Boston Public Radio

Ractopamine causes harm to humans and pigs, is banned in over 100 countries but is allowed in the US, says Corby Kummer.

Boston Globe Cannabis Correspondent Dan Adams explains the concerns some have with the state's e-cigarette ban.

The "All Rev’d Up" hosts gave their take on new gospel music from rapper Kanye West.

Jennifer Braceras and Steve Kerrigan spoke about how the death of al-Baghdadi affects Trump's optics.

In the wake of Abu Bar Al-Baghdadi's death, Charlie Sennott said that ISIS will likely try to regroup.

Walsh said his administration has been focused on long-term city planning and affordable housing.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne shares his thoughts on President Joe Biden’s approval ratings and first 100 days in office. 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 the phone lines, asking listeners how they feel about sending their kids back to school. Charlie Sennott talks about President Biden’s decision to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians during World War I as a genocide, and the Biden administration’s Leaders Summit on Climate. He also discusses the Groundtruth Project’s podcast on the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers, and their upcoming conference on the legacy of Daniel Ellsberg in partnership with UMass Amherst. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Jenifer McKim discusses “Unseen,” an investigative series from the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting, which looks at the boys and young men lured into the sex trade. McKim is an investigative reporter with the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on faith leaders’ responses to the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. They also talk about vaccine hesitancy among Evangelical Christians. 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. Meredith Goldstein previews her new YA book, “Things That Grow,” and talked about the state of romance and relationships during the pandemic. Goldstein is an advice columnist and features writer for the Boston Globe. Her advice column, Love Letters, is a daily dispatch of wisdom for the lovelorn that has been running for more than a decade. She also hosts the Love Letters podcast. We end the show by talking with listeners about returning to the silver screen.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by asking listeners whether they wanted to continue working from home after the pandemic. Sue O’Connell explains the decision to put Bay Windows and the South End News on the market. She also weighs in on Caitlyn Jenner launching a bid for the California governorship. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. Bina Venkataraman recaps the latest Boston Globe editorials, from the Massachusetts legislature's transparency issues to Boston hospital CEOs moonlighting on corporate boards. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Callie Crossley shares her thoughts on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict and the party-line vote on D.C. statehood. She also talks about former President George W. Bush’s relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Richard Blanco marks National Poetry Month by highlighting the works of four U.S. poet laureates. 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. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on wearing masks outdoors, and whether Johnson & Johnson vaccinations might resume soon. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. Emily Rooney talks about Facebook’s upcoming announcement on whether they will lift former President Donald Trump’s suspension from the platform. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from the Derek Chauvin trial verdict to state efforts to reform police departments. 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 ask listeners about how they’re trying to become more eco-friendly in their everyday life. Andrea Cabral discusses the release of redacted internal affairs documents on the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. David Abel previews his new documentary “Entangled,” which looks at how climate change exacerbated a battle between the endangered North Atlantic right whale and the lobster industry. Abel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Boston Globe. Along with Andy Laub, he’s written, directed and produced the documentary film “Entangled.” It airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST on GBH’s WORLD channel. Kobie Evans talks about how the pandemic impacted Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary, which opened two weeks before the COVID-19-imposed lockdown. He also discusses the obstacles other states are facing in legalizing marijuana. Evans co-owns Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary. Jared Bowen discusses the documentary “Crip Camp,” which is nominated for an Oscar, and the American Heritage Museum in Stowe, Massachusetts. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about Amazon’s new program that would allow customers to pay by scanning their palms at select Whole Foods stores.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Throughout the show, we took listeners’ calls on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. Michael Curry shares his thoughts on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict, urging that the fight for racial justice is not over. 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. Jamarhl Crawford talks about his work with Blackstonian and the Boston Police Reform Task Force, and weighs in on how racial justice activists should continue their work. Crawford is a community activist, the publisher of Blackstonian and a member of the Boston Police Reform Task Force. Rahsaan Hall explains how people may feel more emboldened to film police encounters due to the video evidence used in the trial of Derek Chauvin. He also talks about Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ decision to not prosecute low level offenses. Hall is the director of the Racial Justice Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. Juliette Kayyem argues for the elimination of elected law enforcement officials and a decrease in the number of police departments across the U.S. 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. Andrea Cabral gives her legal analysis of the Derek Chauvin trial and verdict, and discusses potential strategies the defense teams representing the three other officers charged in George Floyd’s death might use in court. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on whether Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict amounts to justice for George Floyd. They also talk about the generational trauma of police brutality and anti-Black violence. 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners whether Massachusetts should lift rules on wearing masks outside. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the backlash against the European Super League, and her plans for the Tokyo Olympics. She also discusses the debate over bills seeking to ban transgender athletes from school sports. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui discusses Cambridge’s new universal basic income pilot program, which is set to launch in August. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi share their thoughts on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, and clean energy in transportation. 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. Rick Steves argues for the decriminalization of marijuana as a way of mitigating mass incarceration and advancing civil liberties. He also talks about his self-imposed carbon tax. 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. John King updates us on the trial of Derek Chauvin. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. To end the show, we talk with listeners about all things cannabis.