

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

May 23, 2018 • 2h 45min
Full Broadcast 5/23/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Wednesday, May 23, 2018. We asked you about Stacey Abrams winning the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Georgia last night. Do Democrats need to move left if they want to win in the midterms? Tech writer Andy Ihnatko looked at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's apology tour through Europe. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem brought us her latest predictions about the Russia investigation. Author and Harvard professor Stephen Greenblatt discussed his new book, "Tyrant," about Shakespeare's insights into politics and leadership. WGBH arts editor and "Open Studio" host Jared Bowen shared his weekly roundup of the best arts and cultural events in Boston. Philip Roth — author of "Portnoy's Complaint," "American Pastoral," "Goodbye, Columbus," and more — has died. We asked you how his work has impacted you.MIT economist Jonathan Gruber took your questions about prescription drug pricing.

May 22, 2018 • 2h 45min
Full Broadcast 5/22/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Tuesday, May 22, 2018. To speed things up, Massachusetts is considering replacing human test scorers with a computer program to help grade the MCAS essay portion. We opened up the lines and asked you if this seem like a recipe for disaster? Do you trust an algorithm to grade an essay that is personal, heartfelt, where the choice of words is deliberate? Trenni Kusnierek joined us to discuss the latest sports headlines. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the latest accusations against Mario Batali. Thomas Wilkins, the youth & family concerts conductor for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joined us to talk about the Boston Pops spring season. Behavioral economist Michael Norton talked about his newest study about the backwards, braggadocios social technique known as the ask-braggart. CNN’s John King joined us to talk about the latest political headlines. Harvard Business School Historian Nancy Koehn described the historical context of the royal wedding.

May 21, 2018 • 2h 45min
Full Broadcast 5/21/18
The full broadcast or Boston Public Radio from Monday, May 21st, 2018. Our political roundtable with Commonwealth Magazine reporter Jack Sullivan and writer and editor Joanna Weiss went over the latest headlines. It turns out Russia wasn't the country courting the Trump campaign — emissaries from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also met with Donald Trump Jr., according to reporting from the New York Times. Charles Sennott, WGBH News analyst and executive director of The GroundTruth Project, weighed in. We asked you about former Education Secretary Arne Duncan's proposal to boycott schools until there are stricter gun laws in place. It's a provocative idea, but is it practical? Would a nationwide boycott of schools work? Television expert Bob Thompson discussed the TV event that had us glued to our screens early Saturday morning: the Royal Wedding! Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price brought us their take on Bishop Michael Curry's sermon at the Royal Wedding. We asked you: Can you take a compliment? How do you accept one? Poet Richard Blanco joined us for his latest installment of our recurring poetry segment, "The Village Voice."

May 18, 2018 • 2h 43min
Full Broadcast 5/18/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Thursday, May 18th, 2018. Boston public radio was joined by Emily Rooney, Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans, The Boston Globe's Alex Beam, Callie Crossley, and a special news quiz featuring some BPR Limberjacks.

May 17, 2018 • 2h 44min
Full Broadcast 5/17/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Thursday, May 17th, 2018. We asked you about a turf war on Nantucket that's pitting affordable housing for seasonal workers against the island's wealthy NIMBYists. Is this another example of the 1%'s arrogance? Robert Kennedy, Jr. joined us in studio to discuss his new book,"American Values: Lessons I Learned From My Family."We went over the latest criminal justice headlines with former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral. Fewer than a dozen pot shops may be opening on July 1st. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung explained what's behind the slow roll-out. WCRB'sBrian McCreath, "A Celtic Sojourn" host Brian O'Donovan, and Berklee College of Music professor Rob Hochschild joined our concert round table and recommended some great concerts to catch around Boston this summer.

May 16, 2018 • 22min
Michael Pollan Explores The The Mystical World Of Psychedelics
With "The Omnivore's Dilemma," author and journalist Michael Pollan changed the way we thought about food. With his latest book, "How To Change Your Mind," could he do the same for how we think about psychedelic drugs? Pollan discussed his new book.

May 16, 2018 • 2h 45min
Full Broadcast 5/16/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Wednesday, May 16th, 2018. Thanks to a new SEC requirement, publicly-traded companies have to disclose how their CEOs are paid compared to their employees. Does this give consumers a reason to do business at places where the distribution of wealth is more fair? We opened up the lines and got your take. Jared Bowen, WGBH arts editor and host of "Open Studio,"brought us his weekly roundup of the best arts and cultural events around town. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem debriefed the latest snag in U.S.-North Korea relations, new updates from the Russia investigation, and more. The Royal Wedding is upon us. British Consul General in Boston Harriet Cross answered all of our questions about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day. Sue O'Connell, host of "The Take" on NECN, discussed anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively's race against Charlie Baker. With "The Omnivore's Dilemma," author and journalist Michael Pollan changed the way we thought about food. With his latest book, "How To Change Your Mind," could he do the same for how we think about psychedelic drugs? Pollan discussed his new book, and we opened up the lines and asked about your own experiences.

May 15, 2018 • 2h 45min
Full Broadcast 5/15/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Tuesday, May 15th. A Supreme Court decision yesterday opened the door for states to legalize sports betting. Will Massachusetts be one of them? We asked sports reporter Trenni Kusnierick and you. President Donald Trump unveiled his plan to lower prescription drug prices, but was it tough enough on Big Pharma? Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan weighed in. Is oat milk the new miracle dairy substitute? Food writer and editor Corby Kummer looked at its environmental benefits. Naturalist Sy Montgomery's new book, "The Hyena Scientist," shows that hyenas' bad reputation is undeserved. She explained why. CNN's John King brought us the latest news from Washington, D.C. Tom Wolfe, author of generation-defining works like "The Right Stuff" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities," has died. We asked you how his work impacted your life.

May 14, 2018 • 2h 46min
Full Broadcast 5/14/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Monday, May 14th, 2018.
Jennifer Nassour, president of Conservative Women for a Better Future and the former Chairwoman of the Mass GOP, and Steve Kerrigan, president and co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and former CEO of the National Democratic Convention, joined Boston Public Radio to discuss the top national and local political headlines.
Charlie Sennott, WGBH news analyst and founder of the GroundTruth Project, joined us to talk about the impending peace talks with North Korea and today’s opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.
Boston Globe’s travel writer and columnist Christopher Muther discussed the latest travel trends.
Last week, John Kelly talking about separating immigrant children from their families when he said, “The children will be taken care of — put into foster care or whatever.” We opened the lines to hear your thoughts on Kelly’s comments.
Emmett Price and Irene Monroe joined us for another edition of All Revved UP.
TV expert Bob Thompson gave us his list of the best and worst shows on TV.

May 11, 2018 • 2h 44min
Full Broadcast 5/11/18
The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Friday, May 11th, 2018. We asked you about a White House aide, Kelly Sadler, who mocked John McCain's cancer diagnosis. Is this the end of civility?Playwright Ryan Landry shared his hatred of cell phones at shows, discussed an exhibit in Paris you have to view in the nude, and other arts stories. Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," shared her weekly list of observations and frustrations.Sports reporter Trenni Kusnierick discussed a 1996 sexual assault allegationagainst Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia, which resurfaced this week.Is it time for Charlie Baker to address the elephant in the room —or, rather, the elephant in the race? Should he stand up to Scott Lively’s homophobia, or is it better to not dignify Lively at all? Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung weighed in. Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar," discussed a black Yale graduate student who fell asleep in the common room of her dorm — and a white student called the police on her.The ladies of the Merrimack Valley Chorus faced off on our Friday News Quiz.


