Boston Public Radio

When news broke that a novel coronavirus which was first discovered in China was spreading it was reminiscent of the plots of some novels Dr. Robin Cook has written.

Economist Jonathan Gruber criticized President Trump's push for a payroll tax cut, and also called for the government to stimulate the production of a vaccine.

Theaters and museums have to find the balance between public safety and the success of their organizations.

"We're using ideological filtering, not science filtering," said medical ethicist Arthur Caplan.

Kayyem praised Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker for declaring a state of emergency due to coronavirus.

According to CNN's John King, it may depend on how the delegate lead shakes out.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on the 4-day work week. Callie Crossley discussed the latest culture headlines, including Dr. Oz’s viral crudité video, Brian Stelter leaving CNN, and the debate about the reigning Queen of Christmas. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Judge Nancy Gertner weighed in on the ongoing investigations into Former President Trump, including fallout from the Jan. 6th committee hearings and the FBI raid of Mar-a-lago, as well as the indictment of 3 men in the killing of Whitey Bulger. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Then, we asked listeners when the right age to turn in your driver's license is. Andy Ihnatko shared the latest tech headlines, including privacy concerns surrounding Amazon buying Roomba, when it’s time to buy a new iPhone and how to make your current one last longer. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Comedian Jessi Klein tells us about her new book, "I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood." Klein is a comedian, the head writer on Inside Amy Schumer, a former writer on Chappelle's Show, and voices Jessie on Netflix’s Big Mouth. Luisa Harris and Gregory Groover Jr. joined us to talk about the Mission Hill Arts Festival, and Groover was joined by Max Ridley and Tyson Jackson to play a few songs.Groover is the Assistant Chair of Ensembles at Berklee, and Harris is the founder of the Mission Hill Arts Festival.

Every summer, bartenders and the industry try to put their shaker on the pulse of the drink trend of the season — But this summer, a new buzz-inducing beverage is making headlines. “Bartenders make a lot of money figuring out what’s going to be the drink that I am going to make fashionable this summer,” food and policy writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio. “Yes it’s a complete marketing thing, but it also marks the summer for a lot of people.” It’s not the dirty Shirley (a vodka-soaked take on the Shirley Temple) or a Nascar spritz (Aperol, lemon, and a Budweiser or Miller High Life) and it’s certainly not the espresso martini of yesteryear, according to Kummer. Instead, cannabis-infused — non-alcoholic — drinks, are garnering a lot of buzz. “These new unregulated, Wild West drinks in states that legalized recreational marijuana are going to make people much higher than they expect,” he said. “I’m not saying don’t market them, but be more careful about regulating them.” Corby 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 began the show by asking listeners about their thoughts on high schools taking away students’ phones during school hours. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo talked about the CHIPS+ Science Act, including how it will work to expand tech hubs to cities all over America, and how she worked across party lines to help get it passed. Charlie Sennott discussed the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine, the changes in Afghanistan around a year after the U.S. withdrew troops from the country and the treatment of Afghan women under the Taliban. Sennott is a news analyst for GBH and the founder of the GroundTruth Project. Corby Kummer talked about the “cocktail of the summer,” the rise of THC beverages, and how hot chilis are right now. 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. Michael Curry shared his thoughts on the CDC’s plans to address COVID missteps, the dissolution of the American dream, and local police responses to white supremacist activity in Boston. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the fallout of a Mass. school attempting to punish a student for wearing a hijab, reactions to a dioceses’ plan to spend millions of dollars on reparations, and recent calls for equity in housing following news about racism in home evaluations. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston and the inaugural dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. We ended the show by talking about how listeners’ plants are faring in the drought this summer.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started off asking listeners about accepting the “good enough” life — is settling a good idea, in relationships and in other aspects of our lives. Gov. Charlie Baker joined the show for our regular "Ask The Governor" segment where listeners' questions focused on the impending MBTA shutdown and what could be done about the region's spiraling housing costs. Baker is the governor of Massachusetts. Andrea Cabral shared her insights on the various legal investigations into President Donald Trump and associates, plus Massachusetts’ dropping prison population, the case of the Florida judge who ruled a 16-year-old was too young to decide to get an abortion and the Rhode Island radio host arrested on livestream while taking justice into his own hands. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Mayor Michelle Wu joined the show for our regular "Ask The Mayor" segment to talk about the growing problem of online and offline harassment, including that faced by doctors at Boston Children's Hospital and by women elected to public office. Listeners dialed in with questions about the MBTA shutdown and workarounds for getting around and updates on Boston Public Schools.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners about Boston's proposal to ban the use of fossil fuels in new buildings. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discusses the Inflation Reduction Act's expansion of Medicare's ability to cap prescription drug prices and the growing popularity of ayahuasca and psychedelic use among celebrities. 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. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses her latest piece in The Atlantic on the importance of the documents from the FBI search of former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney's election loss and recent right-wing targeting and harassment of Boston Children's Hospital's trans health program. Kayyem was the assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs for Homeland Security under former President Barack Obama. She is currently the faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Comedian Tom Papa discusses his current projects and his upcoming Netflix standup comedy special taping at The Wilbur theatre this fall. Papa hosts the Sirius XM Radio show 'Come to Papa' and starred in the 2020 Netflix special 'You're Doing Great!' Boston Globe correspondent Kara Baskin discusses some of her latest parenting columns, including a list of her favorite restaurants to dine out with children and tips for how to stop exploding at your kids. Baskin is a food and parenting writer for the Boston Globe, and a humor writer for McSweeney's. Naturalist, author and BPR contributor Sy Montgomery discusses how squirrels have been keeping cool in the recent heat waves by splooting. She also discusses new science recording stingrays making sounds for the first time. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and BPR contributor. Her latest book is "The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” We close the show by asking listeners about their stories –both nightmarish and idyllic – about taking their kids out to restaurants.