Boston Public Radio

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.

The “Under The Radar” host lent her perspective on recent comments from Barack Obama.

Two classical music giants from opposite sides of the Atlantic discuss a rare union of orchestras.

Lisa Hughes and David Wade of CBS Boston joined us for our weekly news quiz.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the opening of a safe injection site in Somerville, and whether COVID-19 vaccine incentives work. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Next, we talk with listeners about a new survey that found that 40% of Massachusetts’ remote workers won’t return to the office until January. Brian McGrory discusses the Boston Globe’s recent Pulitzer Prize win for their Spotlight investigation into how states fail to track and keep dangerous drivers off of roads. He also talks about Senate Republicans’ blockage of the For the People Act. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of the Boston Globe. Jared Bowen updates us on the local arts organizations that benefited from the latest round of donations from billionaire MacKenzie Scott. He also talks about artist Firelei Báez’s exhibit at the ICA Watershed, and a retrospective of painter Alice Neel at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. Steve Hoffman explains the Cannabis Control Commission’s equity goals, and how the cannabis delivery licensing process works. He also discusses a lawsuit from Haverhill-based cannabis store Stem over “community impact” fees imposed by the city on cannabis companies. Hoffman is the chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission. Tatishe Nteta discusses his research and polling into why nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose reparations for slavery, stating that the most common reason for opposition was the belief that descendants of enslaved people are not deserving of money. Nteta is an associate professor of political science at UMass Amherst, and the director of UMass Poll. We wrap up the show by asking listeners about ear cleaning and whether they would use an ear spoon.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib coming out, and what this could mean for the world of professional sports. Trenni Kusnierek talks about former journalist Kat O’Brien’s New York Times op-ed detailing her experiences with sexual assault and harassment while covering major-league baseball. She also updates us on how the Tokyo Olympics and International Olympic Committee are handling COVID-19 precautions. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses current vaccination rates in Massachusetts, and talks about the nationwide spread of the COVID-19 Delta Variant. She also answers listeners’ questions. Gergen Barnett teaches in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Elizabeth Hinton shares her research into the cycle of police and mob violence facing Black Americans, and how Black communities’ responses to brutality have been characterized throughout history. Hinton is an associate professor of history in the Department of History and the Department of African American Studies at Yale. She’s also a professor of law at Yale Law School. Her latest book is “America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s.” John King updates us on the upcoming Senate vote on whether to advance the For the People Act, and shares his thoughts on Arizona’s 2021 election audit. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by talking with listeners about the fate of voting rights as the Senate considers advancing a sweeping voting rights package.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show off by talking with listeners about how they’re filling their kids’ summers. Tracy Chang talks about the logistics behind operating a restaurant and two nonprofits during the pandemic, and how measures to “recession-proof” her business weathered COVID-19. Chang is the chef and owner behind PAGU. She also created the nonprofits Project Restore Us and Off Their Plate. Charlie Sennott updates us on President Joe Biden’s meeting with Vladimir Putin, weighing in on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s critique of the meeting. He also talks about Israel’s new leadership. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Richard Blanco marks Pride month by reading two of his poems, “One Pulse—One Poem,” and “Until We Could,” which was developed into a short film. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III shares their thoughts on Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, arguing that the commercialization of the holiday leads to the erasure of its history. They also talk about Roman Catholic bishops moving to ban President Biden from receiving communion over his stance on abortion. 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. We wrap up the show by asking listeners if they participate in bedtime revenge procrastination.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about a post-vaccine spending boom, and the fight to stay frugal this summer. Steven Maler and John Douglas talk about Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s return to outdoor theater with their rendition of “The Tempest,” for the 25th anniversary of Free Shakespeare on the Common. John Douglas Thompson is the actor starring as Prospero, and Steven Maler is the Founding Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Kellie Carter Jackson discusses her latest piece for The Atlantic, “What the Push to Celebrate Juneteenth Conceals,” about the legacy of Juneteenth and right-wing outrage over so-called critical race theory. Carter Jackson is an assistant professor of Humanities and an assistant professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, and the author of “Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence.” Media Maven Sue O’Connell weighs in on the Supreme Court’s decision to side with a Catholic adoption agency refusing to work with same-sex couples, and controversy around kink at this year’s Pride parade. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discusses some of the downsides for consumers in Congress’ latest effort to reign in big tech companies. He also talks about updates made to Google’s algorithm to help protect users from online slander. Callie Crossley, host of GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black, talks about the significance of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, the series of more moderate voting rights proposals brought forward this week by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, and her recent commentary celebrating “girl dads.” Chocolatier and lobster fisherman Josiah Mayo talks about his whirlwind week as the first mate of Michael Packard, the fisherman who was nearly swallowed by a humpback whale off the coast of Cape Cod.

Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne talks about President Biden’s meeting this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also discusses speculation around whether AG Merrick Garland will push to litigate abuses of power made under the administration of former President Trump. Next, we opened phone lines to talk with listeners about Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. Former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral weighs in on the Justice Department’s request for the Supreme Court to reinstate the federal death penalty against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. She also discusses AG Merrick Garland’s efforts to protect U.S. voting rights. Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther discusses “re-queerification” efforts underway in Provincetown, the understated LGBT legacy of Delaware’s Rehoboth Beach, and his experience returning to international travel for a trip to Iceland. Michael Curry offers his thoughts on Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, and weighs in on the recent vaccination incentives like the VaxMillions lottery and “Vax Express” train in Massachusetts. Curry is President and CEO of the Mass. League of Community Health Centers, and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and chair of the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Food writer Corby Kummer discusses the temporary extension of laws allowing for to-go cocktails and expanded outdoor dining in Massachusetts, and provides some much-needed insight into the latest player in the vegan milk market. We close out Thursday's show by talking with listeners about post-vaccine travel, and making the most of Summer 2021.