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.

It's one week post election, so we start the show by asking listeners -- regardless of who you voted for -- what are you most happy about and most worried about in 2025? S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL-Media and a former CNN executive, discussed what might become of "the media" in Donald Trump's second presidency.Congressman Seth Moulton addressed his recent comments on trans athletes.Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses Donald Trump's healthcare proposals. Mike Madrid, author of Latino Century, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, discussed Trump's appeal to Latino voters across the map.Apparently “doom eating,” “doom spending,” “doom scrolling" and even doom rage is on the rise, regardless of political party. What’s your indulgence and what are you doing to stave off a cycle of gloom around this season?

Live Music Friday with a performance from the Boston Civics Orchestra, celebrating their 100th season kick-off this Sunday. Nancy Gertner on abortion rights, the future of the Supreme Court and Trump pardons.Joe Curtatone, President of the Alliance for Climate Transition joined alongside Rahsaan Hall, President of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. Meredith Goldstein ran through a handful of her latest advice columns on issues like not wanting to kiss your husband, unwelcome ex-texts, dealing with bad texters, and post-election existential dread.

Today:We asked listeners about what you want to hear from us in the wake of Trump’s election? And you answered: All politics all the time is not what matters to you. So … Am I The A-Hole is back … When a Trump-supporting step-dad offers to let his son’s fiancée use his car – but it’s all MAGA’d out with bumper stickers – and she refuses to drive it … Is she the jerk, or is the grown man playing a prank on a teenage girl the a hole?

NBC political director Chuck Todd joins with his reaction to Tuesday’s election.Then, we open up the phone lines to ask how Democrats can move forward after this national shift to the right and ask Trump voters why the Dems just weren't connecting with them.Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral talks about the implications of a GOP-controlled Senate (and possibly House) under a second Trump term. She also discusses whether Biden should pardon Trump and the future of Jack Smith’s investigation into 2020 election subversion. Former secretary of education Paul Reville reacts to Ballot Question 2, which scrapped the MCAS graduation requirement. Reville had a key role in the original implementation of MCAS, nearly 20 years ago. We then take your mind off politics by talking about chickens for five minutes. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses her latest stories on women voter turnout and her interview with Katherine Clark. It's "Am I the A-hole" day. We ask about a dad who "pranked" his kids by covering their car with Trump bumper stickers.

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin discussed the election, historic precedence for non-consecutive terms and moreNational security analyst Juliette Kayyem on threats to this election from other nations, and internally; and how the rest of the world is respondingMichael Curry of the NAACP spent election day in Michigan poll-watching. He talked about his experience and the election results generally.