Beacon Podcast

Esther, Cate and Ben talk about the landlord-driven opposition to rent control in Portland, municipal budget season, and the angst of waiting for the federal Supreme Court student loan forgiveness decision. On rays of hope, Star Trek makes yet another appearance. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe…

The post Podcast: Portland landlords say undermining rent control is good for tenants. We don’t buy it. first appeared on Maine Beacon.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Esther talks with new Reps. Mana Abdi (D-Lewiston) and Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell/Brunswick) about their experiences in Augusta, what made them want to run for office, and what it means for them to be legislators. Nora and Esther also talk about what comfort TV you should be watching right now.…

The post Podcast: Reps. Mana Abdi and Cheryl Golek on what it’s like being a Maine lawmaker first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Ben and Cate discuss what makes a strong social insurance program, including what a robust Paid Family and Medical Leave policy would look like. They also talk about local labor fights, as well as the joys of public education, neighborliness and Hamantaschen for Purim. (Further reading on the LePage pension hole, unionization at Shalom house and the MSEA…

The post Podcast: What makes a good Paid Family and Medical Leave policy? first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Ben talks with journalist, storyteller and musician Samuel James about his podcast “99 Years“, which he describes as a Black exploration of the deliberate creation of the whitest state in the nation. They talk about the erasure of Black history from Maine, Portland’s Charter Commission, Malaga Island, and Maine’s history of racist place names. Cate…

The post Podcast: Samuel James on 99 years of creating the whitest state in the nation first appeared on Maine Beacon.

We revisit an interview by Ben Chin with author, commentator and researcher Heather McGhee, on how and why she wrote her bestselling book The Sum of Us and what it means to move past zero-sum politics toward a future where people of all races work together to solve public problems and build better lives. She…

The post Podcast: What racism costs everyone, with Heather McGhee first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Cate and Ben talk about Gov. Janet Mills’ State of the Budget address Tuesday evening as well as a new report on police killings in Maine. They are also joined by Dan Neumann to talk about his recent piece in Beacon on “fentanyl hysteria” and its potential impact on drug laws. Ask a question…

The post Podcast: The moral panic surrounding fentanyl first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther talks with Mareisa Weil of Maine Family Planning, Abbie Strout-Bentes of the Mabel Wadsworth Center, and Nicole Clegg of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England/Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund about the lay of the land on abortion rights, the fights ahead, and what people can do to help. Ask a question or leave a…

The post Podcast: How to protect abortion rights in Maine and across the US first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Cate and Ben talk about what people can do when the weather is this cold (Beacon coverage and resources), and what Central Maine Power is doing to explain away its rate increases. Also, bills in the legislature to protect and expand the legal rights of trans people, and a preview of the paid family…

The post Podcast: Cold snap brings different stresses for different groups of Mainers first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther interviews Kathleen Sullivan and Tom Mikulka of Third Act Maine, a group of Mainers over 60 years old organizing against the crisis of climate change and threats to our democracy as part of the national “Third Act” network. (Learn more and get involved at [email protected].) Ask a question or leave a comment for a…

The post Podcast: ‘Geezers’ get it done for democracy and the planet first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Cate and Ben discuss the Bangor Daily News‘ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad editing of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—and their pretty good apology. They also look at efforts in the state legislature to protect abortion rights and they explain what’s next…

The post Podcast: On not being ‘those’ white moderates on MLK Day first appeared on Maine Beacon.