Today: 

Live music with the Black Hole Symphony, performing “Mars Symphony,” ahead of a December 14th show with the New England Philharmonic.

And two co-founders of 404 Media, Jason Koebler and Emanuel Maiberg, discuss their independent journalism outlet, and reporting at the intersection of surveillance, artificial intelligence, and immigration policy.

Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner is among dozens of former judges calling out the targeted and intentional deterioration of the rule of law in the U.S. court system

Andrea Cabral, former public safety secretary, discusses Trump's targeting of Somali migrants including Rep. Ilhan Omar

Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of Yale School of Public Health, discusses myriad public health issues: a vaccine advisory panel meeting today, the latest on mass shootings/gun violence, and restoring trust in public health/scientific institutions

Congressman Bill Keating discusses Admiral Bradley's appearance before the Senate to answer questions about the Sept. 2 boat strikes

Adam Gardner & David Schnieder reunite in Studio 3 as The LeeVees, their Hanukkah themed band

Today:

Adam Gardner of Guster and David Schneider of The Zambonis are also members of The LeeVees – a band that exclusively performs songs about Hanukkah. They grace us with some live music in Studio 3.

And, Massachusetts Congressman Bill Keating discusses the latest news related to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – Signalgate and Venezuelan boat strikes.

The Culture Show's Jared Bowen discusses Wicked: For Good, the latest AI-generated pop song, plus, his art-filled tour of Berlin.

National security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the war crimes allegations against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And her thoughts on the attack on national guardsmen in D.C.

Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace Boston and Rev. Jay Williams of Union Combined Parish discuss their big plans for the upcoming MLK weekend and for the nation's 250th anniversary.

Evan Horowitz of Tufts' Center for State Policy Analysis joins for a year-end roundup of state policy challenges: Medicaid work requirements, fiscal pressure on municipalities, and his new class at Tufts, "AI and the Future of American Politics."

Today:

Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University’s Tisch College, discusses the state's economy, the certified ballot questions for 2026's election, and more.

CNN chief national correspondent John King with the latest national political headlines

Conductor Keith Lockhart discusses the Boston Holiday Pops 2025 season, which kicks off this week

Actor Ethan Hawke zooms in ahead of his event tomorrow with Jared at the Coolidge

Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation discusses the organization's One+ mortgage program, and housing affordability more broadly

Today:

Actor Ethan Hawke zooms into BPR ahead of an event at the Coolidge Corner Theater this week. His latest film is "Blue Moon."

Massachusetts is considering new regulations for elderly home care. We talk with Mass League of Community Health Center’s Michael Curry about that, and the latest on rising health insurance costs as Affordable Care Act subsidies sunset. 

Tufts food policy analyst Corby Kummer breaks down the rising costs of pantry staples bananas and even… pasta. Plus, he’ll tell us why Bostonians pay some of the highest prices in the country for their daily caffeine fix. 

Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discusses her argument for stable housing and why it's vital for keeping people healthy. And, she explains what the latest CDC vaccine changes mean for people in Massachusetts. 

Plus, we remember English playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard and revisit our 2019 interview with him at Tanglewood. 

The Trump administration is imposing new restrictions on all refugees from Afghanistan after an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC last week. We check in with Fariba, an Afghan refugee with U.S. citizenship, about what that means for her community. And we talk with Xan Weber of the International Institute of New England about the impact on refugee communities.

Today:

 After an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC last week, the Trump administration is imposing new restrictions on all refugees from Afghanistan. We check in with Fariba, an Afghan refugee with US citizenship, about what that means for her community. And, we talk with Alexandra Weber of the International Institute of New England about the impact on refugee communities.

Today:

Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of the War on Cars podcast join to discuss their new book "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile"