Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jon Gruber argues that we should be grateful for COVID-19 vaccine innovation, as well as why we shouldn’t be hesitant to get vaccinated. He also shares his thoughts on whether employers should require their employees to get vaccinated before returning to work. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is "Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream." Next, we opene the phone lines, asking listeners if they could celebrate the scientific achievements of COVID-19 vaccines despite the bumpy vaccine rollout. Art Caplan talks about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to end the state’s mask mandate, and the religious debate over vaccines. 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. We hear what listeners had to say about Gov. Baker’s announcement that K-12 teachers, school staff, and childcare workers are now eligible for vaccination. Derek DelGaudio discusses the roles identity and illusion play in his work, and his thought process behind his film, In & Of Itself. DelGaudio is a writer and artist. His latest book is “AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies,” and his film, In & Of Itself, is on Hulu.  Shirley Leung explains how the Mass. Department of Unemployment Assistance is struggling to deal with the needs brought on by the pandemic. She also speaks about the new capacity allowances for Mass. restaurants, and the Baker administration’s announcement to prioritize vaccinating K-12 teachers, school staff, and childcare workers. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe.

Harvard professor and national security expert Juliette Kayyem returned to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, offering her takeaways from Senate testimony given Tuesday by FBI Director Christopher Wray. Wray, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, spent hours responding to questions about the FBI’s investigations into the Jan. 6 insurrection, and warned that the threat of domestic terrorism has only increased in the weeks following the attack. “Wray was very, very clear that the violent element the FBI is investigating is fundamentally a white, racist, violent movement,” Kayyem noted, adding “that is actually really important to hear,” amid conspiracy theories about leftist involvement in the Jan. 6 riots, and overstated anxiety about the impact of the QAnon conspiracy on U.S. security. The CNN analyst went on to draw connections between the white supremacists storming the Capitol, and the racist foundation of Trump’s lies about tampered election results in states like Arizona and Georgia. “The reality is that the GOP isn’t questioning the vote, it’s just questioning African American and Hispanic votes,” she said. “It’s Arizona and Georgia, that’s what’s happening here.” “Without saying it directly, that is exactly what Wray was focusing the FBI efforts on,” she added, describing those efforts as stopping the “violent white supremacy that is being nurtured by the GOP ‘Stop the Steal’ efforts, as well as so much leadership unwilling to accept that Biden’s president.” Juliette 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they felt about the lack of government assistance in vaccine registration. Trenni Kusnierek discusses the pressure sports fans put on aging athletes, and Tiger Woods’ recent car accident. She also speaks about the MLB’s spring training “mercy rule.” Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George shares her thoughts on school reopenings, and the learning gaps facing students of color. She also discusses vaccine inequity in Boston. Essaibi George is a Boston city councilor-at-large and candidate for mayor of Boston. Carol Rose talks about Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearings Brnovich v. DNC and Arizona Republican Party v. DNC, explaining how they could impact the strength of the Voting Rights Act. She also speaks about Mass. laws regarding facial recognition software. Rose is the Executive Director of the Mass. ACLU.  Next, we open the phone lines to talk with listeners about the home improvement projects they’ve tackled during quarantine. John King updates us on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, and the debate within the Democratic party on raising the federal minimum wage to $15. He also weighs in on the sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Cuomo. King is CNN’s Chief National Politics Correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. Sailaja Joshi marks Read Across America Day by discussing the formation of her publishing company, Mango and Marigold Press, as well as the importance of diversity and representation in media. Joshi is the founder and CEO of Mango and Marigold Press.

Today on Boston Public Radio: E.J. Dionne weighs in on what the events of last weekend’s CPAC can tell us about the future of Trumpism and the GOP. He also speaks about the nursing home scandal and sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Cuomo. 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 to speak with listeners about the Baker administration’s plan to reopen schools by April. Charlie Sennott discusses President Biden’s decision to not penalize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He also talks about the firing of Myanmar’s U.N. ambassador Kyaw Moe Tu after he spoke out against the country’s military coup. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Bob Thompson recaps the Golden Globes, highlighting Andra Day’s historic win for her performance in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. He also discusses criticism over the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 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. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price talk about vaccine inequity in Cambridge, and the Black exodus from the Catholic church. 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. Richard Blanco highlights the work of poet Denise Duhamel, and previews her upcoming book, Second Story: Poems. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. We end the show by asking listeners about meteorological spring.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jon Santiago shares his thoughts on Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout hearing, and whether Mass. is ready to reopen. He also discusses his entrance into the Boston mayoral race. Santiago is a Democratic State Representative for the 9th Suffolk district, a candidate for mayor, and an ER doctor at Boston Medical Center. We open the phone lines to hear what listeners had to say about Gov. Baker’s plans to reopen Mass. Sue O’Connell talks about the House’s passage of the Equality Act, and the uphill battle it faces in getting passed by the Senate. She also shares her thoughts on CPAC and Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout. 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. Rosa Brooks discusses her new book, “Tangled Up In Blue: Policing The American City,” and describes her experiences as a reserve police officer in D.C. Brooks is a former Pentagon official in the Obama administration and a professor of law and policy at Georgetown Law. Her latest book is "Tangled Up In Blue: Policing The American City." Mass. Attorney General Maura Healey weighs in on the Baker administration’s vaccine rollout, and the plan to reopen schools by April. She also responds to questions from listeners. Healey is Massachusetts' attorney general.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd weighs in on CPAC and the state of the Republican party. He also shares his thoughts on how Gov. Cuomo’s nursing home scandal and sexual harassment allegations could impact the N.Y. Democratic party. 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. We ask listeners what they thought about Gov. Baker and Mass. Education Commissioner Riley’s plan to reopen schools by April. Andrea Cabral discusses the recent acquittal of police officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude. She also argues that had former President Trump’s tax records been released earlier, members of Congress would have been more likely to impeach him. 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 updates us on the latest tech headlines, from a global computer chip shortage to Facebook’s decision to ban Myanmar’s military from its platforms. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Paul Reville shares his thoughts on Gov. Baker and Mass. Education Commissioner Riley’s plan to reopen schools by April, and how school systems could address learning loss. He also discusses the mental health issues students are facing without in-person learning. Reville is the former Mass. 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.” Jared Bowen talks about his recent interview with ornithologist and illustrator David Sibley. He also reviews Minari, Nomadland, and the Boston Lyric Opera’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio.

Speaking on Boston Public Radio Thursday, former Mass. education secretary Paul Reville expressed support for a proposal presented Tuesday by the Baker administration, effectively forcing elementary classrooms to reopen by April. "I do think it’s the right direction to go in,” he said, citing decreasing COVID-19 cases in the state, and increasing knowledge about how to conduct in-person learning safely. He acknowledged, though, that the process is likely to be "complicated and controversial.” During the announcement earlier this week, Education Commissioner Jeffery Riley said he plans to ask schools in March to give him authority to determine when hybrid and remote learning models no longer count towards state-mandated learning hours. He added that the goal is to bring elementary student back by April, followed by middle and high school students “later in the school year." "It is not a set mandate,” Reville explained, calling the proposal an “indirect route” to getting children back in classrooms. “The governor has not done something he could do, which is declare emergency powers and mandate and require local districts to do it.” "I think the motivation and the statistics they’re citing, particularly on children’s mental health issues, is really compelling when you take a look at the number of cries for help that are coming in and being unmet by the mental health system,” he said, “many of which were being met in some way shape or form by school, or by virtue of being in schools.” Reville is the former Mass. 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.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jonathan Gruber weighs in on the debate over President Biden’s pledge to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is "Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream." Next, we open the phone lines to ask listeners about the absence of office culture during the pandemic. Art Caplan talks about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as the lack of diversity in vaccine trial participants. 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. Tanja Bosak discusses NASA’s Perseverance rover, sharing what scientists expect to find on the Mars mission. She also talks about what it was like collaborating on the Perseverance rover in the midst of the pandemic. Bosak is a geobiologist for MIT and a return sample scientist on the Perseverance team. Bob Thompson reviews PBS’ The Black Church and Mr. Soul!, as well as NBC’s Kenan and Young Rock. He also highlights films predicted to win Golden Globe awards 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. Juliette Kayyem shares her thoughts on Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. 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. Richard Blanco marks Black History Month by sharing poems from writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Terrance Hayes, and Danez Smith. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We open the phone lines to hear how listeners are processing the news that half a million Americans have died from COVID-19. Trenni Kusnierek discusses some professional athletes’ reluctance to do vaccine PSAs. She also shares her thoughts on the debate over whether Olympic athletes should jump the vaccine line. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Rep. Bill Driscoll previews this Thursday’s Mass. vaccine rollout oversight hearing, touching on the Vaxfinder website crash and the Baker administration’s response. Driscoll represents Milton & Randolph's 7th Norfolk District. Anne Miller talks about PPE supply shortages, and President Biden’s authorization of the Defense Production Act to ramp up PPE production. She also explains the differences between N95 and KN95 masks, and how to spot fake N95 and KN95 masks. Miller is the executive director of the Boston-based nonprofit Project N95. Shirley Leung discusses Malden’s eviction prevention measures, as well as inequities in Mass. vaccine distribution. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, from Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing to the release of former President Trump’s tax records. 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 they thought about the debate on whether Olympic athletes should be able to jump the vaccine line.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Brian McGrory weighs in on the criticism lodged against Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout. He also speaks about the Supreme Court’s denial of former President Trump's bid to conceal his financial records. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe. Next, we open the phone lines to ask listeners what their experiences have been in registering for the COVID-19 vaccine. Michelle Singletary discusses this year’s confusing tax season, and how listeners can prepare their tax forms. She also talks about the underfunding of the IRS, which has a backlog of over 11 million unprocessed 2019 tax returns. Michelle 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. Her recent 10-part series titled “Sincerely Michelle,” breaks down enduring misconceptions involving race. She’s also the author of "The 21 Day Financial Fast." Councilor Michelle Wu shares her thoughts on the state of vaccine distribution in Boston, and her proposed ordinance to get a vaccine site in every Boston zip code. She also discusses her proposal for a city-owned broadband network. Wu is a Boston City Councilor and candidate for city mayor. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss the criminalization and adultification of Black children, and the Supreme Court case asking justices whether the use of racial slurs create a hostile workplace. They also speak about Vatican City’s new anti, anti-vaxxer policy. 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. Ali Noorani shares the latest updates on President Biden’s immigration reform bill, and other immigration headlines. 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.” We wrap up the show by asking listeners how they’re spending their lunch breaks in quarantine.