Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd joined for his weekly roundup of political news. We opened the lines to hear from listeners about the housing crisis, as Boston City Council approved Mayor Wu's rent control proposal this week. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung joined to discuss We re-aired a conversation Jim and Margery had with former president Jimmy Carter from 2014, about his book "A Call To Action." Former education secretary Paul Reville discussed Governor Healey's call for tuition-free community college. Jazz singer Nnenna Freelon and violinist Chelsey Green joined the show ahead of their concert Friday as part of the Boston celebrity series. For more information, go to CelebritySeries.org. We ended the show by hearing from listeners about mess. Are you, like Marie Kondo, rethinking the so-called lifechanging magic of cleaning up?

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show by opening the lines to hear from listeners about a backslide of women’s rights, on International Women's Day. Joseph Feaster, chair of Boston's Reparations Task Force, joined with task force member Carrie Mays to discuss their work. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed the latest news on four Americans kidnapped in Mexico, two were found dead; Fox News lying to its viewers about the 2020 election; and CPAC's radicalization. GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen discussed impressionist artists of the 1800s giving us a climate change warning in their blurred landscapes; and a roundup of arts and culture events to explore in and around Boston. GBH Reporter Liz Neisloss discussed her reporting on Everett's school committee not renewing their superintendent of schools' contract, amid a broader culture of discrimination and retribution allegations against City Hall. Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery joined to discuss her recent trip swimming with humpback whales in the Dominican Republic. We closed the show by opening the lines to hear from listeners about their favorite TV shows to re-watch.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired “new” footage from the Jan. 6 riot using it to downplay violence and further the narrative that “mainstream media” has lied. How do we confront the alternative facts movement around the Jan. 6 insurrection? We opened the phone lines to hear from listeners. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox joined BPR for the first time to discuss reform initiatives and a rise in violence in Boston Public Schools. Commissioner Cox also commented on why the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency has not sustained civilian complaints against the police department. Trenni Casey discussed the Celtics blowing a massive point lead against the Nets; the Bruins being the team to beat this year; and a juicy anonymous survey from the NFL Players Association. Carol Rose discussed why Walgreens is pulling abortion pills from its stores in some states that have threatened legal action, President Biden’s new asylum restrictions and a story in the Boston Globe about local elected officials’ texts. Violinists Mark and Maggie O’Connor performed at the Boston Public Library for a Live Music Tuesday in advance of their performance at City Winery. John King discussed the latest national political headlines, including January 6th misinformation, the debt ceiling and the Democratic Party’s attempt to increase support from older voters. A New York Times piece out today asks the question “is ice the height of domestic luxury?” Since the late 1800s, Americans have been obsessed with ice water, but have we taken it to new levels with fancy molds of varying shapes and flavored infusions? We opened the lines to ask listeners if they are ice-obsessed, or if they prefer a more European, ice-less beverage.

We started the show to get the listener's thoughts on “do nothing days.” Are they happier for setting aside time for nothing, or are they dedicated to their to-do list? Michael Curry discussed the 300,000 people likely to be dropped from MassHealth this year, and Black employees, vendors, and convention guests alleging discrimination by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Corby Kummer examined the allegations of ‘cookie espionage’ at a shop in Central Square, the future of SNAP food assistance and the restaurant kitchen fee trend.   Evan Horowitz from the Center for State Policy Analysis, delved into Gov. Healey’s budget and tax package.  Christopher Muther discussed a new low-cost airline running from Boston to London this fall and how Montreal has embraced winter into its city culture.  The Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discussed President Biden’s visit to Selma to mark the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. How much would you throw down to snag an exclusive adults-only plane ride? What can airlines do to make travel more kid-friendly? Listeners weighed-in on traveling with kids.

Outdoor dining in Boston remains a contentious issue this year, as Mayor Michelle Wu released plans that curtail what restaurants in the North End are allowed to offer. “This is bedeviling a lot of cities,” said Corby Kummer on Boston Public Radio on Monday, citing ongoing debates in New York City about traffic and trash concerns. Last year, North End businesses were required to pay an extra fee for al fresco dining. This year’s plan limits North End businesses to outdoor space only on sidewalks, and only those of “adequate” width, according to the Boston Globe. The Globe’s Editorial Board also published a piece calling for the city to make the North End a pedestrian zone for the summer to allow North End restaurants to offer more outdoor dining on par with the rest of the city. “I think the access should be equalized for all parts,” said Kummer. "The Globe is saying one-way traffic is one thing in the summer, shut it down, make it a pedestrian zone. That’s a great idea in principle, but you try re-routing traffic when the tunnels are going to be closed for construction.” Corby Kummer is 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

Today on Boston Public Radio, live from the Boston Public Library: South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was found for guilty of the murder of his wife and son. We opened the phone lines to hear from listeners about their thoughts on the verdict. Shirley Leung discusses Healey’s tax proposal, Wu’s plan to revitalize downtown Boston, and the new leadership at MassBio and John Hancock. Callie Crossley discusses Melvin B. Miller passing the torch over at the Bay State Banner, Brian Flores’ discrimination case against the NFL, diverse casting in Disney’s Peter Pan remake, and her excitement for the return of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake and her love for Breakfast all day. James Bennett II talks Cocaine Bear, Academy Award categories that deserve more recognition, A.R.T’s “The Wife of Willesden,” a women in cartography exhibit on the BPL, and the Celebrity Series of Boston Jazz Festival. Vincent Pastore who played “Big Pussy” on the Sopranos joins to reflect on the show before his Sopranos Q&A with a few other cast members at the Boch Shubert Theater. St. Patrick’s Celtic Sojourn peformed live for Live Music Friday this week. This included Brian and Lindsay O’Donovan, guitarist Keith Murphy and fiddle player Katie McNally. We ended the show by asking listeners if they would consider living on Life at Sea Cruises for just $30,000 a year with all expenses included. That's around the average price of living in a studio apartment in Boston but the difference is you'd be sailing all around the world.

Today on Boston Public Radio, live from the Boston Public Library: We opened the phone lines to hear from listeners about the future of automation and what it means for their careers and livelihoods. Nancy Gertner gave us the rundown on the latest legal headlines, including the Supreme Court’s opinion on student loans, and a case on whether the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is constitutional. Judge Gertner also reflected on a recent Texas judge’s ruling on abortion pills. Gov. Maura Healey joined live from the Boston Public Library for “Ask the Governor.” She answered questions on her new tax plan & budget, housing, Massachusetts State Police reform, transparency, the new Black Empowerment Council, plus climate & MBTA dysfunction. Alison King & Shira Stoll from NBC News talked about their series “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire.” President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden recently dined at The Red Hen in DC and ordered the same meal. Is this weird to order the exact same meal at a restaurant as your dining partner? We had listeners weigh in.

It’s official! Jim and Margery have been on the GBH airwaves for 10 years. To celebrate their tin anniversary, we’re publishing their first-ever show as hosts of Boston Public Radio. Take a listen to see how much has changed – and how much hasn’t – with guests Rep. Stephen Lynch, political analysts Peter Kadzis and Todd Domke, Harvard’s Daniel Shrag, GBH’s Jared Bowen and culture reporter Joyce Kulhawik. An enormous thank-you to all you listeners who’ve with us over the last decade! Looking at you, John in Gardner.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Reuters recently documented 220 instances of death threats and harassment against school board members. We opened the lines to hear thoughts from teachers, students, and everyone in between. Juliette Kayyem discuss her latest column on how Musk destroyed “disaster response Twitter” and clears up the facts surrounding the COVID lab leak theory. She also touched on Murdoch's acknowledgement on Fox News hosts endorsing election fraud lies. Kayyem was former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and is faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. For the remainder of the show, we were on tape replaying some of our favorite recent conversations with Satirist Andy Borowitz; Drag queen Nina West – also known as Andrew Levitt; Elle Simone Scott from America’s Test Kitchen and Ray Angry, keyboardist for the legendary Roots.

Today on Boston Public Radio, live from the Boston Public Library: The Supreme Court heard arguments this week from a handful of Republican states wishing to invalidate President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. We opened the lines to get listeners’ thoughts on the plan. NBC Sports’ Trenni Casey discussed baseball’s new pitch clock rules, Tom Brady’s news gig at Fox Sports, an unbelievable ‘ice mile’ swim in Boston’s Pleasure Bay and the Fur Rendezvous winter festival in Alaska. Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ Michael Curry joined us — fresh off a red-eye flight — to discuss the 2023 NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, Gov. Maura Healey’s new advisory council on Black empowerment and the nursing home crisis in Massachusetts. GBH News’ Worcester reporter Sam Turken and Worcester resident Dave Vespucci joined Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library to discuss Sam’s latest piece for GBH News’ Priced Out series, a story that detailed Vespucci’s long search for a new home in Worcester. GBH News Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen shared stories from his recent trip to the South, where he visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, sites associated with Emmett Till’s murder and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. CNN’s John King discussed the latest national political headlines, including actions by Fox News executives during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the state attorneys general leading the student loan forgiveness lawsuits and the future of the Republican Party. We opened the lines to hear from listeners about pickleball. Do they have a loved one with symptoms of the made-up “Pickleball Derangement Syndrome,” or are they the ones spending all their time playing the noisy sport?