Boston Public Radio

O'Connell pointed to Kushner's lack of background in public health or government.

Legal liability will be better for restaurants that close down, Kummer said, but many are trying to stay open.

"When things are really bad, poets always find the good thing," said Richard Blanco.

In "Broken Glass: Mies Van Der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the Fight Over a Modernist Masterpiece,” Beam explores the relationship between architect and client.

Following an outbreak of COVID-19 at The Soldiers’ Home, a veterans center in Holyoke, at least fifteen individuals have been confirmed as dead. At least six of the dead tested positive for COVID-19 while six others are awaiting test results.

The former Partners in Health CEO called for the rapid expansion of the state's Mobile Integrated Health program.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is offering a free glazed doughnut per day for the rest of the year to anyone who shows their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the company’s announcement. “How many people do you think are actually going to take advantage of it every day?” he said. “Not nearly as many as the much of free publicity Krispy Kreme has gotten for this announcement.” The company also sweetened the deal for its employees, Kummer noted. “I’m going to praise Krispy Kreme because they’re also offering up to four hours of paid time off for each vaccination for their employees,” he said.” “This is really important to incentivize employees.” 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: Jonathan Gruber shares his thoughts on President Joe Biden’s tax plans. He also explains capital gains taxes. 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." Next, we ask listeners whether they think Massachusetts should make vaccines mandatory. Juliette Kayyem explains why it’s rare for U.S. mass shooters to be charged with committing a hate crime or terrorist act. She also discusses gun legislation. 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. Art Caplan weighs in on calls to make vaccines mandatory, and the potential of an international COVID-19 vaccination passport. He also shares his thoughts on Arkansas’ passage of a bill restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender children. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers recap how their restaurants, Myers + Chang and the Flour Bakery and Café franchise, have weathered the pandemic over the past year. They also talk about the rise in anti-Asian racism, and how it’s impacting Asian restaurants. Chang and Myers are the duo behind the restaurant Myers + Chang and the Flour Bakery and Café franchise. Chang is a James Beard award-winning pastry chef and author. Her latest book is "Pastry Love." Myers has been in the fine dining business for years. Sy Montgomery joins us for this month’s edition of The Afternoon Zoo, discussing new research on sea slugs’ responses to parasites and a viral video of a penguin being chased by orca whales. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Becoming A Good Creature."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by talking with listeners about the CDC’s warning of a possible fourth wave of COVID-19. Trenni Kusnierek talks about Boston Pride’s National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) title win, and New Hampshire’s Tuckerman Inferno pentathlon. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Michael Curry discusses the current state of the vaccine equity gap in Massachusetts, arguing for more resources for community-based organizations. He also talks about his experience being bused into Charlestown as a child. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Christopher Muther updates us on the state of hotels during the pandemic, and Iceland’s new rule requiring international visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a previous COVID-19 infection. Muther is a travel writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. Lee Pelton and Roger Brown share their thoughts on running colleges during a pandemic, and what they think the future of higher ed could look like. Pelton, after serving as president of Emerson since 2011, will be joining the Boston Foundation in June as their next president and CEO. Brown has served as the president of Berklee College of Music since 2004, and will be stepping down this year. John King weighs in on President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office, the challenges facing voting rights and the fate of the filibuster. King is CNN’s Chief National Politics Correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they’ve bought into camping fever.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Charlie Sennott talks about the cargo ship Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal, and Brazil’s COVID-19 crisis. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Next, we ask listeners if they thought Dr. Deborah Birx and other members of former President Trump’s White House were complicit in COVID-19 deaths. E.J. Dionne updates us on the latest political headlines, from voting restrictions in Georgia to hopes for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda. 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.” Shirley Leung speaks about her recent Boston Globe column, where she wrote about Asian parents giving “the talk” to their children on how to deal with racism. She also discusses the pandemic’s impact on the hotel industry, explaining that it might take years for hotels to recover economically. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price share their thoughts on the Catholic Church’s opposition to a U.S. suicide hotline due to its support of LGBT+ people. They also talk about evangelist Franklin Graham’s promotion of the COVID-19 vaccine, causing outrage among some Evangelical Christians. 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. Walter Isaacson previews his new book, “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race.” Isaacson is a professor of American history at Tulane University, the host of the podcast “Trailblazers,” and a host on “Amanpour and Company.” His latest book is “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race.” We end the show by talking with listeners on whether they felt stuck — just like the Ever Given ship in the Suez Canal — during the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We’re on tape today, bringing you the ultimate BPR book club with back-to-back conversations from over the years with some of our favorite writers. Some of today’s highlights are featured below: Kevin Young discusses his latest collection of poetry, BROWN. Young is the poetry editor of the New Yorker and the Andrew W. Mellon director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture. Ann Patchett talks about her book “Commonwealth,” and as owner of Parnassus Books, argues for all readers to shop at local, independent bookstores. T.C. Boyle drops in on the dropout culture with his novel “Outside Looking In,” which is based on the research of Timothy Leary.