Boston Public Radio

The Greater Boston Food Bank president said she’s mostly concerned with keeping workers safe from COVID-19.

Massachusetts should release racial data for COVID-19 response, says civil liberties union.

Voters are waiting in long lines to vote in the presidential primary on Tuesday, as the Governor's push to delay the election in the name of public health was denied.

Will Brady ever get to step out onto field with his new team, if the 2020 NFL season is cancelled due to the coronavirus?

Thompson criticized the interviews, but said he sees the benefit in having Chris Cuomo, who himself has COVID-19, a platform to talk about the disease.

Amid widespread economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic, will people embrace broader government protections?

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by asking listeners their thoughts on vaccine mandates and people threatening to quit their jobs before getting the shot. Trenni Kusnierek updates listeners on all things sports, including rifts in the NBA over vaccines and Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a Boston Public Radio contributor. Dr. Renee Crichlow calls out remaining healthcare workers who are not yet vaccinated, and talks about latest data on vaccine efficacy months after vaccination. Crichlow is the Chief Medical Officer at Codman Square Health Center and the Vice Chair of Health Equity at the Boston University Department of Family Medicine. Bill McKibben discusses what it would mean for the plant if President Joe Biden fails to pass his economic agenda, and previews his new project, Third Act, which seeks to engage older individuals with climate activism. McKibben is co-founder of 350.org and the author of numerous books about climate change. His latest book is “Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?” Nia Grace opens up about her newest restaurant at Northeastern, The Underground Café, and talks about the challenges of keeping restaurants afloat during the pandemic. Grace is the owner and operator of Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen in the South End, and one of the founders of the Boston Black Hospitality Coalition. She is also the owner of The Underground Café and Lounge, which opened last week on the campus of Northeastern University. John King goes through top political headlines, including Republican threats to Biden’s economic agenda and persisting allegiances to Donald Trump. 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 about their thoughts on Tom Brady’s upcoming return to Boston Sunday night.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne weighs in on whether he thinks the Democrats will pass President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, and what it would mean for the party if they fail. He also talks about his visits to mayoral race victory parties and his thoughts on the race. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country." Then, we talk with listeners about their thoughts on Biden’s economic agenda. Charlie Sennott discusses President Joe Biden’s decision to deport Haitian migrants, Angela Merkel stepping down as Chancellor and the results of Germany’s latest election. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Chris Burrell unpacks his latest reporting for the Color of Public Money series, which showed that out of a $4.8 billion budget, Massachusetts spent less than $25 million in contracts with Black and Hispanic-owned businesses. Burrell is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, housing, immigration and other topics for The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about a recent slew of racist incidents, including at UMass Amherst and the Roxbury Prep-Georgetown football game. 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 the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. Richard Blanco read poems in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, including his poem “Looking for the Gulf Motel,” and Caridad Moro-Gronlier’s poem “Analfabeta.” Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His latest book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. We end the show by asking listeners how they are planning around warnings of supply chain shortages impacting the holiday season.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Ali Noorani talks about the resignation of Ambassador Daniel Foote, Special Envoy for Haiti, as the Biden Administration comes under fire for its treatment of Haitian refugees at the border. 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. Then, we ask listeners for their thoughts on the Biden Administration’s handling of the humanitarian crisis and treatment of Haitian migrants at the border. Callie Crossley continues the conversation about the treatment of Haitian migrants, and weighs in on the mayor’s race and perceptions of Annissa Essaibi George as OFD, or “Originally From Dorchester,” and Michelle Wu as NFH, or “Not From Here,” born in Chicago. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko weighs in on accusations of labor issues at Apple, newest potential security leaks and Gen-Z struggles with older technology. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Sue O' Connell discusses the status of LGBTQ+ rights with the ten year anniversary of the end of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, which kept LGBTQ+ service members in the closet. 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. John King updates listeners on the results of the Arizona audit of the 2020 presidential election, which confirmed President Joe Biden’s win. He also talks about current political gridlock around the Infrastructure Bill. 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 with guest and staff tributes to outgoing BPR producer Chelsea Merz, who is leaving GBH after over ten years.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by talking with listeners about the current gridlock in Congress, and why divisions persist despite Democrats’ control of the Senate, House and Presidency. Shirley Leung discusses her latest column about the escalating humanitarian crisis at Mass and Cass, and its impact on local businesses and nonprofits in the area. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a BPR contributor. Dr. Eric Dickson gives a window into the pandemic in Central Massachusetts, where the largest healthcare system in Central New England has run out of ICU beds amid an influx of COVID-19 cases. Dickson is the President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, based in Worcester. Paul Reville updates listeners on all things schools, including dropping MCAS scores and why he thinks Massachusetts schools are not as effective as they should be. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu talks about her views on racial justice, the transportation crisis and other visions for Boston as she moves forward in the race for city mayor. Wu is a Boston City Councilor At-Large running for mayor of Boston. Jon Gruber argues that the demand for workers amid high unemployment is due to workers’ desire for more humane hours, higher wages and generally better working conditions. Gruber teaches 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.” We end the show by asking listeners about ways they have built community during the pandemic.

Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday to share his thoughts on the movement within the restaurant industry to raise wages and foster better working environments in order to recruit workers. “There's a worker shortage. But more than that, there's a wage shortage,” Kummer said. “If you offer people more money, they will apply for jobs.” That’s no easy feat for restaurant owners, Kummer noted. “Pay people more, give them paid time off, try to give them health insurance, all the stuff that's very expensive,” Kummer said. “Very expensive means you have to have a better business plan. That sounds easy, but it actually has been a huge challenge for restaurant owners before and after 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.