Boston Public Radio Podcast

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. We started the show by hearing from listeners about the state of motherhood in 2023. Mary Callahan and Leisie Kelly are two of the performers behind Speakeasy Stage Company’s  The Prom , currently showing through June. It’s a musical about washed up actors who infiltrate small-town Indiana, and the chaos that unfolds when two girls decide they want to take one another...

We asked listeners to call in with their thoughts on last night’s CNN town hall with Donald Trump. Andy Ihnatko joined to debrief yesterday’s Google I/O conference, plus, gave updates on the White House’s efforts to reign in on AI. Andrea Cabral covered the George Santos indictment and how former Boston Police Union head Dana Pullman is getting 2.5 years in prison for kickback fraud. She also talk...

A Manhattan jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the author E. Jean Carroll. What impact will this verdict have on his presidential run? Will these allegations of sexual abuse convince undecided voters to look elsewhere for a president, or is this ignorable “locker room talk”? We asked listeners for their opinion. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the new guidelines...

New Hampshire will now mandate that all schools in the state must teach cursive and multiplication tables. We asked our listeners if they agree with the mandate and believe cursive is important. Trenni Casey, anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Boston, discussed the 7 horses dead at Churchill Downs leading up to the Kentucky Derby, a matchmaking experience, and the latest with the Celtics. Carol Rose,...

A new poll from ABC News/Washington Post finds 44% of respondents would "definitely" or "probably" vote for Donald Trump in 2024...yet 55% thinks he should be indicted. Is Biden in serious trouble for re-election? We asked listeners why they think Trump is currently the frontrunner. Shirley Leung joined to talk about the end of the road for the Christmas Tree Shop and Bed Bath & Beyond, plus,...

There’s a British Royal Coronation for the first time in 70 years, with 74 year-old King Charles officially assuming the throne of Great Britain. Are you paying attention to the royal event? We opened the lines to see if people are getting ready to tune in or tune out. Michael Abels is and Michael Ellis Ingram are the co-composer and conductor for the Boston Lyric Opera’s rendition of  Omar , abou...

Chuck Todd on the latest out of Washington. Andrea Cabral on the leaked Tucker Carlson text messages that proved Carlson’s racist impulses, Jordan Neely’s death and more. Paul Reville talked about higher education moving towards not requiring SATs for admission applications, the closure of the Cambridge Matignon School, GPA errors for BPS and other education headlines. Jennifer Mascia is a foundin...

We opened the show by asking listeners their take on Boston’s expanded Open Streets program. We spoke with Oliver Stone and Joshua Goldstein to discuss “Nuclear Now”, a new film based on Goldstein’s book “A Bright Future”. It makes the case for nuclear energy as a solution to climate change. Then, we asked listeners to call in with their thoughts on nuclear power. We aired last night’s After Hours...

The Godfather of AI recently quit Google and said he regretted his work. If he’s concerned about the fast development of AI, are you? NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter Trenni Casey talked about the Bruins’ loss, the Celtics and more. National security expert Juliette Kayyem dove into the Texas mass shooting and described why she thinks we haven’t caught the suspect yet. She also talked about Jack...

Is American's gun problem rooted in fear of strangers? Maybe the first step to solving our culture of fear is to say 'hi' to your neighbor. We asked listeners whether they agreed. Are all these shootings from our fear of others? The new Massachusetts political party chairs Amy Carnevale (R) and Steve Kerrigan (D) join us for a panel discussion. GBH news analyst Charlie Sennott discussed World Pres...

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joined to discuss about his career-long mission to confront dark money in politics, with a focus this week on Clarence Thomas and other gift-receivers on the Supreme Court. We opened the phone lines to ask listeners whether it’s a problem that no one in America seems to care about Supreme Court ethics. Michael Curry discussed the SJC's ruling on the Holyoke Soldiers' Home,...

Three famous media figures have been let go from their networks all falling from grace over how they treated, and talked about, women at their companies. Is the me-too movement still alive? We opened the lines to hear from listeners. Chuck Todd on the latest political headlines. Andrea Cabral weighs in on the E. Jean Carrol trial, also an SJC ruling on faulty breathalyzer tests, and more. Andy Ihn...

Today on Boston Public Radio: Can helicopter parenting stunt your child’s independence? We opened the lines to discuss. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed the states restricting gender treatment for transgender adults; and the Florida surgeon general altering key findings on a study on COVID vaccine safety. National security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed Tucker Carlson’s extremism and the la...

Brian Stelter, a Special Correspondent at Vanity Fair, joined on zoom to discuss the departures of Tucker Carlson from Fox and Don Lemon from CNN. Then, we opened the phone lines to get listener’s reactions to the news. Do these firings mark a shift in media ahead of the 2024 election, or are we navel gazing? NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Casey discussed the NBA getting serious on m...

"Dope Labs" is a podcast that mixes “hardcore science with pop culture and a healthy dose of friendship." For hosts (and friends) Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley, the goal is to make science appealing, and visible, to everyone. “One of the things that’s really important for Zakiya and I, is bringing science to the people,” said Shodiya on Boston Public Radio on Monday. That idea is the driving for...

Today on Boston Public Radio: It’s clear our government is becoming increasingly anti-majoritarian and we opened the lines for listeners to react. Betty Francisco, chief executive of the Boston Impact Initiative, a nonprofit fund manager, joined to discuss equity in capital investments/entrepreneurship. Scientists Titi Shodaya and Zakiya Whatley are co-hosts of the “Dope Labs” podcast, aimed to br...

Today on Boston Public Radio: Various headlines are circulating on the issue of affordable housing in Boston. From rent control to building housing on top of libraries, we asked listeners to share their thoughts. John Valverde is the CEO of YouthBuild USA, a nonprofit offering counseling and job training for young adults. He discussed the organization and how they’re addressing, among other thing,...

Five years ago, a Harvard doctoral student named Andres Ardisson Korat conducted a  study  that came to an unexpected conclusion. He found that eating half a cup of ice cream a day was associated with a lower risk of heart problems among diabetics. In other words — it showed eating ice cream as good for you. “If you have ice cream, you are at less risk of developing diabetes and researchers could...

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC’s Chuck Todd on the latest political headlines. There have been a string of tragic shootings that happened recently and we opened the lines for listeners to share their thoughts on cases like Ralph Yarl’s and Kaylin Gillis'. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discusses additional COVID boosters approved by the FDA; Black pregnant women being tested more frequently for dr...

Marichka Padalko is a Ukrainian journalist who just ran the Boston Marathon, fundraising for Sunflower of Peace, a local US non-profit that provides humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Ukrainians. Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems, giving the company $787 million. We opened the phone lines to ask listeners how they feel. Were they looking forward to a trial, or was monetary justic...

Today on Boston Public Radio: David Leonard, president of the Boston Public Library, joined briefly at the top of the show to discuss Boston’s plan for housing units attached to some public library branches. It’s Tax Day. So we asked naturally asked listeners if they cheat on their taxes. Not many admitted to it but there was enough discussion that someone shared that they already served time for...

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines on the eventful day of Marathon Monday. We asked listeners to share what they’re doing to celebrate and watch. Not a huge fan of the marathon? We asked to hear about other big accomplishments people wanted to share. Michael Curry discussed the  conservative campaign  against transgender rights, the changing access to free COVID rapid test and more....

Today on Boston Public Radio: We asked listeners if they’ve ever ran the Boston Marathon. And if they’re in the group of people who keep telling themselves they’ll just run it the next year, when is it time to admit the truth to yourself? An earlier-than-usual Live Music Friday with Zili Misik, an Afro-Latin band. The founder and front-woman of the band Kera Washington shared music from the Africa...

Today on Boston Public Radio: CAI's Patrick Flanary, NEPM's Nancy Cohen and GBH's Katie Lannan discussed what listeners had had to say about Gov. Healey's first 100 days in office. We opened the lines to ask listeners if they are beginning to boycott Florida in solidarity with Equality Florida – that’s the largest LGBT advocacy group in the state – that issued an advisory for queer visitors and po...

Jim and Margery started the show with a reflection on Boston political leader and civil rights activist, Mel King, whose funeral they attended yesterday. Former mayor Kim Janey and former governor Deval Patrick also joined to remember King’s life and legacy. Next we heard from listeners about outdoor dining. Now the weather is warm, should more downtown streets be closed to cars and opened to the...