Boston Public Radio

"We have the capacity to force a vote, and I think it’s time we do that," the Massachusetts senator said.

The governor acknowledged criticism from lawmakers but insisted the current mix of state and local efforts is most effective.

Students and advocates are calling on Harvard University to acknowledge its role in slavery and offer reparations.

Healey tells Boston Public Radio she supports legislation to update the state's existing hate crime laws.

If reparations to slavery were enacted before the pandemic, COVID-19 transmission and deaths could have been mitigated dramatically, according to Dr. Michelle Morse.

Andrea Cabral speaks about concerns regarding the 845 unvaccinated members of the State Police.

Today:Amherst College's Ilan Stavans discusses the power of names, and Donald Trump's obsession with them.Khalil Gibran Muhammad of Princeton University discusses Mark Zuckerberg's shift away from fact-checking and content moderation on his Meta social media platforms.

Los Angeles still on fire, as the death toll tops 24, thousands of acres and homes destroyed. The governor has suspended environmental permitting and review requirements to rebuild – Is this the right move, as flames fueled by climate change encircle the city? We ask you: after a natural disaster, what’s the balance between rebuilding and climate resilience? Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses how congestion pricing might impact NYC restaurants and the dozens of Tatte employees forced to resign amid growing immigration crackdown fears.Ilan Stavans of Amherst College discusses Trump calling for a renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Mexican President Sheinbaum's reply. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses the health hazards of smoke inhalation/poor air quality in relation to the LA fires and climate change more broadly. She also reflects on her father, David Gergen, who has dementia.Princeton's Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses the tech world ending their DEI initiatives and why right-wing influencers are spreading lies about the LA fires in relation to diversity efforts.Then it's the buffet and you: We open the phone and text lines for you to wax poetic about buffets, the good the bad and the ugly.

Today:The 22nd annual Boston Celtic Music Festival kicks off Jan. 16. We talk with musician and festival organizers Lindsay O’Donovan – widow of the late, great Brian O’Donovan – and Matt Smith from Club Passim with live performances from the band Fox River and duo Hanneke Cassel & Adam Hendey.And, Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace Boston discusses this year's gala honoring MLK's legacy; former Governor Deval Patrick zooms in too.

We ask listeners: do you have hope that the U.S. will have honest leaders again? The Boston Celtic Music Festival runs next Thursday through Sunday, at venues throughout Cambridge and Somerville. We’ll talk with Lindsay O’Donovan and Matt Smith (from Club Passim) with live performances from the band Fox River and duo Hanneke Cassel & Adam Hendey.GBH's Callie Crossley discusses the Democrats skipping Trump’s inauguration & the incoming administration’s comments about making Canada the 51st state.NBC10 Boston's Sue O’Connell on LA fires & Trump hush money sentencing. Plus Kelly’s Roast Beef changing ownership for the first time in 70 years.Embrace Boston's Imari Paris Jeffries & former Gov. Deval Patrick join ahead of the Embrace Honors MLK Gala. Then we discuss when and how to flake from plans.

Today: Former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discusses Carter’s legacy of truth, and Merrick Garland’s plans to release the special counsel report on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.And, Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses the future of DEI in higher education, and the latest development in the state's MBTA communities housing law.