Boston Public Radio Podcast

BPR Full Show 12/20: The 2024 Finale

We start the show by asking people how they maintain a "no crap for Christmas" policy. Ashish Jha was Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, now he’s the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. He joins to talk about RFK Jr. at the helm of HHS and whether the U.S. is ready for another pandemic. Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral reacts to a Georgie appeals court disqualify...

Today: Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University school of public health, and former COVID-19 coordinator under President Biden joins Jim and Margery in Studio 3 -- He reflects on mistakes made around school closures and vaccine mandates. And, our final Am I The A-Hole segment of the year: Is one family member the jerk for wanting to hold the big Christmas meal later in the afternoon than 1:00...

Today: Andrea Cabral and Sue O'Connell fill in for Jim and Margery. We speak with national security expert Juliette Kayyem about the Wisconsin school shooting, and the drone mania on the east coast. And, Linda Matchan, editor for Globe Santa, and the Greater Boston Food Bank’s Catherine D’Amato, discuss ways we can help each other this giving season.

We start the show by asking about the acceptance of political violence, following the healthcare executive murder. Then, GBH News executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses Commonwealth Shakes' A Christmas Carol and Made in Germany at the Harvard Art Museums. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the Wisconsin school shooting, and the arrest of a US-Iranian citizen in Massachusetts i...

Today: Looking for the best bottle to bring to that family or office holiday party? TJ and Hadley Douglas of The Urban Grape have you covered.  And, through December 29th, Boston audiences have a chance to see SIX on its North American tour, at the Emerson Colonial Theater through Broadway in Boston. We’ll talk with the women playing Catherine of Aragon & the notorious Anne Boleyn. 

We start the show by asking listeners whether they are making big purchases in expectation of Trump tariffs in 2025.  TJ and Hadley Douglas of Urban Grape join us for a holiday wine tasting, and to discuss how American wine producers could be impacted by the tariffs. NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the two men arrested for flying a drone near Logan, Trump considering a pardon for Eric Adams a...

Today: We talk with one of the legislators – State Senator Nick Collins – who led the charge to defeat Boston Mayor Wu’s plan to shift the tax burden towards commercial properties in the city. And, states don’t have to give into anticipatory obedience on everything Trump will try to rollback – We talk with Terri Gerstein of NYU's Wagner Labor Institute and Paul Sonn of the National Employment Law...

South Boston Senator Nick Collins discusses the demise of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's proposed tax shift plan that would have helped Boston homeowners. ABC News just agreed to give $15 million to Donald Trump's presidential library fund to settle a lawsuit. We open the phone lines to get your thoughts on whether legacy media can be trusted to hold "Truth to Trump" in his second term.  Terri Gerstei...

Funny Uncle Cabaret is a years-long tradition over at the Cambridge Dance Complex, a colorful & glamorous meditation on found families during the holidays. We heard from founder Peter DiMuro, singer Robert McFletcher Jones, and drag star Mizery McRae. Callie Crossley reflected on the passing of Nikki Giovanni… also weighs in on Zuckerberg & Bezos kissing Trump’s ring, Jay-Z allegations, an...

We start the show full of holiday stress. So we ask listeners: how do you deal with holiday gifting stress? Or, are you like Jim who, supposedly, has everything under control this year?  NAACP's Michael Curry reacts to the UnitedHealthcare shooting and resulting public discourse the healthcare system.  Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral discusses Biden’s pardons, Trump plans to scrap...

Today: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins Jim and Margery at the Boston Public Library on December 11, 2024.

We start the show by continuing our discussion on the poor state of healthcare in the U.S. Then, GBH News art editor Jared Bowen discusses his recent trip to the Crystal Bridges museum in Arkansas and the 2025 Golden Globe nominations. And, it's Ask the Mayor with Michelle Wu. Actor and author Marianne Leone discusses her new book "Five Dog Epiphany: How a Quintet of Badass Bichons Retrieved Our J...

Andrea Cabral and Shirley Leung guest host. They start the show by asking about our obsession with the UnitedHealthcare CEO killer.  Then, NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey discusses journaling in the NFL and a new study showing that hockey players are more likely to develop CTE the longer they play. NBC Boston host and 'local woman' Sue O'Connell discusses the rise of Theo Von and the "Real World"...

Today: Andrea Cabral and Shirley Leung fill in for Jim and Margery. Charlie Sennott of The GroundTruth Project and Frontline's Martin Smith update on the latest out of Syria. And, outgoing Harvard professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses DEI in retreat, and the right's original big lie -- about identity politics.

Brian McGrory, head of Boston University's journalism department, discussed Trump's Meet the Press interview Revs Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the young men leaving their churches in favor of 'masculine' Orthodox Christianity Food policy analyst Corby Kummer on the reality behind a seeming rise in food recalls Academic Khalil Gibran Muhammad on the retreat of DEI initiatives by higher e...

Luis Espinoza and Craig Panzer are the duo behind Massachusetts’ first Latino-owned brewery – Roundhead Brewing. They stop by the library to talk Latino beer, and the state of craft beer in the state. And, Ian Coury is our guest for Live Music Friday, he’s a 22 year-old mandolin phenom carving his own path in the world of Brazilian Choro music, he joins ahead of a free show next week in Roxbury.

We open the lines to ask about the latest attempt by corporations to boost worker productivity by banning personal phones on the job.  Ian Coury is our guest for Live Music Friday. He’s a 22 year-old mandolin phenom carving his own path in the world of Brazilian Choro music.  Boston Medical Center's Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett talks about the science behind gender affirming care, renewed conversa...

Today: In the 1980s, the height of the crack epidemic, Paul Joyce was a Boston police officer. He’s now out with a new book about how the department struggled during that era, and the rise in gun and gang violence. He joins to discuss his new book “It Started With the Hats” – the life experiences of Boston’s founding street gang members. And, MIT economist Jon Gruber breaks down Trump’s view on ta...

Chuck Todd on the Hunter Biden pardon & more news from the incoming Trump administration…  Andrea Cabral on yesterday’s killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson. Jon Gruber explains Trump’s stance on tariffs & how varying approaches would affect the U.S. & global economies. Paul Joyce is a longtime Boston cop and author of the book “It Started With the Hats: The Life Experiences of B...

Today:  Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley frames President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter a matter of legacy – and calls on him to pardon others in this country who have had their lives upended by war on crime prosecutions or wrongful convictions, beyond his own family members. And, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tells us the “grotesqueness” of Trump’s cabinet picks is a feature – not a bug. We...

We open the show to get your thoughts on all of Trump's cabinet picks. Will there be a trickle-down effect of loosened moral and ethical codes? Senator Sheldon Whitehouse zooms in to discuss Supreme Court ethics, his experience at COP29, how Democrats can respond to a second Trump term and his thoughts on the Hunter Biden pardon. Juliette Kayyem discusses Kash Patel at the FBI, martial law in Sout...

Today: Boston Foundation president and CEO Lee Pelton discusses the organization's new ONE+ Boston mortgage program for low-income home buyers, and threats at the national level to the work nonprofits do. And, NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter Trenni Casey discusses the soccer situation in the city, from stadiums to emerging teams.

Trenni Casey discussed the NCAA fining Ohio State & Michigan for a melee that broke out at their game on Sunday Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation discussed ONE+ a new program focused on racial wealth disparities in the state; and TBF's housing report card. Jared Bowen discussed Luca Guadagnino's newest film with A24, "Queer"; and the box office success of Gladiator II. Sue O'Connell discusse...

Today: Sue O’Connell fills in for Margery. We talk with two local mayors – of Salem and Attleboro – about the historic drought conditions in the state.  And, Amherst College’s Ilan Stavans discusses the president-elect’s threat of day-one mass deportations.