The Scrum

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GOP Rumbles In Worcester Apr 29, 2018

Show notes

Scott Lively's 27 percent showing at the Massachusetts
Republican state convention demonstrates that the hard right is a force to be
reckoned with. That it took two ballots for Trump-supporting U.S. Senate candidate
Geoff Diehl to clinch the GOP endorsement shows that the Trumpians are not
muscle bound, well, at least not ripped. An exhausted but ebullient Diehl
joined the Scrum minutes after the convention was gaveled to its close. Other
guests include: Michael Jonas of Commonwealth Magazine, Republican delegates Ed
Lyons and Amy Carnevale. And from the WGBH political team: Antonio Caban, Mike
Deehan, Adam Reilly, and Peter Kadzis.

The Scrum Takes the State House Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

It’s been a tempting narrative every since Stan Roseberg’s hold on his former post began to slip away: compared to the tightly controlled, almost mechanical Massachusetts House, the Mass. Senate is a body in disarray. But does the storyline hold up? Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly kick it around with Mike Deehan, WGBH News’s State House correspondent, and State House News Service reporter Katie Lannan.

Dan Kennedy on the Future of Newspapers Mar 28, 2018

Show notes

Dan Kennedy’s new book, “The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century,” is more than just a look at how two highly regarded newspapers are adapting to the way we live now. It’s also a clear-eyed, often bracing inquiry into whether modern business realities and habits of mind can coexist with the high-quality journalism that’s driven American civic life for decades. Kennedy, who’s a WGBH News contributor, discusses his conclusions with WGBH News reporter Adam Reilly and senior editor Peter Kadzis, both of whom he previously worked with at the late, lamented Boston Phoenix.

Patrick 2020: Time to Take It Seriously Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

Move over, Elizabeth Warren—there’s another #mapoli luminary stirring speculation of a 2020 presidential run. Former Governor Deval Patrick’s recent comments to an NPR affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri have stoked talk that he might be eyeing the White House, and there’s other circumstantial evidence that suggests it’s not just idle chatter. But how likely is it that Warren and Patrick would both get in the race?

In this episode of the Scrum, WGBH senior editor Ken Cooper offers some inside intel which indicates Patrick may have been contemplating a run for a while; Peter Kadzis argues that signs point to Patrick being very serious about a bid; and Adam Reilly waxes nostalgic about Patrick’s ability to make everyone he talks to feel like they’re being listened to with the utmost attentiveness. Taking a different tack: former Patrick campaign manager / current Setti Warren senior advisor John Walsh, who urges Cooper, Kadzis, and Reilly not to treat Patrick for President as a done deal...yet.

How Setti Warren Would Run Massachusetts Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

The Scrum rounds out its conversations with the Democratic candidates for governor with Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton. Yawu Miller, senior editor at the Bay State Banner, joins WGBH News’s Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly for the conversation.

Jay Gonzalez Wants To Be Mass. Governor Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

This is first of three Scrum conversations with candidates for Mass. Governor.

Jay Gonzalez is one of the three hopefuls vying for the Democratic
nomination for governor of Massachusetts. The winner will face off against
incumbent Republican Charlie Baker this November.

Gonzalez sat down recently with WGBH News Scrum podcast hosts Adam

Reilly and Peter Kadzis. Shira Schoenberg, who covers the State House for The
Springfield Republican and masslive.com, joined the conversation.

Single
payer health care, the millionaires tax, and the proper role of state
government were among the topics discussed.

Thus Spake Charlie Baker (Or, What Do The 3 Democratic Amigos Do Now?) Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

Republican Governor Charlie
Baker's 2018 State of the Commonwealth speech doubled as the unofficial start
of his re-election bid, and highlighted some of the major hurdles his
would-be challengers face (e.g., Democratic goodwill and Baker's artfully
crafted post-partisan persona). Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis were on scene
to offer instant analysis, and also got some keen insights from their WGBH
colleague Mike Deehan, Mass Live reporter Gin Dumcius, Politico's Lauren
Dezenski, and State Senator Karen Spilka--who didn't respond quite as
enthusiastically to Baker's speech as many of her Democratic colleagues.

Linda Dorcena Forry Talks TPS and Trump Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

Right before Thanksgiving, the Trump Administration said it would end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for about 60,000 Haitians who’ve lived and worked legally in the US since Haiti was hit by a devastating 2010 earthquake. The expectation now is that they’ll return to Haiti by July 2019 — and face deportation if they don’t. The Scrum sat down with State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, who’s a Haitian American and that community’s local standard-bearer, to discuss how she learned about the Trump Administration’s decision; what she hopes will happen next; and whether she thinks Boston Mayor Marty Walsh might have to make good on his dramatic vow to shelter possible deportees inside Boston City Hall.

Making Sense of Boston's Predictable, Surprising 2017 Elections Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

We know Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
was just re-elected by a big margin. Look closer at the results of Boston's
municipal election, though, and some provocative themes and questions start to
emerge. The Scrum dove into the results at the Banshee Pub in Dorchester with a
panel of media experts **— **Meghan Irons of the Boston Globe, Yawu Miller
of the Bay State Banner, and Jennifer Smith of the Dorchester Reporter **— **and
then took some sharp questions from the audience.

Tito Jackson's Closing Argument Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

In less than one week, Boston voters will either give Mayor Marty Walsh a second term or hand the reins of the city government to his challenger, City Councilor Tito Jackson. The Scrum invited Walsh and Jackson to answer a few lingering questions and then make their final pitch to the electorate. Walsh wasn't able to participate, but Jackson was. Take a listen as he makes his case.