Boston Public Radio

America has a complicated relationship with religious dogma. It inspires reverence and provokes revolt. The nation's oldest living president, 90 year old…

It's a story that, by now, is tragically familiar: an American hostage, alone with his captor in the desert, executed on camera by militants of the…

Charlie Sennott drops by to discuss ISIS' execution of a US Aid worker, gives us a G-20 debrief, and previews GroundTruth's investigative reporting on how…

Need a refresher course on world history? We've got you covered. Or rather, the folks of "The Folklorist"—a New England Emmy-winning history show on…

The sleepy town of Westminster, Massachusetts made waves this week when it proposed a ban on the sale of tobacco products, including cigarettes. That got…

Kelly Beatty, of Sky and Telescope joins us to marvel at the European Space Agency, and their space craft, Rosetta's ten year journey to land on a comet.…

During a Wednesday interview on Boston Public Radio, Sister Helen Prejean condemned a string of executions green-lit by President Trump in his final weeks in office. If Justice Department plans proceed, President Trump will have overseen 12 federal executions during his four-year term, the most since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served 12-years. “We have to begin to heal, to listen to each other,” Prejean said, reflecting on the politically divisive four years under Trump. “Not to see people as an enemy who disagrees with us, or belongs to a different political party – that’s healing. Killing killers is not part of healing, it’s just imitating and continuing the violence.” Prejean has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and shaping the Catholic Church’s vigorous opposition to executions. Her latest book is “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.” To learn more, go to SisterHelen.org.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory talked about the President Trump’s sustained effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, stalled stimulus talks in Washington, and other national headlines. He also discussed the Globe series "Behind the Shield" and "A Beautiful Resistance." NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed news of Vanderbilt soccer player Sarah Fuller becoming the first woman to play in a Power 5 college football game, and the NFL’s stumbles in mitigating the spread of coronavirus among players and staff. Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mass., broke down the details of a newly-released police reform bill from the State House, and weighed in on whether the proposed reforms would bring meaningful change to policing in the Commonwealth. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about the COVID-19 pandemic, and how you’re feeling about quarantine as we transition into winter. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the end of a Mass. law allowing restaurants to use public space for outdoor dining, poor worker condition for restaurant delivery drivers, and other major food headlines of the week. NHPR reporter and producer Jason Moon talked about season one of the NHPR podcast “Document,” titled “The List,” which delves into New Hampshire's secret blacklist of police officers and the legal battle to make it public. We ended the show by returning to listeners, this time to ask: is Mass. doing enough to support its restaurants through the pandemic?

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about community fridges popping up around Boston. “If you have extra food that is perishable and needs a refrigerator, different communities have set up community fridges,” he said. “They’re actually plugged into outdoor outlets, and have shelves where you can put in pantry food-bank-style donations.” 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.

Dr. Ken Duckworth, senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. and national medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, talked about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health during the holiday season. He also took time to fielding questions and comments from listeners. Next, we opened our lines up to ask: with winter encroaching, are you ready to answer the call of the great outdoors? GBH investigative reporter Chris Burrell discussed growing momentum in the State House around legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to register for drivers licenses. He also discussed the latest news around Mass.’ purported investments in minority-owned businesses. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, host of GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast, weighed in on President-elect Joe Biden’s Catholic faith, and debated the real impact it might have on his presidency. They also discussed Wilton Gregory, who became the first-ever Black-American cardinal this past weekend. TV expert Bob Thompson reviewed NOVA’s “Saving Notre Dame,” and talked about the onslaught of welcome holiday content from country legend Dolly Parton. He also offered a belated review of Netflix’s hit show “The Queen’s Gambit." We closed out Monday's show by reopening our lines to talk with listeners about “The Queen’s Gambit,” and ask: have got you gotten swept up in this current chess craze?

Dr. Ken Duckworth spoke to Boston Public Radio on Monday about mental health, teletherapy, and coping support during the pandemic. “Supply [of therapists] was always inadequate to demand,” he said. “But demand has exploded in the context of the pandemic.” More people are experiencing distress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, addiction relapse, and recurrence of trauma since COVID-19, Duckworth said. “More people are seeking help and I think that really reflects the experience that people are having.” Ken Duckworth is the Senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and the Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.