Boston Public Radio Podcast

Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey co-hosts with Jim and Margery today. With guests: Michael Patrick MacDonald, the author of "All Souls: Memoir of a Family From Southie."Live Music Friday with local Americana, folk and rock singer-songwriter Jesse Ahern.Michael Fanone is a former DC Metropolitan police officer who was injured in the J-6 attack on the Capitol. He joins us. And on this May Day, Chrissy Lynch, head of the AFL-CIO of Massachusetts, talks about working class politics.

BPR Full Show: Margery Runs The Show

Food policy expert Corby Kummer on Boston's love for foie gras ... and the simultaneous rise of 'recession meals' that destigmatize home cooking on a budget.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses her latest reporting on the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting and new State Department rules that would deny visas to those who fear returning home.Conductor Keith Lockhart discusses the Boston Pops spring season.And for our final Long Run series, we talk about porta-potty sustainability with Rachel Binstock of Wasted*.

BPR Full Show 4/28/26: Governor Healey & Mayor Wu Answer Your Questions

Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner discusses SCOTUS' hypocrisy on trans student rights and other legal headlines.USA Today's Susan Page was at the White House Correspondent's Dinner over the weekend when an gunman tried to rush the event. She shares her experience, and talks about her new book on Queen Elizabeth.Tufts Fletcher School professor Daniel Drezner discusses the state of conflict and diplomatic attempts in Iran.Then we look at the British monarchy through rose-colored glasses.

For this week's Press Play media analysis, GBH's Adam Reilly and Callie Crossley discuss the backlash from journalists on McClatchy's new AI news tool and the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Live Music Friday with Jackie O'Riley and Seán Clohessy, organizers of the Tunes on the Charles festival.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the "angry young women" driving men into the arms of cougars, and Lesbian Visibility Week.Boston Globe reporter David Abel discusses his new short film, The Petal Pusher, an ode to NYC's Penn Station and one of its longest-running businesses.

Political correspondent Chuck Todd; Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral; Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung; GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen.

MIT's Jon Gruber discusses 20 years of Romneycare, of which he was a key architect.ACLU of Mass' Carol Rose discusses their lawsuit challenging Trump's efforts to get unredacted voter rolls in the state.Marc Morial of the National Urban League and Rahsaan Hall of Urban League of Eastern Mass join to discuss their organization's support of "clean slate" legislation — criminal justice reform that would automatically seal records for eligible candidates.Judy Pitasi joins us for today's Long Run segment; she oversees a team of 200 volunteers cleaning up after Boston Marathon runners.

NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey gives a Marathon recap and updates us with the latest on the Pat's coach Mike Vrabel drama.Rich Davey, CEO of Massport, discusses how the war with Iran is impacting local travel costs around jet fuel and flight prices.CNN's John King joins us for the latest national political headlines, including Senate primaries and Kash Patel suing The Atlantic for an article about his heavy drinking and absences.Nicole Nguyen, personal tech columnist at the Wall Street Journal, joins us to discuss her latest reporting on what AI really knows about you, and an onslaught of software updates you don't want to ignore.

BPL president David Leonard, Jay Moschella, manager of rare books and manuscripts, and Garrett Dash Nelson, curator of the Leventhal Map Center, discuss the library's exhibit of rare printings of the Declaration of Independence.Tracy Bonham joins with a string quartet for Live Music Friday ahead of a show this weekend at the Burren.Abdallah Fayyad of the Boston Globe and NBC10's Sue O'Connell join us for Press Play to talk about Pete Hegseth's latest Tarantino-inspired prayer service and other media analysis.Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming and BAA high performance team member Robert Miranda join for a marathon preview.

BPR Full Show 4/16: Pilots Just Wanna Have Fun

Cannabis Control Commission chair Shannon O'Brien discusses the state of the marijuana industry in Mass.Kade Crockford of the ACLU of Mass joins for a discussion about protest safety and data privacy in our surveillance era.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses Viktor Orban's defeat in Hungary and lessons against illiberalism more broadly. Plus, thoughts on Hegseth's Holy War and U.S. officials going toe to toe with the pope.And, we talk to Anna McKeown of DreamFar and Jim Keane of Boston Bulldogs run clubs.

BPR Full Show 4/14: Holding Predatory Men Accountable In Congress

Imran Riza is UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon. He zooms in from Beirut to discuss a growing humanitarian crisis there, ahead of negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials this week.Paul Reville, former MA education secretary, on the 'Mississippi Miracle' and cuts to Boston Public Schools and other districts across the state.Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory discusses the prevalence of AI in newsrooms, the student protest movement under Trump 2.0 and the Globe's latest reporting on Sandra Birchmore.NEPM hosts Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith zoom in to celebrate 4-1-3 Day.

Cuban journalist Daniel Montero Zooms in from Havana to talk about the humanitarian crisis there. At the library, we talk with Sylvia Rozwadowska-Shah, the owner of Colibri travel company which leads tours to Cuba, and Michelle Wojcik, Owner of Galeria Cubana, Provincetown, MA.And, it's Live Music Friday – the Handel and Haydn society perform some of Handel's Water Music, ahead of two shows this weekend at Symphony Hall.Then, NPR's Pentagon Reporter Tom Bowman zooms in for "Press Play" to discuss covering the war in Iran, Pete Hegseth's disdain for journalists and more.

BPR Full Show 4/9: Former Secretary John Kerry And The Iran War

Tufts International Politics professor Daniel Drezner discusses the latest developments in Iran, after President Trump announced last night there would be a two-week cease fire.Naturalist Sy Montgomery explains how New Hampshire's new turtle tunnels are reducing amphibian and reptile road mortality rates.Lyndia Downie, executive director at Pine Street Inn, discusses how they've been expanding transitional housing, and how the city's unhoused population fared during a particularly cold winter. Boston Athletic Association's Scott Stover discusses Boston Marathon sustainability efforts.

BPR Full Show 4/7: Trump Threatens Iran

We check back in with two Boston-based Black business owners to about the reality of doing business with the city and the Commonwealth: Ricardo Pierre Louis, the Founder & CEO of Privé Parking, and Rose Staram, owner and founder of RoseMark Production.MIT economist Jon Gruber discusses the long-term economic impacts of a war in Iran.Mitchell Garabedian, renowned Catholic Sex scandal victims' attorney and advocate, joins with a survivor of the Catholic Sex Scandal, Dr. Herbert Brennan, to discuss a new report out of Rhode Island.GBH's Jared Bowen reviews The Outsiders, now playing in Boston. 

Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the NYT, zooms in for Press Play.Poet Robert Pinsky performs for Live Music Friday.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses SCOTUS' ruling against a conversion therapy ban.And Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther zooms in to praise Peeps marshmallows.

BPR Full Show 4/2: AITA For Asking What's For Lunch?

Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung and business reporter Jon Chesto join to discuss their recent stories at the paper: income tax cuts, Mass Pike rest stops, and the likelihood Boston will truly be a women's sports town.National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the communities fighting against ICE's expanding detention footprint, and the recent IDF action against a CNN crew in the West Bank.Axios business editor Dan Primack discusses rising gas prices, the Pentagon's AI push, and Jeff Bezos seeking to buy up manufacturing companies and accelerate their automation.And we talk to Yuly Fuentes-Medel,  executive director of The Footwear Collective, a non-profit devoted to building circular solutions for the footwear industry, and program director of MIT's Climate Project, about how to make running shoes more eco-friendly. 

BPR Full Show 3/31: Gas Prices And Travel

Princeton University professor of African American Studies and Public Affairs, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, discusses the Trump admin's newest investigations into Harvard. And we check in on the broader higher ed crackdown.Tufts food policy expert Corby Kummer explains how the war in Iran is impacting your grocery bill, and how Big Food continues to push back against the MAHA food policy agenda. Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner preview's the birthright citizenship case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court this week, and weighs in on the case of a 98-year-old federal judge who won't give up her seat.

Gov. Maura Healey joins for "Ask the Governor," answering our questions and yours. Then, it's Live Music Friday with bassist Oscar Stagnaro and the band Triad.Finally, Rebecca Winter of 50501 previews the Boston No Kings rally this weekend.

BPR Full Show 3/26: DHS Shutdown & TSA Lines

Attorney General Andrea Campbell joins for "Ask the AG."Salt Lick Incubator artists Dani Offline and Claire Ernst perform ahead of a show in Concord.Dropkick Murphy's Ken Casey stops by to discuss the band's political legacy and playing at the No Kings protests this weekend.

Michael Curry discusses the growing life expectancy gap between Black residents and other Bostonians — the gap has doubled over the past decade.John King discusses the latest national political headlines.Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses the rise in sepsis cases in Mass., and the rise in IV drip bars in BostonBobbi Gibb in person discusses her legacy as the first woman to run Boston Marathon.

Amherst College's Ilan Stavans discusses the sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez.Comedian and The View host Joy Behar zooms in ahead of her "My First Ex-Husband" performance at the Huntington.Evan Horowitz of Tufts Center for State Policy Analysis walks us through his reports on rent control and income tax ballot questions.GBH's Jared Bowen joins us briefly to discuss "the unmasking of Banksy" and preview what's ahead on The Culture Show this week.

GBH News politics reporter Adam Reilly and Under The Radar's Callie Crossley join for 'Press Play' media analysis. For Live Music Friday, Puerto Rican singer, drummer, and composer David Rivera performs ahead of a show at Regattabar.Phil Eng, MBTA General Manager and interim secretary of transportation, joins for 'Ask the GM,' to answer our questions and yours.

BPR Full Show 3/19: Who Wants To Bring Back Dueling?

Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem on war in the Middle East and the resignation of Joe Kent, the now-former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.Chris Dempsey and Bill Straus join for a transit panel, focusing on plans for White Stadium, the Everett stadium for the Revs and World Cup plans at Gillette.Linda Bilmes, co-author of "The Three Trillion Dollar War" and Harvard Kennedy School public policy lecturer, discusses the financial cost of going to war in Iran.Meredith Goldstein of the Boston Globe Love Letters column discusses why some heterosexual women are hiding their boyfriends, how to make friends as an adult, and and update on the library phone booth. 

CNN's John King on national politics, food policy analyst Corby Kummer and NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey

We start the week by checking in on Trump and Israel's now 17 day war in Iran. Then, it's Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther on the TSA's latest struggles and why he's a headphone evangelist. Author Janice Page discusses her memoir “The Year of the Water Horse."And retired federal judge Nancy Gertner discusses the ongoing legal battles after one year of Trump's immigration crackdown. 

NCB10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the rescission of a Biden-era rule on LGBTQ foster care placements and what the filibuster has to do with the SAVE Act.Live Music Friday with Irish musicians Matt & Shannon Heaton and flutist Kozo Toyota, one of three members of the Japanese band O'Jizo that plays traditional Irish music. Tonight, they all collaborate on a show at Club Passim.Dr. Megan Ranney of Yale School of Public Health discusses measles concerns and the epidemic of American gun violence.Iranian-American owners of La Saison bakery return ahead of Persian New Year, and to discuss the impacts of war on their family. 

BPR Full Show 3/12: How To Load The Dishwasher

Alan Khazei, founder of City Year, discusses the value of public service.Alex Green talks about his book A Perfect Turmoil: Walter E. Fernald and the Struggle to Care for America's Disabled, which is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Senator Ed Markey zooms in to discuss the cost of war with Iran.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses AI-assisted warfare, and the bomb threat near Gracie Mansion in New York City. Then, Juliette sticks around for our conversation about popcorn. 

BPR Full Show 3/10: Ask The Mayor With Mayor Wu

Emerald Necklace Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek and NAACP Boston's Ed Burley join to discuss their group's opposition to Mayor Wu's White Stadium plan.NBC Sports Boston anchor-reporterTrenni Casey on the battle over security funding for the FIFA World Cup in Foxborough.Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses a new study that finds Tylenol use in pregnant women declined after President Trump and RFK Jr.'s made unfounded claims last fall that the drug cases autism. GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen joins us to discuss the BSO declining to renew Andris Nelsons' contract.

Anand Giridharadas of The.Ink Substack and MSNBC commentator joins for Press Play, our weekly media analysis segment, to discuss Pete Hegseth's Iran press conferences in front of a new, friendlier press corps this week.Flutist Jamie Baum joins us for Live Music Friday, ahead of a show at Scullers on Saturday. Steve Elman, former jazz host and one of Jamie's professional cheerleaders, also joins us in Studio 3.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the bar owner facing sanctions for Patriots players' bad behavior, and a rise in homophobic bullying at school hockey programs across the state, in the wake of Heated Rivalry's popularity.

Political commentator Chuck Todd discusses the latest national political headlines and how Republicans are walking a tight-rope between Trump and the party's anti-interventionists. Olga Cherevko is  head of communications for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She joins us again via zoom to discuss how the US-Israel war on Iran is impacting Palestinians.Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral on why the Minneapolis prosecutors office is launching an investigation into top border patrol officials.The Culture Show host Jared Bowen joins us briefly to discuss why composer Philip Glass chose to withdraw his Symphony No. 15: Lincoln from the Kennedy Center.And for this week's Am I the A-hole: rims-up or rims-down for storing coffee mugs? 

Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses misinformation and cyberwarfare shaping the conflict in Iran.ACLU of Massachusetts' Carol Rose discusses how the Trump immigration policies are making us less safe: since the administration starting denying bond hearings to immigrants detained inside the country, a number of habeas cases have overwhelmed prosecutors and offices are dropping cases.Priya Tahiliani is Superintendent of Brockton public schools. She joins us to discuss her tumultuous career -- after essentially being driven out of Everett when she pushed for change in the schools there -- and the challenges facing gateway city schools across the state.

It's been four days of attacks on Iran. Six Americans are dead. Global markets are down. We open the phones to get more of your reactions to the unfolding situation and what comes next.Then, CNN's John King on the primaries today around the country, and takeaways from Clinton's Epstein depositions.The Boston Foundation's Lee Pelton on how nonprofits like his are managing under Trump, and how TBF is supporting our immigrant neighbors.Sebastian Walker was correspondent for PBS Frontline's 2025 film "Strike On Iran: The Nuclear Question." He joins us to talk about the current situation in Iran.NBC Sport Boston's Trenni Casey discusses how the war may impact Iran's soccer team ahead of the World Cup. Then, in the latest example of eminent domain fights: a Somerville family refuses to give up their home to make room for the YMCA's modern expansion. Would you hold on to your home of four decades, or take the millions in the name of so-called progress?

We start the show on Iran. Daniel Drezner is a Distinguished Professor of International Politics and Academic Dean at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  He gives the latest on the U.S.-led attacks on Iran and what comes next for the region under fire. Joanna Lydgate heads the States United Democracy Center, which aims to protect free and fair elections in the United States. She talks about what states can do to protect the midterms in November. Congressman Jim McGovern calls in to share his thoughts on what he's calling an "illegal war" against Iran.Throughout the show we take listener calls, asking is this another endless regime change effort by the U.S., or the right move for the region?

Author and journalist Rachel Hartigan discusses her book "Lost: Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life."Jazz, neo‑soul and reggae artist Safiya performs for Live Music Friday.NBC10Boston's Sue O'Connell on Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and the Clintons' testimony on Jeffrey Epstein.Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther zooms in to discuss his harrowing experience in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where violence broke out in response to the killing of the New Generation drug cartel leader "El Mencho."