Episodes
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Art Caplan on 'Politically Filtered' Messaging Around Trump’s Health
Medical ethicist Art Caplan, speaking on Friday's Boston Public Radio, said that while it isn’t uncommon for presidents to conceal critical information about their health and wellbeing, Donald Trump has an ethical responsibility to be fully transparent about his own physical standing, following Friday’s news of a COVID-19 diagnosis. “Look, it’s an election time. We wanna know who we’re voting for,” Caplan said. "Is he failing, is he doing okay?" "It’s also important to know who else they might’ve exposed, in terms of people like Joe Biden,” he added. “Are we gonna have another debate? And if so, how would that be arranged? A list of questions goes on and on and on.” Caplan said the president’s reputation for misrepresenting himself has meant some voters are hesitant to trust his word, leading to confusion and occasional conspiracy-theorizing. “We don’t have any independent mechanism to getting – if you will – trustworthy information, because it’s so politically filtered,” he explained. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine. -
Juliette Kayyem Thinks Trump’s Covid Diagnosis Might Be His ‘Out'
Juliette Kayyem called into Friday’s Boston Public Radio to reflect on news that President Trump has contracted the coronavirus. “Trump needs an out,” she said while weighing in on whether the diagnosis might signal his political demise. “It can’t possibly be that America didn’t vote for him, so it’s that 'the voting was rigged’ or whatever.” “Maybe this is his out... maybe this is the way in which he says ‘but for the COVID, I would’ve been able to rally everyone and won.' Maybe this doesn’t end with a fire burst, but a sort of whimper under a virus.” Kayyem also offered insight into what President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis could signal for the country's national security, and security elsewhere abroad. 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. -
BPR Full Show 10/1/20: Proud Boys & Questionable Pets
Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about President Trump’s sympathy for the Proud Boys, and how his open racism is impacting your relationships with friends and family on the other side of the political spectrum. Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell discussed why she’s chosen to enter race for mayor of Boston, and weighed in on a series of local issues, from the so-called “digital divide,” to pushes for citywide police reform. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins’ release of a list of of 136 Boston-area police officers with “questionable credibility,” new developments in the case around the killing of Breonna Taylor, and her take on Tuesday’s presidential debate. NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed Tuesday’s chaotic debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, and how he thinks it could impact voters ahead of the election. He also touched on why he doesn’t expect Biden or Trump to back away from future debates. Greater Boston Food Bank President and CEO Catherine D’Amato discussed need for further government assistance in order to help feed struggling communities through the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflected on what her organization is doing to serve the growing number of Mass. residents who are food-insecure. Brattle Book Shop proprietor and “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser Kenneth Gloss talked about his newest business venture: helping people curate their bookshelves for Zoom backgrounds. He also touched on the "Brattlecast" podcast, and how much he misses the regulars who’d visit his shop in Downtown Boston. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed a new feature on Twitter that prompts users to read articles before re-tweeting them, a new Google smartphone feature that'll wait on hold for you, and advancements in internet privacy features. Closing the show, we opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on robotic pets. -
BPR Full Show 9/30/20: Debate Reflections, Seth Moulton, and the Other Buttigeig
Today on Boston Public Radio: We started off by talking with listeners about your impressions from Tuesday night’s presidential debate. Rep. Seth Moulton offered his impressions of Tuesday night’s debate, discussed the newly-published report from Congress' Future of Defense Task Force on shortcomings with U.S. national defense, and reflected on his initiative to establish a national three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem weighed in on Tuesday’s debate, looming challenges in distributing an eventual COVID-19 vaccine, and deeper national security risks revealed in the New York Times report on President Trump's tax returns. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed whether doctors should have political conversations with their patients, as well as what he described as “reckless” development of coronavirus vaccines in China, and a rise in U.S. parents who say they won't have their kids get a flu shot this fall. Chasten Buttigieg, husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, gave his take on Tuesday’s chaotic presidential debate, and spoke in depth about his newly published memoir, “I Have Something to Tell You." Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther discussed Maine’s lift on restrictions for travelers coming from Mass., interstate traveler animosity, and his experience sharing a hotel with quarantined college students. Closing out the show, we returned to listeners to talk about Tuesday's presidential debate. -
Art Caplan On Dr. Birx's Downplaying Risk Of COVID Spread In Schools
The Trump administration waged a pressure campaign against the C.D.C. to push messaging in line with President Trump’s agenda to reopen schools and downplay the risk of COVID-19 spread among younger populations, according to a report in the New York Times. Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, was involved in the effort, a move medical ethicist Arthur Caplan told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday is inappropriate. “Birx should be advising if you’re going to reopen you’ve got to test, if you’re going to reopen here’s the cut off point where you’ve got to close,” he said, “and what we’re getting is more of the political message that we’ve got to reopen, and that’s politics not science.” Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. -
Juliette Kayyem: After A Chaotic Debate, The Choice Is Clear
Tuesday night’s presidential debate contained a lot of crosstalk — overwhelmingly initiated by President Donald Trump interrupting Joe Biden — and not a lot of substance. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday that despite the lack of policy discussion, the choice presented to voters is very clear. “I don’t know what you were expecting, but we have two choices, there’s not a third choice like ‘I wish this would all go away’ on the ballot,” she said. “And on both substance and temperament, I think Biden did great actually and Trump did horribly.” During the debate, when asked to condemn white supremacy, Trump refused, instead telling the far-right militia group known as the Proud Boys to “stand back and standby.” “Everything from the overt racism, which I find liberating, rather than wondering what does he actually mean, to his inability to talk about any of his policy proposals beyond conservative judges and I have a healthcare plan read my twitter account.” 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. -
BPR Full Show 9/29/20: Debate Prep
Today on Boston Public Radio: We started off by opening our lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts ahead of Tuesday’s debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek weighed in on the Patriots' Sunday win against the Oakland Raiders, dropped prostitution charges against Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the lousy 2020 season for the Red Sox. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo discussed how she’s handling the COVID-19 pandemic in her state, from high capacity testing in schools to a robust state-funded jobs program. She also touched on President Trump’s efforts to dismantle the U.S.P.S, and why she’s anxious about Tuesday's night presidential debate. TV guru Bob Thompson talked about his excitement around season four of FX’s “Fargo," and reviewed “Ratched” on Netflix and “The Comey Rule” on Showtime. Immigration authority Ali Noorani discussed how a Supreme Court with Judge Amy Coney Barrett might fall on future immigration issues, differences in political ideologies within the Latinx community, and allegations of cruel and unethical medical procedures taking place at an ICE detention facility CNN’s John King weighed in on Sunday night’s New York Times report detailing President Trump’s tax returns. He also discussed what people should expect from Tuesday night's president debate, and other major political headlines. We reopened lines to continue the conversation with listeners about Tuesday’s presidential debate. -
BPR Full Show 9/28/20: 'Like a Shadow or a Friend'
Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about Monday’s New York Times report revealing information about President Trump’s long-withheld tax returns. Suffolk University law expert Renee Landers discussed what could happen to the Affordable Care Act if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court, and other questions circling the Supreme Court nominee. Landers is a Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Health and Biomedical Law Concentration at Suffolk University School of Law. Charlie Sennott broke down the latest international headlines around coronavirus, a recent report from the CIA on continuing Russian interference in the 2020 election, and ongoing pro-democracy protests in Belarus. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and CEO of the GroundTruth Project. Republican Julie Hall, who’s currently running to represent Mass.' 4th Congressional District, called in to discuss her campaign and why she believes voters should pick her over Democratic candidate Jake Auchincloss. Hall is a retired Air Force Colonel and former Attleboro City Councilor. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III, hosts of the podcast “All Rev’d Up,” weighed in on the religious influence of Supreme Court judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett, and new polling finding that support for racial injustice protests is declining. We opened lines to talk with listeners about your shopping habits, and whether you’re finding yourself on Amazon more during the pandemic. Inaugural Richard Blanco shared some poems by Naomi Shihab Nye, to help keep us grounded during this time of unrest. -
Renée Landers: Barrett Unlikely To Rely On Precedent In ACA Challenge
The Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act a week after the election. Health law expert Renée Landers told Boston Public Radio on Monday Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett may undercut Obamacare if she’s on the bench. “The serious question is whether she will view the decision she criticized in (a court opinion upholding the Affordable Care Act) as a precedent that should be honored and respected,” said Landers, “or whether she thinks there are overriding principals like her different view of the text that should cause the court to revisit the case’s precedent and overturn the statute.” Landers is Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Health and Biomedical Law Concentration at Suffolk University School of Law. -
Bishop Michael Curry on Love and the 'Little Dash'
Last week, Bishop Michael Curry spoke on Boston Public Radio about the righteousness of love, and the value it can bring us in life’s more worrisome periods. "'You know when you used to go to the cemetery, and you’d see the date [and] name of whoever died, and then you'd see the date of their birth… you’ll see that there’s a little dash between the date of their birth and the date of their death,” he said, recalling an old sermon he’d hear as a boy. "Nobody has any control over when you were born, and most of us don’t have any control over when we die. What you have control over is the little dash.” Michael Curry is the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and author of “Love is the Way: Holding onto Hope in Troubling Times."
