Boston Public Radio

For the first time in decades, voters in Myanmar—which, until a few years ago, was ruled by a military junta—cast their votes in a nationwide election…

If jazz music is poetry in motion, then Robert Pinsky and Laurence Hobgood—a poet and jazz pianist, respectively—take it to a whole other level. They've…

Congressman Jim McGovern says there's a better way to honor American veterans than bankrolling lavish patriotic displays at professional sports games—and…

Barack Obama was going to be the president to end two wars. Could he start a third?Last week, the White House announced that American advisers will be…

If you didn't know the Omni Parker Hotel in Boston was haunted (it is!) then you might want to listen to this week's News Quiz from Boston Public Radio.…

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families needs significant reform to prevent future child abuse cases like the death of Bella Bond, said…

Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan weighs in on the CDC’s messaging around Omicron, and threats to trans healthcare in Arkansas. Caplan is director of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on the U.S. sending citizens free at-home tests and masks. Juliette Kayyem talks about the unique challenges of protecting synagogues following the hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Blair Miller and Elizabeth Bartholet discuss the state of adoption laws and child welfare amid the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery. Miller is a Boston Channel 25 reporter and the adoptive father of Harmony Montgomery’s brother. Bartholet is the Morris Wasserstein Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School, and Faculty Director of the Child Advocacy Program. Nia Grace and Gabriel O’Malley share their experiences running restaurants in one of the toughest winters for the industry, and their reactions to Mayor Michelle Wu’s vaccine mandate. Grace is owner of soul food restaurant Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in Roxbury and the recently opened The Underground Café + Lounge, and co-founder of the Boston Black Hospitality Coalition. O’Malley is co-owner of The Plough and Stars in Cambridge. Matt Gilbert recommends the best of TV from 2021, including “Succession” and “The White Lotus,” and what he’s looking forward to in 2022, including “All Creatures Great and Small” and “The Gilded Age.” Gilbert is the TV critic for The Boston Globe. We end the show by asking listeners their opinions on letting hair go gray and the sexism in cultural norms around gray hair.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their experiences with Massachusetts overpaying jobless claims and asking for money back. Trenni Kusnierek talks about Novak Djokovic’s expulsion from Australia, Naomi Osaka’s return to tennis and the state of the Patriots. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Mayor Michelle Wu takes questions from listeners, including on the response to the first few days of the city’s vaccine mandate, protests she faces outside her home and issues with the MBTA. Wu is mayor of Boston. Tiffani Faison shares why she closed her iconic Boston restaurant Tiger Mama, her upcoming new ventures and how she has stayed resilient during a challenging time for the industry. Faison is an award-winning chef and restaurateur. She plans to open in March three new eateries: Dive Bar, Tenderoni’s and Bubble Bath. Vivian and Elisa Girard tell the story of what inspired them to take housing issues into their own hands, building small affordable housing units in Dorchester. Vivan and Elisa Gergard are the husband and wife duo behind a coming apartment complex in the Field’s Corner district of Dorchester. John King updates listeners on all things national politics, including the faltering state of voting rights legislation and polarization in the U.S. King is CNN’s Chief National Correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners their ideas for lowering the cost of housing in the city.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rev. Cornell William Brooks discusses the Black faith leaders that engaged in a hunger strike for voting rights, and shares why he likens the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks to the Confederate attack at Fort Sumter. Brooks is the Hauser Professor of the Practice of Nonprofit Organizations and Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Social Justice at the Harvard Kennedy School. Brooks is the former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights attorney, and an ordained minister. We then ask listeners about failed voting rights legislation, and what it means for midterms and the 2024 presidential election. Simon van Zuylen-Wood talks about Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance’s run for U.S. Senate, and his decision to tag himself as a conservative outsider. van Zuylen-Wood is a freelance journalist based in NYC, who’s recently written about the radicalization of JD Vance. Evan Horowitz updates us on how Mass. could bring in more than $1 billion in revenue if voters approve a ballot question to implement a “Millionaire’s Tax” in the state. Horowitz is executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the fate of the Democrats’ voting rights bill, and reflect on the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together, they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast at GBH. We open the phone lines, continuing our conversation with listeners on the state of voting rights. We end the show by replaying our conversation with New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb on his book, “The Essential Kerner Commission Report,” which places the 1968 Kerner Commission Report in today’s political context.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on incentives and disincentives to raise vaccination rates, like free doughnuts or higher health insurance. Bill McKibben reviews the apocalyptic climate film “Don’t Look Up,” and talked about the state of climate change as parts of the world see record temperatures. McKibben is co-founder of 350.org and the author of numerous books about climate change. His latest book is “Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?” Callie Crossley talks about Maya Angelou becoming the first Black woman to appear on a U.S. quarter, laws requiring beauticians to undergo domestic violence prevention training and Oreos turning 110 years old. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko explains a chip shortage affecting printer companies and allegations of bullying over green and blue chat bubbles on iPhones. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Christopher Muther shares tips on weighing the risks of travel with Omicron on the rise, the costs and benefits of travel insurance and why he loves Ronnie Spector. Muther is a Boston Globe travel columnist and travel writer. Sue O’Connell discusses Amy Schneider becoming the first woman to break $1 million on Jeopardy, and Buckingham Palace forcing Prince Andrew to relinquish military and honorific titles amid a sexual-abuse lawsuit and ties with Jeffrey Epstein. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. Sue O'Connell on BPR | Jan. 14, 2022 We end the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on an email platform that intentionally slows down email delivery to provide a work-life balance.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates listeners on the latest political headlines, including the state of voting rights and filibuster reform. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners whether they support activists going to politician’s doors to protest. Andrea Cabral discusses Governor Charlie Baker commuting the sentences of Thomas E. Koonce and William Allen and legal fights over vaccination mandates. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Then, we ask listeners for their housing horror stories with rent on the rise. Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett takes questions on all things health from listeners, including the state of Omicron and latest mask guidance. Gergen-Barnett teaches in the family medicine department at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School.