The Codcast

CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by former Gov. Jane Swift to discuss political changes since her time in office, her current policy work, and the process of public grieving.

This week, Paul Hattis and John McDonough of Health or Consequences are joined by Barbara Fain, executive director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. They discuss the state of knowledge around medical care errors, as well as ongoing efforts to respond to and reduce it.

Ranked-choice voting and rent control will not be on the 2024 ballot in Massachusetts, but supporters are still pushing the policies in the legislature and locally. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Paul Craney and Jennifer Braceras of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance to discuss their opposition to both issues.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Chrissy Lynch, the new president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, to discuss the current pivotal moment for organized labor, the changes she's seen in the movement over the years, and her policy priorities.

Are we a beacon? This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Michael Jonas is joined by Steve Koczela of the MassINC Polling Group and Erin O'Brien of UMass Boston to discuss new polling data on how Massachusetts residents see the Commonwealth relative to other states, and relative to 20 years ago.

In this live episode of The Codcast, Commonwealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Partners in Democracy to discuss how Massachusetts's democracy is doing.

CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith is joined by the head of the Boston Housing Authority, Kenzie Bok, to discuss housing justice, the role of public housing in the city and commonwealth, and what's on the horizon in the world of public housing.

Co-hosts John McDonough and Paul Hattis are joined by Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, to discuss what he learned working at the CDC, his thoughts on public health issues facing the Commonwealth, and more.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith is joined by Jack Schneider, coauthor of Off the Mark: How Grades, Ratings, and Rankings Undermine Learning (but Don’t Have To). They discuss the book's argument in the context of current debates over Massachusetts's testing requirements and proposals to rethink them.

CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith is joined by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to discuss her attempt to audit the Massachusetts legislature, as well as other audits her office is conducting.

Hosts Paul Hattis and John McDonough are joined by Sree Chaguturu, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health, to discuss the role played by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in drug pricing in light of proposed state and federal regulation.

The Worcester Chamber of Commerce recently announced its support for the launch of the Worcester Guardian, a nonprofit digital news organization. Tim Murray, the Chamber's president, joins CommonWealth's Michael Jonas to discuss the Guardian, local nonprofit journalism, and questions of funding and independence.

The Dorchester Food Co-op is a new community & worker-owned grocery store that aims to make healthy food accessible and advance economic opportunity and neighborhood engagement. General manager John Santos joins CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith to discuss the co-op's origins and business model.

Ed Augustus is the first Secretary of the newly-formed Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. He joins CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith for a wide-ranging discussion of the challenges facing housing in Massachusetts, including shelter capacity, low vacancy rates, and changing patterns of work.

State Rep. Peter Durant and Evan Horowitz of the Tufts Center for State Policy Analysis join CommonWealth's Bruce Mohl to discuss Massachusetts's Right to Shelter law in relationship to the current shelter emergency and housing crisis.

Oren Sellstrom is the litigation director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, which recently filed a complaint claiming that Harvard's legacy and donor admissions preferences violate federal civil rights law. He joins CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith to discuss the complaint, admissions preferences, affirmative action, and diversity in educational institutions.

Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP, joins CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith to talk about the recent national NAACP convention (the first in Boston in 40 years), its goals, and its impact.

On a special nautical episode of the Codcast, CommonWealth editor Bruce Mohl visits the construction site of Vineyard Wind 1, the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm.

How local control has harmed preserving community character by CommonWealth Beacon

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director of MassVOTE, discusses a new campaign to bring ranked choice voting to Boston with CommonWeath's Jennifer Smith.

The Old North Church, best known for its starring role in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” turns 300 years old this year. Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated, joins CommonWealth’s Jennifer Smith to talk about the role of myths in teaching history and why the Old North site has been designated as a “site of conscience.”

Why Barnstable is integral to offshore wind plans by CommonWealth Beacon

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Sarah Evans with Open Society Foundations join CommonWealth reporter Jennifer Smith to discuss the international landscape of safe consumption sites and Somerville’s proposal to be the first municipality in the state to allow supervised consumption.

Cape Cod residents share concerns on offshore wind transmission lines by CommonWealth Beacon

Medicaid redetermination process off to fast start by CommonWealth Beacon