Boston Public Radio

The FBI arrested six Somali-Americans on Sunday for attempting to travel to Syria and join ISIS. Juliette Kayyem, host of the national security podcast…

Last week, Dan Price—CEO of a credit card payments company called Gravity Payments—decided to raise the minimum wage for all his employees to $70,000,…

For many Bostonians, Patriots' Day marks the unofficial beginning of spring. But of course, as Charles Sennott, head of The GroundTruth Project, points…

Peter Slevin—journalist, author, and professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University— joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on…

Governor Charlie Baker would vote yes on a 2024 Olympics ballot question that included taxpayer funding for infrastructure investments, he told Jim Braude…

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was in an exceptionally good mood. Only five days before, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, ending…

Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jake Auchincloss discusses Wednesday’s impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, taking place mere days after he was sworn into his first congressional term, and why he’s optimistic about America’s future. BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius talks about the current state of hybrid learning at Boston Public Schools, and reflects on the lessons she and other education officials have learned in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem responds to last week’s insurrection, and the resignation of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf one week before President-elect Biden takes office. She also speaks on her recent piece for The Atlantic, “How MAGA Extremism Ends.” We opened our lines to talk with listeners about Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings, and whether you believe President Trump ought to be removed from office over his role in last week’s insurrection. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discusses COVID-19 vaccine refusals at U.S. nursing homes, and the complicated logistics of creating a vaccine mandate. He also offers his take on President-elect Biden’s strategy for COVID-19 vaccine rollout, releasing as many first doses to Americans as are available. We return to listeners to discuss Wednesday's impeachment proceedings, and the likelihood of a second presidential impeachment in 13 months. M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber puts Wednesday’s impeach proceedings into the context of U.S. economics, reflecting on the cost-benefit analysis of last week’s riot, and a potential second impeachment of President Trump.

CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, reflecting on last week’s riot and her recent piece for the Atlantic, “How MAGA Extremism Ends,” about the path towards peace in the U.S. “It took me a while to feel comfortable writing this,” she said of the essay and its stark condemnation of President Trump. “It’s very hard to admit to yourself, even though you believe it, ‘look, my president is the spiritual and operational leader of a domestic terrorism group.’ We didn’t learn that in fourth grade.” But she concluded that with mounting opposition from members of his own party, major U.S. corporations, and bans across social media, the president’s influence is dramatically waning. “We’re a divided nation, but very few people take to arms,” she noted. “Very few people in his group are willing to blow things up – we should remember that.” She added, “Democracy bridges the divide. You have better politicians, you have ways in which we build our communities, even when we have political differences.” Juliette Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We open lines to talk with listeners about anxiety related to last week’s storming of the Capitol, and the troubling possibility of similar attacks ahead of President-elect Biden’s inauguration. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discusses Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s decision not to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump, Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s future with her WNBA team, The Atlanta Dream, and whether the postponed-2020 Summer Olympic Games will need to be held off again this summer. Boston Globe Editor-in-Chief Brian McGrory talks about his reaction to last week’s riot at the Capitol building, and coverage of the chaos from the Boston Globe's Jazmine Ulloa. He also touches on Bill Belichick’s decision not to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's acceptance of President-elect Biden’s nomination for labor secretary. Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Michelle Wu discusses Mayor Walsh being nominated for labor secretary, and whether it'll impact her own campaign for city mayor. She also responds to Harvard University's Tuesday decision to cut ties with Rep. Elise Stefanik, and talks about her vision for city police reform. Food writer Corby Kummer talks about recent federal and state stimulus packages, and whether they’ll be enough to support restaurants struggling through the pandemic. He also discusses New York Times reporting about animal cruelty at U.S. dairy farms. CNN’s John King responds to President Trump's Tuesday dismissal of his own role in last week's riot in the Capitol building, and discusses the state of Congress’ impeachment of the president. He also touches on news of Congress members testing positive for COVID-19 days after hiding in rooms with maskless colleagues. We close out Tuesday’s show by opening lines, talking with listeners about whether an inauguration ceremony could be held safely in light of last week’s attack on the Capitol building.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about how the pandemic has affected the lives of food delivery workers. “So much of the gig economy is being laid bare by the pandemic,” he said. “In one way, restaurant delivery has gone up by 40 or 50 percent, a huge amount.” DoorDash went public on the New York Stock Exchange in December. But it’s one of the worst actors in the industry, Kummer noted. “It steals tips from workers and it directs them to deliberately unprofitable roads that won’t pay off for delivery workers,” he said. DoorDash is doing very well, but it’s a “rotten business” for the actual delivery people, Kummer added. “Do anything you can to avoid DoorDash, GrubHub, Seamless, and UberEats,” 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: Sen. Ed Markey explains why he believes President Trump should be impeached, in the wake of last week's riot in the Capitol. He also touches on the future of left-wing legislative efforts now Democrats will control both houses of Congress, and responded to recent reporting on his bizarre donut-eating habit. Next, we open lines to let listeners weigh in on whether President Trump should be impeached a second time, following last week’s Pro-Trump riot in the Capitol building. GBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott discusses global reaction to last week's storming of the Capitol, historic levels of voter registration in Ga. ahead of the 2020 election, and the vital role that journalists have played in documenting rising authoritarianism at home and abroad. The Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary returns to talk about her ongoing Post series, “Sincerely, Michelle," about racial inequities in the world of personal finance. She also addresses misconceptions about race and philanthropy, and why 2021 tax season is going to be, in her words, "a hot mess." Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price reflect on the historic Senate win of Rev. Raphael Warnock in Ga., and chilling images of the Confederate flag being carried through the halls of Congress during last week's attempted coup. Shirley Leung discusses her latest reporting for the Boston Globe on the response from local corporations and businesses to last week’s riot at the Capitol, and news that Boston City Council President Kim Janey is poised to become the city’s first Black and female mayor. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. We close out Monday’s show by returning to listeners, getting your thoughts on news that Patriots coach Bill Belichick is slated to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.