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Boston Public Radio Podcast

Join hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for a smart local conversation with leaders and thinkers shaping Boston and New England. We feature our favorite conversation from each show. To hear the full show, please visit wgbhnews.org/bpr. To share your opinion, email bpr@wgbh.org or call/text 877-301-8970 during the live broadcast from 11AM-2PM

  • Today:Trump's fascistic comments on the campaign trail are raising critical questions about what could happen if he loses the election, again. We talk it through with former Massachusetts public safety secretary Andrea Cabral.And, homelessness in Boston is on the rise – affecting about 11,000 young people in this city. We’ll talk with Elisabeth Jackson, president and CEO of the nonprofit Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and Richard Brunson, a retired clinical coordinator, about the challenges – and services available – to homeless youth.
  • Chuck Todd discussed his weekly D.C. roundup, a week and a half out from the electionWe opened the lines to discuss two local ballot questionsAndrea Cabral on the very-real possibility that Trump won’t accept an election loss, and what that means for the future of our small-d democratic system.Jinx Monsoon & BenDeLaCreme previewed this year’s edition of the Jinx & Dela Holiday show, coming to Boston December 2nd.Bridge Over Troubled Waters CEO Elisabeth Jackson and retired Clinical Coordinator Richard Brunson joined for a conversation about youth homelessness in BostonFor this week's AITA, we debated who the a-hole was on a nearly empty train.
  • First, your thoughts on Trump's latest comments about Hitler and a former general calling him a fascist. Jared Bowen, GBH executive arts editor, discusses AI operas and Manet at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.Michael Curry of the NAACP & Mass League of Community Health Centers discusses the gender gap in health center visits and Biden's last minute push for OTC birth control insurance coverage.Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, discusses what both political parties get wrong about Latinos, and his book "The Latino Century."We read texts on the fall of Rudy Guiliani.Boston Globe travel writer Christopher Muther discusses the new citizenM hotel and a Land of Oz hidden in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Then, we ask what lengths you would go to retrieve a lost cell phone.
  • Today: We talk with Mike Madrid, a co-founder of the anti-Trump Republican group Lincoln Project, and author of “The Latino Century”And, new rules proposed by the outgoing Biden administration that would make over-the-counter birth control free for insured Americans. We talk with Michael curry, CEO of the Mass League of Community Health Centers, about this -- and the sexism at play in this election.
  • Today:NBC Sports Boston's Trenni Casey discusses the botched rollout of Boston's new National Womens Soccer League team, the Bos Nation FC, with their "too many balls" ad campaign.And, media maven Sue O'Connell -- who was at the Karen Read trial for NBC10 -- discusses the network's Dateline episode about John O'Keefe's death and the murder charges against Karen Read.
  • We opened the lines to discuss how close the election is and if the country is ready to elect a woman Trenni Casey, NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter, discussed the NWSL Boston's botched new team name rollout and the Patriots gone softSue O'Connell, political commentator NBC10, discussed the Karen Read Dateline episodeAhead of Susan G Komen's annual More Than Pink fundraiser this weekend, we talked with two local doctors Julie Palmer and Ann Partridge about breast cancer awareness and researchCNN's John King discussed the latest national political headlinesWe ended the show by talking about hugs
  • Today:W pull back the curtain on the legislature’s transportation committee with outgoing chair Rep. William Straus, and former assistant transportation secretary Chris Dempsey,And, a robust debate over lunch – we open the lines to ask listeners if they’re among the nearly 20% of Boston workers who say they skip lunch.
  • Brian McGrory, head of BU Journalism, discusses Trump's behavior at his latest string of rallies, and the lack of public information available on the death of the State Police recruit.Then we open the phone and text lines to get your election thoughts two weeks until election day. Charlie Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, discusses the killing of Yahya Sinwar and what it means for conflict in the Middle East.Chris Dempsey of Speck Dempsey urban planning & Rep. William Straus, outgoing chair of the legislature's Transportation Committee, discuss transit-oriented headlines on derailments, rail links, congestion studies, and e-bike injuries.For our text question of the day: after decades of ruling the NFL, how have you adjusted to the Patriot’s fall from grace?Khalil Gibran Muhammad, professor of History Race and Public Policy at Harvard, discusses the school's decision to ban more than 12 students from the library over a silent "study-in" anti-war protest in objection over Israel's military actions in the Middle East — and the professors who demonstrated in their defense.Almost a fifth of workers in Boston skip their lunch breaks altogether. Are you someone who respects the sacred work lunch break, or are you shoveling food while on the job?
  • We had our Ballot Question 1 debate with Mary Connaughton from the Pioneer Institute arguing yes, and political science professor Jerold Duquette arguing no.Adam Ezra for Live Music Friday performed and talked about his work raising hundreds for homeless veterans.Gina McCarthy & Johanna Neumann discussed the stakes for this November’s election as it relates to climate action.Comedian Jenny Slate talked about her new book called LIFEFORM.
  • Today:BPR hosts a debate on Ballot Question 1, which would grant the state auditor authority to audit the finances and workings of the legislature. Mary Connaughton, director of government transparency and COO at the Pioneer Institute, argues for YES on 1. Jerold Duquette, professor of political science at Central Connecticut State University and co-founder of MassPoliticsProfs.org, argues for NO on 1.
  • Today:Roxana Rivera, co-chair of the Yes on 3 coalition and Assistant to the President at 32BJ SEIU, joins to discuss Ballot Question 3 - which would allow rideshare drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft to collectively bargain for better working conditions. Mass Fiscal Alliance wrote the opposition memo for this ballot question in the Secretary of State's voter guidebook, but no group formally launched an opposition to it. Mass Fiscal declined BPR's request to debate the issue.
  • Roxanna Rivera joins as a representative for Yes on 3 and United Justice. She makes the case for ballot question 3, which would allow ride share workers the right to unionize. Representatives from the group Mass. Fiscal Alliance, who wrote the official language for the “no” side, say they are not a ballot question committee and declined our invitation to join. Then we opened the phone lines to hear from listeners about how they plan to vote.Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral reacts to Nebraska’s high court ruling in favor of allowing people with felony records to vote. She also discussed the latest death-row case out of Texas involving a man who advocates say was falsely accused.Mass Education Sec. Patrick Tutwiler joins for his first-ever interview with Jim & Margery. He talks about why he's in favor of keeping MCAS graduation requirements, plans to divvy out $20 million for early literacy, and efforts to bolster student mental health support. Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins with reflections on Harris’ interview Brett Baier on Fox and the state’s new liquor license law and violence in the Middle East.Then it's Am I the A-hole day.