Today on Boston Public Radio:

First, we talked with listeners about the school bus driver shortage on back to school day.

Denise Dilanni previewed the new series from GBH, “The Future of Work,” about the current transformation of the American workforce brought by automation, the gig economy and COVID-19. The show airs on GBH2 on Sept. 15, the PBS Video app and the PBS Voices YouTube Channel. Dilanni is an executive producer at GBH and the series’ creator.

Denise DiIanni on BPR | Sept. 9, 2021

Ambassador Philippe Étienne talked about the effect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Europe and the impact of our nation’s withdrawal from Afghanistan on European peace efforts in the mid-east country. He also talked about America’s relationship with France under President Joe Biden and the success of his country’s vaccine “health pass” system. Étienne is the French ambassador to the United States.

Ambassador Philippe Étienne on BPR| Sept. 9, 2021

Paul Reville discussed the return of Mass. students to classrooms as the delta variant pushes up caseloads and fights over mask mandates, vaccines and school bus shortages. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.”

Paul Reville on BPR | Sept. 9, 2021

Then, we continued our conversation with listeners about going back to school during the pandemic.

Jon Gruber talked about the connection between a lack of abortion rights and worse lifetime outcomes in the wake of the new Texas law. Gruber teaches economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is “Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream.”

Jonathan Gruber on BPR | Sept. 9, 2021

In light of Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung's recent piece about the plight of hotel workers, we opened phone lines to ask listeners their thoughts on hotel companies recommending guests forgo daily room cleanings at the expense of staff.