Boston Public Radio

Inmates in Parchman, MS have used contraband cell phones to expose poor living conditions.

On Dec. 29, 2019 seventeen term congressman Rep. John Lewis announced that he is receiving treatment for stage four pancreatic cancer

A new report estimates more than a billion animals are 'dead or dying' from the fires.

In three weeks, voters in New Hampshire will cast their votes in the first presidential primary of the 2020 election.

On Sunday, the New York Times decided to select their endorsement for the candidate to beat former reality television star and President Donald Trump via their television show “The Weekly”.

The proposed legislation hopes to modernize state police hiring, promotions, accountability and discipline within the department.

Following Bridget Huber’s reporting for the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) on the end of emergency SNAP benefits, food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to discuss an impending “hunger cliff” that could dramatically increase food insecurity in the U.S. In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) temporarily strengthened SNAP, with households under the program receiving at least $95 extra per month. But 12 Republican-led states that have ended their pandemic emergency declarations without placing “a narrower public health emergency declaration in place,” thereby ending additional SNAP benefits provided by the USDA. The Biden administration recently extended the National Public Health Emergency, which was originally declared in March 2020, to mid-July — continuing emergency SNAP benefits for states that still have public health emergency declarations in place. “People who have gotten used to the increased pandemic benefits on SNAP for food assistance are suddenly seeing the monthly bump in their SNAP benefits go — in the case of a woman in Des Moines, Iowa — from $250 a month to $20 a month,” Kummer said. “The USDA, which runs SNAP, issued 4.1 billion in emergency allotments to more than 19 million households. This February, the most recent data available was $2.8 billion as opposed to $4.1 billion in emergency allotments. [That’s] 15 million households, not 19 million,” Kummer continued. “So you're already looking at billions cut: at least 4 million fewer households [are] getting it, and we can only imagine what that's going to be in the months to come.” 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether they would consider cheating on their taxes. Bill Evans discusses how security at the Boston Marathon changed in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He also talks about his love of running, and his experiences running in the Boston Marathon. Marathoner and former Boston police commissioner Bill Evans is now the police chief at Boston College. Corby Kummer talks about the death of the non-profit food news publication The Counter, and a new Wollaston Beach restaurant promoting vegan seafood. 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. Bobbi Gibb reflects on her experience as the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon, and the last 50 years of women running in the race. Gibb was the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1966. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the Vatican inviting both a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman to carry the cross at Rome’s Via Crucis, and the conservatives legislating the erasure of trans and queer people. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. We then ask listeners whether they loved – or loved to hate – Peeps. Des Linden joined us last week to talk about her 2018 Boston Marathon win as the first American woman to win the marathon in 33 years. Linden is a long-distance runner, a two-time Olympian, and the 2018 winner of the Boston Marathon in the women’s category.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners why Americans don’t spend more time volunteering, and whether the U.S. should implement a mandatory service year for young adults. John Carroll weighs in on the latest trends in political ads, including latest trends and how they affect voters. Carroll is a long-time media analyst, a former journalism professor at Boston University and former ad man. You can read his work at AskDoctorAds.com and ItsGoodToLiveinaTwoDailyTown.com Callie Crossley discusses Texas Governor Greg Abbott sending asylum seekers to Washington D.C., the police killing of Patrick Lyoya in Michigan and efforts to make marathon running more inclusive to Black runners. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Shirley Leung talks about her latest columns and business news, including the return of the wedding industrial complex and a new center for social change at Northeastern University. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Robin Baker and Tony Morales play music from their upcoming concerts and discuss their local music work. Baker is the Associate Director of Community Engagement for the Boston Celebrity Series, and the organizer of the four shows through the Neighborhood Arts branch of her organization. Morales is a violinist with the Orchestra of Indian Hill, the Vermont Symphony, the Missouri Symphony and the Boston Festival Orchestra, and a teacher at Boston String Academy. Viewers can watch Solos Together at BostonCelebritySeries.org, and see the final show April 23 at the Arlington String Church. Sue O’Connell explains why Boston will not have a pride parade this year, the growing trend of lingerie for men, how CNN+ has fared a few weeks after its launch and the finale of “Killing Eve.” O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC LX and NECN. We end the show by discussing the pros and cons of a cashless world.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates listeners on the latest in politics, including the newest inflation report and updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on the role of social media and free speech in society, after Elon Musk put forth an offer to buy Twitter. Andrea Cabral discusses a dropped murder charge for a Texas woman for a self-induced abortion and the latest news on the Brooklyn subway shooting. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville argues why schools should implement personalized “navigators” to help students with learning, and the Danvers Superintendent retiring after allegations of racism and harassment in the school’s hockey team. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads 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.” Arthur Brooks shares insight from his recent columns, including how to respectfully change others’ minds and the role of sports in friendships. Brooks is the William Henry Bloomberg professor of the practice of public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, a professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School, the happiness correspondent at The Atlantic and host of the podcast series “How to Build a Happy Life.” His latest book is “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” Jon Gruber weighs in on the state of inflation and how costs got so high in the first place. Gruber was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is “Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream.” We end the show by discussing the role of sports in friendships.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan talks about recommendations to screen children 8-years-old and up for anxiety, and new research into the effects of psilocybin in treating depression. 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. We continue our conversation on kids and mental health with listeners. Valerie Biden Owens shares what life was like growing up in the Biden family, and discusses her experiences as the longtime campaign manager and political adviser to her older brother, President Joe Biden. Biden Owens is Chair of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, a partner at Owens Patrick Leadership Seminars and a senior advisor to Diversified Search Group. Her book, “Growing Up Biden: A Memoir,” came out on April 12. Susan Zalkind discusses a 2011 triple homicide in Waltham that could have involved now-dead Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and the questions that remain for victims’ families. Zalkind’s forthcoming book “The Waltham Murders: An Unsolved Homicide, a National Tragedy and a Search for the Truth,” comes out next March. Michelle Singletary joins us for “Ask the Financial Expert,” answering listeners’ questions on finding financial advisers, dealing with student loans, and saving money during rising inflation. Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, whose award-winning column, "The Color of Money," provides insight into the world of personal finance.