Boston Public Radio

"Parkland Rising" follows students leading March For Our Lives, grieving parents and others who used the tragedy in Parkland to change the national conversation about gun reform.

"Saving American Cities" tells the history of the man who brought a brutal City Hall to Boston, leveled an entire neighborhood, and sparked an economic revival.

The new law requires women seeking an abortion to have a medical procedure performed that serves no medical purpose.

The man behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised close to a billion dollars for ALS research, has died.

An art installation of a banana taped to a wall sold for $120,000. Then, another artist ate it off the museum wall.

The "Sesame Street" actor and puppeteer died on Sunday.

Today on "Boston Public Radio" : NBC's Chuck Todd zoomed in to discuss how Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock's victory over Republican candidate Herschel Walker in Georgia was the latest sign that former President Donald Trump's brand of conservatism is waning in popularity. He also discussed the latest upheaval to the media industry following the closing of the Washington Post Magazine, a strike at the New York Times and the continuing closures of local newspapers under control by large conglomerates. Chuck Todd is the Moderator of Meet the Press, host of Meet the Press Daily on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. We then held a call-in segment, where our listeners talked about where they receive their news and how they miss the local coverage provided by smaller newspapers. Governor Charlie Baker came into the studio for his last segment of "Ask the Governor" on BPR before he leaves office in January. He talked about how he doesn't own a car and is confused by newer models, some of his proudest moments in office, and received calls from former Governor Bill Weld, Governor-elect Maura Healey and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Nadia Liu Spellman of Dumpling Daughter joined with her mother, restaurateur Sally Ling, to discuss their respective culinary careers and their new book "Dumpling Daughter Cookbook." We ended the show by talking with listeners about whether they let their children swear.

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.