Boston Public Radio Podcast

Travis Kalanick — the co-founder and ex-CEO of Uber who stepped down from the rideshare company — is bringing his new “ghost kitchen” company to Boston. CloudKitchen, which buys old warehouse buildings to split into commercial kitchen spaces that restaurants can rent out to produce food for third-party delivery services like Uber Eats and GrubHub, is headed to Roxbury’s Shirley Street. The Roxbury...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on the news of Elon Musk buying Twitter. Trenni Kusnierek talks about the Celtics playoffs run and mental health struggles among youth athletes. Kusnierek is a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Boston, as well as a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. Elle Simone Scott shares tips on how to make the perfect foo...

Today on Boston Public Radio : EJ Dionne and Miles Rapoport talk about the low voter turnout in recent elections, arguing for mandatory voting as a part of Americans’ civic duty. Dionne is a columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rapoport is a senior fellow at the Ash Center of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a former Connecticut secretary of s...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners their experiences with recycling, and seeing if they can guess whether an item is recyclable or not. David Cash weighs in on the Biden Administration’s approach to climate, including on electric vehicles, limiting emissions and more. Cash is the EPA's Regional Administrator for Region 1, leading the implementation of the Biden-Ha...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners whether they think American kids are too coddled, in light of the new Netflix show “Old Enough!” in which Japanese toddlers run errands independently. Susan Yanow discusses the state of abortion rights in the U.S., stories of women arrested for at-home abortions and how people across the country can find abortion resources. Yanow...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners whether it’s time for the U.S. to increase military aid to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Art Caplan shares his thoughts on the Florida judge who overturned federal COVID-19 mask mandates on transit. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners their reactions to the news that masks are no longer required on planes and trains following a ruling yesterday from a Florida federal judge. Trenni Kusnierek discusses Henry Richard crossing the Boston Marathon finish line nine years after his brother Martin was killed in the bombing, and the Celtics winning their first game of...

Following Bridget Huber’s reporting for the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) on the end of emergency SNAP benefits, food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to discuss an impending “hunger cliff” that could dramatically increase food insecurity in the U.S. In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) temporarily strengthened SNAP, with hous...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners whether they would consider cheating on their taxes. Bill Evans discusses how security at the Boston Marathon changed in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He also talks about his love of running, and his experiences running in the Boston Marathon. Marathoner and former Boston police commissioner Bill Evans is now the...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners why Americans don’t spend more time volunteering, and whether the U.S. should implement a mandatory service year for young adults. John Carroll weighs in on the latest trends in political ads, including latest trends and how they affect voters. Carroll is a long-time media analyst, a former journalism professor at Boston Universi...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Chuck Todd updates listeners on the latest in politics, including the newest inflation report and updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on the role of social media and free speech in society, af...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Art Caplan talks about recommendations to screen children 8-years-old and up for anxiety, and new research into the effects of psilocybin in treating depression. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. We continue our conversation on kids and me...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Juliette Kayyem talks about the Sunset Park subway shooting in Brooklyn, and Elon Musk’s purchase of a major stake in Twitter. Kayyem is former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Then, we ask listeners how they’re coping with rising i...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Michael Curry and Jennifer Nassour bring back our politics roundtable, weighing in on the governor’s race and what successful voter engagement would look like. Curry is chair of the NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, and is president and CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers. Nassour is former chair of the Massachusetts Republican party, and co-founder...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by opening phone lines, talking with listeners about the loosening of office dress codes. Bill McKibben talks about the International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report on climate change. McKibben is an author, educator and environmentalist. He’s the founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org . He has a new newsletter on Substack titled “The Cr...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners their experiences with student loans, after the Biden Administration announced plans to extend the pause on federal repayments through August. Jon Gruber reflects on his experiences working on the Affordable Care act 12 years ago, and what he thinks should be done to improve health coverage in the U.S. Gruber was instrumental in...

People are worried about the future of Route 1 landmark Kowloon after co-owner Bobby Wong announced  the pan-Asian restaurant will be downsizing  its 1,200-seat space to 350 seats in order to add two residential buildings to the lot. “If you miss [Kowloon], go now — [but] that's not going to save it,” food writer Corby Kummer told  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday. “The Wong family … has been eyein...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners whether they’re moving on with normal life, or continuing to take COVID precautions. Thais Rocha talks about her effort to start a lesbian and nonbinary bar in Boston , why she thinks queer spaces have been on the decline in recent years and her work to create LGBTQ community. Thais Rocha is co-founder of LGBTQ Nightlife Events T...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners what their “third place” – a place to go besides home and work – was throughout the pandemic. Trenni Kusnierek talks about Tiger Woods’ return to the Masters Tournament, and this year’s March Madness winners. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. She's also a BPR contributor. Lee Pelton discusses guaranteed b...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on office friendships as people return to work after so much time working remotely. Tetiana Litus and Vsevolod Petriv share their efforts to support their home country of Ukraine from abroad, and why they think the U.S. should do more to support refugees. Petriv is president of the Boston branch of the Ukrainia...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden joined us to discuss the investigation into the deadly parking garage collapse downtown, and his new Firearm Rapid Indictment program focused on illegal gun seizures. He also shined light on his approach to cases by exiting former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, and pushback from his DA opponent Boston C...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We began the show by opening the phone lines, asking listeners whether the public has lost its focus on the mounting evidence of former President Donald Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Trenni Kusnierek talked about the Boston Pride’s second-straight Isobel Cup win, and the U.S. Embassy finding WNBA player Brittney Griner in “good condition” as she...

On Monday’s “Boston Public Radio,” food writer Corby Kummer made a boldest assertion when he declared the city’s outdoor dining as “better than Paris.” Kummer, a senior editor for The Atlantic, admitted the take was likely to spark controversy. His reasoning? That “people in Boston are nicer, and they make the entire experience pleasanter.” “It’s just better to be in Boston in general” he added. T...

Today on Boston Public Radio: We began the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on whether Justice Clarence Thomas should face consequences due to his wife Ginni Thomas’ alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Art Caplan talked about the “slap heard around the world” and Will Smith’s reaction to Chris Rock’s dig at his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, at the Academy Awards as well as Ukra...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We begin the show by asking listeners whether they’re excited – or furious – over the return to the office. Shirley Leung talks about the life and legacy of former Fidelity Investments CEO Edward “Ned” Johnson III, and the North End restaurateurs fighting against $7,500 participation fees for outdoor dining. Leung is a business columnist for the Boston Globe . Callie...