Boston Public Radio

In fighting the outbreak of COVID-19, Rep. Ayanna Pressley is calling for legislation to ensure that the nation’s prisoners are not left out of any federal relief programs

The “Open Studio” host offered several recommendations for ways listeners can support artists and theater workers.

The federal government will need to provide a safety net to protect people and businesses who are struggling during the spread of COVID-19.

Todd predicts that we have until the end of April before people start getting cabin fever.

The National Immigrant Forum's executive director accused the Trump administration of 'trying to create a narrative that blames the foreigner’ for the coronavirus.

The senator liked the impact of COVID-19 to World War II and the Great Depression.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the show by taking our listener’s calls to ask how they felt about The Embrace sculpture installed on Boston Common last week. The statue highlights the connections Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King had to the city of Boston and honors their love and legacy of civil rights activism. Michael Curry, the CEO of the community health centers of Massachusetts, called in from the annual MLK Day memorial breakfast in Boston. He discussed the legacy of the Kings in Boston and what the monument means for the city going forward. Curry is also a member of the national NAACP board of directors, where he chairs the board’s advocacy and policy committee Charlie Sennott of the Groundtruth Project came on to talk about the new equipment that the United States has sent to Ukraine, and how that reflects the shifting needs of the army there. He also discussed the ongoing threats to democracy in Brazil by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Shirley Leung came on to discuss the holes in the electric vehicle charging network in Massachusetts and across the country. She also discussed the optimism among business leaders regarding Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. Leung is a Boston Globe business columnist. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price III joined us to discuss how Dr. King’s message and beliefs have been misconstrued and sanitized for political convenience over the course of American history. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the inaugural dean of Africana studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Then we aired a segment from our live broadcast of The Embrace unveiling from this past Friday. The segment included excerpts from our interviews with members of the King family, Diane and Deval Patrick, Mayor Michelle Wu, Healey and Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell. We ended the show by asking listeners if they are participating in this national day of service on MLK Day.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the murder of Ana Walshe, and what our obsession with true crime says about us. Art Caplan talked about AI’s increasing role in medicine. 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. Liz Neisloss and Prof. Judith Gonyea discussed GBH’s latest reporting from “Priced Out,” focusing on older women experiencing homelessness. Neisloss is a reporter for GBH. Gonyea is a professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Boston University’s School of Social Work and senior fellow in the Institute for Health Systems Innovation & Policy at Boston University. Dan Adams talked about the RMV’s new stoned driving curriculum. Adams is the Boston Globe’s cannabis reporter and author of “This Week In Weed,” the definitive marijuana newsletter. Corby Kummer shared his thoughts on the systems at work reinforcing the restaurant industry’s low wages, and calls to break up the FDA. 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. Sy Montgomery joined us for this month’s edition of “The Afternoon Zoo,” focusing on new research indicating turtles communicate with their eggs before they hatch. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist, author and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is “The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” We ended the show by talking with listeners about Madonna’s international music tour announcement, and double standards for older women in music.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about making the switch to more environmentally-conscious household items, from induction stovetops to heat pumps for heating and A/C. Trenni Casey talked about a possible rift forming between Bill Belichick and the Krafts. Casey is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a BPR contributor. Bill McKibben discussed the release of a study claiming that ExxonMobil accurately predicted future global warming in the 1970s, while continuing to publicly cast doubt on climate change. He also talked about making the switch from gas stove tops to induction cooktops. McKibben is the co-founder of 350.org and founder of ThirdAct.org. He has a newsletter on Substack titled “The Crucial Years.” He also has a new, serialized book titled “The Other Cheek: An Epic Nonviolent Yarn.” Paul Reville shared his analysis of the Supreme Court’s potential ruling on affirmative action. Reville is the former Secretary of Education of Massachusetts 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.” Juliette Kayyem discussed the seditious conspiracy trial against five members of the Proud Boys for their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Kayyem is a 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. Her new book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” John King updated us on the latest political headlines, focusing on accusations made against a fundraiser for Rep. George Santos, who allegedly posed as an aide for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before donors. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, and the host of “Inside Politics,” airing weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about how they’re combating climate fatalism.

Today on Boston Public Radio, the show broadcast live from the unveiling of the Embrace sculpture in downtown Boston. Hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan spoke with GBH Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston, who offered reporting from the field; and GBH's Callie Crossley, who provided analysis before and after the unveiling. They also spoke with: Embrace executive director Imari Paris Jeffries; artist Hank Willis Thomas and architect Jonathan Evans; former Governor Deval Patrick and Diane Patrick; Embrace co-founders Paul English, Rev. Jeffrey Brown and Rev. Liz Walker; The Boston Foundation’s Lee Pelton; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley; the NAACP’s Michael Curry and Tanisha Sullivan; Governor Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and AG-elect Andrea Campbell in conversation together; and members of the King family, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Yolanda Renee King. The unveiling ceremony, emceed by NBC10 Boston's Latoyia Edwards, began at 1pm. Boston Public Radio anchored live coverage of the historic event for GBH News.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC political director Chuck Todd discussed the latest disclosure by President Biden's legal team of another batch of classified documents from his time as Vice President, and calls from his own Republican colleagues for Rep. George Santos to resign. We opened the lines to listeners to discuss the impact of rising housing costs, worsening traffic congestion, and other aspects of Boston life that are prompting people to move elsewhere. Andrea Cabral, former Secretary of Public Safety for Massachusetts and Suffolk County Sheriff, discussed the details of Ana Walshe, last seen on Jan. 1. Christopher Muther, Boston Globe travel writer, discussed the most in-demand travel locations for 2023. Andy Ihnatko, tech writer and podcaster, discussed new advancements in artificial intelligence that can mimic human speech with just three seconds of input. Odie Henderson, Boston Globe film critic, discussed his favorite movies of 2022. We ended the show by talking with listeners about the words and phrases we'd like to put to sleep in 2023, from "deep-dive" to "bae."