Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about President Joe Biden’s first prime-time address on Thursday. Sue O’Connell weighs in on Gov. Charlie Baker’s statement on teachers unions, and the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s decision to allow politicians to purchase body armor with campaign funds. 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. Emily Rooney talks about the sexual harassment and assault allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She also shares her thoughts on Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Corby Kummer explains how apps are changing the way fast food drive-thrus operate, and discusses a provision within President Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus package that allocates $4 billion in debt relief to farmers of color. 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 the anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s murder. She also talks about Piers Morgan’s reaction to Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Shirley Leung talks about Amazon’s proposal to turn Widett Circle into a major distribution hub, and how the catering start-up Alchemista pivoted to apartment vending machines during the pandemic. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they’re ready to make daylight saving time permanent.

With just three months left in the semester for Massachusetts public schools, there’s a lot of unanswered questions about what classrooms are going to look like in the months and years ahead. But speaking Thursday on Boston Public Radio, former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville said the lack of clarity isn’t the fault of educators or school administrators. "People are very caught up in the present, understandably, ‘cause we’re still in a sort of quasi-emergency response mode,” he explained. “I’m not making excuses, but I’m rather explaining why it isn’t as visible or high priority, because the demands of the present are so urgent and so rapidly changing." Currently, Massachusetts is continuing its push to get kids back in schools, which Reville commended. But to the question of how those same schools address problems created by a year of remote learning, he suggested that state leaders consider investing more money into finding and creating long-term solutions. "I think one of the things that the state can help with – and some of this new funding can help with – is to buy the additional time and help that’s needed for people to do longer-term planning,” he said. “Because it’s very difficult in this emergency response mode to take a breath and step up on the balcony and take a look at the future, and then make some plans.” Paul Reville is a former Mass. Secretary of Education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Elaine Weiss, is "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and Communities Help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest news in politics, from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package to Michael Cohen’s meetings with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. 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 open the phone lines to talk with listeners about Gov. Charlie Baker’s prioritization of teachers and school staff in the vaccine line. Andrea Cabral discusses the reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge against former Minnesota Police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd. She also talks about the release of an additional phone call former President Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State chief investigator Frances Watson. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick preview their upcoming PBS docuseries, “Hemingway,” detailing their research process and what they learned from Ernest Hemingway’s letters. Burns is an award-winning documentarian. Novick is an acclaimed director and producer of documentary films. Their upcoming docuseries, “Hemingway,” airs on PBS and streams April 5 through April 7, starting at 8:00 p.m. Paul Reville weighs in on Massachusetts schools reopening and the postponement of the MCAS testing. He also argues that standardized tests are a civil rights issue. 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 Elaine Weiss, is: "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools And Communities Help Students Overcome The Disadvantages Of Poverty.” Andy Ihnatko explains non-fungible tokens (NFTs) after an NFT sold for a record $69 million at Christie’s. He also speaks about the Microsoft Exchange Server hacks, and how U.S. government agencies are responding. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We end the show by asking listeners what risks they’d feel comfortable taking as Massachusetts reopens.

GBH News marks the first anniversary of Gov. Charlie Baker’s emergency declaration in Massachusetts by taking a look back at how we covered the disaster. The special draws on the rich variety of in-depth reporting, feature stories and community conversations GBH journalists produced during the past year.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Katherine Clark discusses the financial toll of COVID-19, and argued for the passage of the American Rescue Plan. She also touches on vaccine distribution in Massachusetts. Rep. Clark is the Assistant House Speaker and represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts. Next, we open the phone lines to ask listeners if they’ve experienced pandemic-induced brain fog. Juliette Kayyem revisits her March 2020 column for The Atlantic, “The U.S. Isn't Ready for What's About to Happen,” looking at what she got right and suggesting what the government should learn. She also talks about the tenth anniversary of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi disaster. 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. Stephanie Leydon talks about how high school students are dealing with the pandemic, and what she’s learned from her work on GBH’s COVID and the Classroom. Leydon is a senior editor at GBH News. Jenifer McKim discusses her reporting on COVID-19’s impact on Massachusetts prisons, and Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to prioritize vaccines for inmates. McKim is an investigative reporter with the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. Jared Bowen and Brian O'Donovan explain what reopening Massachusetts could mean for arts and cultural institutions in the state. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. O'Donovan hosts GBH's Celtic Sojourn. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about what arts and cultural institutions they’re looking forward to returning to.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the CDC’s latest COVID-19 guidelines, and whether unvaccinated people will throw caution to the wind as more vaccines become available. 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. Next, we ask listeners whether they thought the CDC’s new guidelines were too lax, or just right. Ali Noorani discusses how President Joe Biden is handling the humanitarian crisis at the border in the midst of COVID-19. He also talks about the Mexican restaurant in Houston subjected to ICE threats after refusing to serve unmasked customers. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price weigh in on Cornel West’s decision to leave Harvard after a tenure dispute, and Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They also touch on Stevie Wonder’s plans to move to Ghana. 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. Victor Anthony Lopez-Carmen discusses the health disparities in Native American communities, and how COVID-19 has exacerbated them. He also talks about the need for more Native American representation in the medical field. Lopez-Carmen is a Dakota and Yaqui writer, health policy advocate, and student at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves on the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Taskforce and as Co-Chair of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, the official UN Caucus that represents the political interests of Indigenous youth before international policy making bodies. His commentary on minority health and human rights has been featured in such outlets as the BBC, Teen Vogue, and the UN News Centre. John King update us on the latest political headlines, from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package to the 2022 midterm elections. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We revisit Monday’s discussion of the new Netflix show “Marriage or Mortgage,” asking if listeners would say yes to the dress or say yes to the down payment.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package. Michelle Singletary discusses how this year’s tax season could play out with the addition of stimulus checks. She also talks about the new Netflix show, “Marriage or Mortgage.” 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. Trenni Kusnierek speaks about Maia Chaka making history as the first Black woman to serve as an NFL game official, and allegations of sexism at the Golf Channel. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Bob Thompson recaps Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He also shares his thoughts on the Disney+ series “WandaVision.” Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a professor of television and popular culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett weighs in on Gov. Charlie Baker’s plans to reopen Massachusetts, and vaccine inequity in the state. She also responds to questions and comments from listeners. Gergen Barnett teaches in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about how H-E-B grocery stores supported community members in Texas during the severe power outage that swept the state last month. “It has enormous brand halo because in times of crisis when there’s no power, there they are with bread, milk, and eggs,” he said. “Supermarket chains - if they’ve got good supply chains and have labor policies that will encourage labor to come in and brave the elements - can get enormous goodwill.” Walmart became a community center after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans back in 2005. “Only Walmart was open, post-Katrina, and they bought themselves a tremendous amount of goodwill by being there when city and government services were not,” Kummer said. “And that’s the case with H-E-B during the recent Texas power outages.” 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: John Barros discusses his entry into Boston’s mayoral race, and how small businesses are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Barros is the former chief of economic development for the Walsh administration, and candidate for mayor. Next, we ask listeners what they were looking forward to returning to the most when the pandemic ends. Sue O’Connell talks about the scandals facing Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher Mason. She also explains how virtual public meetings are upending politics. 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. Mayor Joe Curtatone explains why he decided to not seek reelection after serving nine terms as mayor of Somerville. He also speaks about Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccine rollout. Curtatone is the mayor of Somerville. Senator Ed Markey shares his thoughts on the fate of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package as it goes through the Senate. He also discussed the Congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Corby Kummer talks about Bridgewater State’s usage of food delivery robots, and two Texas grocery stores’ responses to the end of the state’s mask mandate. He also weighs in on the Gov. Baker’s decision to allow Massachusetts restaurants to open at full capacity. 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 living among robots.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the security threats facing the U.S. Capitol Building from conspiracy theorists and militias. He also weighs in on the misconduct scandals facing Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson. 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 open the phone lines to talk with listeners about their vaccine frustrations. Andrea Cabral discusses the Supreme Court case concerning Arizona’s voting laws, and how it could potentially weaken the Voting Rights Act. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Jonathan Huggins and Diana Rastegayeva explain how they formed their COVID-19 vaccine assistance site, www.MACovidVaxHelp.com. They also weigh in on Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccine rollout. Huggins and Rastegayeva are the creators of www.MACovidVaxHelp.com. Andy Ihnatko speaks about Facebook’s decision to bring back political ads to the platform and Google’s elimination of third-party cookies on Chrome. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Michael Curry shares his thoughts on Massachusetts’ vaccine equity gap, and how the state could bolster vaccine equity. He also argues that medical institutions’ disparate treatment of people of color plays a role in vaccine hesitancy. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. We end the show by asking listeners if the pandemic has made them masters of doing nothing.