Boston Public Radio Podcast

BPR 1/20: The Inauguration & MLK Day Special

Robert Pinsky is a three-time U.S. Poet Laureate, who’s performed alongside Bruce Springsteen and for Lisa Simpson. He joined alongside Berklee professor and bandmate Stan Strickland for Live Music Friday. Ron Mitchell & Breje Williams reflected on MLK’s legacy of activism ahead of MLK day Diana DiZoglio on efforts to bring transparency to the state legislature LaTosha Brown,activist & org...

Today:  LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter, reflects on the 2024 election, and the need to buckle in for the work of the next four years. And, three-time poet laureate Robert Pinsky joins for Live Music Friday, accompanied by Stan Strickland, ahead of a show at Regattabar in Harvard Square. 

Today: Legendary environmentalist Bill McKibben joins to discuss how the incoming energy secretary refuses to link the rise in wildfires to climate change … And how those fires are reshaping the home insurance industry. And, Boston University professor Anthony Jack studies higher education leadership. He chronicled the vast disparities among Harvard students during pandemic-related campus closures...

NBC political director Chuck Todd returns for his Thursday D.C. roundup. Then we ask listeners about a potential TikTok ban.  Former secretary of public safety, Andrea Cabral, weighs in on Pam Bondi's AG confirmation hearing, Jack Smith hanging up his hat and other law & order headlines. Environmentalist Bill McKibben returns for his monthly roundup of climate headlines. This week, that's the...

Today: We ask listeners to weigh in on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu not taking maternity leave after becoming just one of very few women to give birth while holding elected office … A source with intimate knowledge of the matter calls in. And, tech guru Andy Ihnatko explains what the end of Tik-Tok would look like, and why thousands of users are flocking to yet another China-owned video sharing app, i...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is not taking a maternity leave, after giving birth to her third child just two days ago. We open the phone lines to hear what listeners think about taking parental leave in a modern, working world. One caller has a lot to say... GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses the impact of the California fires on Hollywood and the Oscars. Plus, the MFA exhibit "Deep Water...

BPR Full Show 1/14: Ask The Attorney General

Today: Amherst College's Ilan Stavans discusses the power of names, and Donald Trump's obsession with them. Khalil Gibran Muhammad of Princeton University discusses Mark Zuckerberg's shift away from fact-checking and content moderation on his Meta social media platforms.

Los Angeles still on fire, as the death toll tops 24, thousands of acres and homes destroyed. The governor has suspended environmental permitting and review requirements to rebuild – Is this the right move, as flames fueled by climate change encircle the city?  We ask you: after a natural disaster, what’s the balance between rebuilding and climate resilience?   Food policy analyst Corby Kummer dis...

Today: The 22nd annual Boston Celtic Music Festival kicks off Jan. 16. We talk with musician and festival organizers Lindsay O’Donovan – widow of the late, great Brian O’Donovan –  and Matt Smith from Club Passim with live performances from the band Fox River and duo Hanneke Cassel & Adam Hendey. And, Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace Boston discusses this year's gala honoring MLK's legacy; form...

We ask listeners: do you have hope that the U.S. will have honest leaders again?  The Boston Celtic Music Festival runs next Thursday through Sunday, at venues throughout Cambridge and Somerville. We’ll talk with Lindsay O’Donovan and Matt Smith (from Club Passim) with live performances from the band Fox River and duo Hanneke Cassel & Adam Hendey. GBH's Callie Crossley discusses the Democrats...

Today:  Former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discusses Carter’s legacy of truth, and Merrick Garland’s plans to release the special counsel report on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And, Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses the future of DEI in higher education, and the latest development in the state's MBTA communities housing law.

Today's podcast starts with hour two of BPR. The first part of the show was dedicated to live broadcast of former President Jimmy Carter's memorial service. Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s plans to release the final Jack Smith report about Trump’s 2020 election subversion. She’ll also talk about Trump asking for a delay in his hush-money senten...

Today:  We continue the conversation started yesterday with Gov. Healey about eliminating broker fees, with listeners. And, we discuss all things MBTA and transit with former transportation secretary Jim Aloisi & Reggie Ramos from Transportation for Mass.

We open the show by getting listener thoughts on broker's fee. Should Mass. take the burden off of renters?  GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen joins to discuss Charles Atlas at the ICA, and the Melania Trump documentary on Amazon. National security analyst Juliette Kayyem discusses the brainwashing effect of the internet and its ability to rewrite history, and Meta removing factchecking. Reggi...

Governor Maura Healey joins Jim Braude and Margery Eagan at the Boston Public Library on Tuesday January 7, 2025.

Governor with Maura Healey answered questions from listeners ranging from shelters to Steward Health.  Trenni Casey, anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Boston discussed the firing of Jerod Mayo Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation on Costco's pro-DEI stance. CNN's John King on the latest political headlines.

Today: GroundTruth Project founder Charlie Sennott discusses new developments in the Middle East and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing he will resign. And, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans recaps the Golden Globes, and his favorite shows of last year.

We reflect on the four years since a violent mob attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. BU journalism department chair Brian McGrory discusses the flurry of legislation sent to Gov. Healey at the end of the 2024 session, and another exit from a Washington Post editorial staffer after a Jeff Bezos cartoon was killed. GroundTruth Project's Charlie Sennott discusses Israel's continued attacks on Ga...

Today: Trust in judicial institutions is historically low. We talk with Communities For Restorative Justice executive director Erin Freeborn, and retired federal judge Nancy Gertner about the impact of restorative justice efforts. Then, Cambridge’s beloved tiny bar & music venue “Toad” is coming back, while Christopher’s next door becomes McCarthy’s. We talk with the McCarthys themselves and h...

Tommy McCarthy & Co. performed for Live Music Friday Nancy Gertner & Erin Freeborn joined to talk about the work of Communities for Restorative Justice, a nonprofit that offers an alternative to the prison system that involves heavy dialogue and punishments decided to by victims rather than judges & juries. Sue O’Connell on Trump’s bid to save TikTok, dry January, and the siri lawsuit....

Today: We bring you Jim and Margery's 2014 conversation with a 90-year-old Jimmy Carter, about his book "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power." And, one of Carter's former aides Margaret McKenna reflects on his legacy.

Juliette Kayyem debriefed the attack in New Orleans that killed 15, and the Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Margaret McKenna reflected on her time working under President Jimmy Carter as a White House deputy counsel in the 70’s We replayed Jim & Margery’s 2014 interview with Jimmy Carter about his book “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.” Andrea Cab...

Today:  Boston Globe Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein discusses the region's newest romance-specific brick-and-mortar bookstore, Lovestruck Books, in Harvard Square. And, the team from the Urban Nutcracker joins Jim and Margery at the BPL for Live Music Friday.