Today on Boston Public Radio:
Dr. Howard Koh talked about new updates from pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson on its forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine, and the risks posed by the coronavirus variants that are popping up around the world and here in the U.S. He also spoke on President Biden’s handling of the pandemic in his first 10 days in office, and the bumpy vaccine rollout here in Massachusetts. Koh is the former state commissioner of the Department of Public Health, and he served as the assistant secretary of public health under President Obama. He now teaches at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about your experiences trying to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts.
Annissa Essaibi George called in to talk about her newly announced mayoral campaign. She spoke about her push to bring more mental health professionals into Boston schools, offered her take on Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s handling of the pandemic, and talked about what she’d do differently to support struggling businesses. Essaibi George is a Boston city councilor-at-large and candidate for mayor of Boston.
Ali Noorani talked about President Biden’s reversal of his predecessor's immigration agenda, and the pushback he’s getting from GOP leadership. He also talked about his impressions of Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. Noorani is president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.”
Emily Rooney critiqued the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Mass., recapped recent clean energy goals set by automaker GM, and did her best to explain what’s going on with GameStop and the stock market. Rooney is the host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m.
Dr. Deirdre Leigh Barrett gave an update on her research into pandemic-era dreaming, and talked about the apparent impact of factors like gender and occupation on the ways we're processing the COVID-19 pandemic. Barrett is a dream researcher at Harvard, and her new book is Pandemic Dreams. You can file your own dream submissions to her team at the link here.
Callie Crossley discussed her concern about members of Congress bringing guns into congressional chambers, President Biden’s plan to move forward with putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and the passing of actress Cicely Tyson. She also defended the barbecue of her hometown, Memphis, Tennessee, as the gold standard. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black.
