Boston Public Radio Podcast

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio *on Wednesday about food magazine Bon Appetit's recently exposed structural racism. "The Me Too movement came for sexism, and now the moment is coming for racism," he said. "The editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, was discovered in an old photo dressed up in Puerto Rican bling, and his assistant said [Rapoport] liked the picture so much that he had it framed on his desk." The photo itself was appalling, but even more appalling was the culture of racism that has now been described at Bon Appetit, Kummer noted. "The terribly white culture of the Test Kitchen at Bon Appetit has made millions...and that's why I think this culture went unchallenged," he said. "So the editor resigned and the Bon Appetit staff posted something today saying the culture is going to change and that they're going to right the pay inequity." *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 aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Tuesday press conference. Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell called in to talk about the reforms she’d like to see Boston make to its policing system. We opened lines to ask: what changes would you like to see when it comes to police reform? Former Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick discussed his experience dealing with racism in Massachusetts as a Black teenager, and talked about his impressions of the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Journalist and author Devin Leonard discussed his book “Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service,” and why he believes government leaders won't let the USPS go under. Playwright and painter Ryan Landry talked about the response of art institutions to the Black Lives Matter movement, and how he think communities should deal with statues of racist historical figures.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to ask: do you have reservations about returning to normal, now that Gov. Baker has moved Mass. into phase two of reopening?  MIT economist Jon Gruber discussed the state of the U.S. economy, why the rising stock market isn’t indicative of overall economic growth, and responded to questions from listeners.  WGBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott talked about global protests over American police brutality, and why he thinks this moment could prove to be a global tipping point.  TV expert Bob Thompson discussed the response to Black Lives Matter protests from late-night TV hosts, and the recent CNN racism town hall featuring characters from Sesame Street.  Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed President Trump’s photo-op with a bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the hypocrisy of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement in support of Black Lives Matter.  Catherine D’Amato from the Greater Boston Food Bank discussed the spike of food insecurity in Mass. amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and how here organization is responding to it.  We reopened our lines to continue to the conversation with listeners about the phased-in reopening of Massachusetts.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about the Black Lives Matter protests, and whether they’re creating a false sense of security with regard to the ongoing pandemic.  Media maven Sue O’Connell talked about the president’s photo-op stunt in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and whether she thinks it’ll have an impact on Trump supporters come November.  Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discussed the controversial New York Times op-ed from Ark. Sen. Tom Cotton, and read her weekly list of fixations and fulminations.  Food writer Corby Kummer talked about guidelines for reopening restaurants in Massachusetts, and the devastating impact of the pandemic on undocumented restaurant workers.  NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed the blowback on NFL quarterback Drew Brees after recent statements about kneeling during the national anthem, and broke down the public dispute in the MLB over player salaries for the 2020 season.  Under the Radar host Callie Crossley gave her take on proposals from local leaders to address systemic racism, and highlighted a Boston Globe piece profiling Boston’s Black-owned restaurants.  We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about safe hugging in the era of COVID-19.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio *on Friday about undocumented restaurant workers who are unable to get a stimulus check or file for unemployment. "We need to figure out how to protect undocumented workers and how to get them the kind of social safety nets that they're completely locked out from, even though in order to work, they pay taxes," he said. "They pay umemployment taxes which they're never able to access." A lot of restauranteurs are prioritizing hiring back undocumented workers during reopening, Kummer added. "Because they are the backbone of the restaurant industry, they're the dishwashers and prep cooks," he said. "What are we going to do moving forward to protect these workers?" *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: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed former Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ rebuke of President Trump in The Atlantic, as well as pusback from current Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the issue of using military force to quell Black Lives Matter protests.  We opened lines to talk with listeners about James Mattis’ condemnation of President Trump, and hear your thoughts on the president's response to Black Lives Matter protests.  Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the role that police unions play in perpetuating police violence, and weighed in on the purported significance of officers who take a knee with Black Lives Matter protesters.  We reopened lines to ask listeners: is peaceful protesting too peaceful to be heard? Partners in Health Co-Founder Dr. Paul Farmer spoke on the state of Massachusetts’ contact tracing initiative, and responded to question from listeners.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about the risks of protesting during a pandemic, and his views on the danger of rushing a COVID-19 vaccine.  We opened lines to ask listeners: are you worried about the spread of the coronavirus at Black Lives Matter protests?  We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Wednesday press conference.  Boston Globe cannabis reporter Dan Adams discussed ties between racist marijuana prohibition laws and the current Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the looting on Sunday of Pure Oasis, the state's first Black-owned legal pot shop.  CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed new charges expected to be brought against the three additional police officers present during the killing of George Floyd, as well as the president’s authority within the 1807 Insurrection Act. 

Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius talked about what her administration is doing to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and responded to questions from listeners. We opened lines to hear your thoughts on President Trump’s condemnation of Black Lives Matter protesters. Carol Rose from the Mass. ACLU talked about President Trump’s vow to enact the 213-year-old Insurrection Act, and her thoughts on reforms Massachusetts can and should enact to better protecting resident liberties. Civil Rights Attorney Harvey Silvergate remembered the life of his wife, photographer Elsa Dorfman, who passed away on Saturday. CNN’s John King discussed Trump’s photo-op Monday in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and other national headlines. We reopened our lines to continue the conversation about Black Lives Matter protests.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Ayanna Pressley spoke about the protesting that took place in Boston on Sunday, and discussed her latest legislation, co-authored with Rep. Ilhan Omar, to address police brutality. We opened lines to talk with callers about the killing of George Floyd, and Sunday’s protests. WGBH News reporter Tori Bedford recapped her experience covering the protests. Dr. David Fajgenbaum discussed his new memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope Into Action.” Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed their views on the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, and what they make of Gov. Baker’s decision to prioritize the reopening of churches amid the ongoing pandemic. We aired live audio from Gov. Marty Walsh’s Monday press conference. We closed the show by reopening our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about Sunday's protests.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to talk with listeners about the nationwide protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.  Media maven Sue O’Connell reflected on the life of LGBT activist Larry Kramer, and explained what’s happening with this year’s pride parade in Boston.  Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discussed the arrest of CNN reporter Omar Jimenez on live TV, and gave her take on whether Twitter is right to fact-check the president.  CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed guidelines for safe reopening amid coronavirus, and talked about  the value of mail-in voting.  Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which President Trump is attempting to limit with a new executive order.  Under the Radar host Callie Crossley talked about her feelings on the death of George Floyd, as well as the woman who called 911 on a Black man after he asked her to leash her dog in Central Park.  Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed the economic consequences of cancelling this year’s Boston Marathon, and her reporting on the Boston businesses that aren’t rushing to reopen.