Boston Public Radio

Like restaurants and movie theaters, most artistic venues have closed their doors and canceled performances.

A 3D-printer made hundreds of copies of a ventilator piece in high demand.

Food supply anxiety is creating a demand for personal gardens.

As the novel coronavirus responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread, there is a growing chorus of people calling for the release of prisoners who either no longer pose a threat to society or committed nonviolent offenses and are vulnerable to fatally contracting the disease

Members of the House are expected to vote Thursday on a $2.2 trillion economic relief bill to mitigate financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Meet the Press" moderator also defended former Vice President Joe Biden's limited public response to the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Maggie Haberman joined us to talk about her new book on former President Donald Trump titled, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” Haberman is a senior political reporter at The New York Times and CNN analyst. Then, we opened our lines to ask: Are American politics irreparably warped? What does it say about us that we can’t stop talking about former President Trump? Charlie Sennott from the GroundTruth Project discussed the latest news in international politics. From the recent escalations in the war in Ukraine and China’s president, Xi Jinping, readying himself for his newest presidential term. Bill McKibben discussed today’s climate news, why the world shouldn’t rely on King Charles III to lead on climate policy, lessons after Hurricane Ian — which ripped through Florida just a few weeks ago — and investments into storm preparation. McKibben is an environmentalist, author, journalist and founder of 350.org. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed Boston Muslims pushing for double-parking privileges, recent abortion rallies in Boston and Kanye’s deep-dive into antisemitism. Monroe and Price are hosts of GBH’s podcast All Rev'd Up. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III on BPR | Oct. 17, 2022 We closed the show by asking listeners about their thoughts on sacrificing certain things to fight climate change.

Writer George Saunders received a MacArthur fellowship in 2006, and his first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” published in 2017, won the Booker Prize. His latest collection of short stories, “Liberation Day,” is scheduled for release on October 18. Ahead of Saunders’ upcoming appearance at Harvard Bookstore (October 25) GBH’s Arts and Culture reporter James Bennett II interviewed Saunders about the writer’s penchant for surreal settings, his quirky -- yet fully realized -- characters and his knack for sublimating the drama of daily drudgery. We hope you enjoy this bonus podcast!

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on the death penalty, after a jury sentenced the Parkland school shooter to life in prison. Shirley Leung talked about her latest piece on Massachusetts Question 1 aka "the millionaire's tax," the return of the looming eviction wave, and the Boston Pops clarinet player who went on to make $100 milllion for Boston University through the stock market. Callie Crossley shared her thoughts on the Jan. 6 hearings, the new Little Mermaid movie, and the newest product from Kellogg: Eggo-Nog. Jared Bowen discussed an MFA’s directors dealings with a dubious English art dealer, “My Obsession” at the Boston Ballet, Step Afrika!’s “Drumfolk,” and shared his thoughts on the movies “Tár” and “Hocus Pocus 2.” Regie Gibson joined us with his Atlas Soul Trio ahead of a pair of shows with the Boston Celebrity Series to talked about his love of language, and play a few songs.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on today’s Jan. 6 hearing. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Next, we opened the phone lines, talking with listeners about the January 6th House Select Committee hearings. Andrea Cabral discussed a Connecticut jury ordering Alex Jones to pay Sandy Hook victims’ families nearly $1 billion in damages. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Rick Steves joined us to talk about the essential artwork on view throughout Europe. Steves is a television host, guidebook author, activist and owner and founder of Rick Steves’ Europe. His latest special, “Rick Steves Art of Europe,” is available for streaming on PBS Passport. We then switched to live coverage of today’s hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Jim and Margery opened the show by taking your calls about a study from the University of Utah which found that 42 percent of Americans lied or misrepresented their adherence to Covid-19 protocols. Medical Ethicist Art Caplan discussed a new experiment out of Japan where researchers implanted transmitters into cockroaches, allowing them to be controlled remotely. Researchers say the technology can be used to assist in search and rescue missions. 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. Juliette Kayyem discussed the implications of President Joe Biden's comments that the world is facing the biggest threat of a nuclear Armageddon since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Juliette 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. MIT Economist Jonathan Gruber discussed tactics on how to choose the best healthcare plan during open enrollment period at private companies and for Medicare. Gruber suggested paying close attention to the out of pocket spending limit within your plans. Jonathan Gruber is Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act. His latest book is Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream Michael Curry discussed ways to improve equity in healthcare services as well as the latest racist comments from Senator Tommy Tuberville during a Trump rally. President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, where he chairs the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee We closed the show with a listener call-in session about whether the expectations for tipping have gotten out of hand.