Boston Public Radio

"We have the capacity to force a vote, and I think it’s time we do that," the Massachusetts senator said.

The governor acknowledged criticism from lawmakers but insisted the current mix of state and local efforts is most effective.

Students and advocates are calling on Harvard University to acknowledge its role in slavery and offer reparations.

Healey tells Boston Public Radio she supports legislation to update the state's existing hate crime laws.

If reparations to slavery were enacted before the pandemic, COVID-19 transmission and deaths could have been mitigated dramatically, according to Dr. Michelle Morse.

Andrea Cabral speaks about concerns regarding the 845 unvaccinated members of the State Police.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd checked in to talk about the state of the presidential race, five days away from Election Day. Sen. Bernie Sanders called in as a surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden, talking about why he hopes supporters of his presidential campaign will pivot to supporting the Democratic nominee. He also weighed in on the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and reflected on how much he’s missed in-person rallies. Next, we opened our lines to talk with progressive listeners about their thoughts on Joe Biden’s candidacy. Bill McKibben reflected on the future of the climate crisis, with a possible reelection win for President Trump on Tuesday, and this week’s confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. McKibben is a founder of the climate campaign 350.org, and the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College. He writes "The Climate Crisis," The New Yorker's newsletter on the environment. Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral talked about Gov. Charlie Baker's nomination of Associate Justice Kimberly Budd to succeed the late Justice Ralph Gants as chief justice of the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court, and reflected on the Philadelphia police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. Next, we opened lines to ask: is all politics personal? Sen. Elizabeth Warren talked about the future of Roe v. Wade in the wake of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, and why she’s optimistic about the notion of building "back better," and the future of the country under a Joe Biden presidency.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask: are the high early voting turnout numbers easing your election day jitters? Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, talked about the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory, and how media manipulation has allowed it to spread so effectively. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed rising cases of COVID-19 throughout the U.S., and explained why she’s reassured by the deployment of National Guard troops to cities throughout Texas ahead of the election. M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber talked about the ways varying election outcomes could impact the future of the Affordable Care Act, and responded to questions from listeners. We opened lines for our seasonal inquiry, asking: with temperatures expected to drop below 30 degrees this week, how cold does it need to get before you activate your heat? Writer and naturalist Sy Montgomery returned for our monthly edition of “Afternoon Zoo,” where she talked about the different ways groups of animals pick their pack leaders, and the reasons why certain animals will occasionally social distance.

Naturalist Sy Montgomery spoke with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about how other animal species practice social distancing when signs of disease show in their communities. “When something is off, that might draw predators to your group, so you want to get away from the one who’s going to attract the shark or hyena,” she said. “If someone has a contagious disease, you want to get you and your family away from that disease, so a lot of animals will isolate.” This behavior isn’t true of all animal species however, Montgomery noted. “Elephants, for example, will stay by a sick or dying animal and not leave their side, and dogs are the same, they’ve been known to stay by their master’s graveside.” Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Condor Comeback."

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the U.S., something national security expert Juliette Kayyem described as “deja vu all over again.” The CNN analyst returned to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, where she weighed in on the surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations throughout the U.S., which are nearing their midsummer peak. "We’re seeing the cycle that we saw in February to March and we saw again in the spring and early summer, which is infections first, then hospitalizations… and then, likely, the death toll,” she said, adding that the situation is “bad, by any stretch of the imagination.” In a moment of optimism, Kayyem said she believes hospitals and supply chains are better prepared this time around. However, she also noted that the situation is muddled by the sheer number of states seeing a rise in cases. "This time around there’s no epicenter, and so where you could’ve focused March in New England, June in Florida and Arizona and Texas, this is now everywhere,” she said. “In the way that one should worry that 50 states are demanding the same thing, this is what worries me." 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 Tuesday’s show by talking with listeners about Monday’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek weighed in on the Patriots’ 2020 slump, Tom Brady’s success playing with Tampa Bay, and the road ahead for televised sports, which’ve seen huge revenue losses during the pandemic. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett explained the troubling spike in coronavirus cases throughout Massachusetts, talked prevention policy, and responded to questions from listeners. Gergen Barnett is the vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation and Residency Director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Satirist P.J. O’Rourke lamented the toxic U.S. political climate and explained why he thinks modern-day rich people are “too comfortable," in a conversation about his new book, “A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land.” Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of GBH’s All Rev’d Up, questioned the impact of recent endorsements for President Trump from Black entertainers. They also discussed Pope Francis’ endorsement of civil unions, and appointment of the first-ever Black U.S. cardinal. CNN’s John King called in for his weekly politics roundup, discussing Monday's appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and offering his take on where President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden stand in the days leading up to the presidential election. Closing out our show, we opened lines to talk with listeners about whether you’re concerned about election-night chaos.