Boston Public Radio

Baker will testify this Thursday before the Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness.

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jim And Margery talked to New York Times Magazine staff writer and lecturer at Yale Law School, Emily Bazelon whose latest book, Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, looks at the causes of Mass Incarceration Environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org discussed his latest book, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? MIT economists Jonathon Gruber and Simon Johnson discussed their latest book: Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream TC Boyle joined Jim and Margery to talk about his latest novel Outside Looking In. Poet Richard Blanco gave a crash course on the literary tools that can make your poetry more poetic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: United States Senator Ed Markey spoke about his experience visiting detention facilities at the Texas border. To wait or not to wait? We opened the lines to ask our listeners about Nancy Pelosi's impeachment strategy. *Boston Globe *columnist Shirley Leung joined to discuss the role women played in the Apollo 11 mission. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed her recent Washington Post column about the border crisis. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke about Arby's introduction of meat-based vegetables in a jab against the plant-based meat industry. Economist Jonathan Gruber explained the pros and cons of rent control. Harvard business historian Nancy Koehn spoke about the hazards of multi-tasking. We opened the lines again, this time to ask our listeners about how they manage multi-tasking.

More fast food chains are adding plant-based meat alternatives onto their menus, like Burger King's "Impossible Whopper" made with Impossible Foods patties. While other franchisees like White Castle, and TGI Friday's embrace plant alternatives, Arby's has blatantly rejected the trend with their introduction of a meat-based vegetable. Food writer Corby Kummer explained the intention behind Arby's new product - turkey breast coated in powdered carrot juice. "It's a publicity stunt. So they're inventing these things that are meat substitutes for carrots - the marrot," he said. Kummer explained how some franchisees like McDonald's and Wendy's are waiting to see how their competitors fare before adopting plant-based meat foods into their stores. "What this shows is that companies are cowardly. They want to see that it's actually catching on before they invest money," Kummer said. "It's a real wait and see approach. But Arby's has taken it a step farther to get itself the publicity we are giving them." 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 up the phone lines and heard from our listeners about Amazon Prime Day. Should consumers boycott the company over its treatment of workers? We spoke with NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek about everything Wimbledon. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins joined us to discuss critical coverage in the Boston Globe. Medical ethicist Art Caplan parsed Vice President Joe Biden's newly unveiled health care plan. Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton joined us to discuss the final season of Poldark, the new season of Grantchester and a mini series Press, which focuses on two competing newspapers in England. CNN’s John King gave us the latest in national politics from CNN's John King. Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum discussed Vice President Mike Pence's visit to an immigrant detention center last week.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former CEO of the Democratic National Convention Steve Kerrigan and former Republican State Rep. Geoff Diehl joined us for a politics roundtable. We spoke to media scholar Bob Thompson about the 20th anniversary of Spongebob Squarepants, and other entertainment news. Criminal justice expert Andrea Cabral joined us to discuss how visits to Massachusetts prisons fell 23 percent after a rule change in 2018. We opened up the phone lines and took calls from our listeners on President Donald Trump's attacks on several U.S. representatives, including Massachusetts' own Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. We spoke with Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price about a poll saying that Americans are seeking less guidance from clergy. Monroe and Price co-host the All Rev’d Up podcast, produced by WGBH. WCAI environmental reporter Heather Goldstone joined us to look at how climate litigation is on the rise around the world. We took listener calls to hear their takes on capitalism camp, which focuses on stimulating an entrepreneurial mindset in children.