Today on Boston Public Radio:

EJ Dionne discusses the voting rights measure and infrastructure spending package as the Senate returns from their August recess this week. He also weighs in on whether or not Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer should retire. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.”

Then, we talk with listeners about their opinions on masking indoors as the Delta variant continues to spread.

Yawu Miller gives listeners a primer on tomorrow’s Boston Mayoral primary, a historic race for its racial diversity and female-majority among major candidates. He also discusses current polling data and voter patterns along demographic lines. Miller is a Senior Editor of The Bay State Banner.

Bruce Marks talks about what the Supreme Court’s end to the eviction moratorium means for Massachusetts, and what his organization, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) is doing to help. Marks is the CEO and founder of NACA, the nation’s largest Housing and Urban Development-certified nonprofit.

Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III speak out against the Islamophobia in the United States that has persisted following 9/11. In the days before Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, they also argue about what forgiveness means. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast.

Richard Blanco gives a poet’s take on poetry, reading famous quotes and weighing in on the purpose and impact of the art form. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. 

In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, we end the show by asking listeners what atonement and forgiveness should look like in a deeply divided country.