Boston Public Radio

Food supply anxiety is creating a demand for personal gardens.

As the novel coronavirus responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread, there is a growing chorus of people calling for the release of prisoners who either no longer pose a threat to society or committed nonviolent offenses and are vulnerable to fatally contracting the disease

Members of the House are expected to vote Thursday on a $2.2 trillion economic relief bill to mitigate financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Meet the Press" moderator also defended former Vice President Joe Biden's limited public response to the pandemic.

Sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek says that Brady is promoting dangerous advertising during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former education secretary says state education officials need to make determinations about learning requirements as school shifts online.

Following the passage of numerous Republican-backed voting restrictions across the country, Democrats and left-leaning institutions are criticizing President Joe Biden, demanding a more aggressive plan to combat voting rights restrictions. Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne joined Boston Public Radio on Monday, weighing in on whether the criticism was deserved. “I am actually in the camp that says Biden has to do more,” Dionne said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with President Biden in late July to discuss voting rights legislation, which Dionne labelled as “something of a victory.” “I don’t think they read him the riot act, but I think they were very clear to him that this really matters to the party’s chances in the future,” Dionne said. EJ Dionne is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a columnist for the Washington Post. His latest book is Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne updates us on the latest political headlines, from Ohio’s House race to the state of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. 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 the U.N.’s climate report. Catherine D’Amato discusses hunger rates across Massachusetts, sharing how the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity in the state. She also explains why some people are reluctant to apply to food source programs. D’Amato is president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. Casey Soward talks about The Cabot’s reopening plans amid the rise of the Delta variant, and how the performing arts venue fared over the course of the pandemic. Soward is the executive director of The Cabot in Beverly, Mass. Shirley Leung discusses her column on anti-Asian hate crime victim Liem Tran, and a proposed ballot question posed by numerous gig companies to classify gig workers as independent contractors. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Next, we talk with listeners about the recent college graduates who entered the working world remotely. We wrap up the show by playing the All Rev’d Up podcast episode “Black Parenting: the Joys and Challenges.”

The Atlantic’s Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Friday, to discuss Attorney General Maura Healey’s lawsuit against food delivery platform GrubHub for allegedly charging illegal fees to Massachusetts restaurants. Attorney General Healey claims that the company tacked on excess delivery fees greater than the state’s pandemic-era parameter that no delivery service could charge delivery fees greater than 15% of an order’s menu price. “It’s this restaurant by restaurant, tiny business by tiny business, gouging and cheating of GrubHub, and Seamless, and Uber Eats,” Kummer said. “They’ve all been doing it.” Kummer added that while other cities and states are enacting delivery fee caps, some food delivery platforms claim that the caps are unfair. “All of DoorDash, GrubHub, they are mounting a suit against the city of San Francisco, because San Francisco enacted a permanent 15% cap through the pandemic,” Kummer said. “I think that the whole country should be enacting these caps.” Corby 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 begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners whether they’ve ended relationships due to disagreements on masking and vaccines. Corby Kummer shares his thoughts on Tyson requiring workers to get vaccinated, and Attorney General Maura Healey’s lawsuit against GrubHub for allegedly charging illegal fees to Massachusetts restaurants. He also remembers the life of inventor and pitchman Ron Popeil. 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. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu discusses her run for mayor of Boston, sharing her plans to close the city’s wealth gap and highlighting her support for rent control. She also weighs in on the investigation into former Boston Police officer Patrick Rose over claims of child sexual abuse. Boston City Councilor Wu is running for mayor of Boston. Bill McKibben updates us on the latest news on the climate crisis, from the United Nations’ upcoming climate report to President Joe Biden’s executive order on electric vehicles. McKibben is a contributing writer to The New Yorker, a founder of 350.org, and the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College. He also writes The Climate Crisis, The New Yorker’s environmental newsletter. His latest book is “Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?” Callie Crossley explains Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-MO) personal connection to extend the eviction moratorium, and shares her thoughts on the lack of performers of color in the 20 years of the Fenway Concert Series. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Sue O’Connell talks about increasing calls for Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David to step down over his ties to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She also weighs in on Matt Damon revealing he had only recently stopped using a homophobic slur. 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. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about President Biden’s executive order on electric vehicles.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from calls for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign due to claims of sexual harassment to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the COVID-19 crisis. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners whether they think asking for proof of vaccination is a violation of privacy. Andrea Cabral discusses former President Donald Trump’s request to block the release of his tax returns, and claims that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) led a “reconnaissance tour” of the U.S. Capitol Building before the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. She also shares her thoughts on Mexico’s lawsuit against multiple U.S.-based gun manufacturers for allegedly facilitating the flow of weapons to drug cartels. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Kari Kuelzer explains her decision to require proof of vaccination for staff and customers, and talks about how her restaurant survived the pandemic. Kuelzer is the owner of Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square. Paul Reville shares his thoughts on Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’ failure to take Massachusetts’ certification exams, and summer enrichment programs for children. He also remembered the life of the late Tom Payzant. 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 Elaine Weiss, is: "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools And Communities Help Students Overcome The Disadvantages Of Poverty.” Andy Ihnatko weighs in on the Apple versus Android debate, and this year’s update to Google’s emoji library. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about labor conditions in the restaurant industry, as increasing numbers of workers leave their restaurant jobs during the pandemic.