Boston Public Radio

The travel guru talks about the value of international travel and why he's not worried about people staying home after the pandemic.

Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins is on the short list to be the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.

The former Department of Homeland Security official also said she's hoping to see Republicans embrace Biden's calls for unity.

The variant — B.1.1.7 — has reached the state this week, according to the state's Department of Public Health.

While coronavirus cases are up everywhere, mayoral candidate and city councilor Andrea Campbell says some predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods in Boston have borne the brunt of infections.

Paris Jeffries spoke optimistically about the range of citywide efforts to confront Boston's deep racial inequties.

Elon Musk and Florida governor Ron DeSantis are reportedly announcing DeSantis’ bid for president today…on twitter. We asked listeners whether Musk’s actions have changed their use of the social media platform. Peggy Shukur (New England ADL) and Idit Klein (Keshet) discussed the ADL’s new report on extremism in Massachusetts. Juliette Kayyem weighed in on fake AI images of a burning Pentagon that went viral this week, and the U-Haul truck that crashed into a White House security barrier. She also discussed headlines out of the G-7 summit, and the latest on the trial of Jack Teixeira. Amal Amon, Samia Komi, and Omnia Fadelelsaid, are all natives of Sudan who moved to Massachusetts in the early 2000’s. They joined us to discuss the war in Sudan and how it’s impacting the lives of their loved ones still in Sudan. Corby Kummer discussed an Atlantic piece on what we do and don’t know about the drawbacks of eating fast. He also talked about the state of COVID-era restaurant policies and some expanded SNAP benefits. Paul English and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco joined to discuss UMass Boston’s new AI Institute, which they are naming in English’s honor after his $5 million donation. English founded the travel company Kayak and is co-chairing Embrace Boston. Suárez-Orozco is the chancellor of UMass Boston. According to a new piece by Katherine Wu in The Atlantic, there’s no scientific evidence that eating fast is worse for you than eating slow. We asked listeners to call in to share their eating habits.

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory on a mental health crisis. We asked listeners how they believe social media is impacting children and teens. Trenni Casey discussed the passing of Rick Hoyt, an iconic figure in the Boston Marathon who passed away at the age of 61, as well as her experience at the Taylor Swift concert. Victor RosaTrio, who was wrongfully convicted and spent over 30 years behind bars, has just won a $13 million settlement. He joined alongside his lawyer, Mark Loevy-Reyes, to discuss his case and the implications of the settlement. Ross Mathews, known for his career as Jay Leno's intern, now co-hosts the Drew Barrymore Show and serves as a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. He talked about his upcoming show at the Wilbur on June 9th. John Davidson, renowned for holding the record as the most frequent guest-host for the late Johnny Carson, now runs John Davidson's Club Sandwich in Sandwich, New Hampshire. He shared insights on how to make the most of your 80s and may even treat us to a song or two. CNN’s John King provided his perspective on the ongoing debt ceiling talks and other significant headlines from Washington. Style over comfort? Apparently not anymore since formal dress sneakers are now appearing on all types of professionals. We ended the show with thoughts from listeners.

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?