Boston Public Radio

The NECN contributor said Tuesday’s ruling highlights weaknesses in Harvard’s admissions process.

On Wednesday, WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen said the film "Joker" was disturbing and fascinating.

A new FRONTLINE documentary takes viewers inside Saudi Arabia's power structure to find answers about the journalist's murder.

Juul's new CEO used to be a tobacco industry executive.

Thirty-two prisons bought uninspected and degraded meat for their inmates, Corby Kummer says.

The law will go into effect in 2023, but a legal fight with the NCAA seems imminent, says Trenni Kusnierek.

Today on Boston Public Radio we're on tape, bringing you some of our favorite conversations from recent years. We begin with Greater Boston’s debate featuring the Democratic candidates for Massachusetts attorney general. It was the first televised debate between former state prosecutor Quentin Palfrey, labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan and Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell – all vying to replace Maura Healey. Ben Shattuck talks about about following the hikes of Henry David Thoreau in “Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau.” Howard Bryant discusses his book, "The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners about America’s political divide. Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett discusses the latest news on COVID-19 and monkeypox vaccines, and answers listeners’ questions in another edition of “Ask the Doctor.” Gergen-Barnett is the vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation and residency director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Callie Crossley talks about Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast “Archetypes,” and a new Madame C.J. Walker Barbie doll. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Micheal Twitty discusses the Jewish and African diaspora through his new book, “Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.” Twitty is a James Beard winning author, chef, and cultural historian. His new book is “Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.” Eric Deggans shares his thoughts on the latest on TV, from “Better Call Saul” to “A League of Their Own.” Deggans is NPR’s TV critic and a regular on Boston Public Radio. John Davidson reflects on his life and career, and his time hosting “Hollywood Squares.” He also performs a sampling of his music live at the Boston Public Library. Davidson is an actor, musician, and all-around entertainer who’s filled in for Johnny Carson, hosted shows like “Hollywood Squares,” “That’s Incredible!,” and “Time Machine.” Nowadays you can catch him performing music up at Club Sandwich in Center Sandwich, New Hampshire. We end the show by asking listeners for their favorite summer drinks.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners about the Biden administration’s recent string of wins ahead of the midterms. Adam Reilly & Saraya Wintersmith shares their perspectives on the latest in Mass. politics, including the fallout of the Boston Globe’s reporting on past sexual assault allegations of Suffolk County DA candidate and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, as well as the races for governor and secretary of state. Reilly is a correspondent for GBH News. Wintersmith covers Boston City Hall for GBH News. Marcella García continues the discussion surrounding the race for Suffolk County DA, and then discusses some of her latest columns about the Mass. legislature passing a law which allows undocumented people to get a drivers liscence, and accusations of a lack of care from an East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. García is an op-ed columnist for the Boston Globe. Paul Reville breaks down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, and discussed raised MCAS standards in the Commonwealth, and debate over whether K-12 students ought to be guaranteed recess. Reville is Massachusetts’ former secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. Dr. Trisha Pascricha talks about her latest column raising ethical questions surrounding pre-surgery pregnancy tests post Dobbs, the recent colonoscopy craze and its complications, and the way that vacations can affect our…regularity. Pascricha is a neurogastroenterologist at Mass. General Hospital and a writer. Nick Quah gives us his latest podcast recommendations, including Jamie Loftus’ Ghost Church, Marc Smerling’s Crooked City, Susan Orlean’s Book Exploder, Double Elvis Productions’ Lust for Live: Boston and Nick van der Kolk’s Love & Radio. Quah is Vulture’s podcast critic. We end the show by talking about whether advancing robot technology is worrying to them.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by taking calls about how listeners feel about President Joe Biden’s expected announcement on student loan debt forgiveness. Art Caplan discussed COVID-19 protocols in schools ahead of back to school season, the myriad of factors weighing on teens’ mental health and the inadequacies of systems in place to provide help, and the calls for renaming monkeypox. 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. Judge Nancy Gertner joined us for a session of “On the Docket,” in which she analyzed news about recent comments from Suffolk District Attorney candidate and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo about previous sexual assault allegations against him, the findings from the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, and a recent hack and leak of voter information in Georgia. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Jeff Thielman and Farkhanda Ehssan discussed their work at the International Institute of New England resettling Afghan refugees, including how they try to help mitigate culture shock, how things are in Afghanistan for women now, and how the economy works for immigrants right now. Thielman is the President and CEO of the IINE, and Ehssan is a case specialist there. Shirley Leung shared her thoughts about the Wu administration’s attempts to revive and take responsibility for the failures with the T, the Biden administration’s recent announcement about student loan relief, and the draw of fully automated coffee shops. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Dr. Nick Whitney discussed the uptick in shark activity on Cape Cod, including how climate change is having an impact on it, the importance of treating the ocean with respect, and the new “Sharktivity” app. Whitney is a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center, where he also chairs the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies program. We ended the show by asking listeners if they’ve ever seen a UFO.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they’re feeling after the first weekday of the Orange Line shutdown. Anna Deavere Smith offers insights into her revival production of “Twilight: Los Angeles 1992” at A.R.T. Deavere Smith is an actress and playwright. She has starred in shows such as “Inventing Anna,” “Nurse Jackie” and “The West Wing.” Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson discusses the Orange Line shutdown, including the merits of some of the alternative options, the plausibility of a 30-day deadline, the possibilities for getting the MBTA out of crisis and the future of electric vehicles. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the TransitMatters board and contributor to CommonWealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets. Imari Paris Jeffries talks about his work at King Boston, and the organization’s work to create a living memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Corretta Scott King, “The Embrace,” which will be installed on the Boston Common this year. Jeffries is the executive director of King Boston. Stephanie Leydon and Ellen Shachter discusses the latest from the GBH News series “Priced Out,” including how corporations have disrupted the housing market and the balance between catering to buyers and investors. Leydon is GBH News’ director of special projects, and Shachter is Somerville’s director of housing stability. Dr. Virginia Sinnott-Stutzman gives some tips about how to keep pets happy in the heat, and answered questions from listeners calling in during another segment of “Ask the Vet.” Sinnott-Stutzman is a senior staff veterinarian at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center. We end the show by taking calls about whether overplanning vacations makes them less relaxing.