Boston Public Radio

RFK Jr's vaccine skepticism is concerning to doctors, but his calls for improving nutrition are appealing — if he can execute his plan.

The former Massachusetts governor says his party could learn from Donald Trump.

The "Firewalls for Freedom" campaign gives a playbook for state and local leaders to protect freedoms and distance themselves from federal actions.

Two MIT professors, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for their research on global inequality.

Margaret Marshall, the former chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, says it’s not about health or mental competency, but about making way for a new generation of leaders.

Wu said her administration is preparing for all scenarios.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about a Stoughton High School student who was suspended for protesting the school district's ban on pride flags and Black Lives Matter flags. Juliette Kayyem discussed massive flight delays and cancellations after the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) reported an outage of its Notice to Air Missions System. Kayyem is 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 latest book is "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters." Corby Kummer talked about the closure of critically-acclaimed Danish restaurant Noma — often regarded as the best restaurant in the world. 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. Jared Bowen weighed in on the return of the Golden Globes after multiple scandals involving racism, corruption, and sexual assault. Bowen is GBH's Executive Arts Editor. He hosts “Open Studio with Jared Bowen” on GBH Channel 2. Eric Deggans shared his favorite television shows of 2022, from "Abbott Elementary" to "We Need to Talk About Cosby." Deggans is NPR’s TV critic, a contributor to NBC, MSNBC and BPR. He’s also the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.” Kenneth Griffith, Jacob Hiser, Mara Stein, and Jean-Caleb Belizaire of Boston Children's Chorus joined us for an in-studio performance ahead of their “Becoming King: 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert” at Boston Symphony Orchestra. Griffith is a conductor and Associate Director of Choirs for the Boston Children's Chorus. Hiser is the collaborative pianist for the Boston Children's Chorus. Stein and Belizaire are members of the Boston Children's Chorus. For tickets to Monday’s “Becoming King: 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert” at Boston Symphony Orchestra, go to BostonChildrensChorus.org. We ended the show by talking with listeners about a recent string of airline fiascos, from surging ticket prices to last-minute cancellations.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about confidential documents found at President Joe Biden’s former office he used as Vice President. Trenni Casey talked about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s recovery after collapsing during a Bills-Bengals game in early January, and a disappointing season for the Patriots. Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. Carol Rose shared her analysis of Gov. Maura Healey’s promise to not claim exemption to public records laws, and new Barnstable Sheriff Donna Buckley ending the County Sheriff’s Office’s enforcement agreement with ICE. Rose is the executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Laurent Richard discussed “Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus,” a new two-part FRONTLINE and Forbidden Stories documentary exploring how NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been employed to target journalists, activists, and dissidents. Richard is a producer of Frontline’s latest two-part series “Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus.” The second part airs on GBH 2 Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 10 p.m., and you can stream both parts on PBS Passport. Jordan Knight and Vance Welch talked about the reopening of their Milton restaurant, Novara, and life with New Kids on the Block. Knight was a member of New Kids On the Block. Welch is a restaurateur. They recently reopened their joint venture, Novara, in Milton. John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on confidential documents found at President Joe Biden’s former office. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, and host of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about whether picking when to eat is a barrier to health.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking about our fascination with scandal in the British royal family – and how it distracts us from the fraying of democracy. EJ Dionne weighed in on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s contentious election for House Speaker last week, and pro-Bolsonaro riots in Brazil’s Capital with claims of election fraud. Dionne is a columnist for the Washington Post. He’s also a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is “100% Democracy: The Case For Universal Voting.” Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson shared their hopes on what Gov. Maura Healey should prioritize in Mass. transit, from safety at the MBTA to strengthening the state’s roads and bridges. Aloisi is a former transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters Board, and a contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is the executive director of the Livable Streets Alliance. Drs. Allison Bryant and Nicole Smith explained how a local doula program is trying to combat maternal mortality disparities. Dr. Bryant is a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Mass General Hospital and is Senior Medical Director for Health Equity Quality and Patient Experience. Dr. Smith is a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III shared their thoughts on how Congressmembers’ religions don’t reflect the diverse religions in modern America, and a controversial firing of a professor who showed art of the Prophet Muhammed in a college course. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, and the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host GBH’s “All Rev’d Up” podcast. Richard Blanco shared a few poems from “Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology,” and discussed Dolly Parton’s avid fanbase. Blanco is the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet in U.S. history and the first Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County. His latest collection is “How To Love A Country.” We ended the show by talking with listeners about the latest COVID surge.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and current dysfunction in Congress. Lyndia Downie weighed in on Gov. Maura Healey’s plans to support the homeless through supportive housing. Downie is the president and executive director for the Pine Street Inn. Callie Crossley talked about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s collapse under cardiac arrest earlier this week during the Bills-Bengals NFL game. Crossley is the host of “Under the Radar,” which you can catch Sunday nights on 89-7 at 6 p.m. She’s also the host of “Basic Black,” which airs Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Her “Callie Commentaries” can be heard on Mondays for GBH’s “Morning Edition. Andrea Cabral shared her thoughts on how Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell may handle an appeal against the dismissal of criminal charges for leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where at least 76 veterans died from COVID-19. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety. Sue O’Connell talked about what Gov. Healey’s historic win means for the LGBTQ+ community. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. Sean Smith and Summer McCall talked about the 20th anniversary of the Boston Celtic Music Festival at Club Passim. Musicians Maura Shawn Scanlin, Eamon Sefton, Simon Lace, Conor Hearn, and Adam Hendey performed in the first Live Music Friday at the Boston Public Library of 2023. Smith and McCall are organizers of the Boston Celtic Music Festival at Club Passim. The festival runs from Jan. 12-15. We ended the show by asking listeners what could convince them to switch to an electric vehicle.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC’s Chuck Todd zoomed in to discuss Republican Kevin McCarthy’s repeated failures to secure the support of his party to become the next Speaker of the House. He also discussed how the concessions McCarthy’s made to rally support could affect his ability to control legislative debates if he is voted in. 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 about how they feel regarding the ability of this Congress to effectively legislate for the next two years in the wake of the Republican’s inability to choose a leader. Then we broke programming and broadcast President Joe Biden’s announcement that he is expanding the government's efforts to deport immigrants who cross the U.S. southern border illegally Following President Biden's remarks, Boston Globe Business Columnist Shirley Leung came on to discuss her interviews with local reporters Janet Wu and Alison King on their long and storied careers in local media. She also discussed some of her recent columns of efforts to mitigate homelessness in the city. Then Rebekah Gewirtz, the president of Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, came on to discuss the state’s new Behavioral Health Hotline. The new service connects callers with social workers who then directly connect people to mental health and substance use medical providers. GBH News Political Reporter Adam Reilly came into the studio and political reporter Katie Lannan called in from the statehouse to discuss the historic inauguration of Governor Maura Healey, the first woman and openly gay person to be elected as Governor of Massachusetts. The two discussed some of the focus of Healey's speech, including housing, income equality and climate change.