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…

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Friday about an innmate at the Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan who organized a special meal to honor the life of George Floyd. "This innmate decided as a tribute, and sign of solidarity to George Floyd, to gather together other prisoners who had the liberty to use plastic knives, and have a memorial tribute lunch, which took weeks of meticulous planning," he said. Kummer is a *senior editor at The Atlantic*, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: The Greater Boston Food Bank’s Catherine D’Amato talked about the state’s new “Breakfast After the Bell” program, and other ways Mass. is addressing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about your feelings around school reopening and distance learning. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed a handful of obituaries for victims of COVID-19 that place blame on the government’s pandemic response, and news that Trader Joe's is sticking with their ethnically insensitive branding. We aired our October interview with Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., where she discussed her book “Tough Love,” and spoke on the presidential campaign of Joe Biden. Former Mass. Education Secretary Paul Reville talked about the confusion around how Mass. K-12 schools are going to operate in the fall. We opened lines to ask listeners: with COVID-19 cases beginning to climb, should we consider scaling back reopening in Mass.? Travel guru Rick Steves talked about employing the “traveler’s mindset” while stuck at home, and the importance of positive serendipity as a traveler.

Today on Boston Public Radio: New York Times bestselling author Larry Tye discussed his new biography on Sen. Joseph McCarthy, “Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy.” We opened lines to talk with listeners about the legacy of Sen. Joe McCarthy, and America’s love affair with bullies. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed the Tuesday explosion in Beirut, and a shift in tone from some GOP governors on coronavirus safety. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed an ethical quandary at Brigham and Women’s hospital over testing of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and the dangers of fraudulent COVID-19 cures that are floating around the internet. Jane Oates, president of the nonprofit WorkingNation, defended the $600-a-week unemployment benefits, and addressed critiques of the program from some congressional Republicans. We opened lines to talk with parents about your experiences juggling work from home while caring for the kids. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed layoffs at her own station, and broke down the latest updates on the return of sports.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Ayanna Pressley discussed the looming spike of evictions across the U.S., and how her HELP Act, introduced in Congress last week, would address the crisis. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about who you think former Vice President Joe Biden ought to pick as his running mate in the 2020 election. Carol Rose from the Mass. ACLU talked about the status of the state’s police reform efforts, and how the ACLU is responding to President Trump's deployment of federal agents in Portland, Oreg. Harriet Cross, the outgoing British Consul General to New England, talked about why she’s leaving Boston for Trinidad, and what mail-in voting looks like in the U.K. Mass. State Sen. Becca Rausch broke down the Commonwealth's vote-by-mail system. CNN’s John King discussed the latest Washington headlines, including news on the standstill over further COVID-19 reflief funding, and the president’s apparent reversal on messaging about mail-in ballots in Florida. We opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on voting by mail.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone discussed his Friday decision to put a hold on phase three reopening in Somerville. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed a federal appeals court's decision to vacate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. We opened lines to talk with listeners about the appeals court's decision to vacate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of WGBH’s All Rev’d Up, talked about why they feel Joe Biden ought to pick a Black woman as his VP candidate, and weighed in on the demolition of a Nelson Mandela mural in Roxbury. TV expert Bob Thompson discussed controversy around an allegedly toxic workplace culture at “Ellen,” and reviewed Beyonce’s “Black King” visual album and HBO’s documentary “The Weight of Gold.” Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett talked about the state of COVID-19 in both Mass. and the U.S., and responded to listener questions and comments.