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Today we talk about the Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and on student debt. While higher education institutions with billion-dollar endowments are now bemoaning this decision that makes it more difficult to ensure that people of color have opportunities to attend, they still refuse to pay their fair share of property taxes so we talk about PILOT. 

Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 18. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
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* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

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Today we talk about housing.  With the Senate increasing funding for HDIP, is this actually solving our housing crisis?  We'll talk about all the more effective strategies that are bills at the State House and could allow municipalities to protect tenants and slow down our skyrocketing housing costs.

Mark Martinez joins Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan as we chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 17. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

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Today we talk about the state Senate's version of the budget, and specifically their tax package. Thankfully, this relies less heavily on cutting taxes for the rich (capital gains and estate taxes), but it does have some details that could use improvement. We also discuss why there is no public discussion and analysis of the budget.

Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan as we chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 16. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

Please donate to the show!

Today we talk with Evan George of Bostopia News. We talk about Boston politics, local vs state politics, the recent redistricting in Boston and why it's to be questioned, as well as touching on media bias against progressive voices and why it's so important to have people like Evan covering these issues on his podcast and on his very popular TikTok.

Evan George, Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn (absent today), and Anna Callahan as we chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 13. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

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Today we take on another question from a listener about youth voting. There are ten municipalities in Massachusetts that have passed legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. In Massachusetts, these have to be approved by the state (by Home Rule Petitions) -- and yet the state has approved none of them. Why?

David Seaton, Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan as we chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 13. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

Please donate to the show!

This week in activism!

• Wednesday, May 31st - Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s advocacy day at the State House 
• Thursday June 1st, 10am Lobby Day for Homes for All including rent control and foreclosure prevention
• June 6, 11am, Local Option for Housing Affordability - Day of action at the state house room 428
• June 7th 2pm, Citizens for Juvenile Justice Youth Justice Lobby Day, State House room 428

Climate

• Gila River Indian Community project addresses Colorado River drought…the new Reclaimed Water Pipeline Project will help the Gila River Indian Community maintain water resources for many years and will also conserve more water in Lake Mead.
• Delta Air Lines is facing a lawsuit over its $1bn carbon neutrality claim which plaintiffs say is “false and misleading” as it relies on carbon offsets that do little to mitigate global warming. 
• Rare and “very aggressive” spring wildfires in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia have destroyed buildings and forced thousands from their homes; officials have declared a local state of emergency.
• Hedgerows in England, which are a vital habitat providing food and shelter for mammals, birds and pollinators, are under threat because of post-Brexit legal and funding changes.
• New research shows that Rock “flour” produced by the grinding under Greenland’s glaciers can trap climate-heating carbon dioxide when spread on farm fields.

International

• Drone attack on Moscow, which Russia blames on Ukraine, while Russia continues drone attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv 
• Ugandan president signed an anti-LGBTQ+ law with death penalty for same-sex acts; the US is considering sanctions against the country as well as restricting visas for Ugandan officials
• Pressure is building on Japan’s government to legalise same-sex unions after a court ruled that a ban on them was unconstitutional.
• Sudan’s rival factions agree to extend shaky ceasefire. The conflict has forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes so far.
• Erdoğan Wins Reelection in Presidential Runoff in Turkey

National

• South Carolina Court puts temporary hold on their new near-total abortion ban
• Debt ceiling deal includes: 2-year debt ceiling suspension; spending limits: defense budget of $886B, non-defense spending $704B; natural gas pipeline approval; fully fund medical care for veterans; some extra funding for IRS but not as much as Biden had proposed; new work requirements for SNAP recipients, but not for Medicaid; resume student loan payments paused under COVID; Biden’s $10K cancellation of student debt has not been changed. Still has to pass through House and Senate.
• The prices of oil, transportation, food ingredients and other raw materials have fallen in recent months as the shocks stemming from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have faded. Yet large corporations have continued raising prices rapidly in order to increase profits, with profit becoming the largest driver of inflation.

State

• Boston City councilors voted 10-2 on Wednesday on new district lines.
• Cambridge will launch free public preschool for all 4yo
• On the state budget: Senate version budget may differ from House budget on: funding to Dept Public Health for the creation of birthing centers; online lottery; in-state public-school tuition for certain undocumented immigrants, permanent funding for free school meals, drug-testing kits to nightlife venues, and a floating hospital for mental health and substance abuse recovery
• Five months into the year, Massachusetts lawmakers have had the least productive start to a legislative session in at least 40 years, passing only 10 laws so far.

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Today we take on a listener's question: how do we pay for a single-payer, Medicare for All-style health care system at the state level?  We go over what happened in Vermont when they tried to pass one, as well as how it will be paid for here in Massachusetts according to the bill that has been in the legislature for decades.  And we throw in a bit about how the media repeats talking points from the other side that are not based in fact.

Stephanie Nakajima from MassCare and economist Gerald Friedman join Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan as we chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 13. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

Please donate to the show!

IM news for Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

This week’s activism:

• May 24, 9am - State of Education in the Commonwealth. Suffolk University Sargent Hall 
• May 30 10am - Healthy Youth Act lobby day at the State House
• Wednesday, May 31st - MA Commission on the Status of Women’s advocacy day at the State House 
• Thursday June 1st, 10am Lobby Day for rent control and foreclosure prevention

Climate

• U.N. warns that global warming may exceed 1.5°C only five years from now.
• Flooding upended tens of thousands of lives this week in the Emilia-Romagna province of Italy.
• Wildfires rage in Alberta and British Colombia, Canada.
• California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed to cut their use of the Colorado River by 13% in an effort to save the river that supports 40 million people. The flow of the Colorado has declined by 20% since 2000 due to the worst drought in 1,200 years.  
• This year, wind power became the dominant source of electricity in the UK for the first time.
• A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to rising temperatures may slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.

International

• The United Nations says it needs $3 billion in aid for the humanitarian disaster in Sudan after more than a month of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
• Ecuador’s conservative President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the National Assembly amid their efforts to impeach him. Accusations against him include embezzlement involving a state-owned oil transportation company.
• Local currency in Zimbabwe nears collapse due to runaway inflation as the economy switches to the US dollar. Lebanon and Ecuador also have turned to using the U.S. dollar to slow high inflation rates.  The Turkish economy also has sky-high inflation leading up to their runoff election. 

National

• Global stock markets fell after more talks in Washington on government debt ended without a deal. The Republican-controlled House is refusing to lift the debt ceiling without sweeping cuts to housing, education, healthcare, food assistance and the environment.
• Pentagon says that accounting errors will allow U.S. to send an additional $3 billion in additional arms to Ukraine.  The pentagon has failed all of its five audits, unable to account for more than half of its assets.
• Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a slew of anti-trans measures.
• In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers have banned almost all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy by overriding the Democratic Governor’s veto.
• A new report states that the Black community in U.S. has suffered 1.63 million excess deaths over past 20 years due to healthcare inequities.
• South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican currently in the Senate, launched his presidential campaign.

State

• Hate crimes in MA grew by a third in 2022, a new report finds. Massachusetts had the nation’s second-highest rate of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, report says.
• Progressive prosecutor MA U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ has stepped down amid two federal ethics probes.
• Democratic state senator Anne Gobi will serve the Healey administration as rural affairs director, opening that seat for a special election. 
• The Senate budget debate begins today.  Please contact your senator to ensure that the budget does not include tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires after we just passed the Fair Share Amendment.

Be sure to tune in to our discussion of how to pay for M4A in Massachusetts later in the week.

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If you're a candidate, everyone will ask you why you are running for office. And you'd better have a good answer. Sadly, most candidates answer this question in a way that is not good for their campaign. We will talk you through how to craft a compelling short answer that is both personal and inspiring to voters and endorsing organizations.

Jordan Berg Powers, Jonathan Cohn, and Anna Callahan chat about Massachusetts politics. This is the audio version of the Incorruptible Mass podcast, season 5 episode 12. You can watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

You’re listening to Incorruptible Mass. Our goal is to help people transform state politics: we investigate why it’s so broken, imagine what we could have here in MA if we fixed it, and report on how you can get involved.

To stay informed:
* Subscribe to our YouTube channel
* Subscribe to the podcast (https://incorruptible-mass.buzzsprout.com)
* Sign up to get updates at https://www.incorruptiblemass.org/podcast
* Donate to the show at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/impodcast

Please donate to the show!

IM news for Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

This week’s activism!

• May 16 1pm - support Massachusetts Social Workers at their lobbying for the SUPER Act at the State House
• May 20, 21 - Mass Alliance Grassroots Campaign Training for candidates
• MA also has their Grassroots Organizing Academy running from May 15 - June 14
• Wednesday, May 24th - 9:30am-2pm, MTA THRIVE Act Advocacy Day - end the misuse of tests and let students thrive.

Climate

• April was the hottest and driest on record for Spain, which is suffering drought. 
• Authorities in Auckland, New Zealand declared a state of emergency as fire and emergency crews responded to floodwaters entering buildings, landslides, falling trees and trapped cars.
• A new study finds that decades of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has left behind more than 14,000 old, unplugged wells at risk of springing dangerous leaks and spills, and estimates they may cost more than $30 billion to plug. 
• Methane leaks from Turkmenistan’s two main fossil fuel fields caused more global heating in 2022 than the entire carbon emissions of the UK.
• A judge in California has dismissed a seven-year $100 million lawsuit against Greenpeace USA for exposing Canadian logging giant Resolute Forest Products’s climate-damaging practices.  

International

• Hundreds of civilians on Sunday fled Ukrainian territories under Russian control as part of an “evacuation” ahead of what’s feared to be intense fighting around an area home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
• Europe is the first regional bloc to significantly attempt to regulate AI.  They recently updated their 2-year-old AI Act to include chatbots like chatGPT

National

• This week in Allen, Texas, a gunman opened fire at a mall, killing 8 people and injuring 7. There have been 21 Mass shootings in the US in the first week of May. 202 mass shootings in 2023 (we are on day 129 of the year). Last year on this day we were at 183.
• Congress will likely hit the debt ceiling June 1st if they don’t come to an agreement. Please do watch our episode on MMT on this podcast.  
• First Republic, a California bank with branches in Massachusetts, is the third U.S. bank to collapse since March. 
• North Dakota's Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a bill into law to protect tribal cultures by codifying the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law. 

Massachusetts

• Restaurant technology company Toast will pay $16 million to get out of its lease in a Fenway office building more than five years ahead of schedule. 
• Sequens/PCI Synthesis, A pharmaceutical chemical plant in Newburyport exploded last week, killing an employee from Methuen. 
• Former State Police Association of Massachusetts President was convicted in federal court in November of racketeering conspiracy, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and three counts of wire fraud.
• In Worcester, the WRTA advisory board voted unanimously last month to keep buses free through June 2024.
• April tax revenues came in nearly $2.2 billion lower than what the state collected in the same month last year and $1.4 billion below the state’s benchmark projection. With just two months left in the fiscal year, collections are now running behind forecast.  The Senate will reveal their budget next month.
• John Moran and Bill MacGregor will join the Legislature after winning state representative primaries in the 9th and 10th Suffolk districts.