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Morning Edition

Stories and commentaries that inform, challenge and occasionally amuse

Latest

Boston Police cruisers parked on Massachusetts Avenue with their lights flashing to emphasize their presence all around the "Mass. and Cass" area. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

The tents are gone from 'Mass. and Cass,' but concerns about care remain

In the month since city workers cleared a large tent encampment near Boston's South End, the streets remain tent-free. Several law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort to keep...

Local Coverage

03:529 hours ago

Sleeping on a regular schedule is key to health benefits, researcher says

Should you stress about getting eight hours of sleep a night? Nope! Some experts say skip the worry and focus on keeping a consistent sleep schedule instead.

NPR

02:26Dec 5, 2023

A former U.S. ambassador is charged with being an agent for Cuba

Victor Manuel Rocha, a longtime U.S. diplomat who served as ambassador to Bolivia, has been arrested and charged with being a clandestine agent for the Cuban government. How was he...

NPR

03:43Dec 5, 2023

Curtains that once dressed windows of British royal residences will now dress people

King Charles commissioned fashion students to repurpose old curtains from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Curtains, some from the 50s, are now jackets and kimonos that look new.

NPR

00:27Dec 5, 2023

Brenda Lee's classic 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' finally topped the charts

Lee recorded the song in 1958 when she was 13 — it topped Billboard's Hot 100 for the first time thanks to a new video starring Lee that was produced...

NPR

00:27Dec 5, 2023

4 teams will vie for the college football championship — FSU isn't one of them

NPR's Michel Martin talks to Kevin Blackistone, Washington Post sports columnist and contributor to ESPN, about undefeated Florida State University being left out of the College Football Playoff.

NPR

03:45Dec 5, 2023

Many South Africans revere Mandela. What about the political party he left behind?

Ten years after the death of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president, many young people there have become disillusioned with his legacy and his party.

NPR

03:34Dec 5, 2023

Why does Chris Judge start each day by hunting for human or animal-shaped clouds?

Dublin artist Chris Judge has been drawing faces on pictures of clouds since the early days of the pandemic. He named the project "A Daily Cloud."

NPR

02:14Dec 5, 2023

For children living with war, every day threats lead to trauma

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Zlatina Kostova, a clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, about the trauma children experience when living through war.

NPR

04:57Dec 5, 2023

Migrants drawn to Colo. mountain towns find work is plentiful but shelter is limited

A small bedroom community for Colorado ski resorts recently discovered dozens of Venezuelan migrants living in cars under a bridge. Helping them is straining local resources.

NPR

03:41Dec 5, 2023

Rizz is Oxford's word of the year for 2023. What does it mean?

Have you got "rizz"? Oxford University Press has selected this shortened form of "charisma" as its word of the year.

NPR

01:50Dec 5, 2023

Morning news brief

A ex-U.S. ambassador is accused of working as a secret agent for Cuba. After Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, fears of a wider Middle East conflict grow. It's been...

NPR

11:04Dec 5, 2023

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy attend the National Governors Association summer meeting on July 15, 2022, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

A Senate race raises concerns over 'ballot Siberia' in New Jersey primaries

In a ballot system unique to New Jersey, candidates endorsed by county parties are all placed under a single line, while others vying for the same seat are placed in...

NPR

03:55Dec 5, 2023

Anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela delivers a policy statement in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Jan. 8, 1994. Mandela called on all South Africans to pledge themselves to peace. Later that year, Mandela became South Africa's first Black president. (Walter Dhladhla/AFP/Getty Images)

A legacy in speeches: Remembering Nelson Mandela 10 years after his death

South Africa's first Black president, Nelson Mandela, died on Dec. 5, 2013. Revisit the speeches that made Mandela the most prominent figure of the anti-apartheid movement.

NPR

05:08Dec 5, 2023

A Palestinian doctor pushes for peace, but suffers a devastating blow from war

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish has served in both Israeli and Palestinian hospitals. He's an outspoken advocate of peace. None of this has spared him from terrible tragedies in the conflict.

NPR

04:36Dec 5, 2023

Houthi supporters chant slogans and hold signs reading "Death to America, Death to Israel," as they attend a rally on March 26, 2023, in Sanaa, Yemen. (Hani Mohammed/AP)

After Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, fears of a wider Middle East conflict grow

The Iran-backed rebel group attacked multiple ships in the Red Sea over the weekend. The Houthis control large swaths of Yemen's territory.

NPR

03:23Dec 5, 2023

People of color who have a doctor who looks like them report more satisfaction with their health care. Here, Abel Woldu and Dr. Kelsey Angell participate in the University of Minnesota's white coat ceremony in 2022. Half of that incoming class of doctors-in-training are people of color. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Black Americans expect to face racism in the doctor's office, survey finds

For many people of color in this country, a visit to the doctor means being extra careful about their appearance in the hope to be treated fairly during the appointment.

NPR

02:40Dec 5, 2023

Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley addresses a gathering during a campaign stop at a brewery, Nov. 29 in Meredith, N.H. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Strong but 'feminine': how Nikki Haley navigates gender as only woman in the GOP race

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations tries to balance her identity as the only woman in the race for the GOP nomination with a Republican electorate that eschews...

NPR

04:27Dec 5, 2023

Left: Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich. Right: Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif.. The two are co-sponsoring legislation to create a bipartisan, bicameral commission to address the national debt. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Patrick Semansky/AP)

As federal debt grows, a bipartisan push for another commission to address it

Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.,, and California Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., say looming benefit cuts and mounting interest payments squeezing federal investments underline need for their plan.

NPR

03:53Dec 5, 2023

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in an important tax case. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Supreme Court hears a case that experts say could wreak havoc on the tax code

A couple who owned a controlling interest in a foreign corporation argue that a controversial Trump-era tax is unconstitutional under the 16th Amendment.

NPR

06:56Dec 5, 2023

Manmade pits at construction sites are providing nurseries for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, new research finds. (Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec)

Big city mosquitoes are a big problem — and now a big target

Africa's cities have become home to an invasive, malaria-carrying mosquito. New research suggests vulnerabilities that could be exploited to take on the disease-bearing insects.

NPR

03:49Dec 4, 2023

A couple walks a dog past the Boston Common Christmas tree in 2019, an annual gift given to the people of Boston by the people of Nova Scotia in thanks for their assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Why Boston gets a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia every year

The tradition dates back over a century, and serves as a token of thanks from the Canadian province for Boston's assistance after a disaster during World War I.

Local Coverage

02:22Nov 30, 2023

Arthur Fiedler onstage during a Holiday Pops concert with Santa Claus in 1977. (Courtesy BSO Archives)

50 years ago, the Boston Pops started a holiday tradition

Holiday Pops was first introduced on December 21, 1973, under the name “A Pops Christmas Party.” Over the decades, the series has become more inclusive with diversified programming and grown...

Arts & Culture

05:20Nov 30, 2023

Shoppers Thanksgiving weekend in Downtown Crossing (Irina Matchavariani/WBUR)

A mellow holiday shopping vibe in Boston, as online sales surge nationally

More and more holiday shopping is done from the comfort of consumers' homes, but Black Friday traditions aren't dying out just yet.

Business

01:52Nov 29, 2023

Researchers cut through the muscle of a striped bass and insert an acoustic tag inside its body cavity near the stomach. (Eve Zuckoff/CAI)

Scientists, Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe work to solve mysteries of stripers, herring

Scientists and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal officials think a small population of striped bass could be defying their migratory nature. And that, in turn, could be impeding efforts to restore a...

Environment

04:30Nov 27, 2023

Application fees for apartments are on the rise in Massachusetts, and they're not always legal. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

For many renters, apartment application fees add up. Some are illegal

Rental application fees are on the rise in this high-priced market. At some apartment showings, dozens of people pay the fees. For brokers, it's unethical; for landlords, it's barred by...

Local Coverage

05:02Nov 27, 2023

Too much turkey? How to make the most of Thanksgiving leftovers

Solon Kelleher, an arts fellow for WBUR, grew up working in his family's Worcester restaurant kitchen. He shares some of his favorite recipes for how to put leftovers to good...

Local Coverage

04:15Nov 24, 2023

Deb Libby loads her belongings into her pick-up truck as she is evicted from her apartment in Worcester. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Without a home, a cancer patient on the waitlist for public housing puts off surgery

Deb Libby applied for a place to live in the state's public housing system, which has many empty apartments, according to a WBUR and ProPublica investigation. The state has since...

Investigations

05:21Nov 21, 2023

Hillary Goodridge and her then-fiancé were plaintiffs in the lawsuit in Massachusetts that legalized gay marriage in the state. Here she is photographed in 2005. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

20 years later, Hillary Goodridge reflects on Mass. gay marriage win

Saturday marks 20 years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same sex couples to marry. Hillary Goodridge, a lead plaintiff in the case decided in...

Local Coverage

04:41Nov 17, 2023

Brookline town meeting approves new multifamily zoning rules along MBTA route

WBUR's Morning Edition hears from Sam Mintz, editor of Brookline News, about a new zoning proposal that passed last night at a town meeting in Brookline. The plan will put...

Local Coverage

04:44Nov 15, 2023

John Beach stands in his backyard in Yarmouth, where he can see his newly installed solar panels. (Eve Zuckoff/CAI)

Cape homeowners push to install solar panels in historic districts

The 45,000 people who live in Cape Cod's Old Kings Highway Historic District are required to get approval from local committees for visible solar installations. Those who have had their...

Environment

04:44Nov 15, 2023

Pamela Fann and Shonté Davidson at the Messiah Baptist Church in Brockton (Paula Moura/WBUR)

Entrepreneurs want to use EV chargers to highlight historic Black landmarks

Impact Energy's plan is to install EV chargers in key locations to boost business and tourism in historical Black neighborhoods.

Environment

03:53Nov 14, 2023

A car drives through flood water by the Chart House on Boston's Long Wharf during a November king tide. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

8 takeaways for Mass. from the National Climate Assessment

The fifth National Climate Assessment, produced every four years, details on the effects of climate change in the Northeast. Climate change will bring more heat waves, flooding and coastal erosion...

Environment

04:34Nov 14, 2023

From left, the members of Ace of Cups: Mary Simpson-Mercy, Mary Gannon, Denise Kaufman and Diane Vitalich. (Courtesy High Moon Records/Rachel Wright)

Born in '60s San Francisco, all-girl rock band Ace of Cups roars back a half-century later

In 1967, the all-girl band Ace of Cups burst onto the San Francisco rock and roll scene, attracting a big following and touring with some of the most famous musicians...

Local Coverage

08:41Nov 13, 2023

Dorchester Brewing head brewer Andy Johnson and Rupee Beer founder Van Sharma raise glasses as they sample some of the new IPA being brewed at the Dorchester Brewing Company. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

For Diwali, Boston-brewed Rupee is putting the 'India' back in India Pale Ale

Diwali, India's biggest holiday, is Sunday, Nov. 12. To celebrate the festival of lights, an Indian-owned craft beer brand brewed in Boston is releasing its first India Pale Ale.

Arts & Culture

05:11Nov 10, 2023

A hotel west of Boston that's been converted into a family shelter. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Mass. family shelter system reaches cap. Waitlist for homeless families to begin Friday

Three weeks ago, Gov. Maura Healey announced that once the system hits 7,500 households there would be no more room. Today, the state crossed that threshold. Homeless advocates worry the...

Health

04:17Nov 9, 2023

A classroom at ABCD East Boston Head Start. (Emily Piper-Vallillo/WBUR)

Without enough teachers, Head Start programs in Mass. 'resize' and close classrooms

Recent staffing shortages at Head Start programs have forced centers across Massachusetts to cut slots for children, placing infants and toddlers on lengthy waitlists.

Education

03:30Nov 9, 2023

Chrissy Lynch, newly elected president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, rallies with striking SAG-AFTRA workers in September. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Massachusetts AFL-CIO's first woman president takes the helm

Chrissy Lynch takes the helm of the state AFL-CIO during a big moment for labor. She joined WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy to talk more about this.

Business

04:32Nov 8, 2023

Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., addresses guests during a campaign stop on Oct. 31 in Manchester, N.H. (Charles Krupa/AP)

In longshot bid for White House, Dean Phillips says he's trying to tell Democrats hard truths

The campaign hopes to appeal to moderates from both parties; people Phillips calls "the exhausted majority." But he's angering the leaders of his own party.

Local Coverage

05:09Nov 8, 2023