Boston Public Radio

Two mass shootings in one week have gun control advocates wondering whether legislation will ever be enacted.

"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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed an increase in diabetics going to Canada to buy insulin due to lower costs. Do those lifelike dolls schools have girls take care of actually reduce teen pregnancy? Does shaving hair actually make it grow back thicker? We opened up the phone lines to ask our listeners about medical myths they find people tend to believe. We broke down the symbolism of President Trump's military parade on the 4th of July and Democrats' recent calls to decriminalize border crossings with national security expert Juliette Kayyem. Tech journalist Andy Ihnatko joined us for a primer on how to get the best pictures out of your iPhone during the 4th of July fireworks. Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum examined the new rules that will give Attorney General William Barr more influence over the immigration courts. Author Gary Styneghart discussed his latest book "Lake Success." Author Christopher Castelanni discussed his newest book "Leading Men."

Controversy continues to rise over the living conditions of migrant children living in detention centers in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's custody. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to describe the substandard food and resources being offered at the detention centers. "The institutional cruelty of the food that's being fed to people in five detention centers, mostly around Texas, is just disgusting. It's everything processed that's easy to buy, cheap to serve and is associated with obesity, bad dental health, chronic disease like diabetes," he said. 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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We took listeners' calls during a discussion about President Donald Trump's "Salute To America" plans for a military parade on July 4. The US Women's National Soccer Team faces England this afternoon in a semi-final match of the World Cup. We got the latest from NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek. Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU Massachusetts, broke down the Supreme Court's recent decision to send a decision on the placement of a citizenship quesiton on the US census back to a lower court. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the quality of the food served in migrant detention centers. 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. WCAI correspondent and environmental reporter Heather Goldstone joined the show for a debrief on the plight of the right whale and other environmental headlines. Goldstone hosts Living Lab radio, which listeners can catch Sundays at noon on WGBH and Mondays at 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM on WCAI, 90.1. Kara Elliott-Ortega, Boston's Chief of Arts and Culture, gave an update on the city's latest public art initiatives. Jonathan Alsop of the Boston Wine School discussed a Supreme Court decision that could open the door for more alcohol retailers to open up in Tennessee, and previewed some cookout-approved wines ahead of July 4.

Today on Boston Public Radio: WGBH News Political Reporter Adam Reilly and Joanna Weiss of Experience Magazine joined us for a political round table. WGBH News Analyst Charlie Sennott debriefed President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un over the weekend. We opened up the lines and fielded calls from our listeners on the MBTA's new fare hikes, which went into effect today. Media scholar Bob Thompson joined us to discuss "The Loudest Voice in the Room," Showtimes' new mini-series about Roger Ailes, and other TV headlines. The Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price joined us for another edition of "All Revved Up," and discussed the role faith plays in the 2020 presidential election. Historian Nancy Koehn breaks down Frederick Douglass' famous address, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July." Actor Ben Levi Ross, the lead in a new run of "Dear Evan Hansen," which is coming to the Boston Opera House July 10.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show by opening up the lines to ask our listeners for their opinions on last night's second 2020 Democratic debate. Emily Rooney, host of WGBH News' Beat the Press, joined Jim and guest host Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung. Rooney talked about attempts to discredit E. Jean Carroll's accusation that President Trump sexually assaulted her. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross joined us for "Ask the Police Commissioner," to take questions from us and our listeners. NECN's Sue O'Connell talked about the 2020 Democratic party debates as well as Stonewall's 50th anniversary. Callie Crossley, host of WGBH's "Under the Radar," discussed the debates as well as the emergency border aid funding bill. Nadine Malouf and Christian Barillas, lead actors in the Huntington Theatre Company's "Yerma," joined for our weekly News Quiz.