Boston Public Radio

Juul's new CEO used to be a tobacco industry executive.

Thirty-two prisons bought uninspected and degraded meat for their inmates, Corby Kummer says.

The law will go into effect in 2023, but a legal fight with the NCAA seems imminent, says Trenni Kusnierek.

WGBH News Reporter Craig LeMoult said Monday that legislators aren't equipped to respond to new data about ultrafine emissions particles.

One year after Jamal Khashoggi's death, Charlie Sennott said the US needs to send a message to Saudi Arabia that murdering journalists is unacceptable.

The Harvard University president's comment about the 13th Amendment indicates the problem of historical ignorance, the reverends said.

Products that are deemed harmful, like cigarettes and alcohol, come with an added excise tax - dubbed the 'sin tax' - when consumers purchase them. Now Germany, and several Nordic countries, think it's time to add a sin tax on meat. The hope is that higher prices will disincentivize consumers from buying meat, specifically beef, that contributes to the worsening of climate change. Americans eat an average of over 200 pounds of meat a year, and cows contribute 41% of livestock greenhouse gas emissions. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to discuss the meat tax and alternatives to beef. "There are many ways to get animal protein if you want animal protein, go ahead. But don't have it from the animals that are contributing so much more to greenhouse gases and methane emissions," he said. "In the U.S. there's lots of reasonably priced alternative protein. Let them eat those alternatives and save the climate." The meat tax wouldn't hurt consumers' wallets too hard, Kummer said, but would be in place to stir people's conscience. "This isn't going to make meat unaffordable, it's just going to say, 'Think again - this is terrible for the environment and for the future.'" By Hannah Uebele

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd discussed the latest political headlines. Todd is moderator of Meet the Press and political director for NBC News. We opened the lines to hear from listeners about whether they think there is a disconnect between the way government operates and the will of the people. Former Suffolk County sheriff and former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discussed how Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide is casting a spotlight on how federal prisons are rife with violence, sexual harassment, and chronic under-staffing. Cabral is now CEO of Ascend. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed new MBTA cars on the orange line and the planned merger between Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Health Plan. Paul Reville discussed the tuition hike at UMass and other education headlines. Reville is former secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, where he runs the Education Redesign Lab. Corby Kummer discussed a potential meat tax in Germany as the country reckons with the industry's environmental harm. Kummer is 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 opened the lines to discuss the sales tax holiday in Massachusetts.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to ask whether you're skipping traveling during your vacation time off from work because it's too expensive. Pine Street Inn President Lyndia Downie joined us to discuss the aftermath of Operation Clean Sweep on Boston's homeless population. We spoke with medical ethicist Art Caplan about President Donald Trump's proposal to allow the importation of cheaper pharmaceuticals into the United States. WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen shared his thoughts on the latest production of "To Kill a Mockingbird," which is now running on Broadway. We spoke with historian Nancy Koehn about Robert Kennedy's leadership style during his 1968 presidential campaign. WCRB's Brian McCreath and Celtic Sojourn's Brian O'Donovan joined us for a seasonal concert round table.

Today on Boston Public Radio: On Monday, the Trump administration announced it would be changing the way the Endangered Species Act is applied, significantly weakening it. We asked our listeners to share their thoughts on the decision. Trenni Kusnierek discussed the recent calls to boycott Equinox Fitness and SoulCycle due to the chairman of the company that owns both companies hosting a fundraiser for President Donald Trump. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. Ali Noorani discussed the Trump administration’s “public charge rule,” a policy that requires immigrants to be denied a green card if they are likely to use government benefit programs. Noorani is the executive director of the National Immigration Forum. We asked our listeners to discuss their techniques for being environmentally conscious in the modern world. John King discussed the latest developments in the 2020 presidential race. King is the chief national correspondent for CNN. Playwright Ryan Landry joined us to discuss how art under the Trump presidency.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Charlie Chieppo and Jennifer Braceras joined us for a political round table. Chieppo is principal of Chieppo Strategies and senior fellow at both Governing and Pioneer Institute. Braceras is a political columnist, director of the Center for Law & Liberty at the Independent Women's Forum, and a former Commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. We spoke with WGBH News Analyst Charlie Sennott about the resignation of US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, one of a string of resignations in President Donald Trump's cabinet. Pat and Tammy McLeod joined us to discuss their new book *Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was -- And Learning to Live Well with What Is, *about their son's traumatic brain injury sustained while playing football. We opened the lines to take listener calls about the news that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apparently committed suicide while in jail. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III joined us for another edition of All Rev'd Up to discuss the legacy of late author Toni Morrison. Michael Maso, executive director of the Huntington Theater, discussed the theater's upcoming renovations. Media scholar Bob Thompson previewed this year's Emmy Awards in September. Thompson is founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.