Boston Public Radio Podcast

Naturalist Sy Montgomery discuses the elephants of the New Bedford Zoo and a blue octopus that made headlines last week.GOP Senate hopeful John Deaton stops by to discuss why he’s hoping to unseat Senator Markey in November. FRONTLINE producer/writer Mike Wiser discusses their latest film "The War Cabinet."National security expert Juliette Kayyem on a rise in deaths and suicides at ICE detention centers.Jody Adams and Billy Shore zoom in from Bend, Oregon to talk about their Chefs Cycle Ride.And we end the show with an ode to outdoor dining, beach days… and confrontations with seagulls. Have you ever been accosted by a fry-hungry gull? Do you have tips for avoiding these rat birds?

BPR Full Show 6/2: MA Governor Answers Listener Questions

NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell and Trenni Casey fill infor Jim and Margery today. They talk to:Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner on a judge stopping Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund. Princeton's Khalil Gibran Muhammad on new data showing non-white students are the largest share of U.S. college enrollment. Former Massachusetts education secretary Paul Reville on AI use in schools, and planned layoffs at public schools.Tufts food policy expert Corby Kummer on the millions of people losing access to food benefits, and what was behind the collapse of veggie fast food chain Clover.

BPR Full Show 5/29: Is Summer Too Expensive?

BPR Full Show 5/28: Butter Up The Boss

National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses Pope Leo's encyclical on AI and humanity, and the latest on war with Iran.Legal scholar Lawrence Lessig discusses election reform.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins for this month's Ask the Mayor.

BPR Full Show 5/26: The "Dumocrats"

BPR Full Show 5/22: What Went Wrong At Boston’s Croft School?

Political analyst Chuck Todd looks ahead to the November midterms and discusses the immense scope of Trump's grift and corruption.Former Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral discusses a recent WSJ piece looking into the erosion of trust in the justice system, and how it's playing out in jury trials.Environmentalist Bill McKibben discusses the "reorganization" of the forest service under Trump 2.0 and one of the World Cup's biggest sponsors: big oil.NPR's Eric Deggans discusses Colbert's legacy on The Late Show.

BPR Full Show 5/20: Trump Corruption... Again

CNN's John King on national politics.NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey discusses the climate catastrophes that are major sporting events like FIFA, and the insane cost to stream every NFL game this season.Chef Laurence Louie and Rary Ratsifa, co-owners of Rubato in Quincy, join us to discuss Louie's current Top Chef run.Joe Kennedy III discusses his relationship with Jason Collins, the first NBA player to come out as gay while playing in the league.

BPR Full Show 5/18: A Convo With Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley & Her Father

BPR Full Show 5/15: Wooden Leg Saves A Life

BPR Full Show 5/14: Trump’s Late-Night Posts

Dan Primak, Axios business editor, joins for a rundown of the latest business headlines, including the latest debate over taxing carried interest.Brian Shortsleeve is a Republican candidate for Governor. He joins us to talk about why he’s running against the Mass GOP-endorsed candidate, Mike Minogue, and why he thinks he can beat incumbent Gov. Maura Healey.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem gives the latest on Monday's shooting in Cambridge. And a special live music Wednesday with Grammy-winning singer Sonja Tengblad.Then, we open the phone lines to wax poetic about the deliciousness of the mango.

BPR Full Show 5/12: Ask The Attorney General

GLP-1 drugs are revolutionizing healthcare, treating addiction and heart disease in addition to obesity and diabetes. Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett joins us for a deep dive into the pros and cons of the Ozempic Era. And, we open the phone and text lines to hear from you about how you’re using GLP-1s. Then, Princeton University professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad on the growing momentum of the American Association of University Professors – the academic union fighting against Trump. We re-air our conversation with retired DC Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone. And end the show will calls about the end of Spirit Airlines and cost of summer travel.

Ahead of Mother’s Day, we open the phone lines to hear what the holiday means to you. It can be a celebration, or more complicated. Or, just an excuse to get brunch. How do you make time to connect with the women in your life?Then, The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols on the U.S. attempted oil blockade in Iran. And violinist and disability advocate Gaelynn Lea performs for Live Music Friday. NBC10 Boston's Sue O’Connell delivers the real news from the Met Gala, and discusses how Lowell residents are the first to put up a battle against data centers.

Henry Winkler zooms in at the top of the show ahead of his Emerson Commencement address this weekend.Auditor Diana DiZoglio and attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan join in Studio 3 on the heels of their SJC hearing yesterday; AG Campbell will be on the show next week.Andrea Cabral discusses the release of Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide note, by a federal judge ... and, the latest on redistricting across the country.Shirley Leung discusses her latest reporting on the Croft School collapse and the Mass income tax.

Li Fung, the top UN human rights official in Sudan, discusses the humanitarian crisis there amid civil war and starvation.C.L. Fornari, aka The Garden Lady, joins us at the library to discuss her new book "Hydrangea Happiness" and all things in the garden this spring.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem joins at the library to discuss the latest in Iran. And, and how Trump's sons landed a massive Pentagon deal, flaunting corruption at the highest level of our government.

John King joins via zoom to discuss a cracking MAGA coalition over affordability and foreign wars, and the 4.3 million Americans no longer receiving food stamps.Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Mass, discusses the SCOTUS decision on voting rights act, their temporary stay on mifepristone in the mail.Trenni Casey, anchor/reporter NBC Sports Boston, discusses Cherie DeVaux's historic Kentucky Derby win and how the Celtics got knocked out of the first-round of the playoffs. Plus, the death of Yankees broadcaster John Sterling.

The Guardian's Margaret Sullivan discusses global press freedom ratings at their lowest in a quarter century.Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers talks the mifepristone manufacturers petitioning SCOTUS to restore full access to the medication, and the millions of Americans dropping from Obamacare in the wake of subsidy expirations.Brandon Terry, author of "Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope: A Tragic Vision of the Civil Rights Movement" discusses his work — a warning that we romanticize the battles of that era at our peril.Clementina Chéry of the Louis D. Brown Pease Institute zooms in ahead of the 30th annual Mothers Day Walk for Peace on May 10.

Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey co-hosts with Jim and Margery today. With guests: Michael Patrick MacDonald, the author of "All Souls: Memoir of a Family From Southie."Live Music Friday with local Americana, folk and rock singer-songwriter Jesse Ahern.Michael Fanone is a former DC Metropolitan police officer who was injured in the J-6 attack on the Capitol. He joins us. And on this May Day, Chrissy Lynch, head of the AFL-CIO of Massachusetts, talks about working class politics.

BPR Full Show: Margery Runs The Show

Food policy expert Corby Kummer on Boston's love for foie gras ... and the simultaneous rise of 'recession meals' that destigmatize home cooking on a budget.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses her latest reporting on the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting and new State Department rules that would deny visas to those who fear returning home.Conductor Keith Lockhart discusses the Boston Pops spring season.And for our final Long Run series, we talk about porta-potty sustainability with Rachel Binstock of Wasted*.

BPR Full Show 4/28: Governor Healey & Mayor Wu Answer Your Questions

Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner discusses SCOTUS' hypocrisy on trans student rights and other legal headlines.USA Today's Susan Page was at the White House Correspondent's Dinner over the weekend when an gunman tried to rush the event. She shares her experience, and talks about her new book on Queen Elizabeth.Tufts Fletcher School professor Daniel Drezner discusses the state of conflict and diplomatic attempts in Iran.Then we look at the British monarchy through rose-colored glasses.

For this week's Press Play media analysis, GBH's Adam Reilly and Callie Crossley discuss the backlash from journalists on McClatchy's new AI news tool and the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Live Music Friday with Jackie O’Riley and Seán Clohessy, organizers of the Tunes on the Charles festival.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the "angry young women" driving men into the arms of cougars, and Lesbian Visibility Week.Boston Globe reporter David Abel discusses his new short film, The Petal Pusher, an ode to NYC's Penn Station and one of its longest-running businesses.

BPR Full Show 4/23/26: Knives And Tools Dot Com

MIT's Jon Gruber discusses 20 years of Romneycare, of which he was a key architect.ACLU of Mass' Carol Rose discusses their lawsuit challenging Trump's efforts to get unredacted voter rolls in the state.Marc Morial of the National Urban League and Rahsaan Hall of Urban League of Eastern Mass join to discuss their organization's support of "clean slate" legislation — criminal justice reform that would automatically seal records for eligible candidates.Judy Pitasi joins us for today's Long Run segment; she oversees a team of 200 volunteers cleaning up after Boston Marathon runners.

NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey gives a Marathon recap and updates us with the latest on the Pat's coach Mike Vrabel drama.Rich Davey, CEO of Massport, discusses how the war with Iran is impacting local travel costs around jet fuel and flight prices.CNN's John King joins us for the latest national political headlines, including Senate primaries and Kash Patel suing The Atlantic for an article about his heavy drinking and absences.Nicole Nguyen, personal tech columnist at the Wall Street Journal, joins us to discuss her latest reporting on what AI really knows about you, and an onslaught of software updates you don't want to ignore.

BPL president David Leonard, Jay Moschella, manager of rare books and manuscripts, and Garrett Dash Nelson, curator of the Leventhal Map Center, discuss the library's exhibit of rare printings of the Declaration of Independence.Tracy Bonham joins with a string quartet for Live Music Friday ahead of a show this weekend at the Burren.Abdallah Fayyad of the Boston Globe and NBC10's Sue O'Connell join us for Press Play to talk about Pete Hegseth's latest Tarantino-inspired prayer service and other media analysis.Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming and BAA high performance team member Robert Miranda join for a marathon preview.

BPR Full Show 4/16: Pilots Just Wanna Have Fun

Cannabis Control Commission chair Shannon O'Brien discusses the state of the marijuana industry in Mass.Kade Crockford of the ACLU of Mass joins for a discussion about protest safety and data privacy in our surveillance era.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses Viktor Orban's defeat in Hungary and lessons against illiberalism more broadly. Plus, thoughts on Hegseth's Holy War and U.S. officials going toe to toe with the pope.And, we talk to Anna McKeown of DreamFar and Jim Keane of Boston Bulldogs run clubs.

CNN's John King zooming in to discuss national political headlines.Michael Alosco, co-director of clinical research at the BU CTE Center, discusses his work researching biomarker development for CTE and long-term effectives of repetitive head impacts.Michael Prysner leads the Center on Conscience & War, he zooms in to discuss the massive uptick in military personnel reaching out to his organization seeking to become conscientious objectors in the war in Iran.Bertil Jean-Chronberg of Bonde Wine Shop in Harvard Square joins us for a discussion and taste test of Vermont wines.

Imran Riza is UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon. He zooms in from Beirut to discuss a growing humanitarian crisis there, ahead of negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials this week.Paul Reville, former MA education secretary, on the 'Mississippi Miracle' and cuts to Boston Public Schools and other districts across the state.Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory discusses the prevalence of AI in newsrooms, the student protest movement under Trump 2.0 and the Globe's latest reporting on Sandra Birchmore.NEPM hosts Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith zoom in to celebrate 4-1-3 Day.

Cuban journalist Daniel Montero zooms in from Havana to talk about the humanitarian crisis there. At the library, we talk with Sylvia Rozwadowska, the owner of Colibri travel company which leads tours to Cuba, and Michelle Wojcik, a Cuban art gallerist from Rhode Island.And, it’s Live Music Friday – the Handel and Haydn society perform some of Handel’s Water Music, ahead of two shows this weekend at Symphony Hall.Then, NPR's Pentagon Reporter Tom Bowman zooms in for "Press Play" to discuss covering the war in Iran, Pete Hegseth's disdain for journalists and more.

BPR Full Show 4/9: Former Secretary John Kerry And The Iran War

Tufts International Politics professor Daniel Drezner discusses the latest developments in Iran, after President Trump announced last night there would be a two-week cease fire.Naturalist Sy Montgomery explains how New Hampshire's new turtle tunnels are reducing amphibian and reptile road mortality rates.Lyndia Downie, executive director at Pine Street Inn, discusses how they've been expanding transitional housing, and how the city's unhoused population fared during a particularly cold winter. Boston Athletic Association's Scott Stover discusses Boston Marathon sustainability efforts.

BPR Full Show 4/7: Trump Threatens Iran

We check back in with two Boston-based Black business owners to about the reality of doing business with the city and the Commonwealth: Ricardo Pierre Louis, the Founder & CEO of Privé Parking, and Rose Staram, owner and founder of RoseMark Production.MIT economist Jon Gruber discusses the long-term economic impacts of a war in Iran.Mitchell Garabedian, renowned Catholic Sex scandal victims' attorney and advocate, joins with a survivor of the Catholic Sex Scandal, Dr. Herbert Brennan, to discuss a new report out of Rhode Island.GBH’s Jared Bowen reviews The Outsiders, now playing in Boston.

Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the NYT, zooms in for Press Play.Poet Robert Pinsky performs for Live Music Friday.NBC10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses SCOTUS' ruling against a conversion therapy ban.And Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther zooms in to praise Peeps marshmallows.

BPR Full Show 4/2: AITA For Asking What's For Lunch?

Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung and business reporter Jon Chesto join to discuss their recent stories at the paper: income tax cuts, Mass Pike rest stops, and the likelihood Boston will truly be a women's sports town.National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the communities fighting against ICE's expanding detention footprint, and the recent IDF action against a CNN crew in the West Bank.Axios business editor Dan Primack discusses rising gas prices, the Pentagon's AI push, and Jeff Bezos seeking to buy up manufacturing companies and accelerate their automation.And we talk to Yuly Fuentes-Medel,  executive director of The Footwear Collective, a non-profit devoted to building circular solutions for the footwear industry, and program director of MIT’s Climate Project, about how to make running shoes more eco-friendly.

BPR Full Show 3/31: Gas Prices And Travel

Princeton University professor of African American Studies and Public Affairs, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, discusses the Trump admin's newest investigations into Harvard. And we check in on the broader higher ed crackdown.Tufts food policy expert Corby Kummer explains how the war in Iran is impacting your grocery bill, and how Big Food continues to push back against the MAHA food policy agenda. Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner preview's the birthright citizenship case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court this week, and weighs in on the case of a 98-year-old federal judge who won't give up her seat.

Gov. Maura Healey joins for "Ask the Governor," answering our questions and yours. Then, it's Live Music Friday with bassist Oscar Stagnaro and the band Triad.Finally, Rebecca Winter of 50501 previews the Boston No Kings rally this weekend.

BPR Full Show 3/26: DHS Shutdown & TSA Lines

Attorney General Andrea Campbell joins for "Ask the AG."Salt Lick Incubator artists Dani Offline and Claire Ernst perform ahead of a show in Concord.Dropkick Murphy's Ken Casey stops by to discuss the band's political legacy and playing at the No Kings protests this weekend.

Michael Curry discusses the growing life expectancy gap between Black residents and other Bostonians — the gap has doubled over the past decade.John King discusses the latest national political headlines.Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses the rise in sepsis cases in Mass., and the rise in IV drip bars in BostonBobbi Gibb in person discusses her legacy as the first woman to run Boston Marathon.