Boston Public Radio

David Axelrod is a grizzled veteran of American politics, first covering it as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and then working campaigns for Richard…

Before you climb up onto your roof with a shovel* to clear off the forty feet of snow that's accumulated in the past few days, you may want to listen to…

"American Sniper"—the Clint Eastwood blockbuster about real-life Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle—has broken record after record at the box office. But the…

Oh, how the tables have turned. High School Quiz Show host Billy Costa put Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on the other side of the answer sheet this week…

After ISIS released video of the brutal murder of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh, the reaction of the pilot's home country was swift. By dawn, two…

It doesn't take a close reading of Emily Post's Etiquette handbook to know that there are three topics that should never be discussed in polite company:…

Medical ethicist Art Caplan spoke with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about herd immunity, regarding COVID-19. “Herd immunity, bad idea - Sweden tried it - didn’t work,” he said. “Sweden basically said, let’s let [COVID-19] run its course, we’re not going to isolate, we’re going to let everybody get infected, and then once that’s done we won’t be able to infect each other, we’ll all have antibodies.” But Sweden had terrible death rates, Caplan noted. “Too many old people died, too many vulnerable people died, so they admitted it was a mistake.” President Donald Trump’s new virus advisor, Dr. Scott Atlas, is pushing for a herd immunity response, Caplan added. “This idea is now circulating back in the White House with this new advisor Dr. Scott Atlas,” he said. “I don’t know why we’re listening to this again, because we have this giant example of a country failing.” Art Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about the need to wear a mask when going out to eat. “Our diner code of conduct says to wear masks at all times away from the dining table: when entering the restaurant, ordering and interacting with servers, when walking to the restroom or just getting fresh air,” he said. “So that’s the most important thing you can do to protect servers, and also diners.” 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.

CNN analyst and national security expert Juliette Kayyem called in to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, where she recapped a Wednesday report from ABC News accusing officials from the Department of Homeland Security of withholding information about Russian interference in the upcoming election. The report, she noted, also details how attacks on Joe Biden from President Trump appear to “either amplify, mirror, or follow” messaging from Russian bots across social media. Kayyem also weighed in on a new ad from Joe Biden's campaign, and explained why the president is losing a “culture war” over face masks. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and faculty chair of the homeland security program at the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Stephen Lynch called in to make his final pitch to primary voters, where he spoke on his views about Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and his regret for voting in favor of the Iraq War. Dr. Robbie Goldstein, an MGH physician and candidate for Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District, responded to criticisms from his opponent Rep. Stephen Lynch, discussed his opposition to the Hyde Amendment, and spoke on the importance of having members of Congress who trust science and hard data. We opened lines to hear your thoughts on Mass. primary pay, and recent statements from President Trump about police brutality and golf. Carol Rose, executive director of the Mass. ACLU, talked about the threat that a stripped-down USPS poses to voter rights, and explained why she believes voter intimidation is a more pressing threat to U.S democracy than voter fraud. Rep. Joe Kennedy III called in to make his final campaign pitch to Mass. primary voters, and discussed why he envisions himself to be a more effective senator than Sen. Ed Markey. We opened lines to continue the conversation about primary day voting and mail-in ballots with listeners. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, reflected on the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, and weighed in on last Friday’s Commitment March in Washington, D.C. CNN’s John King discussed President Trump’s scheduled visit to Kenosha, Wis., and explained why Americans should expect delayed results in the general election. Alex Morse, Holyoke Mayor and candidate for Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District, offered his final pitch to voters, spoke on what he’s done with police reform in Holyoke, and reflected on the state's handling of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. We returned to listeners for a third and final time, to get your thoughts on mail-in voting and the primary elections.

Note: We’re on tape today, replaying some of our favorite conversations. On today's episode of Boston Public Radio: Former U.S. Senate investigator Daniel J. Jones and director Scott Z. Burns discussed their collaboration on the new movie "Report,” about Jones’ investigation into the CIA’s use of torture. Daniel Leader, a pioneer in the American baking world, discussed his latest book, "Living Bread." Author and activist Naomi Klein talked about her new book, "On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal." New Yorker staff writer and host of the “Revisionist History” podcast Malcolm Gladwell discussed his new book, "Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know." Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Ronan Farrow discussed his new book, "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators." Harvard Business School’s Michael Norton discussed his latest research on why minimalism is the new status symbol. Writer Joshua Foer talked about the latest edition of "Atlas Obscura: An Explorers Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders."