Boston Public Radio

The state's education commissioner announced that schools will use remote learning on days traditionally reserved for snowball fights and hot chocolate.

'The fundamental aspect of what we do is bring people together for this communal experience,' he said.

The systems that protect police are coming under increased scrutiny as activists call for broad reform.

Governor Charlier Baker announced the state is looking to reopen schools for in-person learning this fall.

Top public health officials refuted claims made by the president during a political rally that the country would slow down testing in response to an increase in cases.

The CNN correspondent said Democrats will be taking a risk in shutting the GOP bill down outright, in a vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Ron DeSantis announced that he’s running for president in a conversation with Elon Musk that was filled with technical issues. We opened the lines to hear from listeners on their thoughts on the perfectly time glitches. EJ Dionne will discuss his latest columns in the Washington Post. He'll focus on what's going on in DC and Congress. Andrea Cabral will provide insights on the ongoing movement concerning Supreme Court ethics, the continuing aftermath of the Rachael Rollins scandal, and other noteworthy legal headlines. Sandra Bernhard, an actress, singer and star of the one-woman show "Spring Affair," will be joining us. She's been on Will and Grace and American Horror Story. Shirley Leung will share her latest report regarding Mayor Wu and Boston's business community. She will also discuss the news that Ayanna Pressley is working towards renaming the post office by South Station in honor of the late community activist Caroline Chang. Rick Steves, renowned and beloved travel personality, will talk about his recent journey through Madrid. Additionally, he'll provide details about his upcoming concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our show concluded by honoring the legendary icon Tina Turner. We took calls and texts to see how people are remembering her.

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?