Boston Public Radio

'Today we're taking a closer look than we have in a long time,' at racism in America, poet Richard Blanco said.

The former Massachusetts governor said that George Floyd's death was "a heinous murder carried out by a person with a badge."

The Gold Dust Orphans theater company founder said it was important that Americans remember their country's racist legacy.

Demonstrations against police brutality are beginning to coalesce around a platform of policies. Is this a turning point in America?

The GroundTruth Project CEO said there's credence to concerns the president is slipping into authoritarianism.

The Greater Boston Food Bank President and CEO said one in eight people in eastern Massachusetts are now food insecure.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners about the case for former President Donald Trump’s prosecution following the Jan. 6 hearings. Then, we re-air a segment with Lee Feinberg and Terri Randall about the NOVA documentary “Ultimate Space Telescope,” and the James Webb Space Telescope. Andrea Cabral shares her thoughts on the upcoming Jan. 6 hearing, as well as Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress trial and the Biden administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Gov. Charlie Baker joins us to talk about the state of the MBTA, the future of abortion access, and his plan to tackle the housing crisis. He also answered listeners’ questions and calls during “Ask the Governor.” Baker is Governor of Massachusetts. Andris Nelsons discusses the way COVID-19 has impacted musicians, the reemergence of vocal performances at Tanglewood, and his upcoming summer concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Nelsons is Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they’re coping with the heat in Boston. Juliette Kayyem discusses record-breaking heat across Europe, and the Secret Service reportedly turning over just one text to the Jan. 6 panel. 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. Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo weighs in on the Boston Police Department’s response to the Patriot Front march through downtown Boston in early July. He also shares his thoughts on Boston’s new police commissioner, Michael Cox. Paul Reville talks about Education Commissioner Jeff Riley’s proposal to raise the passing score needed for 10th grade MCAS tests. Reville is the former secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the doctor who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio taking the first legal step against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita in a potential defamation case. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Sy Montgomery talks about black bears breaking into New Hampshire homes, and explains how to keep pets safe and cool during heat waves. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and BPR contributor. Her latest book is "The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” We end the show by talking with listeners about their summer office attire.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Sen. Ed Markey discusses the future of climate legislation in Congress, and calls for reforming the Supreme Court and abolishing the filibuster. Then, we open the phone lines, asking listeners if it’s time to expand the Supreme Court. Prof. Julia Hopkins explains the focus of her “Emerald Tutu” project, which would create a skirt of floating greenery along the most vulnerable parts of Boston’s shore. Hopkins is an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, and on a team of researchers hoping to install an “Emerald Tutu” along the city’s coast. Ryan Landry shares his current projects, from recent paintings to upcoming performances. Landry is a playwright, actor, songwriter, painter and canned tomato influencer. Adam Conover joins us ahead of his upcoming performances at Laugh Boston to talk about his new Netflix show “The G Word with Adam Conover” and reflect on the end of “Adam Ruins Everything.” Conover is a self-described investigative comedian. Sue O’Connell talks about obstacles to gender equity in the workplace. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. We end the show by asking listeners if they’ve ever napped at work.

Westford-based group Mocha Connection is partnering with farmers in Yemen to bring back the country’s status as a significant global supplier of coffee beans. Yemen, which has been engaged in a civil war for nearly a decade, is known for its distinct, chocolatey coffee beans that grow well in the country’s rich soil. In fact, mocha gets its name from Yemen’s port city Mocha, which is widely regarded as the birthplace of the coffee trade. “Four locally-based Yemeni natives are managing to get [coffee beans] out of Yemen, and are exporting coffee right here,” award-winning food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio. “I am so excited about it — I'm immediately going to mail order it.” 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne talks about Democrats’ recent legislative struggles in Congress including Sen. Joe Manchin’s refusal to support climate change plans, codifying Roe v. Wade, the plausibility of removing the filibuster, and the upcoming Jan. 6 hearings. Dionne is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.” Then, we ask listeners how they’re feeling about the state of the climate inaction. Michael Curry shares dispatches from the NAACP annual convention, including the way that communities of color are responding to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ performances so far. He also shares his thoughts on Boston’s response to the new COVID-19 variant. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss Pope Francis’ recent visit to Canada to apologize for abuse against Indigenous people in residential schools, the general opinions of the Dobbs decision in church communities of color, and the history of Negro Election Day, which may soon become a state holiday in Mass. 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. Christopher Wilkins talks about the Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s upcoming Summer series, as well as the importance of accessibility in their performances, and diversity in their composers. Wilkins is the Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s music director. Corby Kummer discusses Belmont’s Cafe Vanak being named one of the premier cafes in the world, the closure of Rep. Lauren Boebert’s gun-themed restaurant, a movie theater coming to Boston which serves full meals to its patrons, and the difficulties of patronizing Russian themed restaurants. 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. We end the show by talking about the heatwave coming to Boston.