Being a working parent can be a rewarding joy, but it’s also an endless challenge. This week, Say More is happy to share its first LIVE show, recorded from the Boston Globe’s inaugural Working Mothers Summit in Boston. In the episode, Shirley talks to Mayor Michelle Wu about her decision to parent in public, even bringing baby Mira on stage. Then, Shirley sits down with state Attorney General Andrea Campbell about her office’s efforts to reign in social media - for the health and safety of kids. Email us at [email protected]

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Canadian Journalist Stephen Marche says he’s experiencing the most powerful moment of Canadian politics in his lifetime. The trigger has been Donald Trump’s presidency and his antagonistic stance towards Canada, one of the US’s closest historic allies and trading partners. On this episode of Say More, Shirley talks to Marche about the ways Canadians are reacting to Trump’s aggression, their fear and heartbreak, and what the future holds for Canada in a new political world order. Email us at [email protected].

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Massachusetts has one of the oldest and most successful publicly run lottery systems in the country. It shouldn’t surprise you that per adult, MA residents spend more on the lottery than any other state, by a wide margin. But if you dig into the numbers, the problems with the lottery system start to become visible - tickets are more likely to be bought by low-income people, and the revenue that’s generated is not distributed fairly. On Say More this week, Shirley is joined by Ian Coss, host of the new 8-part GBH podcast Scratch and Win, to talk about the history, present, and future of the Mass Lottery. Also on the show is Esmy Jimenez, a Boston Globe reporter who covers the racial wealth gap. She has a recent investigation on who spends the most on the Mass Lottery and where the money goes. Email us at [email protected]. 

To see Esmy’s investigative reporting on the Mass Lottery, click here: 

Mass. residents are the biggest lottery players in the US. But the wealth isn’t shared equitably.

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Former New York Times Beijing bureau chief Jane Perlez will pay $1 million to whoever knows what President Trump will do when it comes to China. Ok, not really, but Jane says Trump’s plans are hugely important, and anyone’s guess. Jane is now a fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and is the host of the podcast, Face-Off: The U.S. vs China. This week on Say More, Jane talks to The Boston Globe’s editorial page editor Jim Dao about why China is so important to the U.S., and what she thinks might happen between the two super powers. Email us at [email protected].

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was called to Washington this week to answer questions about Boston’s so-called "sanctuary city” status. At a Congressional hearing, she, and 3 other blue-city mayors, were grilled by Republicans who say that Boston’s lack of collaboration with federal immigration officials puts residents in danger. Wu refuted this point, and defended her policies. On Say More this week, host Shirley Leung talks to Globe national political reporter Jim Puzzanghera about the politics of the hearing and Wu’s performance. Shirley also talks to Globe Opinion columnist Marcela Garcia about how the city’s immigrants are dealing with the political machinations in Washington. Email us at [email protected]. 

Read Jim Puzzanghera’s coverage here: 

“‘Give ‘em hell Michelle’: Mayor Wu stayed calm and combative during her first congressional hearing on immigration”

Read Shirley’s column on Wu’s performance here: 

“Don’t mess with Boston. In the lion’s den of Congress, Michelle Wu was formidable and fearless.”

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The first days of the COVID pandemic feel like a movie looking back: we watched in horror as the virus ravaged China, Italy, and Iran - and wondered if we would be next. Now, five years later, we know what happened: the economy suffered from a prolonged shutdown, more than one million Americans died, and political polarization reached an all-time high. One person leading us through the chaos was physician Ashish Jha, the Dean of the Brown School of Public Health. He was a regular contributor to TV and radio news throughout the pandemic, and later worked for the Biden White House on COVID policy. This week on Say More, Ashish offers a mea culpa, saying health experts failed the public during the pandemic. He says they need to learn from their mistakes, because the next pandemic is around the corner. Email us at [email protected]. 

To read Ahish Jha’s latest article in the Boston Globe, click here.

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The story of Sandra Birchmore may never have made headlines if it wasn’t for Laura Crimaldi, a Boston Globe reporter who spent years following the trail of Birchmore’s life and tragic death. While Birchmore’s death was originally ruled as a suicide, follow up investigations showed she was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a married Stoughton police officer, starting when she was a minor. This new line of investigation uncovered years of mistreatment by multiple officers and had Sandra’s loved ones asking why nothing was done to protect Sandra while she was alive. Guest host Jazmin Aguilera speaks to Globe reporters Laura Crimaldi and Yvonne Abraham about what it took to unravel this story. Email us at [email protected]. 

Read Laura and Yvonne’s stories here: 

Chapter 1:  Sandra Birchmore put her trust in the police. They broke it. 

Chapter 2: Investigators assumed Sandra Birchmore took her own life. What did they miss?

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Michelle Wu is the first Boston Mayor to have a baby while in elected office, and while it was unprecedented, it wasn’t much of a news story. Pregnancy is increasingly normalized for powerful women, which is a sign of progress. But Wu’s decision to forgo maternity leave brings up important questions about the politics of motherhood: Can a champion of paid family leave justify not taking it herself? Is having a baby an asset or a liability on the campaign trail? Three working mothers – Globe columnists Shirley Leung and Joan Vennochi, and Say More producer Anna Kusmer – unpack the debate. Listen to “Say More” episodes at globe.com/saymore and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like the show, please follow us and leave us a review. You can email us at [email protected].

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Surveys show that more and more Americans put down the bottle this January to try out drinking less. For some people, the goal was sobriety, and for others, moderation. Researchers are finding that alcohol consumption is going down in general across the population after spiking during the pandemic. Helping the cause are some stark recommendations from top health officials saying alcohol can cause cancer. Shirley takes a trip to a non-alcoholic bottle shop in Boston to try some mocktails, and later talks to Dr. Scott Hadland, who is a substance use specialist at Mass General for Children. Email us at [email protected].

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Writer Jenny Boylan is perplexed about why trans people “finding their peace” has resulted in such outrage from much of the American public. She moves forward in the only way she knows how: by continuing to write and tell stories about the humanity of the trans experience. Jenny transitioned 25 years ago and in that time she has seen the culture change dramatically when it comes to treatment of trans people. In some ways it’s gotten better, and in some ways it’s gotten worse. Jenny talks to editorial page editor Jim Dao about this scary moment in American politics and her new book, “Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us.” Email us at [email protected].

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