

Boston Public Radio Podcast
GBH News
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 16, 2019 • 24min
Milk Bar Renames 'Crack Pie' After Outcry
Milk Bar, a dessert chain which opened a Harvard Square location earlier this year, will no longer call its signature sugary tart "crack pie." Corby Kummer — award-winning food writer, senior editor for The Atlantic, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy — discussed.

Apr 16, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/16/2019: Bill Weld Throws His Hat In The Ring
Today on Boston Public Radio:
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld says he will challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners for their takes.
Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, recapped yesterday's Boston Marathon.
Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell looked at a proposal to bring back rent control.
We asked listeners about a report on MBTA employees retiring in their 40s and collecting healthy pensions. Are they part of the transit agency's financial woes?
Christina Tosi, founder of the dessert chain Milk Bar, announced that she would be changing the name of their signature dish "crack pie" after criticism. Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, weighed in.
John King, CNN’s chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics," brought us up to date on the latest national news.
Fine art photographer Tabitha Soren discussed her latest photography exhibit at the Davis Museum, “Surface Tension.”

Apr 15, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/15/2019: Marathon Monday
Today on Boston Public Radio:
It's Marathon Monday! Throughout the program we took calls from listeners, and also checked in with WGBH News reporters Edgar B. Herwick III at the halfway mark and Phillip Martin at the finish line.
Former Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told us about running the marathon as a civilian this year.
Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, discussed his new book "Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running."
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh shared what it was like to crown the winners of the race and weighed in on President Donald Trump's recent comments about sanctuary cities.
Boston Police Commissioner William Gross explained how local law enforcement prepares for the Marathon year-round.
Consul General Stratos Efthymiou shared the history behind the tradition of bestowing a crown of laurels upon the winner.

Apr 12, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/12/2019: Turning On, Tuning In, and Dropping Out With T.C. Boyle
Today on *Boston Public Radio: *
We opened up the lines and asked our listeners: Is it time for the millionaire’s tax to have its moment?
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is taking on the religious right on their own turf. Sue O'Connell, co-publisher of Bay Windows and The South End News, and host of NECN’s "The Take with Sue O’Connell," weighed in.
Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," shared her list of frustrations and fulminations.
Author T.C. Boyle discussed his new novel, "Outside Looking In," a fictionalized account of Timothy Leary's early LSD experiments at Harvard and beyond.
Shirley Leung, interim editorial page editor for The Boston Globe, discussed a controversial column about Kirstjen Nielsen that the paper published and then walked back.
Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," shared her take on a viral confrontation between Rep. Maxine Waters and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
We got a running start on Marathon Monday with Peter Villa and Bryan Gould, the two hosts of the "How Was Your Run Today?" podcast, who faced off on the Friday News Quiz.

Apr 10, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/10/2019: Feeling Stressed? Take A 'Nature Pill'
Today on Boston Public Radio:
Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan looked at the measles epidemics breaking out nationally. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the co-host of the "Everyday Ethics" podcast.
We looked at the psychology of personal space and asked our listeners: For you, how close is too close?
Juliette Kayyem weighed in on the shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security. Kayyem is on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School and a CNN analyst.
WGBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen shared his picks for the best arts and cultural events around town this week.
If you're bored or anxious at your job, are you stressed out — or burned out? Historian Nancy Koehn looked at the phenomenon of millennial burnout and what can be done about it. Koehn is an historian at the Harvard Business School, where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Her latest book is "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times."
Where have all the copy editors gone? Alex Beam shared his nostalgia for this disappearing profession. Beam is a columnist at The Boston Globe, and his latest book is “The Feud: Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.”
A new study says that just 20 minutes spent outdoors daily can relieve stress — a "nature pill" of sorts. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is this true, in your experience?

Apr 9, 2019 • 24min
Have Americans Soured On All-You-Can-Eat Buffets?
Have Americans soured on all-you-can eat buffets? In the last few years, a number of high-profile buffet chains have floundered — including Ryan's and Old Country Buffet, which have seen declining sales, and HomeTown Buffet, which filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Joining *Boston Public Radio *to explain these struggles was Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Apr 9, 2019 • 2h 46min
BPR Full Show 4/9/2019: Opening Day
Today on Boston Public Radio:
We’re taking about Trump’s renewed push for border security, which includes purging the Department of Homeland Security, bringing back family separation at the border, and asking agents to not let migrants in. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is this the kind of border security you want?
Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, previewed Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox.
Is Boston’s standing as a sanctuary city on thin ice? Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, weighed in.
Is it the end of the line for the all-you-can-eat buffet? Corby Kummer explained the decline of this restaurant model. 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.
MIT economists Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber discussed their new book, "Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream."
John King, CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, went over the latest national headlines.
We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about the death of the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Apr 8, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/8/2019: Politics, Poetry, and Game of Thrones
On today’s episode of Boston Public Radio:
Our political roundtable with Jennifer Nassour and Steve Kerrigan discussed the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other top headlines. Nassour is former Chairwoman of the MassGOP and COO of ReflectUS, and Kerrigan is president and co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and former CEO of the DNC.
Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, looked back on the Rwandan Genocide 25 years later.
Legal analyst Michael Zeldin examined reported discrepancies between the Mueller report and Attorney General William Barr’s summary of it.
Television expert Bob Thompson looked at the return of “Game of Thrones” for its final season, the end of “Broad City,” and shared his picks for the best and worst TV of the week.
Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price looked at the role left-leaning evangelical voters could play in the 2020 election for their regular segment, “All Revved Up.”
We opened up the lines and asked you about the controversy over a Cambridge educator’s use of the n-word in a research project.
Poet Richard Blanco led us in a master class on figurative language. Blanco is the nation’s fifth inaugural poet and author of the new book “How To Love A Country.”

Apr 5, 2019 • 2h 45min
BPR Full Show 4/5/2019: Recreational Marijuana And KonMari Magic
Today on Boston Public Radio:
Bob Kraft's high-profile arrest has kicked off a statewide conversation about sex trafficking, including a debate over legalizing prostitution. We opened up the lines and asked listeners for their take.
Ryan Landry shared his thoughts on "Happy Place," a pop-up museum designed with social media in mind. Landry is a playwright, lyricist, actor, and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company.
Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," regaled us with her famous list of observations and frustrations.
Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman went over the latest developments with the recreational marijuana industry.
Another admissions scandal has surfaced — this time at Harvard — and it involves a suspect property investment and the university's fencing coach. Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe’s interim editorial page editor, weighed in.
Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," discussed the citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Two certified KonMari consultants, Kerry Adams and Phoebe Cusack, brought the life-changing magic of tidying up to the Friday News Quiz.

Apr 4, 2019 • 2h 44min
BPR Full Show 4/4/2019: Ukuleles, Tax Returns, and Gender X
On *Boston Public Radio *today:
Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press,” discussed the House’s move to request President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
Then we opened up the lines and asked you about Wynn Resorts. Now that the company admits it covered up sexual assault allegations against Steve Wynn, should their casino license be revoked?
Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed a new addiction treatment program being launched in some Massachusetts prisons.
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka outlined her support for a bill that would allow a “Gender X” option on state licenses and IDs.
Cartoonist Roz Chast and humorist Patty Marx discussed their new book, “Why Don’t You Write My Euology Now So I Can Correct It?” and treated us to a performance of their ukulele duo, “Ukulear Explosion.”
Former state secretary of education Paul Reville weighed in on an MCAS question that proved so controversial that state officials decided it shouldn’t be scored.
Then we opened up the lines and asked you about a recent New York Times article highlighting the tedium and boredom of high school. Was this true for you? Was your high school boring? Was learning a chore? What teachers or extracurricular activities made the difference?


