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: Shannon O'Brien and Joe Malone joined for a politics round-table about the upcoming Democratic debates and to preview the Robert Mueller testimony. O'Brien is the former treasurer of Massachusetts and former Democratic nominee for governor. Malone is also a former state treasurer. TV expert Bob Thompson gave a recap of the recently announced Emmy nominations. We opened the lines to ask our listeners how they feel about the upcoming Mueller testimony. Huntington Theatre Company's Director of Eductation Meg O'Brien, and rising high school senior at Codman Academy Arie Dowe spoke about the Huntington Theatre's collaborative production with the school to put on King Lear. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discussed white male privilege. Harvard business historian Nancy Koehn talked about Abraham Lincoln's connection with the GOP. We opened the lines again, this time to ask our listeners how they feel about swimming in open water, after recent shark sightings in Cape Cod.

Today on Boston Public Radio: In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing tomorrow, we opened the lines to ask our listeners for their memories and thoughts about the event. Dorothea Gillim, executive producer of *Molly of Denali, *joined to talk about the new PBS Kids show. Mayor Marty Walsh and new director of the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement Yusufi Vali joined Jim and guest host Shirley Leung to take listeners' calls in "Ask The Mayor." Boston Globe reporter Sean Murphy talked about the latest cases where people have been wronged by a variety of companies and services. WGBH's Callie Crossley spoke about the hazards of multitasking. Will and Dave Willis, owners of Bully Boys Distillers, joined for our Friday News Quiz.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jim And Margery talked to New York Times Magazine staff writer and lecturer at Yale Law School, Emily Bazelon whose latest book, Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, looks at the causes of Mass Incarceration Environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org discussed his latest book, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? MIT economists Jonathon Gruber and Simon Johnson discussed their latest book: Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream TC Boyle joined Jim and Margery to talk about his latest novel Outside Looking In. Poet Richard Blanco gave a crash course on the literary tools that can make your poetry more poetic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: United States Senator Ed Markey spoke about his experience visiting detention facilities at the Texas border. To wait or not to wait? We opened the lines to ask our listeners about Nancy Pelosi's impeachment strategy. *Boston Globe *columnist Shirley Leung joined to discuss the role women played in the Apollo 11 mission. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed her recent Washington Post column about the border crisis. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke about Arby's introduction of meat-based vegetables in a jab against the plant-based meat industry. Economist Jonathan Gruber explained the pros and cons of rent control. Harvard business historian Nancy Koehn spoke about the hazards of multi-tasking. We opened the lines again, this time to ask our listeners about how they manage multi-tasking.

More fast food chains are adding plant-based meat alternatives onto their menus, like Burger King's "Impossible Whopper" made with Impossible Foods patties. While other franchisees like White Castle, and TGI Friday's embrace plant alternatives, Arby's has blatantly rejected the trend with their introduction of a meat-based vegetable. Food writer Corby Kummer explained the intention behind Arby's new product - turkey breast coated in powdered carrot juice. "It's a publicity stunt. So they're inventing these things that are meat substitutes for carrots - the marrot," he said. Kummer explained how some franchisees like McDonald's and Wendy's are waiting to see how their competitors fare before adopting plant-based meat foods into their stores. "What this shows is that companies are cowardly. They want to see that it's actually catching on before they invest money," Kummer said. "It's a real wait and see approach. But Arby's has taken it a step farther to get itself the publicity we are giving them." 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.