Boston Public Radio

Boston’s mayor is not taking a public position on whether or not the MCAS should be removed as a high school graduation requirement.

David Cash, EPA administrator for Region 1, discussed efforts to replace fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps, the Clean School Bus Rebate Program and Massachusetts making strides in offshore wind energy.

The congressman also defended Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's military service and criticized JD Vance.

A nasal spray to prevent influenza could make it easier for more people to get vaccinated, said Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett. But it won't be available until next flu season.

The Daily Show correspondent and stand-up comedian said this is his final tour, but he'll stay busy in other ways.

The GOP challenger seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Massachusetts needs an independent voice.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd offered his post-debate debrief, following Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. He also touched on other headlines around the November election, including President Trump’s threat that he'll opt out of a forthcoming virtual town hall debate. We opened lines to talk with you about your impressions of Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral talked about the West Roxbury resident who was stopped by ICE officers while out jogging, and a recent decision by the Department of Justice to sidestep policy keeping prosecutors from taking steps that could interfere with elections. Republican Congressional candidate John Paul Moran discussed his views on climate change, LGBT rights, political partisanship, and more, in a conversation about his campaign for Mass.’ 6th Congressional District. We opened lines to talk about President Trump’s decision, announced Thursday, to opt out of a virtual presidential debate against Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Mass. AG Maura Healey offered her impressions on Wednesday night's vice-presidential debate, discussed the ways he office is addressing the threat of voter suppression in the November election, and responded to listener questions and comments as part of our monthly “Ask the AG” series.

MIT economist Jonthan Gruber discussed the stalled negotiations in Congress over further coronavirus relief spending, and how large-scale tax evasion among the nation’s richest dwarfs the budget shortfalls that are keeping everyday Americans from receiving additional financial aid. We opened lines to ask listeners: how is the federal government’s inability to pass another stimulus packaging affecting you? Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed new FDA rules that make an election-ready COVID-19 vaccine highly unlikely, and ethical concerns with the handling of coronavirus infections within President Trump’s administration. Boston Globe editor-in-chief Brian McGrory talked about his experience running the Boston Globe from what his colleagues describe as “the dreariest looking room in America,” why he expects the current whirlwind news cycle will only going to get crazier in the final months of 2020, and his thoughts on the Baker administration's limited transparency throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville discussed criticisms surrounding Notre Dame President John Jenkins, who skirted social distancing guidelines and contracted COVID-19, as well as the stalled reopening at Boston Public Schools. Milk Street TV host Chris Kimball discussed his latest cookbook, “Cookish: Throw it Together,” along with the forthcoming season of Milk Street TV, and his favorite recipe from legendary TV cook Julia Child. Restauranteur Joanne Chang updated listeners on how her restaurants are doing, spoke on the opening of a new Flour Bakery in Beacon Hill, and talked about how she's planning to adapt operations through fall and winter of the coronavirus the pandemic.

Boston Public Schools put a pause to reopening plans on Wednesday, citing the city’s COVID-19 positive test rate climbing over 4%. Paul Reville, former Massachusetts education secretary, spoke with Boston Public Radio about the difficult situation. “I certainly sympathize with what Boston is doing - I mean it’s hit a certain point and is trying to be cautious at same time as there’s tremendous tension to want to provide in-person schooling especially to the neediest and youngest students,” he said. “They’re trying to bend over backwards to do that, and they’re being cautious, and you certainly can’t fault them for that.” Reville is a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs 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."

Medical ethicist Art Caplan spoke with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new guidance on COVID-19 vaccine approval. On Tuesday, the agency required that pharmaceutical companies developing a COVID-19 vaccine must monitor subjects two months after vaccination, to look for side effects. This makes it unlikely that a vaccine will be approved before Election Day, something urged by President Donald Trump. “I was very pleased that the FDA issued some straight science guidelines about what they want to improve a vaccine,” Caplan said. “It pretty much ensures, in order to meet them, that there won’t be a vaccine approved before election day - but I think that’s appropriate, we’ve got to go prudently, we don’t want people to be fearful that they can’t trust the data.” Art Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about the president’s bout with COVID-19, and his abrupt departure from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday evening. NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed abysmal voter registration statistics among players in the NBA, political advocacy in the WNBA, and the latest news around Patriots quarterback Cam Newton’s COVID-19 diagnosis. We aired audio from Monday night’s Senate debate between Sen. Ed Markey and GOP challenger Kevin O’Connor. Tina Chéry, civic leader and founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, discussed the wide-reaching issue of gun violence in Mass., and what her organization is doing to confront it during the coronavirus pandemic. CNN’s John King talked about the latest polling on voter attitudes ahead of the November election, and why the president appears to be falling out favor with the American electorate. He also caught us up on the Republican effort to appoint Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. We opened lines to talk with listeners about creative ways celebrate Halloween safely during the coronavirus pandemic.