Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd broke down the latest headlines around the coronavirus pandemic and the November election.  Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling on federal executions, and a Michigan teenager sent to juvenile detention for falling behind on her homework. Ahead of the governor’s press conference, we opened lines to ask listeners: should Mass. schools with Native American mascots follow the example of Washington's football team and adapt to the times?  We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference.  Travel guru Rick Steves talked about the E.U.’s ban on travelers from the U.S., and offered some of his cures for travel withdrawal. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko talked about a wide-scale Twitter hack that took place Wednesday night, and news that certain MacBook camera covers are cracking screens.  We reopened our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about racist school mascots, and whether Mass. should reconsider its state flag.  Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu talked about staggering racial disparities in Boston’s COVID contracts, and discussed the importance of maintaining public pressure in order to manifest systemic change in the city.  

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about news of a promising COVID-19 vaccine from Cambridge-based Moderna Therapeutics, and his prescient writing in 2016 on "The End of Civilization and the Real Donald Trump.” MIT economist Jon Gruber talked about President Trump’s attempts to limit immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted all the ways that immigrants fuel the U.S. economy.  CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem talked about the surge of COVID-19 across the U.S., and the ongoing question of how to safely reopen schools.  Mass. Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz broke down a new police reform bill, which passed in the state Senate early Tuesday morning. In light of tax day, we opened lines to ask listeners: has the COVID-19 pandemic made you more or less likely to skirt the rules when filing?  Journalist and naturalist Sy Montgomery called in to talk about the reopening of the New England Aquarium, and how to tell if your dog is suffering from heat stroke.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask listeners: should society be more forgiving to people with criminal records?  NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talked about challenges for fitness studios trying to reopen, and how Boston’s sports teams are faring as they work to sort out their upcoming seasons. Sen. Ed Markey called in to discuss the possibility of more federal aid for struggling families and businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and offer his take on who bears responsibility for deaths at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.  Former Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi talked about the likelihood that Mass. legislators will enact the gas tax, and challenges with getting commuters to return to the T.  Food writer Corby Kummer talked about public blowback to Goya president Robert Unanue's remarks in praise of Donald Trump, and new economic pressures on independent restaurants sorting out how to reopen safely.  CNN’s John King discussed the latest political headlines, from updates on the President’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, to news that the GOP convention in Jacksonville, Fla., will be held outside. We open lines to ask listeners: are you excited to use your reusable tote bags in grocery stores again? 

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about the boycott against Goya Foods, after the company's CEO, Robert Unanue, praised President Donald Trump last week. "If indeed Goya sales drop, not just for two weeks but for a couple of months, marketers are going to pay a lot of attention and be a lot more careful about their messaging," Kummer said. 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 opened lines to ask listeners: how much harm do you think President Trump is doing by sidelining Anthony Fauci? Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley and MGH infectious disease specialist Dr. Sandra Nelson weighed the various approaches for reopening Massachusetts schools. WGBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott talked about Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explained the controversy behind Turkish President Recap Tayyip Eddogan’s decision to convert the historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.  TV expert Bob Thompson talked about Colin Kaeperinck’s deal with Disney, and reviewed “Elvis from Outer Space." Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed Kanye West’s bid for President, and why U.S. school curriculums have done such a poor job of teaching the history of American racism. “Make Way for Ducklings” sculptor Nancy Schon discussed her latest work, a memorial to the COVID-19 pandemic, and talked about the role of politics in art. We opened lines to ask: do you think the pandemic is bringing out the best in humanity, or the worst in humanity?

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask listeners: Is Massachusetts taking a gamble on our health by reopening casinos? Boston Globe Business Columnist Shirley Leung talked about whether Massachusetts residents can handle phase three of reopening, and offered her take on the myriad organizations addressing Boston’s racial inequity. Beat the Press Host Emily Rooney reflected on the passing of local talk radio figure Jay Severin and read her weekly list of fixations and fulminations. Comedian Tom Papa discussed his new book, "You're Doing Great! And Other Reasons to Stay Alive,” and talked about the joys of living a simple life. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed a damning civil rights audit at Facebook and new features coming to iPhone users with the smartphone's latest operating system. Under the Radar Host Callie Crossley talked about the decision from the New York Times and the Associated Press to capitalize the “b” in Black, and her love of “Hamilton,” which just had its streaming debut on Disney Plus. We reopened lines to ask listeners: With a heat wave approaching, are you missing the office AC?

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talked about the US’ standing as the nation with the most COVID-19 cases and discussed the latest national headlines. With coronavirus cases spiking across the country, we opened lines to ask listeners: Are you ready for the long haul of living with COVID? Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Trump's tax returns, and whether Amy Cooper — who gained notoriety for calling the police on a Black man in Central Park — deserves to have her false reporting charge dropped. Dr. Karilyn Crockett, Boston's newly appointed and first-ever chief of equity, talked about her goals and what she believes it's going to take to change racism and classism in the city. Former Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville talked about where Massachusetts stands with respect to reopening schools, and the Trump administration’s latest order prohibiting international students from returning to or remaining in the US for remote learning. We opened lines to ask listeners: Has Amy Cooper already paid the price for her white privilege? Harvard dream researcher Deirdre Leigh Barrett talked about her new book, “Pandemic Dreams."

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about research from the WHO into whether the coronavirus can be transmitted through tiny droplets in the air, and how that research stands to impact how the U.S. reopens.  WGBH News senior investigative reporter Jenifer McKim talked about the latest reporting from the The WGBH News Center for Investigative Reporting, on failures of the Mass. parole system.  We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Wednesday press conference.  Harvard behavioral economist Michael Norton discussed his latest research on consumer attitudes around how companies respond to economic pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. He also responded to questions and comments from listeners. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Peggy Fogelman talked about the museum’s reopening, as well as their ongoing exhibit, titled “Boston’s Apollo: Thomas McKeller and John Singer Sargent.”  Emmy Award winning performing artist Wyatt Jackson and Latin Grammy Award winner Gen Rubin talked about “Get Up,” their new single that comments on racial injustice in America. 

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about returning to eat at restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic. "The problem is always going to be 'How do we get diners to wear masks and behave?' - that's the real problem for restaurants and is why they're opening and reclosing," he said. "We're working on a diner code of conduct on how to enforce this, because this is the central problem." Restaurants are coming up with various ways of enforcing health safety to a customer base that doesn't want to abide by the rules, Kummer noted. "Applebee's is hiring employees who just go around with a tub of cleaning products constantly disinfecting," he said. "But Applebee's should hire someone who also very nicely stands at the door of the restaurant saying 'I think you've forgotten your mask, can we give you one?' so that they have the equivalent of a bouncer enforcing this." Hiring a person to enforce mask-wearing among customers is a good investment of money that restaurants could be taking, Kummer added. "But of course independent restaurants can't afford this extra person, they can't afford this enforcement." 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: MIT's Justin Steil and City Live/ Vida Urbana's Lisa Owens discussed their new report on how Boston’s evictions hit Black communities particularly hard, and what the disparity means ahead of the statewide eviction moratorium lift on August 18. Comic and writer Maeve Higgins discussed her recent New York Times piece, "To the White People Who Want to Be One of the "Good Ones.” Carol Rose from the Mass. ACLU talked about the Supreme Court’s recent decisions on abortion rights, and attempts by President Donald Trump to end the federal DACA policy. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about issues stemming from restaurant patrons refusing to wear facemasks, and worker abuses by meat-processing giant Tyson Foods. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, talked about recent reporting on the attitudes of white evangelicals around President Trump, and recent statements from the great-grandson of the woman who portrayed Aunt Jemima, who’s upset about the company’s decision to rebrand. We opened our lines to ask: Now that museums, movie theaters, and outdoor performance venues are opening back up, what have you missed the most and what are you looking forward to picking up again?