Boston Public Radio Podcast

CNN's John King on the latest national political headlines.Jim O'Connell + Derek Winbush join to discuss 40 years of Boston Health Care for the Homeless.Jordina Shanks of Fenway Health and civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo join to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling on gender affirming care for trans youth.Senator Ed Markey discusses attacks to public media, and the latest national headlines.Brittany Jasnoff, executive editor of Boston magazine, joins with Jason Santos — chef/owner at Citrus & Salt — and Lydia Shire — chef/partner at Scampo ... both are winners of the Best of Boston 2025 list this year.

Today:Senator Ed Markey joins, with reaction to Iran and the latest on recission for PBS and NPR. Then we’ll get reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision last week to uphold a ban on gender affirming care in Tennessee, giving states broad powers to ban or regulate transgender medical care for minors.We talk with Jordina Shanks, CEO of Fenway Health – the largest provider of trans health care in New England – and trans rights activist, Harvard’s Alejandra Caraballo. 

Today:Congressman Seth Moulton is holding two truths at once – acknowledging the threat of Iran getting nuclear capabilities, and decrying the Trump administration’s actions over the weekend – and is calling for diplomacy, now.And, Boston Globe education reporter Christopher Huffaker, Commonwealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas and the Superintendent of Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School Heidi Riccio discuss the changes coming to admissions for vocational schools in the state.

Congressman Seth Moulton joins us to discuss Trump's weekend bombing campaign in Iran. Then we open the phone lines to get listener reactions to escalating violence in the Middle East.Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses the latest with the Celtics' sale, and takes a look at the Commonwealth Fund, which was established in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Heidi Riccio, superintendent of Essex North Shore Technical & Agricultural School, Michael Jonas of the CommonWealth Beacon and Chris Huffaker of the Boston Globe join for a discussion on vocational technical school admissions.Princeton’s Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses the Trump administration’s latest efforts to strangle higher education, and what the president’s so-called “historic” deal with Harvard University could actually entail.

Today:Alba Musik joins live at the Boston Public Library to perform guitar and flamenco dancing, ahead of a show this week at Long Live Roxbury.And, President Trump campaigned on being a champion of the working class. How’s he doing so far for labor? We ask David Weil, who served in the department of labor in the Obama White House. 

Ron Mitchell, publisher of the Bay State Banner, and Joan Vennochi, opinion columnist at the Boston Globe, join for Press Play — our weekly media analysis segment. ALBA Musik join for Live Music Friday, ahead of a performance at Long Live Roxbury, with Spanish guitar and flamenco dancing.David Weil, visiting professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, served in the department of labor under Barack Obama from 2014-2017. He joins to discuss Trump's labor policy.General manager of the MBTA Phil Eng joins for "Ask the GM" to answer questions about repairs, slow zones, funding and more.

Today:NBC10 commentator Sue O'Connell and former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discuss the Karen Read trial, and her acquittal.And, a Juneteenth panel with Boston’s first black mayor, Kim Janey, educator and lawyer Ted Landsmark, and Michael Curry of the NAACP and Mass League of Community Health Centers. 

NBC Boston's Sue O’Connell and former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral discuss the Karen Read verdict.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem explains the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, plus the debate around whether the U.S. should be involved. To celebrate Juneteenth, former Boston Mayor Kim Janey, the NAACP’s Michael Curry and Northeastern University’s Ted Landsmark join for a discussion about racial equity and what progress looks like in the era of Trump.Black puppeteers leading a creative residency at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline join ahead of a showcase performance tomorrow. We talk with Ash Winkfield, Tanya Nixon-Silberg and Charlotte Lily Gaspard, who perform some live puppetry for us in Studio 3. Today's Am I the A-Hole is about a husband who could care less about the artfulness of his dinner preparation.

A call-in segment asking listeners: If Democrats need the working class to win big, do they need to drop the purity tests and some hardlines on social issues?Ken Burns zooms in on the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill to talk about the American Revolution, 250 years, and speak out in defense of public media.Ken Rapoport, CEO of Azuluna Foods & Christopher Grallert CEO of Green City Growers, join for a panel on urban farming.Trenni Casey discusses the Sox trading Raphael DeversGBH's Susan Goldberg on the funding threats to public media.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins for the final hour of the show for Ask The Mayor. 

Today:Lucy Wightman joins Jim and Margery ahead of this week's release of her memoir, "Princess Cheyenne: My Life as Boston's Most Famous Stripper."And, a new report shows Massachusetts is backsliding on some aspects of juvenile justice reform. We speak with Lisa Thurau and Kristen Wheeler of Cambridge-based nonprofit Strategies for Youth.

We start the show by asking listeners about a weekend of demonstrations, including 'No King' rallies and the military parade. Anand Giridharadas, political commentator, discusses the shut-down of protests Saturday in LA, Trump's military parade and the political violence in Minnesota.Lucy Wightman discusses her new memoir "Princess Cheyenne: My Life as Boston's Most Famous Stripper."Lisa Thurau and Kristen Wheeler of Strategies for Youth, a Cambridge-based nonprofit, discuss the increase in pretrial detention for youths last year that are the result of law enforcement's decision to arrest young people for misdemeanors. The Revs Irene Monroe and Emmett Price join for All Rev'd Up x BPR, discussing the clergy who played a pivotal role 250 years ago in the American Revolution and how they are navigating us through political turbulence today.

Joan Donovan on misinformation in the digital age, she’ll talk about media coverage of the LA protests and discerning real news accounts from AI slop. BAMS Fest returns to Franklin park on June 28th, with a whole slate of sister events during June. We’ll talk with founder Catherine T. Morris, with a Live Music Friday performance from Boston reggae band Roots Alley Collective.Boston Pride for the People holds their annual Pride parade tomorrow, we’ll talk about goings-on and the state of the world for queer folks with BP4TP president Adrianna Boulin & Gary Daffin – who sits on the event leadership committee in addition to leading Boston’s Multicultural AIDS Coalition.

Today:Joan Donovan, founder of the Critical Internet Studies Institute & Boston University Assistant Professor of Journalism and emerging media studies, joins for a discussion on artificial intelligence, media manipulation, and telling truth from fiction.Boston Pride For The People President Adrianna Bolin and development & parade co-chair, Gary Daffin – he’s also President of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition -- join ahead of Saturday's parade in Boston.

Chuck Todd on the premiere of his new show “Sunday Night with Chuck Todd,” where he interviewed Steve Bannon.Andrea Cabral on Weinstein verdict.Michael Curry on RFK/vaccine misinformation. Corby Kummer on pricy Boston dining

Today:Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses the new "dirty dozen" list of grocery store items laden with pesticides.And, Michael Curry, head of the Mass League of Community Health Centers, discusses a new proposal for the shuttered Carney Hospital in Dorchester to be repurposed as a training facility for nurses.

National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the situation in L.A.GBH's Meghan Smith and Alex Green, vice-chair of the Mass Special Commission on State Institutions, both join to discuss the conditions for disabled people in state institutions, and in the state generallyBoston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung discusses the Boston City Hall scandal involving one of Wu's Cabinet chiefs Segun Idowu and a domestic dispute between two staffers who have since been fireNaturalist and author Sy Montgomery on new science on axolotls that may unlock the secret to human limb regeneration.

Today: A new report shows how, throughout its history, Massachusetts failed thousands of disabled residents living in institutions, and then tried to cover their tracks with bureaucratic stonewalling decades later.GBH’s Megan Smith joins alongside Alex Green, vice-chair of the commission behind this report. And, naturalist Sy Montgomery is back to talk about axolotls, as researchers at Northeastern look into whether humans could ever tap into their secrets around limb regeneration.

BPR Full Show 6/10: Fact From Fiction

Today:Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett of the Boston Medical Center joins to discuss the latest medical headlines.And, ahead of this year’s Embrace Ideas Festival, we talk with Embrace Boston CEO Imari Paris Jeffries. Plus, joining Imari both at the festival – and today’s show – Giselle Byrd. She’s the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theatre company in the United States at Boston’s The Theater Offensive. 

BPR Full Show 6/9: National Guard In Los Angeles