Boston Public Radio

Massachusetts students led the nation in reading scores, but performed worse than two years ago.

The executive director of the National Immigrant Forum expressed frustration with several Trump administration policies.

Amazon recently announced that subscribers to Amazon Prime will be able to receive free delivery on grocery sales purchased through their website.

Chaim Bloom replaces Dave Dombrowski as the leader of roster operations for the franchise.

The people behind the film series speak about their experiences within BPI and its long-lasting effects after prison.

Presidential inaugural poet Richard Blanco previews a new poetry anthology focused on climate change.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Katherine Clark discusses the financial toll of COVID-19, and argued for the passage of the American Rescue Plan. She also touches on vaccine distribution in Massachusetts. Rep. Clark is the Assistant House Speaker and represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts. Next, we open the phone lines to ask listeners if they’ve experienced pandemic-induced brain fog. Juliette Kayyem revisits her March 2020 column for The Atlantic, “The U.S. Isn't Ready for What's About to Happen,” looking at what she got right and suggesting what the government should learn. She also talks about the tenth anniversary of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi disaster. 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. Stephanie Leydon talks about how high school students are dealing with the pandemic, and what she’s learned from her work on GBH’s COVID and the Classroom. Leydon is a senior editor at GBH News. Jenifer McKim discusses her reporting on COVID-19’s impact on Massachusetts prisons, and Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to prioritize vaccines for inmates. McKim is an investigative reporter with the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. Jared Bowen and Brian O'Donovan explain what reopening Massachusetts could mean for arts and cultural institutions in the state. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. O'Donovan hosts GBH's Celtic Sojourn. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about what arts and cultural institutions they’re looking forward to returning to.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the CDC’s latest COVID-19 guidelines, and whether unvaccinated people will throw caution to the wind as more vaccines become available. 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. Next, we ask listeners whether they thought the CDC’s new guidelines were too lax, or just right. Ali Noorani discusses how President Joe Biden is handling the humanitarian crisis at the border in the midst of COVID-19. He also talks about the Mexican restaurant in Houston subjected to ICE threats after refusing to serve unmasked customers. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price weigh in on Cornel West’s decision to leave Harvard after a tenure dispute, and Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They also touch on Stevie Wonder’s plans to move to Ghana. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is an executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Together, they host GBH’s *All Rev’d Up *podcast. Victor Anthony Lopez-Carmen discusses the health disparities in Native American communities, and how COVID-19 has exacerbated them. He also talks about the need for more Native American representation in the medical field. Lopez-Carmen is a Dakota and Yaqui writer, health policy advocate, and student at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves on the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Taskforce and as Co-Chair of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, the official UN Caucus that represents the political interests of Indigenous youth before international policy making bodies. His commentary on minority health and human rights has been featured in such outlets as the BBC, Teen Vogue, and the UN News Centre. John King update us on the latest political headlines, from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package to the 2022 midterm elections. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We revisit Monday’s discussion of the new Netflix show “Marriage or Mortgage,” asking if listeners would say yes to the dress or say yes to the down payment.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package. Michelle Singletary discusses how this year’s tax season could play out with the addition of stimulus checks. She also talks about the new Netflix show, “Marriage or Mortgage.” 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. Trenni Kusnierek speaks about Maia Chaka making history as the first Black woman to serve as an NFL game official, and allegations of sexism at the Golf Channel. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Bob Thompson recaps Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He also shares his thoughts on the Disney+ series “WandaVision.” Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a professor of television and popular culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett weighs in on Gov. Charlie Baker’s plans to reopen Massachusetts, and vaccine inequity in the state. She also responds to questions and comments from listeners. Gergen Barnett teaches in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about how H-E-B grocery stores supported community members in Texas during the severe power outage that swept the state last month. “It has enormous brand halo because in times of crisis when there’s no power, there they are with bread, milk, and eggs,” he said. “Supermarket chains - if they’ve got good supply chains and have labor policies that will encourage labor to come in and brave the elements - can get enormous goodwill.” Walmart became a community center after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans back in 2005. “Only Walmart was open, post-Katrina, and they bought themselves a tremendous amount of goodwill by being there when city and government services were not,” Kummer said. “And that’s the case with H-E-B during the recent Texas power outages.” 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: John Barros discusses his entry into Boston’s mayoral race, and how small businesses are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Barros is the former chief of economic development for the Walsh administration, and candidate for mayor. Next, we ask listeners what they were looking forward to returning to the most when the pandemic ends. Sue O’Connell talks about the scandals facing Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher Mason. She also explains how virtual public meetings are upending politics. 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. Mayor Joe Curtatone explains why he decided to not seek reelection after serving nine terms as mayor of Somerville. He also speaks about Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccine rollout. Curtatone is the mayor of Somerville. Senator Ed Markey shares his thoughts on the fate of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package as it goes through the Senate. He also discussed the Congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Corby Kummer talks about Bridgewater State’s usage of food delivery robots, and two Texas grocery stores’ responses to the end of the state’s mask mandate. He also weighs in on the Gov. Baker’s decision to allow Massachusetts restaurants to open at full capacity. 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. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about living among robots.