Boston Public Radio

Even though they pay taxes, undocumented workers are unable to get a stimulus check during a time of spiked unemployment.

The former Suffolk County Sheriff called on white Americans to have serious discussions with one another about the systems that allowed Minneapolis police to kill George Floyd.

The effort to track the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state takes 'a lot of support.'

Multi-party coalitions will need to be built in order to get police reform bills passed, Todd says.

The Boston Globe cannabis reporter drew connections between the current Black Lives Matter protests and the U.S.’ marijuana prohibition.

President Donald Trump is threatening use of the Insurrection Act to suppress protests. But riots that have occurred have not reached insurrection level, says Kayyem.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they felt about the lack of government assistance in vaccine registration. Trenni Kusnierek discusses the pressure sports fans put on aging athletes, and Tiger Woods’ recent car accident. She also speaks about the MLB’s spring training “mercy rule.” Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George shares her thoughts on school reopenings, and the learning gaps facing students of color. She also discusses vaccine inequity in Boston. Essaibi George is a Boston city councilor-at-large and candidate for mayor of Boston. Carol Rose talks about Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearings Brnovich v. DNC and Arizona Republican Party v. DNC, explaining how they could impact the strength of the Voting Rights Act. She also speaks about Mass. laws regarding facial recognition software. Rose is the Executive Director of the Mass. ACLU. Next, we open the phone lines to talk with listeners about the home improvement projects they’ve tackled during quarantine. John King updates us on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, and the debate within the Democratic party on raising the federal minimum wage to $15. He also weighs in on the sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Cuomo. King is CNN’s Chief National Politics Correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. Sailaja Joshi marks Read Across America Day by discussing the formation of her publishing company, Mango and Marigold Press, as well as the importance of diversity and representation in media. Joshi is the founder and CEO of Mango and Marigold Press.

Today on Boston Public Radio: E.J. Dionne weighs in on what the events of last weekend’s CPAC can tell us about the future of Trumpism and the GOP. He also speaks about the nursing home scandal and sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Cuomo. 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 to speak with listeners about the Baker administration’s plan to reopen schools by April. Charlie Sennott discusses President Biden’s decision to not penalize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He also talks about the firing of Myanmar’s U.N. ambassador Kyaw Moe Tu after he spoke out against the country’s military coup. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Bob Thompson recaps the Golden Globes, highlighting Andra Day’s historic win for her performance in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. He also discusses criticism over the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a professor of television and popular culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price talk about vaccine inequity in Cambridge, and the Black exodus from the Catholic church. 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. Richard Blanco highlights the work of poet Denise Duhamel, and previews her upcoming book, Second Story: Poems. 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. We end the show by asking listeners about meteorological spring.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jon Santiago shares his thoughts on Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout hearing, and whether Mass. is ready to reopen. He also discusses his entrance into the Boston mayoral race. Santiago is a Democratic State Representative for the 9th Suffolk district, a candidate for mayor, and an ER doctor at Boston Medical Center. We open the phone lines to hear what listeners had to say about Gov. Baker’s plans to reopen Mass. Sue O’Connell talks about the House’s passage of the Equality Act, and the uphill battle it faces in getting passed by the Senate. She also shares her thoughts on CPAC and Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout. 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. Rosa Brooks discusses her new book, “Tangled Up In Blue: Policing The American City,” and describes her experiences as a reserve police officer in D.C. Brooks is a former Pentagon official in the Obama administration and a professor of law and policy at Georgetown Law. Her latest book is "Tangled Up In Blue: Policing The American City." Mass. Attorney General Maura Healey weighs in on the Baker administration’s vaccine rollout, and the plan to reopen schools by April. She also responds to questions from listeners. Healey is Massachusetts' attorney general.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd weighs in on CPAC and the state of the Republican party. He also shares his thoughts on how Gov. Cuomo’s nursing home scandal and sexual harassment allegations could impact the N.Y. Democratic party. 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. We ask listeners what they thought about Gov. Baker and Mass. Education Commissioner Riley’s plan to reopen schools by April. Andrea Cabral discusses the recent acquittal of police officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude. She also argues that had former President Trump’s tax records been released earlier, members of Congress would have been more likely to impeach him. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko updates us on the latest tech headlines, from a global computer chip shortage to Facebook’s decision to ban Myanmar’s military from its platforms. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Paul Reville shares his thoughts on Gov. Baker and Mass. Education Commissioner Riley’s plan to reopen schools by April, and how school systems could address learning loss. He also discusses the mental health issues students are facing without in-person learning. Reville is the former Mass. 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 Elaine Weiss, is: "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools And Communities Help Students Overcome The Disadvantages Of Poverty.” Jared Bowen talks about his recent interview with ornithologist and illustrator David Sibley. He also reviews Minari, Nomadland, and the Boston Lyric Opera’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio.

Speaking on Boston Public Radio Thursday, former Mass. education secretary Paul Reville expressed support for a proposal presented Tuesday by the Baker administration, effectively forcing elementary classrooms to reopen by April. "I do think it’s the right direction to go in,” he said, citing decreasing COVID-19 cases in the state, and increasing knowledge about how to conduct in-person learning safely. He acknowledged, though, that the process is likely to be "complicated and controversial.” During the announcement earlier this week, Education Commissioner Jeffery Riley said he plans to ask schools in March to give him authority to determine when hybrid and remote learning models no longer count towards state-mandated learning hours. He added that the goal is to bring elementary student back by April, followed by middle and high school students “later in the school year." "It is not a set mandate,” Reville explained, calling the proposal an “indirect route” to getting children back in classrooms. “The governor has not done something he could do, which is declare emergency powers and mandate and require local districts to do it.” "I think the motivation and the statistics they’re citing, particularly on children’s mental health issues, is really compelling when you take a look at the number of cries for help that are coming in and being unmet by the mental health system,” he said, “many of which were being met in some way shape or form by school, or by virtue of being in schools.” Reville is the former Mass. 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 Elaine Weiss, is: "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and communities help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty.”