Boston Public Radio

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey reflected on being one of the lead sponsors of the bill that established Juneteenth as a federal holiday and his proposed Right to Contraception Act.

The Latino Equity Fund (LEF) is marking its 10th anniversary with a vibrant celebration themed "¡Pa’lante! A Decade of Impact." The festivities will be held at Bow Market in Somerville. LEF Director Javier Juarez highlighted the significance of their work in a recent discussion.

The grocery, cafe and gathering space celebrates first anniversary in one of Boston's most dynamic neighborhoods.

Boston is set to host the third annual Embrace Ideas Festival, a multi-day celebration of Black art, culture, joy and excellence. Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, alongside author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, will spearhead this year's festivities.

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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We air live audio from President Biden’s inauguration ceremony, and speak with listeners about your impressions of the ceremony and thoughts on Biden becoming the 46th President of the United States. Callie Crossley, host of GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black, offers her own take on Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, from the reading of an inaugural poem by 23 year-old Amanda Gorman, to President Trump's decision to opt out of attending. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem explains why she’s not expecting the thousands of National Guard troops to remain in Washington, D.C. for long after President Biden’s inauguration, and offers thoughts on the path toward unity in American politics. We end Wednesday’s show by returning to listeners, getting your impressions of Wednesday’s inauguration and the close of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We first open lines to talk with listeners about your thoughts on the final day of President Donald Trump’s presidency. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek talks about Tom Brady's success beyond the Patriots, frustration with a lack of Black coaches in the NFL, and the scheduled appearance of Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play and score in a Power Five college football game, at Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Dr. Jon Santiago, a Mass. State Rep. and ER doctor at Boston Medical Center, provides an update on COVID-19 in Mass., from the local emergence of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus, to issues with vaccine rollout in the Commonwealth. He also responds to the question of whether he plans to run for city mayor. Chris Dempsey and Jim Aloisi offer their thoughts on the handful of vetos from Gov. Charlie Baker, of proposed elements within the Mass. Transportation Bond Bill. They also discuss the current state of the Transportation Climate Initiative. Aloisi is former Mass. transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Dempsey is the Mass. Director of Transportation and former assistant secretary of transportation. Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell talks about her campaign for city mayor, and whether the race is shifting with current Mayor Walsh leaving to become President-elect Biden’s labor secretary. She also reflects on how she’d handle the pandemic differently than Walsh, and speaks to debate within City Council around whether to skip a possible special mayoral election. CNN’s John King discusses the open question of whether Sen. Mitch McConnell will support impeaching President Trump in the Senate, and what he’s expecting from a forthcoming list of pardons by President Trump in his final hours in office. We end Monday’s show by opening lines, talking with listeners about hopes for political bipartisanship in 2021.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kick things off by opening our lines, talking with listeners about honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with acts of public service. King Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries talks about his organization’s forthcoming memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders on Boston Common, and why he’s hopeful about the city's capacity to evolve into an anti-racist beacon for the rest of the nation. Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, discusses the impact of social media companies de-platforming President Trump on online discourse, and offers her thoughts on the future of far-right ideologies after the president leaves office. TV expert Bob Thompson reviews Netflix’s “Pretend It’s A City,” “WandaVision" on Disney Plus, and NBC’s “Mr. Mayor.” He also talks about the NFL’s Nickelodeon broadcast, and the documentary “MLK/FBI,” about FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s investigations into Rev. King. Reverend Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, host of GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast, talk about their special Martin Luther King Day episode of All Rev’d Up, titled “This Is Who We Are,” about the racism and white supremacy baked into the American identity. We reopen lines to talk with listeners about pandemic-induced senility, and whether you’re struggling to stay focused 10 months into quarantine. Richard Blanco, the fifth-ever U.S. inaugural poet, talks about 23 year-old poet Amanda Gorman, who’s set to become President-elect Biden’s inaugural poet, and reflects on his own experience writing the poem “One Today” for Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration.

Six days after the close of a tumultuous 2020, Americans witnessed a new level of tragedy at the nation’s capital. Fueled by lies of a rigged election, angry protests turned riotous, leaving five people — including at least one police officer — dead, dozens wounded, and, within a week, one president impeached. Boston Public Radio interviewed a handful of congressional leaders about their experiences during the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the duty they felt to hold the president accountable for what they witnessed. Here’s a compilation of what they had to say.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kick things off by opening lines, talking with listeners about the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Mass. Media Sue O’Connell talks about the prospective mayoral campaign of William Gross, Boston’s first Black police commissioner, First Lady Melania Trump’s reaction to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, and a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting access to abortion pills. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discusses a pending investigation from Mass. A.G. Maura Healey into a road rage incident involving Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins, and questions around whether a Natick Town Meeting member ought to be prosecuted after photos emerged of her inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection. She also reads a ban-themed list of fixations and fulminations. R.I Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse talked about what’s to come for the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, and whether he thinks it’s appropriate for federal leaders to invoke the 14th amendment to censure Congressional proponents of the President’s election-related conspiracy theories. He also recounts his experience being at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Jennifer Horn talks about the future of the Lincoln Project, and the Republican Party as a whole, post-Donald Trump. Horn is former Chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and a columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader. Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley discusses criminal charges being brought against eight former Mich. state officials over their alleged roles in the Flint water crisis. She also returns to conversation about the incoming Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, and weighs in on a soon-to-be published thriller novel from political activist Stacey Abrams. We close out Friday’s show by talking with listeners about a new campaign launched by the Boston Globe, urging readers to make a commitment to ordering takeout at least once a week to support restaurants struggling through the pandemic.