Boston Public Radio

Environmentalist Bill McKibben shares how induction cooktops could make kitchens safer — and more energy efficient — for all.

Mass General Brigham program seeks to combat racial disparities in maternal mortality through free assistance from birth doulas.

For its 20th anniversary, the Boston Celtic Music Festival returns in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

A GBH News reports highlights how the loss of a public park in 1960s laid the ground for today's battle for better air quality.

Gov.-elect Healey wants to bet big on climate technology.

More than 2,500 books were banned in different U.S. districts in the 2021-22 school year, a recent report found.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask: are the high early voting turnout numbers easing your election day jitters? Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, talked about the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory, and how media manipulation has allowed it to spread so effectively. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed rising cases of COVID-19 throughout the U.S., and explained why she’s reassured by the deployment of National Guard troops to cities throughout Texas ahead of the election. M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber talked about the ways varying election outcomes could impact the future of the Affordable Care Act, and responded to questions from listeners. We opened lines for our seasonal inquiry, asking: with temperatures expected to drop below 30 degrees this week, how cold does it need to get before you activate your heat? Writer and naturalist Sy Montgomery returned for our monthly edition of “Afternoon Zoo,” where she talked about the different ways groups of animals pick their pack leaders, and the reasons why certain animals will occasionally social distance.

Naturalist Sy Montgomery spoke with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about how other animal species practice social distancing when signs of disease show in their communities. “When something is off, that might draw predators to your group, so you want to get away from the one who’s going to attract the shark or hyena,” she said. “If someone has a contagious disease, you want to get you and your family away from that disease, so a lot of animals will isolate.” This behavior isn’t true of all animal species however, Montgomery noted. “Elephants, for example, will stay by a sick or dying animal and not leave their side, and dogs are the same, they’ve been known to stay by their master’s graveside.” Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Condor Comeback."

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the U.S., something national security expert Juliette Kayyem described as “deja vu all over again.” The CNN analyst returned to Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, where she weighed in on the surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations throughout the U.S., which are nearing their midsummer peak. "We’re seeing the cycle that we saw in February to March and we saw again in the spring and early summer, which is infections first, then hospitalizations… and then, likely, the death toll,” she said, adding that the situation is “bad, by any stretch of the imagination.” In a moment of optimism, Kayyem said she believes hospitals and supply chains are better prepared this time around. However, she also noted that the situation is muddled by the sheer number of states seeing a rise in cases. "This time around there’s no epicenter, and so where you could’ve focused March in New England, June in Florida and Arizona and Texas, this is now everywhere,” she said. “In the way that one should worry that 50 states are demanding the same thing, this is what worries me." 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 Tuesday’s show by talking with listeners about Monday’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek weighed in on the Patriots’ 2020 slump, Tom Brady’s success playing with Tampa Bay, and the road ahead for televised sports, which’ve seen huge revenue losses during the pandemic. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett explained the troubling spike in coronavirus cases throughout Massachusetts, talked prevention policy, and responded to questions from listeners. Gergen Barnett is the vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation and Residency Director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Satirist P.J. O’Rourke lamented the toxic U.S. political climate and explained why he thinks modern-day rich people are “too comfortable," in a conversation about his new book, “A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land.” Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of GBH’s All Rev’d Up, questioned the impact of recent endorsements for President Trump from Black entertainers. They also discussed Pope Francis’ endorsement of civil unions, and appointment of the first-ever Black U.S. cardinal. CNN’s John King called in for his weekly politics roundup, discussing Monday's appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and offering his take on where President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden stand in the days leading up to the presidential election. Closing out our show, we opened lines to talk with listeners about whether you’re concerned about election-night chaos.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kicked off the show by opening lines to talk with listeners about the rise of coronavirus cases in the U.S., and ask: does it feel like we’re back in March? David Carroll, Director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Program, talked about his organization’s shift in focus away from international elections and towards U.S. democracy ahead of the November election. Immigration authority Ali Noorani discussed the 545 children who’ve yet to be reunited with their parents after being separated by immigration officials at the U.S. Mexico border, and the human rights groups working to help reunite the families. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi discussed a range of transportation headlines, from news that Gov. Charlie Baker has started riding the MBTA Blue Line in an effort to show that it’s safe, to updates on how the MBTA is mitigating its enormous revenue losses. Dempsey is the Mass. Director of Transportation and former Assistant Secretary of Transportation. Jim Aloisi is former transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. TV Expert Bob Thompson talked about the death of streaming service Quibi, and reviewed “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” and the return of “Supermarket Sweep.” Thompson is a professor and founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Next, we opened lines to ask: are you planning on giving up holiday traditions this year, or will you be doing everything you can to keep Halloween and Thanksgiving alive? Celtics center and human rights activist Enes Kanter discussed his new campaign to raise awareness about the cruelty of factory farming, and how it was influenced by his time spent alone in the NBA bubble. He also offered a positive update to news from a few months ago about dismal levels of voter registration among players in the NBA.