Boston Public Radio

On Monday, the Trump administration formally informed the United Nations of their intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

Public hearings in the impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump will begin next week.

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Brian McGrory weighs in on the criticism lodged against Gov. Baker’s vaccine rollout. He also speaks about the Supreme Court’s denial of former President Trump's bid to conceal his financial records. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe. Next, we open the phone lines to ask listeners what their experiences have been in registering for the COVID-19 vaccine. Michelle Singletary discusses this year’s confusing tax season, and how listeners can prepare their tax forms. She also talks about the underfunding of the IRS, which has a backlog of over 11 million unprocessed 2019 tax returns. Michelle 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. Her recent 10-part series titled “Sincerely Michelle,” breaks down enduring misconceptions involving race. She’s also the author of "The 21 Day Financial Fast." Councilor Michelle Wu shares her thoughts on the state of vaccine distribution in Boston, and her proposed ordinance to get a vaccine site in every Boston zip code. She also discusses her proposal for a city-owned broadband network. Wu is a Boston City Councilor and candidate for city mayor. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss the criminalization and adultification of Black children, and the Supreme Court case asking justices whether the use of racial slurs create a hostile workplace. They also speak about Vatican City’s new anti, anti-vaxxer policy. 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. Ali Noorani shares the latest updates on President Biden’s immigration reform bill, and other immigration headlines. 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.” We wrap up the show by asking listeners how they’re spending their lunch breaks in quarantine.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening the phone lines to talk with listeners about Sen. Ted Cruz and hypocrisy. Sue O’Connell weighs in on Sen. Ted Cruz trip to Cancun while Texans struggled with freezing temperatures and the loss of electricity. She also touches on the 2021 postponement of Boston Pride, and Elton John’s friendship with Rush Limbaugh. 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. Emily Rooney talks about John Connolly’s recent release from prison, and the closure of Kenmore Square’s Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Club, and Hawthorne. She also previewed this week’s episode of Beat the Press. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Andy Ihnatko explains the showdown involving Google, Facebook, and the Australian government over paying for news content. He also talks about the U.S. digital divide, President Biden’s pick for the acting chair of the FCC, and NASA’s Perseverance Rover. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Christopher Muther speaks about when people might be able to safely travel again, and the recent increase in flight bookings for summer travel. Muther is a travel writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. Callie Crossley discusses a Harvard study that found reparations for slavery would have decreased COVID-19 transmission and deaths in the Black community. She also previews Sunday’s edition of Under the Radar. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. We wrap up the show by asking listeners what their experiences have been in trying to get vaccinated.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Congressman Jake Auchincloss argues for the creation of a Mass. centralized preregistration vaccination site. He also explains why he believes former President Trump could be tried under the 14th Amendment for the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Auchincloss is the Democratic congressman representing Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. Andrea Cabral explains how Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and the NAACP are using the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act in their lawsuit against former President Trump and Rudy Giuliani. She also talks about the recent resurgence of debtors’ prisons. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of Ascend. Governor Baker addresses Thursday’s Vaxfinder website crash, as well as the criticism he's received on his handling of vaccine distribution. He also speaks about the state’s current vaccine capacity, and how his administration plans to increase the number of vaccines available in Mass. Chuck Todd discusses Rush Limbaugh’s influence on political culture, and the state of the Republican Party today. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, host of “Meet the Press Daily" on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. We open the phone lines to hear listeners’ experiences with vaccine registration. Councilor Andrea Campbell speaks about the state of vaccine distribution in Mass., and argues for a “Teacher Vaccination Week.” She also discusses the Boston mayoral race, and what running a mayoral campaign during a pandemic looks like. Campbell represents Boston's District 4, which includes parts of Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale. She's also currently running for mayor of Boston. We end the show by talking with listeners about the Baker administration adding even more people to the vaccine eligibility pool.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan weighs in on the recent firing of a Texas doctor after he distributed ten vaccines that were about to expire. He also argues for moving elite athletes further ahead in the vaccination line. 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. Carlo DeMaria responds to claims made by Everett City Councilor Gerly Adrien of racist treatment from her colleagues during her appearance on Monday's show. He also talks about Everett’s response to the pandemic, and his decision to distribute masks to every city resident. DeMaria is the mayor of Everett, Mass. Juliette Kayyem talks about the internal disarray of the QAnon conspiracy community, and the energy distribution issues facing Texas during their winter weather emergency. 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. Next, we open the phone lines to hear listeners’ thoughts on national vaccine rollouts. Corby Kummer speaks about the lack of pandemic hazard pay for grocery store employees around the country, and how restaurateurs are mobilizing to assist vulnerable workers. 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. Sy Montgomery explains how songbirds find mates for life in other birds who literally sing their tune, and discusses vampire bats who adopt vampire bat cubs. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Becoming A Good Creature." We wrap up the show by asking listeners about what they’ve given up in a year already full of sacrifices.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about universal free lunches amid the pandemic. “School lunch is one of the only mystifyingly good stories of the Trump administration during the pandemic - which is that they extended waivers so that entire families of students who were eligible for free school lunches could get them,” Kummer said. “All the children in the family would be eligible for these meals not just the students at eligible schools.” Universal school lunch aims to eliminate stigma around free meals, Kummer noted. “It’s not as big of a deal in Boston because there is universal lunch and breakfast offered to students already,” he said. “But in plenty of municipalities the terrible lunch shaming of students who are supposed to pay for school lunch but then fall into debt has been eliminated during COVID by these waivers.” There are now different bills trying to extend universal school lunch plans state-by-state and nationally, Kummer added. 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.