Episodes
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BPR Full Show: Sy Montgomery, Justice Margaret Marshall, The Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline, and more
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about parental burnout. Interim DA Kevin Hayden discusses his new plan on handling arrests at Mass & Cass. He also shares his thoughts on Mayor Michelle Wu’s statement on providing support for the children allegedly responsible for multiple attacks around Boston Common. Hayden is the interim District Attorney for Suffolk County, and he’s running for election for a full term as DA this fall. Callie Crossley reflects on a post-Roe America, and the story of Jessica Watkins, the first Black woman on the International Space Station (ISS) crew. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Sy Montgomery talks about her encounters with birds of prey while learning falconry. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is "The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty.” Justice Margaret Marshall discusses the unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that could overrule Roe v. Wade. Justice Marshall is the former Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice. Lisa Graham, Gabrielle Goodman, and the Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline perform live at the Boston Public Library ahead of their upcoming May 15 performance of Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concert.” Graham is the music director of the Metropolitan Chorale, Conductor of Choral Program at Wellesley. Goodman is a soloist and a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music in the Voice Department. Goodman has performed in both classical and jazz idioms with the Syracuse Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Baltimore Opera, and the National Symphony. The Metropolitan Chorale is a 100-voice audition chorus. -
BPR Full Show: The Fight for Abortion Rights
Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, focusing on the leak of a Supreme Court opinion draft in support of overturning Roe v. Wade. We continues our conversation on the future of abortion with listeners. Andrea Cabral discusses the potential overruling of Roe v. Wade, and the politicization of the Supreme Court. Cabral is the former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Stephanie Lippman shares her experience receiving her diploma from New England Conservatory of Music, two decades after she was expelled right before graduation. Lippman is a professional singer, and graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Paul Keil explains how billionaires skirt tax obligations in the U.S. Keil is a reporter who covers billionaires, business and consumer finance for ProPublica. He’s a regular contributor to their series, “The Secret IRS Files: Inside the Tax Records of the .001%.” Shirley Leung talks about the corporations helping employees in states with restrictive abortion laws, and the Boston-area Starbucks workers unionizing. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. We end the show by asking listeners if they’ve grown accustomed to the greater Boston area’s rat population – or if they’re still trying to get rid of them. -
BPR Full Show: Roe v. Wade, Ukraine, and more
Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan weighs in on the ethics of the leaked Supreme Court decision draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade, and potential attacks on birth control access. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. We begin the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on the future of abortion care. Juliette Kayyem discusses the latest news out of Ukraine, including the supply chain issues slowing down U.S. aid to Ukraine. Kayyem is former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Nick Quah shares his recent favorites from the world of podcasting, focusing on Radiotopia’s “Oprahdemics” from hosts Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigeur, and Karina Longworth’s latest season of “You Must Remember This.” Quah is Vulture’s podcast critic. Carol Rose shares her legal analysis of the Supreme Court’s leaked decision draft on Roe v. Wade. She also discusses the Mass. Senate’s upcoming debate on whether to pass a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for Mass. driver’s licenses. Rose is the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Dr. Virginia Sinnott-Stutzman joins us for “Ask the Veterinarian,” talking about the pandemic pet boom and the increasing number of workplaces allowing pets in the office. Sinnott-Stutzman is a senior staff veterinarian at Angell Animal Medical Center. -
BPR Full Show: The Future of Roe v. Wade
Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by talking with listeners about the leak of a Supreme Court abortion draft decision, and the future of abortion rights. Alton Brown talks about “Iron Chef” moving to Netflix, and his latest cookbook, “Good Eats: The Final Years.” Brown is a Peabody Award-winning celebrity chef and host of both “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef,” which is making a grand-return to Netflix this June. His latest book is “Good Eats: The Final Years.” Judge Nancy Gertner weighs in on the Supreme Court draft opinion that has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade, and what overturning the case means for the legal system. Gertner is a retired federal judge, and is now a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Imari Paris Jeffries discusses King Boston breaking ground at the Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King memorial, “The Embrace,” in Boston Common. He also shares his thoughts on the potential for government-funded reparations. Jeffries is the executive director of King Boston, the group behind this coming memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King and Corretta Scott King on Boston Common called “The Embrace.” John Waters previews his new book, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel,” and talks about the 50th anniversary of “Pink Flamingos.” Waters is a filmmaker, actor, artist and the author of “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel.” Jared Bowen talks about Matthew López’s play “The Inheritance” at the SpeakEasy Stage Company. He also shares his thoughts on “Prison Nation,” a photography exhibit examining mass incarceration across the U.S., on view at the Davis Museum. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of "Open Studio." We end the show by returning to our discussion with listeners on the future of abortion rights. -
Corby Kummer on Gordon Ramsay Burger, celebrity chefs, and local food news
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s second Boston restaurant — Gordon Ramsay Burger — is slated to open in late 2022 inside downtown’s Canopy by Hilton. The Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares star’s first Boston restaurant, Ramsay’s Kitchen, opened earlier this year in the Mandarin Oriental in Back Bay. “TV stardom translates into big deals and investment money,” food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio on Monday. “A big national chain like the Hilton thinks that he'll bring in tourists and customers.” “I would so much rather it'd be somebody local,” Kummer added. “[But] I'm all for fine dining and having access to these dishes wherever they do it and somebody gives local employment.” Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. -
BPR Full Show: Rules of Engagement
Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Jim McGovern discusses his recent visit to Ukraine and Poland, as well as his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Rep. McGovern, D-Mass., chairs the House Rules Committee and represents the state's 2nd Congressional District. Michael Curry and Jennifer Nassour share their thoughts on the latest in politics, focusing on the potential for student-loan forgiveness. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers. Nassour is former chair of the Massachusetts Republican party, and co-founder and president of the Pocketbook Project, a nonprofit geared toward getting women elected to public office. Trenni Kusnierek talks about 50 years of Title IX, and the Patriots’ NFL Draft picks. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Corby Kummer shares his thoughts on the mass avian flu culling of 5.3 million chickens by Rembrandt, an Iowa-based egg factory. He also talks about the ever-expanding world of gummies. Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III talk about Harvard’s creation of a fund to redress its ties to slavery. They also discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment rights in refusing to let a local organization fly a Christian flag in front of City Hall. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, and the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. Anand Giridharadas discusses Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, and weighs in on the last 20 years of U.S. intervention in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Giridharadas is a journalist, the publisher of the newsletter “The.Ink,” and author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade Of Changing The World." We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their texting behaviors, and the texting rules they follow. -
BPR Full Show: Meet You in the Metaverse
Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett discusses the end of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and current COVID positivity rate in Mass. She also answers listeners’ questions during this month’s edition of “Ask the Doctor.” Gergen Barnett is the vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation and residency director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. We then open up the phone lines, talking with listeners about the potential for sports betting in Mass. Robert Baart and Peter Scott talks about the return of Fenway Studios’ two-day open studios event. They also share their thoughts on whether there’s enough support for emerging artists in Boston. Baart and Scott are artists with Fenways Studios. Their co-op is hosting their annual Open Studio event this weekend, indoors tomorrow, and both indoors and outdoors on Sunday, on Ipswich Street in Fenway. Paul Reville discusses the investigation into Jamaica Plain’s Mission Hill K-8 School, and shares his thoughts on the textbooks recently rejected by the Florida Department of Education. Reville is the former Secretary of Education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also runs the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Lynne Sacks, is “Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders.” Sue O’Connell talks about the Oklahoma legislature’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. She also weighs in on M.I.T.’s Banana Lounge. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN. Harry Christophers discusses his upcoming departure from the Handel and Haydn Society after 13 years of leadership, and shares how the Handel and Haydn Society adapted during the pandemic. Christophers is the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society. We end the show by asking listeners about the future of romance in the metaverse. -
BPR Full Show: "Regarding All These Bugs"
Today on Boston Public Radio: Mayor Michelle Wu discusses an investigation into sexual abuse and bullying at the Mission Hill K-8 School in Jamaica Plain. She also answers listeners’ questions during “Ask the Mayor.” Jonathan Gruber explains the economics behind Disney’s special tax status, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is targeting after the company lambasted the state’s recent “Don’t Say Gay” law. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is "Jump-Starting America How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream." Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, focusing on President Biden’s request for $33 billion in aid to Ukraine. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Andrea Cabral discusses former Boston Police Union President Patrick Rose pleading guilty to child rape and abuse charges. She also talks about efforts in Rhode Island to decriminalize prostitution. Cabral is the former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety. She’s now the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko shares his thoughts on Elon Musk’s potential deal to buy Twitter, and Apple’s new right-to-repair program. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their fear – or love – of bugs, following news of hammerhead worms and jumping worms’ arrival in New England. -
BPR Full Show: Poetry on Poetry
Today on Boston Public Radio: Art Caplan discusses Former President Donald Trump’s White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx and her new book, “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration.” Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on news that nearly 60 percent of Americans have had COVID-19. Shirley Leung talks about Harvard’s announcement that the University will spend $100 million to research and redress its past ties to slavery, and towns citing “community character” in efforts to prevent affordable housing. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Juliette Kayyem weighs in on the latest from the Jan. 6 Committee, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s testimony and the leaked audio of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Kayyem is former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Sameer Sabir and Nada Siddiqui tell the story of their daughter Rehma, who died shortly after her first birthday, and their advocacy for legislation that would require more oversight for medical examiners in cases with children under 2-years-old. Sabir and Siddiqui are a Boston-area based couple advocating for medical examiner oversight. Richard Blanco reads self-reflective poems in honor of National Poetry Month, including “Poetry” by Marianne Moore and “The End of Poetry” by Ada Limón. Blanco is the fifth presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history. His latest book, “How to Love a Country,” deals with various socio-political issues that shadow the United States. We end the show by telling bad neighbor stories, after a family won $5 million in a lawsuit against a country club following a barrage of golf balls. -
Corby Kummer: Ghost kitchen services are "very bad deals for restaurants"
Travis Kalanick — the co-founder and ex-CEO of Uber who stepped down from the rideshare company — is bringing his new “ghost kitchen” company to Boston. CloudKitchen, which buys old warehouse buildings to split into commercial kitchen spaces that restaurants can rent out to produce food for third-party delivery services like Uber Eats and GrubHub, is headed to Roxbury’s Shirley Street. The Roxbury warehouse will have more than two dozen kitchen spaces available for rent by both local restaurants and national chains. And though the company assures restaurateurs that profits will soar, critics aren’t so keen. “There's huge amount of turnover in these places. The companies don't help [small businesses] out financially, and leave them hanging when they don't get sufficient orders,” food writer Corby Kummer said. “They're very bad deals for restaurants.” Tech companies like CloudKitchen, Kummer notes, are “almost certainly going to want to own everything,” such as menus and access to recipes. “The fact is, the tech company owns everything and all the intellectual property,” Kummer said. “You leave with nothing if it's not working out for you.” Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
