Boston Public Radio

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…

Doctors Without Borders, the international organization in charge of a hospital in Afghanistan bombed by an American airstrike this weekend, has called…

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jennifer Horn, former chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party, weighs in on former President Trump’s impeachment trial, and touches on her recent resignation from the Lincoln Project. She also speaks about how the country can become less divisive, and the state of disinformation in politics. We open phone lines to talk with listeners about how they thought the impeachment trial of former President Trump would proceed. Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral shares her thoughts on dismissive comments from Senate Republicans about the impeachment trial of former President Trump, and offers critique of the arguments from Trump’s legal defense team. She also talks about the recent abolishment of the death penalty in Va. Next, we ask listeners what they thought about some Republican senators’ responses to audio and video evidence presented at the impeachment trial. Former Mass. education secretary Paul Reville discusses the challenges school systems are facing in reopening due to the emergence of new COVID-19 variants. He also speaks about one of the biggest issues on educators’ minds: how to address learning loss and gaps in students. We end the show by asking listeners if they believe that Democrats have done enough to make their case that former President Trump should be held responsible for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Former Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the timeline for reopening schools amid the pandemic. “It’s clear that for the balance of this semester, we’re not going to have in-person education fully restored in any of our big cities,” he said. “The fall [semester] is still an open question and depends how far we can penetrate with the vaccine.” Paul Reville is former state secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book is "Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and Communities Help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty."

Today on Boston Public Radio: M.I.T economist Jonathan Gruber analyzes President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, and how it could affect the economy at large. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the build-up of domestic terrorism incidents under President Trump, culminating in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. She also gave her thoughts on anti-vaxxers during COVID-19, and discussed how organizers are preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. Next, we open phone lines to hear listeners’ thoughts on former President Trump’s impeachment trial. Rep. Ayanna Pressley weighs in on the first day of President Trump’s impeachment trial, and the debate among Democrats around cancelling student debt. She also talks about vaccine equity in Mass., touching on the lack of vaccination sites in communities of color. Then, we return to listeners, taking calls on the impeachment of former President Trump. Medical ethicist Art Caplan talks about worries around COVID-19 variations, and whether it’s time for restaurants to reopen. He also shares his thoughts on people are traveling long distances to get vaccines. We wrap up the show by talking to listeners about impeachment proceedings, and what outcomes they would like to see.

Juliette Kayyem made her weekly appearance on Boston Public Radio Wednesday, where she spoke about America’s relationship with the coronavirus in the years and decades to come. She contrasted pandemics with other varieties of crisis, like natural disasters or terrorist attacks, “where the thing comes and goes,” and explained that pandemics are fundamentally different because the viruses stick around. “The vaccine is a major contributor to getting back to normal-ish,” the CNN analyst prefaced. “But it doesn’t eradicate the virus, it simply makes us able to live with the virus. She continued, noting that certain aspects of our life “probably, are changed for good.” “I think masking will be a huge part of our lives for the years to come,” she predicted. But she was also keen to emphasize that things are likely to get much better in the near-term, considering the acute grimness of pandemic wintertime in New England. “I promise you, I think by May or June, you’re going to feel 70-75% more normal – or towards normal – than you do right now,” she said. Juliette 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Washington Post op-ed columnist EJ Dionne weighs in on former President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, and whether Republicans will choose to associate with Trump and the violence that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also spoke on hopes for bipartisanship in the Biden administration. Next, we open phone lines to discuss former President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial. Harvard professor Danielle Allen offers her views on how the country can come back from the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. She also argues for universal mandatory voter participation, and discusses her potential Mass. gubernatorial run. Next, we speak with listeners on about whether they’re willing to listen to the views of those on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Sen. Jeff Flake speaks on former President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, and why he thinks it may be a turning point for the Republican party. He also offers some predictions on how impeachment proceedings might play out among Republicans. We wrap up the show by opening phone lines to talk with listeners about the state of the GOP.