Boston Public Radio Podcast

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the murder of Ana Walshe, and what our obsession with true crime says about us. Art Caplan talked about AI’s increasing role in medicine. 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. Liz Neisloss and Prof. Judith Gonyea discussed GBH’s latest reporting from “Priced Out,” focusing on older women experiencing homelessness. Neisloss is a reporter for GBH. Gonyea is a professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Boston University’s School of Social Work and senior fellow in the Institute for Health Systems Innovation & Policy at Boston University.  Dan Adams talked about the RMV’s new stoned driving curriculum. Adams is the Boston Globe’s cannabis reporter and author of “This Week In Weed,” the definitive marijuana newsletter. Corby Kummer shared his thoughts on the systems at work reinforcing the restaurant industry’s low wages, and calls to break up the FDA. 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. Sy Montgomery joined us for this month’s edition of “The Afternoon Zoo,” focusing on new research indicating turtles communicate with their eggs before they hatch. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist, author and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is “The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” We ended the show by talking with listeners about Madonna’s international music tour announcement, and double standards for older women in music.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about making the switch to more environmentally-conscious household items, from induction stovetops to heat pumps for heating and A/C. Trenni Casey talked about a possible rift forming between Bill Belichick and the Krafts. Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a BPR contributor. Bill McKibben discussed the release of a study claiming that ExxonMobil accurately predicted future global warming in the 1970s, while continuing to publicly cast doubt on climate change. He also talked about making the switch from gas stove tops to induction cooktops. McKibben is the co-founder of 350.org and founder of ThirdAct.org. He has a newsletter on Substack titled “The Crucial Years.” He also has a new, serialized book titled “The Other Cheek: An Epic Nonviolent Yarn.” Paul Reville shared his analysis of the Supreme Court’s potential ruling on affirmative action. Reville is the former Secretary of Education of Massachusetts and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs 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.” Juliette Kayyem discussed the seditious conspiracy trial against five members of the Proud Boys for their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Kayyem is a 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. Her new book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on accusations made against a fundraiser for Rep. George Santos, who allegedly posed as an aide for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before donors. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, and the host of “Inside Politics,” airing weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about how they’re combating climate fatalism.

Today on Boston Public Radio, the show broadcast live from the unveiling of the Embrace sculpture in downtown Boston. Hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan spoke with GBH Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston, who offered reporting from the field; and GBH's Callie Crossley, who provided analysis before and after the unveiling. They also spoke with: Embrace executive director Imari Paris Jeffries; artist Hank Willis Thomas and architect Jonathan Evans; former Governor Deval Patrick and Diane Patrick; Embrace co-founders Paul English, Rev. Jeffrey Brown and Rev. Liz Walker; The Boston Foundation’s Lee Pelton; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley; the NAACP’s Michael Curry and Tanisha Sullivan; Governor Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and AG-elect Andrea Campbell in conversation together; and members of the King family, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Yolanda Renee King. The unveiling ceremony, emceed by NBC10 Boston's Latoyia Edwards, began at 1pm. Boston Public Radio anchored live coverage of the historic event for GBH News.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC political director Chuck Todd discussed the latest disclosure by President Biden's legal team of another batch of classified documents from his time as Vice President, and calls from his own Republican colleagues for Rep. George Santos to resign. We opened the lines to listeners to discuss the impact of rising housing costs, worsening traffic congestion, and other aspects of Boston life that are prompting people to move elsewhere. Andrea Cabral, former Secretary of Public Safety for Massachusetts and Suffolk County Sheriff, discussed the details of Ana Walshe, last seen on Jan. 1. Christopher Muther, Boston Globe travel writer, discussed the most in-demand travel locations for 2023. Andy Ihnatko, tech writer and podcaster, discussed new advancements in artificial intelligence that can mimic human speech with just three seconds of input. Odie Henderson, Boston Globe film critic, discussed his favorite movies of 2022. We ended the show by talking with listeners about the words and phrases we'd like to put to sleep in 2023, from "deep-dive" to "bae."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about a Stoughton High School student who was suspended for protesting the school district's ban on pride flags and Black Lives Matter flags. Juliette Kayyem discussed massive flight delays and cancellations after the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) reported an outage of its Notice to Air Missions System. 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. Her latest book is "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters." Corby Kummer talked about the closure of critically-acclaimed Danish restaurant Noma — often regarded as the best restaurant in the world. Kummer is the 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. Jared Bowen weighed in on the return of the Golden Globes after multiple scandals involving racism, corruption, and sexual assault. Bowen is GBH's Executive Arts Editor. He hosts “Open Studio with Jared Bowen” on GBH Channel 2. Eric Deggans shared his favorite television shows of 2022, from "Abbott Elementary" to "We Need to Talk About Cosby." Deggans is NPR’s TV critic, a contributor to NBC, MSNBC and BPR. He’s also the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.” Kenneth Griffith, Jacob Hiser, Mara Stein, and Jean-Caleb Belizaire of Boston Children's Chorus joined us for an in-studio performance ahead of their “Becoming King: 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert” at Boston Symphony Orchestra. Griffith is a conductor and Associate Director of Choirs for the Boston Children's Chorus. Hiser is the collaborative pianist for the Boston Children's Chorus. Stein and Belizaire are members of the Boston Children's Chorus. For tickets to Monday’s “Becoming King: 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert” at Boston Symphony Orchestra, go to BostonChildrensChorus.org. We ended the show by talking with listeners about a recent string of airline fiascos, from surging ticket prices to last-minute cancellations.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about confidential documents found at President Joe Biden’s former office he used as Vice President. Trenni Casey talked about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s recovery after collapsing during a Bills-Bengals game in early January, and a disappointing season for the Patriots. Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. Carol Rose shared her analysis of Gov. Maura Healey’s promise to not claim exemption to public records laws, and new Barnstable Sheriff Donna Buckley ending the County Sheriff’s Office’s enforcement agreement with ICE. Rose is the executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Laurent Richard discussed “Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus,” a new two-part FRONTLINE and Forbidden Stories documentary exploring how NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been employed to target journalists, activists, and dissidents. Richard is a producer of Frontline’s latest two-part series “Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus.” The second part airs on GBH 2 Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 10 p.m., and you can stream both parts on PBS Passport. Jordan Knight and Vance Welch talked about the reopening of their Milton restaurant, Novara, and life with New Kids on the Block. Knight was a member of New Kids On the Block. Welch is a restaurateur. They recently reopened their joint venture, Novara, in Milton. John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on confidential documents found at President Joe Biden’s former office. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, and host of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about whether picking when to eat is a barrier to health.