Boston Public Radio

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 Greater Boston Food Bank President and CEO said one in eight people in eastern Massachusetts are now food insecure.

The NFL has been hesitant to support racial injustice protests in the past, notably by it's treatment of player and activist Colin Kaepernick.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office. Art Caplan walks us through the CDC’s latest guidelines on wearing masks outdoors. He also shared his thoughts on Alaska Airlines’ decision to ban Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold from all flights after she didn’t comply with mask requirements. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. Brian McGrory recaps the Boston Globe’s latest stories, from the release of redacted records detailing an internal affairs investigation into former Boston Police officer Patrick Rose to Boston hospital board CEOs moonlighting on corporate boards. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe. Jonathan Gruber shares his thoughts on what Amazon defeating workers’ efforts to unionize means for the future of labor. 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." Andy Ihnatko talks about Apple’s new iPhone OS update, which forces apps to notify users of data tracking. He also explains two class-action lawsuits brought against Apple over whether users actually own content they’ve bought on iTunes. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Dr. Abraar Karan updates us on India’s COVID-19 outbreak, and talked about the lack of PPE and other medical equipment in the country. He also discusses the state of vaccine inequity around the world. Dr. Karan is an internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School. He has worked in global health for the past 13 years in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether their houses were in dire need of fixing after a year spent at home.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Ryan DeLapp explains how many people of color are experiencing trauma from videos of police brutality, and reactive coping methods adopted by people of color. Dr. DeLapp is a psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Saida Grundy weigh in on hate crime legislation, arguing that hate crime laws are too narrow and largely symbolic. Grundy is an assistant professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University, and the author of the forthcoming book “Manhood Within the Margins: Promise, Peril and Paradox at the Historically Black College for Men.” Next, we ask listeners whether they think vaccination incentives could lower vaccine hesitancy. Irene Li and Margaret Pimentel talk about CommonWealth Kitchen’s Restaurant Resiliency Initiative, which supports independent restaurants impacted by the pandemic. Li is the chef and owner of Mei Mei, which is now evolving into a dumpling company, and she’s the program manager for CommonWealth Kitchen’s Restaurant Resiliency Initiative. Pimentel is the owner of Achilito’s Taqueria, which has locations in Brighton, Jamaica Plain, and Patriot Place. Attorney General Maura Healey discusses an increase in COVID-related scams, and laid out her plans to make it easier for people to report hate crimes. As always, she answers listeners’ questions during Ask the AG.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne shares his thoughts on President Joe Biden’s approval ratings and first 100 days in office. 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.” Next, we open the phone lines, asking listeners how they feel about sending their kids back to school. Charlie Sennott talks about President Biden’s decision to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians during World War I as a genocide, and the Biden administration’s Leaders Summit on Climate. He also discusses the Groundtruth Project’s podcast on the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers, and their upcoming conference on the legacy of Daniel Ellsberg in partnership with UMass Amherst. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Jenifer McKim discusses “Unseen,” an investigative series from the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting, which looks at the boys and young men lured into the sex trade. McKim is an investigative reporter with the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on faith leaders’ responses to the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. They also talk about vaccine hesitancy among Evangelical Christians. 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 an executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. Meredith Goldstein previews her new YA book, “Things That Grow,” and talked about the state of romance and relationships during the pandemic. Goldstein is an advice columnist and features writer for the Boston Globe. Her advice column, Love Letters, is a daily dispatch of wisdom for the lovelorn that has been running for more than a decade. She also hosts the Love Letters podcast. We end the show by talking with listeners about returning to the silver screen.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by asking listeners whether they wanted to continue working from home after the pandemic. Sue O’Connell explains the decision to put Bay Windows and the South End News on the market. She also weighs in on Caitlyn Jenner launching a bid for the California governorship. 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. Bina Venkataraman recaps the latest Boston Globe editorials, from the Massachusetts legislature's transparency issues to Boston hospital CEOs moonlighting on corporate boards. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Callie Crossley shares her thoughts on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict and the party-line vote on D.C. statehood. She also talks about former President George W. Bush’s relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Richard Blanco marks National Poetry Month by highlighting the works of four U.S. poet laureates. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on wearing masks outdoors, and whether Johnson & Johnson vaccinations might resume soon. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. Emily Rooney talks about Facebook’s upcoming announcement on whether they will lift former President Donald Trump’s suspension from the platform. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from the Derek Chauvin trial verdict to state efforts to reform police departments. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, host of “Meet the Press Daily" on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. Next, we ask listeners about how they’re trying to become more eco-friendly in their everyday life. Andrea Cabral discusses the release of redacted internal affairs documents on the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. David Abel previews his new documentary “Entangled,” which looks at how climate change exacerbated a battle between the endangered North Atlantic right whale and the lobster industry. Abel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Boston Globe. Along with Andy Laub, he’s written, directed and produced the documentary film “Entangled.” It airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST on GBH’s WORLD channel. Kobie Evans talks about how the pandemic impacted Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary, which opened two weeks before the COVID-19-imposed lockdown. He also discusses the obstacles other states are facing in legalizing marijuana. Evans co-owns Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary. Jared Bowen discusses the documentary “Crip Camp,” which is nominated for an Oscar, and the American Heritage Museum in Stowe, Massachusetts. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about Amazon’s new program that would allow customers to pay by scanning their palms at select Whole Foods stores.