Boston Public Radio

NPR reporter Aarti Shahani joined Boston Public Radio to discuss her new book, which details her family’s decade-long fight to remain in the U.S.

A judge ruled Harvard doesn't discriminate against Asian Americans.

CNN has started carrying graphic that fact-check the president as he speaks live on air.

Our weekly news quiz featured Shakespearean shenanigans.

When Botham Jean’s brother Brandt took the stand at the sentencing of his brother’s killer Amber Guyger, he had an unusual request for the judge. On the stand, Brandt forgave Guyger for killing his brother, and asked the judge if he could hug her. The judge allowed it.

Harvard's admissions process passes muster in federal court, but isn't perfect, Reville said.

Today on Boston Public Radio: A bill in the Massachusetts legislature would compel schools that teach sexual education to use medically accurate information — but it still wouldn't make sex ed mandatory. Medical ethicist Art Caplan weighed in. Caplan is a the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. He’s also the co-host of the "Everyday Ethics" podcast. Then we opened up the lines and asked our listeners: Do you think sex ed should be mandatory in schools? What's the best way for the government to deal with "sin taxes" on behaviors like smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs, and unhealthy foods? MIT economist Jonathan Gruber shared his thoughts. WGBH Executive Arts editor and "Open Studio" host Jared Bowen shared his rundown of the latest arts and cultural events around town. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners: Should Massachusetts implement a statewide soda tax? Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo discussed her proposal to expand Pre-K, the 2020 race, and more.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about traffic congestion in Boston. Has it gotten so bad that you've considered moving out of town? The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals once again. Anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston Trenni Kusnierek weighed in. Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed his new FRONTLINE documentary, "Supreme Revenge," about the partisan fight to control the Supreme Court, from the Robert Bork confirmation process to Brett Kavanaugh. Joining with the latest news coming out of City Hall was Andrea Campbell, Boston City Council President. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about grudges. Do you let a grudge take over your life? Or are you good at letting them go? Going over the latest national news was CNN's Chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics," John King. Businessman Robert F. Smith made headlines when he paid off $40 million of student loan debt for Morehouse’s class of 2019. Nancy Koehn, an historian at the Harvard Business School where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration, looked at his contribution from a historical perspective. Her latest book is "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times."

Today on Boston Public Radio: We went over the latest political headlines with our roundtable, featuring conservative commentator Jennifer Braceras and former Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Steve Kerrigan. Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, looked at the latest escalation of tension between the U.S. and Iran. We examined Kamala Harris’s plan to close the wage gap and then asked our listeners for their take. Television expert Bob Thompson examined the final episode of the cultural phenomenon “Game Of Thrones.” Tech writer Andy Ihnatko shared his favorite finds from MIT’s Swapfest. We opened up the lines and asked you about a controversial new feature on the Uber app that allows you to tell your driver you’re not interested in engaging in conversation. The King of Camp himself, John Waters, joined to discuss his new book “Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to hear our listeners' takes on Senator Elizabeth Warren refusing a Fox News town hall. Is this a winning strategy, or did she alienate the 2.5 million viewers who might have tuned in? Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, gave our listeners a preview of an event May 20 in partnership with the Kendall Square Orchestra: Symphony for Science. Bruce Bean, Wade Regehr, and John Gabrieli, neuroscientists from Harvard and MIT, will use a $9 million donation from Bob Broderick to study the effects of cannabis on the brain. They joined Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library to discuss their research. Emily Rooney joined the show as she does every Friday for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Boston Globe's interim editorial page editor Shirley Leung on a proposal for a marijuana equity fund. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say a Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket would be a dream. Harris considers that option more of a nightmare. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed that and more. New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik made the case for liberalism on the show, and in his new book, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. We wrapped things up on a high note, with a Sing That Thing News Quiz, joined by Jared Bowen and Anthony Trecek-King.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” joined us on the line to talk about the debate over impeachment, Bill DeBlasio jumping into the 2020 race, and other political headlines. Then we opened up the lines and asked our listeners: Will the new anti-abortion laws in states like Georgia and Alabama turn you into a single-issue voter on abortion? Could it change the dynamics of the presidential race for you? Fifteen years ago this week, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage. WGBH News reporter Gabrielle Emmanuel spoke with the couple who started it all. Former State Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who wrote the landmark opinion that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, looked back on the decision. Harvard health policy professor John McDonough looked at the role health care could play in the 2020 campaign. Former industrial trawler-turned-kelp-fisherman Bren Smith discussed his new book, “Eat Like A Fish.” Playwright Ryan Landry examined our soceity’s obsession with artificial scents.