Boston Public Radio

If someone dared you to jump in to the Charles River for a nice little swim, you might blanch a little bit. But what if someone asked you to drink from…

Governor Charlie Baker's administration is hoping to target the state's opioid crisis with a new bill unveiled Thursday. The bill would limit doctors to…

Senator Ed Markey believes that Congress is past due for a historic showdown on gun control."I think we're close to a tipping point," Markey said on…

Late last week, Congressman Kevin McCarthy abruptly withdrew his name from the running to be the next Speaker of the House. The California Republican was…

This weekend, an army of activist brass bands descends on Somerville to celebrate the tenth annual HONK! Fest. To celebrate, Jim Braude and Margery Eagan…

In the wake of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, Democrats in Congress have launched a renewed push for gun control legislation like…

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by taking calls about how listeners feel about President Joe Biden’s expected announcement on student loan debt forgiveness. Art Caplan discussed COVID-19 protocols in schools ahead of back to school season, the myriad of factors weighing on teens’ mental health and the inadequacies of systems in place to provide help, and the calls for renaming monkeypox. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Judge Nancy Gertner joined us for a session of “On the Docket,” in which she analyzed news about recent comments from Suffolk District Attorney candidate and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo about previous sexual assault allegations against him, the findings from the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, and a recent hack and leak of voter information in Georgia. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Jeff Thielman and Farkhanda Ehssan discussed their work at the International Institute of New England resettling Afghan refugees, including how they try to help mitigate culture shock, how things are in Afghanistan for women now, and how the economy works for immigrants right now. Thielman is the President and CEO of the IINE, and Ehssan is a case specialist there. Shirley Leung shared her thoughts about the Wu administration’s attempts to revive and take responsibility for the failures with the T, the Biden administration’s recent announcement about student loan relief, and the draw of fully automated coffee shops. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Dr. Nick Whitney discussed the uptick in shark activity on Cape Cod, including how climate change is having an impact on it, the importance of treating the ocean with respect, and the new “Sharktivity” app. Whitney is a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center, where he also chairs the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies program. We ended the show by asking listeners if they’ve ever seen a UFO.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners how they’re feeling after the first weekday of the Orange Line shutdown. Anna Deavere Smith offers insights into her revival production of “Twilight: Los Angeles 1992” at A.R.T. Deavere Smith is an actress and playwright. She has starred in shows such as “Inventing Anna,” “Nurse Jackie” and “The West Wing.” Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson discusses the Orange Line shutdown, including the merits of some of the alternative options, the plausibility of a 30-day deadline, the possibilities for getting the MBTA out of crisis and the future of electric vehicles. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the TransitMatters board and contributor to CommonWealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets. Imari Paris Jeffries talks about his work at King Boston, and the organization’s work to create a living memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Corretta Scott King, “The Embrace,” which will be installed on the Boston Common this year. Jeffries is the executive director of King Boston. Stephanie Leydon and Ellen Shachter discusses the latest from the GBH News series “Priced Out,” including how corporations have disrupted the housing market and the balance between catering to buyers and investors. Leydon is GBH News’ director of special projects, and Shachter is Somerville’s director of housing stability. Dr. Virginia Sinnott-Stutzman gives some tips about how to keep pets happy in the heat, and answered questions from listeners calling in during another segment of “Ask the Vet.” Sinnott-Stutzman is a senior staff veterinarian at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center. We end the show by taking calls about whether overplanning vacations makes them less relaxing.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on the 4-day work week. Callie Crossley discussed the latest culture headlines, including Dr. Oz’s viral crudité video, Brian Stelter leaving CNN, and the debate about the reigning Queen of Christmas. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Judge Nancy Gertner weighed in on the ongoing investigations into Former President Trump, including fallout from the Jan. 6th committee hearings and the FBI raid of Mar-a-lago, as well as the indictment of 3 men in the killing of Whitey Bulger. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Then, we asked listeners when the right age to turn in your driver's license is. Andy Ihnatko shared the latest tech headlines, including privacy concerns surrounding Amazon buying Roomba, when it’s time to buy a new iPhone and how to make your current one last longer. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Comedian Jessi Klein tells us about her new book, "I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood." Klein is a comedian, the head writer on Inside Amy Schumer, a former writer on Chappelle's Show, and voices Jessie on Netflix’s Big Mouth. Luisa Harris and Gregory Groover Jr. joined us to talk about the Mission Hill Arts Festival, and Groover was joined by Max Ridley and Tyson Jackson to play a few songs.Groover is the Assistant Chair of Ensembles at Berklee, and Harris is the founder of the Mission Hill Arts Festival.

Every summer, bartenders and the industry try to put their shaker on the pulse of the drink trend of the season — But this summer, a new buzz-inducing beverage is making headlines. “Bartenders make a lot of money figuring out what’s going to be the drink that I am going to make fashionable this summer,” food and policy writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio. “Yes it’s a complete marketing thing, but it also marks the summer for a lot of people.” It’s not the dirty Shirley (a vodka-soaked take on the Shirley Temple) or a Nascar spritz (Aperol, lemon, and a Budweiser or Miller High Life) and it’s certainly not the espresso martini of yesteryear, according to Kummer. Instead, cannabis-infused — non-alcoholic — drinks, are garnering a lot of buzz. “These new unregulated, Wild West drinks in states that legalized recreational marijuana are going to make people much higher than they expect,” he said. “I’m not saying don’t market them, but be more careful about regulating them.” Corby Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners about their thoughts on high schools taking away students’ phones during school hours. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo talked about the CHIPS+ Science Act, including how it will work to expand tech hubs to cities all over America, and how she worked across party lines to help get it passed. Charlie Sennott discussed the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine, the changes in Afghanistan around a year after the U.S. withdrew troops from the country and the treatment of Afghan women under the Taliban. Sennott is a news analyst for GBH and the founder of the GroundTruth Project. Corby Kummer talked about the “cocktail of the summer,” the rise of THC beverages, and how hot chilis are right now. Kummer is executive director of the food and society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Michael Curry shared his thoughts on the CDC’s plans to address COVID missteps, the dissolution of the American dream, and local police responses to white supremacist activity in Boston. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the fallout of a Mass. school attempting to punish a student for wearing a hijab, reactions to a dioceses’ plan to spend millions of dollars on reparations, and recent calls for equity in housing following news about racism in home evaluations. 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 and the inaugural dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. We ended the show by talking about how listeners’ plants are faring in the drought this summer.