Say More (The Boston Globe)

Today, we’re sharing the first episode of the brand new podcast Spotlight: Snitch City, produced by The Boston Globe's award-winning Spotlight team. In this specific episode, you’ll find yourself on the docks of New Bedford, Massachusetts, hearing whispers about a rogue police officer harassing fishermen and stealing drugs, all of which come to a head one late night aboard a scalloping boat. The officer forces his way on board, saying an informant told him there would be drugs on board, and demands some. But when another officer, Mark Raposo, shows up, he thinks his colleague is in the middle of a “drug rip.” Now Raposo is ready to blow the whistle on what he’s seen. And it turns out that this officer’s abuse of the informant system is just the tip of the iceberg in this historic port city. To listen to the rest of the series, follow Spotlight: Snitch City here: https://link.chtbl.com/tTLbVzKf?sid=SayMore

When it comes to the war on drugs, you could say the police are addicted to confidential informants. That’s the conclusion of a new Boston Globe Spotlight investigation into the pervasive and shadowy world of this police practice that is widely used and barely regulated. The story starts in New Bedford Massachusetts, where use of informants has had dramatic consequences. This week on Say More, podcast host Jazmin Aguilera speaks to Spotlight reporters Dugan Arnett and Andrew Ryan about their investigation and their new podcast series “Snitch City”.  Email us at saymore@globe.com.  For links to the Snitch City investigation, click here.

This week Shirley ventures outside the studio and visits local restaurant owner Irene Li to make dumplings together for Lunar New Year. Irene is co-founder of Mei Mei Dumplings in South Boston. Shirley and Irene share their memories of celebrating Lunar New Year as children and their relationship with Chinese-American culture. Irene talks about the state of the restaurant industry and how she wants to make it better. Email us as saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Saymore@globe.com.  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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are living in a time of deep uncertainty, marked by global conflicts, economic anxiety, and societal divisions. No wonder we're so uneasy. Founder and host of the “On Being” podcast Krista Tippett says these uncertain times require a larger spiritual quest for meaning and stillness in modern life. We inhabit a noisy, distracting world of Slacks and texts, and we need to learn how to get quiet. It’s surprisingly hard, and Krista shares her own journey managing burnout and “befriending reality” in all its glorious messiness. Then she sends listeners off with a benediction on burnout. Email us at Saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Globe’s Brian Bergstein will be joining Say More about once a month to host conversations  about artificial intelligence, with the aim of asking big questions and getting past the hype. This week, Brian speaks to computer scientist Joy Buolamwini about her new book, “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines.” Buolamwini says technology that has a harder time recognizing Black faces should not be used by our government, and that the solution to AI bias is not “more AI.” She also talks about the organization she founded, the Algorithmic Justice League, and what she calls the “poetry of code.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If things had gone differently, right now Boston would be swarmed with athletes and spectators from around the world for the 2024 Summer Olympics. A coordinated grassroots campaign in 2015 shut down a bid to host the games. It turns out - Boston isn’t alone. Movements in cities around the world have since blocked local efforts to host the games. This week on Say More, Shirley talks to political scientist Jules Boykoff about the politics of the Olympics - especially the “no” campaigns. Jules watched all the drama play out in Boston, and still thinks about what happened. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a big election, it’s easy to point to all the things the winners did right and the losers did wrong. But where does the Democratic Party go from here? Globe writers James Pindell and Adrian Walker say there’s hope for Democrats in the future, but they need to find a way to reconnect with their voters. Shirley asks why more Black voters were drawn to Trump, whether a woman can ever be elected president in America, and what national trends might mean for the political landscape in Massachusetts. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Usually it’s easy to tell a con artist’s motivations. Some do it for money, power or access. Some, however, do it for reasons hard to understand. The Boston Globe recently exposed an incomprehensible con: a 33-year old-woman who posed as a destitute teenage high school student. Her name is Shelby Hewitt. She enrolled in public high school under different names and created the identities of two social workers to legitimize a fake harrowing backstory. But last year it all came crashing down, leaving more questions than answers. Boston Globe reporter Patricia Wen talked to dozens of people who knew Shelby and were affected by her crimes. In this episode, Say More guest host Jazmin Aguilera sits down with Patricia to talk about what this story reveals about Boston institutions and systemic failure. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  To read Patricia Wen’s original reporting, follow these links:  The secret lives of Shelby Hewitt, 32-year-old high school imposter ‘I lied to you about something big’: Confessions of Shelby Hewitt, high school imposter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everyone’s afraid to fail, but today’s guest says we shouldn’t be. In fact, we should welcome it. Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson says that “failure isn’t final” and that it’s often the first step toward great ideas and innovation. She tells Shirley that the most successful people fail more, not less, than the rest of us. Amy also shares the concept of “psychological safety,:— an essential feature of successful teams — which is created by a culture of sharing and accepting failure. To practice failure herself, Shirley decides to take up basketball and she learns about a useful office supply that would never have been invented without failure. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Men and boys are less likely to excel in high school or go to college. They are more likely to get hooked on drugs or die of suicide. More broadly, boys and men are at a crossroads. While the #MeToo movement has provided a needed global reckoning for women and girls, it left boys with a long list of “don’ts” without enough “dos.” This week on Say More, author and scholar Richard Reeves talks to Shirley Leung about how this cultural vacuum leaves boys vulnerable to reactionary figures, such as Andrew Tate and other ‘manfluencers.’ He gives Shirley advice on how to prepare her sons for the world. Reeves is president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and author of the book “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since the founding of the Republic, Greater Boston has been a center of American thought, culture, politics, innovation, and science. On Say More, longtime Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung builds on that grand tradition by bringing you intimate conversations with the doers and thinkers behind the biggest ideas and debates of our time. Find us online at bostonglobe.com/opinion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Boston-based Frontline has been making documentaries for 40 years, and this year, they took home their first Academy Award for their documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”. The documentary is a first-hand account of the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the winter of 2022. The documentary contains gripping and heartbreaking stories of war. It also is a work of journalism, documenting the facts of war. Shirley talks to Frontline’s Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath about this film and what it takes to make documentaries that wake people up. Raney shares the game-changing media strategy sparked by her teenage son. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  Watch “20 Days in Mariupol” on the PBS website or on YouTube.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joan Donovan first saw extremism up close more than 20 years ago as the vocalist of a punk band in the Boston underground scene — when she got punched in the face by a neo-Nazi. Today, Joan is a sociologist at Harvard who studies disinformation and how it colors American society, including the outsized influence that white supremacists and other fringe groups hold in online forums and social media. With the 2024 presidential cycle already begun, what can the public — and the media — do to combat disinformation and limit the reach of bad actors? Find us online at globe.com/opinion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do Richard Nixon, Thomas Paine, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? All of them pushed for guaranteed income programs, where the government would just give people money on a regular basis. So that idea has been around for a long time. But it's now being tested and adopted in cities all over the country — with the prospect that AI-driven automation will force humans to find new ways to learn a living. Today's guest, Jill Shah, helped lead and fund what was, at the time, the country’s largest guaranteed income pilot: 2,000 families in Chelsea, Mass., just north of Boston. So how did it work out? Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2024 election season is in full swing in New Hampshire and other key primary states. While a Trump-Biden standoff may feel inevitable, recent history has shown us anything is possible in politics. A gaggle of GOP candidates are running to beat Trump, who is fighting legal battles on multiple fronts. President Biden is flagging in the polls and facing constant questions about his age. On today’s episode, Shirley talks to Boston Globe Opinion writers Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Joan Vennochi, and Carine Hajjar about the state of the race. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nate Silver is famous for using statistics to predict elections. He’s a self-professed “numbers guy” and likes to use math to make complicated decisions. Nate’s new book ‘On the Edge’ is about people who take big calculated risks, for better or for worse. Nate says he and his fellow risk takers are members of a community called “The River.” On this episode of Say More, Nate takes Shirley on a guided tour. They also talk about politics and why polls are sometimes misused. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The messaging platform Slack has become an indelible part  of the modern workplace. Since the start of the pandemic, the company’s rise feels intertwined with the seismic changes in how we work and communicate — so much so that Slack, like Google, is now widely understood as a verb. This week, Say More’s Shirley Leung speaks to Slack CEO Lidiane Jones about how technology is reshaping the workplace and what it means for the future of work. Lidiane also talks about her childhood growing up in Brazil, meeting Steve Jobs in the Apple cafeteria, and getting hired for an executive position while seven months pregnant. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Glenn Loury is not your average economist, and his memoir is full of shocking details. You might enjoy the parts about policy and markets, and pay even closer attention to the parts about sex workers and an enduring addiction to crack cocaine. While he was working during the day in places like Harvard and Boston University, he was spending nights on the streets, getting into trouble. Shirley joins Glenn at his home in Providence, RI, to talk about his new book, “Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bob Rivers, the CEO and chair of Eastern Bank, sits down with Shira Center, the general manager for editorial revenue and strategy at Boston Globe Media, to talk about the bank’s history, its work on diversity and inclusion, and its approach to community investment. Globe Opinion was not involved in the creation or execution of this episode, which was produced by Studio/B, Boston Globe Media’s sponsored content studio. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While many Nobel Prize winners specialize in abstract corners of science, this year’s winners of the medicine award innovated something we can all appreciate. Dr. Drew Weissman and Dr. Katalin Karikó developed the RNA science behind vaccines that saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Poorly funded and ignored for decades, their work is now spurring a revolution in medicine. Shirley Leung talks to Drew about his Nobel win, what he’s learned about vaccine hesitancy, and how his RNA discovery is leading to new vaccines and therapeutics to treat HIV, influenza, and other infectious diseases. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to the crush of the American daily news cycle, Heather Cox Richardson has always taken the long view. The New England-based historian gained wide popularity writing casual, history-informed summaries of the news — a perspective millions of readers were hungry for. Her new book is called “Democracy Awakening.” Shirley sits down with Heather to talk about the evolution of the GOP, the uncertain health of our democracy, and why Americans need to know history to understand the present. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Harvard Medical School Dr. Aditi Nerurkar says “COVID accelerated everything,” and now 7 in 10 Americans are facing burnout and stress. While many of us expected the post-pandemic period to be a big party, Dr. Nerurkar explains why many of us are still struggling. And why some of us feel even worse than we did before. In the first installment of Say More’s four-part series BEATING BURNOUT, Dr. Nerurkar shares her own journey of becoming a doctor of stress, which started with treating herself. Stress is serious, she says, but not a permanent state. Her new book is called “The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience.” Email us at Saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daniela Rus’s dream is to imbue the power of robotics with the wisdom of humanity. She runs MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. As part of his ongoing series on the promise and perils of AI, Globe Ideas Editor Brian Bergstein talks to Rus about her new book “The Heart and the Chip.” She says robots won’t just do our chores and work in our factories; they can teach us how to hit tennis balls like Serena Williams and defy gravity like Iron Man. She says your car won’t just drive you around — it might also be a friend. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Karen Read case initially caught the attention of a local group of  diehards. But now it’s hard to go anywhere in Massachusetts these days without finding strong opinions about a woman accused of murdering a Boston police officer. After a grueling eight-week trial, and a deadlocked jury, the judge declared a mistrial. This week, Shirley is joined again by Boston Globe reporter Sean Cotter, and Globe Opinion columnist Joan Vennochi to discuss the case and what comes next. They talk about the mistrial, similarities to the OJ trial,  and what’s up with Chloe the German shepherd. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One solution to burnout is simple: say NO to more stuff. Our plates are too full.  It turns out, many people struggle with saying NO - especially women - especially at work. This phenomenon helped to birth the “No Club” - five women digging into the science of why we can’t just say no to stuff and what to do about it. In a special bonus episode of our BEATING BURNOUT series, Shirley talks to two members of the No Club about what they have learned about work and life. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Imagine it’s the eve of the 2024 presidential election, and you get a call that sounds like it’s coming from a family member or a friend — or even the president — telling you the polls will be closed and you should stay home. The call could sound real but be totally fake, generated by easily available AI technology. That type of ruse is hugely concerning to national security expert and author Miles Taylor. As part of his ongoing series on the promise and perils of AI, Globe Ideas Editor Brian Bergstein talks to Miles about his fears for the 2024 election and how we can protect democracy from this growing AI threat. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author Amy Tan doesn’t just watch birds, she “feels the life within them.” Amy’s new book, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” takes us into her daily journal, drawing and musing on the lives of birds in her backyard in California. Shirley Leung talks to Amy about her breakthrough novel, “The Joy Luck Club,” the agony of fiction writing, and whether she considers herself an Asian-American writer or just a writer. Throughout her career, Amy has written extensively about mother-daughter relationships, which partly stems from her own experience. Amy says her late mother is present in every one of her works, even this one. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Throughout the last half-century more of our stuff has been made somewhere else. Much of the manufacturing that formed the economic backbone of US regional economies has relocated to distant countries. Today on Say More, Shirley talks to Boston author and journalist Rachel Slade, who says it’s not only possible to bring manufacturing back to the US, but necessary. Her new book is called “Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way).” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The ideological battles on college campuses have reached a new pitch in recent months, leading to high-profile presidential resignations and calls for more. This week’s guest on Say More says this is all part of a long-standing campaign to destabilize and overhaul higher education, funded by billionaires on the right. Nancy MacLean is a historian at Duke University. Nancy tells host Shirley Leung about the money behind these campaigns, the playbook, and what lies ahead in the battle over higher education. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump picked Vance. Harris picked Walz. Boston Globe Opinion has thoughts. Shirley sits down with Joan Vennochi and Carine Hajjar from Globe Opinion to discuss the VP picks, campaign strategies, and women voters. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s arguably the most important number in the US economy: the federal funds rate, better known simply as the Federal Reserve’s “interest rate.” The Fed picks a rate eight times a year, which dictates how easy it is for consumers and businesses to borrow money for entrepreneurship, home buying, credit cards, and more. But Susan Collins, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston — the first woman of color to lead any regional federal reserve bank — says the Fed’s job goes way beyond setting interest rates. On today’s episode, she talks about traveling across New England to meet families struggling with the high cost of housing and child care, and how their stories influence decisions made by the nation’s central bank. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If there is one thing to know about writer and entrepreneur Josh Foer: he wants to learn EVERYTHING. Tying his projects together is an endless curiosity about our world. On this episode of Say More, editorial page editor Jim Dao journeys to Somerville to visit one of Josh’s projects: Lehrhaus, the world’s first Jewish tavern and house of learning. They discuss modern Jewish life and one of Josh’s other ventures, the Atlas Obscura project and his latest book about the weirdest wildlife on the planet. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  Josh’s new book is called Atlas Obscura Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author Ben Mezrich has made a career of writing books that become movies. He’s drawn to characters with big bank accounts and messy lives. His latest book, “Breaking Twitter: Elon Musk and the Most Controversial Corporate Takeover in History,” was ripped right from the headlines. Ben talks to host Shirley Leung about Musk’s dramatic demise after buying Twitter, and how Musk’s behavior on the social media site undermined his otherwise revolutionary work. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you ever thought opera was a dead art, you have never talked to Nina Yoshida Nelsen, the new artistic director of the Boston Lyric Opera. Nina, who is Japanese-American,  spent years feeling pigeon-holed playing Asian roles in Madame Butterfly but she says those feelings were just the start of an exciting conversation about the future of the art form. This week on Say More, Shirley talks to Nina about reimagining classics, exploring new stories, and singing in the shower. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Boston has two major NPR stations, and in recent months they’ve both slashed jobs and canceled shows. Public media is in a recession. Fewer people are listening to the radio and ad revenue is insufficient. Attacks from the right accuse the network of having a liberal bias. Can these beloved media institutions survive? Shirley discusses the future of NPR with Boston Globe media reporter Aidan Ryan and NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik.  Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In courts across the country, a war is being waged on federal agencies that ensure clean air, safe drugs and fair banking. These agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, are sometimes referred to as the “administrative state.” Conservative groups are increasingly using legal action to undermine the powers of these regulators. Today on Say More, guest host Kimberly Atkins Stohr, a Boston Globe senior opinion writer, discusses the trend with Emily Hammond, a law professor at George Washington University, and Devon Ombres, a legal expert with the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  Read more about this topic in Kimberly’s column on the topic, Why Democrats need to win Congress. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before Drew Gilpin Faust was the first woman president of Harvard University, she was a historian of white supremacy and civil rights in the South. And before she studied it, she lived it. Faust was raised in a conservative family in segregated Virginia, where women and people of color were expected to know their place. She joins Shirley to discuss her new memoir, “Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury.” Faust shares how understanding the history of racism and oppression is essential to moving forward toward a more just society. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The New Hampshire primaries will take place on January 23. The choices voters in the small state make could have a major impact on the presidential election. The Democratic primary in New Hampshire isn't competitive this year, but the Republican one could be interesting. On today’s episode, Boston Globe politics reporter Emma Platoff introduces us to three New Hampshire GOP voters as they decide how to cast their ballots. Their views are nuanced, idiosyncratic, and molded by unique life experiences, but they also reveal a lot about where this year’s primary could be heading. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s hard to say the exact mix of mystery and intrigue that causes a true crime story to blow up. But one thing is true: the viral stories tell us something important about ourselves. Right now in Massachusetts, many people are fervently following the trial over whether Karen Read murdered her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. Some say she’s simply guilty, and some say she’s being elaborately framed by the police. Shirley Leung talks to Boston Globe reporter Sean Cotter and true crime podcaster Rebecca Lavoie about why this case has sparked so much interest. Email us at saymore@globe.com. Read Sean's coverage of the Karen Read trial here. Read Shannon Larson's Boston Globe overview of the case: Coverup claims, conspiracies, and a controversial blogger: A full breakdown of the Karen Read case See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Climate change isn’t just one thing, it’s a million things. It’s “everything everywhere all at once,” according to acclaimed author and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert. In her new book “H is for Hope,” Elizabeth goes through the letters of the alphabet explaining the complexities of climate change and musing on weather, power, hope, despair and everything in between.  She joins Shirley this Earth Week to discuss her approach to climate journalism and her agnostic feelings about hope. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MBTA General Manager Phil Eng says our train system in Boston is the “best in the world.” That might seem laughable, but he makes the case that the city’s transit system might not be the fastest or biggest, but what it lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for in “character.” This week on Say More, Phil talks to Shirley about his childhood working at his parents’ Chinese laundromat, where he learned the value of knowing your customers, something he brings to the job today. He also discusses why the T is so hard to fix, how his approach is different from previous leaders, and why he doesn’t want $24 billion right now. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The last 12 months were tumultuous on Harvard’s campus: pro-Palestinian encampments took over the quad, students were suspended, and a university president lost her job. If those things weren’t enough, the story coincided with conservative activism happening throughout the country working against diversity programs - with a particular eye on Harvard. Could the events of the last year foreshadow the future of DEI on campus and beyond? This week on Say More, Shirley talks to Ilya Marritz, the reporter behind the Boston Globe’s new podcast series "The Harvard Plan." Email us at saymore@globe.com.   To listen to the first installment of The Harvard Plan, click here. To subscribe to The Globe podcast from The Boston Globe newsroom, click here.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Murky rules for health care coverage are not new, but now, companies are increasingly turning to AI to help make complex decisions about medical decisions — leading to some devastating mistakes. STAT News reporters Casey Ross and Bob Herman were recently named finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for exposing how the large insurer UnitedHealth Group used AI to deny care. On Say More, they talk to Globe Ideas editor Brian Bergstein about the dangers of AI in health care. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  Click here to see Casey and Bob’s reporting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You wrote in, and we read everything. Say More’s THE COMMENT SECTION will be a monthly exploration of the many forms of reader engagement found within the pages of Boston Globe Opinion. The spectrum begins with the lively, often passionate, and usually anonymous online comments on viral essays, and ends with the thoughtful signed letters to the editor, printed daily in the paper. Today’s guests are author and journalist Karen Stabiner, whose essay on dating after 50 drew hundreds of comments online, and Globe Letters editor Matthew Bernstein. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the nearly 15 years she’s written the Love Letters advice column for The Boston Globe, Meredith Goldstein has fielded just about every question imaginable. Love, dating apps, marriage, divorce, long-distance relationships, sex, cheating, jealousy, unhinged in-laws — you name it, she’s been asked about it. Today Shirley has Meredith on the show to explore why the Love Letters column and podcast are so popular, and what Meredith’s community of readers, listeners, and letter-writers has taught her about the place love and romance occupies in our lives. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s not just you. Many Americans feel disempowered and unmotivated to participate in the political process. This week’s guests, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of the “Pantsuit Politics” podcast, have been called “America’s political therapists.” They talk with Shirley about this year’s “deeply weird” presidential race, voter malaise, the trickiness of talking about a candidate’s age and how to have “grace-filled”’ conversations about politics. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Until recently, Connie Chung didn’t realize what her TV career meant to millions of Asian Americans who saw her on the nightly news. While they watched her breaking barriers, she was focused on being the best possible journalist she could be: camping out for high-profile interviews and delivering scoops. Now, Connie is coming to terms with her legacy. She talks to Shirley about her new memoir “Connie.” She opens up about the mistreatment she faced in the news business, including by CBS co-anchor Dan Rather, and she talks about her miraculous path to motherhood. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For generations, the car has been a powerful emblem of American freedom. Now, with self-driving cars, freedom means letting robots do the work. Relying on a web of sensors, radar, and artificial intelligence, driverless vehicles are currently navigating cities like San Francisco, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. But are they safe? Can they actually do a better job than us? Laura Major, chief technology officer of Motional, a Boston-based autonomous vehicle company, joins us to talk about the promise of driverless technology and why Boston’s gnarly streets (and drivers) make it the perfect testing ground. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Globe’s Brian Bergstein will be joining Say More about once a month to host conversations about artificial intelligence, with the aim of asking big questions and getting past the hype. Artificial Intelligence is hard to define. It’s even harder to regulate. But without good regulation, the technology could do a lot of harm to innocent people. This week, Brian speaks to Columbia Professor Tim Wu, the father of “net neutrality,” about the best way to regulate AI and how to avoid the mistakes the government made with social media. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For a minute there, it really felt like cryptocurrency was going mainstream. Exchanges were thriving and generating billions of dollars for investors. Now, the industry is facing dozens of lawsuits and bankruptcies, and billions of investor dollars have been lost. The industry is struggling to scrape back legitimacy, while government regulators scramble to catch up. On this week’s episode of Say More, Shirley talks to Molly White, an expert critic of the crypto industry and a fellow at Harvard’s Library Innovation Lab. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com.  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? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com.  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.”   Sign up for Marcela Garcia’s newsletter here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It happened. Trump was sworn in as 47th president of the United States, as only the second person in history to serve non-consecutive terms. Trump laid out a detailed list of priorities during his speech, but it’s still unclear what he will actually do, and what the Trump 2.0 coalition will look like. Will he stick to his populist roots? Or continue cozying up to billionaires? Will we see a new resistance to Trump from the left? Or a great resignation?  For this week’s episode of the Say More podcast, editorial page editor Jim Dao sits down with Globe Opinion columnist Joan Vennochi and Globe political reporter James Pindell to discuss what Trump 2.0 might have in store. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you ask Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck why he wanted to buy a sports team, he has a hard time explaining why. Isn’t it just obvious? If you love your hometown team and you love to compete, what could be better? When he and his family engineered the purchase of the Celtics in 2002, Wyc vowed to “win Banner 17 or I will die trying.” The Celtics recently raised Banner 18, and he and his family are ready to sell the team. Shirley talks to Wyc about how to build a championship team and his legacy as the owner of the storied franchise. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The holiday season is upon us, which means the social pressure to shop is relentless — especially for clothes. But this week’s guest on Say More says we should think before we buy, for the sake of the planet. Globe Opinion Columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr has published a new series on the unsustainability of the fashion industry and what consumers can do about it. Kimberly is a clothing designer herself, and sewing in her DNA. She talks to Shirley Leung about her personal journey with textiles and the solutions that inspire her most. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode, we turn the mic around and Shirley answers questions from co-workers, friends, and listeners. What guest changed Shirley’s perspective? Who are her podcast host inspirations? What advice does she have for her younger self? Plus, a special guest! Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The US-China relationship seems to grow more contentious every day, with spying, hacking, economic warfare, and high-stakes military exercises in the Pacific. It almost feels like we’re sliding toward a Cold War with China — if we’re not in one already. Few know this story better than investigative reporter David Barboza, who spent 12 years in China for The New York Times, focusing on business. He witnessed China's astonishing economic expansion and growing sway in the world. Today, David is co-founder and CEO of The Wire, a digital news and data platform focused on China and its ties to the global economy. Find us online at globe.com/opinion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sex educator Emily Nagoski didn’t set out to be an expert on stress. But it turns out, stress is affecting peoples’ sex lives, big time. After helping her sister Amelia through two life-threatening burnout episodes, the two got together to write a book about the science of stress and how it leads to burnout. For them, the journey to understanding stress became a deeper quest for sisterhood and meaning. Emily talks to Shirley about completing the stress cycle, the problem with self-care, and the connections between stress, sleep, and orgasm. Email us at Saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The murder of a healthcare CEO has led to an overdue conversation about health insurance in the US. The reaction to the news is revealing a visceral anger about the unfairness and dysfunction of how we pay for healthcare. What makes our system so frustrating for people? And what are the solutions? On Say More this week, host Shirley Leung turns to Casey Ross, an investigative reporter with Stat News and Dr. Vikas Saini, a cardiologist who runs the Lown Institute here in Massachusetts. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“A black pit opened underneath me… a void that was infinitely black.” This is what author Sebastian Junger saw while near death on an operating table in a Massachusetts hospital. Junger survived, but his brush with death would alter his life - and his attitude about the existence of an afterlife. Junger is best known for writing the book “The Perfect Storm” - which later was made into a blockbuster Hollywood movie. He has always focused on themes of death and danger in his books - but this latest book “In my Time of Dying” is his most personal yet. He sits down with The Globe’s editorial page editor Jim Dao to talk about his experience. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  To read Globe Opinion's special issue on aging, click here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unhappiness is on the rise in America, according to a recent survey. What can we do about it? A lot, says Arthur Brooks, who teaches a class on the science of happiness at Harvard Business School. He joins Shirley on Say More to talk about his own journey to become happier, his partnership with Oprah, and the special gift he received from the Dalai Lama. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has raged for decades, but this time it’s different. The brutal killing of more than 1,400 Israelis by Hamas has shocked the country, precipitating a relentless counterattack by the Israeli military, which has killed thousands and displaced a million people in Gaza. The US has always had a central role in the conflict, and many are asking how that role should evolve. To get past the daily headlines, Say More’s Shirley Leung speaks to two people with deep knowledge of the issue. First, Nadav Tamir, the former Israeli consul general to New England. He is now the director of J Street Israel, a nonprofit that organizes Americans to support peace and democracy in Israel. Then, Rashid Khalidi, a Middle East historian at Columbia University and author of the book “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you liked our last episode with Frontline executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath, you might like this bonus episode. It’s from a new podcast called “Pulitzer on the Road” from our friends at the Pulitzer Prizes. The Boston Globe’s executive editor Nancy Barnes talks to Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov about his Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol." The film is a stunning first hand account of the first days of war in Ukraine in the winter of 2022, produced by the AP and Frontline. Click here for more episodes of “Pulitzer on the Road.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stovetop mac-and-cheese is a simple dish, but there are many ways to get there.  Deb Perelman, founder of the Smitten Kitchen blog, and New York Times food columnist J. Kenji López-Alt could spend hours discussing the art of perfecting a recipe—in fact they often do. They are the hosts of the new podcast The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. This week on Say More, they join Shirley to talk about what they would make for their favorite celebrities, cooking for picky kids, and the wisdom of online commenters. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Khan Academy has taught millions of students the fundamentals of math and science, as well as topics ranging from economics to art history. As part of his ongoing series on the promise and perils of AI, Globe Ideas Editor Brian Bergstein talks to Khan Academy founder Sal Khan about the ways that artificial intelligence can (and will) revolutionize education. Sal introduces Brian to “Khanmigo,” an AI tutor that can personalize education for students and teachers. They discuss the benefits of AI in education and what guardrails need to be in place to keep kids safe. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kara Swisher knew the internet would be a big deal long before it was obvious to the rest of us. For more than two decades, Swisher has had a front row seat to the rise of the Silicon Valley tech titans – people she's covered in various columns and podcasts, always incisively. Her foresight about the rise of technology and her sharp insights have made her a leading voice among tech and media entrepreneurs. She joins Shirley to talk about her relationship with social media, government regulation of AI, and what her next big idea might be. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The New Hampshire primary is around the corner for Republicans. Former President Trump has a massive lead in the polls, but Nikki Haley has been gaining on him. Can the former South Carolina governor do enough to shake things up? On today’s episode, guest host Kimberly Atkins Stohr, a Boston Globe senior opinion writer, talks to the Globe’s James Pindell, Carine Hajjar, and Scot Lehigh about what to look for in this month’s New Hampshire primary. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Say More, we share a podcast episode from our friends at Boston’s NPR station WBUR. Find new episodes of The Common here, hosted by Darryl C. Murphy Last spring, the City of Boston welcomed its inaugural Director of Nightlife Economy, Corean Reynolds. You might have heard some people refer to her as the “night czar,” though that’s not her official title. Now that she’s been in her position for a year, we wanted to catch up with her about some of the initiatives her office is working on, as well as challenges to improving nightlife in the city. You'll also hear producer Frannie Monahan hit the streets to ask Bostonians about their thoughts on the city's nightlife scene, and their suggestions for improving it for everyone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Big Dig took Boston apart and put it back together again. It buried a highway and redrew the map of downtown. The project was delayed for years and went billions of dollars over budget, making it a national laughingstock. But this week on Say More, guest Ian Coss tells host Shirley Leung that the Big Dig might not wholly deserve its reputation as a massive boondoggle. He says the Big Dig was also a revelation of city planning and should be an inspiration as the US modernizes its infrastructure to confront climate change. Ian Coss is host of the new podcast “The Big Dig” from GBH news and PRX. Email us at saymore@globe.com. Listen to “The Big Dig” podcast here: https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-big-dig See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author Amy Tan doesn’t just watch birds, she “feels the life within them.” Amy’s new book, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” takes us into her daily journal, drawing and musing on the lives of birds in her backyard in California. Shirley Leung talks to Amy about her breakthrough novel, “The Joy Luck Club,” the agony of fiction writing, and whether she considers herself an Asian-American writer or just a writer. Throughout her career, Amy has written extensively about mother-daughter relationships, which partly stems from her own experience. Amy says her late mother is present in every one of her works, even this one. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In modern US politics, no one’s star has risen and fallen more times than Joe Biden’s.  His life has been defined by the worst personal tragedy and the greatest professional success. After decades in politics, Biden leaves office with arguably his biggest failure, the loss of the presidency to Donald Trump. Will this final failure define the Biden presidency? Or will we think about him differently with time? This week on Say More editorial page editor Jim Dao talks to Biden biographer Frank Foer about Biden’s career and legacy. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Would you let your kid play in traffic? Co-Founder and CEO of Boston’s Concussion Legacy Foundation Chris Nowinski has some tough questions for parents who sign their kids up for tackle football while their brains are still in vulnerable stages of development. Chris is a neuroscientist who played football at Harvard and wrestled in the WWE. He's had uncountable concussions and the terrible symptoms that go along with repeated hits to the head. Shirley has a dilemma about whether or not to let her 11-year-old son play tackle football and Chris gives his honest advice. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You wrote in, and we read everything. Say More’s THE COMMENT SECTION is a monthly exploration of the many forms of reader engagement found within the pages of Boston Globe Opinion. This week, we talked to columnist Marcela García about her pet stories. Recently, Marcela covered a fraught court case about pet euthanasia, and hundreds of readers wrote in about their own experiences. We also checked in with Globe Letters editor Matthew Bernstein to hear some of his favorite letters of the month. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Campus newspapers are not just a way to train a next generation of reporters and editors; they also provide great real time reporting about what’s going on in the hearts and minds of young people. The most controversial story on campus this past year has been protests against the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East. On Say More, Shirley talks to three student journalists from Northeastern, Emerson, and Harvard about covering the protests and the free speech crisis unfolding on campus. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve all heard of the girldad, but what about the boymom? Parenting boys has always been a challenge, but in the age of #metoo, incels and the manosphere, navigating boyhood feels especially hard. Shirley has two sons and worries about raising them right. This week on Say More, she talks to fellow boymom, Ruth Whippman, who just wrote the book, “Boymom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if your doctor were a computer program? With recent quantum leaps in artificial intelligence, that’s now a possibility in our lifetime. The use of AI in medicine is expanding rapidly, bringing the potential for incredible innovations – such as unprecedented access to specialized medical knowledge for rural areas – as well as big risks, like unregulated bots entrusted with too much power. Today’s guests, Zak Kohane and Carey Goldberg, have just published a book together, called “The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond.” Zak is a computer scientist, a practicing endocrinologist, and chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School. Carey is a longtime health and science journalist who’s reported for The Boston Globe, The New York Times, WBUR, and Bloomberg. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Growing up in East Boston, Robert Lewis Jr. and Sal LaMattina have been best friends since they were in the first grade. They both received an education of a lifetime when, in 1974, a federal court order forced the city to bus kids to different schools in the name of racial integration. Forced busing resulted in a racist backlash that tore their East Boston neighborhood apart. They remember it like it was yesterday: stabbings at school, a firebomb in the kitchen, and a community fractured. Lewis Jr. is now the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, and LaMattina served as a Boston city councilor for a decade in the 2000s. They discuss their memories on this 50th anniversary of busing - and their hopes for the next 50 years of public education in Boston. Email us at saymore@globe.com. FOR PHOTOS OF SAL AND JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND NOW - Check out our instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/globeopinion/ For the Boston Globe’s newsroom audio documentary about busing, visit their show page: https://www.bostonglobe.com/multimedia/audio/podcast/globe-podcast/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com.  To read Ahish Jha’s latest article in the Boston Globe, click here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November is Hip-Hop History Month. Boston is not exactly famous for its contributions to Black music and culture. If anything, many people associate the city with rock — and racism. But music historian and writer Dart Adams says Boston has long had a flourishing Black music scene, producing icons like Donna Summer and game-changing groups like New Edition. This week on Say More, in honor of hip-hop’s 50th birthday, Dart shares the vibrant history of the Boston scene. Email us at saymore@globe.com. Tracks on today’s episode:  The Message by Grandmaster Flash, Energy by Sampa the Great, California Love by 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre, Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z, Vamos by The Pixies, Believe Dat! by Gang Starr, Last Dance by Donna Summer, Candy Girl by New Edition, Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Speak Upon It by Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs, I Got to Have It by Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs, Nayborhood Healer by Nay Speaks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whether you like it or not, America made a clear choice in the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump won decisively, and Kamala Harris fell short. What exactly happened? On Say More, Shirley Leung talks to Globe Opinion writers Joan Vennochi and Carine Hajjar about national results. They also discuss how New England is shifting right like the rest of the country. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a historian who is best known for writing about America's presidents, from Abraham Lincoln to Lyndon B. Johnson. She has a new book out, and this time it’s personal. In "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s," Doris tells the story of her late husband Dick Goodwin, who was a speechwriter for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Dick was supposed to write the book, but when he passed away in 2018, Doris promised to finish it. This week on Say More, Doris talks to Shirley about the legacy of the 60s, her epic love story with Dick, and the unfinished story of America. Email us at saymore@globe.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Globe’s Brian Bergstein will be joining Say More about once a month to host conversations about artificial intelligence, with the aim of asking big questions and getting past the hype. This week, Brian speaks to MIT professor Manolis Kellis about the ways AI is decoding DNA and transforming medical research. They discuss the exponential pace of technological progress, the true nature of intelligence, and why no one should fear AI taking their job. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cal Newport says we’ve been thinking about productivity all wrong. Cal is an MIT-trained computer scientist and bestselling author specializing in how to work better in our overstimulated world. In this second installment of Say More’s series, BEATING BURNOUT, Shirley talks to Cal about the ways the modern office worker is primed for professional burnout, how hybrid work makes it worse and what we can do about it. He’s not a luddite by any stretch, but he says we should quit social media and leave our phones behind whenever possible. Cal’s new book is called Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout.  Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While sports betting used to require a trip to Las Vegas, a 2018 Supreme Court decision lifted a ban, and now residents of more than 30 states are allowed to place wagers on a vast array of game statistics and outcomes. The largest share of the US online sports betting market belongs to the company DraftKings, based in Massachusetts. The young industry has grown rapidly, and already has its share of controversy. Shirley Leung talks to Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings, about all those TV ads, the threat of corruption, and how betting has changed the culture of sports. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the main tenets of journalism is this: Don’t become the story. But that’s been difficult for Marty Baron, who, as editor of The Washington Post during the Trump years, often found himself at the center of the storm. Following his tenure at The Boston Globe, where he helped uncover rampant clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Marty led the Post through a tumultuous time in American politics. While newspapers everywhere faced ever-tightening budgets, the Post was bought by billionaire Jeff Bezos, and its journalists were being publicly attacked by President Trump. The Globe’s Shirley Leung talks with Marty about holding powerful people to account, what he regrets most about his Post tenure, and the future of journalism. Marty’s new book is “Collision of Power.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Men and boys are less likely to excel in high school or go to college. They are more likely to get hooked on drugs or die of suicide. More broadly, boys and men are at a crossroads. While the #MeToo movement has provided a needed global reckoning for women and girls, it left boys with a long list of “don’ts” without enough “dos.” This week on Say More, author and scholar Richard Reeves talks to Shirley Leung about how this cultural vacuum leaves boys vulnerable to reactionary figures, such as Andrew Tate and other ‘manfluencers.’ He gives Shirley advice on how to prepare her sons for the world. Reeves is president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and author of the book “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It.” Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many scientific advances can be traced back to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The university has long been a leader in engineering and technology. But with great power comes great responsibility. What role should places like MIT play in determining how science is developed and used? Shirley sits down with the new president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, to discuss the ethics of controversial AI research and what the  university is doing in the fight against climate change. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Blaxploitation films are known for their Black stars, gritty material, and funk music. When they caught on in the early 1970s, these movies had a ton of style and iconic characters. At the time of their release, they were celebrated for their depictions of Black empowerment but also criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and caricatures of Black culture. The Boston Globe’s chief film critic, Odie Henderson, has a new book about the history of the genre called “Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema.” He talks to Shirley about revisiting these movies as an adult and the evolving representation of Blackness on screen. Email us at saymore@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you ask Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy the best story he’s ever covered, the answer is easy: the 2004 Red Sox. After 86 years of losing, the team finally won the World Series - with a dramatic comeback over their rivals the New York Yankees. Dan was there for every game, and even played a role in reversing the curse when he wrote a scathing column that fired up the team. On the 20th anniversary of the historic win, Shirley talks to Dan about what makes Boston such a great sports town, and asks whether the city’s fans have changed since 2004. Are we spoiled? Email us at saymore@globe.com.  The principal owner of the Red Sox, John Henry, is also the owner of The Boston Globe, and his wife, Linda, is the CEO. Next, listen to THE CURSE BREAKERS, a play-by-play retelling of the 2004 Red Sox victory, from the Globe newsroom.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.