Boston Public Radio

Essaibi George dismissed allegations around her developer husband, suggesting they were politically motivated.

The rise of the delta variant of COVID-19 is instilling fear and “stabilizing the need” of nutrition assistance programs.

"The administration needs to catch up" on vaccine mandates, Wu said today on BPR.

Downie said the move, while only helpful in the short term, was likely to buy time for families working to get their hands on federal aid money.

Boston mayoral candidate John Barros joined Boston Public Radio for a wide-ranging interview about his candidacy.

The Rhode Island senator said he doesn't expect his voice is enough to change Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's mind on the issue of stepping down from the nation's highest court while Democrats maintain power.

Should Massachusetts mandate sex education in schools? At the top of the hour we opened lines to hear what listeners had to say. State Senator Jason Lewis made an appearance. Medical ethicist Art Caplan explores the implications of a genetic test aimed at assessing the risk of heart disease and heart attacks in younger individuals. Additionally, he delves into the reasons why many people consider a "natural death" more favorable than the potential trauma associated with CPR. National security expert Juliette Kayyem analyzes the repercussions of Stewart Rhodes' 18-year sentencing and shedding light on the risks posed by artificial intelligence. She argues that people should not fear AI. Poet Richard Blanco shares a collection of his poems, which celebrate the beauty and serenity of open spaces and natural parks. Summer is right around the corner. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung explores Boston's vibrant Peking duck scene, as well as examines the Greater Boston Y's pursuit of alternative offerings beyond the traditional health and fitness services. Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery discusses the reappearance of a Russian spy beluga in Sweden, and exploring whether octopuses experience nightmares. Do you tell your guests to take their shoes off when they enter your home? We held the hot debate at the end of our show by taking calls and texts from listeners.

The Celtics ended their playoff run with a loss to the Heat last night. So, we opened the phone lines to ask listeners about the pain of losing. And, what was harder to watch … the Celtics, or the end of Succession? NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Casey discussed the Celtics' loss last night. Plus, how wartime politics are making its way into the French Open. GBH News analyst and editor-in-chief at the GroundTruth Project Charlie Sennott discussed the latest in Ukraine, back from a recent trip to Bucha. Jim Aloisi, former transportation secretary, and Stacy Thompson, executive director of Livable Streets, joined for a transit panel. GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen joined fresh off a Broadway binge to discuss the shows he saw over the weekend. CNN’s John King joined via zoom for the latest on the debt ceiling deal and more in politics. New Zealand will make all passengers on their national airline weigh themselves before boarding. They say it’s part of a survey to gather data about load distribution on their planes...We asked listeners: would they do anything that requires them to step on a scale?

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, we started off by asking listeners how they plan to celebrate the holiday. And whether they are taking any special precautions to avoid wild animal encounters. Workman Song is a Martha’s Vineyard-based Americana band. They joined for Live Music Friday ahead of their performance at Boston Calling. Sue O’Connell dished on her headline-grabbing encounter with a wild coyote in Roxbury. Karen Tran runs the Tik Tok Tiny Felted Joy. She joined to teach Jim and Margery a thing or two about her craft. Andy Ihnatko discussed a handful of tech stories, including the Surgeon General’s warning about social media use, those fake Pentagon pictures, EU regulations on AI and other tech headlines. Maura Healey joined us for one hour of “Ask the Governor.” She talked about the Rachael Rollins investigation, offshore wind investments, getting banned in Russia, what’s going at the MBTA and more…

Ron DeSantis announced that he’s running for president in a conversation with Elon Musk that was filled with technical issues. We opened the lines to hear from listeners on their thoughts on the perfectly time glitches. EJ Dionne will discuss his latest columns in the Washington Post. He'll focus on what's going on in DC and Congress. Andrea Cabral will provide insights on the ongoing movement concerning Supreme Court ethics, the continuing aftermath of the Rachael Rollins scandal, and other noteworthy legal headlines. Sandra Bernhard, an actress, singer and star of the one-woman show "Spring Affair," will be joining us. She's been on Will and Grace and American Horror Story. Shirley Leung will share her latest report regarding Mayor Wu and Boston's business community. She will also discuss the news that Ayanna Pressley is working towards renaming the post office by South Station in honor of the late community activist Caroline Chang. Rick Steves, renowned and beloved travel personality, will talk about his recent journey through Madrid. Additionally, he'll provide details about his upcoming concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our show concluded by honoring the legendary icon Tina Turner. We took calls and texts to see how people are remembering her.

Elon Musk and Florida governor Ron DeSantis are reportedly announcing DeSantis’ bid for president today…on twitter. We asked listeners whether Musk’s actions have changed their use of the social media platform. Peggy Shukur (New England ADL) and Idit Klein (Keshet) discussed the ADL’s new report on extremism in Massachusetts. Juliette Kayyem weighed in on fake AI images of a burning Pentagon that went viral this week, and the U-Haul truck that crashed into a White House security barrier. She also discussed headlines out of the G-7 summit, and the latest on the trial of Jack Teixeira. Amal Amon, Samia Komi, and Omnia Fadelelsaid, are all natives of Sudan who moved to Massachusetts in the early 2000’s. They joined us to discuss the war in Sudan and how it’s impacting the lives of their loved ones still in Sudan. Corby Kummer discussed an Atlantic piece on what we do and don’t know about the drawbacks of eating fast. He also talked about the state of COVID-era restaurant policies and some expanded SNAP benefits. Paul English and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco joined to discuss UMass Boston’s new AI Institute, which they are naming in English’s honor after his $5 million donation. English founded the travel company Kayak and is co-chairing Embrace Boston. Suárez-Orozco is the chancellor of UMass Boston. According to a new piece by Katherine Wu in The Atlantic, there’s no scientific evidence that eating fast is worse for you than eating slow. We asked listeners to call in to share their eating habits.