Say More

The 4th of July. What does it mean to you? This week it's America's birthday, a day that recognizes the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a blueprint for Democracy. It's a celebration that comes around every year, yet this time it feels different. Globe Opinion asked readers and community members to reflect on what it means to be an American today. Tune into this special episode featuring a heartfelt collection of voices and perspectives, and check out Globe Opinion's full package marking Independence Day here.

Kevin Sack is a longtime reporter who spent much of his career writing long-form pieces for the New York Time. Then in 2015, he helped cover one of the most horrific massacres in recent US history, the killing of nine parishioners who were attending Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The story launched Sack on what would become a 10 year project to document the history of Mother Emanuel, one of the oldest and most influential black churches in America.  The book, which is out now, explores stories of the enslaved and emancipated Black people who created and sustained the church against all odds in a bastion of the confederacy. The book also grapples with eternal questions of forgiveness and resilience a decade after this terrible tragedy.

Today, we’re sharing a special episode from Endless Thread, a podcast from our friends at WBUR. Brooke Eby was 33 when she was diagnosed with ALS. Since then, she’s gained a huge following for her honest and often hilarious videos about the realities of living with the disease. In this episode, Brooke speaks with Endless Thread hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson about the long road to her diagnosis, how humor has helped her cope, and what she hopes to change for future ALS patients. Follow Endless Thread wherever you get your podcasts.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is making itself known in Massachusetts. Federal immigration officials say they’ve arrested nearly 1,500 people over the last month in what they're calling, “Operation Patriot.” ICE officers have taken people off the streets, on their way to school, and from courthouses. They’ve made it clear that the Commonwealth is a target. Today on Say More, Boston Globe Politics Reporter Samantha J. Gross and Globe Opinion Columnist Marcela Garcia join Shirley Leung for a look at what ICE’s mounting presence in the area means for local immigrant communities… and what local leaders are doing about it.

With the moving of tassels and tossing of caps, the school year has come to a close at Harvard. And what a tumultuous year it has been. President Donald Trump has gone to war with the nation's most elite university. The White House has canceled a sweeping array of grants and contracts worth billions of dollars with no plans to let up. Then, in late May, Trump moved to prohibit international students from enrolling at Harvard. Harvard has filed lawsuit after lawsuit to stop Trump from destroying what makes the university great, but as we head into summer, the school is at a crossroads with much of its fate hanging in the courts. Globe Higher Education Reporter Hilary Burns joins “Say More” host Shirley Leung to discuss what’s next for Harvard.

When we think about being young, we picture a time of exploration and discovering who we are. What we don't picture? Cancer. But there's a worrying trend in the cancer world with  young adults getting cancer at higher rates, and scientists don't know why. Kelly Spill was 28 years old when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She was pregnant when she first noticed symptoms. Doctor after doctor told her not to worry. When she was finally diagnosed, her cancer was Stage 3. This week on “Say More,” Kelly’s story of treatment and survival. Later a conversation with Dr. Andrea Cercek, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, who leads the first clinic in the world to specialize in young people with colorectal cancers.

For years, journalist Larry Ingrassia thought his family was tragically unlucky. His mother, two sisters, and brother all died of cancer. Later in life, he understood it was no coincidence: threaded throughout his family’s DNA was a hereditary cancer gene, vastly increasing their risk of the deadly disease. In this episode, Shirley talks to Larry about the moment he discovered the cause, the difficult choice of getting himself tested, and how greater knowledge of family history can lead to monitoring that saves lives. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

Cancer doctor Barrett Rollins only discovered the extent of his wife’s advanced cancer when she collapsed at work, revealing a football sized breast tumor. Barrett’s wife Jane, also a world-class cancer researcher, confounded her entire community when it was revealed that she had hidden her own cancer diagnosis for years, only sharing the truth when it was too late. On this episode of The C-Word: Stories of Cancer, Shirley and Barrett discuss the complex psychology of cancer, why people struggle to face this disease, and the heartbreaking experience of watching a loved one suffer. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee became famous with his epic nonfiction book about cancer, “The Emperor of All Maladies.” The book shows that if there’s one constant in cancer research, it’s that it’s always changing. On this episode of “The C-Word: Stories of Cancer,” Shirley talks to Dr. Mukherjee about how his time living and working in Boston changed him as a doctor. They discuss the hopeful progress we’ve made in curing cancer - and the challenges that persist. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung is generally open about her personal life. But this is the first time she is talking publicly about her own experience with breast cancer. She was treated in Boston hospitals and underwent a mastectomy. Like so many others, she will spend the rest of her life getting tested to make sure she stays cancer-free. In this first episode of The C-Word: Stories of Cancer, Shirley talks about the things that surprised her about cancer, and the ways the disease changed her. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

If it's an important slice of American history, you can bet Ken Burns has made a documentary about it. The list is nearly endless. From baseball to jazz, Mark Twain to Ernest Hemingway, the Civil War to the Dust Bowl. Now, he's going back to the beginning. Burns’s upcoming documentary series, out later this year, will explore the Revolutionary War with a focus on the lesser-known characters of the revolution. Burns tells the Globe’s editorial page editor Jim Dao that this new film is the most important one he’ll ever make. Email us at saymore@globe.com. To read Ken’s essay about his forthcoming series in Boston Globe Ideas, click here. And to read the rest of Globe Opinion’s coverage of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, click here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.