Boston Public Radio

Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian said they have banned visits and limited programming in an effort to keep inmates safe and healthy.

President Donald Trump’s handling of the spread of COVID-19 has earned criticism from some who think the president has not acted swiftly enough to prevent the virus' spread.

The “Under the Radar” host said difficult conversations are the best way to confront the realities of racism.

"We need uniformity," Attorney General Maura Healey said, urging the state to ease rules around testing, lab licensing and unemployment insurance.

Two local bartenders brought the spirit of St. Patrick's Day to the studio.

Event cancellations, due to coronavirus concerns, will impact businesses and workers.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about Facebook’s decision to uphold their ban of former President Donald Trump. Jonathan Gruber weighs in on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, explaining how it could impact the caregiving and nursing home industry. 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." Juliette Kayyem discusses Facebook’s decision to uphold its ban on former President Trump, arguing for increased legislative oversight towards the company. She also talks about the core stage of a Chinese rocket falling to earth, and where it could land upon reentry. 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 shares his thoughts on sending COVID-19 vaccines abroad, and the FDA’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. 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. Corby Kummer talks about Impossible Foods’ recent national ad campaign, and shares his thoughts on plant-based meat alternatives. He also touches on restaurants’ updated COVID-19 rules. 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. Jared Bowen updates us on the latest arts and culture events, from costume designer Ruth Carter’s exhibit at the New Bedford Art Museum to Sonya Clark’s “Monumental Cloth” exhibit at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. He also remembers the life and legacy of Olympia Dukakis. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We wrap up the show by asking listeners what pandemic restrictions they would like to keep post-pandemic.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about what it’s like to eat on the International Space Station (ISS). “There’s something endlessly fascinating about food in space,” he said. “First of all, space ice cream was developed for a NASA gift shop, it has never been eaten in space or sent up in a spaceship." Dehydrated gift shop space ice cream dates back to 1974, long after humans took to space flight, Kummer said. “What it does is help subsidize NASA museums, it’s a best-seller.” The French have developed food for ISS astronauts that is much more gourmet than what many would expect, Kummer added. “The French of course have come up with much better food in space, including bœuf bourguignon and lobster,” he said.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening the phone lines, asking listeners whether they would travel to states where vaccination rates are low. Trenni Kusnierek explains why Manchester United fans are protesting against the club’s U.S. owners, the Glazer family. She also updates us on the status of the Tokyo Olympics. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Carol Rose discusses the Supreme Court argument over whether public schools have the right to punish students for what they say outside of school grounds. She also touches on the ACLU’s call for President Joe Biden to close down ICE detention centers. Rose is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Katherine Tallman explains how the Coolidge Corner Theater survived the pandemic, and shares their plans for reopening. Tallman is the CEO & executive director of the Coolidge Corner Theater. The Coolidge Corner Theater is opening its doors next Thursday, May 13, for the first time in over a year. Dr. Shantanu Nundy previews his new book, “Care After COVID: What the Pandemic Revealed Is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent It.” Dr. Nundy is a primary care physician and chief medical officer of Accolade. His latest book is “Care After COVID: What the Pandemic Revealed Is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent It.” John King updates us on the latest political headlines, from Rep. Liz Cheney losing support among members of the GOP to vaccine hesitancy in red states. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce, and whether their romantic relationships have weathered the course of the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about going mask-free outdoors following Gov. Charlie Baker’s updated mask mandate. Ali Noorani explains how the 2020 U.S. census could allow President Joe Biden to explore more channels for legal migration. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” Charlie Sennott talks about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rising COVID-19 cases in the country. He also shares his thoughts on President Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Bob Thompson recaps his most memorable TV moments of the week, from W. Kamau Bell’s “United Shades of America” to Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a professor of television and popular culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on Republican Senator Tim Scott’s rebuttal to President Biden’s joint address to Congress. 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. Christopher Muther talk about the spike in booking rates for summer, and updates us on Iceland’s decision to open its borders to fully vaccinated Americans. Muther is a travel writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. We wrap up the show by asking listeners what they thought about a national vacation week.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from President Joe Biden’s joint address to Congress to the FBI raid on Rudy Giuliani’s apartment. 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. Next, we talk with listeners about President Biden’s joint address to Congress. Andrea Cabral discusses federal prosecutors’ indictment of three men on hate crime and kidnapping charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, and police violence against children. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Shirley Leung talks about what the future of office work could look like after the pandemic, and what a hybrid model of working from home a few days of the week could mean for physical office spaces. She also discussed the prevalence of violence against elderly Asian Americans. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Paul Reville shares his thoughts on the decision made by presidents of Massachusetts community colleges to not mandate vaccines for students returning to campus in the fall. He also weighs in on the Massachusetts Board of Education’s elimination of the MCAS graduation requirement for the class of 2022. 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.” Sy Montgomery explains how animals observe and then model human behavior after a video of a cat carrying its sick kitten into a veterinary clinic went viral. She also talks about yellow-spotted salamanders’ mating habits. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Becoming A Good Creature." We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they thought their pets would have separation anxiety upon the return to the workplace.