Boston Public Radio

A former hospital aide has filed a discrimination lawsuit over the n-word being scratched into an elevator at his prior place of work.

The mayoral candidate also spoke about the state of her mayoral race, saying she's anticipating a 'very exciting year' for the city of Boston.

The city counselor and Roxbury native said she believes that, with the right leadership, Boston has the resources and expertise to become an international leader on issues of racial equity.

DeMaria's defense concerned a Jan. 25 comment where he said he'd "love to be able to shut some pictures off with some people" on Zoom, in reference to Everett Councilor-at-Large Gerly Adrien.

Travel expert Rick Steves discusses why traveling may soon require passengers to show a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

A recent surge of anti-Asian violence in the San Francisco Bay area has left many badly injured.

Paul Reville, former Massachusetts education secretary, spoke with Boston Public Radio on Thursday about how Massachusetts schools, both K-12 and higher ed, are handling reopening during the pandemic. “Many people are predicting we’re going to have a resurgence of this virus, and it’s going to push everybody back to being exclusively online, in due course,” he said. “We’ll see, I hope not, but we’re dealing with moving conditions here.” The Baker administration has been focusing on how to serve students who are disadvantaged with online learning, Reville noted. “They’re looking at remedying the real equity issue of certain categories of students who are not being well served online, because they don’t have the devices or support at home,” he said. “I think it’s quite possible for districts to begin moving in the direction of providing some services to some children - particularly those most at risk of greater gaps developing in this crisis - and then move over time and see how the numbers go.” Reville is a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Elaine Weiss, is "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and Communities Help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty."

Today on Boston Public Radio: MIT economist and Affordable Care Act architect Jon Gruber weighed the possibility that a Supreme Court without Ruth Bader Ginsburg might overturn the ACA, and the widespread ramifications that would play out if that were to happen. We opened lines to hear your thoughts and concerns about the future of the Affordable Care Act. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the U.S. passing 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and the media’s shortcomings in covering the tragedy of the ongoing pandemic. EJ Dionne, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, talked about his new book, “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.” Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed the legacy of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and controversy within the Catholic community over an award presented to AG Bill Barr. We opened lines to talk with listeners about how the coronavirus pandemic has changed your day-to-day life, six months in. Medical ethicist Art Caplan reflected on the U.S. passing 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, President Trump raising doubts about the final wish of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the latest headlines around the U.S.’ development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Medical ethicist Art Caplan joined Boston Public Radio on Thursday, where he lambasted the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which he called “the single most important issue of his presidency." Caplan noted that while the U.S. makes up only four percent of the world’s population, it accounts for a fifth of all global COVID-19 deaths. “That’s inexcusable,” he said, placing responsibility on the president and his administration for "not managing to keep our death rate down.” "We have no federal policy – he left it up to the states, which allowed the virus to find a home in certain parts of the country, and kick back. So it really has been abysmal leadership.” Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Over 200,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19, homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. “And we suspect that this is an undercount, because maybe some people are not being counted for dying of COVID, or they had an underlying condition which catches them first,” she said. “There’s excess deaths everywhere we look, so the 200,000 number, I think, at the minimum is shocking, outrageous, inexcusable enough, but it’s probably not the right number.” 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 lines to talk with listeners about your experiences around school reopening. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek recapped the latest sports headlines, from losses by the Patriots and Celtics, to debate over whether college athletes should have more access to coronavirus testing than their collegiate peers. Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed his latest documentary for FRONTLINE, “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden.” Food writer Corby Kummer talked about guidelines for safe indoor dining, restaurants that're imposing COVID-19 surcharges, and why sales of tofu are through the roof. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed debate around who Gov. Charlie Baker ought to choose to replace the late SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants, and spoke on how her kids are handling hybrid learning. CNN’s John King discussed Tuesday's news that the U.S. has passed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and increasing certainty that Senate Republicans will elect a Supreme Court justice before the November election. We reopened our lines to continue the conversation with listeners about how you’re handling the quasi-return to schools.