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.

The Trump administration is changing the requirements of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), impacting 688,000 people previously eligible to receive food stamps. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Thursday to discuss this new rule and its consequences. "They will now require able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 49 with no dependents - 7 percent of SNAP recipients - to essentially work 20 hours a week, or they can't get SNAP benefits after three months," Kummer said. "On Wednesday, the Trump administration finalized the rule, and what they aim to do is just throw people off the rolls and make them hungry." Kummer said that the new 20 hour working week requirement doesn't take into consideration the hardship that stands in the way of people getting work. "It's one of the worst outrages this administration has foisted on us in a long time, because there's very high unemployment, it's hard to get jobs for these people, it's even harder to check out and verify 20 hours." *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 opened lines to callers to hear your thoughts on the ongoing turmoil in Washington regarding the House impeachment inquiry. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed religious exemptions from vaccines, in light of a bill before the Massachusetts lawmakers that would remove them from current legislation. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed tensions between world leaders at this year’s NATO summit, and Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing. Boston Globe Spotlight reporter Andrew Ryan discussed the Spotlight team’s report on Boston’s traffic, and the debate over whether to bring congestion pricing to Massachusetts. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn discussed a recent New York Times article detailing Amazon's infiltration of the city of Baltimore. Brian O'Donovan, host of WGBH's A Celtic Sojourn, WCRB's Brian McCreath, and Berklee College of Music's Rob Hochschild stopped by Boston Public Radio to share some music and previews for upcoming local concerts.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to callers: with all this snow, are you happy to have something other than Trump to talk about? NBC Sports Boston Reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed a possible fall from grace for the Patriots, equal pay for Canada’s curling teams, and the resignation of NHL coach Bill Peters over allegations of racism. City council president Andrea Campbell discussed her year-long term as Boston City Council President, and her ongoing mission to establish a Boston City Inspector General. WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed the Netflix film “The Irishman,” and a new exhibit at the MFA highlighting the art of ancient Nubia. Environmental journalist Bill McKibben discussed the dire state of climate action in light of last week’s U.N. climate report, and the U.N. Climate Conference currently under way in Madrid. CNN’s John King discussed the latest political headlines regarding the 2020 presidential race and the House impeachment inquiry. Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU, discussed the use of SPOT the robot dog by Massachusetts State Police.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Shannon O’Brien and Charlie Chieppo discussed the latest national and state political headlines, including news around the House impeachment inquiry and developments in the Grant Thornton R.M.V. controversy. Charlie Chieppo is principal of Chieppo Strategies, Senior Fellow at the Pioneer Institute and Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University. Shannon O'Brien is former State Treasurer and Democratic nominee for governor. TV writer Bob Thompson reviewed the PBS documentary “College Behind Bars” and Netflix’s “The Irishman.” Charlie Sennott discussed President Donald Trump's support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and his claims of having re-opened talks with the Taliban. Sennott is a WGBH News Analyst and C.E.O. of the GroundTruth Project. MIT economist Jon Gruber discussed the feasibility and long-term impact of a wealth tax like the ones being proposed by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. We opened lines to callers to ask: If you had to choose, would you rather watch movies at home or in a theater? Boston Pops Orchestra conductor Keith Lockhart previewed upcoming holiday programming from the Pops.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the implications of a study from Virginia Commonwealth University, indicating that mortality rates are on the rise for people aged 25-64. We opened lines to callers to ask about your strategies difficult political conversations this Thanksgiving. CNN’s Juliette Kayyem discussed President Trump campaigning with absolved war criminals, and Jared Kushner’s latest assignment: building the wall. WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” the new biopic on Fred Rogers. Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed a letter from LGBT Justice Department employees to A.G. William Barr, criticizing the Trump administration’s stance on Title IIV of the Civil Rights Act. Journalist and author Sy Montgomery discussed San Francisco International Airport’s new therapy pigs, and Quilty the Cat’s brigade to free her fellow sheltered felines. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discussed PETA’s campaign for Sesame Street to introduce a vegan puppet, and a definitive fix for jet lag.