Boston Public Radio

Boston can't afford a second wave of COVID-19 cases, the mayor said.

The host of “Rick Steves’ Europe” joined Boston Public Radio for the first-ever edition of “Day Tripping with Rick Steves"

As of this week, all 50 states are in some form of partial reopening.

The pandemic hindered last minute attempts to get a possibly innocent man pardoned, Andrea Cabral says.

The governor says the state can handle 30,000 tests a day, but data show the number of tests being processed still falls far short of that.

Office culture is going to have to be reimagined until there's better management of the coronavirus, Kayyem said.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the leak of a Supreme Court abortion draft decision, and the future of abortion rights. Alton Brown talks about “Iron Chef” moving to Netflix, and his latest cookbook, “Good Eats: The Final Years.” Brown is a Peabody Award-winning celebrity chef and host of both “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef,” which is making a grand-return to Netflix this June. His latest book is “Good Eats: The Final Years.” Judge Nancy Gertner weighs in on the Supreme Court draft opinion that has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade, and what overturning the case means for the legal system. Gertner is a retired federal judge, and is now a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Imari Paris Jeffries discusses King Boston breaking ground at the Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King memorial, “The Embrace,” in Boston Common. He also shares his thoughts on the potential for government-funded reparations. Jeffries is the executive director of King Boston, the group behind this coming memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King and Corretta Scott King on Boston Common called “The Embrace.” John Waters previews his new book, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel,” and talks about the 50th anniversary of “Pink Flamingos.” Waters is a filmmaker, actor, artist and the author of “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel.” Jared Bowen talks about Matthew López’s play “The Inheritance” at the SpeakEasy Stage Company. He also shares his thoughts on “Prison Nation,” a photography exhibit examining mass incarceration across the U.S., on view at the Davis Museum. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of "Open Studio." We end the show by returning to our discussion with listeners on the future of abortion rights.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s second Boston restaurant — Gordon Ramsay Burger — is slated to open in late 2022 inside downtown’s Canopy by Hilton. The Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares star’s first Boston restaurant, Ramsay’s Kitchen, opened earlier this year in the Mandarin Oriental in Back Bay. “TV stardom translates into big deals and investment money,” food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio on Monday. “A big national chain like the Hilton thinks that he'll bring in tourists and customers.” “I would so much rather it'd be somebody local,” Kummer added. “[But] I'm all for fine dining and having access to these dishes wherever they do it and somebody gives local employment.” Kummer is 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: Rep. Jim McGovern discusses his recent visit to Ukraine and Poland, as well as his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Rep. McGovern, D-Mass., chairs the House Rules Committee and represents the state's 2nd Congressional District. Michael Curry and Jennifer Nassour share their thoughts on the latest in politics, focusing on the potential for student-loan forgiveness. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers. Nassour is former chair of the Massachusetts Republican party, and co-founder and president of the Pocketbook Project, a nonprofit geared toward getting women elected to public office. Trenni Kusnierek talks about 50 years of Title IX, and the Patriots’ NFL Draft picks. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Corby Kummer shares his thoughts on the mass avian flu culling of 5.3 million chickens by Rembrandt, an Iowa-based egg factory. He also talks about the ever-expanding world of gummies. Kummer is 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. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about Harvard’s creation of a fund to redress its ties to slavery. They also discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment rights in refusing to let a local organization fly a Christian flag in front of City Hall. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, and the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. Anand Giridharadas discusses Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, and weighs in on the last 20 years of U.S. intervention in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Giridharadas is a journalist, the publisher of the newsletter “The.Ink,” and author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade Of Changing The World." We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their texting behaviors, and the texting rules they follow.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett discusses the end of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and current COVID positivity rate in Mass. She also answers listeners’ questions during this month’s edition of “Ask the Doctor.” Gergen Barnett is the vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation and residency director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. We then open up the phone lines, talking with listeners about the potential for sports betting in Mass. Robert Baart and Peter Scott talks about the return of Fenway Studios’ two-day open studios event. They also share their thoughts on whether there’s enough support for emerging artists in Boston. Baart and Scott are artists with Fenways Studios. Their co-op is hosting their annual Open Studio event this weekend, indoors tomorrow, and both indoors and outdoors on Sunday, on Ipswich Street in Fenway. Paul Reville discusses the investigation into Jamaica Plain’s Mission Hill K-8 School, and shares his thoughts on the textbooks recently rejected by the Florida Department of Education. Reville is the former Secretary of Education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs 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.” Sue O’Connell talks about the Oklahoma legislature’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. She also weighs in on M.I.T.’s Banana Lounge. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. Harry Christophers discusses his upcoming departure from the Handel and Haydn Society after 13 years of leadership, and shares how the Handel and Haydn Society adapted during the pandemic. Christophers is the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society. We end the show by asking listeners about the future of romance in the metaverse.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Mayor Michelle Wu discusses an investigation into sexual abuse and bullying at the Mission Hill K-8 School in Jamaica Plain. She also answers listeners’ questions during “Ask the Mayor.” Jonathan Gruber explains the economics behind Disney’s special tax status, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is targeting after the company lambasted the state’s recent “Don’t Say Gay” law. 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." Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, focusing on President Biden’s request for $33 billion in aid to Ukraine. 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. Andrea Cabral discusses former Boston Police Union President Patrick Rose pleading guilty to child rape and abuse charges. She also talks about efforts in Rhode Island to decriminalize prostitution. Cabral is the former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety. She’s now the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko shares his thoughts on Elon Musk’s potential deal to buy Twitter, and Apple’s new right-to-repair program. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their fear – or love – of bugs, following news of hammerhead worms and jumping worms’ arrival in New England.