Boston Public Radio

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lobbied against the bill because it included resources for the LGBTQ community.

Two mass shootings in one week have gun control advocates wondering whether legislation will ever be enacted.

"We have the capacity to force a vote, and I think it’s time we do that," the Massachusetts senator said.

The governor acknowledged criticism from lawmakers but insisted the current mix of state and local efforts is most effective.

Students and advocates are calling on Harvard University to acknowledge its role in slavery and offer reparations.

Healey tells Boston Public Radio she supports legislation to update the state's existing hate crime laws.

It’s graduation season. We had listeners call in to share who their commencement speakers were. Michael Curry & Jennifer Nassour joined for a politics panel. They discussed the fallout from the Rachael Rollins scandal, budget talks in Washington, Dianne Feinstein & more… Former Federal Judge Nancy Gertner defended the advisory committee that recommended Rachael Rollins, plus, other court headlines. Jared Bowen returned for an arts roundup. He discussed a sound installation at MAAM and Women & Abstraction at the Addison Gallery of American Art and an auction of Donna Summer’s wardrobe. We also got his thoughts on the SCOTUS Andy Warhol/Prince prints ruling and the new Little Mermaid film. Reverends Emmet G. Price III and Irene Monroe offered their perspective on new data showing Americans are switching religions at a growing rate. They also talked scandal at the megachurch Hillsong, and a RNS piece asking whether faith makes a person more civic-minded. Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe’s film critic. He just published his 100th piece at the paper, and he joined to discuss that and the summer movie lineup. The New York Times reported that a man sat in first class while his family was in coach. We opened the phone lines to hear from listeners what they thought about this arrangement and first class in general.

Overall, birth rates are declining. Yet, women having kids in their forties increased. We began the show by asking listeners why they think women are waiting to have kids. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett joined to discuss life "post-COVID", Biden-Harris' administration efforts to combat the mental health crisis in the nation and more. She’s the Vice Chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation at Boston Medical Center and Clinical Associate Professor at Boston University Medical School. GBH’s Callie Crossley, newly crowned by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce as a “2023 Distinguished Bostonian", shared her thoughts on the Rachael Rollins scandal, the Supreme Court's ruling against Andy Warhol, and more. Sue O'Connell provided insights on the recent anti-trans laws in Florida, Kansas City's potential as the first-ever LGBT sanctuary city, and the incident involving Harry and Meghan's car chase. Tracy Chang from Pagu and Jimmy Liang from JP Fuji Group joined us to celebrate AAPI heritage month and discuss various restaurant ventures in the food world, as well as their community work. Jimmy mentions sweet advice that his grandmother gave him. Cliff Notez, a genre-fluid musical artist, known for his contributions to Boston's local arts scene, was our live music guest. Taylor Swift is too powerful to ignore. We asked listeners once again how they’re reacting to the sold out shows, trains, hotels etc. Do listeners who aren’t going to the concert, do they feel like they’re missing out?

Rachel Rollins is in the headlines. We wanted to hear thoughts from listeners if and when someone can come back from disgrace. Ron Mitchell and Mel Miller discuss the leadership change at the Bay State Banner. Andrea Cabral addresses an ethics probe into Rachael Rollins' conduct as US Attorney, leading to her resignation. Shirley Leung from the Boston Globe talks about hearings on Beacon Hill to address the gender and racial wage gap, a public transit/housing law in Brookline, and the Globe's support for imprisoned WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. Michael Curry talks about the Mass League of Community Health Centers launching a new research division, the challenges posed by an influx of migrants in Massachusetts, and the significant life expectancy gap between Back Bay and Nubian Square. Ismael Samad, co-founder of Nubian Square Markets, and Kamaal Jarrett, founder of Hillside Harvest, discuss the grand opening of Nubian Markets, showcasing flavors from the African diaspora. We wrapped up the show by asking listeners if Boston should also go the way of Seoul, South Korea, and ban children from entire zones?

We opened the lines to hear what people think about Elon Musk’s comment on how working from home highlights income inequality and is immoral. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed new research revealing increased brain activity prior to death, and the FDA's lift of the blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men. National security expert Juliette Kayyem examined cyberattacks on the Philly Inquirer and city of Lowell, and the immediate consequences of the end of Title 42. David Hogg from March For Our Lives and John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence joined us to discuss gun violence in America. Jan De Leon Griffin, organizer of the "100 Words" Boston writing competition, and authors Rhiannon Varmette, Oswald Guy, and Miranda Norman joined us to share details of the program and read the winning submissions. Martha Stewart is on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition this year, at 81 years old – the oldest person ever to be featured on the cover. We closed to show with listener reactions.

Foxborough trains have sold out due to a Taylor Swift concert that’s taking place this weekend. Updates on the Sports scene in boston from Trenni Casey, anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Boston She discussed the Celtics moving forward and a Washington Post report on the Harvard football players whose lives were upended by CTE. GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discussed the Paper Town exhibit at the Fitchburg Art Museum and some updates on permanent rehearsal space for musicians in Boston. He also announces this the show, Open Studio, comes to an end on June 2nd after ten years. Frontline filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed their new film “Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court”. He talks about Clarence’s troubling behavior from the past and the world he lives in that was fueled by Trump’s presidency. Milk Street’s Christopher Kimball discussed his new book “Milk Street Noodles”. The hosts and Kimball talk about different kinds of noodles. CNN chief national correspondent John King joined for the latest political headlines including the Rudy Giuliani lawsuit. We closed our show by asking listeners to tell us if they still listen to AM radio. Are people aware that cars still offer it?