

Boston Public Radio Podcast
GBH News
Join hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for a smart local conversation with leaders and thinkers shaping Boston and New England. We feature our favorite conversation from each show. To hear the full show, please visit wgbhnews.org/bpr To share your opinion, email bpr@wgbh.org or call or text 877-301-8970 during the live broadcast from 11AM-2PM Monday through Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 30, 2026 • 2h 33min
BPR Full Show 1/30: Live From The Boston Tundra
NBC10 Boston media maven Sue O'Connell joins for Press Play to discuss the arrest of Don Lemon, Bari Weiss' "scoops" based strategy and the FCC revisiting the equal time rule. Governor Maura Healey joins for this month's Ask the Governor.Electric harpist Deborah Henson-Conant serenades us for Live Music Friday, ahead of a weekend show at The Center for Arts in Natick.

Jan 29, 2026 • 2h 41min
BPR Full Show 1/29: AITA For Singing?
Chuck Todd joins for news of the day, asking a novel question: "Is This a Tipping Point" in America?Andrea Cabral discusses the legislators moving to restrict ICE in their states; and new deportation data in New England.Nancy Gertner discusses the Supreme Court's slow walk on Trump tariff case, and how Minnesota's chief judge is taking on ICE.Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley zooms in from Minnesota.Providence Mayor Brett Smiley joins on zoom to discuss his effort to establish ICE-free spaces in his city, and other local politics from Rhode Island.

Jan 28, 2026 • 2h 34min
BPR Full Show 1/28: Preventing A Frozen Fido
GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen on how even apolitical spaces — film festivals, online niche communities — have become political in the wake of ICE's actions in Minnesota. Plus, "Job" at the SpeakEasy Stage and his conversation with actress Claire Foy.Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to China and NATO, discusses Trump's Greenland push and China's response to Trump's tariff warning shots. Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace Boston and Reverend Jeffrey Brown of My City at Peace discuss the abrupt change in city plans for Parcel 3 in Roxbury.Boston Globe Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein marks 17 years of giving advice and we explore her most recent columns, like one writer who raises the red flag when a boyfriend buys the wrong hair dryer. And Margery learns she's not alone in not knowing that Venmo payments aren't automatically private.

Jan 27, 2026 • 2h 42min
BPR Full Show 1/27: When Enforcement Becomes Extremism?
BPR Full Show 1/27: When Enforcement Becomes Extremism?

Jan 26, 2026 • 2h 32min
BPR Full Show 1/26: Another Murder In Minneapolis
We open the lines to hear reactions to yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis – this time of a 37-year-old ICU nurse, Alex Pretti. Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory weighs in on coverage of protests in Minneapolis and the Trump administration’s attempts to lie their way out of another extrajudicial killing, and the media’s role in calling out those lies. Michael Curry sits on the national board of the NAACP and leads Massachusetts’ community health centers. He joins us to discuss ICE’s incursion into Minneapolis – where robust social and refugee/immigrant services turned it into a target by the federal government. And live from Minneapolis, we also hear from Leslie Redmond, former president of the Minneapolis NAACP. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan on how local law enforcement in Minneapolis is on a collision course with federal agents, and local leaders can do to keep their communities safe. MIT economist Jon Gruber gives a macroeconomic view on President Trump's action on the world stage and how he's shredding our international alliances. Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton has called for ICE to be prosecuted for the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He joins us to explain why he thinks the agency needs to be defunded.

Jan 23, 2026 • 2h 32min
BPR Full Show 1/23: ICE And Ice Dams
For our weekly media analysis segment “Press Play," GBH’s Callie Crossley and The Bay State Banner’s Ron Mitchell talk about press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisting Trump never mixed up Greenland with Iceland ... and Bari Weiss' retribution campaign against 60 Minutes reporters. The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism found that antisemitism is on the upswing in the state. We talk to commission members David Friedman and State Rep. Simon Cataldo about the latest report and their recommendations.For Live Music Friday, the new ‘You Can't Beat Boston' initiative unveils its original song, written and performed by Berklee College of Music students. We talk to two CEOs behind the initiative: Tom Hayes, CEO of Ocean Spray and Boathouse CEO John Connors. Plus, Berklee dean Rodney Alejandro.And, because everyone’s talking about this weekend's whopper winter storm, we talk to GBH meteorologist David Epstein.NBC10 Boston's media maven Sue O'Connell on the 32% of Americans who think the country is better off under Trump, and what’s behind the constant Band-Aid and makeup on Trump's hand.

Jan 22, 2026 • 2h 41min
BPR Full Show 1/22: Applying To Join ICE
Political analyst and podcaster Chuck ToddFood policy analyst Corby KummerMassachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick TutwilerSlate journalist Laura Jedeed who was offered a job at ICE after “minimal vettingFormer Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral

Jan 21, 2026 • 2h 31min
BPR Full Show 1/21: Bridging The Divide Through Service
Jared Bowen, GBH culture editor who covers arts and TV. Juliana Hatfield, longtime Boston indie singer-songwriter promoting Lightning Might Strike and performing live. Juliette Kayyem, national security expert on international trust and Greenland. Joe Kearns Goodwin, Army veteran reflecting on service and civic ties. Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian on public service and civic engagement. They discuss culture, national security, live music, and whether service can bridge divides.

Jan 20, 2026 • 2h 41min
BPR Full Show 1/20: The 25th Amendment To Remove Trump?
CNN chief national correspondent John King discussing the latest national political headlines.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu from 12-1 for Ask the MayorNBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey discussing the Pats, and the unruly NCAA

Jan 16, 2026 • 2h 32min
BPR Full Show Jan. 16, 2026: National (Fig) Newton Day
Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson joins for Press Play to discus her latest column that asks why the press is still struggling to cover Trump, even as he governs increasingly like a king. Shannon O'Brien, reinstated chair of the Cannabis Control Commission, discusses her return and what's ahead for the pot industry in Massachusetts.The co-organizers of "Which Side? A Protest Music Teach-Out" join for Live Music Friday, ahead of a Burren Back Room session on Jan. 20. Our guests are organizers Joyce Linehan, James Sullivan, and musicians Jon Butcher, Ali McGuirk, Magen Tracey, and Erica Mantone.Rep. Bill Keating zooms in to discuss Trump’s aggressive posture towards Greenland, and investigations into the killing of Renee Good. NBC10 Boston' media maven Sue O'Connell on the hot, hockey series phenomenon on HBO: Heated Rivalry…A gay love story that has women swooning. Plus, how the internet is turning press for the new Melania Trump documentary into a meme.


