Boston Public Radio

As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history enters its fifth week, the future of federal food assistance remains uncertain.

Rev. Irene Monroe said the film, which is about the relationship between a black pianist and his white driver and bodyguard, is overly reliant on the trope of the "white hero."

Poet Richard Blanco highlighted his favorite works by poet Ada Limón, which are united by a common theme of searching for meaning in "seeming oblivion."

Healey said she is “actively reviewing” the existing policies and procedures that surround the reporting of cases of sexual misconduct.

After Barack Obama left Office, Pete Souza made sure he still remained a part of the national dialogue.

Richard Blanco, the nation's fifth inaugural poet, shared poems that seize on the changing of the seasons as an opportunity to reflect on death, rebirth, and the passage of time.

Yesterday, Missouri executed 55-year-old Marcellus Williams, ignoring calls from prosecutors and the victim’s family asking the state to spare his life. We discussed the ethics of the death penalty and how listeners feel about it.GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discussed a notorious vandal who smashed an Ai Wei Wei sculpture, plus, "Laughs in Spanish" at the SpeakEasy and "Urinetown" at Lyric Stage.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed our nation's history of political violence and the context of today's violent rhetoric.NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell discussed Biden's final speech to the UN and Ellen DeGeneres' new Netflix special.Then, we talked about chicken tenders and nuggets for six minutes on why Americans hate to love the little chicken snacks.Naturalist Sy Montgomery zoomed in to discuss her recent trip to Ecuador diving with giant manta rays and a Rhode Island community mourning the loss of their 20-year-old library tarantula, Beezus.Then, we asked about your best and worst excuses for getting out of commitments. Sorry, we have worm brain.

Today:It’s not just Ohio: Around the country, Haitian communities are facing threats of violence after incendiary lies made by former president Trump and JD Vance. We talk with former State Rep -- the first Haitian-American to hold public office in Massachusetts -- Marie St. Fleur. And, we speak with two award-winning GBH filmmakers about their work highlighting the role of Vice Presidents past, present and future… Cameo George, Executive Producer for American Experience and Rainey Aronson-Rath from Frontline will discuss their new documentaries on the VEEP-stakes.

We opened the lines to discuss whether kids should be in contact sports that lead to injuries. NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter Trenni Casey discussed the WNBA awardsAmerican Experience executive producer Cameo George and Frontline executive producer Raney Aronson-Roth discussed their two films in the works on the Vice Presidential candidates.Marie St. Fleur discussed how Haitian immigrants are woven into the fabric of America, having fought in the Revolutionary War. She'll contextualize the impacts of recent anti-immigrant and anti-Haitian sentiment.CNN's John King on the latest national political headlinesWe ended the show talking about self check-out vs. going to a cashier

Today:Israel’s war against Hamas rages on in Gaza, while Netanyahu appears emboldened to open a second front on its northern border with Lebanon and Hezbollah. We talk with GBH news analyst Charlie Sennott about the destabilizing Middle East.And, how are the presidential candidates reaching out to Americans of faith? We talk with Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price.

We opened the show by asking listeners what issues matter to them this presidential election. We spoke again to John Deaton, Elizabeth Warren's senate challenger.Then, the GroundTruth Project's Charlie Sennott discussed the escalating war in the Middle East and other world headlines.NYU medical ethicist Art Caplan talked about renewed calls to abolish religious exemptions for school vaccinations and why there's a brain drain at the FDA leading to massive inspection backlogs.There's a bull on the loose on North Attleboro (allegedly) after a herd escape from a rodeo over the weekend. We're obsessed with this story, but don't know why. So we ask listeners to text in with their thoughts. The Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discussed which faith groups are most likely to vote for which candidate, and the outreach each campaign is doing to woo them.We ended the show with a meltdown. Why, even as adults, are we prone to toddler-like outbursts when we get tired?