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: Art Caplan weighs in on Deborah Birx, who helped run the pandemic response under the Trump Administration, testifying to Congress about how many lives could have been saved from COVID-19 had Donald Trump taken preventative measures. 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. Then, we ask listeners about their experiences with the ongoing nor’easter, and worsening extreme weather across the world. Juliette Kayyem gives an overview of the recently released Facebook files, and talks about what might happen if the Democrats cannot push through their spending bill. 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. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu talks about her plan to improve housing, address the crisis at Mass. and Cass, support the cannabis industry and require proof of vaccination for restaurants and other indoor venues. Wu is a Boston City Councilor At-Large running for mayor of Boston. Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George discussing her approach to housing, solving Mass. and Cass and improving the MBTA, as well as her identity as Arab American. She also talked about her thoughts on cannabis and her husband’s work as a developer. Essaibi George is Boston City Councilor At Large and a candidate for Boston mayor. Sy Montgomery gives the latest updates from the animal kingdom, including how squirrels store nuts, shark sightings along Cape Cod and why lemurs have rhythm. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. We end the show by talking with listeners whether or not they think jaywalking should be enforced and how, following propositions to raise fines for jaywalking.

Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to discuss a pandemic-era increase of wage theft in the restaurant industry, following a recent report by the nonprofit restaurant advocacy group One Fair Wage. “[Forty-three] states still allow a tipped minimum wage, which means as low as $2.13 an hour,” Kummer said. “Employees who are waitstaff have the liberty to take home all their tips based on that. The catch is that it’s on the restaurant manager to look to see, ‘what’s the average hourly earning of those tipped minimum wage staff members of mine,’ and ‘did it equal or better the state’s minimum wage.’ And if it didn’t, they — the managers — have to make up for it by paying them enough money to make them whole.” “There’s never been much enforcement of this, and there’s less than ever enforcement now,” Kummer added. “There’s evidence that there’s more of this failure to make up for any of these losses than there was before the pandemic.” Kummer is the 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: We begin the show by asking listeners how they feel about President Joe Biden’s spending bill shrinking as it nears finalization. Trenni Kusnierek updates listeners on all things sports, including anti-vaccine protesters storming barricades at Barclays Center to support Kyrie Irving, and Tom Brady’s 600th touchdown ball. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a Boston Public Radio contributor. Ali Noorani talks about why despite the United States’ declaration of China’s policies against its Uyghur community as a genocide, the government has not provided anyone refugee status. Noorani is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His forthcoming book is “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.” Gov. Charlie Baker talks about how he thinks the state is doing on vaccinations following his mandates, and how he plans to approach housing issues. Baker is the governor of Massachusetts. Corby Kummer discusses the growing issue of wage theft in the restaurant industry, when waitstaff fail to make minimum wage off tips and their employer fails to pay the difference. Kummer is the 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. John King weighs in on Virginia's mayoral race and the state of the Democrats’ spending plan. 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 asking listeners if bad photos are dead in the age of iPhones.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Michael Curry discusses the importance of community partnerships in increasing vaccination levels, and weighs in on opinions on the mayor’s race in Boston’s Black community. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors and chair of the board’s advocacy and policy committee. Then, we ask listeners about whether they think a recent rise in union actions symbolizes genuine change, or if the current push for better labor practices will fizzle out. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett takes questions from listeners about all things vaccine related, as authorization for children aged 5-11 nears and people begin to mix and match booster shots. Gergen Barnett teaches in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about how Evangelical Christians are looking for a new label for their community. 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. Susan Orlean previews her latest book about animals, including the history of the movie “Free Willy,” her relationship with turkeys and her Valentine’s Day spent with a lion. Orlean is a staff writer for the New Yorker, and an author; her latest book is “On Animals.” We end the show by talking with listeners about their experiences with “Buy Nothing” Facebook groups and efforts for sustainable buying and selling.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Stacey Abrams talks about what voters and politicians need to do to safeguard democracy, after Republicans blocked the Democrats’ voting rights bill in Congress. She also weighs in on the status of Democratic negotiations over President Joe Biden’s spending bill. Abrams is a voting rights activist, former Georgia State Representative and author. Then, we ask listeners how they approach compromise and negotiation following Stacey Abrams’ conversation about political compromise. Shirley Leung pushes for ending tent encampments and providing housing for those at Mass. and Cass and weighs in on rent control, in her latest column on the Mass. and Cass crisis. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Sue O’Connell discusses one of the first rural health clinics by and for transgender people located in Northampton, and weighs in on when celebrities who commit harm can return to the public eye. 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. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on marriage, following a New York Times article about how the married may soon become the minority. Andy Ihnatko updates listeners on the latest tech headlines, including Facebook’s upcoming rebranding, Donald Trump’s new social media platform, Google’s new signature phone and issues with Tesla’s self-driving cars. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com.