Episodes
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BPR Full Show: All in a Day's Work
Today on Boston Public Radio: We start the show by asking listeners whether they wanted to continue working from home after the pandemic. Sue O’Connell explains the decision to put Bay Windows and the South End News on the market. She also weighs in on Caitlyn Jenner launching a bid for the California governorship. 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. Bina Venkataraman recaps the latest Boston Globe editorials, from the Massachusetts legislature's transparency issues to Boston hospital CEOs moonlighting on corporate boards. Venkataraman is the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe. Her latest book is “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Callie Crossley shares her thoughts on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict and the party-line vote on D.C. statehood. She also talks about former President George W. Bush’s relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Richard Blanco marks National Poetry Month by highlighting the works of four U.S. poet laureates. Blanco is the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. His new book, "How To Love A Country," deals with various socio-political issues that shadow America. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on wearing masks outdoors, and whether Johnson & Johnson vaccinations might resume soon. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. Emily Rooney talks about Facebook’s upcoming announcement on whether they will lift former President Donald Trump’s suspension from the platform. Rooney is host of Beat the Press, which you can watch Friday nights at 7 p.m. -
BPR Full Show: Give Me a Hand
Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from the Derek Chauvin trial verdict to state efforts to reform police departments. 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 about how they’re trying to become more eco-friendly in their everyday life. Andrea Cabral discusses the release of redacted internal affairs documents on the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. David Abel previews his new documentary “Entangled,” which looks at how climate change exacerbated a battle between the endangered North Atlantic right whale and the lobster industry. Abel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Boston Globe. Along with Andy Laub, he’s written, directed and produced the documentary film “Entangled.” It airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST on GBH’s WORLD channel. Kobie Evans talks about how the pandemic impacted Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary, which opened two weeks before the COVID-19-imposed lockdown. He also discusses the obstacles other states are facing in legalizing marijuana. Evans co-owns Pure Oasis, Boston’s first recreational marijuana dispensary. Jared Bowen discusses the documentary “Crip Camp,” which is nominated for an Oscar, and the American Heritage Museum in Stowe, Massachusetts. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about Amazon’s new program that would allow customers to pay by scanning their palms at select Whole Foods stores. -
BPR Full Show: Derek Chauvin Found Guilty on All Counts
Today on Boston Public Radio: Throughout the show, we took listeners’ calls on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. Michael Curry shares his thoughts on the Derek Chauvin trial verdict, urging that the fight for racial justice is not over. 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. Jamarhl Crawford talks about his work with Blackstonian and the Boston Police Reform Task Force, and weighs in on how racial justice activists should continue their work. Crawford is a community activist, the publisher of Blackstonian and a member of the Boston Police Reform Task Force. Rahsaan Hall explains how people may feel more emboldened to film police encounters due to the video evidence used in the trial of Derek Chauvin. He also talks about Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ decision to not prosecute low level offenses. Hall is the director of the Racial Justice Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. Juliette Kayyem argues for the elimination of elected law enforcement officials and a decrease in the number of police departments across the U.S. 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. Andrea Cabral gives her legal analysis of the Derek Chauvin trial and verdict, and discusses potential strategies the defense teams representing the three other officers charged in George Floyd’s death might use in court. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III share their thoughts on whether Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict amounts to justice for George Floyd. They also talk about the generational trauma of police brutality and anti-Black violence. 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. -
BPR Full Show: Living the High Life
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners whether Massachusetts should lift rules on wearing masks outside. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the backlash against the European Super League, and her plans for the Tokyo Olympics. She also discusses the debate over bills seeking to ban transgender athletes from school sports. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston, and a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui discusses Cambridge’s new universal basic income pilot program, which is set to launch in August. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi share their thoughts on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, and clean energy in transportation. Dempsey is the director of the nonprofit Transportation for Massachusetts, and the former assistant secretary of transportation of Massachusetts. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Rick Steves argues for the decriminalization of marijuana as a way of mitigating mass incarceration and advancing civil liberties. He also talks about his self-imposed carbon tax. Steves is an author, television and radio host and the owner of the Rick Steves' Europe tour group. You can catch his television show, "Rick Steves’ Europe," weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2 and his radio show, “Travel With Rick Steves,” Sundays at 4 p.m. on GBH. John King updates us on the trial of Derek Chauvin. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. To end the show, we talk with listeners about all things cannabis. -
BPR Full Show: Hit the Ground Running
Today on Boston Public Radio: We start off the show by talking with listeners about a Twitter free of former President Donald Trump. Ali Noorani discusses President Joe Biden’s initial decision to keep former President Trump’s historically low refugee cap, and his reversal after outcry from Democrats and activists. He also talks about refugee resettlement initiatives throughout U.S. history. 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.” Michael Curry shares his thoughts on police brutality in America, and the state of vaccine equity in Massachusetts following the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 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. Senator Chris Murphy talks about his book, “The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy,” and weighs in on the difference in media coverage of white and Black victims of gun violence. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price weigh in on televangelist Pat Robertson’s statement on police brutality in America, and whether his condemnation of police violence could change the minds of Evangelical Christians and conservatives. 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. Bob Thompson shares his thoughts on Fox News’ new late night comedy show “Gutfeld!” and TBS’ show “Chad” starring Nasim Pedrad. He also talks about the upcoming Academy Awards. 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. We end the show by asking listeners if they were inspired to pick up running in the spirit of Marathon Monday. -
Farmworkers Will Soon Be Able To Receive Overtime Pay In Washington State
Washington state could soon become the first in the nation to mandate time and a half overtime pay for farmworkers. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Friday about the state legislation that will likely be passed into law by the end of the month. “Washington state has finally agreed to pay farmworkers living wages by agreeing to overtime,” Kummer said. “The state is taking the lead in employment protection and acknowledging that farmworkers work much longer than 40 hour weeks, and so their employers are required to pay time and a half for anything over 40 hours.” The average farmworker works 60 hours a week, Kummer noted, and those hours have never included overtime pay. Kummer praised Washington for becoming the first state with such strong laws but noted his frustration over how long it has taken to secure such rights. 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: Back on Track
Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by opening phone lines, asking listeners what they thought about universal basic income. Sue O’Connell shares her thoughts on America’s gun culture in the wake of a shooting at a FedEx warehouse in Indiana. She also talks about Bessemer Amazon employees’ vote not to unionize. 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. Dr. David Ludwig explains how the obesity epidemic in the U.S. exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for people to be gentle with themselves with weight gain and loss. Dr. Ludwig is a physician specializing in obesity at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His latest book, which he co-authored with Dawn Ludwig, is “Always Delicious.” Callie Crossley discusses the police-involved death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, and a bill in Oklahoma that would give protections to drivers who run over protestors. She also previews this week’s edition of Under the Radar. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Shirley Leung talks about learning the history of anti-Asian hatred in the U.S., and Cambridge’s new program providing guaranteed basic income for single parent households. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe. Corby Kummer discusses a proposal in Washington state that would grant increased overtime protections for farmworkers, and explained how school cafeteria lunches are becoming a major source of nutrition for kids. 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. We wrap up the show by talking with listeners about their experiences with work from home back pain. -
BPR Full Show: Off the Beaten Path
Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates us on the latest political headlines, from attempts to grant D.C. statehood to the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz. 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 talk with listeners about their post-vaccine reunions. Andrea Cabral discusses Derek Chauvin invoking the Fifth Amendment during his trial, and the white Milton Police officer facing backlash after she harassed teenagers attending a sleepover for liking Black Lives Matter social media posts. She also talks about the rise of the Boogaloo Boys. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Andy Ihnatko talks about Facebook whistleblower Sophie Zhang, who alleged that the tech company didn’t prioritize dealing with fake pages and likes if they were impacting politics in largely non-western, poorer countries. He also discusses the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Broadband Data Collection program. Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Paul Reville explains why some kids would rather stick with online school than go in person, and shares his thoughts on the teacher shortage in the U.S. 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.” Andrew Ryan discusses the Boston Globe’s investigation into child sexual abuse allegations against ex-Boston police officer Patrick Rose. He also talked about the difficulty of accessing public records in Massachusetts. Ryan is an investigative reporter with the Boston Globe. We wrap up the show by asking listeners about eco-friendly commutes, following Google Map’s new promotion of eco-friendly driving routes. -
Is Virtual Schooling Here To Stay? Our Former State Secretary Of Education Gives The Pros & Cons
Former state secretary of education Paul Reville spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about how online virtual schooling could be here to stay even after the pandemic. “There’s an interesting phenomenon developing that some families and some students might prefer virtual schooling,” he said. “There are any number of reports from students and from families that their particular child learns more easily in this kind of a fashion due to special needs, their own personality, or anxieties about going out to school.” An increasing number of school districts are taking the initiative to launch virtual schools and to provide a virtual option to people, not just this year in the midst of this crisis, but in the long run, Reville noted. “They intend to set-up virtual schools to give parents the option, should they want, to have their children learn from home,” he said. “And this is more widespread than expected.” One of the multiple downsides of having a permanent virtual schooling option is that students would miss out on socialization, Reville added. “The social function of education is to help children learn to interact with one another, to disagree agreeably, to make common cause with their peers, to have fun, to make relationships, and if we make it highly individualized there are risks and downsides,” he said. “But there are also obviously position features that if were you a parent and had a child that really needed this, you could hardly blame that parent for wanting the school system to provide this, now that we know we can do it.” Reville is a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-author of the upcoming book Collaborative Action for Equity and Opportunity: A Practical Guide for School and Community Leaders. -
BPR Full Show: Hobby Horse
Today on Boston Public Radio: Rep. Seth Moulton shares his thoughts on President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. He also talks about potential cross-country high speed rail stemming from President Biden’s infrastructure plan. Congressman Moulton represents Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional district. Next, we open the phone lines, asking listeners whether they’d give up their cars if the U.S. invested in high speed rail infrastructure. Juliette Kayyem talks about the Capitol Police inspector general Michael A. Bolton’s findings in an investigation on how the Capitol Police handled the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. She also discusses the recent increase in gun violence across the U.S. 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. Patricia Wen discusses the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigation, which found that multiple Boston hospital board CEOs have been moonlighting on corporate boards. She also speaks about the Globe’s reporting of the child sexual abuse allegations against ex-police officer and union leader Patrick Rose. Wen is the editor of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Art Caplan weighs in on federal officials’ decision to pause the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and explains how it could increase vaccine hesitancy. Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine. TJ and Hadley Douglas talk about how they kept their South End wine store, the Urban Grape, afloat during the pandemic. They also share their experiences over the past few months as the death of George Floyd prompted calls for racial justice and equity. TJ Douglas is the founder and CEO of the Urban Grape. Hadley Douglas is the founder and CMO of the Urban Grape. We end the show by asking listeners what hobbies they’ve picked up during the pandemic.