Today on Boston Public Radio:
Rep. Ayanna Pressley discussed Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to send the Massachusetts police reform bill back to legislators, racial disparities with facial recognition software, and what she’s doing to confront the country’s ongoing eviction crisis. Pressley is the U.S. congresswoman representing Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District.
Next, we opened our lines to talk with listeners about the recently-approved Pfizer vaccine and ask: Are you eager to get one?
Emily Rooney talked about a Science journal study that found February’s Biogen conference led to over 300,000 U.S. coronavirus cases. She also celebrated the (temporary) death of the office party, and read a monopoly-themed list of fixations and fulminations. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m.
Juliette Kayyem gave a reality-check on the rollout timeline for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which was approved for distribution on Thursday by the FDA. She also talked about a lawsuit from Chris Krebs, President Trump’s former cybersecurity chief, after one of Trump’s campaign lawyers said Krebs ought to be killed for standing by the legitimacy of the 2020 election. 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.
Sue O’Connell talked about recent reporting on the cognitive decline of Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the inevitable questions that've been raised about aging public officials. She also touched on progressive discontent with President-elect Joe Biden's cabinet picks. O'Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News. She’s also NECN's Explainer-in-Chief and their political commentator.
Andrea Cabral discussed the 106 House Republicans backing a Texas lawsuit to overturn Biden’s win in the 2020 election. She also spoke about Baker’s refusal to sign the police reform bill, and Attorney General Bill Barr’s decision to keep news about investigations into Hunter Biden from the public in the months leading up to the election. Cabral, the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety, is the chief executive officer of Ascend.
Callie Crossley weighed in on the police killing of 23 year-old Casey Goodson, whose death at the hands of Ohio police was ruled homicide on Wednesday by state coroners. She also gave her take on a new ice cream flavor from Ben & Jerry’s that's highlighting Colin Kaepernick activism, and hinted at some of her secrets to making the perfect deviled egg. Crossley is the host of GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black.
