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: The Greater Boston Food Bank’s Catherine D’Amato talked about the state’s new “Breakfast After the Bell” program, and other ways Mass. is addressing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about your feelings around school reopening and distance learning. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed a handful of obituaries for victims of COVID-19 that place blame on the government’s pandemic response, and news that Trader Joe's is sticking with their ethnically insensitive branding. We aired our October interview with Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., where she discussed her book “Tough Love,” and spoke on the presidential campaign of Joe Biden. Former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville talked about the confusion around how Mass. K-12 schools are going to operate in the fall. We opened lines to ask listeners: with COVID-19 cases beginning to climb, should we consider scaling back reopening in Mass.? Travel guru Rick Steves talked about employing the “traveler’s mindset” while stuck at home, and the importance of positive serendipity as a traveler.

Today on Boston Public Radio: New York Times bestselling author Larry Tye discussed his new biography on Sen. Joseph McCarthy, “Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy.” We opened lines to talk with listeners about the legacy of Sen. Joe McCarthy, and America’s love affair with bullies. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the Tuesday explosion in Beirut, and a shift in tone from some GOP governors on coronavirus safety. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed an ethical quandary at Brigham and Women’s hospital over testing of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and the dangers of fraudulent COVID-19 cures that are floating around the internet. Jane Oates, president of the nonprofit WorkingNation, defended the $600-a-week unemployment benefits, and addressed critiques of the program from some congressional Republicans. We opened lines to talk with parents about your experiences juggling work from home while caring for the kids. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed layoffs at her own station, and broke down the latest updates on the return of sports.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Ayanna Pressley discussed the looming spike of evictions across the U.S., and how her HELP Act, introduced in Congress last week, would address the crisis. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about who you think former Vice President Joe Biden ought to pick as his running mate in the 2020 election. Carol Rose from the Mass. ACLU talked about the status of the state’s police reform efforts, and how the ACLU is responding to President Trump's deployment of federal agents in Portland, Oreg. Harriet Cross, the outgoing British Consul General to New England, talked about why she’s leaving Boston for Trinidad, and what mail-in voting looks like in the U.K. Mass. State Sen. Becca Rausch broke down the Commonwealth's vote-by-mail system. CNN’s John King discussed the latest Washington headlines, including news on the standstill over further COVID-19 reflief funding, and the president’s apparent reversal on messaging about mail-in ballots in Florida. We opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on voting by mail.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone discussed his Friday decision to put a hold on phase three reopening in Somerville. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed a federal appeals court's decision to vacate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. We opened lines to talk with listeners about the appeals court's decision to vacate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, talked about why they feel Joe Biden ought to pick a Black woman as his VP candidate, and weighed in on the demolition of a Nelson Mandela mural in Roxbury. TV expert Bob Thompson discussed controversy around an allegedly toxic workplace culture at “Ellen,” and reviewed Beyonce’s “Black King” visual album and HBO’s documentary “The Weight of Gold.” Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett talked about the state of COVID-19 in both Mass. and the U.S., and responded to listener questions and comments.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former Pentagon official and Georgetown University professor Rose Brooks talked about the Transition Integrity Project, her exercise examining various potential outcomes in the November election. We opened lines to ask listeners: are you anxious about the prospect of election interference and voter suppression in November? Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed the potential conflict of interest surrounding a trial of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and her concerns for underprivileged kids who might be unable to return to school in the fall. “Under the Radar” host Callie Crossley talked about lax mask enforcement policies at retail chains like Walmart, and gave her thoughts on Michelle Obama’s new podcast. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed Wednesday's Congressional testimony from several tech CEOs, and research showing that many election officials are vulnerable to cyber attacks. Brian O’Donovan, host of WGBH’s “A Celtic Sojourn,” talked about the music venues that Boston is losing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We opened lines to listeners to continue the conversation about Boston's performance spaces.