Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today:Adam Gardner of Guster and David Schneider of The Zambonis are also members of The LeeVees – a band that exclusively performs songs about Hanukkah. They grace us with some live music in Studio 3.And, Massachusetts Congressman Bill Keating discusses the latest news related to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – Signalgate and Venezuelan boat strikes.

Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner is among dozens of former judges calling out the targeted and intentional deterioration of the rule of law in the U.S. court systemAndrea Cabral, former public safety secretary, discusses Trump's targeting of Somali migrants including Rep. Ilhan OmarDr. Megan Ranney, dean of Yale School of Public Health, discusses myriad public health issues: a vaccine advisory panel meeting today, the latest on mass shootings/gun violence, and restoring trust in public health/scientific institutionsCongressman Bill Keating discusses Admiral Bradley's appearance before the Senate to answer questions about the Sept. 2 boat strikesAdam Gardner & David Schnieder reunite in Studio 3 as The LeeVees, their Hanukkah themed band

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: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.

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

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.

Today: After an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC last week, the Trump administration is imposing new restrictions on all refugees from Afghanistan. We check in with Fariba, an Afghan refugee with US citizenship, about what that means for her community. And, we talk with Alexandra Weber of the International Institute of New England about the impact on refugee communities.

Today:Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of the War on Cars podcast join to discuss their new book "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile"

Today:Javier Marin is executive chairman of El Planeta, the leading Spanish-language newspaper in Massachusetts. He discusses his new book "Live From America: How Latino TV Conquered the U.S.”

Today:National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the chaotic few days of peace negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.

Former secretary of public safety, Andrea Cabral, discusses how federal immigration forces are misusing "less lethal" weapons against protesters.Harvard's national security expert Juliette Kayyem on the latest developments in the Ukraine-Russia deal, plus Congressman Mark Kelly under Pentagon investigation for his involvement in a video from Democratic lawmakers calling on troops to defy illegal orders.Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear discuss their new book "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile."Playwright Ryan Landry previews this year's Gold Dust Orphans holiday show.Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses this year's holiday squeeze as consumers are expected to cut Black Friday spending for the first time since 2021.

CNN's John King zooms in for the latest national political headlinesTrenni Casey discusses Killington's independent era for skiing in the NortheastAbdallah Fayyad, Globe ideas writer, joins via zoom to discuss his latest piecesCongressman Jim McGovern calls into the show on the annual March for the Food Bank of Western Mass. Javier Marin, executive chairman of El Planeta, joins in person to discuss his new book:  “Live From America: How Latino TV Conquered the U.S.”

Paul Reville, former education secretary, discusses the federal influence in our education systems — from efforts to dismantle the Education Department to Harvard Vocational School.Oscar-winning documentarian Mstyslav Chernov on his latest FRONTLINE PBS film "2000 Meters to Andriivka" that captures the Ukraine-Russia war from the point of view of frontline fighters.Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III join for All Rev'd Up on BPR. They discuss how the multiethnic faith community of New Bedford is faring amid immigration attacks. Giselle Byrd reflects on her appointment to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Byrd, a community activist, executive director of Theater Offensive performing company, and a Black transgender woman, has received death threats since the news of her appointment.Folk singer/songwriter Tom Rush zooms in to celebrate his induction into Boston's Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame.

Today:Ukrainian journalist and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov presents his latest film “2000 Meters to Andriivka” tomorrow night on PBS. It offers a vantage point of war rarely seen in non-fiction films: a first-hand look at the toll of war on the frontline soldiers.

Today: Singer-songwriters Haley Reardon and Judit Neddermann perform tonight at City Winery in Boston. They perform for us at the library accompanied by Pau and Arnau Figueres.And, Harvard Lecturer and vice-chair of the Massachusetts Commission on State Institutions, Alex Green, discusses new legislation that would allow families and researchers access to records involving people with disabilities who lived in state institutions.

Jinx Monsoon & BenDeLaCreme return to preview their “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show” tour, which stops at the Wang Theater on Nov. 22ndLyndia Downie & Judge Kathleen Coffey join for a Thanksgiving check-in. Coffey is the founder & retired judge for the Homeless Court, which helps low-level offenders clear their records in order to get their life back on track. Lyndia of course is Executive Director of the Pine Street Inn.Hayley Reardon & Judit Neddermann are our guests for Live Music Friday, ahead of a show tonight at City Winery Boston. Reardon is a Marblehead native, Judit is visiting from Barcelona. Alex Green, vice-chair of the  Massachusetts Special Commission on State Institutions and a lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, on the latest on a bill sent to Governor Healey's desk that would make it easier for family members to obtain records of their disabled loved ones who lived in institutional housingSue O'Connell on Larry Summers/Harvard/Epstein fallout, a proposed Boston city hall merch line, and the Brian Walshe trial.

Chuck Todd discusses the latest national politicsJonathan Van Ness zooms in ahead of their stop in Boston on their "Hot and Healed" tourAlejandra Caraballo, lawyer, clinical instructor at Harvard's cyberlaw clinic, and trans rights activist, joins to discuss the attacks on transgender people from the federal government this yearKelly Beatty of Sky & Telescope and Mario Motta discuss light pollution in Massachusetts. Mario Motta is a retired cardiologist and specialist on the medical effects of lights on humans

Today:Jonathan Van Ness of Netflix's 'Queer Eye' fame joins ahead of a stop on their "Hot and Healed" tour in Boston this weekend.Then, civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo discusses attacks on trans people in today's political climate, and the fallout at Harvard -- where she is a clinical instructor of cyberlaw -- over the school's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Today:Cellist Yo Yo Ma previews his sold out Celebrity Series of Boston performance is this Friday at Symphony Hall: “We the People: Celebrating Our Shared Humanity.” It will be simulcast free of charge at more than 20 venues across the state, from Cape Cod to North Adams. For more information, go to CelebritySeries.Org 

BPR Full Show 11/19: Yo-Yo Ma Gets A Smug Mug!

BPR Full Show 11/18: Ask The Mayor November Edition

Today:Rickey McGee was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting death of a convenience store clerk who was killed during a robbery in the Fenway. For 28 years, McGee maintained his innocence. Behind bars, he co-founded the Harriet Tubman Project in 2021, which brings together incarcerated people fighting wrongful convictions.In October he was released from prison, and thanks to McGee's own advocacy and the Innocence Program at the Public Defender's Office, prosecutors officially dropped the murder case after new evidence weakened the testimony of the prosecution's main witness. McGee joined Jim and Margery in Studio 3 on Monday with his partner Jacqueline Fonseca, who works for the New England Innocence Project.

BPR Full Show 11/17: Trump Economic Storm

The Boston Globe's Nancy Barnes and Shirley Leung join for “Press Play" media analysis. The talk about AI in journalism, new polls about Americans' trust in media, and the 2025 Globe Summit. GBH's Callie Crossley discusses a bill on book banning, new lousy polling numbers for President Trump and Cheryl Hines' new memoir.Shelter Music Boston performs for Live Music Friday. They're celebrating 15 years of performing in local homeless shelters. We talk with founder Julie Levin, founding violist Rebecca Strauss and managing director Carrie Eldridge-DicksonNBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell recaps her trip to Canada reporting on the Christmas tree cutting ceremony. Plus, SCOTUS declining to hear case to overturn same-sex marriage and an alligator in the Charles River.

BPR Full Show 11/13: Government Shutdown Has Ended

The Culture Show's Jared Bowen discusses Norman Rockwell's family speaking out against the Trump administration for warping his legacy and Serj Tankian's exhibit at the Armenian Museum in Watertown.Comedian and actor Tom Papa joins ahead of a show on his "Grateful Bread" tour.Boston Ballet executive director Ming Min Hui and artistic director Mikko Nissinen discuss their current production of 'Jewels' and their original production of The Nutcracker.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell joins remotely from Nova Scotia, where Mayor Wu has traveled to pick up Boston's Christmas tree.National security expert Juliette Kayyem on U.S. intelligence showing the Israeli military warned there was evidence of war crimes in Gaza, raising legitimate questions of American complicity if Israel faces war crimes charges. Plus, the UK pausing intelligence-sharing with the U.S. over boat strikes in the Caribbean.

Today:  The Trump family is raking it in on the crypto-currency market. We talk to Axios Boston business editor Dan Primack about all the ways the Trump family is using the presidency to grow their personal wealth. Then, Congressman Jake Auchincloss discusses the government shutdown, the Democratic party's future, and Veterans Day.  

BPR Full Show 11/11: Service In The Age Of Trump

We start the show by getting your reactions to the Senate Democrats who agreed to help Republicans re-open the government. President Trump just gave a pardon to former Mr. Four Seasons Landscaping himself, Rudy Giuliani – along with dozens others – for charges related to trying to overthrow the free and fair 2020 election. We discuss that and more with Brian McGrory, former editor of the Boston Globe and current head of Journalism at Boston University. As the senate makes progress on ending the shutdown, it's still not totally clear when SNAP recipients can expect the return of food assistance. Food policy analyst Corby Kummer explains. Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett joins with Tamika Jackson, CEO of The Beautiful Way Foundation, to talk racial equity in clinical trials. Ken Oringer is a James Beard-winning chef behind restaurants like Torro and Uni. He's launched a brand-new pasta venture centered around good food and helping employ people with autism, called Chitarra Pastaria. He joins along with team members Miles Mazzotta and Julia Agostino. Then we open the phone lines to talk about decluttering techniques. 

It's our Friday media analysis segment “Press Play” with NBC 10 Boston's media maven Sue O'Connell and GBH's Adam Reilly, on the Pentagon's new MAGA press crew and a new report showing teens think the media is biased and boring. As the Trump administration continues its assault on free thought and open inquiry, how are local libraries weathering the storm? We ask Boston Public Library's David Leonard and Watertown Free Public Library's Kim Long.Then it's Live Music Friday with veteran R&B vocalist, Berklee's Gabrielle Goodman, ahead of a show at Long Live Roxbury.Plus, our Trump Tracker segment, with just a few of the horrors you may have overlooked this week, coming out of the flood-the-zone Oval Office.And we check in with Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung on the impact of sports betting on kids' sports, the allure of progressive Millennial mayors, and how anyone could think Elon Musk deserves a trillion dollar salary. 

BPR Full Show 11/6: How To Share Office Donuts

Governor Maura Healey joins for Ask the Governor.Then we open the  phone lines to hear listener reactions to yesterday's elections results. Faith Soloway, Bitch and Melissa Ferrick are all part of a musical comedy show "One Long Earring." They perform ahead of a show tomorrow night at the Crystal Ballroom.GBH's Jared Bowen discusses Kennedy Center ticket sales plummeting and Serj Tankian's exhibit at the Armenian Museum in Watertown.CNN chief national correspondent John King joins for a politics rundown and election day debrief.We end the show with a query about the exclamation mark. When should it be use, if ever? We take your calls!!

Massachusetts AG Andrea Campbell takes from audience members.Senator Ed Markey on the government shutdown, food access, and small businesses feeling the pressure amid tariffs. The Boston Foundation's Lee Pelton joins to discuss how the government shutdown is impacting nonprofit workTiffani Faison and Zimu Chen are restaurateurs behind two of Boston Magazine's favorite new spots: Bubble Bath + Darling. They join to discuss

Today:ACLU of Massachusetts executive director Carol Rose discusses the challenges to the rule of law under the current presidential administration, and the legal victories holding those in power accountable. And David Shapiro, head of the YMCA of Greater Boston, discusses how his organization is joining the effort to keep vulnerable Massachusetts residents fed through the government shutdown. Boston residents can visit Boston.gov/SNAP or call Boston 311 to learn more about the City resources that are available for support. 

National security expert Juliette Kayyem on the investigation into an explosion at a Harvard Medical School building over the weekend, and President Trump's continued attacks on Venezuelan boats, even as the UN cites human rights violations. Plus, why he's threatening U.S. military action in Nigeria.Carol Rose of the ACLU of Massachusetts discusses the ACLU-led class action suit on behalf of detained immigrants who have been denied bond hearings. Plus, whether the U.S. supreme court will hand Trump yet another major victory on tariffs. Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers on the government shutdown, healthcare costs and remembering his friend, former Newton mayor Setti Warren.David Shapiro of the YMCA of Greater Boston on how the Y is meeting Boston's food needs during the shutdown.  Alexander Smalls is an award-winning opera singer turned James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef. He joins us ahead of an event at Suffolk University.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island discusses the government shutdown and his latest efforts to limit the influence of special interest groups in elections.GBH's Callie Crossley weighs in on SNAP benefits drying up, a new debate around autonomous vehicles in Boston and Trump reinstalling a confederate statue in D.C. Nick Shea is a rapper/portrait artist who's grown an online following since starting a $1 portrait project on Boston Common three years ago. He joins for Live Music Friday ahead of a new album release. Victoria Kichuk is the chocolate sommelier behind the local tasting tour group Cocoa Beantown. She guides Jim and Margery through an assortment of treats from local chocolatiers.Media maven Sue O'Connell discusses a Texas Supreme Court ruling that judges can refuse same-sex marriages, Harvard conservatives testing the boundaries of free speech, Karen Read's attorney putting Michael Cox on blast and controversy around the Boston strip club Centerfolds trying to move a few blocks over into Chinatown.

Today:Brandon Cardet Hernandez, member of the Boston Public School Committee, discusses the literacy bill making its way through Beacon Hill, bell-to-bell phone bans in schools, and getting rid of the MCAS as a graduation requirement.Then economic scholar Chuck Collins discusses his latest book: Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet. 

BPR Full Show 10/30: Day 30 Of Shutdown

Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther talks about the impact of the government shutdown on air travel, why international tourists are skipping the U.S. and therapy dogs at Logan airport.Kelly Beatty from Sky & Telescope on a “Boston Henge” phenomenon in Back Bay, the Smithsonian's plans to get the Discovery shuttle to Texas and an asteroid that's maybe headed for the moon in 2032. Gabrielle Hamilton is the James Beard-winning chef behind the New York restaurant Prune, and author of “Blood, Bones & Butter.” She joins to talk about her latest, a memoir called “Next of Kin,” ahead of an appearance tonight at Harvard Book Store. Jody Adams and Aidan McGee are the chefs behind La Padrona and McGonagle's Pub, two Boston restaurants recognized in the New York Times' list of the 50 best restaurants across America. They talk about their food and what this good press means for their business. 

Today: Former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio discusses the New York City mayor's race; he's endorsed Zohran Mamdani. We'll talk about his hope for the future of New York and Democrats across the country.And, Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett joins us with Dr. Lisa Fontes on the health impacts of domestic violence, and how to prevent it.

Former NY mayor, one-time presidential candidate Bill DeBlasio calls in to discuss the NYC mayor's race; he's endorsed MamdaniSports authority Trenni Casey discusses the NBA gambling indictmentsDr. Katherine Gergen Barnett and Dr. Lisa Fontes discuss domestic violence and prevention/awareness through the lens of public healthAnthony Amore, current director of security at the Gardner Museum, discusses the Louvre heist.The Wagner Foundation's Abigail Satinsky joins with Street Theory artist Ayana Mack and director Rob 'ProBlak' Gibbs to discuss a new partnership exhibit "From the Page to the Stage" in service of the Street Theory Collective's upcoming community hub for BIPOC artists in Cambridge

Today:Josh Paul and Tariq Habash both resigned from the Biden administration over the president's handling of Israel's war in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in 2023. They have since co-founded “A New Policy”  – a group that aims to reform U.S. policy  – and join to discuss what a true "American first" policy in the Middle East would look like.

Amherst College's Ilan Stavans shares his latest book "Conversations on Dictionaries: The Universe in a Book" on the power of dictionaries in shaping culture. Plus we get his take on polling that shows Latinos in America might be turning away from Trump.Vulture podcast and TV critic Nick Quah shares the best podcasts he's heard this year. Josh Paul and Tariq Habash are co-founders of “A New Policy,” which aims to reform U.S. policy toward the Middle East. They join to discuss what they think multiple U.S. administrations have gotten wrong.The Reverends Irene Monroe & Emmett G. Price III join for “All Rev'd Up" on the pastors showing up at No Kings rallies, and a new survey that finds more U.S. adults are embracing organized religion – buying more bibles post-Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Today:Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin joins Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library to reflect on lessons in leadership from her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, released 20 years ago this week.

Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin celebrates 20 years since Team of Rivals was published, the one book Barack Obama said he'd want on a desert island. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins for “Ask the Mayor.”  We talk to her about Mass & Cass, whether she'll insert herself into the Markey/Moulton Senate race, new pushback from Boston's business community, and Trump's suggestion this month about pulling the World Cup from Foxboro. Rasa Quartet performs for Live Music Friday. They're on tour across New England with a Halloween-themed show called Soundtrack to a Nightmare.