Boston Public Radio

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse criticized Biden’s reasoning for pardoning his son, while Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley defended Biden's right to pardon his son but urged the president to use his executive powers to address sentencing disparities.

Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung noted that Black Friday's excitement has changed, as fewer people lined up for early-morning sales. Instead, online shopping saw record sales.

The senator believes Trump will act in a revengeful way "towards individuals who he believes harmed him.”

Andrea Campbell said the attorney general's office can only get involved if the dispute between the auditor and Massachusetts Legislature goes to litigation.

RFK Jr's vaccine skepticism is concerning to doctors, but his calls for improving nutrition are appealing — if he can execute his plan.

The former Massachusetts governor says his party could learn from Donald Trump.

Today:We ask listeners to weigh in on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu not taking maternity leave after becoming just one of very few women to give birth while holding elected office … A source with intimate knowledge of the matter calls in.And, tech guru Andy Ihnatko explains what the end of Tik-Tok would look like, and why thousands of users are flocking to yet another China-owned video sharing app, instead of Mark Zuckerberg’s “Reels.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is not taking a maternity leave, after giving birth to her third child just two days ago. We open the phone lines to hear what listeners think about taking parental leave in a modern, working world. One caller has a lot to say...GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses the impact of the California fires on Hollywood and the Oscars. Plus, the MFA exhibit "Deep Waters: Four Artists and the Sea."NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell previews Biden's farewell address and discusses why 2025 could be the year of the "Alpha Male." Tech podcaster Andy Ihnatko discusses the imminent TikTok ban and Meta's end of fact checking.Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein talks about recent letters about getting over divorce guilt and dealing with a partner lost to conspiracy theories. Plus, the start of a new season of the Loves Letters podcast. Then we open the phone lines to ask listeners how they maintain relationships (or not) with people across the political divide.

BPR Full Show 1/14: Ask The Attorney General

Today:Amherst College's Ilan Stavans discusses the power of names, and Donald Trump's obsession with them.Khalil Gibran Muhammad of Princeton University discusses Mark Zuckerberg's shift away from fact-checking and content moderation on his Meta social media platforms.

Los Angeles still on fire, as the death toll tops 24, thousands of acres and homes destroyed. The governor has suspended environmental permitting and review requirements to rebuild – Is this the right move, as flames fueled by climate change encircle the city? We ask you: after a natural disaster, what’s the balance between rebuilding and climate resilience? Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses how congestion pricing might impact NYC restaurants and the dozens of Tatte employees forced to resign amid growing immigration crackdown fears.Ilan Stavans of Amherst College discusses Trump calling for a renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Mexican President Sheinbaum's reply. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses the health hazards of smoke inhalation/poor air quality in relation to the LA fires and climate change more broadly. She also reflects on her father, David Gergen, who has dementia.Princeton's Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses the tech world ending their DEI initiatives and why right-wing influencers are spreading lies about the LA fires in relation to diversity efforts.Then it's the buffet and you: We open the phone and text lines for you to wax poetic about buffets, the good the bad and the ugly.