Boston Public Radio

The state auditor is starting a ballot initiative to let voters decide whether the office has the power to audit the Legislature.

Actors are left without work opportunities, as they demand better pay and AI regulation.

The Massachusetts senator supports expanding the number of justices.

Comedian Jay Leno discussed his oddly fond memories of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts' first Black governor says it's necessary for Democrats to play "the long game."

Kimberlé Crenshaw says laws passed now will still stand in a century, and it's long past time to protect the teaching of Black history.

Today:Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University’s Tisch College, discusses the state's economy, the certified ballot questions for 2026's election, and more.

The Culture Show's Jared Bowen discusses Wicked: For Good, the latest AI-generated pop song, plus, his art-filled tour of Berlin.National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the war crimes allegations against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And her thoughts on the attack on national guardsmen in D.C.Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace Boston and Rev. Jay Williams of Union Combined Parish discuss their big plans for the upcoming MLK weekend and for the nation's 250th anniversary.Evan Horowitz of Tufts' Center for State Policy Analysis joins for a year-end roundup of state policy challenges: Medicaid work requirements, fiscal pressure on municipalities, and his new class at Tufts, "AI and the Future of American Politics."

Today:Actor Ethan Hawke zooms into BPR ahead of an event at the Coolidge Corner Theater this week. His latest film is "Blue Moon."

CNN chief national correspondent John King with the latest national political headlinesConductor Keith Lockhart discusses the Boston Holiday Pops 2025 season, which kicks off this weekActor Ethan Hawke zooms in ahead of his event tomorrow with Jared at the CoolidgeLee Pelton of the Boston Foundation discusses the organization's One+ mortgage program, and housing affordability more broadly

Massachusetts is considering new regulations for elderly home care. We talk with Mass League of Community Health Center’s Michael Curry about that, and the latest on rising health insurance costs as Affordable Care Act subsidies sunset. Tufts food policy analyst Corby Kummer breaks down the rising costs of pantry staples bananas and even… pasta. Plus, he’ll tell us why Bostonians pay some of the highest prices in the country for their daily caffeine fix. Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses her argument for stable housing and why it's vital for keeping people healthy. And, she explains what the latest CDC vaccine changes mean for people in Massachusetts. Plus, we remember English playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard and revisit our 2019 interview with him at Tanglewood. The Trump administration is imposing new restrictions on all refugees from Afghanistan after an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC last week. We check in with Fariba, an Afghan refugee with U.S. citizenship, about what that means for her community. And we talk with Xan Weber of the International Institute of New England about the impact on refugee communities.