Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: Did you make it through the 3 hour long 2020 Democratic presidential debate last night? We opened the lines to ask our listeners their thoughts on the matter. Emily Rooney, host of WGBH News' Beat the Press, joined to give her list of fixations and fulminations. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joined Jim and Margery in the WGBH Studio at the Boston Public Library to answer our listeners' questions. Callie Crossley, host of WGBH News' Under the Radar, spoke about gun reform. Author Salman Rushdie talked about his latest novel, Quichotte. Dani Babineau of Redemption Rock Brewing Company and Rob Burns of Nightshift Brewing Company joined us for our weekly News Quiz.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC’s Meet The Press moderator Chuck Todd previewed Thursday night's Democratic debate. MIT Ford Professor of Economics Jon Gruber discussed surprise medical bills, and answered listener questions about them. GFord Professor of Economics at MIT. Andrea Cabral reviewed California Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris' criminal justice reform plan. Art Caplan discussed the Trump administration's decision to crack down on e-cigarettes. Author Malcolm Gladwell discussed his new book "Talking To Strangers: What We Should Know About The People We Don't Know." WCAI science editor and host of Living Lab Radio Heather Goldstone joined us to discuss President Trump's coercion of NOAA to back his tweets about Hurricane Dorian. We opened the lines to hear listener opinions on sexual allegations against newly signed Patriots player Antonio Brown.

Today on Boston Public Radio: *Washington Post *politics reporter Annie Linskey previewed Thursday night's 2020 Democratic presidential debate. Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung discussed her column on City Hall corruption. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem spoke about the ousted national security adviser John Bolton. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam talked debated the origin of the name of Canada geese. WGBH's executive arts editor Jared Bowen reviewed The Goldfinch and Lyric Stage Company's production of Little Shop of Horrors. Media maven Sue O'Connell discussed the Bryon Hefner case and Doyle's closing in Jamaica Plain. We opened the lines to ask our listeners about restaurants and bars that have closed that are now missed.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to hear listeners' takes on how the United States is handling Bahamians seeking refuge from hurricane damage. NBC Boston sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed Antonio Brown's deal with the Patriots, and other sports headlines. Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, broke down congestion pricing, and Governor Charlie Baker's hesitation to it. Corby Kummer, executive director of the Food and Society Policy program at the Aspen Institute, discussed how the movement to eat less meat is growing, to the concern of farming advocates. Abby Ellis, director of a new Frontline documentary that goes behind the headlines of the Flint water crisis, joined us to discuss the investigation, which revealed one of the country's largest outbreaks of Legionnaires disease was largely hidden from the public. CNN's John King gave us the latest on the breaking news Tuesday that President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton is out, and prev

If you're a consumer at Chipotle or Sweetgreen, you might feel virtuous that the bowls used there are considered compostable. Yet new findings show that these compostable bowls can still cause harm to both the environment and human health. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to talk about what this new research means for the future of your food bowl. "A writer from The New Food Economy got 19 different samples of compostable bowls, from Chipotle to Sweetgreen. All of them had high content of fluorines, which is what these 'forever chemicals' contain," he said. Compostable bowls began to find increasing popularity when some cities like New York banned Styrofoam containers, Kummer said. "New York and others started banning single-use foam because it was so bad for the environment and it never biodegraded." These foam containers contained long chain PFAs, and switching to compostable materials seemed reasonable, Kummer said. Yet these compostable containers consist of the less re

Today on* Boston Public Radio*: Shannon O'Brien, Former Massachusetts State Treasurer and Democratic nominee for Governor and Charlie Chieppo, principal of Chieppo Strategies, senior fellow at the Pioneer Institute and adjunct professor at Suffolk University, joined us for a political round-table. WGBH News Analyst Charlie Sennott discussed Trump's canceled secret Camp David meeting with the Taliban. Ronan Farrow joined us to break down his latest investigation for The New Yorker, in which he details MIT's broad effort to conceal its relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Inaugural poet Richard Blanco shared poems about 9/11 for this installation of Village Voice. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G Price III joined us for another edition of All Rev'd Up, and discussed the ex-gay Christianity movement's quiet comeback. Former New York Times science writer Tatiana Schlossberg discussed her new book, "Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have." We opened the

Today on Boston Public Radio: President Donald Trump doubled down on his use of an outdated map that included Alabama in Hurricane Dorian's path, instead of just admitting he was wrong. We opened the lines to hear from listeners if they have people in their lives that are just incapable of apologizing for making mistakes, big or small. Shirley Leung discussed her latest column, on the sexism surrounding a male judge's decision to hold a female attorney in contempt of court. The attorney, Susan Church, was advocating on behalf of her client, an activist who was arrested while protesting the "Straight Pride" parade. Prosecutors from Rachael Rollins' office requested some cases not be prosecuted, and the judge refused. Emily Rooney, host of Beat The Press on WGBH, joined us for her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Dan Adams, Boston Globe marijuana reporter, updated us on a proposed state regulation that would mandate cannabis delivery people to be outfitted with police-style body cameras, and the lat

Today on* Boston Public Radio:* Chuck Todd discussed Joe Biden's revisionist history on his support for the invasion of Iraq, a House panel's decision to subpoena documents linked to President Donald Trump's alleged pardons, and other politics headlines. Todd is moderator of Meet the Press, and the political director for NBC News. We opened the lines to hear from listeners about Walmart's decision to end ammunition sales. John Halpern, MD, discussed his new book on the history of opium, "Opium: How An Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World." Halpern is a psychiatrist in private practice who formerly served as medical director of the Boston Center for Addiction Treatment, and former faculty member at Harvard Medical School, where he directed a research lab at McLean Hospital. Andrea Cabral caught us up to speed on the latest local controversy surrounding the so-called "Straight Pride Parade:" an attorney representing a protester who was arrested during Saturday's events was held in contempt of court af

We're back from a week-long hiatus, and started the show by opening the lines to catch up with our listeners on a political potpourri. NBC Sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek gave an overview of NFL injuries, and focused on two recent retirees: Andrew Luck and Rob Gronkowski. ACLU Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose discussed allegations of police misconduct against counter-protesters during the so-called "straight pride" parade Saturday in Boston. Corby Kummer discussed the rise of virtual restaurants. Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, discussed the impact the public charge rule is having on immigrants trying to get state benefits. CNN's John King discussed Joe Biden's strength as a candidate, and Elizabeth Warren's steady rise in the polls. We closed the show by continuing the conversation around football injuries, and opened the lines to hear listeners thoughts on whether we should stop kids from playing tackle football.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Will Hurricane Dorian bring the issue of climate change to the forefront of people's minds? We opened the lines to ask our listeners. Christopher Arena, founder and CEO of GFTB Digital, and Jonathan Cohn, chair of the Issues Committee of Progressive Massachusetts, talked to us about the Boston City Council races. CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem spoke about the damage and future threats caused by Hurricane Dorian. Jared Bowen, WGBH's executive arts editor, gave his recent reviews on everything from IT Chapter Two to a slave memorial at Faneuil Hall. Media maven Sue O'Connell spoke about Log Cabin Republicans endorsing President Donald Trump. TV expert Bob Thompson talked about why Leslie Jones won't be returning as a cast member on *Saturday Night Live, *as well as why actor Matthew McConaughey will be teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. We opened the lines again, this time to ask our listeners about their movie and television habits.

Last month Popeyes launched their new chicken sandwich at its franchises across the country. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Tuesday to explain how the sandwich rapidly rose in popularity, unable to keep up with demand. "This is entirely a social media story," he said. "It's a very cleverly designed launch of a new product saying, 'We have this great sandwich, but you can't get it even though it's the best thing in America we're only having it in a couple of restaurants.'" Helen Rosner's piece in The New Yorker describes why many people will cheer on a Chik-fil-A chicken sandwich challenger, Kummer said. "It's a way of putting your thumb in the eye of Chik-fil-A which is homophobic, bad, big and specializes in fried chicken. It's fried chicken without the homophobia." *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.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Actor Ed Asner joined Jim and Margery to talk about his new play God Help Us! Andrew Li and Irene Li joined Jim and Margery to talk about their new cookbook, which they wrote with their sister Margaret Li called** "**Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from our Chinese-American Kitchen." Bren Smith, a former commercial fisherman discussed his new memoir "Eat Like A Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer." Writer Christopher Castellani discussed his latest novel, "Leading Men." US Women’s National Team Soccer player Sam Mewis joined BPR days after winning the women’s World Cup Championship.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jim and Margery talked to New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik about his latest book, "A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism." Harvard Business School behavioral economist Michael Norton joined us for his monthly appearance when he explains us to ourselves. Today we looked at the pathology of the “ask braggart,” the person whose sole motivation behind asking you a question is to tell you about themselves. Jim and Margery talked to Norman Mineta, the former statesman and Japanese internment camp survivor who served as cabinet secretary for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about a new PBS documentary,* "*Norman Mineta and His Legacy: An American Story." New Yorker Staff writer George Packer discussed his latest book, "Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century." Filmmaker, writer, artist and one of our greatest cultural commentators John Waters talked to Jim and Margery about his latest book, "Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisd

Today on Boston Public Radio: New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe discussed his latest book, "Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland." Cartoonist Roz Chast and humorist Patricia Marx discussed their latest collaboration, "Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? A Mother's Suggestions." Comedian Jay Pharaoh joined us to talk about his latest projects, which includes a stand-up tour, web series and the movie "Unsane," directed by Stephen Soderberg. Judge Richard Gergel discussed his latest book, "Unexampled Courage," which recounts a racist attack on a South Carolina native after World War II and how that episode sparked the civil rights movement. Harvard Businesses School’s Michael Norton joined us to explain go over his latest research, which looks at identity branding. Norton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. His latest book is "Happy Money, the Science of Happier Spending." The alt-rock band

Today on Boston Public Radio: Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian discussed his latest book his latest book, "Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison--Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out." Writer Susan Orlean joined Jim and Margery to talk about her latest publication, "The Library Book," which will soon be turned into a TV miniseries. Jack Bishop, from America’s Test Kitchen, discussed his latest cookbook, "Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey." Investor Roger McNamee helped to build Facebook. In his latest book he wrote about how he’s come to regret it. It’s called "Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe." Julia Zelizer joined Jim and Margery to talk about his latest book, "Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974." Zelizer is an analyst for CNN and a professor of history and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Poet Richard Blanco discusses the work of poet Ada Limón. Blanco is the fifth presidential

Today on Boston Public Radio: ESPN’s Howard Bryant discussed his new book, "The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism." Michael Eric Dyson discussed his new book, “What Truth Sounds Like: RFK, James Baldwin, And Our Unfinished Conversation About Race In America." Harvard’s Stephen Greenblatt discussed his book, "Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics." Sy Montgomery, journalist and naturalist joined the show to talk about her book "The Hyena Scientist." John Hodgman talked about his book, "Vacationland: True Stories From Painful Beaches." Actor and activist George Takei discussed the musical Allegiance, which is based on his real life experience of living in** **a Japanese-American internment camp. This episode of *Boston Public Radio was previously taped.*

Today on Boston Public Radio: Jim and Margery talked to New York Times Magazine staff writer and lecturer at Yale Law School Emily Bazelon, whose latest book, Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, looks at the causes of mass incarceration. Environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org discussed his latest book, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? MIT economists Jonathon Gruber and Simon Johnson discussed their latest book, Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream. TC Boyle joined Jim and Margery to talk about his latest novel Outside Looking In. Poet Richard Blanco gave a crash course on the literary tools that can make your poetry more poetic. This episode of Boston Public Radio was previously taped.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to hear what listeners think of presidential candidates' playlists. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko joined us to discuss Apple's new credit card, and other tech headlines. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn discussed a recent pledge from nearly 200 CEO's to put workers before shareholders. Boston Globe business correspondent Shirley Leung discussed how trade wars are affecting manufacturing in western Massachusetts. Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther examined Boston's latest big little trend: micro hotels. Novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux discussed his forthcoming book,* On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey*. Zachary Robinson and Matt Kurtzman, two of the founders of Short Path Distillery in Everett, joined us for a weekly news quiz.

Meat, dairy and eggs have been challenged by alternative plant-based products that mimic the taste and texture of animal products. Now, a company called Atomo Molecular Coffee is trying to create the perfect cup of joe without using the coffee bean. Why would brewing a cup of coffee without the beans be a good idea? Coffee bean production largely contributes to deforestation, food writer Corby Kummer said on Boston Public Radio Thursday. "It is to prevent the environmental destruction that clear-cutting forests to grow coffee causes," Kummer said. "Farmers all across Central and South America, and even Africa and Vietnam, take these great rainforests and clear-cut everything. They're creating all sort of environmental destruction that lasts for decades. The land dries out, it becomes unproductive, but they're just producing coffee as a cash-crop in the meantime," he said. Atomo hasn't yet made it completely clear how they're producing coffee bean-less coffee, Kummer said. "What's unclear is how they are c

Chuck Todd discussed President Donald Trump's recent accusations against Jewish Americans and other political headlines. Todd is Moderator of Meet the Press, host of Meet the Press Daily on MSNBC, and the Political Director for NBC News. We opened the lines to get listener opinions on the prospect of a Rep. Joe Kennedy III run against Sen. Edward Markey for his seat. Andrea Cabral discussed criminal justice reform plans of presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Cabral is a former Suffolk County Sheriff, former secretary of Public safety, CEO of Ascend. Ali Noorani discussed a sweeping lawsuit against the Trump administration over poor medical care in immigration centers. Noorani is Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed the rise and fall of seafood kingpin, the Codfather. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam discovered ASMR and shared its wonders with Margery Eagan and Jared Bowen. Jonathan Alsop of the Boston Wine School tasted us