Boston Public Radio

Dr. Virginia Sinnott-Stutzman joined "Boston Public Radio" on Wednesday for our first-ever edition of "Ask The Vet."

Gergen Barnett returned to Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to discuss the underwhelming number of Americans who've received their initial COVID-19 vaccinations.

The "All Rev'd Up" hosts reflected on the chaos of 2020 and the path forward for racial equity.

As the world's billionaires get richer, American legislators are still fighting over COVID-19 relief.

How will the upcoming Biden administration's address climate policy?

Listen to the full episode of Boston Public Radio from Dec. 24, 2020.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether they’re excited – or furious – over the return to the office. Shirley Leung talks about the life and legacy of former Fidelity Investments CEO Edward “Ned” Johnson III, and the North End restaurateurs fighting against $7,500 participation fees for outdoor dining. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Callie Crossley discusses Ginni Thomas’ texts connecting her to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, and shares her thoughts on the Senate’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Tiffani Faison and Irene Li join us to talk about the James Beard Awards, and how their businesses have fared over the course of the pandemic. Faison is an award-winning chef and the woman behind Sweet Cheeks, Orfano, Fool’s Errand, and the recently-opened Tenderoni’s, Dive Bar, and Bubble Bath at High Street Place. She’s also a judge on Food Network’s “Chopped,” and a competitor on “Tournament of Champions.” Li is the woman behind Mei Mei Dumplings, and just won the James Beard Award for Leadership. Jennifer Nawada and Mark McCullough answer listeners’ questions and calls on all things related to landscaping and masonry. Nawada and McCollough are the landscaping and masonry experts, respectively, for PBS’ longstanding home repair show “This Old House” and its spinoff, “Ask this Old House.” Jennifer also owns Nawada Landscape Design, and Mark owns MJM Masonry, both based out of Boston.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd shares his reactions to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, the latest on Ukraine and other news from D.C. 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. Then, we ask listeners whether or not they think former President Donald Trump is truly above the law, after senior Manhattan prosecutor Mark F. Pomerantz resigned following the DA’s decision to stop pursuing an indictment of Trump. Andrea Cabral reacts to the decision to not prosecute former President Donald Trump, and breaks down her frustration with the GOP’s questioning during Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville discusses whether the Northampton principal should be suspended for calling her students “asshats,” and the range of challenges in education that are causing the teacher shortage. Reville is former state secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. Nick Quah weighs in on the world of podcasts, including why Joe Rogan has found success, and what he thinks about new shows like “Normal Gossip” and “Dead Eyes.” Quah is Vulture’s podcast critic. Then, we ask listeners for their thoughts on if a principal should be suspended for calling students “asshats.” We end the show by airing President Joe Biden’s speech where he announced more aid to Ukraine, including accepting up to 100,000 refugees fleeing the war.

As Americans try to curb their methane emissions from coal mining and oil and natural gas systems, changes may come to the kitchen as well. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Monday to talk about induction cooking as an alternative to gas stoves. Induction cooking uses electric currents to directly heat pots and pans through magnetic induction. Instead of using thermal conduction, such as a gas or electric element transferring heat from a burner to a pot or pan, induction heats the cooking vessel itself almost instantly. Melissa Clark of The New York Times makes the case to get rid of gas stoves. A lot of new buildings don’t have gas hookups and 75 percent of methane emissions from gas stoves occur when the stove is off. In addition to the environmental benefits, Kummer has other reasons he thinks induction cooking is a good option. “This doesn't smell, it's much cleaner, it's incredibly easy to just take a sponge to because it's a flat glass cooking surface,” he said. Kummer explained that you can get an induction stove cover for a regular stove for only a few hundred dollars. “You can order one tonight from Lowe’s or Walmart, they’re incredibly easy to come by.” 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: We begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on the start of the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Trenni Kusnierek talks about new information about the 2019 shooting of retired Red Sox player David Ortiz, and number 15-seed Saint Peters pulling off an upset over no. 2-seed Kentucky during March Madness last weekend. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. She's also a Boston Public Radio contributor. EJ Dionne weighs in on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, and the state of childcare. Dionne is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His latest book is “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.” Corby Kummer shares tips on how to make and buy Ukrainian food while supporting Ukraine, and potential concerns about lab-grown meat. Kummer is 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. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss Ketanji Brown Jackson’s relationship with faith, and the CROWN act, which prohibits hair-based discrimination. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the All Rev’d Up podcast. Judge Nancy Gertner preview what to expect as the Senate confirmation hearings begin for Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Gertner is a retired U.S. District Judge for the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. She’s currently a senior lecturer on law at Harvard University. We end the show by talking with listeners about returning to the office.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Senator Elizabeth Warren takes questions from callers about the upcoming Senate vote on capping the price of insulin at $35 and on sanctions against Russian Oligarchs. Warren is Senator of Massachusetts. The Lorelei Ensemble sings parts from their upcoming show. Corrine Byrne, Dianna Grabowski, Stephanie Kacoyanis, Michele Kennedy, Sophie Michaux, Arwen Myers, Clara Osowski and Sonja Tengblad are singers in the Cambridge-based Lorelei Ensemble. Beth Willer is the group’s artist director, and Kevin Payne is the group’s lute player. The full ensemble’s tour titled “This Tyrant, Love,” will perform Friday night at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge. Callie Crossley talks about the House passing the CROWN Act, which would ban race-based hair discrimination, and why people procrastinate by scrolling on Zillow. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Lisa Fischer previews her upcoming shows in Boston this weekend, and discusses the legacy of her career. Fischer is a vocalist who has sung background for Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Luther Vandross and more. She is performing Friday and Saturday at Scullers Jazz Club in Allston. Andy Ihnatko explains the effect of sanctions on Russia’s digital infrastructure and why DuckDuckGo is becoming the search engine for weirdos and conspiracy theorists. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Sue O’Connell weighs in on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plea to Russian citizens to resist misinformation, Chris Cuomo’s $125 million lawsuit against CNN and employee walkouts over Disney’s lack of response to Florida’s proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. We end the show by asking listeners their thoughts on cold showers for health benefits.