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Massachusetts
Housing Crisis
Education
Primary Care
Commonwealth Beacon
Affordable Care Act
Climate Change
Trump Administration
Minimum Wage
Massachusetts Healthcare
Social Media
Healthcare Access
Affordable Housing
Private Equity
MBTA
Donald Trump
Boston
Legislation
Masshealth
MCAS

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... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes500Founded10 years ago
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News

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Artwork for The Codcast

Latest Episodes

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... more

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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 downstrea... more

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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... more

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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 C... more

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Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal
Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights
Lawyers for Civil Rights
Episode: Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking
Jordan Wolman
Senior Reporter at Commonwealth Beacon
Commonwealth Beacon
Episode: Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking
Vamsi Chadalavada
President and CEO of ISO New England
ISO New England
Episode: What it's going to take to keep New England's lights on
John McDonough
Health policy expert and author of America's Wrong Turn, US Health Care in the Neoliberal Era
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Episode: Patients or profit? with John McDonough
Javier Marin
Executive chairman and founder of El Planeta
El Planeta
Episode: Navigating news deserts
Sophie Culpepper
Staff writer at Neiman Lab
Neiman Lab
Episode: Navigating news deserts
Dan Kennedy
Journalism professor at Northeastern University and co-host of What Works, the future of local news podcast
Northeastern University
Episode: Navigating news deserts
Jacob Vigil
Chief Legislative Officer of New Mexico Voices for Children
New Mexico Voices for Children
Episode: What can Mass. learn from New Mexico's universal free child care?
Pat Gilligan
CEO of Point32 Health
Point32 Health
Episode: Point32Health CEO on the state of health insurance

Hosts

Jennifer Smith
Host of policy-focused coverage across Commonwealth Beacon platforms with deep ties to Massachusetts policy journalism.
Paul Hattis
Massachusetts health policy expert and policy commentator; provides health system context.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 54 ratings
  • Good show needs new host

    Love the content of this show but please find a host with an ounce of charisma.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    jwalsh9
    United Statesa year ago
  • Codcast not balanced

    Commonwealth magazine and the codcast used to be politically balanced. Unfortunately it’s now just a left wing liberal echo chamber and sucking up to those in power instead of informing the public. How can you do shows without talking about the downsides of the subjects you highlight. No journalism here. Just endless ring kissing.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Conscience of the Commonwealth
    United Statesa year ago
  • The podcast companion to Commonwealth Magazine, The Codcast serves up interviews with a wide variety of movers and shakers in Massachusetts politics and policy. I like it!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    evanescent
    4 years ago
  • In-depth local news

    We need more of this!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Rebekah39
    United States8 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners feel the show leans left and could improve balance
Balanced, insightful local policy coverage with strong guests
Deep-dive local policy discussions are highly valued by fans

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking
Q: What practical steps should institutions take when ICE arrives—who should greet, what warrants should be reviewed, and how should rights be explained?
Institutions should appoint a single interface for ICE, verify warrants, call an attorney, delineate public versus private spaces, and ensure proper documentation to preserve rights and prevent unlawful entries, especially in schools and courthouses.
Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking
Q: How do you think enforcement will be interpreted when an encounter happens near a protected location but not inside it, like a sidewalk outside a school?
The discussion emphasizes nuanced limits, with authorities recognizing that enforcement actions may still occur near protected spaces but that the law seeks to prevent enforcement inside sensitive spaces and to preserve safety for victims and witnesses; real-time rights assertion and clear policy are crucial.
Mass. preps for when ICE comes knocking
Q: Are you expecting there to be a suit from the Trump administration against the Massachusetts law and other states implementing these protections?
Yes, there is anticipation of ongoing legal challenges from federal authorities, including potential suits over the Protect Act and related protections, but the interview suggests confidence in state guardrails and judicial resistance to overreach based on past precedents.
Patients or profit? with John McDonough
Q: Given the current landscape, what concrete steps could policymakers take to move toward a more patient-centered system?
A combination of banning private equity from patient-facing care, strengthening federal antitrust enforcement to curb monopolies, enacting a robust patient bill of rights, and fostering collaboration with organized labor to balance workforce and management interests.
Patients or profit? with John McDonough
Q: As you describe the neoliberal era, what immediate policy changes or decisions helped tilt the health care system toward greater concentration and for-profit orientation?
Early changes were less about explicit bills and more about executive and regulatory shifts, such as updates to antitrust guidelines under Reagan that encouraged consolidation, and a broader cadre of policy choices that favored market-based mechanisms and minimized government intervention in mergers and pricing.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Codcast

What is The Codcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show consistently tackles policy and public affairs centered in Massachusetts, with episodes spanning energy reliability, health care, housing, local journalism, education, and transportation. Hosts guide conversations with policy experts, academics, and industry leaders to unpack how state programs and political dynamics shape everyday life, from MBTA funding and housing production to health insurance reform and housing policy. A notable strength is bringing seasoned policymakers and researchers together to translate complex policy tradeoffs into accessible takeaways, often weaving in historical context and real-world implications for residents and practitioners. The format tends to be data-informed, with lively debates and practical p... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Codcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Codcast:

1. Boston Public Radio Podcast
2. On with Kara Swisher
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. Know Your Enemy
5. Pod Save America

How many episodes of The Codcast are there?

The Codcast launched 10 years ago and published 500 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Codcast?

Recent guests on The Codcast include:

1. Iván Espinoza-Madrigal
2. Jordan Wolman
3. Vamsi Chadalavada
4. John McDonough
5. Javier Marin
6. Sophie Culpepper
7. Dan Kennedy
8. Jacob Vigil

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