Boston Public Radio

The presidential candidate who ran on the promise of a universal basic income is calling for recurring checks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Working conditions within meat packing plants require close quarters to colleagues, says Kummer.

The WGBH news analyst weighed in on the myriad of factors threatening journalism both in the U.S. and around the world.

Steves is stuck at home for now, but is keeping his company going so they can jump right back in when pandemic passes.

The charming new Netflix show is a comforting during the pandemic, Thompson says.

Massachusetts has flattened the curve, but has only seen a plateau of COVID-19 cases, not yet a decline.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talks about Wednesday’s inauguration, what he’s expecting for vaccine rollout under President Biden, and weighs in on an upcoming NFL playoff game between his team, the Green Bay Packers, and Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. Next, we open lines to talk with listeners about your hopes for the America’s future under President Biden. Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral talks about the significance of yesterday’s inauguration. She also discusses Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins being placed on the shortlist for US Attorney for Mass., and whether recent allegations about a road rage incident ought to be disqualifying. Food writer Corby Kummer discusses some of the flaws still lingering in U.S. food supply chains, 10 months into the pandemic. He also talks about the concept of “humanewashing” at Whole Foods supermarkets, and best tipping practices for services like Instacart and Uber Eats. Medical ethicist Art Caplan weighs in on issues with America's vaccine rollout, and seniors who are dropping out of new vaccine trials to get already-approved vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer. He also talks about why it’s so difficult to accurately determine whether someone who’s been inoculated can still infect others with COVID-19. Travel guru Rick Steves offers thoughts on Wednesday's inauguration, and discusses his hopes for travel in 2021. We close out Thursday’s show by talking with listeners about the concept of “ugly Americans,” and whether you’ll feel better about traveling to other countries with President Trump out of office.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about a new report by Farm Forward that investigates the differences between animal welfare labels on food. “Whole Foods gets dinged, because they decided they weren’t going to go with the Animal Welfare Society or Certified Humane, they were going to do their own standards and they would put their own animal welfare label on their goods,” he said. “That should always raise red flags - if a company is doing its own certification, who’s checking independently to verify what’s happening?” Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We air live audio from President Biden’s inauguration ceremony, and speak with listeners about your impressions of the ceremony and thoughts on Biden becoming the 46th President of the United States. Callie Crossley, host of GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black, offers her own take on Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, from the reading of an inaugural poem by 23 year-old Amanda Gorman, to President Trump's decision to opt out of attending. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem explains why she’s not expecting the thousands of National Guard troops to remain in Washington, D.C. for long after President Biden’s inauguration, and offers thoughts on the path toward unity in American politics. We end Wednesday’s show by returning to listeners, getting your impressions of Wednesday’s inauguration and the close of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We first open lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on the final day of President Donald Trump’s presidency. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talks about Tom Brady's success beyond the Patriots, frustration with a lack of Black coaches in the NFL, and the scheduled appearance of Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play and score in a Power Five college football game, at Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Dr. Jon Santiago, a Mass. State Rep. and ER doctor at Boston Medical Center, provides an update on COVID-19 in Mass., from the local emergence of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus, to issues with vaccine rollout in the Commonwealth. He also responds to the question of whether he plans to run for city mayor. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi offer their thoughts on the handful of vetos from Gov. Charlie Baker, of proposed elements within the Mass. Transportation Bond Bill. They also discuss the current state of the Transportation Climate Initiative. Aloisi is former Mass. transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Dempsey is the Mass. Director of Transportation and former assistant secretary of transportation. Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell talks about her campaign for city mayor, and whether the race is shifting with current Mayor Walsh leaving to become President-elect Biden’s labor secretary. She also reflects on how she’d handle the pandemic differently than Walsh, and speaks to debate within City Council around whether to skip a possible special mayoral election. CNN’s John King discusses the open question of whether Sen. Mitch McConnell will support impeaching President Trump in the Senate, and what he’s expecting from a forthcoming list of pardons by President Trump in his final hours in office. We end Monday’s show by opening lines, talking with listeners about hopes for political bipartisanship in 2021.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kick things off by opening our lines, talking with listeners about honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with acts of public service. King Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries talks about his organization’s forthcoming memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders on Boston Common, and why he’s hopeful about the city's capacity to evolve into an anti-racist beacon for the rest of the nation. Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, discusses the impact of social media companies de-platforming President Trump on online discourse, and offers her thoughts on the future of far-right ideologies after the president leaves office. TV expert Bob Thompson reviews Netflix’s “Pretend It’s A City,” “WandaVision" on Disney Plus, and NBC’s “Mr. Mayor.” He also talks about the NFL’s Nickelodeon broadcast, and the documentary “MLK/FBI,” about FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s investigations into Rev. King. Reverend Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, host of GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast, talk about their special Martin Luther King Day episode of All Rev’d Up, titled “This Is Who We Are,” about the racism and white supremacy baked into the American identity. We reopen lines to talk with listeners about pandemic-induced senility, and whether you’re struggling to stay focused 10 months into quarantine. Richard Blanco, the fifth-ever U.S. inaugural poet, talks about 23 year-old poet Amanda Gorman, who’s set to become President-elect Biden’s inaugural poet, and reflects on his own experience writing the poem “One Today” for Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration.