Boston Public Radio

Gergen Barnett returned to Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to discuss the underwhelming number of Americans who've received their initial COVID-19 vaccinations.

The "All Rev'd Up" hosts reflected on the chaos of 2020 and the path forward for racial equity.

As the world's billionaires get richer, American legislators are still fighting over COVID-19 relief.

How will the upcoming Biden administration's address climate policy?

Listen to the full episode of Boston Public Radio from Dec. 24, 2020.

The state senate has compromised on Gov. Baker's face recognition technology requests.

We started the show by asking listeners about the future of public beaches. Are private landowners buying up coastline and how can towns protect public beach access? Chuck Todd gave us the latest out of Washington, including what’s going on with the potential Trump indictment. Andrea Cabral discussed local law & order headlines. This week it’s the anti-vax former cop who has been following Mayor Wu around in a car. There was also the story of worker exploitation by the owner of Stash’s Pizza, some MIT students who rescued a stolen dog and the Trump supporters who are likening his arrest to the crucifixion of Christ. Marcela Garcia weighed in on some of her latest pieces. She talked TikTok bans, teen mental health and Haitian migrants in need of local sponsors. Nancy Gertner brought her judicial background to the Trump indictment story. She also talked about a free speech case involving Jack Daniels and a parody chew-toy, plus the latest in the Fox v. Dominion suit. NPR television reviewer Eric Deggans discussed Succession’s return, Yellowjackets, Lucky Hank, Ted Lasso season 3 and what he makes of the rotating cast of Daily Show hosts. We closed out the show to get listeners feedback on the World Happiness Report. The U.S. ranked 15th. Do listeners agree with this ranking? How do they think the U.S. could bump up happiness?

Two animal rights activists charged with stealing two chickens from a truck headed for slaughter have just been acquitted, drawing attention to the cruelty of factory farming in America. According to Vox, the chickens — worth $8.16 each — were both severely ill and struggled to stand: One of the chickens (Ethan) died four days after the rescue, while the other (Jax) recovered after intensive veterinary care and now lives on a farm sanctuary. “Of course they wanted this to be publicized they set it up they wanted to be arrested and they wanted it to be brought to trial,” said Kummer. “It’s great, what the discovery led to in the trial. For example these animals were too sick to be slaughtered, they had bacteria in their systems that could’ve led to human illness.” Corby 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

Sports betting is now legal in Massachusetts. We opened the phones to hear listener opinions. Are they concerned about the occasional gambler sliding to addict, or are they all-in on the potential to win big? Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed a company setting up shop in Massachusetts to offer full body scans powered by AI, and how Boston scientists are getting closer to growing human eggs in a lab. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed the potential Trump indictment and new reporting out of Uvalde that police feared the shooter’s “battle rifle.” Roger Berkowitz join Jim and Margery in the studio to talk about his new business Roger’s Fish Co., which launched earlier this month. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed the growth of Upham’s Corner, the sale of real estate in Newton forcing the closure of a Catholic school and how some Asian students in Boston Public Schools feel like an afterthought. Food policy writer Corby Kummer discussed the development of an American aperitif and Lunchables making their way from grocery stores into public school lunch offerings. We ended the show by asking listeners whether their town has a "Buy Nothing" group. Are they prolific "buy nothing-ers" and what’s their most interesting find?

The UN climate change report was released on Monday and we opened the lines to get listener’s reactions to impending climate disasters. NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter Trenni Casey continues to cover March Madness and the slippery slope of placing online bets. Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, discusses various transparency issues in the state, including Healey's pledge to be the most transparent governor, and a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in favor of the right to be rude at public meetings. Arlo Guthrie, folk singer-songwriter, joins via zoom ahead of an event at the Shubert Center April 1. GBH's Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen discusses Don Quixote at the Boston Ballet, and the Gardner celebrates the 33 year anniversary of their heist by closing down over the weekend because of a climate protest. CNN chief national correspondent John King joins via zoom for a politics segment. We closed the show with the discussion of the city’s proposal of the ban of nips. We wanted to know if our listeners are pro nip or pro ban on the little bottles.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to ask listeners what their thoughts are surrounding the impending indictment of Former President Donald Trump. A national/local politics panel with Charlie Chieppo of Pioneer Institute and Michael Curry of Mass League of Community Health Centers & NAACP national board A transit panel with former transportation secretary Jim Aloisi & executive director of Livable Streets Stacy Thompson A discussion of the American banking system with Frontline correspondent James Jacoby, on their latest film “Age of Easy Money” All Rev’d Up on BPR, with Revs Irene Monroe and Emmett Price joined us again. Travel guru Rick Steves joins to discussed European travel in 2023, and specifically how the Netherlands is grappling with climate change. We wrapped up our show with discussion of expensive concert tickets and how the live music experience is slowly becoming exclusive to the affluent.