Boston Public Radio Podcast

Best of BPR: SCOTUS Reverses Affirmative Action In Higher Ed

BPR Full Show 6/29: Affirmative Action Rejected

Best of BPR 6/27: Attorney General Andrea Campbell Says POST Commission Should Investigate Problem Police Officers Individually

Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined for “Ask The AG.” She answered questions on right to repair laws, LGBTQ+ retail merchandise, reducing police violence and an update on the library pigeon. NBC Sports Boston Anchor/Reporter Trenni Casey discussed a Belgian shot putter-turned-hurdler and a new study on the role of cumulative impacts and CTE. Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett of Boston Medical Center discussed the latest on Ozempic: pill trials, shortages, what it says about the healthcare system and her take as a medical doctor. Jim Aloisi, former transportation secretary, and Stacy Thompson, executive director of Livable Streets, gave us a primer on the looming Sumner Tunnel closure and New York City’s congestion pricing plan. PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs executive director Leah Clapman joined with two students. They shared their work reporting on the Boston Renegades and the Hyde Square Task Force. We opened the phone lines to continue our bus lane debate. Margery thinks it’s okay to drive in b

Today: We talk with Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine & a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the short-lived Wagner Group mutiny against the Russian army, and the Ukrainian counter-offensive. And, cell-cultured meat has just been approved for production in the United States. We talk with food policy analyst Corby Kummer of the Aspen Institute, and open the lines to hear from listeners.

Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and former Gov. Jane Swift joined for a politics panel. Then, we opened the phone lines to ask listeners whether they think companies are losing productivity by letting employees work remotely on Mondays. Steven Pifer, former ambassador to Ukraine & senior fellow at Brookings, explained the Wagner Group rebellion in Russia and Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Jared Bowen joined for an arts segment: Guadalupe Maravilla at the ICA, Evita at the A.R.T. and free admissions at the Harvard Art Museums. Michael Curry discussed the closure of a maternity ward in Leominster and a new report that ranks Massachusetts as best in the nation for its overall healthcare system. Corby Kummer discussed cell-cultivated chicken being approved for sale in the U.S. and the restaurants trying to use other people’s food waste in their own menus. We continued the lab meat discussion and asked listeners to call in: would they eat “cell-cultured” meat for environmental or ethical reasons?

Today on the podcast, Jared Bowen fills in for Jim Braude. Overheard on the floor of the House, our two favorite MAGA-wing congresswomen – Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Green – get in a tiff. Media maven Sue O’Connell weighs in on that, a rise in anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Incidents around the country, and the rogue pigeon on the loose at the BPL. Then Margery and Jared talk two extraordinary teens: Euniss Yoyo and Dereck Medina. They’re part of the now-infamous Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), and they recently became enterprising sleuths when they discovered Stop & Shop is charging 18 percent more for groceries in a largely BIPOC area of Boston's Jamaica Plain, compared to the Stop & Shop in Dedham, a more affluent suburb of the city. Also joining: Ken Tangvik, senior manager of organizing and engagement for HSTF.

Days after the Titanic submersible, the Coast Guard announced yesterday that the passengers suffered a “catastrophic implosion”. We opened the lines to see how listeners are reacting. Eliot Fisk and Zaira Meneses performed for live music Friday ahead of their Boston Guitar Fest. Sue O’Connell offered her thoughts on the Titan implosion, the Musk/Zuckerberg cage match and more. Lisa Simmons, Hank Shocklee and John Oluwole ADEkoje discussed the Roxbury International Film Festival. Lisa is the festival director, and John and Hank’s latest film YE! is playing at the festival. Andy Ihnatko talked about the new Apple VR goggles, plus drama unfolding on the social media platform Reddit. Euniss Yoyo and Dereck Medina are members of the Hyde Square Task Force, the group of teenagers who found that Stop and Shop charges 18% more for groceries in a predominantly BIPOC part of Boston compared with a branch in Dedham. They joined alongside Ken Tangvik, senior manager of organizing and engagement for HSTF. It’s Summe

Today on the show, we highlight local reporting from New Hampshire Public Radio and our own newsroom. Lauren Chooljian of NHPR uncovered a pattern of alleged sexual assault and abuse by the founder of the Granite State's largest addiction recovery network. She tells us about her podcast “The 13th Step,” and her own legal battle facing backlash and harassment as a result of her reporting. GBH News' Christopher Burrell recently reported that more than 3,000 incarcerated people here in Massachusetts are waiting to get a vital education to help them re-enter society when they leave prison. We speak with Burrell, and Kenneth Gumes, a graduate of the state Department of Corrections' school of re-entry.

It’ been one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned. We asked listeners how they felt the impacts over the past year. Chris Burrell and Kenneth Gumes join to discuss the current state of education in Massachusetts prisons, based on Chris' latest reporting. Andrea Cabral delves into various topics, including Hunter Biden, the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into Amazon, and more. Lauren Chooljian, a reporter for NHPR, has faced significant harassment due to her coverage of sexual abuse perpetrated by Eric Spofford. She'll share insights from her reporting. Shirley Leung takes a moment to reflect on the Dobbs ruling's impact over the past year and explores the concept of the "urban doom loop." Additionally, she highlights a new lawsuit against restaurateur Tiffani Faison and presents a proposal for supportive housing. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of JFK's "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" speech, Shepard Fairey has been commissioned to create a portrait of JFK for the JFK Library. Shepard will joi

Asian Americans are on the rise in local politics – from Mayor Wu in Boston, and across city councils. Jim and Margery talk with two city councilors, Nina Liang from Quincy and Coco Alinsug from Lynn for an AAPI local government panel. And, a look at the financial toll of modern dating – all those meals add up. Boston Globe relationship columnist Meredith Goldstein discusses this, and how a BPR debate about prenups sparked an episode of Goldstein's Love Letters podcast.

The lost Titanic submarine has dominated the headlines this week. Why are we so obsessed? And what does it say about us that the story of a ship carrying 700 migrants that sank off the coast of Greece gets largely ignored? Medical ethicist Art Caplan shed light the Harvard Medical School Morgue incident. Nina Liang, Quincy city councilor, and Coco Alinsug, Lynn city councilor joined to share their respective achievements in local government as Asian Americans. Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein dove into the pressures of summer wedding season and shared the latest from the Love Letters podcast. A performance by Renaissance Men vocal ensemble and Kairos Dance Theater in anticipation of their upcoming show, Folktales Fables and Feasts. Finally, we opened the phone lines to continue the discussion on the costs of dating. Are you going to dinner? Who picks up the check?

Headlines are flooded with news of the missing Titanic tourist submersible. We opened the lines to see if listeners would take a big risk into the depths of the ocean if they had the means to do so. Gerry Condon & Helen Jaccard of the Golden Rule sailboat joined to tell us more about the project of Veterans for Peace. They advocate for nuclear disarmament. Lee Pelton, president of The Boston Foundation, discussed the anticipated SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action as a former college leader and its impacts on nonprofits; and a new report that several cities in Mass have disregarded the state’s affordable housing requirement. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined for Ask The Mayor where she answered questions from listeners. She addressed the car accident she was in, home rule petitions and more. Do you have a go-to toilet in Boston? Do we need more public restrooms in the city? We asked listeners to text or call to share their thoughts.

Today: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins Jim Braude and Margery Eagan at the Boston Public Library for "Ask The Mayor." She discusses the city's plan to move the O'Bryant School of Math & Science, one of the city's three exam schools, from a central location in Roxbury to the former West Roxbury Education Complex seven miles away. She also discusses education equity more broadly across the district's neighborhood schools, and Jim continues his crusade against home rule.

Margery Eagan hosting with Andrea Cabral (in for Jim). Massachusetts recently held its first ever Health Equity Summit, to brainstorm how to improve health outcomes for people of color – A new report finds disparities in healthcare cost the state nearly $6 billion a year. Michael Curry, head of the Mass League of Community Health Centers, discusses. Boston Globe culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt joins to talk about the just-launched Season Three of “A Beautiful Resistance," the multi-platform reporting project reclaiming the truth of Black lives, through stories of joy, dreams and everyday existence. Plus, we hear from both Jeneé and Michael on this year's Juneteenth Holiday.

Michael Curry reflects on last week’s Health Equity Compact Trends Summit, and Juneteenth in Boston. We followed his segment by taking calls and texts about what it means to celebrate Juneteenth and support Black communities. Jenee Osterheldt of the Globe discusses season 3 of A Beautiful Resistance. The series is all about Black joy and Black lives. Rumman Chowdhury is a Responsible AI fellow at the Berkman Center at Harvard, and Will Knight is a senior writer at WIRED. They join for an AI/tech panel. Charlie Sennott joins to discuss the death of whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, a seeker of truth. Corby Kummer discusses the local seafood we should be getting ourselves familiar with; NYC setting minimum wage for food delivery workers. We wrapped up the shows by discussing how animals seem to be fighting back. One example are the Orcas off the coast of Spain are attacking sailboats in targeted strikes, sinking three boats in the last year alone.

Today: Governor Maura Healey joins Jim Braude and Margery Eagan at the Boston Public Library for "Ask The Governor." She tells us the state is standing up for LGBTQ rights amid backlash during pride month, and is bracing for a “terribly misguided” Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action. We also discuss her first pardons as governor, and Jim's obsession on home rule, which limits what cities and towns can do about things like housing without the legislature’s consent.

The Harvard Medical School morgue manager was arrested this week for stealing and selling human body parts. We opened up the phone lines to get general reactions and talk about donating bodies to science. Shirley Leung reflected on the state of hybrid and in-person workplaces in Boston and beyond. She’ll also touched on Scott Kirsner’s recent Mass. moonshot ideas published in the Globe, the decline of downtown convenience stores and the demise of the Instant Pot. Gov. Maura Healey joined for “Ask the Governor,” 12-1pm. She answered questions about rent control and affordable housing, recent pardons, climate goals, the new green bank, the MBTA, and more… Cambridge Symphony Orchestra is staging a performance of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet tomorrow, with live ballet from former Boston Ballet dancers and students from Tony Williams’ Boston City Youth Ballet. We heard from conductor Cynthia Woods & choreographer Gino Di Marco, plus husband and wife duo Ruth and Bill Whitney. Ruth plays Juliet, Bill plays t

This is the “Best of Boston Public Radio,” a new daily podcast from GBH featuring our favorite conversations from our 3 hour radio show, in under 40 minutes. Today: Lobster diver Michael Packard wants to clear some things up. In 2021, when he made a media frenzy for his encounter with a whale, he wasn’t swallowed, despite the headlines ... he was just "mouthed" by the thing. It wasn't his first near-death experience, and we think it may not be the last. Packard is the center of Boston Globe reporter David Abel’s latest film: “In The Whale,” it premieres at the Provincetown Film Festival Friday, June 16. We speak with them both. Then, navigating the business world as an openly queer person comes with backlash in today’s society, even here in liberal Massachusetts. We speak with Grace Moreno, Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and small business owner Isa Wang, founder of Gamut Pins, a company that makes pins educating people about pronouns and gender identities.

MA has the third highest rental costs in the country. Is renting broken in greater Boston? How are you making it work, and have you resorted to rental bidding wars? Renters and brokers called into the show. Chuck Todd joined us to weigh-in on Trump's indictment, plus shared what's next after he steps away from Meet the Press in the fall. Andrea Cabral discussed the investigation into RI officials for their conduct on a trip to Philadelphia. Also, lottery drama on the South Shore, reflections on the Wu car crash situation and the creepy Harvard morgue manager scandal. David Abel is premiering his film "In The Whale" this Friday at the Provincetown Film Festival. It centers on the story of Michael Packard, the man scooped up by a humpback whale off the coast of Cape Cod in June of 2021. David and Michael joined Grace Moreno and Isa Wang joined for a conversation about capitalism and entrepreneurship in the LGBT space. Grace is Executive Director of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Isa is the founder of Gam