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 begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on the push to switch to electric cars. Then, we re-air a segment with environmentalist Bill McKibben about the United States’ lack of action on climate policy. Callie Crossley discusses the 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who went to Indiana for an abortion, and the launch of 988, a new suicide and crisis hotline. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Sue O’Connell reflects on the life and legacy of Ivana Trump, former President Donald Trump’s first wife, and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin sinking President Joe Biden’s climate legislation. 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. Tamar Haspel previews her book on growing food, and tells stories from a year spent foraging. Haspel is a James Beard Award–winning columnist for the Washington Post and author of the new book “To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard.” Catie Curtis plays a few of her songs, including “Dad's Yard,” “April in Boston” and “Kiss That Counted.” Curtis is a singer and songwriter. She’ll be playing alongside Maya Sharp at the Ground Floor in Freeport Maine on July 22, and on Saturday July 23rd at the Natick Center for the Arts. Then, we talk with listeners about their efforts to grow their own food.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jon Gruber discusses the latest on inflation, including the potential strategies of the Federal Reserve Bank and why the middle class is being left behind. He also explains the economic impacts of government failure and whether the US is heading in that direction. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. His latest book is “Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream.” Then, we ask listeners how they’re dealing with rising inflation. Stephanie Leydon and Sarah Betancourt talk about their reporting on housing inflation and scarcity in Massachusetts from their new series “Priced Out,” and share about some of the stories they’ve looked into so far. Leydon is the Director of Special Projects at GBH. Betancourt is a reporter for GBH News. Then, we take listener calls responding to the housing crisis in Massachusetts. Jared Bowen shares the latest in the Boston arts scene, including Neil Diamond's 'Beautiful Noise' at the Colonial, Michael R. Jackson’s “A Strange Loop,” which just premiered on Broadway, the immersive show “Beyond King Tut” at the SoWa Power Station and ProBlak Gibbs’ new mural on the Greenway “Breathe Life Together.” Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. Matt Gertz talks about the link between right-wing media and today’s politics, including Fox News’ response to the Jan 6th hearings, its relationship to former President Donald Trump and criticism of Pete Buttigieg’s recent interview. Gertz is a senior fellow for Media Matters for America, which reports on news from the conservative media landscape. Mitra Kaboli and Ben Riskin preview their new podcast, “Welcome to Provincetown.” They share their inspiration for creating the podcast, and reflect on the stories they tell in it and their own experiences in the town. Kaboli is an audio documentarian, sound designer & artist, who hosts and co-created Welcome to Provincetown. Riskin is the principal of Room Tone, an audio advisory providing strategy consulting, business development, and management services to enterprise and independent podcasters, he co-created Welcome to Provincetown. We end the show by asking listeners what makes summer in New England great.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about the latest news from the Jan. 6 committee hearings. Art Caplan talks about California Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing that the state would begin manufacturing its own insulin. 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. Juliette Kayyem shares her analysis on the latest news from the Jan. 6 committee hearings, and the release of surveillance video footage depicting the police response to the Uvalde school shooting. 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. Corby Kummer weighs in on the end of the business lunch, and explained how some online restaurant reviews seemingly from customers are part of an extortion scam. 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. Lee Feinberg and Terri Randall discuss the NOVA documentary “Ultimate Space Telescope,” and previewed what’s next for the James Webb Space Telescope. Feinberg is the Optical Telescope Element Manager for the James Webb Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Randall is the director of the new NOVA documentary “Ultimate Space Telescope,” which airs on PBS, GBH2, on July 13 at 9 p.m. EST. Eric Deggans shares his thoughts on this year’s Emmy nominations. Deggans is NPR’s TV critic and author of the book “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.” We end the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners for their thoughts on images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Some restaurants have begun receiving one-star reviews — but not from people who have ever visited the venue. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to explain this new extortion scheme is affecting restaurants. “After a series of mysterious one star reviews, they [restauranteurs] get a letter from India saying, ‘$75 gift card, please, if you want these reviews to come down,’” Kummer said. “It’s straight up extortion.” Kummer explained that Google is taking down reviews in some cases, but in other situations Google rules the review legitimate. “I think the solution is for Google to improve its system and figure out how to monitor when these things are happening,” Kummer said. “They say that they've got guardrails in place, but in this case, they're not working. It's a new scam.” 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: We begin the show by asking listeners if they’re persuaded by the deals of Amazon Prime Day. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the fourth straight championship win for the Boston Renegades, Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor, and Condoleezza Rice’s recent buy-in to the Broncos. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Carol Rose discusses the direction the Supreme Court is moving in, and its impact on democracy, particularly concerning an impending decision about gerrymandering. Rose is the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Andrea Cabral shares some insights about what to expect in the upcoming Jan. 6 hearing, including the ways that former President Donald Trump incited white supremacist groups throughout his election and presidency, and the potential for his prosecution. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. We end the show by turning to coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings.