Boston Public Radio

The “Meet the Press” moderator criticized the lack of testing being done in the U.S.

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about whether they’re continuing to be cautious as COVID-19 cases rise. E.J. Dionne previews what’s in store for the Democratic Party in 2022, and talks about the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. 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.” Dr. Renee Crichlow discusses COVID-19 rates across Mass., and the burnout healthcare providers are facing as the world nears its third year of the pandemic. 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. Next, we ask listeners for their tips and tricks on finding COVID-19 rapid tests. Dr. Irene Bosch shares her story of creating a COVID-19 rapid test in the early weeks of the pandemic, only to face red-tape from the FDA despite meeting 2021 standards. Bosch is the founder of the diagnostic company E25Bio. She’s also a visiting professor at MIT, and adjunct professor of medicine at Mount Sinai University in New York. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about Pope Francis’ letter of support to LGBTQ+ Catholic advocate Sister Jeannine Gramick. They also weigh in on Judge Timothy Walmsley’s minute of silence before he sentenced Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan Jr. to life in prison for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Emmett G. Price III is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether an honor-system approach to store check-outs through Venmo or tip jars could help with retail labor shortages.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their favorite snow day activities. Shirley Leung updates listeners on the state of Mass. and Cass, and which New England businesses continue to donate to election-denying politicians a year after Jan. 6. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Callie Crossley talks about the death of Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Oscar for best actor, bomb threats at HBCUs and a Black-owned startup incubator based in Roxbury. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko discusses Winnie the Pooh’s freedom from copyright and updates from the world of car technology and foldable laptops. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Tracy Chang weighs in on vaccine requirements for restaurants and the state of the food industry. Chang is the chef and owner of Cambridge’s PAGU, as well as the co-founder of two non-profits: Off Their Plate, which empowers local female and minority-owned kitchens to provide free meals communities across the country, and Project Restore Us, which provides grocery supplies to struggling restaurant workers. Sue O’Connell talks about tennis star Novak Djokovic’s detention in Australia due to his vaccination status and Betty White’s legacy. 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 end the show by asking listeners their reaction to Pope Francis chastising couples for choosing pets over kids.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd reflects on the one year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and reacts to President Joe Biden’s speech marking the violent event. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners their reflections on the anniversary of Jan. 6. Andrea Cabral weighs in on the outcome of the Elizabeth Holmes trial, in which Holmes was convicted of fraud for her company Theranos, which failed to deliver on its promises of a blood test with the prick of a finger. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville updates listeners on the latest in the chaos of back to school plans amid Omicron, and the future of standardized testing after Harvard waived its requirement until 2026. 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.” Myrieme Churchill talks about how to deradicalize people who have fallen prey to extremism, and why people feel drawn to extremist circles to begin with. Myrieme Churchill is a psychotherapist and the Executive Director of Parents for Peace, a non-government public health non-profit that helps families and communities address and treat the radicalization of loved ones. Rep. Katherine Clark shares her memories from the Jan. 6 insurrection, her reactions to Biden’s speech and what she thinks the Democrats must do to fortify democracy. Clark is assistant house speaker and represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts. We end the show by continuing our conversation with listeners about the legacy of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Michelle Singletary gives financial advice for the new year, including navigating the buy now pay later trend, the state of inflation and overdraft fees. Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, whose award-winning column “The Color of Money” provides insight into the world of personal finance. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on the buy now pay later trend and other financial plans. Juliette Kayyem discusses the chaos on I-95 which closed this week due to snow in Virginia, and the latest on the Jan. 6 investigation one year after the insurrection. 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. Lauren Kennedy talks about Omicron’s strain on child care and early education workers during the latest surge, and the work her group does to provide access to testing. Lauren Kennedy is co-founder of Neighborhood Villages, a non-profit that works to improve access to affordable child care and early education. Art Caplan updates listeners on the latest with Omicron, and how he thinks the country should navigate the next couple weeks as cases surge. Caplan is director of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Jared Bowen previews the newest arts events in the region, including an exhibit about love at the Worcester Art Museum, Immersive Van Gogh shows and “WITNESS,” a show about Jewish immigration during times of antisemitism. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We end the show by asking listeners if they have returned to movie theaters at this point in the pandemic.

On Tuesday’s Boston Public Radio, food writer Corby Kummer said he’s hoping more companies follow in the heels of coffee behemoth Starbucks, which is now requiring proof-of-vaccination for its hundreds of thousands of U.S. employees. Workers who opt out of vaccines will have to submit weekly tests, conducted at the employee’s expense. “This is an example of a big company saying ‘we’ve had it, we just have to get vaccinated, this is the wave of the future – no more pussyfooting around,’ and I think it’s great,” Kummer told hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan. He did, however, raise concerns that public perception of Starbucks as a “liberal” corporation might dissuade business leaders on the conservative side of the political spectrum to shirk responsibility for getting employees vaccinated against COVID-19. “I think that we all wish that it wasn’t a seeming political litmus test,” he lamented. “‘Oh, Starbucks must be Democratic, they must be liberal!’” Kummer went on to list Tyson Foods as an instance of a corporation with a perceived conservative bent taking steps to protect workers from infection. “If there were more and more right wing-perceived companies mandating this, it would really help,” he said. “But Starbucks is big [and] publicly influential, and I hope this will have the effect of causing many others to impose mandates.” 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.