Boston Public Radio

Protests are a health risk amid COVID-19, but there are steps people can take to be safer about it.

'Today we're taking a closer look than we have in a long time,' at racism in America, poet Richard Blanco said.

The former Massachusetts governor said that George Floyd's death was "a heinous murder carried out by a person with a badge."

The Gold Dust Orphans theater company founder said it was important that Americans remember their country's racist legacy.

Demonstrations against police brutality are beginning to coalesce around a platform of policies. Is this a turning point in America?

The GroundTruth Project CEO said there's credence to concerns the president is slipping into authoritarianism.

The galaxy’s first space-grown New Mexican hatch chile peppers have been harvested from the International Space Station (ISS). Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio in studio Wednesday to discuss the space-grown chiles, and what these chiles could mean for the future of indoor farming. NASA employees brought 48 chile seeds aboard a spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for growth on the ISS. This past October —- the end of New Mexico’s hatch chile season — the ISS crew harvested 7 mature hatch chiles. ISS crewmembers celebrated the growth of the peppers by throwing a taco party. “It's been very good for the mental health and psychology of the people in the space station, no doubt, to tender these plants and smell the leaves and smell the green,” Kummer said. The hatch chile seeds used in the ISS gardens were NuMex Española Improved, a hatch chile variety known for its early-maturity and medium-heat profile. The seeds were planted in an “oven-sized growth chamber” on the ISS, with NASA and ISS crew controlling lighting, temperature, trimming, and irrigation. The contained growth of these hatch chiles is big news for the future of indoor farming as well, Kummer notes. “There are billions of venture capital dollars being put into these indoor farms,” Kummer said. “This is like a very high profile, highly publicized example of growing things [indoors] if you control the humidity and the ultraviolet light.” 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 asking listeners their thoughts on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, and whether it’s time for something different. Trenni Kusnierek updates listeners on the latest headlines in sports, including Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter criticizing Michael Jordan and LeBron James, and Patriots General Manager Bill Belichick sharing his favorite Thanksgiving food. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a Boston Public Radio contributor. Mayor Michelle Wu answers questions from constituents in her first ever Ask the Mayor, including about her environmental platform, vaccine requirements and Mass. and Cass. Wu is mayor of Boston. Dan Shaughnessy tells anecdotes from his latest book about covering the Celtics during the Larry Bird era. Shaughnessy is a sports writer at the Boston Globe. His new book is “Wish It Lasted Forever: Life With The Larry Bird Celtics.” John King previews the latest political headlines, including the status of Build Back Better and the Jan. 6 investigation. King is CNN’s chief national correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays at noon and Sundays at 8 a.m. We end the show by continuing our conversation with listeners about how they like their Thanksgiving turkey.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne talks about the status of Build Back Better, President Joe Biden’s medical report and whether he is eyeing a run for a second presidential term. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country." Then, we ask listeners about their media diets, following a PEW survey showing how some types of news consumption have declined. Michael Curry weighs in on the latest COVID-19 numbers and the recent availability of booster shots for all adults. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors and chair of the board’s advocacy and policy committee. Katie Caster and Kim Parker discuss burnout among teachers of color, and what needs to change for the teacher force to better represent the students they serve. Katie Caster is manager of curriculum and education at Latinos for Education. Kim Parker is President of the Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their reactions to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, in which he was found not guilty on all counts. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Brian Weeden tells the Wampanoag tribe’s side of the Thanksgiving origin story, and how his community will be commemorating Thursday as a national day of mourning instead. Brian Weeden is the Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. He is from Eel Clan. He is also Co-President/Trustee of the United National Indian Tribal Youth, or UNITY. We end the show by asking listeners if their family planning has changed, as some people opt to forgo having kids out of fear for the environment.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan weighs in on the state of the pandemic, including the need for a universal digital vaccine card, and whether he’s comfortable giving out handshakes and hugs. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Then, we ask listeners about their comfort with handshakes, as Norway urges its citizens to avoid the greeting. Callie Crossley unpacks the exoneration of two of the men incarcerated for assassinating Malcolm X, and the latest in the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William Bryan, for shooting Ahmaud Arbery. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko talks about Apple’s new repair program, which gives users access to parts and manuals to repair their own iPhones, and how the airdrop feature is interfering in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Sue O’Connell discusses Britany Spears’ freedom from her conservatorship, and the Olympics’ decision to abandon testosterone testing for transgender athletes. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. Then, we broadcast live the decision in the Rittenhouse trial, in which the jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Ryan Landry shares a poem about the potential for nude beaches on Nantucket, and talks about a new device that allows your dog to call you. Ryan Landry is a playwright, lyricist, actor and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company. His new album is “The Vamps.” We end the show by asking listeners for their reactions to the Rittenhouse verdict.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd begins the show with the latest news from Washington D.C., including the latest from the Jan. 6 committee, and a House vote to censure Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona for sharing an altered anime video of him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners their Thanksgiving plans as COVID cases rise. Andrea Cabral discusses the latest in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, including Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissing the gun charge against Rittenhouse. She also talks about the state of marijuana legalization at the federal level. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville updates listeners on the latest news from schools, including how schools are doing when it comes to COVID-19, and the latest slew of racist incidents. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders. Dylan Thuras tells stories of strange food from around the world, including psychedelic honey, the anti-masterbatory origins of graham crackers and the great molasses flood in Boston in 1919. Dylan Thuras is the co-founder and creative director of Atlas Obscura, and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders.” His latest book is “Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide.” It was co-authored with Cecily Wong. Shirley Leung weighs in on the State House’s inability to pass legislation to distribute the American Rescue Plan Act funds, and the future of Boston’s downtown in an era of hybrid work. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. We end the show by talking with listeners about their strange food stories.