The Horse Race

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Episode 194: The push to unionize newsrooms Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

12/16/21--Newsrooms across the country are pushing to unionize. And those in Massachusetts are no exception. Today on The Horse Race, Jenn sits down with three guests who can speak to newsroom union negotiations from experience. State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa is one of the columnists taking part in the strike at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in support of the paper’s union. The columnists have told Newspapers of New England, which owns the Gazette, that they will not be writing any more columns until the company agrees to a contract with its employees. Reporters Ally Jarmanning of WBUR and Kevin Slane of The Boston Globe and Boston.com talk about their experience with contract negotiations — WBUR employees having gone through both establishing a union as well as well as negotiating contracts, and Globe employees undergoing a three-year-long process of contract negotiations. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-194-the-push-to-unionize-newsrooms

Episode 193: State House Roundup: What's in the ARPA spending bill? Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

12/9/21--Today on The Horse Race, a roundup on what's happening on Beacon Hill. Reporters Katie Lannan of State House News Service and Shira Schoenberg of CommonWealth stop by to break down what is inside the $4 billion ARPA spending bill headed for Charlie Baker's desk (and why it took so long to reach this point). Plus, Lisa provides the scoop on the down-ballot races heating up across the state.

Episode 192: Baker's out, on to 2022 Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

12/1/21 --After two terms, Governor Charlie Baker has announced he will not be running for re-election in 2022. The statement led to a frenzy of reactions and speculations throughout the Massachusetts political scene, and many names were bandied about of who might throw their hat in the ring. Co-host Lisa Kashinsky has been on the ground watching it all unfold. She provides analysis on what Baker's (and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito's)decision will mean for the race and the Massachusetts political landscape at large. Later, the hosts are joined by Massachusetts state representative serving the 9th Suffolk district and Boston Medical Center emergency room doctor Jon Santiago -- he explains the concern behind the omicron variant of coronavirus, what Massachusetts is doing to prepare for its arrival, and what the future might hold for a vaccine passport system in the state.

Episode 191: An expensive debate over gig workers' rights Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

11/18/21--This week, a solo Jenn speaks with MassINC Polling Group Research Director Maeve Duggan about the latest survey on Massachusetts parents of K-12 students. While parents are largely optimistic about the rest of the in-person school year and their children's success, inequitable access to resources remains. Plus, a deep dive in what is likely to be the most expensive ballot question of 2022. If passed, it would establish that platform based drivers would be considered independent contractors and set certain required benefits specifically for those workers while exempting the companies from providing benefits required by state law for employees. We hear from the "Yes" campaign, represented by Conor Yunits, senior VP at Solomon McCown & Cence and spokesperson for the Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work, as well as the "No" campaign, represented by labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan,

Episode 190: The Senate's revolutionary mental health bill Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

11/11/21-- This week, Steve and Lisa are back in the virtual bunker to celebrate a birthday, rejoice in vaccinations for children, and discuss the latest in the #mapoli scene. A new mental health bill unveiled by the state Senate would revolutionize treatment. Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Sen. Julian Cyr stopped by to explain the mechanics, the goal for mental and phyiscal health parity, and what the pandemic meant for the genesis of the bill. Later, Lisa rehashes what went down on Beacon Hill during the drawing of congressional districts. A heated debate broke out regarding the 9th and 4th districts--Lisa explains why the final decision could determine who ends up with more federal aid and political aid.

Episode 189: Election Rodeo Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

11/4/21-- This week on The Horse Race, Steve, Jenn, and Lisa review the elections that took place all over the state. They break down all the highlights of the mayoral election, plus results of the at-large and city council elections and ballot questions. Later, Rich Parr, research director at The MassINC Polling Group joins in to talk about the notable elections that took place in cities throughout Western Massachusetts.

Episode 188: Who benefits from COVID recovery? Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

10/28/21--Happy Halloween from The (Headless) Horse Race! This week, Jenn, Steve, and Lisa discuss the final Boston mayoral debate before the election, the makeup of the House of Representatives's spending plan for the states remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, plus, of course, Halloween. Later, state Senator Sonia-Chang Diaz drops by to break down the racial equity scorecard used to assess how the House's ARPA spending plan tackles issues of racial injustice.

Episode 187: Rising Tides: Under the Sea...port Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

10/21/21--This week, a poll from Public Policy Polling finds Governor Baker's approval ratings have dipped quite a bit among likely 2022 Republican primary voters. Lisa says this reinforces what anecdotal evidence has suggested for a while, that he's more popular among Democrats and Independents than those in his own party. In a hypothetical matchup with Geoff Diehl, Baker trails 50 to 29. Jenn, Steve, and Lisa rehash the major takeaways from Tuesday night's second Boston mayoral debate between Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi-George, noting that this was the first significant moment in which frontrunner Wu was in the hot seat--faced with tough questions from both moderators and Essaibi-George. Later, Deanna Moran of the Conservation Law foundation describes what is in store for Boston and the rest of Massachusetts as the effects of climate change begin to manifest. Sooner than we are perhaps prepared for, we will be faced with weather events that threaten our critical infrastructure. Moran says, there's so much more the state needs to do to become more climate resilient.

Episode 186: What happens in Mass. if Roe v. Wade falls? Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

10/13/21--This week, Steve shares findings from the latest poll on the Boston mayoral race. He spells out just how strong Michelle Wu's lead is so far over Annissa Essaibi-George, and how likely voters' priorities for the city differ based on who they plan to vote for. Later, Lisa and Steve are joined by state Rep. and member of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, Andy Vargas. Rep. Vargas explains the redistricting process, what the goals for redistricting are, and the challenges that the redistricting committee has faced so far. The Texas abortion law instated in early September is one of the strictest measures in the nation, banning abortion at six weeks -- when many women don't even yet know they are pregnant. Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director at NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts explains what it means that this law made it on the books, and what the implications are for the future of Roe v. Wade.

Episode 185: Can the T Ever be Free? Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

10/7/21--The MBTA is prone to some bad press, but things have been especially bleak in the past couple of weeks. Candidates in the gubernatorial and Boston mayoral races alike have pointed to the T as a problem area they vow to work on fixing. Some have clung to the idea of a free MBTA. But how exactly would that work? Today's guests walk us through what it would take to get such a project started. Lizzi Weyant is the Director of Government Affairs at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and Marie-Frances Rivera is the President of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

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