The WBUR Festival: Full Schedule

10:00am EDT

Punk for the People: A Conversation with Ken Casey

Friday May 29, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT

WBUR CitySpace @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The Dropkick Murphys frontman shares why he’s an outspoken critic of the Trump administration, channeling punk rock's protest roots to deliver a pro-democracy message.

Speakers

Robin Young

Co-Host, Here & Now, WBUR

Robin Young brings more than 25 years of broadcast experience to her role as host of Here & Now. She is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has also reported for NBC, CBS and ABC television and for several years was substitute host and correspondent for "The Today S... Read More →

Ken Casey

Founder, Dropkick Murphys & Pro-Democracy Champion

Ken Casey is the founding member of Boston's Dropkick Murphys, who've generated half-a-billion streams and 8 million-plus album sales worldwide.

Perennially outspoken, the band’s music champions the working class and downtrodden, while carrying hope through powerful melodies and... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
WBUR CitySpace

Politics

10:30am EDT

The Ultimate Insider: A Conversation with Rahm Emanuel

Friday May 29, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The former White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor, and ambassador reflects on his journey to politics’ biggest stages. He’ll offer candid insights on the Democratic Party’s future and the stakes of the upcoming elections.

Speakers

Evan Smith

Managing Director for Events, The Atlantic

Evan Smith is the former CEO of The Texas Tribune and host of the weekly interview program Overheard with Evan Smith. He is currently the Managing Director of Events for The Atlantic.

Amb. Rahm Emanuel

Former Ambassador to Japan & Former Chief of Staff, Obama Administration

Rahm I. Emanuel most recently served as the United States Ambassador to Japan. Previously, he was the 55th Mayor of the City of Chicago, a position he held until May 2019. Prior to becoming Mayor, from November 2008 until October 2010, Emanuel served as President Barack Obama’s Chief of... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

11:15am EDT

Safety First: A Conversation with Jake Sullivan

Friday May 29, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT

College of General Studies Auditorium @ 871 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The former national security advisor sits with a host of NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss conflicts in the Middle East, how technology is transforming warfare and the path to a more peaceful world.

Speakers

Mary Louise Kelly

Host, NPR's All Things Considered & Sources & Methods

Mary Louise Kelly is host of NPR’s All Things Considered and the national security podcast Sources & Methods. Her assignments have included North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Israel, Iran and beyond. Kelly’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Str... Read More →

Jake Sullivan

Professor, Harvard Kennedy School & Co-Host, The Long Game Podcast

Jake Sullivan is the Kissinger Professor of the Practice of Statecraft and World Order at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Senior Fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. He is also the co-host of The Long Game podcast. From January 2021 to January 2025... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
College of General Studies Auditorium

Politics

11:45am EDT

Blue and Red and What's Left Unsaid in a Polarized America

Friday May 29, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall @ 855B Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Is there anything we can do to bridge the gap between left and right America? Three social and political observers offer their ideas on how we all got so polarized, and what we can do to change things.

Speakers

Joshua Greene

Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Civil Discourse, Harvard University

Joshua D. Greene is the Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Civil Discourse, Professor of Psychology, and a member of the Center for Brain Science faculty at Harvard University. He’s the co-creator of Tango, a cooperative quiz game that builds trust respect across lines of division, and the co-fo... Read More →

Anthony Brooks

Senior Political Reporter, WBUR

Anthony Brooks is WBUR's senior political reporter, who brings decades of experience as a broadcast producer, editor, reporter and host for WBUR and NPR.

Before becoming WBUR’s senior political reporter, Brooks was co-host of Radio Boston, WBUR’s local news and talk show. For many years, Brooks worked as a Boston-based reporter for NPR, covering regional issues across New England, including politics, the economy, education, criminal... Read More →

Colin Woodard

Director, Nationhood Lab, Salve Regina University

Colin Woodard is director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University, where he studies U.S. regionalism and nationhood. The author of seven books including American Nations and Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, as a journalist he won a George Polk Award and was a... Read More →

Lilliana Mason

Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University & SNF Agora Institute

Lilliana Mason is SNF Agora Institute Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University.

She is the author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity and co-author, with Nathan P. Kalmoe, of Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall

Politics

12:30pm EDT

State Terror and Family Fear: A Conversation with M. Gessen

Friday May 29, 2026 12:30pm - 1:15pm EDT

College of General Studies Auditorium @ 871 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Join the New York Times opinion columnist, award-winning author and host of the new podcast “The Idiot” from Serial Productions for a wide-ranging conversation on Russia, Ukraine and the rise of global totalitarianism. Plus, what happens when a reporter turns the lens inward to confront family history and personal memory.

Speakers

Indira Lakshmanan

Co-Host, Here & Now, WBUR

Indira Lakshmanan is a co-host of Here & Now.

M. Gessen

Columnist, The New York Times & Author, The Idiot

M. Gessen is an opinion columnist at The New York Times and the author of Serial's 2026 show "The Idiot," which marked a departure from writing about autocracy and wars.

Friday May 29, 2026 12:30pm - 1:15pm EDT
College of General Studies Auditorium

Politics

2:15pm EDT

Foreign Policy and the Use of Force: A Conversation with John Bolton

Friday May 29, 2026 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security advisor in the first Trump administration opines on foreign policy.

Speakers

Amb. John Bolton

Former US National Security Advisor & Former US Ambassador to the U.N.

John R. Bolton served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from April 8, 2018 until his resignation on September 10, 2019. From January 2007 until April 2018, he served as a Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute in Washington. John R. Bolton was appointed as United... Read More →

Meghna Chakrabarti

Host, On Point, WBUR

Meghna Chakrabarti is the award-winning host and editor of On Point. Based in Boston, she is on the air Monday through Friday.

On Point has been frequently recognized for excellence in journalism under Meghna's leadership. Chakrabarti is the former host of Radio Boston, WBUR’s acclaimed weekday local show. She's the former host of Modern Love: The Podcast, a collaboration of WBUR and The New York Times... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

3:00pm EDT

Left, Right & Center - Live

Friday May 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace @ 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Left, Right & Center is where listeners come to understand people on the other side of the political divide. The show host will be joined by political commentators on the right and left to look at the debates driving the midterm elections and how each side sees them shaping up.

Speakers

Sarah Isgur

Editor, SCOTUSblog, Host, Advisory Opinions & Legal Analyst, ABC News

Sarah Isgur is the editor of SCOTUSblog, host of the legal podcast Advisory Opinions, and a legal analyst for ABC News. Isgur has previously worked on multiple presidential campaigns and in all three branches of the federal government. During the first Trump administration, she served in the Departmen... Read More →

Mo Elleithee

Executive Director, Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service

Mo Elleithee is a dynamic force in politics, higher education, and media, with a career spanning over three decades of shaping political discourse and inspiring future leaders. As the founding Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service since 2015, h... Read More →

David Greene

Host, Left, Right & Center, KCRW

David Greene is the host of KCRW's Left, Right & Center, as well as Sports in America from PRX and WHYY and the podcast David Greene is Obsessed. Greene hosted NPR's Morning Edition for more than a decade and helped launch the popular morning news podcast UpFirst. He's a New York Times best-s... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace

Politics

3:30pm EDT

Next Stop: The Future of the T

Friday May 29, 2026 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall @ 855B Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Transit leaders and advocates take stock of the MBTA’s recent struggles and map out the investments, policies and innovations needed to build a more reliable, equitable future for the Boston area’s public transit system.

Speakers

Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez

Transportation Reporter, WBUR

Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez is a transportation reporter for WBUR.

Previously, she was a freelance producer for WBUR’s Radio Boston.

Perdomo-Hernandez is from South Florida, where she was a reporter for public radio stations in Miami and Fort Myers. She also produced for regional and statewide public affairs programs. She has won regional and national awards for her reporting on the environment and migrant commun... Read More →

Lynsey M. Heffernan

Chief of Policy and Strategic Planning, MBTA

As an unabashed change agent, Lynsey Heffernan has spent her career working to improve life outcomes for people of the Massachusetts. Lynsey is the Chief of Policy and Strategic Planning for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) working to help the agency create a plan forward after years of crisis and decades... Read More →

Brian Kane

Executive Director, MBTA Advisory Board

Brian Kane is the Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board, a Massachusetts quasi-state agency representing the 178 cities and towns comprising the MBTA service district. In this role, he provides municipal oversight of the MBTA’s capital, operating, and policy decisions on behalf of... Read More →

Kate Dineen

President & CEO, A Better City

Kate Dineen is President & CEO of A Better City, a nonprofit organization convening business and civic leaders to advance transportation, land use, and climate solutions. She previously held several roles in the New York State Governor’s Office and served as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Polic... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall

Politics

4:15pm EDT

Growing Up Underground: A Conversation with Zayd Ayers Dohrn

Friday May 29, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

Marsh Chapel @ 735 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The son of Weather Underground leaders and author of the new memoir “Dangerous, Dirty, Violent & Young” recounts his childhood on the run in the radical ’60s and ’70s, tracing how secrecy, extremist ideology and trauma shaped his family life.

Speakers

Robin Young

Co-Host, Here & Now, WBUR

Zayd Ayers Dohrn

Author, Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young

Zayd Ayers Dohrn was born underground and raised in New York City. He is the author of the book Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young; creator of the hit Crooked Media podcast Mother Country Radicals, and writer (with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Morello) of the punk rock protest musical Revolut... Read More →

Friday May 29, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Marsh Chapel

Politics

10:30am EDT

Leading in an Unstable World: A Conversation with Samantha Power

Saturday May 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and USAID Administrator reflects on the changing role of the United States in the world..

Speakers

Indira Lakshmanan

Co-Host, Here & Now, WBUR

Indira Lakshmanan is a co-host of Here & Now.

Amb. Samantha Power

Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Samantha Power is an Irish-American journalist, diplomat, and government official. She was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development from 2021 to 2025.

Saturday May 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

12:15pm EDT

Judges, Law and the New Era of Immigration Enforcement

Saturday May 30, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall @ 855B Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Two former immigration judges dissect recent shifts — from the Supreme Court case over birthright citizenship to the large-scale firings of judges — and debate whether we’re witnessing lawlessness or a controversial interpretation and enforcement of existing laws.

Speakers

Simón Rios

Reporter, WBUR

Simón Rios is an award-winning reporter, covering immigration, politics and local enterprise stories for WBUR.
He joined the station in 2015 after two years at The Standard-Times in New Bedford. His first assignment at WBUR was to cover “Snowmaggedon,” the blizzards that led to the snowiest winter in Boston’s history. More recently he has covered the impact of immigration enforcement... Read More →

Art Arthur

Fellow in Law and Policy, The Center for Immigration Studies

Art Arthur is a graduate of the University of Virginia and GW Law School, former trial attorney and associate general counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He is also former oversight counsel for immigration for the House Judiciary Committee, former staff director... Read More →

George D. Pappas

Former Immigration Judge

Born in Charlotte, NC to Greek immigrant parents, but raised in New York City, George Pappas, the Principal Owner of Pappas Legal, PLLC in Asheville, NC representing clients in Western North Carolina and nationwide in U.S. immigration law.

Most recently, Dr. Pappas was appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland as Federal Immigration Judge at the Boston and Chelmsford, MA immigration courts between 2023-2025.Between 2003 and 2023, Dr. Pappas represented clients nationwide and internationally in immigration... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall

Politics

12:15pm EDT

The Room Where It Happens: Covering the White House in Real Time

Saturday May 30, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Three White House journalists pull back the curtain and share the tactics, pressures and ethical dilemmas of reporting from the epicenter of power.

Speakers

Lisa Mullins

Host, All Things Considered, WBUR

Lisa Mullins is the voice of WBUR’s All Things Considered. She anchors the program, conducts interviews, and reports from the field. Mullins is also guest anchor of the WBUR and NPR midday show Here & Now.
From 1998 through 2012, Mullins was chief anchor of the daily international news program, “The World,” co-produced by the BBC, WGBH and PRI. Her foreign reporting has taken her to Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Cuba, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Hong Kong, South and North Korea and... Read More →

Zolan Kanno-Youngs

White House Correspondent, The New York Times

Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House Correspondent for The New York Times. He is on a team of reporters covering President Trump and his agenda. While he covers domestic and foreign policy broadly, his work focuses on immigration, homeland security, race and inequality. Based in the Washington bureau... Read More →

Tom Nichols

Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic. An expert on international security issues, he taught national security affairs for 25 years at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of several books on international politics and democracy in America.
... Read More →

Jasmine Wright

Jasmine Wright, White House Correspondent & Co-author, NOTUS Morning Newsletter

Jasmine Wright covers the Trump White House and co-authors NOTUS’ Morning newsletter.

At NOTUS, she has covered the second Trump administration and Kamala Harris’ presidential run. She was a finalist for the Livingston Award for her incisive reporting on what went wrong inside the Harris campaign. She regularly appears on CNN, MSNBC, CBS and CSPAN to offer political... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

2:15pm EDT

Stories of Justice: A Conversation with Bryan Stevenson

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT

College of General Studies Auditorium @ 871 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

The civil rights lawyer, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of “Just Mercy” reflects on the legal system, racial justice and the stories we tell about our nation’s history.

Speakers

Tiziana Dearing

Host, Morning Edition, WBUR

Tiziana Dearing is the host of WBUR’s Morning Edition.

Prior to helping listeners start the morning with news from around the corner and around the world, Tiziana hosted Radio Boston, WBUR’s daily local magazine, for five years.

Tiziana came to journalism after a career that spanned academia, nonprofits and for-profit management consulting. She taught graduate students at the Boston College School of Social Work and chaired its program in Social Innovation and Leadership. Tiziana ran a start-up foundation... Read More →

Bryan Stevenson

Civil Rights Attorney & Author, Just Mercy

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
College of General Studies Auditorium

Politics

2:45pm EDT

No Laughing Matter: Satire in the Age of the Political Absurd

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Satirists from The Onion and The Atlantic reveal how parody, sharp humor and viral comedy cut through today’s news cycle — exploring the importance of humor when reality can feel like a bad internet meme.

Speakers

Mike Gillis

Head Writer, The Onion

Mike Gillis is head writer for The Onion. He's also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Tricycle, ClickHole, and the Supreme Court (in the form of a recent amicus brief in defense of parody and free speech).

Ally Jarmanning

Senior Reporter, WBUR

Ally Jarmanning is a senior reporter focused on criminal justice and police accountability. She champions data and public records in the WBUR newsroom, reporting her own stories and working with fellow reporters on projects and daily news. She started at WBUR writing for Morning Edition and later... Read More →

Alexandra Petri

Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Alexandra Petri is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, she wrote a humor column for the Washington Post. She won the 2025 Thurber Prize for American Humor for her book AP’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up). She is the author of two other books... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

5:15pm EDT

On the Front Lines: Covering Mass Deportations

Saturday May 30, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall @ 855B Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Three journalists share firsthand accounts of covering the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — from congressional hearings to detention facilities and embedding with ICE agents and ICE watchers. Learn about the challenges, risks and ethical choices that come with documenting mass deportations in real-time.

Speakers

Tim Dunn

Lead Political Reporter, Boston Herald

Tim Dunn is a Political Reporter for the Boston Herald. He has over 10 years of experience as a journalist, covering local and regional news for various outlets across Massachusetts to national headlines during his time at Fox News.

Simón Rios

Reporter, WBUR

Pablo Manríquez

Editor, Migrant Insider

Pablo Manriquez edits Migrant Insider and reports for MeidasTouch. He lives with his dog Roxy in Washington, D.C., where he covers Congress, The White House, and the courts. Pablo is Chile-born, Missouri-raised, and Notre Dame educated. He is also a semi-famous oil painter... Read More →

Allison McCann

Data reporter, The New York Times

Allison McCann is a data reporter at The New York Times who covers immigration. Her stories often involve collecting and analyzing data to better understand the topics she covers. She also works across a variety of visual formats — charts, maps, photos, videos — in addition to... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall

Politics

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