Boston Public Radio

Mass General Brigham program seeks to combat racial disparities in maternal mortality through free assistance from birth doulas.

For its 20th anniversary, the Boston Celtic Music Festival returns in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

A GBH News reports highlights how the loss of a public park in 1960s laid the ground for today's battle for better air quality.

Gov.-elect Healey wants to bet big on climate technology.

More than 2,500 books were banned in different U.S. districts in the 2021-22 school year, a recent report found.

Missteps made in Gov. Baker's pardon request led to a hasty withdrawal.

It’s been two years since Governor Charlie Baker declared a COVID state of emergency in Massachusetts. To mark the occasion, In It Together brought back some old friends of the show to reflect on the pandemic and where we go from here. Arun Rath speaks with Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Cassandra Pierre, Franciscan Children’s Hospital behavioral health director Dr. Fatima Watt, La Colaborativa executive director Gladys Vega, and local comedian Lamont Price, as well as GBH reporters Craig LeMoult and Meg Woolhouse.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd updates listeners on the latest in politics, including President Joe Biden’s response to Ukraine and the disagreement between the U.S. and Poland over fighter jets. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners their latest opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jon Gruber breaks down the economics of sanctions and how they’re going so far in an attempt to stop Russia. Gruber was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is “Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream.” Andrea Cabral talks about the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to overturn an overly harsh sentence, and the Quincy post office manager arrested for selling confiscated cocaine. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Juliette Kayyem discusses the state of Ukraine and the latest on Jan. 6 prosecutions. Kayyem was formerly an assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, now the faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her forthcoming book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” Arun Rath previews tonight’s In It Together reunion show, commemorating two years since Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency because of the pandemic. Arun Rath is the host of All Things Considered here at GBH, which you can catch weekdays from 4 to 7 P.M. Tonight’s In It Together reunion special will air right afterward, at 7 P.M. tonight. We end the show by asking listeners for their memories from the start of the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on loosening pandemic restrictions around the country. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on Florida breaking with CDC recommendations that healthy kids should still get vaccinated. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Audrey Schulman and Zeyneb Magavi talk about the fight for cleaner energy in New England, and the challenges ahead in breaking away from fossil fuels. Schulman and Magavi are co-directors of the Cambridge nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET). Ali Noorani explains how the Ukrainian refugee crisis is an opportunity for the U.S. to affirm the country’s commitment to human rights, and talks about his forthcoming book, “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.” Noorani is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Immigration Forum. Yuriy Matsarsky discusses his experiences on the ground in Ukraine after leaving his job in journalism to volunteer for the country’s defense forces. Matsarsky is a longtime Ukrainian journalist who, two weeks ago, put down his pen and took up arms to defend his country against the Russian invasion. Christopher Muther talks about exploring Black history in Richmond, Va., and searching for landmarks of Gilded Age New York. Muther is a travel writer for the Boston Globe. To wrap up the show, we talk with listeners about cheating at Wordle.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking with listeners about rising gas prices before carrying President Joe Biden's speech announcing a ban on the import of Russian oil. Trenni Kusnierek discusses Russia’s detainment of WNBA player Brittney Griner, and the 50th Iditarod race, which started this past weekend. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. She's also a BPR contributor. Deborah Douglas and Amber Payne talk about the upcoming relaunch of The Emancipator, and their partnership with BU’s Center for Anti-Racist Research and the Boston Globe. Douglas and Payne are co-editors in chief of The Emancipator, in partnership with the Boston Globe opinions team and the Boston University Center for Anti-Racist Research. Ty Burr shares his thoughts on the latest movies, from “The Batman” to “Power of the Dog.” Burr’s reviews and thoughts on all things movies can be found at “Ty Burr’s Watch List” on Substack. John King updates us on the latest political headlines, focusing on President Joe Biden’s announcement that imports of Russian oil would be banned. King is CNN's Chief National Correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics,” which airs weekdays and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. We end the show by asking listeners how they find joy after doomscrolling.

Social media users and investors are calling on various U.S. fast food companies with operations in Russia to speak on the country’s invasion of Ukraine, with many companies remaining silent and continuing business as usual. A number of U.S.-based fast food chains in Russia — such as Starbucks, Papa John’s, and Yum Brands-owned KFC and Pizza Hut — are owned and operated by franchisees, making it difficult for companies to uniformly close stores due to political issues. “[Companies] don't have as much control over their franchisees,” food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio on Monday. “It's mostly franchise owners who decide whether or not to close the restaurant because of political turmoil, not the brands themselves.” According to the New York Times, however, McDonald’s owns the majority of its 847 restaurants in Russia, with the country accounting “for 9 percent of the company’s total revenues and 3 percent of its operating income” — leaving the company in a prime position to make a statement. PepsiCo, which counts itself as the largest food and beverage manufacturer in Russia, is in a similar position. “[McDonald’s and PepsiCo] can make a difference; they're not doing it yet. They're not stopping bottling and sales there,” Kummer said. “Starbucks and others that don't own their own franchises, they're doing something clever, which is saying, ‘Okay, so we're not telling our franchise operators to shut down. But we're going to donate a percentage of all the income that they make to Ukraine.’” “Starbucks was saying they condemn the unprovoked, unjust, and horrific attacks. McDonald's can act. They're the ones that I'd like to see take a stand and say, ‘You guys shut down for a while.’” Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.