Boston Public Radio

Owens and Steil urged state legislators to ratify legislation extending the eviction moratorium and offering more aid to renters and homeowners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Higgins explained the fine line between social media being a platform for shared learning or performative posting.

The state Senate's police reform bill includes a statewide ban on government use of facial recognition software.

Listen to the full episode of Boston Public Radio from July 3, 2020.

The Pulitzer-prize winning author explained how Vietnamese people have repeatedly been short-changed in the way they’re depicted in Hollywood portrayals of the Vietnam War.

With more than half of American states seeing COVID-19 increases, will governors let the virus set the pace of reopening?

On Wednesday’s Boston Public Radio, food writer Corby Kummer derided the American lunchtime phenomena known as the “sad desk lunch,” where workers are forced to eat at the work spaces in order to save time and boost productivity. The back-and-forth was sparked by a recent New York Times story about the salad chain Sweetgreen, whose owners are presenting the company’s sales as something of a barometer for the return to workplaces, and the renewed appetite in what the article dubbed “desk salads.” “There’s a generic name for it that you’re forgetting,” Kummer quipped. “Sad desk lunch – it’s a whole phrase.” Rather than bringing lunch back to your desk to send emails while shoveling quinoa, he pushed for American bosses to adopt what he called “the French model.” “You are not allowed to work between 1:00 and 2:00,” he said. “You have to go and take your sad desk lunch to a communal table and make conversation with your workers. That’s part of the whole office serendipity, utopia, of chance encounters that lead to immense creativity that doubles the profits of the business.” During the 20-minute discussion, Kummer also touched on a recent story about a Georgia farmworker grappling with her family’s legacy as slave-owners, and the future of tipping in a post-pandemic America. Corby Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners what they thought could boost nationwide vaccination rates. Trenni Kusnierek talks about Sha’Carri Richardson’s one-month suspension after she tested positive for marijuana. She then discusses Los Angeles Angels player Shohei Ohtani. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson discuss the current state of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, and the return to pre-pandemic levels of traffic and congestion. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets. Catherine Peterson talks about how local arts institutions have fared during the pandemic, detailing an arts labor shortage and a lack of economic support for arts. Peterson is the executive director of ArtsBoston. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III give historical context for the Rise of the Moors standoff on I-95, and shares their thoughts on 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones’ departure from UNC after she was denied tenure. They also talk about the banning of Soul Cap swimming caps at the Olympics. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, from President Biden’s visit to Surfside, Fla., to Massachusetts’ gubernatorial race. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We then talk with listeners about socializing over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Today we’re on tape, replaying some of our favorite conversations with a focus on author interviews. CNN’s Don Lemon discusses his latest book: "This Is The Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism." Chasten Buttigieg discusses his memoir, "I Have Something to Tell You." David Byrne discusses the film adaptation of his tour, "American Utopia," and his accompanying illustrated book. Derek DelGaudio discuses the film adaptation of his one man show: "In & Of Itself," and his new book, "AMORALMAN: True Stories and Other Lies." Gish Jen talks about her book, "The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap." Meredith Goldstein discusses her latest novel, "Things that Grow."

Today on Boston Public Radio: Andrea Cabral weighs in on the criminal indictment against the Trump Organization, and the overturning of Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Then, we talk with listeners about the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacating Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. Rep. Ayanna Pressley discusses the future of voting rights legislation, calling for the abolishment of the filibuster. She also talks about her introduction of the Tenant Empowerment Act of 2021, and shared her hopes for the infrastructure bill. Tiffani Faison shares how she kept her four restaurants afloat throughout the pandemic, and talks about how the labor shortage has affected business. Tiffani Faison is the chef and owner of Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, Fool’s Errand And Orfano. Sen. Elizabeth Warren discusses her renewed calls for a wealth tax following a ProPublica report that revealed how some billionaires avoided paying income taxes. She also speaks about her conversations with constituents on student loan debt forgiveness. Andy Ihnatko updates us on the latest tech headlines, focusing on research showing that only 19% of Wikipedia biographical entries are on women. He also shares his thoughts on Microsoft’s upcoming release of Windows 11. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they’re participating in VaxMillions.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by talking with listeners about what economists are calling “The Great Pandemic Tipping Boom of 2020.” Jonathan Gruber explains the economics behind the music industry as more music venues reopen for live shows. He also talks about the lack of revenue musicians gain from streaming services and album releases. Gruber is the Ford Professor of 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." Juliette Kayyem updates us on the latest news from the partial condo building collapse near Miami, and the possibility of a criminal indictment of the Trump Organization. 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. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on disclosing your vaccination status at work. He also weighs in on parents’ concerns over their children getting vaccinated. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Shirley Leung talks about efforts to make the Seaport more equitable, and explains Gov. Charlie Baker’s push for affordable homeownership as a way of decreasing the racial wealth gap. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Ali Noorani discusses Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plans to build a wall along the Texas-Mexico border. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether the live music experience has changed for them due to the pandemic.