WGBH News

To Rebuild NYC's Beaches, A Native Plant Savings And Loan

NPR Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Across the New York region, people are still working to rebuild homes and businesses after the havoc wrought by Hurricane Sandy. But the storm also devastated the dunes and native flora of New York's beaches.

When the city replants grasses on those dunes, it will be able to draw on seeds from precisely the grasses that used to thrive there.

And The Winner Of The World Food Prize Is ... The Man From Monsanto

Daniel Charles — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Ever heard of the World Food Prize? It's sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture," but it has struggled to get people's attention. Prize winners tend to be agricultural insiders, and many are scientists. Last year's laureate, for instance, was Daniel Hillel, a pioneer of water-saving "micro-irrigation."

This year, though, the World Food Prize is likely to get some publicity, some of it in the form of anger and protests.

Excellent Defense Discredits Martorano

WGBH News — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:59:50 +0000

Despite the government's best efforts to illustrate through the testimony of John Martorano that James 'Whitey' Bulger was a ring leader in the killings and crimes committed by the Winter Hill gang, a stunning cross-examination by defense attorney Hank Brennan successfully portrayed Martorano as a lying, self-serving, cold-blooded killer.

Wanna Be A Rock Star? NASA Needs Help Tracking Asteroids

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:58:00 +0000

It won't be quite like Bruce Willis in Armageddon, but maybe you'll feel just as much a hero.

The White House and NASA are seeking the public's help in hunting for asteroids that could someday smash into Earth.

Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd day

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:33:08 +0000

Massachusetts State Police have returned to the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Two troopers knocked at his door Wednesday morning in North Attleborough, but no one answered.

On Tuesday night, police spent hours there as another group of officers searched an industrial park about a mile away where a body was found Monday. No more details about the body have been released.

Todashev's Body Brought to Russia for Burial

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:26:16 +0000

The father of a Russian man killed while being questioned about ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects says he has brought the body to Russia for burial.

Ibragim Todashev, 27, was fatally shot in late May in Florida while being questioned by an FBI agent and two Massachusetts troopers.

His father, Abdul-Baki Todashev, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he had flown with the body to Moscow and was planning on flying it to their home region of Chechnya on Thursday.

The Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name, Of A Beetle For A Beer Bottle

Robert Krulwich — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:21:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nStp4urqcM

Full Audio: Markey Squares Off With Gomez In Final Senate Debate

WGBH News — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:07:10 +0000

On Tuesday night, WGBH News hosted the final debate of the U.S. Senate special election between Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Markey and Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez.

Listen to the full audio from the debate here:

BPR: Parsing Gomez Vs. Rep. Markey, Imperfect Foods, CNN's John King, Globe's Brian McGrory

Boston Public Radio Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:25:42 +0000

CNN's John King talked about the immigration battle in Washington, D.C.
Michele Simon joined Jim and Margery to talk about food manufacturers' newest strategy: preparing food "imperfectly" so that it looks homemade and more appealing to consumers. Simon is a public health lawyer and author of Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back.
Tuesday night Gabriel Gomez and Rep. Ed Markey faced off in their third and final debate. Jim and Margery recapped the debate highlights.
Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory was today's Open Mic guest.
WGBH's Adam Reilly gave listeners an update on the James "Whitey" Bulger trial.
Author Larry Tye joined Jim and Margery to talk about the new Superman movie. Tye is the author of Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Superhero.

Top Stories: NATO Attacked In Afghanistan; NBA's Game 6 Final

Korva Coleman — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:35:06 +0000

Good morning, here are our early stories:

-- Afghan Govt.

Taliban Attack Kills 4 Coalition Soldiers; Afghan Govt. Suspends Talks

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:33:09 +0000
In the hours following an announcement by the Taliban and the United States saying they were ready to begin peace talks, we received reminders of just how tenuous that situation is: On Tuesday night the Taliban said they fired two rockets near Bagram airbase in Kabul.

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:32:43 +0000
There is one basic question that keeps being asked about the U.S. auto industry: Is it on the rebound?
"People ask a lot, is the auto industry back?" says Kristin Dziczek, a director at the Center for Automotive Research. "And it depends on what scale you want to look at."
So if we're looking at scales, let's start with productivity. In this case, how many work hours it takes to build a car. Productivity in U.S. plants is 39 percent higher than it was in 2000.

How A Merger Could Affect Congress' Favorite Airport

Brian Naylor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:32:21 +0000
If the US Airways-American Airlines merger announced earlier this year is approved, the combined airline would control two-thirds of the takeoff and landing slots at Reagan National Airport, outside Washington, D.C.
The government could force the airline to give up some of those slots as a condition of the merger. But lawmakers warn that could have consequences for some small- and medium-sized cities. And, not coincidentally, it could affect flight plans for lawmakers themselves.
Reagan National Airport is just a short taxi ride away from Capitol Hill.

Markey, Gomez Trade Jabs in Final Senate Election Debate

Sarah Birnbaum — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

With less than one week to go in the Massachusetts special election for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry, candidates Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democratic Rep. Ed Markey, squared off in their final debate Tuesday at WGBH in Brighton.
The tone was heated.

Animal CSI: Inside The Smithsonian's Feather Forensics Lab

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:55:00 +0000
Carla Dove smiles as she tears open a small, flat cardboard box. She is sitting at a lab bench in her office at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
"It's kind of like Christmas for me because I never know what's going to be in the packages," she says.
Inside the box are a bunch of sealed sandwich-size bags. Dove counts the bags.
"Eight samples today," she notes. Each sample consists of grayish pieces of feathers, and sometimes bones, all from inside the stomachs and intestines of Burmese pythons.
Dove is an ornithologist and a forensic expert of sorts.

Bulger Defense Wins Style Points on Martorano Cross

Adam Reilly — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:22:10 +0000

After the Bulger trial wrapped today, a few of us who'd been watching the defense's cross-examination of John Martorano were raving about attorney Hank Brennan's performance. Brennan, as you may already know, did a fine job of highlighting the disconnect between Martorano's self-image and reality. Martorano fancies himself a "vigilante" who only killed to protect friends and family. But the truth, as it emerged on the stand today, was far more unpleasant.

Martorano Says 'Whitey' Rode In The Boiler Car

WGBH News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:04:53 +0000

As day two of the testimony of James Martorano begins, we can expect to learn more gruesome details about the murders he was part of in the 1970s and 80s. During the hit man's testimony, the prosecution hopes to implicate Bulger as a leader of the Winter Hill gang.

How To Make Museums More Inviting For Kids With Autism

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0000
Last January, Noelle Murphy and her family were on their way to the Please Touch Museum for children in Philadelphia. Right before they arrived, 3-year-old Dylan had an accident.
"He wet himself," Murphy said, "And we were thinking, 'Oh no, how are we going to deal with this?' "
Dylan has autism, and his mom, Noelle, tends to choose at-home activities over unpredictable outings like a day at the museum. If Dylan becomes overwhelmed by his surroundings, he might yell loudly, or drop to the floor and refuse to get up.

John Martorano's Testimony In The Bulger Trial

WGBH News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:53:13 +0000

Admitted hitman John Martorano took the witness stand Monday to testify about James "Whitey" Bulger's criminal history. Martorano served a 12-year sentence after confessing to 20 mob-related killings as a member of the Winter Hill gang.

Isn't That King David? Nope, It's Just Dave

Robert Krulwich — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:48:00 +0000
Usually they're naked, ancient and stony. But all of a sudden, they could live next door.
The Paris-based designer Leo Caillard had, as he wrote me, "the idea conception" and took the photographs. Alexis Persani dressed them. (Not actually; it was done on a computer, as you can see here. I know that putting modern clothes on classical sculptures isn't a new idea.

Greater Boston Video: deCordova Museum Presents Tony Feher's Life

Jared Bowen — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:13:51 +0000

The big summer exhibition at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a retrospective of Tony Feher, a man its curator calls an artists' artist.

Greater Boston Video: Judge Leslie Harris on Juvenile Justice

WGBH News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:08:39 +0000

Juvenile Court Judge Leslie Harris was recently honored by the Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps for his advocacy on behalf of minors who are charged with crimes. His Detention Diversion Advocacy Project lets minors avoid incarceration and stay in school.

BPR: Ask The Gov With Deval Patrick, Charlie Baker, Best New Movies

Boston Public Radio Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:24:20 +0000

Gov. Patrick On EBT Scandal, Fed Surveillance, Boston Violence

Boston Public Radio Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44:47 +0000

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick joined Boston Public Radio's Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Tuesday. He fielded calls from listeners on topics ranging from intelligence gathered about the Boston Marathon bombings, to welfare reform and the EBT scandal, to his new position as grandfather. Listen to the full segment with Gov. Patrick below.

How Men's Choice Of Mates May Have Led To Menopause

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:37:00 +0000
A dapper older gentleman spurns his mate of a certain age to take a fresh-faced young lover. You've seen that movie before, right?
Well, this choice of youth may turn out to be more than a Hollywood trope.

Final Senate Debate at WGBH Tonight

The Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:11:44 +0000

Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democrat Edward Markey are prepping for their final debate in Massachusetts' special U.S. Senate election.

3-D Printer Brings Dexterity To Children With No Fingers

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:14:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB53-D_N8Uc

Why The FISA Court Is Not What It Used To Be

Nina Totenberg — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:07:00 +0000
The furor over recently exposed government surveillance programs has posed an abundance of political challenges for both President Obama and Congress. Relatively unmentioned in all of this, however, is the role of the courts — specifically, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court, and how its role has changed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Obama has said that there are tradeoffs between privacy and security in an age of international terrorism.

Libyan Radio Station Promotes Democracy, One Rap At A Time

Leila Fadel — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:07:00 +0000
Many of the militia fighters who rose up and ousted former dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 have refused to lay down their arms and are still challenging the post-revolutionary government.
Yet the militias are facing a challenge of their own. They now come under verbal attack on one of Libya's newest radio stations, Radio Zone.
Bassem Arady, a presenter at the station, says pretty much whatever's on his mind.

Hot Dogs, Bacon And Red Meat Tied To Increased Diabetes Risk

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:06:00 +0000
You've likely heard about the link between sugar consumption and Type 2 diabetes. But fresh research ties another dietary pattern to increased risk of the disease, too: eating too much red meat.
It's not that we are trying to pick on meat (I'm a meat-eater, in moderation), but the recent studies linking carnivorous habits to health problems seem to be piling up.