Boston Public Radio

"You wanna leave before you wanna leave," the mayor said in reference to his Monday announcement that he won't be seeking a tenth term.

The city's chief of economic development says he wants to help Boston confront its racial identity.

Michael Curry doesn't know what will come of Gov. Charlie Baker's promise to allocate 20% of vaccines to hard-hit communities.

Andrea Cabral speaks about the rise in restrictive voting laws being passed by Republican-controlled legislatures.

Annissa Essaibi-George also spoke about her push for mobile vaccine clinics and commended Gov. Charlie Baker for allowing businesses to expand capacity limits as COVID-19 infections drop.

The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act last Thursday, but the bill's future in the Senate remains uncertain.

Today on Boston Public Radio we're on tape, bringing you some of our favorite conversations from recent months: Don Lemon tells stories from his book, “This Is The Fire: What I Say To My Friends About Racism." Lemon anchors “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” airing weeknights at 10 p.m. He’s also a #1 bestselling New York Times author. Chasten Buttigieg discusses his memoir, “I Have Something to Tell You,” and the challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities in the U.S. Buttigieg is a teacher and the husband of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Sy Montgomery dives into the world of hummingbirds with her latest book, “The Hummingbirds’ Gift: Wonder, Beauty And Renewal On Wings.” Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. David Byrne talks about the film adaptation of his tour, “American Utopia,” and his accompanying illustrated book. Byrne is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and founding member of the Talking Heads. Nancy Schön discusses her recent work and the mysteries behind the decoration of her iconic “Make Way For Ducklings” sculpture in Boston’s Public Garden. Schön is a sculpture artist, and her latest book is “Ducks on Parade!” Derek DelGaudio weighs in on the roles identity and illusion play in his work, along with the thought process behind his film “In & Of Itself.” DelGaudio is a writer and artist. His latest book is “Amoralman: A True Story And Other Lies,” and his film, “In & Of Itself,” is on Hulu. Gish Jen highlights differences between individualistic and collectivistic cultures in her new book, “The Girl At The Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap.” Jen is a novelist and nonfiction writer. Richard Blanco reads his favorite “aubade” poems — about lovers departing at dawn — including “Aubade with Burning City” by Ocean Vuong and “Ghosting Aubade” by Amie Whittemore. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His latest book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Senator Elizabeth Warren talks about her experience with COVID-19 and the state of Build Back Better and voting rights. Warren is senator of Massachusetts. Then, we ask listeners for their last minute gift suggestions. Tori Bedford updates listeners on the latest slew of unionization pushes, including among Kellogg’s workers, Starbucks baristas and local Somerville coffeeshop workers. Bedford covers Boston’s neighborhoods, including Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan for GBH News. Andrea Cabral weighs in on the trial of ex-police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot Duante Wright in a traffic stop. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko gives tips on how to prevent iPhone delivery theft, and his favorite tech gifts for the holidays. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Shirley Leung discusses the racist backlash facing Mayor Michelle Wu after her latest vaccine requirement announcement. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Sy Montgomery talks about camels disqualified in beauty pageants for having botox, and snakes found in Christmas trees. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and BPR contributor. Her latest book is "Becoming A Good Creature." We end the show by opening phone lines to hear final hopes, dreams and worries ahead of this coming Christmas.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan updates listeners on all things Omicron and the growing mental health crisis as the pandemic continues. Caplan is director of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Then, we ask listeners their social norms around tipping and if the pandemic has changed their tipping practices. Gov. Charlie Baker talks about his new COVID-19 plans as the Omicron variant spreads, including activating the national guard to support hospitals and the status of an app that would verify vaccination. He also weighs in on Mayor Michelle Wu’s rent stabilization plans and the Statehouse voting on allocating the ARPA funding. Baker is governor of Massachusetts. Then, we ask listeners their reactions to the latest news on Omicron and new pandemic regulations and precautions. Mayor Michelle Wu takes questions from listeners on her new vaccine requirements in the city, her transportation goals and the status of free COVID-19 test kit distribution. Wu is mayor of Boston.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their reactions to Mayor Michelle Wu’s announcement yesterday of new vaccine requirements in restaurants, theaters and other venues. Trenni Kusnierek weighs in on Wu’s decision to exempt athletes from her new vaccine mandates, and Patriots Manager Bill Belichick apologizing after a curt post-game press conference Saturday. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Ali Noorani talks about what the first few days of the Remain in Mexico policy resuming means for immigrants and advocates. Noorani is the president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum. His forthcoming book is “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.” Charlie Warzel explains how the pandemic has affected the state of work, and how to make remote work better in a hybrid world. Charlie Warzel is a contributing writer at the Atlantic and the author of Galaxy Brain, a newsletter about technology, politics and culture. He co-authored ‘Out of Office’ with Anne Helen Petersen. Juliette Kayyem weighs in on President Joe Biden’s pandemic policy as Omicron spreads throughout the country, and the latest in the Jan. 6 investigation. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Christopher Muther reviews the Boston hotel scene, tells stories from his latest travels to the Caribbean and shares his favorite and least favorite Christmas songs. Muther is a Boston Globe travel columnist and travel writer. We end the show by hearing stories from listeners of regifting gone wrong.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Michael Curry talks about the status of the pandemic as the Omicron variant spreads throughout the country, and his reactions to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin rejecting President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory group. He’s also a member of the national NAACP board of directors and chair of the board’s advocacy and policy committee. Then, we ask listeners their reactions to Manchin curtailing efforts to pass Build Back Better. Corby Kummer discusses the potential for an egg shortage as regulations for farmers change, and how to best enjoy oysters. Kummer is the 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. Jennifer McKim and Philip Martin share insights from their latest investigation into the sex trafficking of young men, and how traffickers prey on those suffering from drug addiction. McKim and Martin are senior investigative reporters at GBH. Together they’ve been working on a months-long series examining those left out of the narrative around sex trafficking: young men. The latest installment of the series, Unseen, is out today. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III commemorate bell hooks, the theorist and activist who championed intersectional feminism, who died last week at 69. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is the 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. Jenna Russell and Penelope Overton explain what climate change means for the lobster industry in Maine. Russell is a reporter with the Boston Globe. Overton is a reporter with the Portland Press Herald. Together they wrote this series in the Boston Globe: The Lobster Trap. We end the show by asking listeners if their holiday plans have changed as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.