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: MSNBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd explained what Americans should expect from Thursday's impeachment proceedings, and previewed next week’s Iowa caucus. Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed ongoing diversity issues within Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, and the Gen. Z/Millennial embrace of death positivity. We opened lines to hear thoughts from callers on the role Chief Justice John Roberts has played so far in the Senate impeachment trial. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed impeachment, and pushback to a decision by Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins to protect a Somali refugee facing deportation. Former Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville discussed fallout at Harvard over chemistry department chair Charles Lieber’s undisclosed financial ties to China, and the lone finalist for UMass Boston’s chancellor position. We aired live audio from Thursday’s impeachment proceedings.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to talk with callers about a potential witness swap in the Senate impeachment trial. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the latest on the Coronavirus’ spread in the U.S., and new testimony exposing the role of doctors in the CIA’s Guantanamo Bay interrogations. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the Trump administration’s approach to the Coronavirus, along with the latest on the Senate impeachment trial. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung spoke on her recent profile of Mass. Environmental Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, and discussed 99 Ranch Market, a newly opened Asian supermarket in Quincy. We aired live audio from Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings.

A new food movement in California is attempting to reduce carbon footprints in restaurants and make meals more climate friendly by tacking on a surcharge to fund a pilot called Restore California. Food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio on Tuesday the program is just one system of numerous programs across the country to help restaurants be more sustainable. "This is saying if every restaurant in the Bay Area … if they could put a one percent surcharge that goes toward regenerative soil, which is caring about making the soil better for future generations, that’s even better than organic, that’s what matters now, so this Restore California 1 percent surcharge, fancy restaurants are going along with it, they’re getting with the program." Kummer said the fine dining restaurants are serving dishes like beef tartare sourced with meat from a ranch affiliated with a program to help fields absorb more carbon, local lavender, and toast created from Kernza, a "perennial grain with deep roots that helps restore prairie land." 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 opened our lines to talk with callers about impeachment, and whether new revelations from former National Security Advisor John Bolton will have an impact on the Senate trial. NBC Sports Boston Reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed the passing of John Altobelli, former head coach of Cape Cod’s Brewster Whitecaps, who died Sunday alongside Kobe Bryant in the Calabasas helicopter crash. Boston Globe cannabis reporter Dan Adams discussed the bureaucracy holding local marijuana entrepreneurs back, and a new study linking heavy marijuana use as a teenager to impaired driving as an adult, even while sober. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the merits of noisy restaurants, and a restaurant surcharge bill in California aimed at fighting climate change. We aired live audio from Tuesday’s impeachment proceedings.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Michael Curry and Jennifer Braceras discussed revelations in a forthcoming book from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and what to expect from Monday’s impeachment proceedings. Curry is senior vice president and general counsel at Mass League of Community Health Centers, and a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors. Braceras is a political columnist, senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum, and a former Commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. NBC Sports Boston commentator Trenni Kusnierek spoke on the legacy of Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday. Journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn discussed their latest book, “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope.” Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed the life of Kobe Bryant, and a case before the Supreme Court that could alter the separation of of church and state in the U.S. We aired live audio from Monday’s impeachment proceedings.