The group Beyond Plastics is out with a new report that says in the next decade, plastic will emit more climate-changing greenhouse gases than coal-fired power plants. Beyond Plastics President Judith Enck explains why she thinks plastic is the new coal. And, over the course of her career, a Latina woman on average earns about $1 million less than a white non-Hispanic man. Diana Ramirez of the National Women's Law Center joins us to discuss the impact of this wage gap.

Here & Now

Plastic is the new coal, report finds; Latina Equal Pay Day

Hundreds of nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, walked off the job on March 8, 2021, and have been on strike ever since. Marie Ritacco, one of the nurses on strike, and Vicki Good, a nurse and past president of the American Association of Critical-care Nurses, join us. And, cuts to Biden's spending package diminished the earmarked funding for historically Black colleges and universities. Kevin Cosby, president of Simmons College of Kentucky, explains why more federal funding is critical for institutions like his.

Nurses on strike for 7 months; HBCU president on diminished federal funding

We speak to Larry Smith, editor of the new book "A Terrible Horrible No Good Year," a collection of essays and six-word memoirs about the pandemic written by teachers, students and parents. And, executive privilege has been invoked by former President Donald Trump and his former staffer Steve Bannon — but what is its history? Timothy Noah, staff writer at The New Republic, explains.

Six-word memoirs about the pandemic; Executive privilege, explained

Chef Russell Jackson opened a restaurant in Harlem, New York, about six months before the pandemic began. During that time he became vocal about what it means to be a Black chef. He discusses restaurant recovery and race. And, this month, Yosemite National Park opened a restored Chinese laundry building on its grounds. The public exhibit will highlight the contributions of Chinese immigrants to the park. Ranger Yenyen Chan, who played a crucial part in making the exhibit a reality, joins us.

Chef Russell Jackson on race and restaurant recovery; Yosemite's Chinese history

Eat Offbeat is a catering business solely staffed by people who came to the country as refugees. Host Robin Young headed to Queens, New York, to meet and cook with the group. And, an incident of sexual assault on a SEPTA train outside Philadelphia has brought attention to the role of bystanders. Yolanda Edrington, director of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, talks about what bystanders should and shouldn't do.

All-refugee cooking company; How bystanders can safely intervene

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout talks about her new novel "Oh William!" The book explores the relationship between Lucy Barton, a familiar character to Strout's readers, and her ex-husband William. And, composer Phil Woodmore is creating music to capture the grief felt during this pandemic. His works debuted at a public memorial earlier this month in St. Louis. Angela Kender, who attended the public memorial in honor of her mother, also joins us.

Author Elizabeth Strout's 'Oh William!'; Composer pens remembrance songs

Playwright Keenan Scott II's "Thoughts of a Colored Man" explores the lives, pressures and passions of seven contemporary Black men who live in one Brooklyn neighborhood. He discusses the play with two of its actors, Dyllón Burnside and Forrest McClendon. And, America's national parks are facing a huge problem: climate change. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio is taking steps to adapt in whatever ways it can. Amy Eddings of ideastream public media reports.

Broadway's 'Thoughts of A Colored Man'; Fighting climate change at national parks

Residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan, are facing dangerously high levels of lead in their tap water. Residents are calling for further government action from state and federal officials to address this major public health issue. Reverend Edward Pinkney, president and CEO of the Benton Harbor Water Council, joins us. And, there's long been a controversy surrounding whether college athletes can make money off of their names, images, and likeness, or NIL. This summer, a Supreme Court ruling allowed it for hte first time. We hear what some sports directors and law expert Martin Edel have to say about the change.

Michigan city faces high levels of lead in tap water; Student-athletes profit off NIL

Netflix's "Squid Game" became its most streamed original show ever this week. It's popularity may lie in its handling of cultural touchstones in South Korea, and a more universal satire of capitalism. Professor Seung-hwan Shin weighs in. And, David Card shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in economics this week with two other economists. Card talks about his studies on the minimum wage, as well as the current state of labor — strikes, resignations and "stolen" jobs.

'Squid Game' resonates globally; Nobel Prize-winning labor economist

Rutherford County, Tennessee, has been arresting and illegally jailing kids for years. Nashville Public Radio's Meribah Knight and ProPublica's Ken Armstrong investigated the situation. Knight talks about the report. And, climate protesters clashed with police in Washington D.C. Thursday night as part of a week of demonstrations demanding action on climate change. John Beard, director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, talks about the protests.

One Tennessee county's history of illegally jailing kids; Climate protests in D.C.

Life can be hectic. But with a bit of planning, you don't need to scramble to get a week's worth of meals on the table. Chef Kathy Gunst shared three make-ahead meals. And, as a gay Black man, writer Saeed Jones has felt increasingly upset by Dave Chappelle's insistence on making jokes about queer people in the name of creative freedom. He talks about his story in GQ, "Dave Chappelle's Betrayal."

3 make-ahead recipes for a care-free dinnertime; Dave Chappelle controversy

Actor-director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard talk about their new memoir, "The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family." And, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is dismissing about 60,000 marijuana convictions from before California legalized adult use in 2016. Gascón explains why he wants to see more jurisdictions expunge marijuana convictions.

Ron and Clint Howard on growing up in Hollywood; Expunging marijuana convictions

2021 Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah's novels center on themes of migration, identity and effects of colonialism in East Africa. Gurnah joins us. And, polls show the Virginia governor's race tightening between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and GOP businessman Glenn Youngkin. Jessica Taylor of Cook Political Report and Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball join us to analyze the campaigns.

Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah; Virginia governor's race tightens

We speak with young adult authors Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi about their work at a recent event at WBUR's CitySpace. And, there have been some longstanding concerns about ed-tech. For instance, many children don't have laptops and other tech tools at home, and what about student privacy? TechCrunch's Natasha Mascarenhas discusses the future of these education platforms.

YA authors Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi; Technology's evolving role in education

Elizabeth Holmes' trial defense portrays a drastic contrast to the image of the empowered girlboss that the former CEO is known for. Anne Coughlin discusses whether feminism played a role in shielding Holmes from criticism and accountability. And, a new study found that 85% of the world's population is already being impacted by human-caused climate change. Climate scientist Richard Alley joins us to talk about the report.

hubhopper

Here & Now

hubhopper