about the CDC’s updated guidelines on surface cleaning. Dolores Huerta discusses her historical work in labor and civil rights, and the current issues facing agricultural and farm workers today. She also argues for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Huerta is the co-founder of the United Farm Workers. Emily Rooney weighs in on the multiple defamation lawsuits filed by Dominion Voting Systems. She also touches on global vaccine equity, and shared her famous list. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Andy Ihnatko updates us on the latest tech headlines, from the Supreme Court’s decision on whether former President Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking people on Twitter to the recent Facebook data leak. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Corby Kummer talks about the Aspen Institute’s updated safety guidelines for restaurant workers. He also calls for free school breakfasts and lunches, and an end to school lunch debt. 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. Callie Crossley discusses Vogue’s feature of poet Amanda Gorman, and the death of Prince Philip. She also previews this week’s edition of Under the Radar. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they’ve had an increase in animal encounters throughout the pandemic.

For the past seven months, the Aspen Institute's Food and Policy Program has been working to assemble a comprehensive guide for safe indoor dining. As of this week, that guide is officially out and free to the public. On Friday, the organization’s director, food writer Corby Kummer, joined Boston Public Radio to talk about his hopes for how it’ll impact safe dining as restaurants work to get back to a form of quasi-normalcy. “This is meant to be a nationally [applicable], easy to use, easy to post guide for all restaurant owners, managers, workers and diners, as a way of feeling safe as you go back to dining indoors,” he explained. The guide includes the center's Diner Code of Conduct, which was initially released back in December. It’s a simple, straightforward checklist of commitments diners can make to ensure the safety of restaurant staff, and anyone looking to enjoy a meal indoors without the risk of contracting COVID-19. But the 74-page guide, Kummer noted, also includes a host of other useful information for restaurant workers and potential patrons. "It’s full of common sense steps that every restaurant needs to take – especially right now,” he said. “Because all cities are reopening, they’re trying to reopen, and we want to help restaurants and city health localities prevent a shutdown again.” Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Acting Mayor Kim Janey discusses her recent “All Inclusive” Boston tourism campaign, her childhood experiences during the city’s busing crisis, and her plans to make Boston a more equitable city. She also speaks with listeners during “Ask the Acting Mayor.”  Andrea Cabral talks about the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, touching on the first time allowance of cameras in Minnesota courtrooms. She also discusses the controversy surrounding Dr. David Fowler, an expert witness for Chauvin’s defense. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Chuck Todd updates us on the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, and former House Speaker John Boehner’s new book. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, host of “Meet the Press Daily" on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. Ric Burns previews his new film, “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life,” and talks about what it was like to meet Oliver Sacks. He also addresses filmmakers who called out PBS for a lack of diversity. Burns is a documentary filmmaker and writer. His latest film, “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life,” premieres Thursday, April 9, at 9 p.m. ET. We end the show by talking with listeners about the future of train travel.