Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, joined by John McGahan from the Gavin Foundation and Marty Martinez from Boston Health and Human Services, discussed the opioid crisis in Massachusetts and took questions from callers. Emily Rooney, host of WGBH's Beat The Press, joined us for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed her reporting on M.I.T., and the officials who accepted donations from convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley discussed her recent video op-ed about her experience with alopecia, criminal justice reform, and her views on impeachment. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed a Minnesota teacher of the year taking a knee at a football game attended by President Donald Trump, and the longstanding issue of diversity for Oscar nominations. Ginny Nightshade and Mike D’Angelo from “Old School Game Show” joined us for our weekly news quiz.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to ask callers: with 12 candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, do you have election fatigue? Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed Harvard Law graduates turning down clerk jobs for Trump appointed judges, and an audit that revealed Massachusetts' lackadaisical handling of inmate healthcare. We re-opened our lines to ask callers about the closure of Top of the Hub, and whether Boston is losing its sense of identity.  WGBH News investigative reporter Chris Burrell discussed the first report of WGBH’s “Color of Public Money” series, which exposed deep racial inequities in state contractor funding.  Former Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville discussed BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’ school stimulus plan, and news that BPS shared information on students with ICE.  Massachusetts State Treasurer Deb Goldberg stopped by by for an inaugural edition of “Ask the Treasurer."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate. MIT economist Jon Gruber discussed the economics of war. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial, news that Russian intelligence is now investigating Hunter Biden and Burisma, and the Australian wildfires.  Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed a recent appeal to a Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling on medically-assisted suicide, and criticisms over the speed of the FDA's drug trial approval process.  Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed Sen. Cory Booker’s LGBTQ advocacy, and what his exit means for the 2020 presidential race.  WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen recapped this year's Oscar nominations, and reviewed the plays “PASS OVER” and “Cats The Musical." We re-opened our lines to discuss Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s departure from the Sox in light of the recent sign-stealing scandal.

Interest in cutting down on alcohol consumption originally started as a wellness answer to the over-indulgence of the holiday season, but the sober curious have extended beyond dry January and are now shaping market trends for low-or-no-alcohol beverages. According to a recent New York Times story, it's not just consumers shaping that trend, it may be your bartender too. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to discuss how the sober curious bartenders are gaining visibility. "One of the main reasons this movement among food service workers who are bartenders in being sober and being able to survive at work, is social media," he said. "Being able to post about it and have a whole community be your support system, the way 12 step groups ... keep them up and keep them accountable, the focus is on a whole movement among bartenders who say, 'I'm good at my job, I like my job, I drank, I don't want to drink anymore.'" Food service workers have struggled with higher rates of alcoholism than other work groups, as a study in the Journal For Workplace Behavioral Health found. While sober bartenders may make for a catchy headline, the consumer market is also behind them, with higher sales in low-alcohol and nonalcoholic beverages. "I see (the market) at every restaurant I visit these days ... If I don't order a drink, they immediately say can I show you our list of non-alcoholic drinks," he said. "This is a real trend." 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: We opened lines to ask callers: do you think American voters in 2020 are capable of electing a woman president? Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed a new two-part FRONTLINE docuseries called “America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump.” James Aloisi, Former Secretary of Transportation, and Chris Dempsey, Massachusetts Director of Transportation, discussed frustrations over transportation funding, and the MBTA's failure to comply with a union contract provision to spend $25 million on upgrading bus maintenance facilities.  NBC Sports Boston Reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed Red Sox manager Alex Cora's cheating scandal, and new rules dictating how athletes can and can’t protest during the 2020 Olympics. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed new Trump rules limiting the distribution of food stamps, and the latest trend in plant-based meats: Impossible Pork.  CNN’s John King discussed the debate over whether a woman presidential candidate could beat Trump, and other headlines related to the 2020 presidential race.  We re-opened our lines to talk with callers about "Dry January,” and hear your thoughts on staying social and sober.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Charlie Chieppo and Shannon O’Brien discussed the latest headlines around the 2020 election, and Gov. Baker’s Transportation Climate Initiative. Charlie Chieppo is principal of Chieppo Strategies, Senior Fellow at the Pioneer Institute and Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University. Shannon O'Brien is former State Treasurer and Democratic nominee for governor. WGBH News Analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott discussed protests in Iran after state officials admitted fault for the shooting down of a Ukrainian jetliner.  We opened our lines to callers to talk about the rise of billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 race. TV writer Bob Thompson spoke on the legacy of screenwriter Buck Henry, and discussed the ratings success of Jeopardy’s “GOAT" series. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price III, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed Ex-Pope Benedict’s recent statement defending the celibacy of priests, as well as the 1-year anniversary of a Bethesda church harboring an undocumented woman and her children.  Tech writer Andy Ihnatko recapped the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, and discussed Facebook’s recent announcement re-affirming their position on the policing of political ads. Poet Richard Blanco joined us for another edition of The Village Voice, where he discussed the contemporary value of the sonnet. 

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to ask callers: are you complicit in the robot takeover?  Boston Mayor Marty Walsh stopped by for our monthly edition of "Ask the Mayor”. Boston Globe business writer Shirley Leung discussed slowing revenue at the Encore Casino in Everett, and Marty Walsh’s proposal to pull funding from local corporations to increase funding for Boston's affordable housing. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed the racism that contributed to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to resign from royal duties, and "Judge Judy” Sheindlin’s endorsement of Michael Bloomberg for president.  Lewis Wheeler and Hubens “Bobby” Cius from the play "Pass Over" joined us for our weekly news quiz. 

Today on Boston Public Radio: MSNBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed the latest headlines around Iran, the 2020 presidential race, and President Trump’s impeachment. Rep. Bill Keating discussed the Senate impeachment vote, the evolution of the Republic party, and his views on the erosion of the War Powers Act. We opened our lines to talk with callers about Iran and the War Powers Act.  Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed litigation against Boston University over a dorm room assault, and voting rights for the present and formerly incarcerated.  Harvard Business School’s Michael Norton talked about the benefit of rituals in keeping relationships strong.  We invited listeners to call in with stories about rituals in their own relationships.  Mass. Senator Ed Markey called in to discuss his 2020 re-election campaign and the Senate impeachment trial. We asked listeners to call in with their thoughts on “Megxit."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to callers to hear your thoughts on Iran’s Tuesday night missile strike.  We aired live audio of President Trump’s statement regarding the Iranian missile strike.  CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem recapped President Trump’s statements and offered her take on how it could impact tensions moving forward.   Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, discussed Iranian-Americans being detained by immigration officials at U.S. borders.  Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn and the Kennedy School’s David Gergen discussed historic examples of leadership in times of crisis, and weighed in on the situation with Iran.  Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed questions of transparency surrounding the health of several 2020 presidential candidates.  WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed "Little Women,” “1917,” and “Bombshell,” as well as a new exhibit at the ICA called “When Home Won’t Let You Stay."

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio *on Tuesday about a zero waste Brooklyn restaurant that could change other restaurateurs' relationship with food waste. "This restaurant called Rhodora is trying to figure out how never to have to give anything to the dump that could have been recycled or composted," Kummer said. 'It's not easy to do, but I do think it's going to be a selling point." Zero waste restaurants may start to gain popularity among environmentally conscious consumers, Kummer noted. "I do think that young people are going to choose this and look at this as a reason to eat in the restaurant," he said. "Rhodora is just starting, and [going zero waste] is expensive and complicated, but they've got to blaze the trail." *Kummer is a *senior editor at The Atlantic*, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.