Boston Public Radio

Last week, in a mission to rescue 70 hostages being held by the group that calls itself the Islamic State, Army Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was killed.…

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…

Hosts Jim and Margery held a Political Weekend in Review at the top of the show to cover weekend news that caught their eyes and might’ve caught yours. Then, we opened the lines to take calls and texts from listeners to join the conversation. Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio joined to discuss her attempt to audit the legislature and her response to Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano rejecting the audit. Inaugural poet Richard Blanco joined to discuss the connection between poetry and civic engagement, how to be a “poet statesman” – he’s just received the National Humanities Medal from the White House earlier this month. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the rise in antisemitic incidents in Mass last year, and a report that nearly half of LGBTQ Americans are young and claim no religion. Boston Globe Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein discussed some of her latest columns, including on Somerville approving an antidiscrimination ordinance to protect people in polyamorous relationships. We ended the show inspired by a piece from the Washington Post. We asked listeners where they put their kitchen goods. Do tomatoes belong in the fridge? What about ketchup?

Today on Boston Public Radio: A principal at Tallahassee Classical School is being forced out after showing sixth grade students Michelangelo’s David without the consent of parents. This isn’t the first time Florida’s made headlines from overly restrictive stunts. We asked listeners if they’re concerned about schools around the country following in Florida’s footsteps. Andy Ihnatko talks about all things AI including chatbots. He unpacks why all of this is the big deal that it is. Callie Crossley discusses Trump’s civil rape case, Chris Curtis’ suspension at WEEI, layoffs at NPR that occurred this week, and the development/future of Nubian Square. Sue O’Connell on the Giselle Bundchen tell-all in Vanity Fair and Tom Brady’s poetic social media response… she’ll also talk about California lawmakers pushing to make Meta pay newspapers for content on their site, expansion of so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida and the Tallahassee principal ousted over a small feature of Michelangelo’s David. Andrea Campbell for “Ask the AG” talks about programs for the little ones, what she’s doing to enforce multifamily housing laws around MBTA stations, sports betting, Tori’s piece on the Plymouth ICE facility, and more.

We started the show by asking listeners about the future of public beaches. Are private landowners buying up coastline and how can towns protect public beach access? Chuck Todd gave us the latest out of Washington, including what’s going on with the potential Trump indictment. Andrea Cabral discussed local law & order headlines. This week it’s the anti-vax former cop who has been following Mayor Wu around in a car. There was also the story of worker exploitation by the owner of Stash’s Pizza, some MIT students who rescued a stolen dog and the Trump supporters who are likening his arrest to the crucifixion of Christ. Marcela Garcia weighed in on some of her latest pieces. She talked TikTok bans, teen mental health and Haitian migrants in need of local sponsors. Nancy Gertner brought her judicial background to the Trump indictment story. She also talked about a free speech case involving Jack Daniels and a parody chew-toy, plus the latest in the Fox v. Dominion suit. NPR television reviewer Eric Deggans discussed Succession’s return, Yellowjackets, Lucky Hank, Ted Lasso season 3 and what he makes of the rotating cast of Daily Show hosts. We closed out the show to get listeners feedback on the World Happiness Report. The U.S. ranked 15th. Do listeners agree with this ranking? How do they think the U.S. could bump up happiness?

Two animal rights activists charged with stealing two chickens from a truck headed for slaughter have just been acquitted, drawing attention to the cruelty of factory farming in America. According to Vox, the chickens — worth $8.16 each — were both severely ill and struggled to stand: One of the chickens (Ethan) died four days after the rescue, while the other (Jax) recovered after intensive veterinary care and now lives on a farm sanctuary. “Of course they wanted this to be publicized they set it up they wanted to be arrested and they wanted it to be brought to trial,” said Kummer. “It’s great, what the discovery led to in the trial. For example these animals were too sick to be slaughtered, they had bacteria in their systems that could’ve led to human illness.” 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

Sports betting is now legal in Massachusetts. We opened the phones to hear listener opinions. Are they concerned about the occasional gambler sliding to addict, or are they all-in on the potential to win big? Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed a company setting up shop in Massachusetts to offer full body scans powered by AI, and how Boston scientists are getting closer to growing human eggs in a lab. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed the potential Trump indictment and new reporting out of Uvalde that police feared the shooter’s “battle rifle.” Roger Berkowitz join Jim and Margery in the studio to talk about his new business Roger’s Fish Co., which launched earlier this month. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discussed the growth of Upham’s Corner, the sale of real estate in Newton forcing the closure of a Catholic school and how some Asian students in Boston Public Schools feel like an afterthought. Food policy writer Corby Kummer discussed the development of an American aperitif and Lunchables making their way from grocery stores into public school lunch offerings. We ended the show by asking listeners whether their town has a "Buy Nothing" group. Are they prolific "buy nothing-ers" and what’s their most interesting find?