Episodes
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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. -
BPR Full Show: The Oreometer
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on the news of Elon Musk buying Twitter. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Celtics playoffs run and mental health struggles among youth athletes. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Elle Simone Scott shares tips on how to make the perfect food board for hosting. Scott is Executive Editor and Inclusion Leader at America's Test Kitchen. She is also founder of the mentoring organization SheChef. Her recently released book is “Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings.” Corby Kummer discusses oversight issues with the Food and Drug Administration, Boston chef Tiffani Faison winning “Tournament of Champions” and MIT students creating an “Oreometer.” 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. Jared Bowen previews the latest in local arts, including Huntington Theatre Company’s Elliot Norton Award Nomination for its production of Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and “Too Fat for China,” a show about motherhood and adoption playing at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. John King updates listeners on the latest political headlines, including recent news from the Jan. 6 Committee and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners how they eat their Oreos. -
BPR Full Show: "Ask the AG," Ukraine, and Voting Rights
Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne and Miles Rapoport talk about the low voter turnout in recent elections, arguing for mandatory voting as a part of Americans’ civic duty. Dionne is a columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rapoport is a senior fellow at the Ash Center of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a former Connecticut secretary of state. Their new book is “100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting.” We then open the phone lines, talking with listeners about schmoozers in the workplace. Charlie Sennott discusses his experiences reporting from the Poland-Ukraine border in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sennott is a news analyst for GBH, where he also heads up the GroundTruth Project. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the Supreme Court case involving a former high school football coach who lost his job after praying with players on the field. 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, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. Attorney General Maura Healey discusses ex-Boston Police Union President Patrick Rose’s guilty plea to child rape charges, and answers listeners’ questions during this month’s edition of “Ask the AG.” -
BPR Full Show: Recyclable or not?
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their experiences with recycling, and seeing if they can guess whether an item is recyclable or not. David Cash weighs in on the Biden Administration’s approach to climate, including on electric vehicles, limiting emissions and more. Cash is the EPA's Regional Administrator for Region 1, leading the implementation of the Biden-Harris environmental agenda in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and in 10 Tribal Nations. Callie Crossley discusses Syracuse police detaining an 8-year-old Black boy for stealing a bag of chips, and Former President Donald Trump’s campaign being ordered to pay around $1.3 million in legal fees to Omarosa Manigault Newman, former White House aide, following Trump’s legal complaint surrounding criticism of him in her book. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Shirley Leung talks about the current biotech bubble, Arthur Jemison, Mayor Michelle Wu’s new pick for chief of planning, and flight attendant crashpads in the city. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. David Abel explains his piece about special mice on Nantucket curbing the tick population, attitudes around the urgency of climate change and state climate action. David Abel is a climate reporter for the Boston Globe. Sue O’Connell discusses Ludlow parents suing a school over its affirmation of their trans child, and the right wing Twitter account Libs of TikTok, feeding anti-LGBTQ hate. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC LX and NECN. Sue O'Connell on BPR | April 22, 2022 We end the show by discussing a lottery winner in Methuen who decided to split the winnings with a shop owner who had done him a good deed. -
BPR Full Show: Are you old enough?
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether they think American kids are too coddled, in light of the new Netflix show “Old Enough!” in which Japanese toddlers run errands independently. Susan Yanow discusses the state of abortion rights in the U.S., stories of women arrested for at-home abortions and how people across the country can find abortion resources. Yanow a co-founder of the international nonprofit Women Help Women, which supports women across the world in accessing abortion medication. She’s the spokesperson for their U.S. based program SASS, or Self-Managed Abortion, Safe and Suppored. Andrea Cabral talks about the problems with no-knock police raids, and former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia II soon heading to prison after multiple delays. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety, and former CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko updates listeners on the world of tech, including AI technology that can generate original images based on user descriptions, and a Russian soldier who stole AirPods, allowing the former Ukrainian owner to track his location. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Karla Hoyos and Henry Patterson share their experiences cooking for refugees at the Polish-Ukrainian border with World Central Kitchen. Hoyos is a Miami-based chef who ran the World Central Kitchen in Poland, as well as in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Patterson is the founder of Bel Canto, the consulting group ReThink Restaurants and Somerville restaurant incubator CWC, Inc. Jon Gruber made a case for why the U.S. needs to ramp up pandemic funding for both COVID-19 and future outbreaks. Gruber was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts healthcare 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.” We end the show by asking listeners their opinions on tipping. -
BPR Full Show: An Abundance of Animals
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether it’s time for the U.S. to increase military aid to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the Florida judge who overturned federal COVID-19 mask mandates on transit. 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. Nathaniel Stinnett talks about efforts to increase voting numbers among environmentalists. Stinnett is founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld discusses his research into the companies that have left Russia in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine – and the ones that have stayed behind. Sonnenfeld is the Lester Crown professor of management practice at the Yale School of Management and director of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. Ali Noorani updates us on the latest immigration headlines, focusing on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis controversial moves to bus undocumented migrants to D.C. and Delaware. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. Sy Montgomery joins us for this month’s edition of “The Afternoon Zoo,” talking about Attorney General Maura Healey’s announcement that a financial services company illegally leased dogs, and the resurgence of wildlife in New England. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is an illustrated story, “The Seagull and the Sea Captain.” We end the show by talking with listeners about their encounters with what Boston Globe reporter Billy Baker is calling “the new golden age of wildlife in New England.” -
BPR Full Show: BenDeLaCreme gets married
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their reactions to the news that masks are no longer required on planes and trains following a ruling yesterday from a Florida federal judge. Trenni Kusnierek discusses Henry Richard crossing the Boston Marathon finish line nine years after his brother Martin was killed in the bombing, and the Celtics winning their first game of NBA playoffs. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. BenDeLaCreme previews her upcoming show in Boston tonight and shares memories from her dramatic self-elimination from season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars. BenDeLaCreme is the star of Season 6 of Drag Race, as well as All Stars 3. She is in town for her comedy tour “Ready to Be Committed” at Big Night Live. Juliette Kayyem talks about gun violence becoming the leading cause of death for American children and the latest from the January 6 Commission. 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. Jared Bowen explains NFTs and what they mean for the art world, and talks about newest shows including “Don’t Eat the Mangoes” by Teatro Chelsea and Apollinaire Theatre Company, and “20 Artists: Global Positioning,” replacing bus shelter ads with public art. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. John King updates listeners on the latest political headlines, including what’s at stake in the upcoming midterm elections and how President Joe Biden’s presidency will affect voting. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. -
Corby Kummer: "At least 4 million" households losing emergency SNAP benefits in the U.S.
Following Bridget Huber’s reporting for the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) on the end of emergency SNAP benefits, food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to discuss an impending “hunger cliff” that could dramatically increase food insecurity in the U.S. In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) temporarily strengthened SNAP, with households under the program receiving at least $95 extra per month. But 12 Republican-led states that have ended their pandemic emergency declarations without placing “a narrower public health emergency declaration in place,” thereby ending additional SNAP benefits provided by the USDA. The Biden administration recently extended the National Public Health Emergency, which was originally declared in March 2020, to mid-July — continuing emergency SNAP benefits for states that still have public health emergency declarations in place. “People who have gotten used to the increased pandemic benefits on SNAP for food assistance are suddenly seeing the monthly bump in their SNAP benefits go — in the case of a woman in Des Moines, Iowa — from $250 a month to $20 a month,” Kummer said. “The USDA, which runs SNAP, issued 4.1 billion in emergency allotments to more than 19 million households. This February, the most recent data available was $2.8 billion as opposed to $4.1 billion in emergency allotments. [That’s] 15 million households, not 19 million,” Kummer continued. “So you're already looking at billions cut: at least 4 million fewer households [are] getting it, and we can only imagine what that's going to be in the months to come.” 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. -
BPR Full Show: Marathon Monday
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether they would consider cheating on their taxes. Bill Evans discusses how security at the Boston Marathon changed in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He also talks about his love of running, and his experiences running in the Boston Marathon. Marathoner and former Boston police commissioner Bill Evans is now the police chief at Boston College. Corby Kummer talks about the death of the non-profit food news publication The Counter, and a new Wollaston Beach restaurant promoting vegan seafood. 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. Bobbi Gibb reflects on her experience as the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon, and the last 50 years of women running in the race. Gibb was the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1966. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on the Vatican inviting both a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman to carry the cross at Rome’s Via Crucis, and the conservatives legislating the erasure of trans and queer people. 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, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. We then ask listeners whether they loved – or loved to hate – Peeps. Des Linden joined us last week to talk about her 2018 Boston Marathon win as the first American woman to win the marathon in 33 years. Linden is a long-distance runner, a two-time Olympian, and the 2018 winner of the Boston Marathon in the women’s category.
