Boston Public Radio

Richard Tretheway and Jeff Sweenor joined Boston Public Radio to take calls from listeners and discuss the show's upcoming season.

Steve Hoffman said that while he's not critical of a four-month ban on vaping products, he is concerned it will have negative consequences.

Santiago is an emergency room physician, South End resident, and state representative.

A new investigation by The Boston Globe shows that Rev. Barry Gamache knew about the history of abuse allegations against an employee of his church in Rhodes Island.

WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen said fans of The Talking Heads will love David Byrne's new play.

An impeachment inquiry has begun since President Donald Trump admitted he spoke to Ukraine about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We open lines to talk with listeners about Gov. Charlie Baker’s latest easing of restrictions in Mass., and the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines here in the Commonwealth. Media maven Sue O'Connell discussed President Biden's latest executive order addressing Title VII protections for LGBT Americans, and weighs in on the planned appointment of Dr. Rachel Levine to assistant secretary of health. The appointment would make her the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Journalist and co-founder of The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner, discusses the state of America’s debt and why he’s not concerned about the impact of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package on the country’s deficit. He also touches on pushback to Biden’s $3 trillion green infrastructure plan, and recaps his reporting on white supremacists hiding in law enforcement. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney talks about the Boston Globe’s new “Fresh Start” initiative, which’ll allow people to apply to have past coverage of them anonymized. She also discusses misinformation coming out of Fox News, and reads an inauguration-themed list of fixations and fulminations. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko talks about potential security concerns with President Biden having a Peloton bike in the White House. He also speaks about the legacy of outgoing FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and offers tips on getting the best possible deal out of your internet or cable provider. Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley talks about President Biden’s move to cancel former President Trump’s 1776 Commission, created in reaction to the New York Times’ 1619 Project. She also weighs in on Black business owners in Tulsa, Okla. who say they’re being priced out of a historic Black neighborhood, and news that former First Lady Melania Trump outsourced thank-you notes to her White House staff. We close out Friday's show by talking with listeners about the button in the Oval Office that summoned drinks for presidents Obama and Trump, asking: if you had a button that brought you anything, what would it bring?

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talks about Wednesday’s inauguration, what he’s expecting for vaccine rollout under President Biden, and weighs in on an upcoming NFL playoff game between his team, the Green Bay Packers, and Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. Next, we open lines to talk with listeners about your hopes for the America’s future under President Biden. Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral talks about the significance of yesterday’s inauguration. She also discusses Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins being placed on the shortlist for US Attorney for Mass., and whether recent allegations about a road rage incident ought to be disqualifying. Food writer Corby Kummer discusses some of the flaws still lingering in U.S. food supply chains, 10 months into the pandemic. He also talks about the concept of “humanewashing” at Whole Foods supermarkets, and best tipping practices for services like Instacart and Uber Eats. Medical ethicist Art Caplan weighs in on issues with America's vaccine rollout, and seniors who are dropping out of new vaccine trials to get already-approved vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer. He also talks about why it’s so difficult to accurately determine whether someone who’s been inoculated can still infect others with COVID-19. Travel guru Rick Steves offers thoughts on Wednesday's inauguration, and discusses his hopes for travel in 2021. We close out Thursday’s show by talking with listeners about the concept of “ugly Americans,” and whether you’ll feel better about traveling to other countries with President Trump out of office.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about a new report by Farm Forward that investigates the differences between animal welfare labels on food. “Whole Foods gets dinged, because they decided they weren’t going to go with the Animal Welfare Society or Certified Humane, they were going to do their own standards and they would put their own animal welfare label on their goods,” he said. “That should always raise red flags - if a company is doing its own certification, who’s checking independently to verify what’s happening?” Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We air live audio from President Biden’s inauguration ceremony, and speak with listeners about your impressions of the ceremony and thoughts on Biden becoming the 46th President of the United States. Callie Crossley, host of GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black, offers her own take on Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, from the reading of an inaugural poem by 23 year-old Amanda Gorman, to President Trump's decision to opt out of attending. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem explains why she’s not expecting the thousands of National Guard troops to remain in Washington, D.C. for long after President Biden’s inauguration, and offers thoughts on the path toward unity in American politics. We end Wednesday’s show by returning to listeners, getting your impressions of Wednesday’s inauguration and the close of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We first open lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on the final day of President Donald Trump’s presidency. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talks about Tom Brady's success beyond the Patriots, frustration with a lack of Black coaches in the NFL, and the scheduled appearance of Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play and score in a Power Five college football game, at Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Dr. Jon Santiago, a Mass. State Rep. and ER doctor at Boston Medical Center, provides an update on COVID-19 in Mass., from the local emergence of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus, to issues with vaccine rollout in the Commonwealth. He also responds to the question of whether he plans to run for city mayor. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi offer their thoughts on the handful of vetos from Gov. Charlie Baker, of proposed elements within the Mass. Transportation Bond Bill. They also discuss the current state of the Transportation Climate Initiative. Aloisi is former Mass. transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Dempsey is the Mass. Director of Transportation and former assistant secretary of transportation. Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell talks about her campaign for city mayor, and whether the race is shifting with current Mayor Walsh leaving to become President-elect Biden’s labor secretary. She also reflects on how she’d handle the pandemic differently than Walsh, and speaks to debate within City Council around whether to skip a possible special mayoral election. CNN’s John King discusses the open question of whether Sen. Mitch McConnell will support impeaching President Trump in the Senate, and what he’s expecting from a forthcoming list of pardons by President Trump in his final hours in office. We end Monday’s show by opening lines, talking with listeners about hopes for political bipartisanship in 2021.