Boston Public Radio

Two transportation experts give their takes on whether it's for the best that transportation services have been reduced.

Mayor Joe Curtatone said he believed the nation is past the point of containing the pandemic.

BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius explained how families can access food services during the Coronavirus outbreak.

How will the loss of late night comedy and commentary affect viewers at home?

Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian said they have banned visits and limited programming in an effort to keep inmates safe and healthy.

President Donald Trump’s handling of the spread of COVID-19 has earned criticism from some who think the president has not acted swiftly enough to prevent the virus' spread.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about recent criminal charges against members of the Trump Organization, and potential criminal referrals from the Jan. 6 Committee. Michael Curry argued for a statewide strategy in maintaining hospital bed expansions. Curry is the 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. He also serves on Governor-elect Maura Healey’s transition team, and Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell’s transition team. Juliette Kayyem discussed the arrest of multiple people in Germany for planning to overthrow the government, and an attack on a power grid in North Carolina that has left tens of thousands without power for days. 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. Her latest book is: “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” Dan Adams talked about the moms seeking out medical marijuana for their children with severe disabilities, and a blight affecting cannabis crops in Mass. Adams is the Boston Globe’s cannabis reporter and author of “This Week In Weed.” Corby Kummer explained how Vermont’s dairy farms are pivoting to adapt to climate change, and talked about panettone for the holidays. 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. Ed Dworsky talked about his mission to fight shrinkflation in food products. Dworsky is founder and editor of ConsumerWorld.org and Mouseprint.org. He’s a former director of consumer affairs education at the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs. We ended the show by asking listeners whether they’ve encountered shrinkflation.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse discussed dark money’s influence on the Supreme Court. Sen. Whitehouse’s latest book is “The Scheme: How The Right Wing Used Dark Money To Capture the Supreme Court.” Then, we opened the phone lines, continuing our conversation on the Supreme Court with listeners. Lee Pelton talked about the Boston Foundation’s Inaugural Boston Climate Progress Report, which finds that Boston is behind in its goals for carbon emissions. Pelton is the president and CEO of The Boston Foundation. Next, we spoke with listeners about charitable donations during the holiday season. Carol Rose shared her analysis of the Supreme Court’s hearing of a case involving a Christian graphic designer arguing that she has the right to refuse serve same-sex couples on religious grounds. She also discussed alleged case leaks from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Rose is the executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. John King updated us on the latest news from Georgia’s runoff election. King is CNN’s chief national correspondent. He’s also host of “Inside Politics,” weekdays at noon. We ended the show by talking with listeners about Oxford naming “goblin mode” the 2022 word of the year.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Seth Moulton discussed last week’s vote to impose a labor agreement on U.S. rail workers, and why he feels Congress ought to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act to protect refugees from deportation. We opened our lines to ask viewers about their thoughts regarding the challenges of building high-speed rail lines in Massachusetts and the state of this mode of transportation locally and nationally. Sean P. Murphy discussed a handful of consumer advocacy issues addressed in his “Fine Print” columns for the Boston Globe. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price III reflected on former President Trump’s faltering relationship with the Jewish community, and recent reporting on Christian church services in Qatar. Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine of the UK podcast “My Dad Wrote a Porno” talked about the climactic close to their six-season podcast, which airs next week. We closed the show asking listeners about their thoughts on self-checkout kiosks.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking about the Boston City Council’s vote to lower the local voting age to 16. Shirley Leung talked about the differences in the ways that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and New York City Mayor Eric Adams handle mental illness and homelessness, as well as her latest piece on the “Great Rethink” about the ways that we work. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Corby Kummer discussed the latest food headlines, including the issue of water insecurity, Whole Foods putting lobster on hold over whaling concerns, and the meaninglessness of expiration dates. Kummer is the 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. Sue O’Connell shared her thoughts on the Respect for Marriage Act passing in the Senate, more controversy at Balenciaga, Elon Musk abusing monkeys for his neuralink project, and "gaslighting" becoming Merriam Webster’s word of the year. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current on NBC LX and NECN. Jared Bowen gave us the latest on greater Boston arts: the return of Boston Athenaeum, “Twas the Night Before” at the Boch Center, and Harry Benson at the Addison Gallery. He also discussed the recent New York Times profile on the woman who gets to dust Michaelangelo’s David. Bowen is GBH's executive arts editor. Christina Day Martinson and Ann McMahon Quintero of Boston Baroque joined us ahead of performances of Handel’s Messiah this weekend at GBH to chat and play some music. Martinson is concertmaster for Boston Baroque, and Quintero is a mezzo-soprano soloist in their rendition of Handel's "Messiah." We ended the show by asking listeners what they think about having dogs in the office.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners their opinions on Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton coming to Boston. EJ Dionne weighed in on the state of Congress post-midterms and what it might take to affect change there. He also speculated about the GOP’s future, including the odds of general support for former President Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a 2024 presidential run. Dionne is an opinion columnist with the Washington Post. Juliette Kayyem talked about her latest piece on the training method of “run-hide-fight” in active shooter situations, as well as this week’s Oath Keepers convictions, COVID-19 protests in China, and what Kevin McCarthy potentially running the House would mean for U.S. national security. 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. Paul Reville talked about the recent inaction on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, learning loss in Boston Public Schools, and the lack of delivery on a fully elected school committee in Boston. Reville is Massachusetts’ former secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. Catherine Peterson from ArtsBoston and Cathy Carr Kelly from Central Square Theater shared some insights from an ArtsBoston survey investigating the way that arts and performances in Boston are recovering at this stage of the pandemic. Peterson is the executive director of ArtsBoston and Carr Kelly is the executive director of Central Square Theater. Odie Henderson reviewed some recent movies and told us what he thinks are the best films of the year. Henderson is a film critic at the Boston Globe. We ended the show by asking listeners for the pet peeves.