Boston Public Radio

A former hospital aide has filed a discrimination lawsuit over the n-word being scratched into an elevator at his prior place of work.

The mayoral candidate also spoke about the state of her mayoral race, saying she's anticipating a 'very exciting year' for the city of Boston.

The city counselor and Roxbury native said she believes that, with the right leadership, Boston has the resources and expertise to become an international leader on issues of racial equity.

DeMaria's defense concerned a Jan. 25 comment where he said he'd "love to be able to shut some pictures off with some people" on Zoom, in reference to Everett Councilor-at-Large Gerly Adrien.

Travel expert Rick Steves discusses why traveling may soon require passengers to show a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

A recent surge of anti-Asian violence in the San Francisco Bay area has left many badly injured.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan looked at the measles epidemics breaking out nationally. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the co-host of the "Everyday Ethics" podcast. We looked at the psychology of personal space and asked our listeners: For you, how close is too close? Juliette Kayyem weighed in on the shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security. Kayyem is on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School and a CNN analyst. WGBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen shared his picks for the best arts and cultural events around town this week. If you're bored or anxious at your job, are you stressed out — or burned out? Historian Nancy Koehn looked at the phenomenon of millennial burnout and what can be done about it. Koehn is an historian at the Harvard Business School, where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Her latest book is "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times." Where have all the copy editors gone? Alex Beam shared his nostalgia for this disappearing profession. Beam is a columnist at The Boston Globe, and his latest book is “The Feud: Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.” A new study says that just 20 minutes spent outdoors daily can relieve stress — a "nature pill" of sorts. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is this true, in your experience?

Have Americans soured on all-you-can eat buffets? In the last few years, a number of high-profile buffet chains have floundered — including Ryan's and Old Country Buffet, which have seen declining sales, and HomeTown Buffet, which filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Joining *Boston Public Radio *to explain these struggles was Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We’re taking about Trump’s renewed push for border security, which includes purging the Department of Homeland Security, bringing back family separation at the border, and asking agents to not let migrants in. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is this the kind of border security you want? Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, previewed Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox. Is Boston’s standing as a sanctuary city on thin ice? Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, weighed in. Is it the end of the line for the all-you-can-eat buffet? Corby Kummer explained the decline of this restaurant model. 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. MIT economists Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber discussed their new book, "Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream." John King, CNN’s Chief National Correspondent, went over the latest national headlines. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about the death of the all-you-can-eat buffet.

On today’s episode of Boston Public Radio: Our political roundtable with Jennifer Nassour and Steve Kerrigan discussed the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other top headlines. Nassour is former Chairwoman of the MassGOP and COO of ReflectUS, and Kerrigan is president and co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and former CEO of the DNC. Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, looked back on the Rwandan Genocide 25 years later. Legal analyst Michael Zeldin examined reported discrepancies between the Mueller report and Attorney General William Barr’s summary of it. Television expert Bob Thompson looked at the return of “Game of Thrones” for its final season, the end of “Broad City,” and shared his picks for the best and worst TV of the week. Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price looked at the role left-leaning evangelical voters could play in the 2020 election for their regular segment, “All Revved Up.” We opened up the lines and asked you about the controversy over a Cambridge educator’s use of the n-word in a research project. Poet Richard Blanco led us in a master class on figurative language. Blanco is the nation’s fifth inaugural poet and author of the new book “How To Love A Country.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Bob Kraft's high-profile arrest has kicked off a statewide conversation about sex trafficking, including a debate over legalizing prostitution. We opened up the lines and asked listeners for their take. Ryan Landry shared his thoughts on "Happy Place," a pop-up museum designed with social media in mind. Landry is a playwright, lyricist, actor, and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company. Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," regaled us with her famous list of observations and frustrations. Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman went over the latest developments with the recreational marijuana industry. Another admissions scandal has surfaced — this time at Harvard — and it involves a suspect property investment and the university's fencing coach. Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe’s interim editorial page editor, weighed in. Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," discussed the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Two certified KonMari consultants, Kerry Adams and Phoebe Cusack, brought the life-changing magic of tidying up to the Friday News Quiz.