Boston Public Radio

Working conditions within meat packing plants require close quarters to colleagues, says Kummer.

The WGBH news analyst weighed in on the myriad of factors threatening journalism both in the U.S. and around the world.

Steves is stuck at home for now, but is keeping his company going so they can jump right back in when pandemic passes.

The charming new Netflix show is a comforting during the pandemic, Thompson says.

Massachusetts has flattened the curve, but has only seen a plateau of COVID-19 cases, not yet a decline.

The hours and product lines are limited at the restaurant and select Flour bakeries.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about increasing political violence in the leadup to midterm elections. Trenni Casey talked about Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s divorce, and the Patriots’ current season. Trenni Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. Lee Pelton discussed the Supreme Court’s affirmative action cases, and The Boston Foundation’s recently released report card on housing in Boston. Lee Pelton is the president and CEO of The Boston Foundation. Elvis Jocol Lara and Delmarina Lopez talked about El Mundo’s “Latino 30 Under 30,” and the current state of democracy. Elvis Jocol Lara is the creator of El Mundo’s “30 Under 30,” now in its 5th year. Delmarina Lopez is an attorney and the first Afro-Latina to be elected to the Chicopee City Council. She’s one of the under-30’s highlighted in this year’s list. Carol Rose shared her thoughts on the legal arguments heard in the Supreme Court’s affirmative action cases. She also talked about how the ACLU is shoring up election infrastructure ahead of the midterms. Carol Rose is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on the attack of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, in the couple’s San Francisco home. John King is CNN’s chief national correspondent and the host of “Inside Politics.” We ended the show by asking listeners if they would shorten their showers in the name of climate change, as European leaders urge residents to conserve hot water.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dan Cence and Andrew Farnitano joined us for an hourlong debate on Massachusetts’ Ballot Question 1 — known as the Fair Share Amendment, millionaires tax or tax hike amendment. We also opened up the lines to listeners with questions on the initiative, which would add an additional 4% tax on individuals’ income above $1,000,000. Cence is a spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment and CEO of the Issues Management Group. Farnitano is the communications director for Fair Share for Massachusetts and a consultant at Crawford Strategies. Charlie Sennott discussed the latest news in international politics, from the recent halting of grain shipments by Russia to the election of Lula over Bolsonaro in Brazil and his latest piece in the Boston Globe on the degradation of journalism. Sennott is the founder and executive director of the GroundTruth Project. Christopher Muther joined the show and discussed his recent time in the Greek Peloponnese peninsula. He also talked about the concept of “dark tourism” and offered listeners some tips for striking up small talk with strangers anywhere. Muther is a travel writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discussed the proliferation of antisemitism around the United States, voter intimidation concerns ahead of the midterm elections and the recent passing of Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts III. 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. Andris Nelsons discussed the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming trip to Japan. Nelsons is the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. We closed the show with a call-in segment with listeners about when the cut-off age should be for trick or treating.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking our listeners how they feel about Elon Musk buying Twitter. Lyndia Downie, president of the Pine Street Inn, discussed the organization's plan to build more than 100 studio apartments at a former "Comfort Inn" in Dorchester despite the steep opposition from neighbors and local leaders. She also discussed the ongoing tension between the city of Boston and the state when it comes to Mass and Cass and ended by highlighting that Boston’s homeless population has dipped by 25 percent over two years. Callie Crossley talked about the divorce between Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen. She also predicted the impact of Elon Musk buying Twitter, and weighed in on how the media covered John Fetterman's performance during his Pennsylvania senatorial debate with Dr. Mehmet Oz. Callie Crossley is the host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.” Irene Li & Steven “Nookie” Postal brought food and talked about their respective journeys to reaching success in Boston's cuisine scene. Irene’s "Mei Mei Dumplings" has a new cafe and dumpling factory opening in South Boston. "Nookie" provided updates about his restaurants, the "Revival Café" and "Commonwealth Cambridge." Deborah Z. Porter, the director of the Boston Book Festival, and author Gish Jen stopped by to give a rundown on what to expect at the festival this weekend. Gish also discussed her latest book. The musician "BLKBOK" performed during the latest segment of "Live-Music Fridays." He's a Detroit-based classical pianist who’s worked with artists like Justin Timberlake and Rihanna. He had a show at City Winery on Thursday night. We ended the show by asking our listeners to call in and tell us about their favorite Halloween candy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Maura Healey. Healey discussed her endorsement of tax reform, her support of ballot Question 1, and her desire to have more dense housing built in the state. She also discussed the climate policies she would like to implement if she wins the election on Nov. 8. Next, we took our listeners' calls on how they feel leading up to the midterms elections now that recent polling shows Republicans have a chance of taking control of both chambers of Congress. Then Andrea Cabral discussed the implications of Justice Clarence Thomas freezing a lower court decision that would’ve compelled Senator Lindsey Graham to testify about election tampering in Georgia. Thomas has faced calls to recuse himself from all 2020 election matters because of his wife Ginny’s history of pushing election conspiracy theories onto public officials. Cabral is former Suffolk County Sheriff and former secretary of Public Safety. Gov. Charlie Baker was in-studio for his last “Ask the Governor” segment before the election. He answered our listeners’ questions about struggles at the MBTA, his endorsement of Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, and refused to say who he plans to vote for to succeed him in the corner office. Then finally, we opened the lines again to ask our listeners if they are among the 50 percent of Americans who told a poll that they believe in ghosts.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking listeners' calls, hearing their reactions to the news from the MBTA that Orange Line trains will run at reduced speeds until December despite work done during a 30-day shutdown. Jenifer McKim and Sarah Betancourt discussed GBH News' investigative reporting series ["Trafficking, Inc.,"](gbh.org/news/trafficking) which dives into labor trafficking in Mass. McKim is GBH News' Deputy Investigative Editor. Betancourt is a GBH News reporter. Juliette Kayeem discussed the death of former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, and backlash over a letter on Ukraine negotiations released by Democrats that has since been withdrawn. Kayyem was the assistant secretary for Homeland Security under former President Barack Obama, and is the faculty chair of the Homeland Security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her 2022 book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” Erika Kinetz and Tom Jennings joined the show to discuss Frontline’s latest documentary, “Putin's Attack on Ukraine: Documenting War Crimes.” Kinetz is a global investigative reporter for the Associated Press. Jennings is a director for Frontline. Jared Bowen talked about ongoing arts events in and around Boston, from "Metal of Honor" at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to Claudia Comte’s "Five Marble Leaves" along Boston's waterfront. Bowen is GBH News’ Executive Arts Editor. Joan Donovan joined us to discuss her new book, which looks into far-right meme culture and its dissemination into mainstream politics. Donovan is a media researcher and adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her new book is “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles upending Democracy in America,” cowritten with Emily Dreyfuss and Brian Friedberg. We ended the show by asking listeners if they're pro- or anti-leaf blower.