Boston Public Radio

The state auditor is starting a ballot initiative to let voters decide whether the office has the power to audit the Legislature.

Actors are left without work opportunities, as they demand better pay and AI regulation.

The Massachusetts senator supports expanding the number of justices.

Comedian Jay Leno discussed his oddly fond memories of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts' first Black governor says it's necessary for Democrats to play "the long game."

Kimberlé Crenshaw says laws passed now will still stand in a century, and it's long past time to protect the teaching of Black history.

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Friday about hibernating restaurants, which will close during the winter due to COVID and try to reopen in the spring. “There’s only one choice many restaurants have since the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money ended, which is look at their expenses, see how much it would cost to try to stay open with extremely limited capacity, and say ‘We’re closing the doors and hoping in warmer weather we can bring back outdoor dining,’” he said. Many Boston restauranteurs have told Kummer that they’re hoping to hang on until April, he noted. “But what I thought was ‘You really think there’s going to be a vaccine in wide use by April?’” he said. “But I think that the realistic calculus here is that once warm weather opens, there are more takeout possibilities, more outdoor dining possibilities, and restaurants can try to stay on.” 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. Sheldon Whitehouse discussed the influence of dark money in Washington, and reflected on this week’s Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. We opened up lines to hear your thoughts on Congress’ inability to pass more coronavirus stimulus relief. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney offered her impressions of Thursday’s dueling presidential town halls, and discussed the suspension of C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully after he falsely claimed that his Twitter account was hacked. She also read a conspiracy-themed list of fixations and fulminations. Jay Wexler, Boston University law professor and former clerk for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recounted his time honoring his former boss at a days-long vigil, and reflected on the expected appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the Boston restaurants that are “hibernating” this winter in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and talked about what Americans should expect Thanksgiving celebrations to look like this year. CNN’s John King talked about Thursday’s town hall debates for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. He also touched on polling indicating that the president is losing favor with women voters, and a recent condemnation of Trump from Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, speaking to constituents in Neb. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discussed the ramifications of a halted census count, recent Washington Post reporting on postal workers falsifying data, and Vice President Mike Pence’s response to learning about the fly on his head from his debate against Sen. Kamala Harris.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Renée Landers recapped the week’s Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, what the public learned about Barrett’s judicial approach, and whether she believes the nominee would help overturn Roe v. Wade. Landers is a professor of law and faculty director of the health and biomedical law concentration at Suffolk University’s School of Law. We then opened lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on court-stacking, and whether Democrats should work to expand the Supreme Court if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed before the election. NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd caught us up on the Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and dueling town hall interviews for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about the two presidential town hall debates taking place Thursday night, for both President Tump and former Vice President Biden. Matt Stout, who covers politics and government from the Boston Globe’s State House bureau, gave a debrief on Mass.' Ballot Question 2, regarding whether the state ought to implement ranked-choice voting, and offered some pros and cons for voters still figuring out where they stand on the issue. State Rep. Mike Connolly discussed his thoughts on Gov. Baker’s newly-released rental relief plan, and the implications of the state ending its eviction moratorium, which it'll do on Saturday, ahead of winter months and another potential coronavirus surge. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed Twitter and Facebook’s moves to limit the spread of a story, published Wednesday by the New York Post, about what the outlet described as a “smoking gun” email found on the laptop of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. He also talked about issues with Amazon’s delivery service, and what you can do to help delivery drivers find your home.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We spent today’s show airing live audio from day three of the Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. You can watch the full recording of Wednesday’s hearing by visiting WGBH.org/News, or clicking the link here.

Today on Boston Public Radio We spent today’s show airing live audio from day two of the Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. You can watch the full recording of Tuesday’s hearing by visiting WGBH.org/News, or clicking the link here.