Today on Boston Public Radio:

We begin the show by talking with listeners about the rising death toll of unvaccinated Americans, and whether it’s time for mandatory vaccines.

Michael Curry explains how communities of color were disparately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and shares his thoughts on mandating vaccines. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee.

Corby Kummer talks about the introduction of lab-grown foie gras, and the growing number of fine dining establishments eliminating meat from their menus. He also touches on non-compete agreements in the fast food industry. Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Rick Steves discusses catastrophic flooding in Germany, and measures to slow the effects of climate change in Europe. He also shares his experience visiting a working-class Helsinki sauna, calling for tourists to incorporate more local spots into their travels. Steves is an author, television and radio host and the owner of the Rick Steves' Europe tour group. You can catch his television show, "Rick Steves’ Europe," weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2 and his radio show, “Travel With Rick Steves,” Sundays at 4 p.m. on GBH.

Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the treatment of Black academics in higher education across the U.S., focusing on the outcry following Price’s dismissal from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. They also talk about the NFL’s decision to play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before each game in the 2021-2022 season. 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.

Then, we ask listeners if they’ve switched to a plant-based diet.

Profs. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt weigh in on the state of democracy following restrictions on voting rights. They also talk about their recent Atlantic piece, “The Biggest Threat to Democracy is the GOP Stealing the Next Election.”Levitsky is the Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. Ziblatt is the Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University. They’re the authors of “How Democracies Die”. They’re currently working on a follow-up of their book.