Boston Public Radio

The “Meet the Press” moderator criticized the lack of testing being done in the U.S.

When news broke that a novel coronavirus which was first discovered in China was spreading it was reminiscent of the plots of some novels Dr. Robin Cook has written.

Economist Jonathan Gruber criticized President Trump's push for a payroll tax cut, and also called for the government to stimulate the production of a vaccine.

Theaters and museums have to find the balance between public safety and the success of their organizations.

"We're using ideological filtering, not science filtering," said medical ethicist Arthur Caplan.

Kayyem praised Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker for declaring a state of emergency due to coronavirus.

We opened the phone lines to check in with listeners one day after Trump’s arraignment and the announcement of his 34 felony charges. Then, medical ethicist Art Caplan weighed in on MIT scientists who are calling for a pause in AI development, and a legal challenge to Obamacare in Texas that imperils the availability of HIV drugs, cancer screenings and other preventative care without copays. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed Harvard University’s police response to a hoax emergency call, Finland joining NATO and the arrest of a WSJ journalist in Russia. GBH’s Jared Bowen discussed the Elliot Norton Award nominees and a production of Coriolanus at the Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Comedian Aida Rodriguez joined us before her show at the City Winery Boston on April 12. Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discussed big dairy’s all-out push to bring Gen-Z back from nut-milk nirvana; and the rise in popularity of turbot. A new analysis based on 40 years of the research was published in JAMA, finding that even mild drinking has negative impacts. We asked listeners, will this new research impact their behavior? Or, do the stress relief and social aspects of drinking provide enough cover for them to rationalize any negative health impacts?

Today former President Donald Trump was arraigned in Manhattan. No video cameras were allowed in the courtroom. We asked listeners whether they thought the public should be able to view the proceedings. NBC Sports Boston’s Trenni Casey gave a rundown of the NCAA basketball title games, plus insights on the new Major League Baseball rules. ACLU of Massachusetts executive director Carol Rose discussed the Trump arraignment and a SCOTUS immigration case that centers on free speech. Martin Smith of Frontline discussed the new three-part series titled "America and the Taliban". Part one airs tonight on PBS. Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation discussed the upcoming report that examines Black wealth in Boston. As Trump entered the courthouse, we broadcasted live to hear from Michael Curry, former federal judge Nancy Gertner and Ron Sullivan, the faculty director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute and the Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshop.

Today on Boston Public Radio: There’s history in the making with former president Trump being indicted. But is the media going overboard with too much Trump coverage? We opened the lines for listeners to let us know how they’re keeping afloat. Harvard labor lawyer Terri Gerstein discussed child labor laws being rolled back throughout the country. Charlie Sennott joined from Belfast to fill us in on the Good Friday Agreement, the WSJ journalist arrested for espionage in Russia, and the consequences of a "Trump revival" for foreign leaders. E.J. Dionne discussed some of his latest columns on Biden's presidential legacy, being stuck in a "Trump world", and the departure of the chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. The Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III on to discuss Pope Francis' illness (and announcement that he's "Still Alive"), Mel King's influence on Boston leadership and whether DeSantis can break Trump's hold on the religious right. Film critic Odie Henderson will discuss Affleck and Damon's new movie "Air", the dungeons & dragons movie, "John Wick: Chapter 4" and the new Reggie Jackson documentary, "Reggie". We ended the show on a peculiar note — Turkeys. April is mating season for the creatures and we wanted to know about the encounters people have had with turkeys.

Jared Bowen filled in for Jim Braude at the Boston Public Library. Turns out Jim was too busy taking photos of Trump supporters outside of Mar-A-Lago. Last night the news broke about Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury. We started the show by hearing from former federal judge Nancy Gertner with her reactions and legal analysis. Then we opened the phone lines to hear from listeners. What were their reactions to the news, and what does the indictment mean for next year’s presidential election? Sue O’Connell discussed the transphobia surrounding the Tennessee mass shooting. On the lighter side, she celebrated the one-year anniversary of Wordle, and ancient artifacts that may or may not be sex toys. Corby Kummer joined to discuss the James Beard Award nominees, a meatball made from mammoth DNA and the state of food insecurity in Massachusetts. Journalist Andrea Bernstein from WNYC and co-host of the Peabody winning podcast Trump, Inc. joined to discuss Trump’s indictment. Will Dailey, a local singer/songwriter, joined for Live Music Friday. He performed two songs and spoke to Margery and Jared about his new podcast called Sound of Our Town.

Chuck Todd on the latest out of D.C., and his contentious interview last Sunday with Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina. Then we opened the phone and text lines to get listener’s take on Red Sox Opening Day. Does this mean it’s officially spring? Turns out, we have many nature-loving listeners who depend on the sound of spring peepers to signal the new season, not the ump’s call. Andrea Cabral on Chat-GPT making its way to Indian courtroom. She also discussed an indictment charge for the man who drove his car into a Hingham Apple store, the skiing trial of Gwyneth Paltrow and Adnan Syed (of “Serial” fame) getting his murder conviction reinstated. Michael Curry on accusations of racism in Wayland after a Black superintendent was placed on leave, and how some members of the NAACP are looking to get a travel advisory for Florida. He also touched on a few medical stories, including over the counter Narcan and a nursing home COVID outbreak. Elie Honig is a former federal prosecutor turned podcaster. The latest season of his show Up Against the Mob focuses on organized crime in Springfield. He joined to discuss. Kara Baskin is on to discuss some of her latest parenting/advice columns. This week it’s how to talk to your kids about gun violence, navigating perimenopause, bracing for college admissions season as a parent, and navigating a breakup/divorce during March (the month to do it, apparently). We continued the college admissions discussion by hearing from listeners. What advice would they give to parents or young kids about college?