Today on Boston Public Radio:
Jonathan Gruber broke down the economics behind Congress’ latest COVID-19 relief package and discussed his research into March's CARES Act, where he found that unemployment insurance has had more of an impact on keeping jobs and stimulating the economy than Paycheck Protection Program loans. Gruber is a professor of economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act. His latest book is "Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream."
Next, we opened the phone lines to talk with listeners about Congress' latest $900 billion coronavirus stimulus bill and get their takes on whether it’s going to be enough to help them get by.
Juliette Kayyem talked about President Donald Trump’s latest controversial wave of pardons and weighed the potential impact Trump could have on national security in the final weeks of his administration. She also explained the scope and implications of Russia’s hack of several major U.S. government agencies. 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.
Trenni Kusnierek talked about a recent appeal made by players on the Boston Celtics to have Gov. Charlie Baker reconsider his support for the use of facial recognition software by Massachusetts law enforcement. She also spoke on the Patriots’ underwhelming 2020 season and other sports headlines. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston.
Art Caplan discussed the latest news on the pandemic front, including how the U.S. is faring in its vaccine rollout, the departure of White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx and worrying COVID-19 mutations out of the U.K. Caplan directs the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine.
Andy Ihnatko discussed news that Trump won't be passing along the POTUS Twitter account to President-elect Joe Biden, incoming privacy software from Apple that'll make it harder for websites to track user data on other platforms and other tech headlines. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger who posts at Ihnatko.com.
We closed out Wednesday's by reopening lines for a conversation with listeners about best tipping pracitices for the holiday season.
