Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show with a call-in session to ask our listeners how they feel about the official launch of legal sports betting in Massachusetts. On Tuesday morning the state’s three casinos — Plainridge Park, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston — began accepting bets on a wide range of competitive sports. The law doesn’t allow betting on high school sports, local college teams and e-sports. Trenni Casey joined to talk about the upcoming Super Bowl showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, allegations that Harvard’s women’s hockey coach created an abusive and toxic locker room environment and the opportunity for a professional women’s soccer team to once again play in Boston. Trenni Casey is an anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Gov. Maura Healey came down to the Boston Public Library for an in-person edition of “Ask the Governor,” fielding questions from the audience and Jim and Margery. During the segment, Healey said she would not offer a position on whether public employees should have the right to strike in reference to the teachers’ work stoppage in Woburn. She also said that she supports the city of Boston having a seat on the MBTA’s Control Board, a priority for Mayor Michelle Wu. Jared Bowen came on to discuss the Japanese prints at the Worcester Art Museum, “The Art of Burning” at the Huntington and why White Lotus’ season two theme song is playing at the club. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took questions in the latest edition of “Ask the Mayor” from the Boston Public Library. She discussed the lack of affordable practice spaces for artists and musicians and said that her administration is directing federal pandemic funding towards expanding artist space in Boston. She also addressed the challenges that weather fluctuations present to maintaining safe and pothole-free streets. Wu also talked about the challenges of finding reliable bus transportation for Boston Public School students. Wu is the mayor of Boston.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show by taking our listeners’ calls to ask how they felt about the widespread broadcast of the video depicting Memphis police officers violently beating Tyre Nichols. We also asked listeners about whether the police reforms implemented following George Floyd have had any meaningful impact. Then GBH news analyst Charlie Sennott came on to discuss the political brinkmanship between the U.S. and Germany that led to both countries giving tanks to Ukraine. He also predicted that the war will continue for months because the Russian government has been effective in generating support for the invasion by misrepresenting how successful its military has been on the ground. Charlie Sennott is the founder of The GroundTruth Project and is a GBH News Analyst. Michael Curry, the CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers, discussed the limitations of police reform efforts following the release of the body cam footage showing officers violently attacking Tyre Nichols. Curry argued that there is too much deference and trust in police departments among the public and media. He also argued in support of continuing to diversify police forces, saying that impact will take time to materialize. Michael Curry is the President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, where he chairs the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Mass Teachers Association president Max Page discussed the push among teachers unions to change a Massachusetts law that bans public employees from going on strike. He also discussed the ongoing teacher strike in Woburn as educators there push for better wages for paraprofessionals and smaller class sizes. Page also discussed the potential impact of the Fair Share Amendment, a ballot question that passed this fall which changed the state Constitution mandating an additional 4 percent tax on earnings more than 1 million dollars and earmarking that revenue for transportation and education. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the limitations of police reform and the need for change in police training around the perceptions and stereotypes of young black men. The Reverends also discussed a statement released by Patrick Clancy, the father of the three children who were killed by their mother during a bout of postpartum psychosis, which asked for forgiveness for his wife. The Revs also discussed Pope Francis’s comments that homosexuality is a sin but not a crime. Reverend Irene Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Emmett G. Price III is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, discussed her new book “Reckoning” and the 25th anniversary of "V Day", which is a day dedicated to ending violence against all women, trans women and non-binary people. We ended the show with a call-in session asking our listeners how they feel about dining out alone.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke about a looming political battle in Congress over whether to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, the state of child care in the Commonwealth, and what she made of the recent Ticketmaster antitrust Congressional hearing. We opened phone and text lines to talk with listeners about their experiences with child care in Massachusetts. Hon. Nancy Gertner discussed the Memphis police killing of Tyre Nichols, reports of discord among the Supreme Court justices, and questions of whether there ought to be more oversight of the Judicial Branch. Callie Crossley offered her own perspective on the killing of Nichols, as well as racist remarks made about former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao by former President Donald Trump, and Springfield-native Ruth Carter getting an Oscar nod for her constume design work on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Sue O’Connell offered her perspective on the latest conversy with Rep. George Santos, and the difference between dressing in drag and being a formal “drag queen.” She also spoke on growing transphobia in the U.K., and why she thinks a recent M&M’s re-brand is yet another marketing ploy. O’Connell is co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. Sue O'Connell on BPR | Jan. 27, 2023 Victoria Kichuk is the founder and owner of Cocoa Beantown, a Boston-based chocolate tour and tasting company. She joined for a tasting of some high-quality chocolate brands based in Massachusetts. We closed out the show with listeners, getting your thoughts on bugs & and bug-eating.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC political director Chuck Todd joined to discuss the latest national politics. Then we opened the lines to discuss new guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending immediate intervention as early as two years old to combat childhood obesity. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s first state-of-the-city address, and the mayor’s pledge to overhaul the Boston Planning and Development Agency. 93-year-old Holocaust survivor David Schaecter discussed the process to have his life story recorded for a holographic video display at the planned Boston Holocaust Museum, slated to open in 2025. Museum co-founder Jody Kipnis and Michael Berenbaum, holocaust scholar and museum designer, discussed the plans for the museum. Boston Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert discussed the shows he’s watching this winter, and Netflix’s impending crackdown on account sharing. Chef Irene Li from Mei Mei joined to give Jim and Margery a dumpling-making lesson, in celebration of the Lunar New Year, and discussed Mei Mei’s reopening as a dumpling factory and café in South Boston. We closed the show talking with listeners about sleepovers.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show with a call-in segment to ask our listeners about their experience with Ticketmaster and price-gouging related to live concerts. This comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee interviewed the CEO of Ticketmaster about the company’s failure to handle the demand for Taylor Swift tickets in November and the rise of exorbitant prices on secondary markets. Then medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the integration of AI systems like chatGPT into the medical field and the limitations of the technology therein. He also explained the FDA’s new regulations for lowering the amount of acceptable lead levels in baby food. He explained the the FDA is overwhelmed and suggested that the federal government create a separate entity to monitor food safety. Art Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. National Security Expert Juliette Kayyemm came on to discuss the revelation that Vice President Mike Pence also had classified documents in house. She also questioned the priorities of Senators as they focus in on Ticketmaster and monopolies in the live entertainment industry as the country continues to suffer from a gun violence epidemic. Juliette Kayyem is former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Then we had a call in segment with Larry Chretien of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance where he answered people’s questions about how to transition into using heat pumps in the home as well as how to obtain tax credits for buying electric vehicles. Jared Bowen discussed his favorite movies nominated for this year’s Oscars. Jared Bowen is GBH’s Executive Arts Editor and host of the TV series Open Studio, which you can catch Friday nights, right here on GBH 2. Food policy writer Corby Kummer discussed the death of the corporate cafeteria as companies struggle to rebuild office culture. He also discussed how trendy diets distract people from the key to losing weight: calorie management. 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. Then we ended the show by having a call-in segment based on our conversation with Corby Kummer, asking our listeners what types of diets have worked for them and whether your weight does, or should, matter?

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by asking our listeners about the two recent mass shootings in California and why they think this country still hasn’t addressed this epidemic of gun violence. Then Trenni Casey of NBC Sports Boston discussed how Red Sox fans booed the team’s ownership at their Winter Weekend event, marking the unofficial start of the 20-23 seasons. Fans booed owner John Henry because of frustration over ticket prices and how the team let its star shortstop Xander Bogaerts sign with the San Diego Padres. She also discussed how young quarterbacks are now leading the NFL, with all four teams left in the playoffs are led by a QB in their 20s. Trenni is an anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, and a BPR contributor. Boston Globe Columnist Marcela Garcia discussed the decision by Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to ban state agencies from using the term Latinx. She also discussed the disparity in media coverage between the disappearance of Ana Walshe and Reina Morales Rojas, a Salvadoran woman from East Boston who’s been missing since Thanksgiving. She ended by criticizing Republicans for planning to try to remove the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alexander Mayorkas Then GBH News deputy investigate editor Jenifer McKim and Amy Farrell, director of the School of Criminology at Northeastern University, came on to discuss McKim’s reporting on how restaurants exploit undocumented immigrants. Farrell also explained that undocumented workers often arrive in the U.S. owing thousands to smugglers and are then forced into a type of indentured servitude. Then Billy Costa, host of WGBH’s High School Quiz Show, came on to discuss the new season and the return of a live audience to the studio. Costa barely survived a news quiz BPR prepared for him and then turned the tables on Margery and Jared with his own grilling. CNN’s chief national correspondent John King joined us remotely to discuss the breaking news that classified documents were also discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s home. King also gave his predictions on how Republicans are using the debt ceiling limit as leverage to force cuts on social spending programs. Then we ended the show by asking our listeners to share their stories about the difference between themselves and their siblings. This follows a Washington Post article explaining that siblings may not be as similar genetically as previously thought.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show with a call-in segment to hear from listeners about reproductive rights activism on what would have been the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade this Sunday. Michael Curry discussed criticisms of the Embrace statue; the deadly mass shooting on Lunar New Year near Los Angeles; and the legislative push to boost nurse to patient ratios in Massachusetts. Michael Curry is president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He’s also a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, where he chairs the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Brian McGrory, outgoing editor at the Boston Globe, discussed his tenure at the newspaper. He now heads Boston University's journalism department, and will write a weekly column for the Globe. Isaac Yablo will become Boston's new Senior Adviser for Community Safety in the office of Public Safety in February. He joined the show to discuss how he views his new role. Yablo is currently the Policy and Research Director in the office of Black Male Advancement. Reverends Irene Monroe & Emmett G. Price III discussed a Black professor in Florida defying the so-called "Stop Woke Act," signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, which essentially prohibits instruction that could make students feel responsibility for or guilt about the past actions of other members of their race. We re-aired a conversation with former chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Margaret Marshall, when she discussed the unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion, which ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. We ended the show by opening the lines to hear from listeners about the times they've been ghosted or stood up by someone they had plans with.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking our listener’s calls to ask if they miss a traditional New England winter as we experience another season with lower-than-average snow totals. Dr. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and researcher at Harvard University, came on to discuss the findings from the longest-ever study on happiness. The study found that investment in relationships with friends, partners and coworkers paid dividends for long-term health and happiness. GBH News' Callie Crossley talked about a GBH News story featuring a man who says that the Worcester police has pulled him over in his car more than 70 times. She also weighed in on the mixed reactions to "The Embrace" statue one week after its unveiling. She also criticized the decision by Florida's state education department to ban the teaching of an Advanced Placement course on African-American history. Crossley is the host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley", which you can catch Sunday nights on 89-7 at 6:00p.m. She’s also the host of “Basic Black,” which airs Fridays on TV at 7:30, you can also hear her “Callie Commentaries” on Mondays for GBH’s Morning Edition. Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is the comic book artist behind the best-selling series "La Borinqueña", about a Puerto Rican superhero who battles climate doom. He explained the reason for launching her story, and how he broke through some resistance in mainstream publishing to centering stories around characters of color. He also talked about his close friendship with Rosario Dawson. Miranda-Rodriguez's work is now on display at Boston University. NBC Boston's Sue O’Connell discussed the reports that Republican Congressman used to be a drag queen in Brazil, and how his denial adds to the mountain of his existing lies. She also talked about the prosecutorial strategy behind charging Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing a crew member on set of "Rust"with a prop gun he says he didn't know was loaded with live rounds. Then she commented on the media treatment of New Zealand Prime Minist Jacinda Ardern following her announcment that she won't be seeking reelection. Patricia-Maria Weinmann and Greg Smucker, the co-artistic directors behind the Boston Opera Collaborative, joined to discuss their new "Opera Bites" series. The prgoram offers seven brand-new 10-minute opera perofrmances to provide an entry-point for people unfamiliar with the medium. Then some members of their company performed a few songs. Then we ended the show by having a call-in segment where we asked our listeners how they feel about drivers who travel too slowly in the fast lane. The discussion comes as South Carolina considers a law that could raise the financial penalties for people who don't move out of the fast lane.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC's Chuck Todd called in to discuss how Republicans are threatening to let the country default on its loan as means to bargain for spending cuts to social programs. He also discussed the details revealed from Donald Trump’s deposition in civil suit filed by E Caroll Jean accusing Trump of sexual assault. Chuck Todd is the moderator of "Meet the Press", host of Meet the Press Daily on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC news. Then we took our listener’s calls to get their opinions on a new rent control proposal from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu which would limit landlords to raising rents by 10 percent per year. Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed the details revealed during the arraignment of Brain Walshe, the Cohasset man now facing charges of murdering his wife. She also commented on the killing of Sayed Faisal by Cambridge police. She closed by weighing in on a law in South Carolina law that would penalize people for driving slowly in the fast lane. Cabral is also the former Massachsuetts Secretary for Public Safety. GBH News arts and culture reporter James Bennett II delivered his monthly segment of “The Drop” detailing affordable arts and music exhibits around the area. Some of his suggestions included: an exhibit on Bob Dylan photographs, comics-as-art at Boston University, and an Edgar Allen Poe inspired Boston tour. He also discussed some of his favorite albums in 2022. Actors Pierre Jean Gonzalez and Ta’Rea Campbell joined us to discuss their roles in “Hamilton” hosted by Broadway in Boston at the Citizen’s Bank Opera House. Pierre is Alexander Hamilton, Ta’Rea plays Angelica Schuyler. Nick Quah is podcast critic for Vulture magazine, he talked about his favorite real and fake podcasts of 2022. He gave his predictions for the best podcasts of the year and explained why it might be a tough year for the industry. Then we ended the show by taking our listener's calls on their favorite way to eat popcorn in honor of National Popcorn Day.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking our listener’s calls to ask how they felt about The Embrace sculpture installed on Boston Common last week. The statue highlights the connections Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King had to the city of Boston and honors their love and legacy of civil rights activism. Michael Curry, the CEO of the community health centers of Massachusetts, called in from the annual MLK Day memorial breakfast in Boston. He discussed the legacy of the Kings in Boston and what the monument means for the city going forward. Curry is also a member of the national NAACP board of directors, where he chairs the board’s advocacy and policy committee Charlie Sennott of the Groundtruth Project came on to talk about the new equipment that the United States has sent to Ukraine, and how that reflects the shifting needs of the army there. He also discussed the ongoing threats to democracy in Brazil by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Shirley Leung came on to discuss the holes in the electric vehicle charging network in Massachusetts and across the country. She also discussed the optimism among business leaders regarding Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. Leung is a Boston Globe business columnist. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price III joined us to discuss how Dr. King’s message and beliefs have been misconstrued and sanitized for political convenience over the course of American history. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the inaugural dean of Africana studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Then we aired a segment from our live broadcast of The Embrace unveiling from this past Friday. The segment included excerpts from our interviews with members of the King family, Diane and Deval Patrick, Mayor Michelle Wu, Healey and Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell. We ended the show by asking listeners if they are participating in this national day of service on MLK Day.