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.

We’re on tape today, replaying some of our favorite conversations, which include: James Beard award winning pastry chef Joanne Chang discussing her book, Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes. Former commercial fisherman Bren Smith discussing his book, Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change. Jacques Pepin and his granddaughter Shorey Wesen discussing their latest collaboration, the cookbook A Grandfather’s Lessons: In the Kitchen with Shorey. Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, discussing why her work remains as relevant today as it did in the 1960s. Chris Kimball, founder of Milk Street, discussing his latest cookbook Tuesday Nights Mediterranean: 125 Simple Weeknight Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine. Andrew Li and Irene Li discuss their latest cookbook, which they wrote with their sister Margaret Li, Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd speaks about the San Jose Valley Transit Authority (VTA) rail yard shooting, and weighs in on what it would take for Congress to pass meaningful gun reform legislation. 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. Next, we talk with listeners about Massachusetts reopening for Memorial Day weekend. Andrea Cabral discusses New York prosecutors convening a grand jury to decide whether to indict former President Donald Trump and Trump Organization executives under a criminal investigation into the business. She also updates us on Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White’s ongoing legal battle. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Paul Reville talks about Boston Public Schools ending a partnership with a nonprofit due to alleged “cult-like” counseling sessions with students, and shared his thoughts on the future of hybrid learning. He also discusses research into whether children benefit from repeating a grade. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’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.” Then, we open the phone lines, asking listeners if they want their kids to repeat this school year in order to be more prepared for the next grade. Shirley Leung talks about corporate America’s pledge to racial equity after the murder of George Floyd, and shares her thoughts on whether corporations have made good on their promises a year later. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Rick Steves speaks about his travels in Israel and Palestine, and shares his thoughts on Europe reopening for travel. Steves is an author, television and radio host and the owner of the Rick Steves' Europe tour group. You can catch his television show, "Rick Steves’ Europe," weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2 and his radio show, “Travel With Rick Steves,” Sundays at 4 p.m. on GBH.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by asking listeners whether schools should have police officers on campus. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the CDC’s decision to not investigate breakthrough COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people, and the rollback of mask mandates across the country. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Juliette Kayyem discusses scientists’ increasing interest in the lab-leak origin theory of COVID-19. She also explains how Republicans who sought to overturn the 2020 election are now seeking roles as election officials. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi talks about the MBTA’s return to pre-pandemic service levels, and safety issues with new Orange Line cars. They also share their thoughts on how Boston’s next mayor could improve public transit and urban design. Dempsey is the director of the nonprofit Transportation for Massachusetts, and the former assistant secretary of transportation of Massachusetts. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Brian McGrory discusses the Spotlight team’s investigation into the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. He also talks about corporate buyouts of local newspapers, and the Boston Globe’s Fresh Start Initiative. McGrory is the editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe. Sy Montgomery updates us on a fungal pathogen infecting this year’s cicada Brood X, and speaks about a 600 mile cross-country drive to save a pigeon. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "The Hummingbirds’ Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings." We wrap up the show by asking listeners if they would travel hundreds of miles to save the life of an animal.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Attorney General Maura Healey discusses the investigation into Hopkinton teen Mikayla Miller’s death, the use of no-knock warrants in the Commonwealth, and allegations of domestic violence against Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White. She also answers listeners’ questions during “Ask the AG.” Dr. Renee Crichlow talks about vaccine hesitancy among parents, and laws allowing minors to get vaccinated without their parents’ permission. Dr. Crichlow is the chief medical officer at Codman Square Health Center and the incoming vice chair of health equity at the Boston University Department of Family Medicine. Michael Curry discusses how the murder of George Floyd reverberated in Boston, from police reform to the city’s mayoral race. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Next, we open the phone lines, talking with listeners about what has and hasn’t changed in the year since the murder of George Floyd. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, including GOP opposition to the formation of a Jan. 6 Capitol riots commission and President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners what they would do if they found a million dollars.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne talks about Democrats’ responses to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, and the generational divide among American Jews on Israel and Palestine. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.” Next, we open phone lines, asking listeners whether they want to continue working from home or return to the office. Rebecca Ostriker discusses the Boston Globe Spotlight team’s recent investigation into the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Ostriker is a news reporter for the Boston Globe. Trenni Kusnierek talks about golfer Phil Mickelson’s historic win as the oldest major champion to win the PGA Championship. She also discusses the Tokyo Olympics' COVID-19 restrictions. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on 1619 Project leader and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones being denied tenure by the University of North Carolina (UNC), and conservatives’ responses to the murder of George Floyd a year after his death. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is an executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. Richard Blanco highlights poems by war veterans and military spouses ahead of Memorial Day. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. We wrap up the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on the future of the handshake, post-pandemic.