Boston Public Radio

Security on "soft" targets—a term used to describe targets with historically low security, like schools, office buildings, and other public spaces—has…

Nothing says "happy holidays" like a Friday News Quiz. To prove it, we brought two bona fide Santa Clauses—that's right, two!—to face off on this week's…

Last Friday, France held a memorial for the 130 citizens killed during the terrorist attacks of November 13th. This week, the city hosts 50,000 visitors…

This afternoon, President Barack Obama announced there was no "specific, credible threat" on the homeland ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. He…

It has been ten days since Paris was wracked by a terrorist attack that killed 130 and injured hundreds others. But in that time, the City of Light has…

Attorney General Maura Healey says the public records reform bill approved by the House earlier this week, while a step in the right direction, does not…

More fast food chains are adding plant-based meat alternatives onto their menus, like Burger King's "Impossible Whopper" made with Impossible Foods patties. While other franchisees like White Castle, and TGI Friday's embrace plant alternatives, Arby's has blatantly rejected the trend with their introduction of a meat-based vegetable. Food writer Corby Kummer explained the intention behind Arby's new product - turkey breast coated in powdered carrot juice. "It's a publicity stunt. So they're inventing these things that are meat substitutes for carrots - the marrot," he said. Kummer explained how some franchisees like McDonald's and Wendy's are waiting to see how their competitors fare before adopting plant-based meat foods into their stores. "What this shows is that companies are cowardly. They want to see that it's actually catching on before they invest money," Kummer said. "It's a real wait and see approach. But Arby's has taken it a step farther to get itself the publicity we are giving them." 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*: We opened up the phone lines and heard from our listeners about Amazon Prime Day. Should consumers boycott the company over its treatment of workers? We spoke with NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek about everything Wimbledon. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins joined us to discuss critical coverage in the Boston Globe. Medical ethicist Art Caplan parsed Vice President Joe Biden's newly unveiled health care plan. Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton joined us to discuss the final season of Poldark, the new season of Grantchester and a mini series Press, which focuses on two competing newspapers in England. CNN’s John King gave us the latest in national politics from CNN's John King. Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum discussed Vice President Mike Pence's visit to an immigrant detention center last week.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former CEO of the Democratic National Convention Steve Kerrigan and former Republican State Rep. Geoff Diehl joined us for a politics roundtable. We spoke to media scholar Bob Thompson about the 20th anniversary of Spongebob Squarepants, and other entertainment news. Criminal justice expert Andrea Cabral joined us to discuss how visits to Massachusetts prisons fell 23 percent after a rule change in 2018. We opened up the phone lines and took calls from our listeners on President Donald Trump's attacks on several U.S. representatives, including Massachusetts' own Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. We spoke with Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price about a poll saying that Americans are seeking less guidance from clergy. Monroe and Price co-host the All Rev’d Up podcast, produced by WGBH. WCAI environmental reporter Heather Goldstone joined us to look at how climate litigation is on the rise around the world. We took listener calls to hear their takes on capitalism camp, which focuses on stimulating an entrepreneurial mindset in children.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked listeners about the crumbling Red Line. Is the city's fraught public transportation making you consider moving away? Is the next frontier in fake meats a plant-based fish? Food writer Corby Kummer weighed in. 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. Emily Rooney, host of WGBH's "Beat the Press," shared her famous list of observations and frustrations. Sue O'Connell explained why she believes Megan Rapinoe is a new kind of sports icon. O'Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as a politics reporter for NECN. Massachusetts-born soccer star Sam Mewis is fresh off a World Cup win with the U.S. women's national team. She joined us to debrief the team's victorious trip to France and their fight for equal pay. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed the Trump administration's move to invite right-wing conspiracy theorists to a so-called "social media summit" at the White House. Ihnatko is a tech writer, blogger and podcaster. We had a highly-caffeinated news quiz with Jim Cannell, the owner of Jim's Coffee, and Christelle Debeuf, their head barista trainer.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press,” weighed in on the latest national news. We asked you about Amy McGrath, who is challenging Mitch McConnell in Kentucky for his Senate seat, and her flip-flop on whether she would have voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice. Former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral weighed in on the news that ICE is preparing to conduct immigration raids in major American cities. Poet Richard Blanco shared some of his favorite works about summer and the Fourth of July. Former state Secretary of Education and Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Paul Reville discussed new BPS superintendent Brenda Cassellius and her first days on the job. Chris Wilkins and Jo Frances Meyer of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra previewed their season of free outdoor summer concerts. WGBH News reporter Bianca Vásquez-Toness shared her new reporting on how Boston’s Latinx parents are under-represented in school decisions.