Boston Public Radio

Two mass shootings in one week have gun control advocates wondering whether legislation will ever be enacted.

"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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about reopening the streets of Boston to pedestrians, and the upsides of having fewer cars on the road. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed the damaging impact anti-vax conspiracies could have on an eventual coronavirus vaccine, and the memorials people are creating in the video game Animal Crossing. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discussed concerns over coronavirus misinformation, and read her weekly list of fixations and fulminations. Media maven Sue O’Connell talked about gun-toting, anti-lockdown protesters, and gave her take on teenagers ordering alcohol in quarantine. Basic Black host Callie Crossley discussed the latest news on the death of Amaud Arbery, and the Texas salon owner who garnered media attention for defying lockdown orders while quietly accepting $18,000 in PPP loans. We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about cooking in quarantine.

Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Thursday to speak about his new set of guidelines to help restaurants reopen. Kummer has noticed many different restaurant safety guidelines regarding COVID-19. "I saw those, and thought maybe it would be good if there was one streamlined set of guidelines, and through my Aspen Institute program, I was able to line up funding." Through the Aspen Institute, Kummer has released a set of guidelines this week called "Safety First: Serving Food and Protecting People During Covid-19." "They're focused entirely on worker safety in back of the house and everything in these guidelines is to keep workers safe during COVID-19," he said. "The most important thing is figuring out who is sick, keeping them out of work, and of course having flexible sick time." *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: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talked about the influence of conspiracy theories and misinformation on the upcoming election, and his thoughts on whether House Republicans are going back Nancy Pelosi’s new coronavirus relief package. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the latest news around former national security advisor Michael Flynn’s perjury charges, and whether former Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort deserved to be released from prison over fears he might contract COVID-19. We opened our lines to ask listeners if you’re ready to see local businesses begin to reopen. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference. We continued the conversation about reopening Massachusetts with listeners. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called in to talk about his plans for how and when to reopen his city. Food writer Corby Kummer broke down his guidelines for reopening restaurants.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed President Trump's refusal to wear a mask, and made the case that anti-lockdown protestors ought to sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of their actions. MIT economist Jon Gruber talked about the latest aid proposal brought forward by the House of Representatives, and his thoughts on what it’s going to take to stabilize the U.S. economy. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the Trump administration’s efforts to have charges against Michael Flynn dropped, and the steps she thinks states need to take to reopen safely. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s press conference. We opened our lines to ask listeners: Should lockdown protestors who contract COVID-19 defer limited care resources to proper social distancers? CNN’s John King discussed whether he thinks President Trump would actually fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, and new polling on support for former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the presidential election in November.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to ask: are you getting the leadership you need from President Trump on coronavirus? Former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville discussed whether high school seniors ought to consider taking a gap year, and and talked about the continuing economic turmoil for some colleges and universities in adapting to the pandemic. AG Maura Healey joined us for the monthly edition of “Ask the AG.” We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about anything and everything related to the pandemic. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Tuesday press conference.