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” host Chuck Todd broke down the latest headlines around the coronavirus pandemic and the November election. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling on federal executions, and a Michigan teenager sent to juvenile detention for falling behind on her homework. Ahead of the governor’s press conference, we opened lines to ask listeners: should Mass. schools with Native American mascots follow the example of Washington's football team and adapt to the times? We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference. Travel guru Rick Steves talked about the E.U.’s ban on travelers from the U.S., and offered some of his cures for travel withdrawal. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko talked about a wide-scale Twitter hack that took place Wednesday night, and news that certain MacBook camera covers are cracking screens. We reopened our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about racist school mascots, and whether Mass. should reconsider its state flag. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu talked about staggering racial disparities in Boston’s COVID contracts, and discussed the importance of maintaining public pressure in order to manifest systemic change in the city.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about news of a promising COVID-19 vaccine from Cambridge-based Moderna Therapeutics, and his prescient writing in 2016 on "The End of Civilization and the Real Donald Trump.” MIT economist Jon Gruber talked about President Trump’s attempts to limit immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted all the ways that immigrants fuel the U.S. economy. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem talked about the surge of COVID-19 across the U.S., and the ongoing question of how to safely reopen schools. Mass. Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz broke down a new police reform bill, which passed in the state Senate early Tuesday morning. In light of tax day, we opened lines to ask listeners: has the COVID-19 pandemic made you more or less likely to skirt the rules when filing? Journalist and naturalist Sy Montgomery called in to talk about the reopening of the New England Aquarium, and how to tell if your dog is suffering from heat stroke.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask listeners: should society be more forgiving to people with criminal records? NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talked about challenges for fitness studios trying to reopen, and how Boston’s sports teams are faring as they work to sort out their upcoming seasons. Sen. Ed Markey called in to discuss the possibility of more federal aid for struggling families and businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and offer his take on who bears responsibility for deaths at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Former Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi talked about the likelihood that Mass. legislators will enact the gas tax, and challenges with getting commuters to return to the T. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about public blowback to Goya president Robert Unanue's remarks in praise of Donald Trump, and new economic pressures on independent restaurants sorting out how to reopen safely. CNN’s John King discussed the latest political headlines, from updates on the President’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, to news that the GOP convention in Jacksonville, Fla., will be held outside. We open lines to ask listeners: are you excited to use your reusable tote bags in grocery stores again?

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about the boycott against Goya Foods, after the company's CEO, Robert Unanue, praised President Donald Trump last week. "If indeed Goya sales drop, not just for two weeks but for a couple of months, marketers are going to pay a lot of attention and be a lot more careful about their messaging," Kummer said. 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask listeners: how much harm do you think President Trump is doing by sidelining Anthony Fauci? Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley and MGH infectious disease specialist Dr. Sandra Nelson weighed the various approaches for reopening Massachusetts schools. WGBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott talked about Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explained the controversy behind Turkish President Recap Tayyip Eddogan’s decision to convert the historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. TV expert Bob Thompson talked about Colin Kaeperinck’s deal with Disney, and reviewed “Elvis from Outer Space." Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed Kanye West’s bid for President, and why U.S. school curriculums have done such a poor job of teaching the history of American racism. “Make Way for Ducklings” sculptor Nancy Schon discussed her latest work, a memorial to the COVID-19 pandemic, and talked about the role of politics in art. We opened lines to ask: do you think the pandemic is bringing out the best in humanity, or the worst in humanity?