Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio : Filmmaker Mike Shum discussed his latest documentary for FRONTLINE, "American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil,” about the perspectives of Americans on the events of 2020, from Black Lives Matter protests to the coronavirus pandemic. Next, we opened our lines to ask listeners: do you think Joe Biden will be able to make good on his pledge to unite the country?  NBC Sports...

Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett gave a roundup of recent COVID-19 developments going on across the country, and here in Massachusetts, on  Boston Public Radio this Tuesday. “Things are pretty dire across the country - everyday we hear news about states and governors who are finally putting in orders around masks and starting to close indoor dining, bars, and gyms,” she said. “Populations that really...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We kicked off Monday’s show by talking with listeners about the disastrous coronavirus surge throughout the U.S., and new developments in the race for a vaccine. Boston Globe political reporter James Pindell discussed GOP efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and weighed in on the slew of issues facing Democrats in the wake of underwhelming Election D...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : We opened the show by talking with listeners about America’s worsening coronavirus crisis, and why you think the United States ended up where it is today.  Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman discussed his new in-depth documentary about Boston Marty Walsh's administration, titled “City Hall.” Beat the Press host Emily Rooney talked about the spread of election misinformatio...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed President Trump’s deluge of lawsuits attempting to delegitimize his election loss, and gave his take President-elect Biden’s leveled reaction. We opened lines to hear your takes on what exactly President Trump is planning, as he spreads false claims about voter fraud and refuses to concede his loss to Present-elect...

Former Massachusetts education secretary Paul Reville returned to Boston Public Radio on Thursday, lamenting failures in the Commonwealth’s execution of pandemic-era public schooling. Amid news of high remote-learning rates and inefficient virtual classrooms, Reville warned that student learning losses are piling up, “literally day to day now,” and argued that the state needs to do more to priorit...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : M.I.T. economist Jonathan Gruber explained why he’s (mostly) optimistic about the prospect of a Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, and the Biden administration’s ability to distribute it. He also touched on his thoughts around a case involving the Affordable Care Act that’s currently before the Supreme Court. We opened our lines to hear your thoughts on the word of COVID-1...

President Donald Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, stating baseless claims of voting fraud. The Trump administration, along with leading Republicans, have also refused to recognize Biden’s victory. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Wednesday about the damaging false narrative touted by Trump and his supporters. “Nothing is unexpected...

Pfizer announced this week that their COVID-19 vaccine exceeds expectations for effectiveness. So when can Americans expect to see doses in their doctor’s office? Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan told Boston Public Radio some people could receive the vaccine “as early as the end of December.” The vaccine itself needs to pass another milestone before it’s authorized for emergency use: current test su...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Rep. Jim McGovern talked about his Tuesday reelection win against Republican challenger Tracy Lovvorn, who happens a QAnon conspiracy theory proponent. He also touched on the future of further COVID relief, and the food insecurity crisis afflicting the U.S.  NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed the return of Red Sox manager Alex Cora, fol...

Ali Noorani spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday about how different Latinx communities voted in this year’s presidential election. “The case that the Trump campaign made to Latinos in Texas was saying that the Biden administration is going to take our guns away, and touching on social cultural issues around abortion and gay marriage,” he said. “The Democrats made relatively little effort t...

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Tuesday about the different approaches to outdoor dining tenting. “New York says if you have outdoor tenting, then 50% of the wall space has to be open,” he said. “That seems absolutely right, at the minimum, so two of the sides have to be open to the fresh air.” However many restaurants aren’t abiding by these guidelines, Kummer noted....

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Rufus Gifford, deputy campaign manager for President-elect Joe Biden, discussed Biden’s weekend victory, and reflected on the president-elect's message of unity in the face of a concession refusal from President Trump.  Next, we opened our lines to hear your thoughts on Joe Biden’s presidential victory, after days of election uncertainty.  Charlie Chieppo and Shanno...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : We opened the show to talk with listeners about the latest results of the 2020 presidential election, as former Vice President Joe Biden appeared close to a victory.  Beat the Press host Emily Rooney talked about the move by several TV news outlets to cut away from President Trump's Thursday press conference, after he repeated false claims about voter fraud in the 2...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Robert Tsai talked about the state of the presidential race as of Thursday morning, and weighed in on the President’s litany of lawsuits against states over ballot counting. Tsai is a professor of Law at Boston university. His latest book is " Practical Equality: Forging justice in a Divided Nation .”  Next, we turned to callers to get your thoughts on the ongoing e...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : We opened Wednesday’s show by turning to callers, to hear your thoughts on Tuesday’s presidential election.  Rosa Brooks talked about her work over the summer with the Transition Integrity Project, and weighed in on how Tuesday’s results compare with some of the exercise's worst-case scenarios. Brooks is the co-organizer of the Transition Integrity Project, a former...

Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Wednesday about the current state of the 2020 presidential election. “My biggest fear was a systemic breakdown of voting, such that you would get a real question from both sides that these counts were not legitimate,” she said. “There are huge issues around the post office, and we still have votes to count, but you didn’t...

Back in June, the bipartisan Transition Integrity Project gamed out a handful of likely outcomes for the 2020 election. On the Wednesday after Election Day, one of the group's co-organizers, Rosa Brooks, called in to  Boston Public Radio  for a debrief on how Tuesday’s results compared to the project's worst-case scenarios. "Never say never, but I am actually more optimistic now,” she said in refe...

New York Magazine writer-at-larger Frank Rich talked about some worst-case scenarios for Democrats ahead of Tuesday's election tallies, and what he believes might happen to the careers of GOP Trump loyalists if the President loses his reelection bid.  Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about your feelings on everything related to Tuesday's presidential election. Mass. ACLU Executive Dire...

New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich joined Tuesday’s  Boston Public Radio , breaking down a slew of worst-case scenarios ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day vote tallies. "We all have a million fears – I’m speaking now, of course, of those of us who want to see Biden win,” he said. "I’m sure there’s another group of fears on the other side, as it were.” Rich spoke about the possibility of vot...

Today on  Boston Public Radio : Washington Week  moderator Robert Costa talked about his special report for the program, about the attitudes of Penn. voters ahead of Tuesday’s election, and how they have and haven't changed in the four years since 2016. We opened lines to talk with listeners about your anxieties and hopes ahead of Tuesday’s election. Charlie Chieppo and Shannon O’Brien joined for...

Today on Boston Public Radio : We opened lines to talk with listeners about the idea of a one-term presidency, and whether you think it might benefit America's political system. Pine Street Inn President Lyndia Downey talked about work being done at the Pine Street Inn to empower Boston's homeless residents to vote, and how her organization is preparing for Thanksgiving during the pandemic. Corey...

Today on Boston Public Radio : NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd checked in to talk about the state of the presidential race, five days away from Election Day. Sen. Bernie Sanders called in as a surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden, talking about why he hopes supporters of his presidential campaign will pivot to supporting the Democratic nominee. He also weighed in on the confirma...

Today on  Boston Public Radio :  We opened lines to ask: are the high early voting turnout numbers easing your election day jitters? Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, talked about the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory, and how media manipulation has allowed it to spread so effectively. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem discussed rising case...

Naturalist Sy Montgomery spoke with  Boston Public Radio  on Wednesday about how other animal species practice social distancing when signs of disease show in their communities. “When something is off, that might draw predators to your group, so you want to get away from the one who’s going to attract the shark or hyena,” she said. “If someone has a contagious disease, you want to get you and your...