Boston Public Radio

Yes, we should be focusing on the flu, but we should also be wary of just how unprepared we are for an outbreak in America.

On Tuesday, US Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling charged the chairman of Harvard University’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, Charles Lieber, with lying about his connections to a Chinese university.

Epic is being critiqued for not making its medical data easier to be shared between doctors and patients.

After more than a year since the first marijuana shops in the state opened their doors, however, many minority business owners say they’ve been locked out of the marijuana industry.

Fine dining restaurants are serving up climate-minded meals.

Former Brewster Whitecaps coach John Altobelli was among those killed in the crash that killed Kobe Bryant.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by talking with listeners about the worrying rise of coronavirus cases throughout the U.S. Carol Rose discussed the impact Judge Amy Coney Barrett could have on future Supreme Court rulings around voter rights, and why voter suppression is a real threat, even in liberal Mass. She also talked about abortion rights in the state, and State House legislation that would expand abortion access in the Commonwealth. Rose is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Larry Calderone responded to a series of to city-wide police reforms being touted by Mayor Walsh, from use of body cameras by officers working overtime, to the establishment of an external Office of Police Accountability and Transparency. Calderone is president of Boston’s Police Patrolmen’s Association, the city’s largest police union. We reopened lines to discuss the new no-strings-attached stipend program for low-income residents in Chelsea, Mass., and hear how getting an extra $200-400 check would impact your life. Jelani Cobb called in to talk about the latest FRONTLINE documentary on voter suppression, called “Whose Vote Counts.” Aside from being the correspondent on the documentary, Cobb is an award-winning journalist, staff writer for the New Yorker, and professor of journalism at Columbia School of Journalism. John King offered a debrief on the latest national political headlines, two weeks away from the November presidential election. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Media maven Sue O’Connell and GBH’s Adam Reilly weighed in on the national political headlines of the day, including ongoing negotiations in Washington over additional COVID stimulus funding. They also touched on a few statewide stories, from Gov. Baker’s formal announcement that he won’t be voting for Trump, to Saturday’s end of the Mass. eviction moratorium. We opened lines to talk with listeners about recent reporting in the Boston Globe on the dozens of Mass. State Troopers who've engaged in criminal behavior without facing repercussions on the force. GBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott broke down the latest international headlines, discussing the steady reemergence of COVID-19 across Europe, the reelection of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and political unrest in Chile. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung talked about a pilot program offering no-strings-attached checks for low-income families in Chelsea, and recent reporting in the Boston Globe on economic revival in Brockton. She also gave us a glimpse into how her two kids are handling remote learning, a month into the school year. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III, hosts of GBH’s All Rev’d Up, weighed in on the spiritual leanings of Democrats and Republicans, and discussed what we understand about Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s attitudes towards racism in the criminal justice system. Closing out the show, we opened lines to ask: seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, how much are you missing hugs and physical contact?

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Friday about hibernating restaurants, which will close during the winter due to COVID and try to reopen in the spring. “There’s only one choice many restaurants have since the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money ended, which is look at their expenses, see how much it would cost to try to stay open with extremely limited capacity, and say ‘We’re closing the doors and hoping in warmer weather we can bring back outdoor dining,’” he said. Many Boston restauranteurs have told Kummer that they’re hoping to hang on until April, he noted. “But what I thought was ‘You really think there’s going to be a vaccine in wide use by April?’” he said. “But I think that the realistic calculus here is that once warm weather opens, there are more takeout possibilities, more outdoor dining possibilities, and restaurants can try to stay on.” 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: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse discussed the influence of dark money in Washington, and reflected on this week’s Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. We opened up lines to hear your thoughts on Congress’ inability to pass more coronavirus stimulus relief. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney offered her impressions of Thursday’s dueling presidential town halls, and discussed the suspension of C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully after he falsely claimed that his Twitter account was hacked. She also read a conspiracy-themed list of fixations and fulminations. Jay Wexler, Boston University law professor and former clerk for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recounted his time honoring his former boss at a days-long vigil, and reflected on the expected appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the Boston restaurants that are “hibernating” this winter in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and talked about what Americans should expect Thanksgiving celebrations to look like this year. CNN’s John King talked about Thursday’s town hall debates for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. He also touched on polling indicating that the president is losing favor with women voters, and a recent condemnation of Trump from Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, speaking to constituents in Neb. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed the ramifications of a halted census count, recent Washington Post reporting on postal workers falsifying data, and Vice President Mike Pence’s response to learning about the fly on his head from his debate against Sen. Kamala Harris.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Renée Landers recapped the week’s Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, what the public learned about Barrett’s judicial approach, and whether she believes the nominee would help overturn Roe v. Wade. Landers is a professor of law and faculty director of the health and biomedical law concentration at Suffolk University’s School of Law. We then opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on court-stacking, and whether Democrats should work to expand the Supreme Court if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed before the election. NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd caught us up on the Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and dueling town hall interviews for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about the two presidential town hall debates taking place Thursday night, for both President Tump and former Vice President Biden. Matt Stout, who covers politics and government from the Boston Globe’s State House bureau, gave a debrief on Mass.' Ballot Question 2, regarding whether the state ought to implement ranked-choice voting, and offered some pros and cons for voters still figuring out where they stand on the issue. State Rep. Mike Connolly discussed his thoughts on Gov. Baker’s newly-released rental relief plan, and the implications of the state ending its eviction moratorium, which it'll do on Saturday, ahead of winter months and another potential coronavirus surge. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed Twitter and Facebook’s moves to limit the spread of a story, published Wednesday by the New York Post, about what the outlet described as a “smoking gun” email found on the laptop of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. He also talked about issues with Amazon’s delivery service, and what you can do to help delivery drivers find your home.