Boston Public Radio

Google and Facebook are among the companies canceling annual events over concerns about coronavirus.

On Thursday, Sen. Chuck Schumer was rebuked by both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts for comments he made about Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. The comments were made on Wednesday when Schumer addressed a pro-choice rally held outside the court.

On Thursday, Warren announced that she would suspend her campaign for president.

Jacoby called the film, which follows the life and career of Jeff Bezos, “the everything story."

The business columnist spoke about the local-to-global effects that businesses are facing from coronavirus.

"Cobb has had a huge impact on central Boston, and what we see when we look at central Boston."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners what they thought about Massachusetts reopening as COVID-19 infections rise again. Michelle Singletary explains why you shouldn’t wait to file on the new tax filing deadline of May 17, and what the Child Tax Credit looks like for the 2021 tax season. 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. Brian McGrory talks about the Supreme Court’s agreement to hear the death penalty case of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev. He also shares his thoughts on the legacy of Mayor Marty Walsh. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe Next, we opened the phone lines to talk with listeners about Zoom Escaper. Attorney General Maura Healey discusses vaccine rollout across the state, and her proposal to update and clearly define Massachusetts’ hate crime laws. As always, she responds to listeners’ questions and comments for Ask the AG. Healey is Massachusetts' attorney general.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they’re responding to vaccine hesitancy. Sue O’Connell shares her thoughts on the Vatican’s decree on same-sex marriage, and Jared Kushner’s book plans. 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. Emily Rooney talks about the resignation of incoming Teen Vogue editor in chief Alexi McCammond after anti-Asian tweets she wrote as a teenager resurfaced. She also previews this week’s Beat the Press. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Corby Kummer updates us on the latest headlines at the intersection of food policy and food culture, from Boston restaurants reopening for outdoor dining to Massachusetts restaurant workers becoming eligible for vaccination. 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. Dr. Michelle Morse discusses her research into how COVID-19 has exacerbated racial inequality, explaining how reparations for slavery would have mitigated COVID-19 transmissions and fatalities in Black American communities. Dr. Morse is the Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness and Chief Medical Officer at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Morse previously worked at Harvard Medical School. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about the surge in plant sales during the pandemic.

Boston’s outdoor dining program, which launched last spring to help restaurants survive amid the coronavirus pandemic, will soon be back in action. Starting on March 22nd, most restaurants in the city will be able to offer outdoor dining to patrons until Dec. 1st. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Friday about whether outdoor dining should become a permanent fixture in the city. Other cities have programs in place that allow restaurants to expand into communal outdoor dining blocks, Kummer noted. “Washington D.C. has the ‘Streatery’ program and New York City has ‘Open Streets: Restaurants,’ so I think it’s great, and that this is like Europe and the way life is supposed to be with dining outdoors,” he said. Kummer hopes that restaurateurs and staff enjoy the outdoor dining option too. “I hope it’s worth it to them to have the operations, and to have bought the equipment and street furniture to make these outdoor set-ups,” he said. “I think it has made life just significantly better, and with any luck, it adds seats, so it would be a permanent revenue adding generation mechanism.” 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: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from debates over repealing the filibuster to the link between former President Donald Trump’s comments on COVID-19 and violence against Asian Americans. 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 open the phone lines to talk with listeners about the rise of violence against Asian Americans. Andrea Cabral shares her thoughts on New York District Attorney Cy Vance’s investigation into former President Trump’s taxes, and weighs in on Massachusetts’ compassionate release law. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. We ask listeners what they’ll use as an excuse to get out of obligations once the pandemic ends. Andy Ihnatko explains the environmental impact of bitcoin and streaming services. He also discusses craft printing company Cricut’s decision to back off of a retroactive subscription fee for device owners. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Shirley Leung discusses the rise in violence against Asian Americans, and shared her thoughts on the spa and massage parlor killings in Georgia. She also talks about Gov. Charlie Baker’s declining approval rates. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jonathan Gruber explains how the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package could lower the cost of the Affordable Care Act. 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 what their thoughts were on Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccine eligibility timeline. Juliette Kayyem discusses Tuesday’s spa and massage parlor killings in Atlanta, updating us on what Georgia officials are learning as they investigate the case. She also talks about a recently declassified report stating that the Russian government interfered with the 2020 U.S. election. 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 Europe’s suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and whether it’s safe to send kids back to school with new COVID-19 variants on the rise. 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. Bina Venkataraman talks about the resurrection of the abolitionist newspaper The Emancipator by The Boston Globe, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. She also discusses her editorials on statewide police reform and Boston police overtime. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” We end the show by talking with listeners about reentering society, post-pandemic.