Boston Public Radio

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Boston Public Radio Tuesday. Highlights included:On the upcoming Benghazi hearings in…

The adoption of a landmark nuclear weapons treaty with Iran officially kicked off October 18th, 90 days after the United Nations Security Council…

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…

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC's Chuck Todd joined us on the line to recap the 2020 Democratic debates the past two nights. Did you watch the debate last night or did you decide to tune it out? We opened the lines to ask our listeners about their debate opinions. Criminal justice analyst Andrea Cabral discussed the 2020 Democratic candidates' criminal justice reform plans. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley joined us to discuss President Donald Trump's racist rhetoric and her take on the debates. We opened the lines again to continue the conversation with our listeners about the debates the past two nights. Medical ethicist Art Caplan explained the 2020 Democratic candidates' health care plans. Media maven Sue O'Connell spoke about Justin Trudeau making history by visiting a gay bar for Canada Pride. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discussed Herman Melville's writing habits.

The Trump administration is proposing a change to the rules that govern who is eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Under the proposed rule changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 3 million people would lose benefits, which includes an estimated 90,000 people in Massachusetts, according to the state's Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The proposed changes would prohibit the states from expanding who is eligible for the program beyond the federal baseline, which is $33,475 for a family of four — or 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Right now, 39 states, including Massachusetts, offer federally-funded SNAP benefits to people who make more than that — up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level — but still qualify for benefits because they have other expenses that make it hard for them to pay for food. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said the rule changes will “close a loophole” and will save the federal government an estimated $2.5 billion a year. The administration and some Republicans in Congress have highlighted a case that involves a wealthy Minnesota man who had extremely low income, but huge assets, and said he applied for and collected SNAP benefits. Corby Kummer, executive director of the food and society policy program at the Aspen Institute, told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday that the proposed change would also impact half a million children who currently get discounted school lunch. Kummer said that the administration's narrative harkens back to the derogatory trope of the welfare queen: that people rely on public services paid for by the rest of upstanding citizens, so they don't have to work themselves. "The whole premise of this welfare queen free-loader, people are gouging the government and taxpayers because they want free school lunches, is so absurd. It's so hateful that it's hard to believe the cynicism, Kummer said. "This whole idea that people would be deliberately trying to freeload off of the government for food stamps, as opposed to, for example, the multimillionaire large big-ag farmers who get huge subsidies for growing things like soybean ... that gets unstated because that's Trump's base." Corby Kummer is also 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 opened up the line to ask our listeners about their thoughts on last night's 2020 Democratic debate. Washington Post's National Politics reporter Annie Linskey spoke with Jim and Margery about last night's debate and previewed the subsequent debate tonight. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed Dan Coats resignation as Director of National Intelligence. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about the 120th anniversary of the Hood ice cream sandwich. WGBH's executive arts editor Jared Bowen reviewed exhibits from the Clark Art Institute. Naturalist Sy Montgomery spoke about conservation efforts being made to help puffin populations in Maine and tiger populations in India. Former Central Intelligence Agency officer John Woodward Jr. joined to discuss the role of Director of National Intelligence and how it will change now that Coats is out.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Have you taken vacation time yet this summer? We opened the lines to ask our listeners about their work-life balance. NBC Sports Boston anchor Trenni Kusnierek joined Jim and Margery to talk about David Ortiz's recovery. Former state secretary of education Paul Reville discussed his new book on improving schools for low-income communities. Boston Globe reporter Dan Adams gave us the latest updates on the state's cannabis industry. Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, discussed the latest immigration headlines. CNN's John King called in from Detroit to preview tonight's 2020 Democratic debate. We opened the lines again, this time to ask our listeners if they'll be watching the 2020 Democratic debates tonight and tomorrow.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Charlie Chieppo of Chieppo Strategies and Michael Curry of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, discussed Trump's racially charged tweets against Rep. Elijah Cummings, previewed Tuesday's presidential debates, and discussed the latest local political news. Bob Thompson discussed the completion of Orange is the New Black, Netflix's most popular show. We opened the phone lines to hear from listeners about the efficacy of political apologies. Bruce Marks, CEO of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, joined us to discuss how to make home ownership possible for low to moderate income families. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discussed President Donald Trump's outreach to black voters by embracing rapper A$AP Rocky. We heard from listeners again, this time about escapism in TV-watching habits. Inaugural poet Richard Blanco gave us a lesson in evocative writing.