Boston Public Radio

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.

The former business executive, presidential candidate and co-chair of Black Voices For Trump died this week of COVID-19 complications.

Today on Boston Public Radio: MIT economist and Affordable Care Act architect Jon Gruber weighed the possibility that a Supreme Court without Ruth Bader Ginsburg might overturn the ACA, and the widespread ramifications that would play out if that were to happen. We opened lines to hear your thoughts and concerns about the future of the Affordable Care Act. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the U.S. passing 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and the media’s shortcomings in covering the tragedy of the ongoing pandemic. EJ Dionne, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, talked about his new book, “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.” Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed the legacy of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and controversy within the Catholic community over an award presented to AG Bill Barr. We opened lines to talk with listeners about how the coronavirus pandemic has changed your day-to-day life, six months in. Medical ethicist Art Caplan reflected on the U.S. passing 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, President Trump raising doubts about the final wish of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the latest headlines around the U.S.’ development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Medical ethicist Art Caplan joined Boston Public Radio on Thursday, where he lambasted the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which he called “the single most important issue of his presidency." Caplan noted that while the U.S. makes up only four percent of the world’s population, it accounts for a fifth of all global COVID-19 deaths. “That’s inexcusable,” he said, placing responsibility on the president and his administration for "not managing to keep our death rate down.” "We have no federal policy – he left it up to the states, which allowed the virus to find a home in certain parts of the country, and kick back. So it really has been abysmal leadership.” 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.

Over 200,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19, homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. “And we suspect that this is an undercount, because maybe some people are not being counted for dying of COVID, or they had an underlying condition which catches them first,” she said. “There’s excess deaths everywhere we look, so the 200,000 number, I think, at the minimum is shocking, outrageous, inexcusable enough, but it’s probably not the right number.” 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about your experiences around school reopening. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek recapped the latest sports headlines, from losses by the Patriots and Celtics, to debate over whether college athletes should have more access to coronavirus testing than their collegiate peers. Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed his latest documentary for FRONTLINE, “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden.” Food writer Corby Kummer talked about guidelines for safe indoor dining, restaurants that're imposing COVID-19 surcharges, and why sales of tofu are through the roof. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed debate around who Gov. Charlie Baker ought to choose to replace the late SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants, and spoke on how her kids are handling hybrid learning. CNN’s John King discussed Tuesday's news that the U.S. has passed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and increasing certainty that Senate Republicans will elect a Supreme Court justice before the November election. We reopened our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about how you’re handling the quasi-return to schools.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that adults who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have eaten at restaurants. But the study is facing criticism for its lack of distinction between diners who ate at indoor versus outdoor establishments, food writer Corby Kummer said. “I do trust the CDC, but the study they released did not differentiate between bars or restaurants or between indoor and outdoor dining,” he said. It’s a challenge for restaurants to successfully and safely have indoor dining, Kummer said, but possible if everyone, specifically diners, follow health guidelines. “There are going to be big problems for restaurants trying to open indoors, but there’s a path forward if they follow the rules and insist that their diners follow the rules,” he said. “As for bars, they’re probably not go to reopen until there’s a vaccine that’s well established, and that’s a good year.” 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.