Episodes
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BPR Full Show: A Drink to Your Health
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about the House’s passage of a bill that would establish a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Andrea Cabral discusses former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross’ claims that former Mayor Marty Walsh knew about the domestic violence allegations against Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Gov. Charlie Baker updates us on current vaccination rates and equity in Massachusetts, and weighs in on calls for an independent investigation into the death of Hopkinton teen Mikayla Miller. Corby Kummer shares his thoughts on Swedish oat milk company Oatly’s public market debut, and Costco, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s decision to drop their in-store mask mandates. 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. Prof. Robert Pape discusses his research into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, explaining how the Capitol rioters differed from most extremist groups in the U.S. due to their middle- and upper-middle class status. He also talks about how replacement theory factored into the rioters’ beliefs. Prof. Pape is the director of the University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), and a political science professor at the University of Chicago. Rose Levine and Alma Barak talk about their 2020 Washington Post op-eds on the return to in-person learning, and share whether they still held the same opinions a year later. Levine is a 5th grade teacher for the Cambridge Public School District. Barak is an 8th grade student in the Cambridge Public School District. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they want to make pandemic-era cocktails to-go permanent. -
BPR Full Show: There's Something in the Sky
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about the labor shortages hotels and restaurants are facing as the U.S. reopens. Jonathan Gruber talks about Congress’ Lower Drug Costs Now Act, and shares his thoughts on possible solutions to lowering the cost of prescription drugs. 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." Juliette Kayyem discusses a new report that found that the Department of Homeland Security failed to analyze intelligence prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. She also talks about Colonial Pipeline’s decision to meet hackers’ ransom, and the Army’s prioritization of climate change as a security threat. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Bina Venkataraman goes over the latest Boston Globe editorial positions, from calls to dismantle the blue wall of silence in the wake of domestic violence allegations against Dennis White, to the argument that Massachusetts is exporting gun violence through Springfield-based Smith & Wesson. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the Supreme Court’s agreement to review a Mississippi abortion law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, and explains how it could impact Roe v. Wade. He also talks about Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, and the organization’s updated mask guidelines. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Jared Bowen talks about Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s streaming of the play “A Woman of the World,” and the Huntington Theatre Company’s “Black Beans Project.” He also previewed this week’s episode of Open Studio. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We end the show by talking with listeners about the Pentagon’s acknowledgement of UFOs. -
BPR Full Show: Up in the Air
Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners how they felt about the reopening of high schools across Massachusetts. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Yankees’ COVID-19 outbreak, and the Red Sox’s decision to not require vaccines for players. She also discusses former NFL players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport’s civil rights lawsuit against the NFL for alleged systematic discrimination in concussion settlement benchmarks. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Laura Sullivan previews the latest FRONTLINE and NPR collaboration, the documentary “The Health Divide,” and explains how safety-net hospitals were impacted by the pandemic. Sullivan is a correspondent for NPR. Jill Shah speaks about the preliminary results from the universal basic income pilot program in Chelsea, Mass. Shah is president of the Shah Family Foundation, which is supporting efforts between Chelsea and philanthropic partners for one of the largest universal basic income programs in the nation. She’s also the host of the Catalysts for Change podcast. Dr. Ken Duckworth discuss the pandemic’s impact on mental health, from the rise of Telehealth to developmental issues facing youth. Dr. Duckworth is senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the national medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. John King talks about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) opposition against a bipartisan proposal to form a commission that would investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. He also discusses the Supreme Court’s agreement to hear a Mississippi case that challenges Roe v. Wade. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about returning to air travel. -
BPR Full Show: Rule of Thumb
Today on Boston Public Radio: Saraya Wintersmith updates us on the investigation into former Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White amid allegations of domestic violence. Wintersmith covers Boston City Hall for GBH News. Next, we open the phone lines, talking with listeners about transparency in police departments. Rob Anderson talks about what the past year has been like for The Canteen, his Provincetown-based restaurant, from the psychological impact of trying to keep business afloat during COVID-19 to a drop in employees. Anderson is the chef and owner of The Canteen in Provincetown. Charlie Sennott discusses the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how U.S. politicians have responded to the rising crisis. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Ali Noorani speaks about President Joe Biden’s meeting with DACA recipients last week, and the Biden administration’s decision to lift the refugee resettlement ceiling for this fiscal year. Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. His latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration.” Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weigh in on House lawmakers’ advancement of a bill that would form a commission to develop proposals on reparations for slavery. They also preview this week’s episode of All Rev’d Up. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at the Boston University School of Theology. Price is an executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Together, they host GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast. Then, we ask listeners how they felt about Gov. Charlie Baker’s updated COVID-19 guidelines. Bob Thompson discusses the end of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and comedian Ziwe Fumidoh’s new Showtime series, “ZIWE.” He also talks about the endurance of sitcoms. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a professor of television and popular culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. -
BPR Full Show: Pet Sounds
Today on Boston Public Radio: Superintendent Brenda Cassellius discusses the Boston School Committee’s decision to raise graduation requirement standards for students, and the school system’s capital improvement plan. She also talks about addressing learning loss among students. Cassellius is the superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Next, we talk with listeners about the CDC’s updated mask guidelines. Emily Rooney shares her thoughts on the trial of former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia. She also previews tonight’s episode of Beat the Press. Rooney is the host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. Leonard Egerton and Clarrissa Cropper talk about what the past year has been like for The Frugal Bookstore, from surpassing their GoFundMe campaign goal to a spike in orders of antiracist literature after the murder of George Floyd. Egerton and Cropper are the husband and wife team behind The Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury’s Nubian Square. Andy Ihnatko discusses the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit program, and the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Dr. Terri Bright talks about pet separation anxiety, and answers listeners’ questions about their pets. Dr. Bright is the lead behaviorist at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center. -
BPR Full Show: Passion Project
Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd shares his thoughts on the future of the GOP after the ouster of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WI). 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. Next, we ask listeners what pre-pandemic behaviors they’ve returned to. Shirley Leung talks about the top CEOs who received high pay increases as many Americans faced pay cuts and layoffs during the pandemic. She also discussed President Joe Biden’s approval of the Vineyard Wind project. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Corby Kummer discusses the labor shortage restaurants are facing as they reopen and prepare for summer business. He also shares his thoughts on restaurant owner Daniel Humm’s decision to not serve meat in his restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. 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. Paul Reville weighs in on American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten’s call for schools to reopen in the fall. He also argues in support of keeping the MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement. Reville is the former Massachusetts secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads 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 Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce amid rumors the couple split due to Bill’s meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. She also discusses President Biden’s reinstatement of anti-bias healthcare protections for transgender people. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. We wrap up the show by asking listeners whether they’ve reevaluated their jobs over the course of the pandemic. -
Corby Kummer: Restaurant Industry Faces Worker Shortage
Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the current worker shortage in the restaurant industry. Many workers simply left Boston during the pandemic, Kummer said. “People who had options found other sources of work and moved to places that were cheaper to live than Boston,” he said. “They decided they’re going to be where their money will go farther and where they can be with their families.” Kummer says that there’s been an exodus of people who find it cheaper and easier to live elsewhere. But businesses and restaurants can incentivize workers to come back and stay, he added. “Your duty is to protect your staff,” he said. “For restaurants reopening, the first thing a manager or owner has to do is work hard to get their staff fully vaccinated.” 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. -
BPR Full Show: Keeping Track
Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WI) ouster from GOP leadership. Jonathan Gruber weighs in on whether the U.S. should implement a value-added tax to help fund President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda. 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." Juliette Kayyem discusses the cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline, and explained how ransomware attacks on private companies are on the rise. She also talks about the crash of a Chinese rocket in the Indian Ocean, and the potential for more space debris and rocket parts to fall to earth. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the possibility of school COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and an increase in Americans on diets. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Chuck Wexler explains the nationwide decline in police applicants, and discusses changes in police training over the last few decades. Wexler is the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and a former member of the Boston Police Department. Brendan Nyhan talks about his research into misinformation, emphasizing the role digital technology has played in accelerating the spread of misinformation. Nyhan is a professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, and the co-founder of Bright Line Watch, which monitors practices of and threats to American democracy. We end the show by asking listeners what they thought about Apple’s new AirTag tracking devices. -
BPR Full Show: Snack On This
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with Shirley Leung about a survey from Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change (LAAUNCH) that found that of 2,766 American adults who were asked to name a well-known Asian American, the most common answer was “I don’t know.” We then open the phone lines to continue the conversation with listeners. Trenni Kusnierek shares her thoughts on International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach’s cancellation of a trip to Japan due to a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. She also talks about San Francisco Giants outfielder Drew Robinson’s return to baseball after a suicide attempt. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Michael Curry updates us on the current state of vaccine equity in Massachusetts, highlighting the lack of accessible vaccination sites in rural areas of the state and the rise of mobile vaccine clinics. Curry is the president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID Vaccine Advisory Group. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Akiba Solomon discusses the Marshall Project’s Language Project, which looks at how the media reports and writes about people who are incarcerated or were formerly incarcerated. Solomon is a senior editor at the Marshall Project. Michael Moss previews his new book, and explains how some drug addiction experts are shifting their attention to food addiction. Moss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. His latest book is “Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions.” John King updates us on the latest political headlines, from Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WI) potential ouster from GOP leadership to Caitlyn Jenner’s campaign for California governorship. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We wrap up the show by asking listeners what comfort snacks they ate throughout the pandemic. -
BPR Full Show: Cruisers & Refusers
Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne discusses this week's GOP vote over the political future of Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who faces a potential ousting from her position as the third highest-ranking House Republican. He also talks about what President Biden’s infrastructure plan could mean for blue-collar workers on both sides of the political spectrum, and whether Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer ought to resign. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.” Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett from Boston Medical Center offers her takes on the latest issues pertaining to the pandemic, from vaccine hesitancy to the debate around freedoms of post-vaccine life. She also responds to listener questions and comments during the hour-long conversation. Next, we turn to listeners to talk about reopening here in New England, and whether you're comfortable easing up on mask usage after getting fully vaccinated. Richard Blanco talks about the relationship between poetry and photography, and shares a series of poems prompted by photographs. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history, whose new book "How To Love A Country" deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. This June, he'll be running a virtual workshop at the Writers Harbor Poetry Week, focusing on using photos as prompts for poems. Nancy Schön discusses her new book, "Ducks On Parade!", chronicling all the different ways people have dressed up her famous "Make Way For Ducklings" sculpture in the Boston Public Garden, both festive and political. Schön is the artist behind over a dozen prominent public sculptures and many in private collections, whose latest book is available now. We close out Monday's show by opening phone lines to talk with listeners about whether you'd consider returning to cruise ships, as the industry makes its push to return to the U.S.
