The Codcast

CommonWealth Beacon
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Tune into spirited debate, local stories, and insightful analyses with The Codcast. Hosted each week by a CommonWealth Beacon reporter, the half-hour policy podcast delves into the heart of Massachusetts’s most pressing and intriguing topics. Hear newsmakers, historians, and policy experts tackle statewide housing struggles, immigration policies, little-known histories, surprising political fights, and even take to the sea to visit rising offshore wind turbines.

  1. 10 hr ago

    Desperation and a double-bind for Quabbin communities

    For the towns around the Quabbin Reservoir, managing worsening drought seasons comes with a bitter irony: they surround the essential clean water source for distant Greater Boston, and that means harsher water restrictions than the populous downstream cities. This week on The Codcast, Jennifer Smith talks with fellow CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman about his coverage of Quabbin watershed communities and their push for more state support. https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/towns-surrounding-the-quabbin-reservoir-protect-the-water-for-2-7-million-people-in-eastern-mass-theyre-getting-financially-starved-in-the-process/ https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/state-government/healey-in-new-letter-urges-mwra-to-meet-the-pressing-needs-of-quabbin-reservoir-communities/ Youtube: Codcast@commonwealthbeacon.org CommonWealthBeacon.org

    Desperation and a double-bind for Quabbin communities

  2. 10 Aug

    Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking

    When it comes to rebuking federal immigration actions, states’ options are limited. This week on The Codcast, Jennifer Smith and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal of Lawyers for Civil Rights discussed the PROTECT Act's new limits on ICE enforcement, the fallout from the Temporary Protected Status termination for Haiti, and the federal lawsuit challenging the state's in-state tuition law for immigrant students — and what, if anything, Massachusetts can actually do about any of it. Guest: Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights Host: Jennifer Smith, senior reporter for CommonWealth Beacon Related Articles https://commonwealthbeacon.org/the-codcast/health-care-workers-struggle-to-navigate-closures-and-immigration-fears/ https://commonwealthbeacon.org/education/trump-doj-sues-mass-over-immigrant-tuition-law/ https://commonwealthbeacon.org/immigration/supreme-court-paves-way-for-rollback-of-tps-protections-for-haitians-syrians/ Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/0TaiK2dSJpY Wolman's article on Quabbin Reservoir: https://commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/its-like-the-hunger-games-quabbin-reservoir-towns-take-funding-fight-to-beacon-hill-amid-extended-drought/ Credits: Footage "Governor Healey signs the PROTECT Act" -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtOc8AGGLn0 Production, original music - Charlie KoczelaEditing - Camila UlianCover photo Norfolk County Courthouse, Dedham, Massachusetts - Kenneth C. Zirkel

    Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking

  3. 5 Aug

    Unpacking the Legislature’s July 31 flurry, and what comes next

    The traditional even-year July 31 deadline that marks an end to formal legislative business looks a little different this time around, but lawmakers still used the date to finish off a flurry of significant action. In a special bonus episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski catch you up on why the significance of the deadline has changed, what topics are primed for legislative action in the remainder of the term, and what can still happen in the next five months before the term officially ends.

    Unpacking the Legislature’s July 31 flurry, and what comes next

  4. 3 Aug

    What it's going to take to keep New England's lights on

    Rising power demand, ambitious clean energy targets, the rise of artificial intelligence, and skyrocketing electricity prices are colliding to create a profound moment of disruption in New England's ability to plan for the needs of the future while keeping the lights on today. Dr. Vamsi Chadalavada, president and CEO of ISO New England, the operator of the region's energy system, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman to discuss how he's balancing it all. Youtube: https://youtu.be/wGWbTDdgBWc Credits: Cover photo ISO control rooms - courtesy of ISO New England Video Production by Camila Ulian Music & Audio by Charlie Koczela CommonWealthBeacon.org codcast@commonwealthbeacon.org

    What it's going to take to keep New England's lights on

  5. 27 Jul

    Patients or profit? with John McDonough

    America's health system is uniquely expensive and uniquely underperforming. On this month's edition of Health or Consequences, John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discusses his upcoming book, America's Wrong Turn: U.S. Health Care in the Neoliberal Era, and traces the political and economic forces that reshaped American medicine. From the Chicago School and Milton Friedman's free-market philosophy to Ronald Reagan's antitrust policies, McDonough argues that decades of neoliberal policymaking laid the groundwork for today's soaring health care costs, industry consolidation, and the growing influence of private equity. Pre-Order America's Wrong Turn: US Health Care in the Neoliberal Era 30% OFF Code: HTWN Publishes August 11th, 2026 https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/53872/americas-wrong-turn?srsltid=AfmBOopF7X-M0BXT1fSZffPmeezISVx0CNkt5oJ14yAOfxO722xcR2nM Host: Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute Guest: John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health https://hsph.harvard.edu/profile/john-e-mcdonough/ Have a question or comment for Health or Consequences? Reach out to paul.hattis@gmail.com https://commonwealthbeacon.org/codcast/

    Patients or profit? with John McDonough

  6. 20 Jul

    Navigating news deserts

    Across Massachusetts and the country, the number of journalists is declining rapidly. Unsurprisingly, so is the number of local news publications. This trend is leaving many residents of the Bay State without a reliable source of information about the communities in which they live. To help unpack this trend and explore what can be done about it, CommonWealth Beacon's editor, Laura Colarusso, sat down with Javier Marin, executive chairman of El Planeta; Sophie Culpepper, staff writer for Nieman Lab; and Dan Kennedy, professor of journalism at Northeastern University. Host: Laura Colarusso, editor of CommonWealth Beacon Guests: Sophie Culpepper, staff writer for Neiman Lab Javier Marin, executive chairman of El Planeta Dan Kennedy, professor of journalism at Northeastern University YouTube: https://youtu.be/BmHYDkC0H_w https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/news/2025/news-deserts-hit-new-high-and-50-million-have-limited-access-to-local-news-study-finds.html

    Navigating news deserts

  7. 13 Jul

    Why gas companies are spending big in 'fossil fuel free' communities

    This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Hallie Claflin and Jordan Wolman discuss Wolman’s latest piece on how utilities are spending millions on natural gas infrastructure in 10 communities that have gone “fossil fuel free.” They zero in on the state’s Gas System Enhancement Plan, which is now under heavy scrutiny for ballooning spending that has delivered few additional benefits at a time when Massachusetts residents are confronting soaring gas and electric bills.  Host: Hallie Claflin, reporter for CommonWealth Beacon Guest: Jordan Wolman, reporter for CommonWealth Beacon https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/ten-communities-in-massachusetts-went-fossil-fuel-free-then-utilities-spent-100m-on-natural-gas-infrastructure-there/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/CH0RLbSfE6Y Cover Art: By Fletcher - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69888616. Frame and logo overlay added by CWB.

    Why gas companies are spending big in 'fossil fuel free' communities

  8. 6 Jul

    What can Mass. learn from New Mexico's universal free child care?

    New Mexico is making waves, and generating questions from curious onlookers, by offering universal child care to all families. How is it funded? Is it truly universal? Are there enough caretakers to keep up with demand? And with our astronomically high child care costs, could Massachusetts achieve something similar? Jacob Vigil, the chief legislative officer of New Mexico Voices for Children, joins CommonWealth Beacon's Chris Lisinski to dive into the policy, the grassroots campaign behind the changes, and how money from the booming New Mexican oil and gas industry played a key role. Guest: Jacob Vigil, CLO of New Mexico Voices for Children Host: Chris Lisinski, senior reporter at CommonWealth Beacon YouTube: https://youtu.be/EczRJC3Juek https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/new-mexico-universal-free-child-care-after-6-months-home-based-programs-see-barriers-removed/

    What can Mass. learn from New Mexico's universal free child care?
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About

Tune into spirited debate, local stories, and insightful analyses with The Codcast. Hosted each week by a CommonWealth Beacon reporter, the half-hour policy podcast delves into the heart of Massachusetts’s most pressing and intriguing topics. Hear newsmakers, historians, and policy experts tackle statewide housing struggles, immigration policies, little-known histories, surprising political fights, and even take to the sea to visit rising offshore wind turbines.

Information

  • Creator
    CommonWealth Beacon
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    468
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CommonWealth Beacon
  • Show Website
    The Codcast

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