Boston Public Radio

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.

People need to go beyond reading books about anti-racism, the BU professor says.

The NAACP national convention was supposed to be held in Boston this summer. With the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the events have gone virtual.

The medical ethicist reflected on a recent New York Times editorial from Judith Heumann and John Wodatch.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the phones to hear from listeners about climate actions across the world today, and heard from WGBH reporter Bianca Vasquez Toness live from the field at Boston’s climate strike at City Hall. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed a new report that shows the abortion rate in America is at the lowest rate since Roe V. Wade. WGBH’s Emily Rooney joined us for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed whether the Jeffrey Epstein scandal at MIT is a sign of big tech’s moral bankruptcy. Boston Globe consumer protections reporter Sean Murphy discussed some of his latest cases, including a family whose trip to Ireland ballooned to $17,000. We opened the lines again to hear from listeners about whether they’ve completely foregone phone calls for texting. Chefs Peter Davis of Henrietta’s Table and Erin Miller of Urban Hearth joined us for our weekly news quiz and to preview WGBH’s upcoming Chef’s Gala, which will be emceed by Jim and Margery.

Today on Boston Public Radio: · Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker discussed education reform, controversies surrounding RMV license suspensions, as well as recent calls for the resignation of MIT’s president over the handling of donations from Jeffery Epstein. · Chuck Todd, moderator of MSNBC’s Meet The Press, discussed congressman Joe Kennedy’s Senate run, which is expected to be announced Saturday. · Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey discussed the state’s current suit against OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma. · Alex Beam explained the dishwasher lobby’s efforts to persuade the Trump administration to weaken environmental rules, and why chess tournament players are losing weight. Beam is a Boston Globe Columnist, whose latest book is “The Feud: Vladmir Nabakov, Edmund Wilson and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to ask our listeners: is the voting public enamored with outlaws? Former Massachusetts education secretary Paul Reville spoke about Boston Public Schools' late bus problem. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem talked about President Donald Trump's next national security advisor. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed Jeffrey Epstein's donations to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jenifer McKim, senior investigative reporter at WGBH's New England Center for Investigative Reporting, joined to speak about her reporting on suicides among college students. Naturalist Sy Montgomery talked to us about the pros and cons of spaying and neutering our pets, as well as the legal verdict of a rooster being allowed to cock-a-doodle-doo. WGBH's executive arts editor Jared Bowen gave us his review on the Downton Abbey movie.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to hear listener thoughts on the impact criminal punishment of corporations accused of wrongdoing has on society. Attorney General Maura Healey is one of a handful of AGs not accepting a settlement with Purdue Pharma, as she seeks harsher conditions. NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek joined us to break down the latest news on Patriots player Antonio Brown, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, and other allegations of wrongdoing. Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell discussed her call to curtail corruption at City Hall by establishing a full-time inspector general. Michael Norton, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, discussed minimalism in the age of Trump. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the latest food policy headlines. CNN's John King broke down the latest political news regarding gun legislation. Playwright Ryan Landry dished on the controversy around "Saturday Night Live" hire and fire: Shane Gillis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has given their support to the dairy industry and recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not allow plant-based milks to use the label 'milk' on their products. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to explain the money-based bias in studies that say children are better off drinking cow's milk. "The American Academy of Pediatrics gets lots of money from the dairy board," Kummer said. "So they pay attention to dairy board sponsored studies that say pediatricians are concerned that children might be lacking nutrients. It's a bogus study because New Food Economy called up a bunch of pediatricians who said they're not worried. It's just industry that wants to protect the designation of milk and doesn't want to lose its market." While cow's milk is a nutrient-packed product, it's incorrect to say that switching to plant-based milks will harm children, Kummer added. "The nutrient density of cow's milk is incredibly high and it's great for children, but it doesn't mean that if parents decide they want their kids to have almond milk or soy milk that its going to destroy their childrens' health," he said. "Most pediatricians said they've never seen it be a problem." 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.