PODCAST · news
The Codcast
by CommonWealth Beacon
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.
Episodes
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Mass. abortion shield law heads to court
Telehealth providers can mail abortion pills to patients living in states where abortion is illegal. In Massachusetts for instance, such providers are shielded from legal action by states with abortion bans. Three shield law states are now being sued by attorneys general in Alabama, Arkansas and...
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Minogue's Patient First prescription
The gubernatorial race between Minogue and Healey is heating up as the candidates head into the November election. In July, medtech billionaire Minogue released his “Patients First” plan for improving health care outcomes in Massachusetts. John and Paul sat down with Minogue to drill down into…
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A ten-year-old racial wealth gap report gets an update
In 2015, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that white households in Boston had a median wealth of $247,500, while Black households had a median wealth of close to $0. That was more than ten years ago. Now, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston has released a new report examining the wealth…
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Unions pile into ballot measure campaigns
Organized labor has been out in force on ballot measures — recently literally trying to secure bargaining power through the ballot — and that means manpower, mobilization, and money funneling toward a set of policy measures that the Legislature has waved away. This week on The Codcast…
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Artificial intelligence and energy politics collide in Mass.
Gov. Maura Healey is all-in on artificial intelligence, but she's also trying to get a handle on soaring energy costs and a growing backlash to the very structures supporting the AI boom — data centers. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Jordan Wolman…
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The maternal health crisis in a state ranked first in the nation for medical care
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Hallie Claflin talks with Alecia McGregor, assistant professor of health policy and politics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Katie Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. They dig into the consequences...
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CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife on long-term care's looming crisis
We all need care as we age. Adam Scott leads New England’s largest nonprofit provider of senior care and living communities. He says demand is rising as the Commonwealth’s average age continues to increase. This week on Health or Consequences, Scott discusses how the broader health care crisis is...
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How do all-party primaries change politics? Just look to California
Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to make big changes to the state's primary elections. But it's not a first-in-the-nation experiment: several other states, including California, already have similar systems in which all candidates appear on the same primary ballot and the top...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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,...
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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…
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Point32Health CEO on the state of health insurance
Patrick Gilligan has a lifetime of experience in health care. One year ago, he accepted the role of CEO of Point32Health, a regional nonprofit health insurance provider. On this month's edition of Health or Consequences, hosts John McDonough and Paul Hattis ask Gilligan to take a deep dive into…
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Can Mass. hit its housing goals? (Ft. Housing Sec. Juana Matias)
Gov. Maura Healey’s administration estimates that the state will need 222,000 by 2035 to deal with existing needs and population growth. Her new housing secretary, Juana Matias, says we can meet that goal, and joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith to talk about chipping away at…
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Reviving the American dream: Raj Chetty's prescription [Live at The WBUR Festival]
For generations, it was virtually guaranteed that American children would out-earn their parents. But as Raj Chetty explains in this special live episode of The Codcast, recorded at the recent WBUR Festival, that dream is fading. What factors are contributing to economic stagnation? How can we...
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The World Cup has arrived
Matches in the world’s biggest sports spectacle will kick off this week across North America. With Boston as one of the host cities — seven matches will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which will be renamed Boston Stadium for the World Cup tournament — Massachusetts will be in the...
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Lessons from Boston for Mass. school desegregation lawsuit
Massachusetts has been busing students between neighborhoods and school districts for 60 years, but segregation within the school system persists – and in some places it’s actually gotten worse over recent decades. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with…
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How OB3 is reshaping healthcare in Massachusetts
On this month’s edition of Health or Consequences, hosts John McDonough and Paul Hattis are joined by Victoria Pulos, a health law attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, to discuss the fallout of OB3, or the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” for Massachusetts residents. Who is likely to...
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A Brief History of CommonWealth: from Magazine to Beacon
Dave Denison was the first editor of CommonWealth Magazine and oversaw the publication of its first issue 30 years ago, in the spring of 1996. Mirroring similar publications in other states, CommonWealth’s mission was to dive deep into how policy actually impacts people, no easy task in a state...
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What does it mean to be “middle class” in Massachusetts?
Defining the middle class is harder than it might seem – it might mean owning a home, having steady work, keeping a pot of savings, or the kids and white picket fence vision of the “American Dream.” Historian Andrew Seal, whose research and writings focus on how the middle class thinks of itself,...
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Without employee housing, fears that the Cape will crumble
Massachusetts’s extreme housing crunch is no secret, but who is actually in charge of fixing it? This week on The Codcast, state Sen. Julian Cyr and Local Journalism Project executive director Janet Lesniak join CommonWealth beacon reporter Jennifer Smith to talk about the role of employee…
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Mail-in-voting is back on the chopping block
What does the latest executive order aimed at changing how people cast their votes mean for Massachusetts? Two lawsuits are currently working their way through District Court in the state challenging a directive from President Trump that the US Postal Service only deliver mail ballots to voters…
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Should kids be allowed to use social media?
Policymakers in Massachusetts are increasingly eager to impose tighter restrictions on how young people use social media like Instagram and TikTok, repeatedly slamming the platforms for exploiting minors and fueling malaise. This week on The Codcast, we take a look at how the research of brain...
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20 years later: The grassroots story that changed health care
On April 12, 2006, at Faneuil Hall, Gov. Mitt Romney signed the Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform Act, commonly known as Chapter 58 or "RomneyCare." The groundbreaking legislation established the Massachusetts Health Connector, it expanded Medicaid, it required employers to provide insurance,...
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What it means that a state “AI assistant” will handle your data (with Technology Sec. Jason Snyder)
This week on The Codcast, we dig into the new partnership between Massachusetts and OpenAI to roll out an AI assistant to help with daily governmental tasks. Jennifer Smith, reporter for CommonWealth Beacon, is joined by Technology Secretary Jason Snyder, who says his goals include “democratizing...
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How is your experience of primary care?
After 28 years at the helm of Mass. Health Quality Partners, Barbra Rabson is stepping down. MHQP provides data on patient experiences of primary care. They bring stakeholders and patient representatives together to further their shared mission, improve healthcare quality and equity. On this…
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The Massachusetts angle into the US Senate’s housing bill
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Matt Noyes, director of state and federal advocacy for the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA). They dig into the Bay State implications of the sprawling bipartisan “meatball” of a housing bill that...
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Immigration enforcement ramps up and school enrollment tumbles
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Hallie Claflin discuss Claflin‘s latest piece on how immigration enforcement step ups are impacting school enrollment. They zero in on the state’s Gateway Cities, which are home to a disproportionate share of…
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The energy affordability crisis: How did we get here?
This week on The Codcast, we unpack how increasingly expensive utility bills are shaping the energy debate in Massachusetts and reaching a fever pitch on Beacon Hill. With energy costs now the top household concern in the Bay State, how should policymakers respond to the affordability crisis as...
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How 'universal' is universal pre-K? | with Amy Kershaw & Amy O'Leary
This week on The Codcast, we dive into Gov. Maura Healey's "Gateway to Pre-K" agenda. By the end of 2026, her administration declared that every family of a 4-year-old in the state’s 26 Gateway Cities would have the opportunity – at low or no cost – to enroll their child in a preschool program…
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Déjà vu and the MBTA fiscal cliff (with Jim Aloisi & Charlie Chieppo)
This week on The Codcast, we dive into what can feel like a perennial story: the MBTA hurtling toward another financial shortfall that Beacon Hill needs to address. But at this point, is the significant growth in state funding for the T an acknowledgment that good public transit requires big…
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Big tech is watching (with Kade Crockford)
This week on the Codcast – what does online surveillance look like in 2026? CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Kade Crockford, director of technology and justice programs at the ACLU of Massachusetts. They discuss the biggest misconceptions about data privacy online, why your...
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Regulating insurance amid surging health care costs (with Michael Caljouw)
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Michael Caljouw, the state commissioner of insurance. They discuss new regulations for insurers, concerns about the stability...
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Unpacking the governor’s state budget proposal (with Viviana Abreu-Hernández and Jim Stergios)
Description: This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Chris Lisinski hosts a roundtable discussion to dive into the details of Gov. Maura Healey’s new $63.4 billion state budget proposal with Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center…
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'It may get worse before it gets better' - Breaking down the 2026 State of the Commonwealth
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski talk about Gov. Maura Healey's 2026 State of the Commonwealth speech. They compare her tone and policy position to earlier years, review reactions to the speech, and look ahead at what this says about…
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Filling the health care funding gaps (with Audrey Morse Gasteier and Alex Sheff)
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, and Alex Sheff, senior director of policy and government affairs at Health Care For All. Gov. Maura Healey announced last week...
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What do cities and advocates want from the Legislature in 2026?
This week on the Codcast – our second annual start-of-the year roundtable! CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson; Jennie Williamson, the state director for research and advocacy organization The Education Trust in Massachusetts; and Clark…
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The 2025 CommonWealth Beacon reporter roundtable
On this end-of-year episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso sits down with reporters Jennifer Smith, Chris Lisinski, Jordan Wolman, and Hallie Claflin to discuss their 2025 storylines and what they each plan to cover in the new year.
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‘The exits are growing, the entries are slowing’ in primary care (with Zirui Song)
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of the Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts...
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Beyond the MCAS with Ed. Secretary Tutwiler
On this week’s episode of the Codcast, Michael Jonas, executive editor of CommonWealth Beacon, sits down with Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Education. Tutwiler co-chairs a graduation council tasked with proposing new educational standards and assessments to replace the MCAS. Take…
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The political and the personal of who learns classical music (ft. Élider DiPaula)
On this week’s episode of The Codcast, what it means when political forces come for the arts. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP — a 12-year music program focused on bringing students from underrepresented or...
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Showdown over Boston tax rates, ft Greg Maynard
How much of Boston’s tax needs should fall on residents? The question is splitting City Hall and the business community, as dropping commercial property values and rising home values threaten a 13 percent residential tax hike in 2026. This week on the Codcast, Greg Maynard, executive director of...
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The Legislature breaks for the holidays and ballot questions heat up
On this week’s episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski check in as Beacon Hill heads into its winter break. Chris looks back at the end of year lawmaking hustle, and what was left for 2026, then turns to a possibly record-smashing number of ballot...
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Restoring civic discourse in an age of polarization (with Jim Peyser)
On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with executive editor Michael Jonas about the yearlong series of essays he wrote for CommonWealth Beacon on the need for civil discussion of often controversial issues in an era...
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When medical access is a legal puzzle (with Matt Selig)
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk Matt Selig, the executive director of Health Law Advocates (HLA). They discuss the blur between medical and legal access issues…
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Municipal budgets at the breaking point (with Adam Chapdelaine, Mayor Kassandra Gove, and Paul Craney)
Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine, Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove, and Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney join The Codcast to dive deep on the world of municipal finances in a panel discussion moderated by CommonWealth Beacon reporter...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
CommonWealth Beacon
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Codcast have?
The Codcast currently has 500 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Codcast 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...
How often does The Codcast release new episodes?
The Codcast publishes regularly with 500 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Codcast?
You can listen to The Codcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Codcast?
The Codcast is created and hosted by CommonWealth Beacon.
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