This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith unravels the latests state health coverage moves with Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector,...

President Trump and HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are expected to tie autism to acetaminophen use during pregnancy, and present a cancer drug as a possible treatment. There is little credible scientific evidence for either claim.

New polling for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group paints a picture of Massachusetts residents mostly happy with their health care coverage, especially when compared with other...

As part of a new schedule that takes effect Aug. 24, the T plans to extend evening service by almost an hour on all four subway lines on Friday and Saturday nights and on a handful of bus routes, incl...

Podcast Episode · The Horse Race · 07/10/2025 · 27m

The agency predicted rain would fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, potentially overwhelming small creeks and streams, streets, highways and underpasses, as well as other poor drainage and low-l...

At issue was how the lower courts should handle President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, which limited citizenship only to children born of parents with permanent status to be in the U.S.

This week on The Horse Race, Jenn and Steve discuss the flurry of news from the Middle East this weekend. Then they discuss various polls which reveal how Americans are feeling about Trump's unannounc

By 69 percent to 31 percent, the 239 representative voters at Milton's special Town Meeting passed zoning language that would lay the groundwork for potentially 2,461 new units in the town, complying ...

In a second order, the court ruled that, for now, DOGE does not have to hand over internal records to a government watchdog group as part of a lawsuit.

The decision dismisses suit brought by town who argued the state should not be allowed to force compliance with the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning law.

More intra-government disagreement and possible litigation over the MBTA Communities housing law are again on the table in Milton as a special Town Meeting creeps closer.

The Trump administration has tried firing people, dismantling agencies and inviting people to quit. But how many people have actually left the government so far is unclear.

The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the company to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people.

This week, it's a double housing policy polling special from the MassINC Polling Group. Jenn interviews Jesse Kanson-Benanav of Abundant Housing Massachusetts about a new poll MPG conducted for them, ...

He is currently in-house counsel for City Hall’s treasury department, which handles money, property, and securities acquired by the city. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid off thousands of workers since January. Current and former CDC staff are grappling with uncertainty about both their futures and public health.

Federal Emergency Management Agency acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton told people he was terminated Thursday.

This week on The Horse Race, Steve and Jenn discuss a MassINC Polling Group survey that asked nonprofit workers and leaders what impacts they expect the Trump administration to have on their organizat

I do appreciate that more civilians now consciously separate the value of our service from the value of the war. But the greater honor, by far, is the opportunity to be part of something that was good...

NIH has cancelled its participation in Safe to Sleep, a 30-year campaign to prevent babies from dying in their sleep

According to the state's top education official, some Mass. schools have reported "extended absences" for students as a result of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement.

What does it mean to live and plan responsibly on the Cape and Islands, knowing what we do about the long-term risks of climate change?

What does it mean to live and plan responsibly on the Cape and Islands, knowing what we do about the long-term risks of climate change?

A federal judge in Maryland ordered the Trump administration Thursday to pause enforcement of a new U.S. Education Department ban on diversity, equity and inclusion practices. The order came as anothe...

By 2050, severe floods that were expected to happen once every 100 years will be three times more likely to occur in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts. But the uneven distribution of…

If you’ve spent a lot of time outdoors in New England, you’ve likely crossed paths with, and probably stepped on, lichens. This mysterious indicator species plays an important role at the bottom of th...

With shifting federal policies, a changing funding landscape, and more frequent extreme weather events, how can the Commonwealth rise to the challenge of our changing climate? This month, we're bringi...

Tania Fernandes Anderson earlier this month agreed to plead guilty to charges in a federal case in which prosecutors allege she gave a former staffer and $13,000 bonus, then took a $7,000 kickback fro...

Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, wh...