Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio : We kicked things off by opening lines, to talk with listeners about the surging coronavirus cases in Mass., and whether the state ought to be imposing stricter lockdown measures to quell the spread of COVID-19. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed new charges in the prostitution cases involving Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who himself will...

Singapore has become the first nation on the planet to approve cell-cultured meat for human consumption. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday about San Francisco start-up Eat Just Inc., which got regulatory approval to cell it’s lab-grown chicken in Singapore. “We talk all the time about Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger, but this is different,” Kummer said. “Its...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a pediatrician and psychiatrist at MGH, talked about the mental and physical strain that remote learning has taken on the thousands of Mass. kids stuck at home through the pandemic, and offered her assessment of the state's pandemic response with respect to public education. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about Dr. Pinksy's comments...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : We kicked off Friday's show by turning to listeners to talk about all things coronavirus, from the incoming vaccines to your thoughts on the winter ahead.  Media magnate Sue O’Connell offered her prediction about the public reputation of the Trump family, post-presidency. She also weighed in on recent comments from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that’ve drawn co...

National security expert Juliette Kayyem joined  Boston Public Radio  Friday, where she offered a comprehensive rundown of everything going on with respect to the now multiple coronavirus vaccines. Despite the increasingly grim number of infections heading into winter, she said that she’s staying emotionally buoyed by the prospect of a vaccine in the coming months. “It’s always easier to go throug...

Today on Boston Public Radio : NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed rumors that President Trump intends on running for reelection in 2024, and weighed in on the ongoing coronavirus outbreaks in the NFL. We opened lines to talk with listeners about the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines, and news that former Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush are all vowing to take the coronavirus vaccin...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Anti-death penalty Sister Helen Prejean talked about President Trump’s last-minute string of federal executions, and her life-long effort to change public perception around the death penalty. Medical ethicist Art Caplan broke down the latest headlines around a COVID-19 vaccine, from new distribution guidelines from the CDC, to the U.K.’s emergency authorization of t...

During a Wednesday interview on  Boston Public Radio,  Sister Helen Prejean condemned a string of executions green-lit by President Trump in his final weeks in office. If Justice Department plans proceed, President Trump will have overseen 12 federal executions during his four-year term, the most since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served 12-years. “We have to begin to heal, to listen t...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory talked about the President Trump’s sustained effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, stalled stimulus talks in Washington, and other national headlines. He also discussed the Globe series "Behind the Shield" and "A Beautiful Resistance." NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed news of Vanderbilt...

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday about community fridges popping up around Boston. “If you have extra food that is perishable and needs a refrigerator, different communities have set up community fridges,” he said. “They’re actually plugged into outdoor outlets, and have shelves where you can put in pantry food-bank-style donations.” Kummer is a  senior editor at...

Dr. Ken Duckworth, senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. and national medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, talked about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health during the holiday season. He also took time to fielding questions and comments from listeners. Next, we opened our lines up to ask: with winter encroaching...

Dr. Ken Duckworth spoke to  Boston Public Radio  on Monday about mental health, teletherapy, and coping support during the pandemic. “Supply [of therapists] was always inadequate to demand,” he said. “But demand has exploded in the context of the pandemic.” More people are experiencing distress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, addiction relapse, and recurrence of trauma since COVID-19, Duckwor...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber talked about shifting attitudes around the decriminalization of cannabis, and discussed the economic, public health, and social justice implications of marijuana legalization. We opened up the lines to talk with listeners about this year’s Black Friday, getting your takes on pandemic-era shopping sprees. National security expert Juliette...

Today on Boston Public Radio : Filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed his latest film for FRONTLINE, “Battle for the Court,” about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decades-long effort to transform the Supreme Court. You can catch Kirk’s film on Tuesday night at 10:00 on PBS, or online at PBS.org/Frontline. Next, we opened our lines to get your takes on President-elect Joe Biden’s prospective cabinet picks. Medica...

On Tuesday, travel guru Rick Steves joined  Boston Public Radio  for his monthly check-in, where he reflected on the meaning of Thanksgiving, and its particular significance in the bizarre year of 2020. "Every country has harvest festivals,” he said. “When travel and we clink glasses, we realize how beautiful and interconnected the world is, and realize how joy across the sea is just as real as jo...

When COVID-19 hit, New Wave musician and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne was forced to push back the return of his Broadway show, American Utopia . But that didn’t silence the project altogether. In collaboration with artist Maira Kalman, Byrne converted the show into an illustrated book , and on Boston Public Radio Tuesday, he argued for a societal return to hope in the American experim...

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday about the issue of proper ventilation inside restaurants, during the pandemic. “Indoor dining is problematic, and it needs spacing and ventilation and constant mask-wearing,” he said. Kummer is a  senior editor at The Atlantic , an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy...

With news that pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has developed a COVID-19 vaccine that may be nearly 90% effective and is easy to transport, medical ethicist Arthur Caplan told Boston Public Radio on Tuesday things are looking good for widespread vaccine distribution. “We now have at least three, I’m expecting more to come through the pipeline in the coming months,” he said. “We can call this the...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : We opened Monday's show by opening lines, to talk with listeners about how you’re navigating your pandemic Thanksgiving.  NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed the passing of former Celtics player, coach, and play-by-play announcer Tommy Heinsohn, who died this month. She also discussed the spread of COVID-19 in collegiate football, and a...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Media maven Sue O’Connell discussed her expectations President-elect Biden’s handling of LGBT issues, and reflected on the widespread child sex abuse scandal hanging over the Boy Scouts of America.  We opened lines to talk with listeners about your experiences with the Boy Scouts of America, and what you make of the organization’s uncertain future in light of widesp...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Chuck Todd, moderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, talked about the latest news regarding President Trump’s attempts to negate his election loss, and spoke on the thousands of frustrated Fox News viewers migrating to stations like OAN and Newsmax. Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about your plans for this COVID-era Thanksgiving.  Former Suffolk County she...

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to  Boston Public Radio  on Thursday about how to celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic. Should typical Thanksgiving celebrations be ‘canceled’ this year? Kummer says yes. “It is my prescription, and it is the CDC’s prescription as of this morning,” he said. “The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving, says the CDC, is to celebrate at home with the people you live...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We opened the show by opening lines, to talk with listeners about the Baker administration’s efforts to keep schools opened in Mass., despite of surging coronavirus cases. Medical ethicist Art Caplan broke down the latest news around coronavirus vaccines, including the logistics and timeline of distributing them throughout the world, and the importance of staying cau...

Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Wednesday about how foreign policy could change post-Trump. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has stated his intent to rejoin the nuclear deal with Iran, Kayyem said. “Biden has said he wants to get back into the deal, and the Iranians are playing hardball now because they’re going to have their best leverage now,” she...

Medical ethicist Art Caplan joined  Boston Public Radio  on Wednesday, talking about the flurry of news on two promising coronavirus vaccines from U.S. developers Pfizer and Moderna. Caplan cautioned that while word of the vaccines is promising, delays in distribution mean that people need to continue taking the pandemic seriously for foreseeable future. "I’m worried that we’re going to forget tha...