Boston Public Radio Podcast

GBH's Adam Reilly and The Boston Globe's Lylah Alphonse join for Press Play, discussing the widely spread video of Charlie Kirk's shooting in this current era of content moderation online. Plus, the Murdoch succession plan, and Bari Weiss at CBS.GBH's Callie Crossley discusses the firing of Artie T, Josh Kraft's "most unlikeable campaign for mayor in Boston history" and more.White Snake Projects joins us for Live Music Friday. They are unveiling a new directory for Native American performing artists. Cerise Jacobs of WSP, Jean-Luc Pierite of North American Indian Center of Boston and singer/songwriter Thea Hopkins are our guests.Mara Dolan of the Massachusetts Governor's Council discusses flags at half-mast and gives an update on bar advocates. Joanne Chang join with Efrain Gutierrez to discuss Flour Bakery's partnership with Pine Street Inn for job training. Efrain is a graduate of the program and is now employed at Flour.

Chuck Todd, political commentator, opens the show with reactions and updates from the killing of Charlie Kirk.Former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral reactions to Kirk news. Former education secretary Paul Reville discusses how young conservatives on college campus are responding to the killing of Charlie Kirk, and the reality for BPS and schools across the state around ICE family separations.National security expert Juliette Kayyem joins to discuss the increasing normalization of political violence.Lindsay O'Donovan, Maeve Gilchrist and accordion player Diarmuid Ó Meachair discuss the Rockport Celtic Festival, starting tomorrow.

BPR Full Show 9/10: Artie T. Is Ousted And Nonna Hides Her Recipes

CNN's John King zooms in with the latest national political news.Media maven Sue O'Connell discusses the sheriffs turning their jails over to ICE for detention centers, and the $850k the state spent on outside experts for prosecuting Karen Read.Boston Globe travel writer Chris Muther zooms in from Ireland to discuss some of his recent pieces ... Amtrak's Acela upgrades and his ranking of New England rest stops.Sports authority Trenni Casey discusses the start of World Cup ticket sales, and the young Phillies fan who had his home run ball taken by an adult woman, now dubbed "Phillies Karen."

In 2020, a handful of Massachusetts homeowners sued BlueHub Capital -- the only lender in the state who provides shared appreciation mortgages -- alleging predatory lending practices.Today: We hear from two sides of the lawsuit, on the heels of a Superior Court judge ruling that found BlueHub did violate consumer protection and predatory lending laws.First, Bruce Marks from Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a housing group which supports the lawsuit, joins Jim and Margery in Studio 3 with two of the defendants, to discuss their claims of predatory lending and deception by the nonprofit.Then, Elyse Cherry, BlueHub's CEO, tells us the judge's ruling is wrong. She joins with Rose Webster-Smith, director of Springfield No One Leaves -- a housing advocate herself who says she saved her own home from foreclosure with a BlueHub mortgage.

NAACP's Michael Curry discusses Governor Healey's vaccine prescription for Massachusetts residents, and the hardest hit among Trump's federal workforce cuts: Black women.Mark Leibovich of the Atlantic on the failure of the Democratic party to respond to Trump.Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses the newest longevity craze: micro-dosing GLP-1s.Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, joins with housing advocate Rose Webster-Smith to discuss the recent court ruling on BlueHub's shared appreciation mortgage practices.

Boston Pop's Conductor Keith Lockhart co-hosts with Jim and Margery. Brian Stelter joins for Friday morning media analysis. We talk about 250 media outlets signing an appeal to have better protections for journalists in Gaza. Plus Trump calling for the FCC to revoke licenses for ABC and NBC.Jacyn Tremblay is a vocalist,  former Universal/Motown artist, and current one-third of the band Three Second Chances. She joins for Live Music Friday. Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez, from In the Heights and Hamilton, who plays Norma Desmond in the revival of Sunset Boulevard, joins ahead of a collaboration with The Pops on September 20th. Author and actor Marianne Leone discusses her new novel “Christina the Astonishing."

BPR Full Show 9/4: Jim Loves Revenge (Margery Does Not)

Today:Massachusetts education secretary Patrick Tutwiler joins Jim and Margery at the BPL on the start of the new school year.Plus, Love Your Labels – a Worcester-based nonprofit offering LGBT teens community and fashion finesse - is hosting their annual “Queer AF” runway show fundraiser this Friday. We'll talk with founder and president Joshua Croke, and 19 year-old designer-in-residence Caelum Lam.

Education secretary Patrick Tutwiler on the start of the new school year.GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses Rachel Ruysch at the MFA and Viola's Room at the Shed in NYC.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem on a bipartisan press conference outside Congress featuring Jeffrey Epstein victims urging lawmakers to release the Epstein files. Plus, how the rest of the world is viewing Trump's health, and more on the court ruling on Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people.Josh Croke and Caelum Lam of Love Your Labels join ahead of their annual "Queer AF" fashion show in Worcester.

BPR Full Show 9/2: Summer Blues

Today:Mass GOP chair Amy Carnevale and Mass Democrats chair Steve Kerrigan join BPR at the BPL for a politics panel.Plus, Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation goes over threats to food assistance for the poorest Massachusetts residents.

Senator Elizabeth Warren discusses her bipartisan housing plan and what she calls Trump's "authoritarian turn."Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft discusses his campaign and takes calls from listeners.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem on 20 years since Hurricane Katrina and how it changed the field of disaster preparedness.Darlene Lombos, president of Greater Boston Labor Council, discusses Boston's first Labor Day parade.Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung with updates on the BlueHub Capital lawsuit and new legal changes that benefit renters this fall.

BPR Full Show 8/26: Mayor Wu Preparing For Potential National Guard Deployment

Margery hosts with 'local woman' Sue O'Connell. CNN's John King joins with the latest national headlines.NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey discusses the bid to move the Connecticut Sun team to Boston and its implications for the WNBA.Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses the tricky business of running community-owned groceries and a warning from the Dorchester Food Co-op that it may close.UN spokesperson Olga Cherevko on the declaration of famine in Gaza and the lack of response around the world.Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers discusses rising Black unemployment in Boston, growing income segregation in the city, and South Shore Hospital laying off staff.

Local woman, NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell, hosts with Harvard national security expert (and yacht rock fan) Juliette Kayyem. GBH reporters Adam Reilly and Phillip Martin are our guests for Press Play media analysis. We talk with Phillip about his recent reporting on “pink slime" journalism. Plus, journalist deaths in Gaza, MSNBC's rebrand and House Democrats' probe into the Paramount / Skydance merger. Jill McCracken performs for Live Music Friday, ahead of the We Make Noise Fest this Saturday in Downtown Crossing. We also talk with organizer and artist Naomi Westwater about how this event platforms women and queer artists. Under the Radar host Callie Crossley discusses Mayor Wu's debate with Todd Lyons, Gavin Newsom's Trump trolling on X, and Gov. Healey pushing to bring the Connecticut Sun to Boston. Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery talks leopard seal mating songs and a large New Zealand parrot that tried to make a move on her.

Nancy Gertner weighs in on legal fights against Trump's D.C. takeoverKhalil Gibran Muhammad offers thoughts on Trump meddling with the SmithsonianBill McKibben says the sun is “having a moment,” 4.6 billion years on. He'll join to discuss the future for solar energy, in light of his new book “Here Comes the Sun.”Voices from Ukraine is a new original musical that's touring New England, with a cast of Ukrainian actors sharing their stories of life during wartime. We'll talk with two of those teenage actors, Sofiia Kopytko and Taisiia Grygorova... plus Susan Mathison from Common Man for Ukraine. 

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on the Democrats' strategy on the Epstein files, gerrymandering, and more.National security expert Juliette Kayyem on discuss Trump's push to eliminate mail-in voting, and the coastal threats from Hurricane Erin.Former transit secretary Jim Aloisi joins with former Transportation4Mass director Chris Dempsey for a transit panel.Max Rome of Charles River Watershed Association and Chris Mancini of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay join to talk about urban beaches, water quality and environmental justice.

BPR Full Show 8/19: Ozempic Jealously

NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell guest hosts with Margery while Jim is still out on vacation.Businesses are seeing workforce disruptions with ICE disruptions. We talk to Amherst College's Ilan Stavans about that, plus, about a new study on how language barriers affect your internet experience.It's still summer movie season. Boston Globe film critic Odie Henderson is back with his unabashed reviews of new summer flicks, including the Freaky Friday sequel and some Disney reboots. For more than 40 years, former labor secretary Robert Reich has been sounding the alarm on rising inequality in America, and how to fix it. He's out with a new memoir “Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America."It's All Rev'd Up with the Revs Emmett G. Price III and Irene Monroe. They talk about technology and faith: including the rise of Silicon Valley techno-religion, and an AI chatbot for religious questions. 

For this week's media analysis segment “Press Play," BU Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies Joan Donovan discusses how mainstream media headlines fail to capture the real story, and how the White House is losing control over Epstein conspiracy theories.Then, it's Live Music Friday with Boston-based rapper and music coach RedShaydez, who is leading a new artist development program called Music Jumpstart. She joins alongside rapper and producer JoiBeatz.Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner on the rule of law under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the latest out of the supreme court, and what's up with Alan Dershowitz on Martha's Vineyard.We talk with Rhode Island filmmaker Stephen Smith, an arctic expedition leader, and Brown University polar oceanographer Chris Horvat about their documentary “Beneath the Polar Sun,” ahead of its airing on GBH 44.

Chuck Todd on latest political headlinesAndrea Cabral weighs in on Jim Acosta “interviewing” an AI avatar of a Parkland shooting survivorPaul Reville on private school vouchers, high absenteeism in Mass. classrooms, the bill on banning cell phones in classrooms, and moreDr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel on the impacts of cuts to Medicaid, ICE getting a hold of Medicaid data, and some of his recent columns for the Atlantic and New York Times

The Culture Show's Jared Bowen gives his arts and culture reviews around the region – from Christine Baranski in Newport and more.On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin traces the steps that have weakened the legislation over time…right up to Texas' planned gerrymandered maps.State Auditor Diana DiZoglio still hasn't audited the legislature, like voters approved back in November. She joins us to talk about what (or who) is standing in her way. We talk with two MassGeneral trauma prevention experts about how to stay safe on the roads and in the water before kids head back to school: Toby Raybould, the trauma prevention & outreach program manager, and Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician in the pediatric intensive care unit. 

CNN's John King with the latest political headlines from Washington. ACLU of Mass Carol Rose on an update on their first birthright citizenship case in federal appeals courtLydia Coverdale-Perez and Whitney Edwards, two of the women behind Watch With Us Boston, the group that just purchased rights to open a Boston franchise of The Sports Bra, a sports bar dedicated to women's sports. NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey on the deal to bring the Connecticut Sun to Boston

NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell guest hosts with Jim. NAACP's Michael Curry on how Trump is replacing "woke" with his own version of diversity, plus a mini-lesson on the history of white supremacy, in today's context. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung on whether Mayor Wu has paid enough attention to the city center and the Connecticut Sun WNBA team potentially moving to Boston.Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett on the return of the presidential fitness test, CVS and Mass General Brigham expanding primary care in Mass., and what's needed to actually expand IVF access. Tufts food policy analyst Corby Kummer on the vodka-energy drink mix up, how food stamp cuts could hurt local grocers, and where to find the best ice cream in the state. 

GBH's Callie Crossley and The Bay State Banner's Yawu Miller join for this week's round of Press Play media analysis. They discuss media coverage of Epstein developments, an incident where two Boston Globe reporters were attacked at Mass & Cass., WEEI host Mike Felger's outsized influence in Boston media and what Margaret Sullivan has dubbed  “the media capitulation index.”John Davidson once hosted of shows like Hollywood Squares and That's Incredible!, and served as Johnny Carson's go-to fill-in host on The Tonight Show. Now, he's celebrating an encore season of shows at his Club Sandwich in Sandwich, New Hampshire. He joins for Live Music Friday and talks about a life in show business, songwriting and falling in love late in life.NBC10 Boston's local woman Sue O'Connell discusses 50 years of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, efforts to put President Trump on Mount Rushmore, and other assorted news of the day.Olga Cherevko is a UN aid worker in Gaza. She joins to talk about what she's seeing on the ground as the humanitarian crisis worsens.Meredith Goldstein recounts some of her latest and greatest Love Letters advice columns, and gives her take on the Coldplay jumbotron scandal.

Dan Primack, business editor with Axios, talks about the state of the Fed, Trump tariffs and global trade.Andrea Cabral on DOJ chair Tulsi Gabbard winning over Trump with claims about Obama engaging in criminal conspiracy.James Jacoby joins to talk about his latest film for FRONTLINE, “Remaking the Middle East: Israel vs. Iran.”

Today:Naturalist Sy Montgomery zooms in to discuss her trip with producer Zoe Mathews to a puffin colony in Maine.And, Marty Martinez is the new CEO and President of United Way of Massachusetts Bay. He joins to discuss the nonprofit and social services.

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. 

Local woman, coyote wrangler and NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell guest hosts with Jim.Julie Millican, Vice President of Media Matters, joins for this week's edition of Press Play media analysis. Irish folk band Solas performs ahead of this weekend's Lowell Folk Festival. We also talk with festival founders Seamus Eagan and Winnie Hogan, plus executive director Lee Viliesis.GBH's Callie Crossley discusses a protest on Nantucket against Vice President JD Vance, WBZ layoffs, Trump's latest push to prevent “woke AI," new Obama conspiracy theories and reflections on the death of Hulk Hogan and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Rep. Jake Auchincloss and MIT economist Jon Gruber join to talk about their recent essay called “The Case for New Cities."

Today:Omer Bartov is the Dean's Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. He joins us to discuss his view that Israel's ongoing actions in Gaza constitute genocide.Then GBH CEO Susan Goldberg stops by studio 3 to update us on the impacts of losing federal funding. 

BPR Full Show 7/24: The Towel Wasting Family

Today:Market Basket executives Tom Gordon and Joe Schmidt join Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library to discuss their firings, in the wake of speaking out against the company's latest. And, husband-and-wife owners of La Saison bakery,  Soheil Fathi & Sarah Moridpour discuss their journey from Tehran to the Boston area.

GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses the Labubu craze and 200 years of American Art on display at the PEM.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses Israel's expanded attacks in central Gaza, the growing daily deaths at food and humanitarian sites operated by the IDF, and France's media organization calling for the removal of its freelancers who remain in Gaza, citing starvation.Market Basket employees -- Joe Schmidt and Tom Gordon -- were fired hours after Schmidt appeared on our show yesterday. We check back in with them on the latest in the Market Basket family feud. Ariel Foxman is the VP of brand and experience for the Boston Seaport and Brandon Cardet-Hernandez is a Boston School Committee and member of the Mass council for Latino Empowerment. They are married, and join for our "How Do You Two Know Each Other?" segment.Soheil Fathi and Sarah Moridpour of La Saison Bakery join to discuss their journey from Tehran to Boston.

Today:“The Garden Lady” herself, C.L. Fornari, joins to discuss her program on GBH and CAI.And, Joe Schmidt and Paul Quigley have each worked at Market Basket for decades; they're currently suspended in the wake of turmoil in the board room over leadership at the company. They join to discuss.

CNN chief national correspondent John King on the latest national political news.C.L. Fornari, the garden lady, joins to discuss her Saturday afternoon CAI/GBH broadcast ... and takes listener questions about plants and gardening.Joe Schmidt, Tom Gordon, and Paul Quigley are Market Basket supervisors suspended by the company in the wake of CEO Artie T Demoulas being placed on leave. They were suspended over allegations they have been engaging in "disruptive behavior within the company."Sports authority Trenni Casey discusses the WNBA entering in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with players, and the NFL's female coaching surge.

Today: Andrea Cabral and Shirley Leung fill in for Jim and Margery.We talk with NBC10 commentator Sue O'Connell about President Trump's new lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over new reporting on his connections with Jeffrey Epstein.And, Princeton's Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses the latest in higher education, as Harvard takes the Trump administration to court over federal funding.

Boston Globe's Shirley Leung and former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral sub in the host seats for Jim and Margery. Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans talks about how Hispanic and Latino communities are adapting to the Trump administration's immigration policies, and ICE's latest push to build migrant tent camps.  Local woman Sue O'Connell discusses inner-party GOP debate over the Epstein files, Stephen Colbert's cancellation and the Astronomer CEO caught on the Coldplay concern 'kiss cam.'Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses local hits to Medicaid from Trump's massive spending bill, plusnew evidence on the harms of vaping. Princeton University's Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses how claims of anti-semitism are being used to undercut DEI in higher-ed, and why Black Americans are continuing to boycott big-box retailers.

NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell and former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral guest host for Jim and Margery.GBH's Callie Crossley and The Bay State Banner's Yawu Miller join for our weekly "Press Play" media analysis segment to talk about the PBS/NPR clawback, the WSJ Jeffrey Epstein report and other media news of the day.Boston Landmarks Orchestra just launched their annual series of free summer concerts at the Hatch Shell and throughout Boston. We talk with music director Chris Wilkinson and principal clarinet Rane Moore, plus enjoy a live music performance. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans reacts to this year's Emmy Nominations, Colbert's cancellation and The Bear season four. Jeffrey Thielman & Nazia Jamal join to discuss how Trump policies are impacting immigration here in New England. Jeff is the Executive Director of the International Institute of New England, Nazia is an educator and refugee who arrived from Afghanistan in 2024.

Catherine D'Amato and Andrew Morehouse on food stability in the commonwealth. Catherine heads the Greater Boston Food Bank, Andrew is Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western MassachusettsAndrea Cabral on the Jeffrey Epstein files and federal officials charging a Karen Read grand juror with criminal contempt for allegedly leaking information about the trial.Shirley Leung on her reporting on an influx of chain restaurants in ChinatownMara Dolan and Jen O'Brien are two attorneys joining to discuss their role in an ongoing strike for higher pay that's left thousands of defendants without representation.May Pang is the former partner of Beatle John Lennon, who dates the musician over an 18-month period that's come to be known as his “lost weekend.” She's touring the country with photos she captured during that era, and she's appearing this weekend at Bridge Gallery in Cambridge. 

Today:May Pang dated John Lennon in her early 20s, and has the photos to prove it. She joins us to discuss her new pop-up art installation, featuring photos of their time together, in Cambridge, titled The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang.And, public bar advocates in Massachusetts get paid less than in surrounding states to represent indigent clients. They've been on strike for better pay since late May, and some people charged with violent crimes are being released because their court proceedings can't continue without representation. We talk with two of the striking lawyers: Mara Dolan and Jennifer O'Brien.