Boston Public Radio

A white man was harassed for holding a 'Black Lives Matter' sign in Harrison, Arkansas.

The longer businesses remain closed, the more likely they are to buckle under financial hardship.

Todd says some Republicans are starting to re-establish themselves as deficit hawks.

The legislature signaled approval for a Gov. Baker-backed proposal that makes it easier for municipalities to zone for multifamily housing, but Connolly says the bill lacks measures to protect vulnerable populations.

Slaughterhouses won't release the number of employees who are infected by COVID-19, Kummer says.

The president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy spoke about the history of America's first “green” infrastructure project.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd talks about former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, arguing that the league has unfair hiring practices far removed from current corporate standards. 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 about the state of sports following Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and controversy surrounding the Beijing Olympics. Andrea Cabral discusses the neo-Nazi group that protested outside of Brigham and Women’s Hospital against doctors’ focus on anti-racist medical practices. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Jared Bowen talks about the Boston Lyric Opera’s “Svadba,” and the Lyric Stage Company’s “Mr. Parent.” He also previews this week’s edition of “Open Studio.” Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. Lyndia Downie and John Yazwinski discuss the need for supportive housing to combat homelessness in the Greater Boston Area, and Mayor Michelle Wu’s announcement of $40 million in funding to create and preserve more than 700 units of income-restricted housing. Downey is the President and Executive Director of the Pine Street Inn, one of the largest agencies serving homeless people and developing affordable housing targeted at homeless individuals in New England. Yazwinski is the President and CEO of Father Bill’s and Mainspring, which provides shelter, housing, and homelessness prevention services to individuals and families in Southern Massachusetts. Jon Gruber talks about his recent travels through South America, and how the U.S. compares to South American countries in their responses to COVID-19. Gruber 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 talking with listeners about Wordle, and the other games they’ve played to keep them from doomscrolling.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan weighs in on Denmark getting rid of all COVID restrictions, desires for the U.S. to do the same, and ethical approaches to the metaverse following reports of sexual assault online. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on whether the U.S. should follow the path of Denmark and ramp down COVID restrictions, or continue fighting the spread. Juliette Kayyem discusses the latest in the Jan. 6 committee news, tensions at the Russia-Ukraine border and a report into Miami’s dangerous condo development history following Surfside. 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. Michelle Singletary prepares listeners for tax season, including tips on how to deal with income through Venmo and Paypal and a racially biased IRS facial recognition software, and her advice when it comes to financial infidelity. 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. Dr. Julia Brody and Dr. Mary Beth Terry talk about their series, “Cancer and the Environment,” about the link between chemicals and cancer. Brody is the executive director and senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute, a scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the environmental causes of breast cancer. Terry is a cancer epidemiologist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Joanne Chang updates listeners on the challenging state of the restaurant industry amid Omicron and uneven federal aid, and shares her Lunar New Year traditions. Joanne Chang is a James Beard Award-Winning baker and owner of Flour Bakery, as well as the fantastic Myers + Chang with her husband Christopher Myers. We end the show by asking listeners whether they’re early birds or night owls, and why people enjoy the early hours of the morning.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sat down with Mass Restaurants United and local restaurateurs in Cambridge for a roundtable discussion on Jan. 25 to hear the struggles they’ve faced throughout the pandemic. Chief among them is a call to replenish the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) as restaurateurs enter a third year of uncertainty during the pandemic. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to share his thoughts on the major takeaways from the roundtable, as well as replenishing the RRF. “It was a lot of restaurant people saying, ‘Hey, what is it with this administration? They promised us something,’” Kummer told Boston Public Radio. “But more than just complaining, they're advocating for [an additional] $60 billion in federal aid to the depleted Restaurant Revitalization Fund.” Some participants at the Jan. 25 roundtable shared that their restaurants would not have survived if it weren’t for money received from the RRF; others expressed frustration, either finding out that their restaurants were ineligible or that they had been approved for money and had yet to receive it. Kummer said that while the Small Business Administration had good intentions with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a messy rollout led to the fund operating more like a lottery. “The Biden administration wanted to prioritize restaurants owned by women, people of color, [and] veterans. They were supposed to be at the head of the line, and then a bunch of white, non-minority, non-women, males, [had] affirmative action challenges and said, ‘How dare you, I'm a struggling business man too. Give me the money,’” Kummer said. “Unfortunately, the challenges were upheld, but it put the whole thing into disarray and chaos.” “Many of the restaurants that were supposed to be at the end of the line, for some quirk, got put at the head of the line. Suddenly they were in, and the money went out, whereas a lot of restaurants that had been approved were held in limbo, and then the fund ran out of money.” During the wide-ranging interview, Kummer also discussed the Aspen Institute’s Food Is Medicine Initiative, as well as the growing number of restaurants getting rid of their landline phones for orders. 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 opening phone lines, asking listeners for their thoughts on Tom Brady’s retirement. Trenni Kusnierek weighs in on Tom Brady’s retirement, and Rafael Nadal’s record 21 Grand Slam tennis titles. She also talks about athletes’ COVID-19 precautions at the Beijing Olympics. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Carol Rose shares her analysis of a federal judge rejecting a hate crimes plea-deal for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement. Rose is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Alexandria Onuoha discusses the crisis of missing Black women and girls in Mass., and calls for increased community and political support to protect Black women and girls. Onuoha is the Director of Political Advocacy for Black Boston, a nonprofit focused on fighting injustice and creating community in Boston’s Black community. Corby Kummer talks about the restaurants ditching their landline phones, and the restaurateurs urging Congress to replenish the Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund. 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. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, focusing on former President Donald Trump’s staff drafting versions of an executive order to seize voting machines. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up today’s show by continuing our conversation with listeners on Tom Brady.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about youth mental health during the pandemic. John Della Volpe talks about Gen Z’s relationship to political activism, and the events that pushed them to action. Della Volpe is director of polling at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and a former Biden campaign adviser. His new book is: “Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear And Passion To Save America.” EJ Dionne discusses a surge in book ban efforts across the country. He also weighs in on the road ahead for President Joe Biden’s first nominee to the Supreme Court. 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.” Dan Adams updates us on the latest headlines from the local marijuana industry, including Gov. Charlie Baker’s filing of the Clardy Law, which would treat driving impairment from alcohol and marijuana the same way. Adams is a cannabis reporter and author of the “This Week in Weed” newsletter for the Boston Globe. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the Pope’s statement on COVID-19 information, and the state of the Supreme Court. Rev. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Rev. 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 at GBH. Richard Blanco shares some of his favorite winter-themed poems, including Wallace Stevens’ “The Snowman,” Jay Parini’s “Below Zero,” and Mark Strand’s “Lines for Winter.” Blanco joins us regularly to lead Village Voice, a conversation about how poetry can help us better understand our lives. He’s the fifth presidential inaugural poet in US history. His latest book, “How to Love a Country,” deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. We end the show by asking listeners how they handled Saturday’s snow storm.