Boston Public Radio

Should young football players be allowed to tackle, when research shows repeated hits cause long-term brain damage?

A new law in California guarantees free meals to public school students.

Inaugural poet Richard Blanco gave Jim and Margery a crash course in poetry.

TV guru Bob Thompson previewed the week in entertainment.

In his latest special report for The Boston Globe, Nestor Ramos looks into how the Cape is changing in the face of climate change.

On Monday, Charlie Chieppo and Michael Curry joined Boston Public Radio for their weekly political round table

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press,” brought us updates on the latest national news. We asked listeners about Joe Biden’s comments citing his past relationships with segregationist senators as evidence that he can reach across political divides. Is he totally out of touch? Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed the mysterious details around the shooting of Red Sox legend David Ortiz. It’s the summer solstice! Are you celebrating the season? Or are you despondent because the days just get shorter from here? We asked you. Massachusetts Gaming Commission chair Cathy Judd-Stein discussed the opening of the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett this weekend. Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Paul Reville looked at a study that suggests students who work while in college earn higher wages once they graduate.

Today on Boston Public Radio: MIT economist Jon Gruber discussed the social and economic impacts of when women have abortions. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about the affordable housing crunch in Boston. Have you left the city because of sky-high rents? Are you thinking about it? Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam gave us an evolutionary explanation of how dogs won humans over. WGBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen shared his reviews of productions of “Miss Saigon,” “Yerma,” and other shows around town. Naturalist Sy Montgomery explored the latest news from the Animal Kingdom, including the work of a turtle sanctuary and rescue in central Massachusetts. It’s time for our summer concert roundtable! WCRB’s Brian McCreath, Berklee’s Rob Hochschild, and WGBH’s own Brian O’Donovan shared their picks.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked listeners about the controversy over the U.S. Women's Soccer Team celebrating its high-scoring win against Thailand. Is criticism of the team sexism in action? Trenni Kusnierek, reporter and anchor at NBC Sports Boston, weighed in on that and other sports headlines. Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts,** **talked about the launch of the ACLU’s campaign to regulate facial recognition technology. Lawyer Ruth Greenberg, the head of the compassionate release pop-up clinic at Boston University, discussed why the state's Department of Corrections is failing to grant more terminally-ill prisoners compassionate release. Legendary actor Ed Asner of "Up" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" shared his new play, "God Help Us." John King, CNN's Chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics," updated us on the latest national news. It's the 80th anniversary of "The Wizard Of Oz." Joining us with his reflections was Ryan Landry: playwright, lyricist, actor and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company.

If you shop at grocery stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, then you may have met Marty the Robot taking care of a clean-up on Aisle 4. But food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio that he thinks this technology has alternative motives.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We went over the latest political headlines with analyst Charlie Chieppo and former NAACP of Massachusetts president Michael Curry. Charles Sennott, executive director of The GroundTruth Project, discussed rising tensions with Iran and the latest updates on the shooting of Red Sox legend David Ortiz. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners: With the Red Line yet to bounce back after a nasty derailment last week, what will it take to fix the beleaguered MBTA? Do our leaders have enough of a sense of urgency on this issue? Food writer Corby Kummer looked at the robots invading our grocery stories and the new marketing ploy Kraft is using to get kids to use salad dressing. On “All Revved Up,” Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price discussed a police incident in Phoenix that is raising red flags. Daniela Lamas, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a staff writer for the medical TV drama “The Resident,” explains how she sometimes gets to write the endings for TV that she wish would happen in real life with her patients. Television expert Bob Thompson looks back on the 25th anniversary of OJ Simpson’s famous white Bronco chase.