Boston Public Radio

Almost 400,000 Syrian migrants have reached Europe this year, fleeing a civil war that has torn their country apart and put major political pressure on…

Are e-cigarettes a safer alternative to lure kids away from real cigarettes? Probably not, a new study suggests. That study, conducted at the University…

Presidential candidate and former governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for Boston Public Radio. Highlights from the…

Next time you read a psychology study that makes you scratch your head, trust your instincts. A new yearlong effort to reproduce 100 studies from 3…

Lawrence Lessig wants to be president. But when he gets there, he only wants to do one thing: enact a law called the Citizen Equality Act. Then he'll…

"For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on…

Today on Boston Public Radio: Shannon O’Brien and Charlie Chieppo discussed the latest headlines around the 2020 presidential race and the House impeachment inquiry. Charlie Chieppo is principal of Chieppo Strategies, Senior Fellow at the Pioneer Institute and Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University. Shannon O'Brien is former State Treasurer and Democratic nominee for governor. Charlie Sennott discussed President Trump’s foreign policy in Lebanon, Brexit, and The Authoritarian's Playbook, a new podcast from the GroundTruth Project. Sennott is a WGBH News Analyst and CEO of the GroundTruth Project. We opened the lines to callers to ask: how do you feel about the verbal abuse of high school sports referees? TV critic Bob Thompson discussed Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary special, and reviewed Apple TV’s “The Morning Show” and “Dickinson.” Inaugural poet Richard Blanco discussed the vibrant world of ecopoetry. Director/producer Lynn Novick, producer Sarah Botstein, and Bard Prison Initiative alum Sebastian Yoon of the new PBS documentary College Behind Bars stopped by to discuss the film. We re-opened the lines to ask callers for their thoughts on the prison education system.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch called in to discuss Thursday's House vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry, as well as his aspirations to fill the Federal Oversight Committee chair seat left open by the passing of Rep. Elijah Cummings. Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther discussed the first week of Logan airport’s new rideshare pickup system, and the bizarre flavors of Kit Kat sold in Japan. Emily Rooney, host of WGBH News' Beat The Press, joined us for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Mark Volpe from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andreas Schultz from Germany's Gewandhaus discussed Leipzig week at the B.S.O. Callie Crossley, host of WGBH’s Crossfire, discussed new bulletproof memorials for Emmett Till, and John Legend’s updated spin on “Baby It’s Cold Outside." CBS Boston anchors Lisa Hughes and David Wade joined us for our weekly news quiz.

Today on Boston Public Radio: MSNBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed the latest headlines regarding the House impeachment inquiry. We opened lines to hear from callers on Thursday’s House impeachment vote. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral covered the latest in a case surrounding the suicide of a Boston College student who faced repeated harassment from his girlfriend. Nancy Koehn, Harvard Business School historian, discussed Amazon’s plans to deliver $1.00 items with free, next day delivery. Paul Reville, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, discussed Massachusetts’ standing in public education, and a federal judge holding Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in contempt. Jane McMullen, director of the Frontline documentary “Trouble in Paradise,” discussed her documentary on last year's Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung discussed news that Rep. Lori Trehan’s husband loaned $300,000 to her 2018 campaign.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the U.S.’ defunding of a program to study potentially crippling diseases, and a new study indicating that 45% of Americans have driven drowsy. We opened lines to callers to ask: do you ever drive while drowsy? National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed the U.S. raid to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Tuesday’s impeachment hearing testimony from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindam. Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., discussed her legacy in the Obama administration in light of her new book, “Tough Love.” Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discussed tensions between Gen Z-ers and Baby Boomers over the older generation's response to climate change. Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed President Trump’s relationship to dogs, and the resignation of California Rep. Katie Hill. WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen reviewed Moonbox Productions’ rendition of “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and Greater Boston Stage Company’s production of “Marie and Rosetta."

Ractopamine is a controversial feed additive that many pork manufacturers give to their market hogs in order to increase size and production. The feed additive is banned in the European Union, China, and over a hundred other nations, but is allowed to be used in the United States. Yet earlier this month, Tyson Foods, the largest American pork processor, announced it will prohibit ractopamine from its hogs beginning in 2020. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Tuesday to talk about why some American manufacturers are rethinking the use of ractopamine and why the feed additive is banned in many countries. "This is one of the many drugs fed to animals that fattens pigs faster so they gain weight and come to market much faster," Kummer said. "Obviously it's cheaper for producers because they can sell their pigs off and kill them sooner." Ractopamine's effects are harmful to both humans and hogs, Kummer said. "It's really dangerous and it causes crazed behavior, as if you're completely hopped up and nutty if there's too high of a human dose, and I think it's terrible for the health of the pigs too," he said. "China has banned it, the US has not, and the USDA never had a good excuse for this." Some American-owned companies like Tyson Foods are stopping their use of ractopamine so that they can sell pork to the Chinese market, Kummer added. "Manufacturers need that Chinese market and swine flu is killing off half the pigs in China," 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.