
Boston Public Radio Podcast
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.
Latest episodes

Apr 1, 2025 • 40min
Best Of BPR 4/01: Former Denmark Ambassador On Trump's Greenland Land Grab & The ACLU Against Tyranny
Today:Rufus Gifford, former ambassador to Denmark under Barack Obama -- who more recently worked on the Biden/Harris and Harris/Walz campaigns -- discusses Donald Trump's rhetoric about Greenland.Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, discusses their organization joining onto the legal team in defense of Tufts grad student Rümeysa Öztürk.

Apr 1, 2025 • 2h 39min
BPR Full Show 4/01: Rumeysa Ozturk Case
ACLUM executive director Carol Rose discusses the local ACLU chapter joining on to legal filings in support of Rümeysa ÖztürkCorby Kummer on Trump's immigration impacts on farm workers and unions.Rufus Gifford, former Ambassador to Denmark parses through the Trump administration's rhetoric around Greenland.CNN's John King on national political headlines & Wisconsin election.

Apr 1, 2025 • 2h 39min
BPR Full Show 3/27: Detained Tufts Student
Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung recaps Mayor Wu's appearance on The Daily Show, Canadians upset over U.S. annexation talk and the latest on the White Stadium development. Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral discusses Cambridge City Counselor Paul Toner's refusal to resign over the brothel scandal, and law firms refusing to represent Trump opponents. Andrew Natsios used to chair the Mass GOP and served as USAID administrator under George W. Bush. He reacts to the recent dismantling of the aid agency. Vulture podcast critic Nick Quah shares some of his picks for the best podcasts of the year so far, including GBH News' own "Scratch & Win."

Mar 31, 2025 • 23min
Best Of BPR 3/31: Inside The Notorious Mega Prison Trump Sent More Than 200 Migrants With Photojournalist Philip Holsinger
Photojournalist Philip Holsinger was on the tarmac documenting the arrival of Venezuelan migrants detained here in the U.S. and sent abroad to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to the country’s maximum-security gang prison. He joins to discuss what he saw.

Mar 31, 2025 • 2h 31min
BPR Full Show 3/31: May We Take Your Order?
Randi Weingarten, of the American Federation of Teachers, discusses Trump's efforts to dismantle the Education Department, and other education headlines.Philip Holsinger is a photojournalist who gained access to the El Salvador prison where Trump sent Venezuelan deportees from the US. He zooms in to discuss what he saw.Reporters Brendan McCarthy and Andrew Ryan of the Boston Globe join to discuss "Snitch City," the paper's new podcast and investigative series looking into local police's use of confidential informants.Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers discusses the health equity lessons learned during COVID that we're unlearning under Trump. And, a growing gender gap at HBCUs.

Mar 28, 2025 • 34min
Best Of BPR 3/28: Rep. Pressley Calls Trump Dictator Over Tufts Student Detention & Handel And Haydn For All
Today:U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley calls into the show to discuss the detention of Tufts University grad student Rumeysa Ozturk.And, the Handel and Haydn Society join ahead of a show celebrating Boston’s LGBT community. We talk with violinist Carmen Levita Johnson-Pájaro and Alexandria Ebernhardt from the state’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Mar 28, 2025 • 2h 32min
BPR Full Show 03/28: An 'Assault' On Free Speech
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley reacts to ICE officials detaining Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk. Pressley represents the district that contains Somerville, which is where Ozturk was arrested.Live Music Friday with the Handel and Haydn Society, ahead of a show to celebrate Boston’s LGBT community. We’ll talk with violinist Carmen Levita Johnson-Pájaro and Alexandria Ebernhardt from the LGBT Chamber of CommerceNBC Boston's Sue O’Connell on the latest fallout from the leaked Signal messages, the latest on Karen Read, and Ed Sheeran’s new pop-up pub in Ipswich. Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses federal cuts to health services and 10,000 federal health department workers. She also discusses a state order that makes prenatal vitamins & birth control free. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik discusses Tuesday’s DOGE subcommittee hearing.

Mar 27, 2025 • 38min
Best Of BPR 3/27: There Will Be No 'Liberal Joe Rogan' & In Defense Of USAID, From The Republican Who Used To Run It
Today:Vulture podcast critic Nick Quah delves into the man-o-sphere.And, Andrew Natsios - former leader of the Massachusetts Republican party who went on to lead USAID under George W. Bush - comes to its defense.

Mar 26, 2025 • 2h 39min
BPR Full Show 3/26: Immigrations Raids In Boston
Jared Bowen discusses whether art can survive the climate crisisJuliette Kayyem on "signalgate" and growing concerns about espionage with the firing of thousands of federal workers.Jim Aloisi and Christian MilNeil of Streets Blog Mass join for a transit panelSarah Betancourt joins with BU professor/immigrant rights lawyer Julio Henriques and International Institute of New England senior Vice President Xan Weber to discuss the affects of immigration raids in Boston.

Mar 26, 2025 • 28min
Best Of BPR 3/26: ICE's Collective Punishment In Boston & Who Needs Media Literacy Anyway?
Today:Immigration officials announced the arrests of nearly 400 people around Boston this week, as well as the detention of a Turkish Tufts student. We speak with GBH reporter Sarah Betancourt, immigration attorney Julio Henriquez, and senior vice president of the International Institute of New England Xan Weber.And, we bring you snippets from the Congressional hearing into NPR and PBS; featuring some insights into editorial decision-making from U.S. Rep. James Comer.