Boston Public Radio Podcast

BPR Full Show 3/18: Massachusetts Women's Hall Of Fame

Today: Princeton public affairs professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad warns that the Trump administration’s actions against Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil puts higher education on the front lines of authoritarianism, right here in America. Plus, environmentalist Bill McKibben joins to discuss what the majority of Americans who support a transition away from fossil fuels can do during Trump...

Environmentalist Bill McKibben discusses EPA rollbacks, despite the majority of Americans supporting policies to protect the climate. Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers and the NAACP discusses the reshaping of our reality through selective data sharing by the federal government.  Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses the RFK Jr.-backed proposal to cut certain foods f...

Today: “A Man of No Importance” is the latest musical from SpeakEasy Stage Company. We move the show to GBH’s stunning Fraser Performance Studio to hear performances from the cast and speak with some of the actors for this week’s Live Music Friday. Watch the performance here . Then, our media analysis segment Press Play features Chuck Todd this week. We talk about the latest spat between the White...

“A Man of No Importance” is the latest musical from SpeakEasy Stage Company.. We hear performances from the cast and speak with actors Eddie Shields, Billy Meleady & Kathy St. George for this week’s Live Music Friday. GBH's Callie Crossley discusses federal pressure on Maine's governor over a trans student athlete. She also discusses the removal of the “Black Lives Matter” mural in D.C., and A...

Today: Anand Giridharadas of The. Ink argues the left-right political spectrum doesn’t apply anymore. We should be thinking about things through a “who’s fighting for me” frame.  Then, Massachusetts’ Veterans Services Secretary Dr. Jon Santiago discusses the litany of ways the Trump administration is making life more difficult for those who served our country. 

BPR Full Show 3/13: AITA For Avoiding Friends With Kids?

Gov. Maura Healey joins for Ask The Governor. We'll talk threats to federal funding and ask about her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.  GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses the MIT dome, the cabaret star Meow Meow and "Death Becomes Her" on Broadway. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the latest on a Russia/Ukraine ceasefire, Trump's plans for a renewed travel...

Today: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library on March 11, 2025 to discuss her appearance in a Congressional hearing about Boston's immigration policies, the growing field of contenders for Boston mayor, and of course, bike lanes.

Mayor Wu joined for the first hour to discuss testifying in front of Congress and answer listener questions.  ACLU of MA's Carol Rose discusses hiring freezes at local educational institutions like MIT and Harvard. Donald Berwick, former administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, currently a lecturer of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School, discusses Republican-backed cuts...

Today: A congressional double-feature: Representatives Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley zoom in to discuss the Oversight Committee hearing held last week featuring Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and other political news.

Congressman Stephen Lynch zooms in to discuss last weeks Oversight Committee hearing, his role on the DOGE subcommittee and his vote in support of the Laken Riley act. Ilan Stavans of Amherst College explains the Latino Freeze Movement and discusses Trump making the official language English. Plus, we discuss his new book of poetry translations "Lamentations of Nezahualcóyotl: Nahuatl Poems." Cong...

Today: Gina McCarthy headed the Environmental Protection Agency under Obama, and served as Climate Czar for Biden. She joins to talk about Trump’s rollback of environmental protections, and his incessant proclamations of “drill baby drill.”  It’s Live Music Friday, we’ll hear from The Conifer Quartet – part of the musician-led cooperative “Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra,” ahead of a show this weekend....

The Conifer Quartet is an ensemble within the musician-led cooperative Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. They have a show Sunday at the Allen Center in Newton and join us for Live Music Friday. Alan Solomont is the former U.S. ambassador to Spain. He's fresh of a visit to the Middle East and he joins us to reflect on the latest news about and Israel's war with Hamas. Gina McCarthy is the former head of...

We bring you live audio from the House Oversight Committee's hearing of Democratic mayors, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who faced questions about whether their city's "sanctuary" policies violate federal immigration laws. Plus, analysis of the hearing from former federal judge Nancy Gertner, NAACP's Michael Curry and GBH political reporter Adam Reilly.  Our final hour is "Ask the AG" with A...

Today: Peter Wolf, lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band, solo artist, and a former Boston disc jockey joins Jim and Margery in Studio 3 to talk about his new memoir: "Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses." And, Boston University professor Anthony Jack discusses threats to the Department of Education, and the impact of Trump's rhetoric in general, on higher educatio...

Political analyst Chuck Todd reacts to Trump’s Tuesday address to congress, plus yesterday’s "sanctuary city" hearings and other headlines from D.C. Former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discusses SCOTUS rejecting Trump’s request to freeze USAID funds, plus Tesla protests and reactions to Wednesday’s hearing with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Boston University’s Anthony Jack talks about recent...

Political commentator Anand Giridharadas of The Ink newsletter discusses some of his latest coverage on the Trump administration, and the media's response. Former MA education secretary Paul Reville discusses new data showing New England students about a half a year behind where they should be in learning, how the state plans to rework its graduation requirements post-MCAS, and threats to educatio...

It's a March edition of “Ask the AG,” with Attorney General Andrea Campbell. We start by getting her reactions to the ongoing congressional hearing with "sanctuary city" mayors, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. A month and a half into Trump’s second term, Campbell's office has filed five lawsuits against the Trump administration on everything from birthright citizenship orders and NIH funding,...

BPR Full Show 3/4: Fired Federal Worker Speaks Out

Today: Jonathan Kamens and Francis Tarasiewicz both worked for the federal government until mid-February, when DOGE came for their jobs. Kamens served as the sole government employee working on cybersecurity at VA.Gov protecting veterans' sensitive health information; Tarasiewicz had just landed his dream job as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New England. They both warn their...

Today: Congressman Seth Moulton laments the geopolitical shifts happening at the hands of Donald Trump's administration. And, food policy analyst Corby Kummer joins to discuss potential price fixing by egg producers -- and a top secret lunch with Washington Post food critic Tom Setsiema.

BPR Full Show 3/3: Zelensky and Trump Oval Office Misfortune

BPR Full Show 2/28: Economic Blackout

Today: Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao joins Jim and Margery at the BPL on Feb. 28, 2025. And, Live Music Friday with Castle of our Skins – a Black arts institution dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. They perform at the Bethel AME Church in JP this Saturday.