Boston Public Radio

Gergen Barnett is pleased with Massachusetts' reopening response, but wants to know what we'll do if it doesn't work.

The “Under the Radar” and “Basic Black” host defended Shelley Luther’s right to protest lockdown restrictions, but said she should’ve been more transparent about the government aid.

The inaugural poet read works from Joy Harjo and Naomi Shihab Nye, along with one of his own.

Wisconsin's stay-at-home order lifted this week, and many people flooded to bars with no social distancing mitigation in place.

It is not normal to show up and protest carrying weapons, O'Connell said.

The newest set of guidelines streamline the numerous sets of food safety recommendations already available.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about the House’s passage of a bill that would establish a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Andrea Cabral discusses former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross’ claims that former Mayor Marty Walsh knew about the domestic violence allegations against Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Gov. Charlie Baker updates us on current vaccination rates and equity in Massachusetts, and weighs in on calls for an independent investigation into the death of Hopkinton teen Mikayla Miller. Corby Kummer shares his thoughts on Swedish oat milk company Oatly’s public market debut, and Costco, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s decision to drop their in-store mask mandates. 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. Prof. Robert Pape discusses his research into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, explaining how the Capitol rioters differed from most extremist groups in the U.S. due to their middle- and upper-middle class status. He also talks about how replacement theory factored into the rioters’ beliefs. Prof. Pape is the director of the University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), and a political science professor at the University of Chicago. Rose Levine and Alma Barak talk about their 2020 Washington Post op-eds on the return to in-person learning, and share whether they still held the same opinions a year later. Levine is a 5th grade teacher for the Cambridge Public School District. Barak is an 8th grade student in the Cambridge Public School District. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they want to make pandemic-era cocktails to-go permanent.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about the labor shortages hotels and restaurants are facing as the U.S. reopens. Jonathan Gruber talks about Congress’ Lower Drug Costs Now Act, and shares his thoughts on possible solutions to lowering the cost of prescription drugs. 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." Juliette Kayyem discusses a new report that found that the Department of Homeland Security failed to analyze intelligence prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. She also talks about Colonial Pipeline’s decision to meet hackers’ ransom, and the Army’s prioritization of climate change as a security threat. 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. Bina Venkataraman goes over the latest Boston Globe editorial positions, from calls to dismantle the blue wall of silence in the wake of domestic violence allegations against Dennis White, to the argument that Massachusetts is exporting gun violence through Springfield-based Smith & Wesson. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the Supreme Court’s agreement to review a Mississippi abortion law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, and explains how it could impact Roe v. Wade. He also talks about Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, and the organization’s updated mask guidelines. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Jared Bowen talks about Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s streaming of the play “A Woman of the World,” and the Huntington Theatre Company’s “Black Beans Project.” He also previewed this week’s episode of Open Studio. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We end the show by talking with listeners about the Pentagon’s acknowledgement of UFOs.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners how they felt about the reopening of high schools across Massachusetts. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Yankees’ COVID-19 outbreak, and the Red Sox’s decision to not require vaccines for players. She also discusses former NFL players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport’s civil rights lawsuit against the NFL for alleged systematic discrimination in concussion settlement benchmarks. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Laura Sullivan previews the latest FRONTLINE and NPR collaboration, the documentary “The Health Divide,” and explains how safety-net hospitals were impacted by the pandemic. Sullivan is a correspondent for NPR. Jill Shah speaks about the preliminary results from the universal basic income pilot program in Chelsea, Mass. Shah is president of the Shah Family Foundation, which is supporting efforts between Chelsea and philanthropic partners for one of the largest universal basic income programs in the nation. She’s also the host of the Catalysts for Change podcast. Dr. Ken Duckworth discuss the pandemic’s impact on mental health, from the rise of Telehealth to developmental issues facing youth. Dr. Duckworth is senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the national medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. John King talks about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) opposition against a bipartisan proposal to form a commission that would investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. He also discusses the Supreme Court’s agreement to hear a Mississippi case that challenges Roe v. Wade. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about returning to air travel.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Saraya Wintersmith updates us on the investigation into former Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White amid allegations of domestic violence. Wintersmith covers Boston City Hall for GBH News. Next, we open the phone lines, talking with listeners about transparency in police departments. Rob Anderson talks about what the past year has been like for The Canteen, his Provincetown-based restaurant, from the psychological impact of trying to keep business afloat during COVID-19 to a drop in employees. Anderson is the chef and owner of The Canteen in Provincetown. Charlie Sennott discusses the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how U.S. politicians have responded to the rising crisis. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Ali Noorani speaks about President Joe Biden’s meeting with DACA recipients last week, and the Biden administration’s decision to lift the refugee resettlement ceiling for this fiscal year. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weigh in on House lawmakers’ advancement of a bill that would form a commission to develop proposals on reparations for slavery. They also preview this week’s episode of All Rev’d Up. 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. Then, we ask listeners how they felt about Gov. Charlie Baker’s updated COVID-19 guidelines. Bob Thompson discusses the end of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and comedian Ziwe Fumidoh’s new Showtime series, “ZIWE.” He also talks about the endurance of sitcoms. 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Superintendent Brenda Cassellius discusses the Boston School Committee’s decision to raise graduation requirement standards for students, and the school system’s capital improvement plan. She also talks about addressing learning loss among students. Cassellius is the superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Next, we talk with listeners about the CDC’s updated mask guidelines. Emily Rooney shares her thoughts on the trial of former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia. She also previews tonight’s episode of Beat the Press. Rooney is the host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Leonard Egerton and Clarrissa Cropper talk about what the past year has been like for The Frugal Bookstore, from surpassing their GoFundMe campaign goal to a spike in orders of antiracist literature after the murder of George Floyd. Egerton and Cropper are the husband and wife team behind The Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury’s Nubian Square. Andy Ihnatko discusses the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit program, and the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Dr. Terri Bright talks about pet separation anxiety, and answers listeners’ questions about their pets. Dr. Bright is the lead behaviorist at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center.