Boston Public Radio

James Beard Award cookbook author Grace Young is raising awareness about the struggles facing Chinatown neighborhoods.

Andrea Campbell chose last week the head of her office’s newly created Housing Affordability Unit starting in July, focusing on expanding affordable housing across Massachusetts.

Joe Spaulding, the longtime president and CEO of the Boch Center, first met the theater’s current namesake in the ticket line for a Cat Stevens concert. The rest is history.

But Republican Michael Sullivan, former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, disagreed: “I felt a great deal of sadness.”

President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Michael Curry spoke about new COVID-19 variant called FLiRt and the impact on Black and Brown communities who struggle with long COVID.

Katie Theoharides discussed the new parking system at Crane Beach and the impact of climate change on shoreline access.

We start the show by asking about the acceptance of political violence, following the healthcare executive murder. Then, GBH News executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses Commonwealth Shakes' A Christmas Carol and Made in Germany at the Harvard Art Museums. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the Wisconsin school shooting, and the arrest of a US-Iranian citizen in Massachusetts in connection to a drone strike that killed American soldiers in Jordan earlier this year. Catherine D'Amato of the Greater Boston Food Bank and Linda Matchan of Globe Santa talk about how to help the hungry and less fortunate this holiday season. CNN's John King joins to discuss the latest national politics headlines. Then we open up the phone lines to hear about your best and worst holiday office party experiences.

Today:Looking for the best bottle to bring to that family or office holiday party? TJ and Hadley Douglas of The Urban Grape have you covered. And, through December 29th, Boston audiences have a chance to see SIX on its North American tour, at the Emerson Colonial Theater through Broadway in Boston. We’ll talk with the women playing Catherine of Aragon & the notorious Anne Boleyn.

We start the show by asking listeners whether they are making big purchases in expectation of Trump tariffs in 2025. TJ and Hadley Douglas of Urban Grape join us for a holiday wine tasting, and to discuss how American wine producers could be impacted by the tariffs.NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the two men arrested for flying a drone near Logan, Trump considering a pardon for Eric Adams and the fate of TikTok.Carol Rose of the ACLU of Massachusetts discusses the DOJ's report on Worcester police and data privacy legislation proposed by Sen. Warren that aligns with the ACLU's work to pass the Location Shield Act.Two of Henry VIII's wives join us, Anne Boleyn (Gaby Albo) and Catherine of Aragon (Chani Maisonet), from the Boston cast of SIX.Then, we ask whether gift cards are ever acceptable as holiday gifts.

Today:We talk with one of the legislators – State Senator Nick Collins – who led the charge to defeat Boston Mayor Wu’s plan to shift the tax burden towards commercial properties in the city.And, states don’t have to give into anticipatory obedience on everything Trump will try to rollback – We talk with Terri Gerstein of NYU's Wagner Labor Institute and Paul Sonn of the National Employment Law Project, who say states can and should act now to shore up worker protections ahead of Jan. 20.

South Boston Senator Nick Collins discusses the demise of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's proposed tax shift plan that would have helped Boston homeowners.ABC News just agreed to give $15 million to Donald Trump's presidential library fund to settle a lawsuit. We open the phone lines to get your thoughts on whether legacy media can be trusted to hold "Truth to Trump" in his second term. Terri Gerstein of NYU Wagner Labor Initiative and Paul Sonn of the National Employment Law Project share what states can do before Jan. 20 to ensure labor protections under another Trump era.Ilan Stavans of Amherst College discusses the very-much-alive Yiddish language and what Democrats always miss about immigration. Plus, a few Hanukkah recipes from his book "Sabor Judio."Charlie Sennott of the GroundTruth Project gives a round-up of the world news: France's government crisis, the rebel government in Syria, South Korea's impeachment and Ukraine's plea to Donald Trump.We ask listeners what tattoo Jim should get, now that he's decided 70-something is the perfect age get inked for the first time.Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther discusses the holidays in Iceland and a magical airport in Singapore.We finish with another BPR moldy chestnut: holiday tipping. Yea or nay?