Boston Public Radio

The comedian of "Seinfeld" fame passed away Monday at age 92.

"A lot of these patients were healthy, these were healthy people living their lives," one critical care doctor said.

The New York Times bestselling author has a new memoir about the identity-shaping experiences of her time at a summer camp in Wisconsin.

The Boston Globe columnist said businesses deserve more notice to ensure they can reopen safely.

Crossley speaks about the death of Arbery, who would have turned 26 years old Friday.

The host of “Greater Boston” and "Beat the Press" is limited to serving only hot takes, until tennis courts are allowed to reopen.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kick things off by opening lines, talking with listeners about the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Mass. Media Sue O’Connell talks about the prospective mayoral campaign of William Gross, Boston’s first Black police commissioner, First Lady Melania Trump’s reaction to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, and a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting access to abortion pills. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discusses a pending investigation from Mass. A.G. Maura Healey into a road rage incident involving Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins, and questions around whether a Natick Town Meeting member ought to be prosecuted after photos emerged of her inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection. She also reads a ban-themed list of fixations and fulminations. R.I Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse talked about what’s to come for the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, and whether he thinks it’s appropriate for federal leaders to invoke the 14th amendment to censure Congressional proponents of the President’s election-related conspiracy theories. He also recounts his experience being at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Jennifer Horn talks about the future of the Lincoln Project, and the Republican Party as a whole, post-Donald Trump. Horn is former Chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and a columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader. Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley discusses criminal charges being brought against eight former Mich. state officials over their alleged roles in the Flint water crisis. She also returns to conversation about the incoming Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, and weighs in on a soon-to-be published thriller novel from political activist Stacey Abrams. We close out Friday’s show by talking with listeners about a new campaign launched by the Boston Globe, urging readers to make a commitment to ordering takeout at least once a week to support restaurants struggling through the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jim McGovern talks about the significance of Wednesday’s impeachment of President Trump, where he played a key role, and reflects on what’s to come for American democracy. Next, we open lines to talk about Wednesday’s impeachment, and whether you’re worried about it backfiring on President-elect Biden. Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral raises some legal questions about the Senate’s ability to conduct an impartial impeachment trial of President Trump. She also talks about the failings of Capitol police in preventing last week’s riot, and reflects on the death of Lisa Montgomery, the first woman to be federally executed in nearly 70 years. National Immigration Forum CEO Ali Noorani discusses the legacy of President Trump’s immigration policy, and what he’s hoping from President-elect Biden on issues like refugee resettlement and President Trump’s travel ban. He also talks about challenges with getting undocumented immigrants access to COVID-19 vaccines. Former Mass. education secretary Paul Reville talks about the state of hybrid learning in Mass., and presses for the reinstatement of standardized testing in order for officials to have a clearer understanding of the pandemic’s toll on statewide learning. Next, we reopen lines to check in with parents and teachers, to hear how remote learning is impacting your lives and the lives of students in the Commonwealth. GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen talks about his impressions of Frederick Wiseman’s “City Hall,” an in-depth documentary about the administration of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. He also reviewed the film “Sound of Metal,” and discussed an exhibit of works by photographer Robert Frank at the Addison Gallery.

Despite recent statements made by President Trump in Alamo, Tx., Ali Noorani said on Thursday’s Boston Public Radio that the outgoing president's years-long promise of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border fell far short of expectations. "He claimed that hundreds of mile of wall had been built,” the National Immigration Forum CEO said of Trump’s Tuesday statement, but noted that "if you look at the numbers, most of the work that has been done in terms of border infrastructure has been fortifying existing infrastructure." Still, he said Trump’s efforts to stifle immigration during his presidency will have an impact that extends beyond dreams of a massive border wall. “We also have to be realistic – and be clear – that by shutting down the border to perfectly legal asylum claims, by shutting down the border and forcing tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico while their claims are being processed, he did fundamental change the way the border region is seen on the U.S. side… [and] also on the Mexican side.” "I think the Biden administration is going to have a lot of work to do to rebuild an immigration system, much less a functioning border management system,” he said. Ali 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.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jake Auchincloss discusses Wednesday’s impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, taking place mere days after he was sworn into his first congressional term, and why he’s optimistic about America’s future. BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius talks about the current state of hybrid learning at Boston Public Schools, and reflects on the lessons she and other education officials have learned in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem responds to last week’s insurrection, and the resignation of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf one week before President-elect Biden takes office. She also speaks on her recent piece for The Atlantic, “How MAGA Extremism Ends.” We opened our lines to talk with listeners about Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings, and whether you believe President Trump ought to be removed from office over his role in last week’s insurrection. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discusses COVID-19 vaccine refusals at U.S. nursing homes, and the complicated logistics of creating a vaccine mandate. He also offers his take on President-elect Biden’s strategy for COVID-19 vaccine rollout, releasing as many first doses to Americans as are available. We return to listeners to discuss Wednesday's impeachment proceedings, and the likelihood of a second presidential impeachment in 13 months. M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber puts Wednesday’s impeach proceedings into the context of U.S. economics, reflecting on the cost-benefit analysis of last week’s riot, and a potential second impeachment of President Trump.

CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, reflecting on last week’s riot and her recent piece for the Atlantic, “How MAGA Extremism Ends,” about the path towards peace in the U.S. “It took me a while to feel comfortable writing this,” she said of the essay and its stark condemnation of President Trump. “It’s very hard to admit to yourself, even though you believe it, ‘look, my president is the spiritual and operational leader of a domestic terrorism group.’ We didn’t learn that in fourth grade.” But she concluded that with mounting opposition from members of his own party, major U.S. corporations, and bans across social media, the president’s influence is dramatically waning. “We’re a divided nation, but very few people take to arms,” she noted. “Very few people in his group are willing to blow things up – we should remember that.” She added, “Democracy bridges the divide. You have better politicians, you have ways in which we build our communities, even when we have political differences.” Juliette 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.