Episodes
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BPR Full Show 12/6/19: BPR Nuevo!
Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius discussed paths for growth in the city’s school system, and took questions from listeners. We opened lines to callers to ask: how do you feel when politicians go off script? Emily Rooney, host of WGBH News' Beat The Press, joined us for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Dan Adams, Cannabis reporter for the Boston Globe, discussed how Massachusetts is faring after its first year with legalized marijuana, and his recent piece in the Globe on the latest vaping-related illnesses. Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung discussed a debate over congestion pricing in Massachusetts, and why the state is stuck in an affordable housing quagmire. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed the legacy and importance of Black Santa, and George Zimmerman’s lawsuit against the parents of Trayvon Martin. Actors Emilio Delgado and Gisela Chipe, who star in the the Huntington Theater Company’s Quixote Nuevo, joined us for our weekly news quiz. -
BPR Full Show 12/5/19: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Calls In
Today on Boston Public Radio: MSNBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed the latest political headlines around impeachment and 2020. We opened lines to hear your thoughts on Kamala Harris dropping out of the 2020 presidential race. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed impeachment, the Department of Justice’s campaign to reinstate the federal death penalty, and the flaws in ankle bracelet technology. Paul Reville, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, weighed in on the Massachusetts education funding reform bill, and discussed how 2020 candidates are distancing themselves from charter schools. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the legacy of jello molds, the Orwellian nature of food delivery bots, and a campaign by the meat industry to take down imitation meat. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed privacy concerns over Apple’s new iPhone 11 Pro and Amazon’s Ring doorbell, and the question of whether we ought to transition to electronic voting. 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg phoned in to discuss his stance on medicare, the diverse candidate pool, and why he ought to be president. We opened our lines to hear your thoughts on our interview with Mayor Buttigieg, and whether you plan to vote for him in the 2020 primaries. -
Change to SNAP Requirements Is 'One Of The Worst Outrages' Committed By Trump Administration, Says Corby Kummer
The Trump administration is changing the requirements of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), impacting 688,000 people previously eligible to receive food stamps. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Thursday to discuss this new rule and its consequences. "They will now require able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 49 with no dependents - 7 percent of SNAP recipients - to essentially work 20 hours a week, or they can't get SNAP benefits after three months," Kummer said. "On Wednesday, the Trump administration finalized the rule, and what they aim to do is just throw people off the rolls and make them hungry." Kummer said that the new 20 hour working week requirement doesn't take into consideration the hardship that stands in the way of people getting work. "It's one of the worst outrages this administration has foisted on us in a long time, because there's very high unemployment, it's hard to get jobs for these people, it's even harder to check out and verify 20 hours." *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. -
BPR Full Show 12/4/19: Vaccinate Your Kids
Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to callers to hear your thoughts on the ongoing turmoil in Washington regarding the House impeachment inquiry. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed religious exemptions from vaccines, in light of a bill before the Massachusetts lawmakers that would remove them from current legislation. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed tensions between world leaders at this year’s NATO summit, and Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing. Boston Globe Spotlight reporter Andrew Ryan discussed the Spotlight team’s report on Boston’s traffic, and the debate over whether to bring congestion pricing to Massachusetts. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn discussed a recent New York Times article detailing Amazon's infiltration of the city of Baltimore. Brian O'Donovan, host of WGBH's A Celtic Sojourn, WCRB's Brian McCreath, and Berklee College of Music's Rob Hochschild stopped by Boston Public Radio to share some music and previews for upcoming local concerts. -
BPR Full Show 12/3/19: Let It Snow!
Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to callers: with all this snow, are you happy to have something other than Trump to talk about? NBC Sports Boston Reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed a possible fall from grace for the Patriots, equal pay for Canada’s curling teams, and the resignation of NHL coach Bill Peters over allegations of racism. City council president Andrea Campbell discussed her year-long term as Boston City Council President, and her ongoing mission to establish a Boston City Inspector General. WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed the Netflix film “The Irishman,” and a new exhibit at the MFA highlighting the art of ancient Nubia. Environmental journalist Bill McKibben discussed the dire state of climate action in light of last week’s U.N. climate report, and the U.N. Climate Conference currently under way in Madrid. CNN’s John King discussed the latest political headlines regarding the 2020 presidential race and the House impeachment inquiry. Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU, discussed the use of SPOT the robot dog by Massachusetts State Police. -
BPR Full Show 12/2/19: At The Movies, On The Couch
Today on Boston Public Radio: Shannon O’Brien and Charlie Chieppo discussed the latest national and state political headlines, including news around the House impeachment inquiry and developments in the Grant Thornton R.M.V. controversy. 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. TV writer Bob Thompson reviewed the PBS documentary “College Behind Bars” and Netflix’s “The Irishman.” Charlie Sennott discussed President Donald Trump's support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and his claims of having re-opened talks with the Taliban. Sennott is a WGBH News Analyst and C.E.O. of the GroundTruth Project. MIT economist Jon Gruber discussed the feasibility and long-term impact of a wealth tax like the ones being proposed by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. We opened lines to callers to ask: If you had to choose, would you rather watch movies at home or in a theater? Boston Pops Orchestra conductor Keith Lockhart previewed upcoming holiday programming from the Pops. -
BPR Full Show 11/27/19: Justice For Quilty
Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the implications of a study from Virginia Commonwealth University, indicating that mortality rates are on the rise for people aged 25-64. We opened lines to callers to ask about your strategies difficult political conversations this Thanksgiving. CNN’s Juliette Kayyem discussed President Trump campaigning with absolved war criminals, and Jared Kushner’s latest assignment: building the wall. WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” the new biopic on Fred Rogers. Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed a letter from LGBT Justice Department employees to A.G. William Barr, criticizing the Trump administration’s stance on Title IIV of the Civil Rights Act. Journalist and author Sy Montgomery discussed San Francisco International Airport’s new therapy pigs, and Quilty the Cat’s brigade to free her fellow sheltered felines. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discussed PETA’s campaign for Sesame Street to introduce a vegan puppet, and a definitive fix for jet lag. -
BPR Full Show 11/26/19: Fred Rogers, "That Old Queen"
Today on Boston Public Radio: In light of the inevitable traffic jams to come this Thanksgiving, we opened lines to ask callers about the drivers that drive you crazy. NBC Sports Boston Reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed ongoing tumult between Colin Kaepernick and the NFL, and a sit-in protest staged by climate activists at a Harvard-Yale football game. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed three Baltimore men who were released from prison after serving 36 years for wrongful murder convictions, as part of a broader conversation on failures of the U.S. justice system. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed a CDC report cautioning Turkey cooks not to wash their birds, and consumer blowback to Dunkin's choice to ditch styrofoam cups. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn, alongside the Kennedy School’s David Gergen, discussed lessons that Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation can offer a divided nation today. CNN’s John King called in for his weekly political roundup, discussing impeachment and the 2020 presidential race. Playwright Ryan Landry discussed the late Mr. Rogers' views on consumer culture, Marie Kondo’s new product line, and the Gold Dust Orphan’s upcoming production of “Christmas on Uranus." -
Don't Wash Your Turkeys On Thanksgiving, Says Corby Kummer
You might be searching the web and flipping through cookbooks on the quest of making the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, but food writer Corby Kummer has an unbreakable rule to follow regardless of which recipe you choose: Don't wash your turkey. Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to explain how washing a turkey can spread bacteria, including the kind that can cause salmonella. "Every Thanksgiving, if you have a frozen turkey, don't take it out the morning of and run it under hot water and put it on the counter," he said. "The very best way to defrost a turkey is starting days ahead in cool-ish water in the refrigerator for days - the slower it defrosts at a cool temperature, the better and safer." This isn't just a once-a-year-turkey warning, Kummer noted, but a rule that also applies to chicken preparation. "Don't wash chicken, don't wash your roast chicken or chicken pieces, clean them with a paper towel," he said. "Otherwise it spreads [bacteria] all over your sink and then on your hands." 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. -
BPR Full Show 11/25/19: The A.G. Returns
Today on Boston Public Radio: Michael Curry and Lylah Alphonse discussed the potential impact of last week’s impeachment hearings, along with recent headlines around the 2020 presidential race. Curry is senior vice president and general counsel at Mass League of Community Health Centers, and a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors. Alphonse is the Managing News Editor at the U.S. News & World Report. TV writer Bob Thompson reviewed the reboot of “Mad About You,” Stephen Colbert’s trip to New Zealand with "The Late Show," and 20 years of the androgynous Pat character on "Saturday Night Live." We opened the lines to callers and asked: what are you hoping for from last week’s impeachment hearings? Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, discussed Deval Patrick’s 2020 presidential run, and a collation of rabbis calling for the firing of Stephen Miller, President Trump’s senior policy advisor. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey stopped by the Boston Public Radio studio for our monthly edition of “Ask the AG."
