Boston Public Radio Podcast

Foxborough trains have sold out due to a Taylor Swift concert that’s taking place this weekend. Updates on the Sports scene in boston from Trenni Casey, anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Boston She discussed the Celtics moving forward and a Washington Post report on the Harvard football players whose lives were upended by CTE. GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discussed the Paper Town exhibit at the Fitchburg Art Museum and some updates on permanent rehearsal space for musicians in Boston. He also announces this the show, Open Studio, comes to an end on June 2nd after ten years. Frontline filmmaker Michael Kirk discussed their new film “Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court”. He talks about Clarence’s troubling behavior from the past and the world he lives in that was fueled by Trump’s presidency. Milk Street’s Christopher Kimball discussed his new book “Milk Street Noodles”. The hosts and Kimball talk about different kinds of noodles. CNN chief national correspondent John King joined for the latest political headlines including the Rudy Giuliani lawsuit. We closed our show by asking listeners to tell us if they still listen to AM radio. Are people aware that cars still offer it?

Summer is around the corner and school’s about to be out. So should older kids be obligated to work or go to summer camp? We opened the lines to hear from listeners. Carolyn Beeler, a journalist from The World , shares details about their journalism initiative called The Big Fix, which aims to explore global solutions for addressing climate change. Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner delves into the possibility of E Jean Carroll suing Trump for the third time, specifically regarding his comments following the sexual assault civil trial. She also discusses the ongoing debate surrounding the "independent state legislature" theory that the Supreme Court of the United States may or may not be grappling with in time for the 2024 election. Corby Kummer, a food policy analyst, highlights the inspiring efforts of individuals in Arizona who have successfully combated historic drought by transforming lawns into forest gardens and cultivating urban farms in food deserts. Kummer also touches upon Michelle Obama's new venture, PLEZi Nutrition company. The Revs engage in a conversation about the increasing trend of Americans praying in their cars rather than traditional places of worship. Additionally, they discuss what Ron DeSantis' lack of "God-talk" signifies for Republican politics on a broader scale. Charlie Sennott, an analyst from GBH News, provides a roundup of various global news topics, including the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Ukrainian President Zelensky's meeting with the Pope in Italy, the recent elections in Turkey, and the Israel-Gaza conflict. We closed to show by asking listeners about their snacking rituals. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly half of Americans are eating three or more snacks a day. We wanted to know how our listeners related.

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 to prom. They performed as part of Live Music Friday. Mitch Zuckoff is a Boston University professor and author whose latest book is “The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan.” He joined to discuss his reporting on heroism and sacrifice during the fall of Afghanistan. Mayor Michelle Wu is back for “Ask the Mayor.” Jim and Margery asked about her performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and about her homelessness plan for Mass & Cass. They also discussed city districting, an influx of migrants to the city, Summertime open streets and BPD overtime fraud. Then, we opened the phone lines again to get people’s thoughts on shorts in the office. Was Jim’s decision to roll up to the studio in shorts today appropriate or a travesty?

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 talked about Boston redistricting, and blowback to the New York Times’ profile of Elizabeth Holmes. Juliette Kayyem discussed criticisms of how Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s handled shootings in his state, most recently with the mall shooting in Allen. She’ll also weigh in on the E. Jean Carroll case, and a race between the U.S. and Russia over who can have the biggest naval presence in the Arctic. Nick Quah reviews podcasts for Vulture. This week, he shared his thoughts on Stiffed, Mallwalkin', Holy Week, You Didn't See Nothin, and She Wants More. A piece from The Wall Street Journal showed human brains are bad at multi-tasking. And yet, we can’t help ourselves. Why? What are your worst multi-tasking habitats? Listeners called in.

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 for breast cancer screening, how the FDA is looking at the first OTC birth control pill and the end of the WHO’s COVID-19 global health emergency designation. GBH’s Jared Bowen discussed “Beetlejuice” at Broadway in Boston, “The Prom” at SpeakEasy Stage and “Angels in America” at Central Square Theater. Environmentalist Bill McKibben shared the latest climate news. Naturalist Sy Montgomery discussed a new airline for cats and dogs. Amazon is preparing to add return fees. Will that change your online buying habits? Listeners weighed in.

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, executive director of the ACLU of Mass., discussed their involvement in North Brookfield to support the rights of the LGBTQ community there seeking to put a drag performance on during their Pride celebration, and the latest with silenced Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart discusses their 2023 spring season, starting May 12. Also, we get answers on how he keeps his luscious hair. We opened up the lines to ask listeners about how they feel about the beloved Christmas Tree Shops closing down their store locations. Chaos ensued. CNN’s John King joins remotely for the latest political headlines including the CNN Townhall tomorrow and how CNN came to the decision to have Trump on stage.

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, shutdowns on the Blue line and recent Globe reporting on liquor licenses in the Seaport. Bruce Marks is a long-time housing advocate in Boston and CEO of Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA). He discussed how racist practices and corporate investments have made it harder for people to own homes in Massachusetts. He added his thoughts on the rent control debate and talked about other housing issues in the Commonwealth. Vijay Gupta is a MacArthur Fellow and Music Worcester’s artist-in-residence for 2023. He joined Jim and Margery in Studio 3 to talk about what he’s doing in the Worcester community, making music with incarcerated people and bringing Bach to the masses. He’s got an introductory performance on Wednesday and he played us a couple of selections from the show. The Revs discussed a California Panel on reparations for Black residents. They also weighed in on the resignation of the Boston Archdiocese’s gender identity committee, and a study showing Americans pray more in their cars than in the church. Tom Brady compared himself to Secretariat this weekend. We asked listeners to vote on the real G.O.A.T: is it the 7x Super-Bowl-Winning Tom Brady? Or is it Margery’s favorite, the tremendous machine, Secretariat?

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, about an Islamic scholar who was captured by slave traders and brought to the U.S. in the early 1800’s. For Live Music Friday, listen to performances from Fred C. VanNess (covering Omar) and Cierra Byrd who plays Fatima, Omar’s mother. Sue O’Connell joined to discuss Ed Sheeran’s winning verdict in the trial, her thoughts on King Charles’ coronation, the end of Buzzfeed, Vice and other millennial news outlets, and Florida trying to ban pronouns in schools. Adam Balsam and Correne George are birding enthusiasts. They joined to talk about why they love it and how the rest of us can get involved. Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined for “Ask the AG” where she answered questions from listeners and the live audience.

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 founding writer for the nonprofit newsroom The Trace that focuses on reporting on guns and gun violence. She talked about her journey there and the melting pot of gun culture in the country.

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 event: a wide-ranging conversation with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a chat with Boston Arts Academy Spirituals Ensemble director Michael Bradley, and performances from the ensemble.