The Wake Up

For years, the state of Massachusetts was charged with the care of children with disabilities at The Walter E. Fernald State School in Waltham. But those children were often neglected. Now, family members of the children who lived there are looking to learn more about what happened to their loved ones and hitting dead ends. GBH's Jennifer Moore investigates.

It's a trying time for global diplomacy, with wars in Ukraine and Gaza, along with other turmoil across the world. Jeremy talks to British diplomat David Rutley about how he thinks about the current moment. Plus: Imam Taymullah Abdur-Rahman, whose life has taken him from a Maurice Starr's '80s boyband Perfect Gentlemen to a career in promoting social change, talks to Paris about his new book  "Ame...

Looking for things to do this weekend? We have quite the lineup for you: First, GBH's Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen has a round up of art shows, including 'Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West' at the Gardner Museum and 'Wu Tsang: Of Whales' at the ICA. Plus: Mike Deehan of Axios Boston joins Paris to talk about 1990s-themed events going on this weekend.

Is the earth's circumference increasing because of sea level rise? Where does the term CEO come from, and how did it become so widespread? Edgar B. Herwick III, the man behind GBH's Curiosity Desk, joins Paris and Jeremy to discuss. Plus: Cambridge's migrant shelter is only open at night, leaving families staying there out on the street during the day. So what can be done to help, and who has juri...

Last week, Milton voters rejected a change to its zoning ordinances that would have allowed multi-family housing in parts of the town and brought Milton into compliance with the MBTA Communities Law. So what's next? GBH State House Reporter Katie Lannan talks about housing affordability, traffic snarls, and possible legal ramifications.

Some activists complain that DEI programs in schools are antisemitic, leaving superintendents in Brookline, Newton and Needham to reckon with hot-button issues around how to teach students about antiracism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. GBH's Phillip Martin reports.

Schools like MIT, Dartmouth, and Georgetown, which did away with SAT testing requirements, are now reinstating them --- at a time when affording college is getting harder for more Americans. What does it all mean for young people trying to apply and pay for school? GBH's education reporter Kirk Carapezza joins us to discuss.

Looking for something to do during February break next week? Mike Deehan of Axios Boston has some top picks. Plus: Our meteorologist Dave Epstein talks about a bit of upcoming snow and why snow can be tricky to predict.

Wendy Swart Grossman and Evan Grossman met working for Gov. Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign in 1986. And while they've grown closer in that time, the American electorate has grown further apart. Is there room for love in politics today?

Democratic leaders in Massachusetts have made it clear: They're not interested in bailing out Steward Health Care, the for-profit hospital system that has come into financial trouble. So what does that mean for people who rely on the system for care? GBH's Katie Lannan joins Jeremy to explain. Plus: Snow is coming, and Meteorologist Dave Epstein tells us all about it.

Anthony Fogg, vice-president of artistic planning for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joined Paris and Jeremy to share his memories of his friend and colleague, longtime BSO conductor Seiji Ozawa, who passed away at his home in Tokyo on Tuesday.

In the height of COVID-related lockdowns, "Little Fires Everywhere" author Celeste Ng got an interesting request: Would she want to contribute to a collaborative novel, written by more than a dozen writers? She joined Jeremy to talk about the result, "Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel."

Valentine's Day can be a time for love --- and a time in which a lot of people feel lonely. Celeste Viciere of the podcast Celeste the Therapist, joins Paris to talk about different types of love and how to thrive in the Valentine's-industrial complex. Plus: Edgar B. Herwick III of GBH's Curiosity Desk joins Paris and Jeremy to talk about other notable Feb. 14 events. 

The new forms for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, were supposed to make things easier for high schoolers applying to college and seeking financial aid in an ever-more-expensive landscape. But local students and counselors say it's done just the opposite, GBH's Kirk Carapezza reports. Plus: GBH meteorologist Dave Epstein remembers the blizzard of '78.

Steward Health, the for-profit company that owns St. Elizabeth's Medical Center and other health care facilities in Massachusetts, is in financial crisis. And the people of Allston and Brighton are already feeling the repercussions, a new GBH News investigation from Jeremy shows. Plus: GBH's State House reporter Katie Lannan tells Paris about gun bills working their way through the legislature.

AI-generated photos, videos, and audio --- as well as run-of-the-mill disinformation --- is heavily infiltrating social media. So what can we do as news consumers? GBH's social media strategist Zack Waldman joins Paris to discuss.

The ramifications of slavery have reverberated through the centuries. Now, filmmaker Yoruba Richen has a new documentary, The Cost of Inheritance, looking at how reparations might help address the harm done. Richen and and Chris Hastings of GBH's The World join Paris to discuss the film. Plus: GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen joins Paris to talk about what's going on in the city's arts scene.

We hear it all the time: We are experiencing a mental health crisis. In recent years, the use of mental health services jumped by nearly 40% among millions of commercially insured and American adults, according to a recent JAMA Health Forum. Today we're starting a yearlong series of monthly conversations about mental health with Nieisha Deed, founder of the organization PureSpark. Her affirmation...

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng knows you're upset about the shutdowns, slowdowns, and detours. He sees it when he takes the trains and buses himself. “I will have to say, the folks have been supportive. They have told me how important the T's success is to them. And that makes it even much more important to me to make sure that we continue to deliver for the public,” he told Jeremy.

Newton teachers are on strike for the second week. What does that mean for teachers looking for higher wages and more social supports in schools, for students, and for state policy? GBH News State House Reporter Katie Lannan joins Jeremy to discuss.

More than 80 years after Merle Hillman was killed in Pearl Harbor, his remains have been identified and will be buried by his family. Plus: Lizzie Carroll, executive director of the nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves, talks about what Holocaust Remembrance Day means in 2024.

Tonight is Burns Supper, the night where people worldwide gather to eat haggis, drink whiskey, and celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns. So who was Burns, and why do people celebrate him? GBH's Curiosity Desk reporter and Culture Show team member Edgar B. Herwick III joins Paris and Jeremy to talk all about it.

Boston has enlisted two groups of researchers to study the harms done to Black communities, one from 1620 to 1940 and the other from 1940 to the present day. What are researchers looking into, and what could reparations ultimately look like in Boston? Bay State Banner Publisher Ron Mitchell,  who broke the news , joins Jeremy to discuss. Plus: A Northeastern researcher discovers previously unknown...

It's New Hampshire primary day. Washington Post reporter Meryl Kornfield joins us to talk about the mood on the ground and what we might expect from tonight's results.

In 24 hours, polls will open in New Hampshire's presidential primary. Stephanie Murray, who covers politics for The Messenger, joins Paris to talk about what to expect. Plus: GBH's Katie Lannan talks to the Massachusetts Republican women supporting Nikki Haley in New Hampshire.