Boston Public Radio

Like much of his presidency, President Donald Trump is offering to solve a problem his predecessors couldn’t in a manner that bucks the conventional wisdom.

Rep. Geoff Diehl, the endorsed Republican candidate hoping to unseat Sen. Warren, defended President Trump’s White House invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Social information mining has long been a way for advertisers to target consumers. Now this model is being employed by health insurance companies.

After returning from a trip with a Democratic delegation to visit detention centers in southern Texas, Rep. Katherine Clark says the trip “confirmed [her]…

Medical ethicist Art Caplan weighs in on Jeff Sessions' decision to not defend the Affordable Care Act's protection of people with pre-existing conditions.

The actor, singer and bestselling author discusses his latest novel, a re-imagining of an Irish myth set in modern-day New York City.

Over 200,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19, homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. “And we suspect that this is an undercount, because maybe some people are not being counted for dying of COVID, or they had an underlying condition which catches them first,” she said. “There’s excess deaths everywhere we look, so the 200,000 number, I think, at the minimum is shocking, outrageous, inexcusable enough, but it’s probably not the right number.” 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about your experiences around school reopening. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek recapped the latest sports headlines, from losses by the Patriots and Celtics, to debate over whether college athletes should have more access to coronavirus testing than their collegiate peers. Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed his latest documentary for FRONTLINE, “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden.” Food writer Corby Kummer talked about guidelines for safe indoor dining, restaurants that're imposing COVID-19 surcharges, and why sales of tofu are through the roof. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed debate around who Gov. Charlie Baker ought to choose to replace the late SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants, and spoke on how her kids are handling hybrid learning. CNN’s John King discussed Tuesday's news that the U.S. has passed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and increasing certainty that Senate Republicans will elect a Supreme Court justice before the November election. We reopened our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about how you’re handling the quasi-return to schools.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that adults who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have eaten at restaurants. But the study is facing criticism for its lack of distinction between diners who ate at indoor versus outdoor establishments, food writer Corby Kummer said. “I do trust the CDC, but the study they released did not differentiate between bars or restaurants or between indoor and outdoor dining,” he said. It’s a challenge for restaurants to successfully and safely have indoor dining, Kummer said, but possible if everyone, specifically diners, follow health guidelines. “There are going to be big problems for restaurants trying to open indoors, but there’s a path forward if they follow the rules and insist that their diners follow the rules,” he said. “As for bars, they’re probably not go to reopen until there’s a vaccine that’s well established, and that’s a good year.” 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: Dahlia Lithwick, a legal correspondent and senior editor at Slate, discussed the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a feminist icon, and reflected on her experience interviewing her in January. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy discussed his views on the danger of politicizing the Supreme Court, and why he believes most Senate Republicans will fall in line behind Sen. McConnell’s efforts to fill the vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election. We opened lines to hear your impressions on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and efforts by Senate leaders and President Trump to replace her before the November election. Martha Minow spoke on late Justice Bader-Ginsburg, and the legal legacy left in her wake. Minow is the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University, and a former Dean of Harvard Law School. Her latest book is "When Should Law Forgive?" We reopened lines to talk with listeners about the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and what’s to come for the Supreme Court. Boston University law professor Jay Wexler, who clerked for Bader Ginsburg in the late nineties, talked about his experience working under the late Supreme Court justice. Michael Curry and Jennifer Nassour offered their takes on Justice Bader Ginsburg’s passing, and weighed in on the effort by Senate Republicans and President Trump to fill her vacancy before the election. Curry is the Deputy CEO & General Counsel for the Mass. League of Community Health Centers and a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, where he chairs the board's Advocacy and Policy Committee. Nassour is the former chair of the Mass. Republican Party, and founder of the Pocketbook Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and electing more female candidates to public office. We closed the show by returning to listeners, to get your thoughts on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and discuss the road ahead for the Supreme Court.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former FBI agent Peter Strzok weighed in on corruption and within the Trump administration and its impact on U.S. national security, in a conversation about his new book, “Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump." Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell offered her thoughts on Mayor Walsh's police task force, the rocky transition to hybrid learning for Boston Public Schools students, and discussed whether she intends to enter the 2021 Boston mayoral race. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney reflected on Thursday night’s town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, critiques of the media from writer James Fallows, and read a rank choice voting-themed list of fixations and fulminations. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed news that a former homeland security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence is publicly backing Joe Biden for president, and explained why she believes the Trump administration is directly responsible for the bulk of the nearly 200,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley talked about a recent assertion from AG Bill Barr that COVID-19 restrictions are akin to slavery, and polls showing a close race for South Carolina’s Senate seat between Sen. Lindsay Graham and Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison. Tech writer and BPR contributor Andy Ihnatko called in to answer all your remote-learning tech questions.