Boston Public Radio

On Wednesday, Dershowitz said that advanced a controversial legal theory in which he claimed a president could invite electoral interference from a foreign power to aid them because it would be in the public interest.

Trump defense attorney Alan Dershowitz argued in the impeachment trial the president is allowed to engage in a quid pro quo.

What would the former Patriots player and convicted murderer have been like without football brain injuries?

Yes, we should be focusing on the flu, but we should also be wary of just how unprepared we are for an outbreak in America.

On Tuesday, US Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling charged the chairman of Harvard University’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, Charles Lieber, with lying about his connections to a Chinese university.

Epic is being critiqued for not making its medical data easier to be shared between doctors and patients.

Today on Boston Public Radio: The MBTA is having a full-on meltdown, with two train derailments taking place over the course of a few days. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is it time to raise taxes to fix the beleagured transit system? Should children be able to make their own medical decisions about vaccines? Medial ethicist Arthur Caplan weighed in on the ongoing debate. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed the president’s attempt to block Congress from accessing documents about the 2020 Census citizenship question. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung talked about the Raytheon - United Technologies merger. Are face scans at airports a privacy trap? Tech writer Andy Ihnatko explained. Author and Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discussed the untimely (or timely?) death of the friendship tree gifted to President Trump from French President Emmanuel Macron. Art curator Pedro Alonzo discussed the upcoming public art installation New Horizon, which features a reflective hot air balloon that will travel across Boston.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has good news about the state of the country's school lunch programs, but it didn't do much to broadcast it. Food writer Corby Kummer explained on Boston Public Radio.

Today on Boston Public Radio: President Donald Trump has tapped Ken Cuccinelli to head the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Joining with his analysis was Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum as well as the author of "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration." A new poll says that 60% of voters believe the state is not adequately funding education — and that they're open to paying more taxes and reallocating funds to help districts that need it. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Do you agree? From multiple derailments on the MBTA to the coming "A-pike-alypse," we discussed all things transit with Jim Aloisi and Chris Dempsey. Aloisi is former state transportation secretary, a member of the TransitMatters board, and a contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Chris Dempsey is the director of Transportation for Massachusetts and a former assistant secretary of transportation. Is Trump playing chicken with chicken farmers? Corby Kummer weighed in. Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, senior editor at The Atlantic, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Historian Nancy Koehn discussed the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Koehn is an historian at the Harvard Business School where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration, and her latest book is "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times." Joining us on the line to go over the latest political headlines was John King, CNN's chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics." Is California the killjoy of travel? Their state legislature is close to outlawing travel-sized toiletries as a way of cracking down on plastics. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Can you live without your mini shampoos and soaps?

Today on Boston Public Radio: We talked about all things with politics with WGBH reporter Adam Reilly and UMass political science professor Erin O’Brien. Television expert Bob Thompson discussed the return of “Big Little Lies” and other highlights from the small screen this week. We were joined by Atara Rich-Shea and Mallory Hanora of CourtWatch MA, a grassroots group that observes arraignments daily in Suffolk County municipal courts and advocates for criminal justice reform. Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, discussed the shooting of David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic and other international news. On “All Revved Up,” Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price looked at the controversial plans to hold a so-called “Straight Pride” parade in Boston this summer. Annie Copps, a chef, instructor, and author, discussed this year’s Readable Feast, a festival for regional cookbook writers. Then we opened up the lines and asked our listeners: What are your favorite cookbooks?

Today on Boston Public Radio: It seems like just yesterday that Joe Biden was against the Hyde Amendment. Oh wait…that’s because it was *yesterday. We opened up the lines and asked you about Biden’s change of heart, but also more broadly about how you feel when people you know *change their minds. Then we examined a species on the verge of extinction: the American diplomat. Author George Packer shared his new biography of Richard Holbrooke, “Our Man.” Emily Rooney, host of Beat the Press, shared her famous list of observations and frustrations. Food writer Corby Kummer explained what it is about working in an office that turns people into snack fiends. Boston Globe business reporter Shirley Leung looked at the slew of store closings in Harvard Square. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko explained YouTube’s new anti-harassment policies. Will they be enforced? Former U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra Alan Solomont and Susan Lewis Solomont, author of “Lost and Found In Spain,” faced off on our Friday News Quiz.