Boston Public Radio

Students and advocates are calling on Harvard University to acknowledge its role in slavery and offer reparations.

Healey tells Boston Public Radio she supports legislation to update the state's existing hate crime laws.

If reparations to slavery were enacted before the pandemic, COVID-19 transmission and deaths could have been mitigated dramatically, according to Dr. Michelle Morse.

Andrea Cabral speaks about concerns regarding the 845 unvaccinated members of the State Police.

Three Atlanta-area spas were attacked on Tuesday by the same suspected gunman, who killed eight people.

The travel expert talked about the steady return of international travel and the global effort to get people vaccinated for COVID-19.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd begins the show by talking about what he thinks will get cut from the Democrats’ spending bill, and what “reconciliation” actually means. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we asked listeners if they plan to get their kids vaccinated, as FDA authorization is expected to go through for children aged five to 11 in the coming weeks. Andrea Cabral discusses jury selection in the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William Bryan, who shot Ahmaud Arbery in February of 2020. She also talks about today’s House vote on whether or not to hold Steve Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena from a committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville unpacks the boom in enrollment at Christian schools, and an elite Concord school cancelling its invitation to Nikole Hannah-Jones to speak about The New York Times’ 1619 Project. 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 Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Folu Akinkoutu talks all things snacks, including her recollections of helping her parents run vending machines, her favorite food fusions across cultures and snack containers that dredge up childhood memories. Folu Akinkuotu is the Boston-based creator of the Unsnackable newsletter. Jon Gruber highlights the legacy and importance of the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics, and how Joshua Angrist’s win for “natural experiments” in the field contributed to the rise in prominence of empirical economic research. Gruber teaches 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.” We end the show by asking listeners about their celebrity encounters, after John Legend tipped a street performer playing “All of Me” outside Faneuil Hall.

When diners visit Seattle steakhouse Bateau, they’ll find steakhouse staples such as prime rib and filet alongside more obscure cuts like ranch and coulotte. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday to share his thoughts on Bateau’s efforts to become an environmentally sustainable steakhouse, following New York Times contributor Brett Anderson’s profile on the restaurant. “[Bateau is] only offering the cuts of meat that their farmers, who use pasture-raised cattle and practices they approve of, have available,” Kummer said. “So if it’s out for the night, you have to have something else at the restaurant.” “This restaurant is also experimenting with different ways of cooking meat, so it’s tender and palatable,” Kummer added. Kummer noted that the chefs and owners of Craigie on Main in Central Square and Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square are just two examples of the “many local chefs who’ve been into this method.” “The whole idea for them is, ‘we want to support local farmers — local farmers aren’t corn finishing on huge meat lots in Texas. It’s grass-fed — often that needs a sharp knife — and we’re going to show you, the diner, how delicious it can be,’” Kummer said. “It’s just not what you’d get at a national steakhouse chain that subscribes to environment-destroying animal raising.” 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan discusses the first ever successful genetically modified kidney transplant, which could be a breakthrough for those waiting for transplants. He also talks about the latest in mixing vaccines for booster shots. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Then, we ask listeners about their thoughts on sports betting as Connecticut just launched online sports betting, which remains illegal in Massachusetts. Juliette Kayyem weighs in on the acceleration of China’s national space program, and updates listeners on the status of President Joe Biden and the United States’ approval ratings. 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. Howard Mansfield previews his latest book, “Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers,” about communities throughout American history that sought freedom, happiness and utopia. Mansfield is an author who writes about history, architecture and preservation. Corby Kummer discusses how supply chain shortages could affect the food industry, and what happens when outdoor dining converges with the city’s homelessness crisis. 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 end the show by asking listeners what they’re hoarding amid the latest slew of supply chain issues.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners what Massachusetts’ paid family and medical leave means to them, as the program comes under threat at the federal level in Congress. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Washington State University’s firing of football coach Nick Rolovich after his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and updates listeners on the Red Sox’ progression through the playoffs. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a Boston Public Radio contributor. Christopher Muther previews New Hampshire’s hottest club, a live music venue in a barn owned by John Davidson in Sandwich. He also discusses the results of J.D. Power’s annual airport satisfaction survey, where Boston Logan Airport ranked third to last among mega airports. Muther is a Boston Globe travel columnist and travel writer. Then, we talk with listeners about whether or not they would pay extra to fly on an all-vaccinated flight. Jonathan Martinis updates listeners on the status of Brittany Spears’ case as she seeks to end her conservatorship, and discusses the importance of using her case to raise awareness of other instances of conservatorship abuse. Martinis is Senior Director for Law and Policy with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and was the lawyer in the 2012 Jenny Hatch guardianship case. John King weighs in on the latest political headlines, including updates on Democratic negotiations over President Joe Biden’s spending bill, and what the Virginia’s mayoral race means for Democrats. 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 continuing our conversation with listeners about what they would do to fly on a fully-vaccinated flight.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne discusses the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the status of Democratic negotiations over President Joe Biden’s spending bill. 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." Then, we ask listeners if they would go back to the office if promised one month of remote work, after Amazon announced a similar plan for its corporate employees. Charlie Sennott talks about the United States’ role in political and economic chaos in Haiti, following the kidnapping of 17 U.S. and Canadian missionaries. He also emphasizes the importance of journalism with the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to journalists Dmitri A. Muratov from Russia and Maria Ressa from the Philippines. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Renée Landers previews the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court term, including the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev death penalty case and debates over abortion. She also weighs in on term limits and whether or not she thinks Justice Stephen Breyer will retire before the end of Biden’s term. Landers is a professor of law and faculty director of the health and biomedical law concentration at Suffolk University’s School of Law. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weigh in on Dave Chapelle’s Netflix special and Lizzo calling twerking sacred. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. We end the show by talking with listeners about how they respond to receiving care from private healthcare workers who remain unvaccinated.