Boston Public Radio

The travel expert talked about the steady return of international travel and the global effort to get people vaccinated for COVID-19.

Pope Francis approved a decree from the Vatican stating that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions.

Trump is heard to be pushing a Georgia official to find voter fraud.

“What we are anxious about is that we don’t declare victory too soon," said Bonita Tenneriello of Prisoners' Legal Services.

The House of Representatives approved the $1.9 trillion stimulus package Wednesday, paving the way for President Joe Biden's first major legislative win.

“When these trials occur, Black folks, Black integrity, Black dignity, Black pride is always on trial,” the Rev. Emmett Price said.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking our listener’s calls to ask if they miss a traditional New England winter as we experience another season with lower-than-average snow totals. Dr. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and researcher at Harvard University, came on to discuss the findings from the longest-ever study on happiness. The study found that investment in relationships with friends, partners and coworkers paid dividends for long-term health and happiness. GBH News' Callie Crossley talked about a GBH News story featuring a man who says that the Worcester police has pulled him over in his car more than 70 times. She also weighed in on the mixed reactions to "The Embrace" statue one week after its unveiling. She also criticized the decision by Florida's state education department to ban the teaching of an Advanced Placement course on African-American history. Crossley is the host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley", which you can catch Sunday nights on 89-7 at 6:00p.m. She’s also the host of “Basic Black,” which airs Fridays on TV at 7:30, you can also hear her “Callie Commentaries” on Mondays for GBH’s Morning Edition. Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is the comic book artist behind the best-selling series "La Borinqueña", about a Puerto Rican superhero who battles climate doom. He explained the reason for launching her story, and how he broke through some resistance in mainstream publishing to centering stories around characters of color. He also talked about his close friendship with Rosario Dawson. Miranda-Rodriguez's work is now on display at Boston University. NBC Boston's Sue O’Connell discussed the reports that Republican Congressman used to be a drag queen in Brazil, and how his denial adds to the mountain of his existing lies. She also talked about the prosecutorial strategy behind charging Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing a crew member on set of "Rust"with a prop gun he says he didn't know was loaded with live rounds. Then she commented on the media treatment of New Zealand Prime Minist Jacinda Ardern following her announcment that she won't be seeking reelection. Patricia-Maria Weinmann and Greg Smucker, the co-artistic directors behind the Boston Opera Collaborative, joined to discuss their new "Opera Bites" series. The prgoram offers seven brand-new 10-minute opera perofrmances to provide an entry-point for people unfamiliar with the medium. Then some members of their company performed a few songs. Then we ended the show by having a call-in segment where we asked our listeners how they feel about drivers who travel too slowly in the fast lane. The discussion comes as South Carolina considers a law that could raise the financial penalties for people who don't move out of the fast lane.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC's Chuck Todd called in to discuss how Republicans are threatening to let the country default on its loan as means to bargain for spending cuts to social programs. He also discussed the details revealed from Donald Trump’s deposition in civil suit filed by E Caroll Jean accusing Trump of sexual assault. Chuck Todd is the moderator of "Meet the Press", host of Meet the Press Daily on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC news. Then we took our listener’s calls to get their opinions on a new rent control proposal from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu which would limit landlords to raising rents by 10 percent per year. Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed the details revealed during the arraignment of Brain Walshe, the Cohasset man now facing charges of murdering his wife. She also commented on the killing of Sayed Faisal by Cambridge police. She closed by weighing in on a law in South Carolina law that would penalize people for driving slowly in the fast lane. Cabral is also the former Massachsuetts Secretary for Public Safety. GBH News arts and culture reporter James Bennett II delivered his monthly segment of “The Drop” detailing affordable arts and music exhibits around the area. Some of his suggestions included: an exhibit on Bob Dylan photographs, comics-as-art at Boston University, and an Edgar Allen Poe inspired Boston tour. He also discussed some of his favorite albums in 2022. Actors Pierre Jean Gonzalez and Ta’Rea Campbell joined us to discuss their roles in “Hamilton” hosted by Broadway in Boston at the Citizen’s Bank Opera House. Pierre is Alexander Hamilton, Ta’Rea plays Angelica Schuyler. Nick Quah is podcast critic for Vulture magazine, he talked about his favorite real and fake podcasts of 2022. He gave his predictions for the best podcasts of the year and explained why it might be a tough year for the industry. Then we ended the show by taking our listener's calls on their favorite way to eat popcorn in honor of National Popcorn Day.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking our listener’s calls to ask how they felt about The Embrace sculpture installed on Boston Common last week. The statue highlights the connections Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King had to the city of Boston and honors their love and legacy of civil rights activism. Michael Curry, the CEO of the community health centers of Massachusetts, called in from the annual MLK Day memorial breakfast in Boston. He discussed the legacy of the Kings in Boston and what the monument means for the city going forward. Curry is also a member of the national NAACP board of directors, where he chairs the board’s advocacy and policy committee Charlie Sennott of the Groundtruth Project came on to talk about the new equipment that the United States has sent to Ukraine, and how that reflects the shifting needs of the army there. He also discussed the ongoing threats to democracy in Brazil by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Shirley Leung came on to discuss the holes in the electric vehicle charging network in Massachusetts and across the country. She also discussed the optimism among business leaders regarding Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. Leung is a Boston Globe business columnist. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price III joined us to discuss how Dr. King’s message and beliefs have been misconstrued and sanitized for political convenience over the course of American history. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the inaugural dean of Africana studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Then we aired a segment from our live broadcast of The Embrace unveiling from this past Friday. The segment included excerpts from our interviews with members of the King family, Diane and Deval Patrick, Mayor Michelle Wu, Healey and Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell. We ended the show by asking listeners if they are participating in this national day of service on MLK Day.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the murder of Ana Walshe, and what our obsession with true crime says about us. Art Caplan talked about AI’s increasing role in medicine. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Liz Neisloss and Prof. Judith Gonyea discussed GBH’s latest reporting from “Priced Out,” focusing on older women experiencing homelessness. Neisloss is a reporter for GBH. Gonyea is a professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Boston University’s School of Social Work and senior fellow in the Institute for Health Systems Innovation & Policy at Boston University. Dan Adams talked about the RMV’s new stoned driving curriculum. Adams is the Boston Globe’s cannabis reporter and author of “This Week In Weed,” the definitive marijuana newsletter. Corby Kummer shared his thoughts on the systems at work reinforcing the restaurant industry’s low wages, and calls to break up the FDA. 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. Sy Montgomery joined us for this month’s edition of “The Afternoon Zoo,” focusing on new research indicating turtles communicate with their eggs before they hatch. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist, author and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is “The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” We ended the show by talking with listeners about Madonna’s international music tour announcement, and double standards for older women in music.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about making the switch to more environmentally-conscious household items, from induction stovetops to heat pumps for heating and A/C. Trenni Casey talked about a possible rift forming between Bill Belichick and the Krafts. Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a BPR contributor. Bill McKibben discussed the release of a study claiming that ExxonMobil accurately predicted future global warming in the 1970s, while continuing to publicly cast doubt on climate change. He also talked about making the switch from gas stove tops to induction cooktops. McKibben is the co-founder of 350.org and founder of ThirdAct.org. He has a newsletter on Substack titled “The Crucial Years.” He also has a new, serialized book titled “The Other Cheek: An Epic Nonviolent Yarn.” Paul Reville shared his analysis of the Supreme Court’s potential ruling on affirmative action. Reville is the former Secretary of Education of Massachusetts and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Juliette Kayyem discussed the seditious conspiracy trial against five members of the Proud Boys for their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Kayyem is a former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her new book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on accusations made against a fundraiser for Rep. George Santos, who allegedly posed as an aide for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before donors. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, and the host of “Inside Politics,” airing weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about how they’re combating climate fatalism.