Boston Public Radio

Even if the nation did open its economy back up sooner rather than later, it won't be business as usual.

The economic journalist was dismissive of President Trump’s proposal to re-open the economy in April.

The president of Pine Street Inn discusses how homeless people are being impacted by the novel coronavirus

It's responsible to discuss public health restrictions' impacts on our economy during the coronavirus pandemic. But how we talk about it matters.

Social distancing from humans doesn't mean you can't be connected to all life.

Governor Charlie Baker has to be more direct about social distancing guidelines, regarding the novel coronavirus, says O'Connell.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joined to discuss about his career-long mission to confront dark money in politics, with a focus this week on Clarence Thomas and other gift-receivers on the Supreme Court. We opened the phone lines to ask listeners whether it’s a problem that no one in America seems to care about Supreme Court ethics. Michael Curry discussed the SJC's ruling on the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, plus GOP leveraging the debt ceiling to make cuts to federal health programs. He also touched on McKinley Schools getting renamed for Mel King, and the legacy of civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. Sue O’Connell joined to give updates to the Brian Walshe saga, California teetering on red-state boycotts, the death of Jerry Springer and Biden's embrace of "dark Brandon" memes. Jared Bowen also touched on the passing of Harry Belafonte. He reviewed art-world happenings, including a gallery of work by Alison Elizabeth Taylor at the Addison Art Gallery, and The Apollinaire Theater Company's "Dance Nation." He'll also talked about Gov. Healey's commitment to the arts and his recent sit-down with her on Open Studio. Patty Larkin is a singer/songwriter based in Wellfleet, MA. She played a couple of songs ahead of a benefit show in Lexington. We ended the show with spring sports. Have your ear drums been blown out by screaming parents at Little League? Are you an umpire who had to retire early to avoid abuse from parents? We asked people to call in.

Three famous media figures have been let go from their networks all falling from grace over how they treated, and talked about, women at their companies. Is the me-too movement still alive? We opened the lines to hear from listeners. Chuck Todd on the latest political headlines. Andrea Cabral weighs in on the E. Jean Carrol trial, also an SJC ruling on faulty breathalyzer tests, and more. Andy Ihnatko talks AI in music (fake Drake) and politics (Republicans), plus Apple’s new classical music streaming app, and the various state legislators trying to crack down on kids’ social media use. Christopher Muther recounts his trip to Medellin, talks about the best tasting drinks to order on a plane, that new big red building at Logan Airport and fly fishing in Arlington, Vermont. Nancy Gertner on her recent op-ed for the Globe about Trump-era judges… she’ll also cover ethics on the Supreme Court, their ruling on mifepristone, and the E. Jean Carroll trial. We ended the show by asking listeners what a meaningful protest looks like.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Can helicopter parenting stunt your child’s independence? We opened the lines to discuss. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the states restricting gender treatment for transgender adults; and the Florida surgeon general altering key findings on a study on COVID vaccine safety. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed Tucker Carlson’s extremism and the latest on fighting in Sudan. Tibisay Zea, host of GBH and El Planeta’s Spanish-language podcast “Salud,” discussed the show’s second season. Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, discussed Boston’s SatanCon, taking place this weekend. Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery discussed sentient bees, crying plants, and parrots who learned to video chat with each other to stave off loneliness. We ended the show hearing from listeners about the strange world of online comments sections.

Brian Stelter, a Special Correspondent at Vanity Fair, joined on zoom to discuss the departures of Tucker Carlson from Fox and Don Lemon from CNN. Then, we opened the phone lines to get listener’s reactions to the news. Do these firings mark a shift in media ahead of the 2024 election, or are we navel gazing? NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Casey discussed the NBA getting serious on mental health; Aaron Rodgers going to the Jets; and the latest from the Bs and Cs playoffs. Richard Taylor, former vice president of development at FMR properties and Darryl Settles, president of Catalyst Ventures Development, joined to discuss the redevelopment of Nubian Square and a new investment fund to close the racial wealth gap in Boston. Miles O’Brien, producer, director and host of NOVA’s "Chasing Carbon Zero" (premiering April 26 on PBS) joins with Yet-Ming Chiang, a materials science and engineering professor at MIT. Peter Lynch, who formerly managed the Magellan Fund at Fidelity Investments, joined to discuss an upcoming auction to raise awareness and support for the Catholic schools in the Boston Diocese. CNN’s John King joined on zoom for the latest political headlines. Tupperware warned it could go out of business after more than 70 decades. How could a brand name so ubiquitous go under? Where will we store our gazpacho now?! Or, like Margery, are you hopeful this may bring about an environmentally friendly, plastic-less future? We asked listeners to call in.

"Dope Labs" is a podcast that mixes “hardcore science with pop culture and a healthy dose of friendship." For hosts (and friends) Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley, the goal is to make science appealing, and visible, to everyone. “One of the things that’s really important for Zakiya and I, is bringing science to the people,” said Shodiya on Boston Public Radio on Monday. That idea is the driving force behind a feature length planetarium film in development by "Dope Labs" and Boston’s Museum of Science. The film will feature stories and scientific contributions of BIPOC scientists who audiences may not have heard about before. Funding for the film will come from NASA and the Simons Foundation. Shodiya, a materials scientist and engineer, and Whatley, a molecular biologist, created "Dope Labs" in 2019. The two met in graduate school while getting their respective Ph.D.s at Duke University. In a nod to their academic background, seasons of the podcast are called “semesters,” episodes are called “labs” and each show begins with a “recitation.” Module But topics are far from technical and dry. "Dope Labs" digs into a range of topics from the material and social science of shapewear, to a two-part episode on maternal health. “Let us find what you’re already interested in and tell you about the history of this … We’re just showing people that we’re engaging with science everyday, all the time. And it’s in places that you might not think about,” said Whatley. Whatley and Shodiya are not discouraged by the political polarization of science. They’ve done episodes on COVID-19 vaccines, birth control and even science denial. Some people’s minds may never be changed about a science topic, said Shodiya. But for those people who want to learn more about what is true, "Dope Labs" is there. “The work that we do on 'Dope Labs' is to give them a resource with friendly voices that are going to talk to them and meet them right where they are,” she said. Part of meeting people where they’re at includes showing audiences there are “many ways to be involved in STEM that don’t require you to get a Ph.D.,” said Whatley. “And that’s what we hope to shed light on with this film.” "Dope Labs" wrapped its fourth season in October 2022. The fifth “semester” is currently in pre-production with a launch date to be announced. People can listen to past episodes on all podcast platforms.