Please donate to the show! Today we cover the politics of Earth Day and sustainability, some upcoming environmental lawsuits, and the role of corporations and government versus our role in preserving our planet. And no environmental discussion

Supreme Court Corruption

20 days ago 27m 57s

Please donate to the show! Today we cover a Supreme Court case about corruption, and the little decisions that lead up to people eventually making horrible corrupt decisions. We also discuss the hollowing out of the middle class and how that

Media Bias -- Hot Off The Press

27 days ago 23m 59s

Please donate to the show! Today we talk about today we talk about how the media does not expect for conservatives to govern and only puts all of that burden on the Democrats and how that affects all sorts of issues, from abortion to climate to

The Governor's Council -- The Appendix of Massachusetts

Apr 4th, 2024 29m 9s

Please donate to the show! Today we talk about today we talk about the Governor's Council -- what they do, the unofficial tenure of the people who've been on there for decades, their (lack of) diversity and how this affects the lives of people

For Whom The Gov Serves

Mar 25th, 2024 30m

Please donate to the show! Today we talk about who the government really works for. Does our government work for you? Does our government work for vulnerable people? Does our government work for the bottom 50% of wage earners? And if not, who d

Lawmakers Breaking the Law

Mar 25th, 2024 34m 27s

Please donate to the show! Today we talk about the three times when the state legislature broke the law instead of passing progressive policy, to make sure that they crushed progressive policy. And those times include crushing clean elections (

DPU Decision: Done Doggedly Denying Climate Disaster

Mar 1st, 2024 34m 59s

Please donate to the show! Today we talk about the Department of Public Utilities decision that happened in December, where they made some decisions about the future of gas in the state of Massachusetts. We also discuss a little bit of environm

Joint Rule 10 Day: Arbitrary State Deadlines Not Even Followed

Feb 23rd, 2024 34m 32s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about Joint Rule 10 Day, which is a deadline for getting bills passed through certain hoops before they can pass through other hoops. This includes bills like the Transfer Fee, Debt Free College, Rent Con

Cities vs The State: How Massachusetts Pre-empts Progressive Local Policy

Feb 9th, 2024 25m 25s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about cities versus the state, and how the Massachusetts state constitution prevents cities' duly-elected city councilors from passing a whole swath of policy locally that residents need. We discuss home

Governor's Budget — What it means for You, Your Kids, and Your Pocketbook

Feb 1st, 2024 25m 27s

Please donate to the show!Today we are talking about the governor's proposed budget. We're talking about where that money comes from, how things are getting paid for as well now. We also cover some questions, like: Can things be changed in the

Small Potatoes - Why We Lack Big Progress in Democrat-Majority Massachusetts

Jan 25th, 2024 24m 20s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about why so-called "state wins" are actually small potatoes. We dive into how we hear from state reps or state senators "Hey, look at these amazing things that we did," and how looking into their boasts

Public Banking - What It Is and How It Could Change Your Life

Jan 18th, 2024 34m 49s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about public banking--what it is, why it matters, and how you might be helped by it. We discuss how it might affect communities of color, women-owned businesses, cooperatives, and small farms, as well as

Budget Cuts -- How cutting the state budget hurts our futures

Jan 11th, 2024 25m 17s

Today we talk about Governor Healy's 9C budget cuts. We'll dive into how it affects our funding of programs that we need, tying it to the Fair Share amendment and tax cuts that they passed. We will be talking about how you know the downturn is

Homelessness -- Covid-19 and Homelessness: How Massachusetts Has Fallen Behind

Dec 22nd, 2023 35m 36s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about the new regulations around shelters. We go into how Covid has affected homelessness as well as legislation to make things easier for a lot of the people who are homeless today. And of course, we wil

Parole -- how does it work and why it needs to be improved in Massachusetts

Dec 15th, 2023 39m 59s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk to two wonderful experts about parole and what needs to change about it. We talk about how long people can be on parole, how many people return to jail because they break some small technical aspect of pa

Local election results! Boston, Worcester, Medford, Malden, Somerville, Everett, Revere & more

Nov 21st, 2023 43m 27s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about the results of the local elections from Nov 7. We'll go over Boston, Worcester, and Medford in some detail, as well as quick updates for Malden, Somerville, Everett, Revere, Springfield, Newton, Mar

Local Elections -- Vote this Tuesday Nov 7th!

Nov 5th, 2023 35m 31s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about city elections in Massachusetts. We'll cover why local elections matter, how to vote, and what to look for in local elected officials. Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan to chat ab

Halloween Special: Bills Graveyard! Nightmare on Beacon Street!

Oct 30th, 2023 30m 19s

Please donate to the show!Cue the spooky music! Today we chat with Erin from Act on Mass about all the bills should have passed but died in the state legislature. Many of these bills have been around for years, and often they die not because th

Healey's Housing Bond Bill - what's in it and why it's not enough

Oct 24th, 2023 22m 39s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about the $4B housing bond bill. You may think it allocates $4B to affordable housing, but in fact, our state has cut funding for affordable housing, rental assistance, and the unhoused. This bill simply

UAW, unions, and worker power

Oct 6th, 2023 38m 29s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk with Evan MacKay, President of the Harvard Graduate Students Union about workers rights. We cover the UAW strikes across the country as well as what is happening here in Massachusetts, including worker-ce

MBTA -- How can we fix our public transit in an equitable and sustainable way?

Oct 2nd, 2023 40m 40s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about the MBTA, and how it has been under-funded for decades. Public transit can be such a benefit to society and to our future sustainability. We talk about what recent developments are influencing trans

5.25 Cherish Act -- How we can support education and prevent student debt

Sep 12th, 2023 35m 22s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about how we can provide higher education in a way that does not leave people struggling with debt for decades. We talk to three experts about both the Cherish Act and the Debt Free Future Act. You'll hea

Transparency -- MA is unique in being the only state where all 3 branches of govt are exempt from public records law.

Sep 2nd, 2023 53m 50s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk about transparency. Massachusetts is the only state where all three branches of government are exempt from public records law. Andrew Quemere, host of The Mass Dump and Lights Out Mass, joins us to talk s

The Thrive Act -- how all of our students can succeed and thrive

Aug 25th, 2023 45m 32s

Please donate to the show!Today we talk to Vatsady Sivongxay about the Thrive Act. We'll talk about receivership and why it is so damaging especially for our BIPOC community, as well as about the MCAS, what it does to our kids, and we'll also t

Ballot Proposals for 2024 are out!

Aug 11th, 2023 25m 48s

Please donate to the show!Today we discuss seven of the proposed ballot measures for 2024. We cover 1. one fair wage, 2. rent control, 3. same day voter registration, 4. MCAS, 5. Uber/Lyft, 6. auditing the legislature, and 7. psychedelics. We'l