Boston Public Radio

Mayor Michelle Wu answered questions on how to increase the city budget and the future of congestion pricing.

Sarah Bartley from the nonprofit United Way of Massachusetts Bay and David Shapiro, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston, discussed the supporting migrants arriving in the state.

James Beard Award cookbook author Grace Young is raising awareness about the struggles facing Chinatown neighborhoods.

Andrea Campbell chose last week the head of her office’s newly created Housing Affordability Unit starting in July, focusing on expanding affordable housing across Massachusetts.

Joe Spaulding, the longtime president and CEO of the Boch Center, first met the theater’s current namesake in the ticket line for a Cat Stevens concert. The rest is history.

But Republican Michael Sullivan, former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, disagreed: “I felt a great deal of sadness.”

GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses AI-fueled video games and the mayoral forum on the arts.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the latest on the gunman in New York, tsunami warnings after last night's earthquake, and new FEMA grants set to go out to states to build migrant detention facilities.Marty Martinez, President and CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, joins to discuss the challenges facing community-based nonprofits right now. Martinez, who formerly served as Boston's health chief, also discusses the state of public health.Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery recounts her trip to see a thriving puffin population in Maine with BPR senior producer Zoe Mathews. Plus, Sy talks about elephants communicating with humans and a pair of coyotes living in Central Park.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark discusses what she’s called “six months of chaos under Republican leadership,” the Democratic strategy to get the Epstein files released, and the future of an unpopular party.NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey on the New York City gunman who apparently targeted NFL offices; the Fenway Aramark concession strike; and the MLB’s newest star affectionately known as "Big Dumper."Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation discusses the latest in higher education deals with the Trump administration, and announces a new food equity program from the Boston Foundation.Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses World Central Kitchen's operations in Gaza, and he remembers his friend, the late Tom Lehrer.

Today:Retired federal Judge Nancy Gertner discusses a Department of Justice gone rogue, as top department officials suggest ignoring court orders.And, Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers and NAACP discusses the impacts of conservative attacks on diversity.

Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner on a growing number of whistleblowers claiming top DOJ officials said the department could ignore numerous court orders. Is this the new normal under President Trump, and what does it say about our courts’ ability to check the powers of the executive? Former Boston Globe editor, now head of BU Journalism, Brian McGrory on more news of Steward Health CEO Ralph de la Torre – a bankruptcy case alleges he and other executives defrauded the company of over $200 million, leading to the hospital chain’s collapse. We get Brian’s take on that and other media news.Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther explains how a drop in international tourists — namely proud Canadians boycotting Trump policies — is hurting the U.S. economy. And we’ll get his no-holds-barred review on live music at Logan airport. Mass League of Community Health Centers' CEO Michael Curry discusses how the tragic nursing home fire in Fall River is prompting a closer look at how the state regulates those facilities. Plus, he talks about the public health impacts of Trump’s war on DEI.

Today:We’ll start with Live Music Friday, from Irish folk band Solas performing for us ahead of the Lowell Folk Festival.And, Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss joins us with MIT economist Jon Gruber – making the case for new cities -- as in, we need to build a lot of housing, and quickly, if we’re going to get ourselves out of the housing crisis.