Boston Public Radio

The Harvard University president's comment about the 13th Amendment indicates the problem of historical ignorance, the reverends said.

Thompson's best, worst, and what to watch this week all come from network TV.

Goldstein's new season of the Love Letters podcast explores how to tell if you've found 'the one.'

The roller-coaster controversy has some people wondering how far "cancel culture" will go.

Even with housing assistance, many families need more help to move into high-opportunity areas, Chetty said.

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Aeronaut's Jason McCool joined us for our weekly news quiz.

Some primary care physicians are being left out of the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations, even if they are treating patients with the illness. Medical ethicist Art Caplan told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday the issue is a “snafu” in the distribution plans that routed much of the initial doses to hospitals, and left out doctors with no hospital affiliation. “If you write rules for the states, like the CDC, or the states adopt rules that say give the vaccine first to nursing homes then to healthcare workers, then you’re giving them out at hospitals and nursing homes,” said Caplan. “The reason they’re getting missed even if they have patient populations that have a lot of COVID … it’s just not where they are.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses news around the COVID-19 vaccines, from their slower-than-anticipated rollout in the U.S., to questions of whether vaccine skeptics are right to feel hesitant about getting their shot. She also responds to questions and comments from listeners. 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. Next, we open lines to talk with listeners about Tuesday’s runoff elections in Ga., and the possibility of an end to divided government in 2021. Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mass., discusses upsides and drawbacks to Mass.' newly-signed police reform law. She also touches on the significance of the state's newly-passed ROE Act, which expands abortion protections in Mass, and talks about Gov. Charlie Baker's decision to veto it. Then, we return to listener lines to talk about your feeling on returning to office spaces in 2021. CNN’s John King breaks down the latest headlines on the national stage, from the dual Senate runoff elections taking place in Ga. Tuesday, to the dozens of congressional Republicans saying they’ll contest certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talks about Tuesday’s fully-masked basketball game between B.U. and Holy Cross, a first in college basketball, and reflects on the Patriots’ losing 2020 season without quarterback Tom Brady.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Georgia Public Broadcasting political reporter Stephen Fowler gives a primer on Tuesday's Senate runoff races in Ga., and discusses President Trump's controversial call to Ga. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the weekend, where he pressured Raffensperger to nullify his state's election tally. Next, we open our lines to talk with listeners about the latest effort from GOP congressional leaders to call President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory into question. New Yorker writer and environmental advocate Bill McKibben discusses President Trump’s legacy of inaction on global warming, and the potential impact that President-elect Biden's incoming environmental team could have in combatting the global climate crisis. The.Ink publisher Anand Giridharadas weighs in on Congress' failure to approve $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks, and discusses why he believes federal leaders are paving the way for future billionaire bailouts. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of the podcast All Rev’d Up, reflect on Monroe’s recent writing for GBH about the nation’s ongoing struggle to address white supremacy. They also weigh in on reporting about the problematic legacy of Boston police sergeant Clifton McHale, and the muted reaction it garnered from city leaders. TV expert Bob Thompson reviews the "City Hall,” filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s in-depth documentary about Boston Mayer Marty Walsh’s administration. He also offers his take on CNN’s new documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President," as well as Netflix's “Bridgerton" and “History of Swear Words.” We close out Monday’s show by talking with listeners about a new study, published last month in Nature, which found that man-made “stuff” now outweighs all living biomass on the earth.

Thursday's Boston Public Radio is entirely on tape and features the ultimate BPR book club — back to back conversations from over the years with some of our favorite writers. Some highlights of the show include: George Saunders discussed his novel, "Lincoln in the Bardo," his first foray into what he describes as serious prose. Writer Susan Orlean discusses her latest book, a tribute to the public library, "The Library Book." ESPN’s Howard Bryant discusses his book, "The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism."

Wednesday's Boston Public Radio is entirely on tape, and features the ultimate BPR book club: back to back conversations from over the years with some of our favorite writers. Some highlights of the show include: Poet Kevin Young discusses his latest collection of poetry, BROWN. Kevin Young is poetry editor of the New Yorker and the incoming director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Owner of Parnassus Books Ann Patchett makes a pitch to all readers to shop at local, independent book stores. She also discussed her book, "Commonwealth." Writer T.C. Boyle drops in on the dropout culture with his novel "Outside Looking In," which is based on the research of Timothy Leary.