Boston Public Radio

Should young football players be allowed to tackle, when research shows repeated hits cause long-term brain damage?

A new law in California guarantees free meals to public school students.

Inaugural poet Richard Blanco gave Jim and Margery a crash course in poetry.

TV guru Bob Thompson previewed the week in entertainment.

In his latest special report for The Boston Globe, Nestor Ramos looks into how the Cape is changing in the face of climate change.

On Monday, Charlie Chieppo and Michael Curry joined Boston Public Radio for their weekly political round table

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.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Thursday about NotMilk, a plant-based product from start-up NotCo, that purportedly mimics cow’s milk better than other alternatives. “I’m really eager to go out and try it, because the company says that NotMilk can taste, cook, and froth like cow’s milk,” he said. “It is so much better for the environment than milk that comes from cows, which produce methane.” Plant-based milk alternatives and plant-based proteins are a very important part of the future, Kummer noted. 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.

President Joe Biden’s decision to meet with Vladimir Putin initially prompted skeptics to question whether it would only serve to elevate the Russian leader’s position on the world stage. Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne told Boston Public Radio on Thursday that Biden did well to push back against Putin’s defense of jailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny — Putin insisted he’s only trying to avoid the likes of disorder America experienced in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “Biden just said, “That’s ridiculous,’” said Dionne, noting the straightforwardness in the American president’s response. “Whether you like Biden or not I think if you’re an American friend of democracy you looked at what Biden said, and said, ‘That is what a defense of democracy looks like,’” said Dionne. There were no big achievements from the summit, but no expectations of that either, said Dionne. “On the whole I think (Biden) came out pretty well.” EJ Dionne is a columnist for the Washington Post and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His latest book is Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan talks about the benefits and drawbacks of vaccine lottery incentives, in light of the VaxMillions program announced Tuesday by Gov. Charlie Baker. Next, we open phone lines to hear listener thoughts on the Massachusetts newly-announced VaxMillions lottery program. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses President Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She also spoke about the national security implications of the looming hurricane and wildfire season. Bina Venkataraman talked about the Boston Globe’s new six-part series, “Future Proofing the Presidency,” about the legacy of former President Trump and the future of American democracy. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor of The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary discussed her latest book, “What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits.” Journalist and naturalist Sy Montgomery returned for our monthly edition of “Afternoon Zoo.” She talked about her sympathy for the humpback whale who nearly swallowed a lobster fisherman off of Cape Cod, stand-up fathers of the animal kingdom, and the dogs who are learning to talk to their owners.