Boston Public Radio

On Monday, Sen. Cory Booker announced he would be dropping out of the 2020 presidential contest.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI voices support for the Catholic Church's practice of a celibate priesthood, while Pope Francis is considering the possibility of allowing older, married men to be ordained as priests in the Amazon region.

On Friday, the mayor called on the state legislature to "be bold" and act on the state's transportation issues.

Despite low revenues, Leung says the move isn't an indicator of troubles for the casino.

Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg are rising in the national polls after spending millions on TV ads.

Two actors spoke about the thematic racial tensions in the play.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone discussed his Friday decision to put a hold on phase three reopening in Somerville. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed a federal appeals court's decision to vacate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. We opened lines to talk with listeners about the appeals court's decision to vacate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, talked about why they feel Joe Biden ought to pick a Black woman as his VP candidate, and weighed in on the demolition of a Nelson Mandela mural in Roxbury. TV expert Bob Thompson discussed controversy around an allegedly toxic workplace culture at “Ellen,” and reviewed Beyonce’s “Black King” visual album and HBO’s documentary “The Weight of Gold.” Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett talked about the state of COVID-19 in both Mass. and the U.S., and responded to listener questions and comments.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former Pentagon official and Georgetown University professor Rose Brooks talked about the Transition Integrity Project, her exercise examining various potential outcomes in the November election. We opened lines to ask listeners: are you anxious about the prospect of election interference and voter suppression in November? Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed the potential conflict of interest surrounding a trial of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and her concerns for underprivileged kids who might be unable to return to school in the fall. “Under the Radar” host Callie Crossley talked about lax mask enforcement policies at retail chains like Walmart, and gave her thoughts on Michelle Obama’s new podcast. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed Wednesday's Congressional testimony from several tech CEOs, and research showing that many election officials are vulnerable to cyber attacks. Brian O’Donovan, host of WGBH’s “A Celtic Sojourn,” talked about the music venues that Boston is losing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We opened lines to listeners to continue the conversation about Boston's performance spaces.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd weighed in on ongoing negotiations around federal coronavirus relief, and recapped the latest political headlines. We opened lines to ask listeners: with Federal unemployment benefits set to expire tomorrow, do you worry that the economic hole in the U.S. is about to get deeper? Andrea Cabral, former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety and CEO of Ascend, discussed the passing of Herman Cain, and talked about her problem with the statewide requirement that cannabis shops foot the bill for security details. Mass. State Rep. Mike Connolly discussed details of the state’s extended eviction moratorium, and the status of the COVID-19 Housing Stability Act, which he co-authored alongside Rep. Kevin Honan. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about the mysterious packages of seeds being delivered to the U.S. from China, and the valuable role that mutual aid societies are playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We opened lines to ask listeners: how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your eating habits?

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the meat industry's transgressions amid the pandemic. "[The meat industry execs] are the evil actors - they won't release the number of people in their slaughterhouses who are infected or are dying, and OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] has been completely asleep at the wheel doing nothing to sue the slaughterhouses," he said. 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: We opened lines to talk with teachers about the complications that come with a return to school in the fall. Boston NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan previewed the 2020 NAACP virtual convention, and talked about the state of racial inequity in Mass. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed news that national security advisor Robert O’Brien tested positive for COVID-19, and recapped Tuesday’s congressional hearing with AG Bill Barr. Medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about challenges with distributing a potential COVID-19 vaccine, and recapped the recent outbreak of coronavirus cases in Major League Baseball. – Saida Grundy, author and assistant professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University, discussed her latest writing for The Atlantic on the limits of anti-racist literature. – Politico’s Stephanie Murray discussed the latest news on the Senate race between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy ahead of the September 1st primary, and talked about the challenges in campaigning for Congress during the pandemic. – We opened lines to talk with listeners about your quarantine TV habits, in light of the newly-released 2020 Emmy nominations.