Boston Public Radio

On Tuesday, Sen. Ed Markey discussed his re-election campaign, police reform, and the possibility of another federal stimulus package.

Social media has spurred the boycott of Goya Foods products, after the company's CEO praised President Donald Trump.

The Massachusetts legislature, citing economic downturns due to COVID-19, appears unlikely to adopt a higher gas tax. Transportation advocates say that's a missed opportunity.

The "All Rev'd Up" hosts were critical of what they described as a whitewashing, in U.S. schools, of the nation's history of racial injustice and white violence.

Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education Jeff Riley said schools may continue to operate fully remotely if there is a high rate of community transmission of COVID-19 in their district.

On Monday, media scholar Bob Thompson joined Boston Public Radio to share what he's watching on TV this week.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We aired live audio of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Monday press conference, where he unveiled his administration’s plan for reopening Massachusetts. We opened our lines to hear your thoughts on the governor’s reopening strategy. Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discussed health concerns around COVID-19, and took questions from callers.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about reopening the streets of Boston to pedestrians, and the upsides of having fewer cars on the road. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed the damaging impact anti-vax conspiracies could have on an eventual coronavirus vaccine, and the memorials people are creating in the video game Animal Crossing. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discussed concerns over coronavirus misinformation, and read her weekly list of fixations and fulminations. Media maven Sue O’Connell talked about gun-toting, anti-lockdown protesters, and gave her take on teenagers ordering alcohol in quarantine. Basic Black host Callie Crossley discussed the latest news on the death of Amaud Arbery, and the Texas salon owner who garnered media attention for defying lockdown orders while quietly accepting $18,000 in PPP loans. We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about cooking in quarantine.

Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Thursday to speak about his new set of guidelines to help restaurants reopen. Kummer has noticed many different restaurant safety guidelines regarding COVID-19. "I saw those, and thought maybe it would be good if there was one streamlined set of guidelines, and through my Aspen Institute program, I was able to line up funding." Through the Aspen Institute, Kummer has released a set of guidelines this week called "Safety First: Serving Food and Protecting People During Covid-19." "They're focused entirely on worker safety in back of the house and everything in these guidelines is to keep workers safe during COVID-19," he said. "The most important thing is figuring out who is sick, keeping them out of work, and of course having flexible sick time." *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: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talked about the influence of conspiracy theories and misinformation on the upcoming election, and his thoughts on whether House Republicans are going back Nancy Pelosi’s new coronavirus relief package. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the latest news around former national security advisor Michael Flynn’s perjury charges, and whether former Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort deserved to be released from prison over fears he might contract COVID-19. We opened our lines to ask listeners if you’re ready to see local businesses begin to reopen. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference. We continued the conversation about reopening Massachusetts with listeners. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called in to talk about his plans for how and when to reopen his city. Food writer Corby Kummer broke down his guidelines for reopening restaurants.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed President Trump's refusal to wear a mask, and made the case that anti-lockdown protestors ought to sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of their actions. MIT economist Jon Gruber talked about the latest aid proposal brought forward by the House of Representatives, and his thoughts on what it’s going to take to stabilize the U.S. economy. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the Trump administration’s efforts to have charges against Michael Flynn dropped, and the steps she thinks states need to take to reopen safely. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s press conference. We opened our lines to ask listeners: Should lockdown protestors who contract COVID-19 defer limited care resources to proper social distancers? CNN’s John King discussed whether he thinks President Trump would actually fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, and new polling on support for former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the presidential election in November.