Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld says he will challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners for their takes. Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, recapped yesterday's Boston Marathon. Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell looked at a proposal to bring back rent control. We asked listeners about a report on MBTA employees retiring in their 40s and collecting healthy pensions. Are they part of the transit agency's financial woes? Christina Tosi, founder of the dessert chain Milk Bar, announced that she would be changing the name of their signature dish "crack pie" after criticism. Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, weighed in. John King, CNN’s chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics," brought us up to date on the latest national news. Fine ar

Today on Boston Public Radio: It's Marathon Monday! Throughout the program we took calls from listeners, and also checked in with WGBH News reporters Edgar B. Herwick III at the halfway mark and Phillip Martin at the finish line. Former Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told us about running the marathon as a civilian this year. Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, discussed his new book "Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running." Boston Mayor Marty Walsh shared what it was like to crown the winners of the race and weighed in on President Donald Trump's recent comments about sanctuary cities. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross explained how local law enforcement prepares for the Marathon year-round. Consul General Stratos Efthymiou shared the history behind the tradition of bestowing a crown of laurels upon the winner.

Today on *Boston Public Radio: * We opened up the lines and asked our listeners: Is it time for the millionaire’s tax to have its moment? South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is taking on the religious right on their own turf. Sue O'Connell, co-publisher of Bay Windows and The South End News, and host of NECN’s "The Take with Sue O’Connell," weighed in. Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," shared her list of frustrations and fulminations. Author T.C. Boyle discussed his new novel, "Outside Looking In," a fictionalized account of Timothy Leary's early LSD experiments at Harvard and beyond. Shirley Leung, interim editorial page editor for The Boston Globe, discussed a controversial column about Kirstjen Nielsen that the paper published and then walked back. Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," shared her take on a viral confrontation between Rep. Maxine Waters and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. We got a running start on Marathon Monday with Peter Villa and Bryan Gould, the two

Today on Boston Public Radio: Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan looked at the measles epidemics breaking out nationally. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the co-host of the "Everyday Ethics" podcast. We looked at the psychology of personal space and asked our listeners: For you, how close is too close? Juliette Kayyem weighed in on the shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security. Kayyem is on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School and a CNN analyst. WGBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen shared his picks for the best arts and cultural events around town this week. If you're bored or anxious at your job, are you stressed out — or burned out? Historian Nancy Koehn looked at the phenomenon of millennial burnout and what can be done about it. Koehn is an historian at the Harvard Business School, where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Her latest book is "Forged in Cri

Have Americans soured on all-you-can eat buffets? In the last few years, a number of high-profile buffet chains have floundered — including Ryan's and Old Country Buffet, which have seen declining sales, and HomeTown Buffet, which filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Joining *Boston Public Radio *to explain these struggles was Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We’re taking about Trump’s renewed push for border security, which includes purging the Department of Homeland Security, bringing back family separation at the border, and asking agents to not let migrants in. We opened up the lines and asked listeners: Is this the kind of border security you want? Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, previewed Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox. Is Boston’s standing as a sanctuary city on thin ice? Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, weighed in. Is it the end of the line for the all-you-can-eat buffet? Corby Kummer explained the decline of this restaurant model. Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy. MIT economists Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber discussed their new book, "Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream." John King, CN

On today’s episode of Boston Public Radio: Our political roundtable with Jennifer Nassour and Steve Kerrigan discussed the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other top headlines. Nassour is former Chairwoman of the MassGOP and COO of ReflectUS, and Kerrigan is president and co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and former CEO of the DNC. Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, looked back on the Rwandan Genocide 25 years later. Legal analyst Michael Zeldin examined reported discrepancies between the Mueller report and Attorney General William Barr’s summary of it. Television expert Bob Thompson looked at the return of “Game of Thrones” for its final season, the end of “Broad City,” and shared his picks for the best and worst TV of the week. Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price looked at the role left-leaning evangelical voters could play in the 2020 election for their regular segment, “All Revved Up.” We opened up the lines an

Today on Boston Public Radio: Bob Kraft's high-profile arrest has kicked off a statewide conversation about sex trafficking, including a debate over legalizing prostitution. We opened up the lines and asked listeners for their take. Ryan Landry shared his thoughts on "Happy Place," a pop-up museum designed with social media in mind. Landry is a playwright, lyricist, actor, and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company. Emily Rooney, host of "Beat the Press," regaled us with her famous list of observations and frustrations. Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman went over the latest developments with the recreational marijuana industry. Another admissions scandal has surfaced — this time at Harvard — and it involves a suspect property investment and the university's fencing coach. Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe’s interim editorial page editor, weighed in. Callie Crossley, host of "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley," discussed the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Two certi

On *Boston Public Radio *today: Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press,” discussed the House’s move to request President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Then we opened up the lines and asked you about Wynn Resorts. Now that the company admits it covered up sexual assault allegations against Steve Wynn, should their casino license be revoked? Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed a new addiction treatment program being launched in some Massachusetts prisons. Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka outlined her support for a bill that would allow a “Gender X” option on state licenses and IDs. Cartoonist Roz Chast and humorist Patty Marx discussed their new book, “Why Don’t You Write My Euology Now So I Can Correct It?” and treated us to a performance of their ukulele duo, “Ukulear Explosion.” Former state secretary of education Paul Reville weighed in on an MCAS question that proved so controversial that state officials decided it shouldn’t be scored. Then we opened up the lines and asked you ab

This week, Burger King announced that it will offer a vegetarian version of its most famous product, the Whopper, made primarily from soybeans. Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, weighed in on Boston Public Radio.

Claims of “no collusion” on Russia is one thing — but is cheating in golf a whole other game? A new book entitled “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump” by Rick Reilly chronicles all the ways President Donald Trump plays loose on the links, even allegedly cheating against Tiger Woods. We opened the lines to ask our listeners: Could this cheater’s spirit damage Trump’s 2020 chances? Then: Brexit for dummies with Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam. His latest book is “The Feud: Vladimir Nabakov, Edmund Wilson and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.” The Red Sox are off to a rough start; Tom Brady has joined Twitter; and the Celtics are coping with racist taunts from a “fan” in the crowd. Trenni Kusnierek, an anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, joined us for that and more. Many people in America are grappling with a retirement crisis — one third of retirees have no savings at all. Katherine Newman, the interim chancellor at UMass Boston, joined us to discuss her latest book, “Downhill From Here: Ret

Today on Boston Public Radio: We went over the latest political headlines with Frank Phillips and Peter Gelzinis. Phillips is the State House Bureau Chief for The Boston Globe* *and Gelzinis is a columnist emeritus for The Boston Herald. Deal or no deal? Charles Sennott, WGBH news analyst and founder of The GroundTruth Project, talked about the latest on Brexit and what it means for Prime Minister Theresa May. In a recent piece for New York magazine, former Nevada state politician Lucy Flores alleged that Joe Biden inappropriately touched her at a political rally. We asked our listeners: Does Biden's history disqualify him from running for president? Television expert Bob Thompson weighed in on the final season of "Veep" and shared his picks for the best and worst TV of the week. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse. For seven weeks, Carol

Attorney General Maura Healey took our questions and yours on “Ask the AG.” Emily Rooney, host of “Beat the Press,” discussed Betsy DeVos’s attempt to cut Special Olympics funding and shared her famous List. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko looked at Facebook’s push to ban white nationalism from its platform. “Under the Radar” host Callie Crossley weighed in on the rumors about Joe Biden picking Stacey Abrams as his VP candidate. We opened up the lines and asked you: When you are witness to acts of racism, how do you deal with it?  Two stars of the new ‘Hamilton’ parody, Dominic Pecikonis and Marissa Hecker, ‘Spamilton' faced off on our Friday News Quiz.

We kicked off the show by asking our listeners about the recent barrage of high-profile legal cases involving the rich and famous. Does the justice system only work for the wealthy and well-connected? If you’re just a regular Joe Lunchbox in East Overshoe, is the system inherently designed against you? Now that we know the Mueller report was at least 300 pages, what are we to make of William Barr's four-page memo? We discussed this with Michael Zeldin, a former colleague of Mueller, a legal analyst for CNN and a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. Then we opened the lines so our listeners could ask him about Barr's interpretation of the Mueller report. Why did prosecutors dismiss charges against actor Jussie Smollett? Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral joins us for that and more on this week’s edition of Law and Order. Cabral is the former secretary of public safety and current chief executive officer of Ascend. The Pentagon is cannibalizing its military budge

Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem gave us her take on the Mueller report. We opened up the lines and asked you about Bob Kraft’s apology. Sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek called in from Seattle ahead of Opening Day. Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan looked at a new challenge from the Trump Administration to the Affordable Care Act. WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen shared his picks for the best arts and cultural events around town this week. Are jumbo serving sizes a recipe for disaster when it comes to food waste? We opened up the lines and asked you about giant serving sizes at restaurants.

Food writer Corby Kummer says you should assume portion sizes at restaurant are twice as big as what you should be eating in one meal.

On today’s episode of Boston Public Radio: Is rent control due for a comeback? A group of lawmakers in the Massachusetts House are putting a proposal on the table. We opened up the lines and got your take. Shirley Leung, interim editorial page editor at the Boston Globe, discussed problem pets and equity in the marijuana industry. Congressman Stephen Lynch called in and told us how he thinks House Democrats should respond to the Mueller report. Forget the eyes — is the *handshake *really the window to a person’s soul? Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton looked at the social psychology around this common greeting. Food writer Corby Kummer analyzed flooding in the Midwest and how the agricultural industry will be impacted. We opened up the lines and asked you: How do you think Democrats should respond to the Mueller report?

The Mueller report has been submitted. We go over what we know with our political roundtable, featuring former Massachusetts treasurer Shannon O’Brien and political analyst Charlie Chieppo. Legal analyst and former Mueller colleague Michael Zeldin brought us his take on the report. Representative Katherine Clark shared how the report’s findings could impact Congressional investigations into the president. We opened up the lines and asked you about the Mueller report (and we later revisited this topic at the end of the program.) Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price discussed a TD Bank ad in Boston that came under fire for its coded racial language. Charles Sennott, executive director of The GroundTruth Project, discussed Russian influence campaigns on both American elections and on Brexit.

The full broadcast of Boston Public Radio from Thursday, March 21st, 2019. Chuck Todd, the moderator of Meet the Press, host of Meet the Press Daily on MSNBC, and the political director for NBC news, called in to discuss the latest news regarding the Democratic presidential candidates. Andrea Cabral,** **former Suffolk County sheriff, former secretary of public safety, and the CEO of Ascend, talking about the Robert Kraft scandal. Governor Charlie Baker joined us to take your questions and ours. We opened the lines to hear you thoughts on New Zealand's decision to ban assault rifles in the wake of a mass shooting in a mosque that killed 50 people. Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara joined us to talk about his new book, "Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, And The Rule Of Law."