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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners what Massachusetts’ paid family and medical leave means to them, as the program comes under threat at the federal level in Congress. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Washington State University’s firing of football coach Nick Rolovich after his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and updates listeners on the Red Sox’ progression through the playoffs. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a Boston Public Radio contributor. Christopher Muther previews New Hampshire’s hottest club, a live music venue in a barn owned by John Davidson in Sandwich. He also discusses the results of J.D. Power’s annual airport satisfaction survey, where Boston Logan Airport ranked third to last among mega airports. Muther is a Boston Globe travel columnist and travel writer. Then, we talk with listeners about whether or not they would pay extra to fly on an all-vaccinated flight. Jonathan Martinis updates listeners on the status of Brittany Spears’ case as she seeks to end her conservatorship, and discusses the importance of using her case to raise awareness of other instances of conservatorship abuse. Martinis is Senior Director for Law and Policy with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and was the lawyer in the 2012 Jenny Hatch guardianship case. John King weighs in on the latest political headlines, including updates on Democratic negotiations over President Joe Biden’s spending bill, and what the Virginia’s mayoral race means for Democrats. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by continuing our conversation with listeners about what they would do to fly on a fully-vaccinated flight.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne discusses the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the status of Democratic negotiations over President Joe Biden’s spending bill. 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 if they would go back to the office if promised one month of remote work, after Amazon announced a similar plan for its corporate employees. Charlie Sennott talks about the United States’ role in political and economic chaos in Haiti, following the kidnapping of 17 U.S. and Canadian missionaries. He also emphasizes the importance of journalism with the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to journalists Dmitri A. Muratov from Russia and Maria Ressa from the Philippines. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Renée Landers previews the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court term, including the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev death penalty case and debates over abortion. She also weighs in on term limits and whether or not she thinks Justice Stephen Breyer will retire before the end of Biden’s term. Landers is a professor of law and faculty director of the health and biomedical law concentration at Suffolk University’s School of Law. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weigh in on Dave Chapelle’s Netflix special and Lizzo calling twerking sacred. 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. We end the show by talking with listeners about how they respond to receiving care from private healthcare workers who remain unvaccinated.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Katherine Clark discusses President Joe Biden’s spending plan, including the importance of childcare funding, and updates listeners on the state of Democratic negotiations. Clark is assistant house speaker and represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts. Then, we ask listeners about their thoughts on vaccine mandates in Massachusetts and the politicization of vaccines, as New Hampshire residents push back against public health efforts. Sue O’Connell talks about Texas’ child welfare agency removing resources for LGBTQ youth from its webpage, and an upcoming walkout by transgender Netflix employees over Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special. 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. Shirley Leung breaks down latest proposals to address the crisis at Mass. and Cass, and tells the story of a woman from New Jersey who drove north to look for her son there. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Andy Ihnatko talks about how iPhones can now track location even when turned off, so that the Find my iPhone feature can locate the device. He also discusses bipartisan efforts in Congress to bar tech companies from giving preferential treatment to their own products. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We end the show by asking listeners for their tips on tackling phone addiction.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd begins the show by talking about the possible effect of supply chain shortages on approval ratings of President Joe Biden as the holidays near. He also discusses what programs might have to give in order to pass Biden’s spending plan. 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 what they think Democrats should cut to pass Biden’s infrastructure bill. Andrea Cabral updates listeners on the latest in the conviction of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the Boston Marathon bombing. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week as to whether Tsarnaev was properly sentenced to death, and whether he had a fair trial. Cabral also discusses a Boston Police officer back on duty after a suspension for bragging about hitting George Floyd protesters with his car. 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. Then, we talk with listeners about their thoughts on police reform, and why they think efforts to change policing have faltered in the months since protests in the summer of 2020. Fiona Hill previews her memoir that came out this month, “There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century,” and weighs in on the similarities and differences between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Hill served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019, and was witness in Donald Trump’s first impeachment hearing. Jared Bowen rounds up the latest arts and culture happenings in the city, including the MFA’s “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories” exhibit, and Gregory Maguire’s latest novel, “The Brides of Maracoor.” Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking about GBH’s new multi-media series, “The Big Quit,” and asking listeners what they have quit in their lives since the start of the pandemic. Art Caplan discusses the first FDA authorization of e-cigarettes and the ethics of jumping the line for booster shots. 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. Juliette Kayyem talks about a slew of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines, and why she thinks Donald Trump might run in the 2024 Presidential Election. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Richard Blanco reads poems in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, including "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, “Hearing Spider-Man Speaking Spanish in Times Square” by Ariel Francisco and “Suspended from School, the Pachuco’s Grandson Watches Happy Days While his Homie Fulfills Prophecy” by Michael Torres. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His latest book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll talks about how Salem is adapting its Halloween festivities for the pandemic, and how the town negotiates the holiday’s festivities with its darker history of witch trials. Driscoll is the mayor of Salem. We end the show by talking about where listeners can find the best Halloween displays, in the lead up to Oct. 31.