Beacon Podcast

James Myall of the Maine Center for Economic Policy joins Ben Chin to discuss the 2023 State of Working Maine report and the economic environment of the Pine Tree State. Also, Esther Pew and Nyawal Lia remember the life and work of Lado Lodoka. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show… The post Podcast: Will robots take Maine’s jobs and other insights from the author of the State of Working Maine first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Ben Chin moderates a debate between Angela Lang, founder of Black Leaders Organizing for Community, and Stanley Fritz, Director of State and Local Policy at the Very Institute, on the 4-day workweek and the work to build a sustainable and effective progressive movement. The discuss both how a 4-hour week could work (or not) at… The post Podcast: A head-to-head debate over the 4-day workweek first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Cate Blackford interviews State Representative Cheryl Golek on her work on the Joint Special Committee on Housing, her proposal for a state housing voucher program and other ways to address rising rents and an increasing lack of affordable housing in Maine. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182.… The post Podcast: Creative solutions to Maine’s housing problems, with Rep. Cheryl Golek first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Esther, Cate and Ben recap and unpack this Tuesday’s election results, from town councils to statewide referenda to national trends. Plus: how to massage a shiba inu. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe to the podcast feed using any podcasting app or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. The post Podcast: Homeless sweeps, electric rates, abortion rights and Britney Spears first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Beacon reporter Dan Neumann joins the podcast this week to discuss the prospects of gun safety reform at the state and federal levels following the mass killing in Lewiston. Dan, Nora Flaherty-Stanford and Esther Pew also provide a record 9 rays of hope for a difficult week. Ask a question or leave a comment for… The post Podcast: What’s possible on gun reform in Maine and some extra rays of hope first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Note: This podcast episode was recorded prior to Wednesday’s shootings in Lewiston. This week on the podcast, Cate, Esther and Ben discuss the four citizen-initiated referendums and four constitutional amendments that are on the November 7 ballot. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe to the podcast… The post Podcast: Everything you need to know about all eight ballot questions first appeared on Maine Beacon.

A panel of advocates for reproductive and abortion rights join the podcast this week to discuss new laws going into effect in Maine on October 25th and January 1st and where Maine and the nation stand in the wake of the Dobbs decision. Esther Pew is joined by Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood Maine… The post Podcast: Maine’s moment to stand for reproductive freedom first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the Beacon podcast, Ben Chin interviews former host and current state senator Mike Tipping on a range of new laws going into effect from the legislative session this year and the process of the Agricultural Worker Minimum Wage Committee, created by Governor Janet Mills after she vetoed a bill to pay farmworkers… The post Podcast: The minimum wage doesn’t apply for farmworkers in Maine, but it may soon first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the Beacon podcast, two interviews highlight the range and depth of organizing. Ben Chin interviews Analilia Mejia, co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy and former political director for Bernie Sanders, among many other roles, while Esther Pew sits down with two Maine activists, Scott Harriman and Gracia Bintu, after they had… The post Podcast: Creating change, from the grassroots to the halls of power first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the podcast, we revisit a panel discussion Maine People’s Alliance Senior Organizer Esther Pew hosted one year ago featuring Senior Vice President of Public Affairs of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Nicole Clegg, Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney and Maine Women’s Lobby Executive Director Destie Hohman Sprague. They discuss what full… The post Podcast: Revisiting a conversation on Women’s Equality Day first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Chris Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union, joins Esther, Ben and Cate to discuss working, organizing and policy at the state and federal level. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using any podcasting app or subscribe on… The post Podcast: Chris Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union on how to organize in Maine first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Writer Andy O’Brien joins the podcast this week to discuss the neo-Nazi group attempting to create a base in Maine, the state’s history on race and extremism, and how Mainers can confront the threat these groups represent without giving them the attention they seek. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show… The post Podcast: Is the extreme right a threat in Maine and how should we deal with them? first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Angela Hanks, Chief of Programs at Dēmos and former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor, speaks with Ben Chin on her life and career, the role of government and the power of organizing. Plus: A Review of the show Hijack and a eulogy for Jimmy Buffett. Ask a question or leave a comment… The post Podcast: Angela Hanks on the big problems in our economy and how to solve them first appeared on Maine Beacon.

This week on the Beacon podcast, Cate, Ben and Esther go back to school, discussing the policy implications of the end of summer vacation, including an educator hiring crunch and the way Maine pays for public education. Also: What does the closing of a major childcare center in Aroostook County mean for parents there and… The post Podcast: Sudden collapse of childcare in Aroostook County highlights larger crisis first appeared on Maine Beacon.

On the podcast this week, Esther Ben and Cate discuss Jared Golden’s outsized reaction to criticism of his vote against student loan relief, as well as a series of not-in-my-backyard actions that threaten the development of much-needed new housing in Maine. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182… The post Podcast: The quiet undermining of new housing in Maine first appeared on Maine Beacon.

On the Beacon podcast this week, Ben and Cate connect the seemingly disparate issues of Maine’s ferry problem, Nazi problem and drug overdose problem. Also (and thankfully), some rays of hope. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using… The post Podcast: Nazis and ferries and the New York Times first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Ben and Cate listen in on Ben’s conversation with Donald Cohen, the co-author of “The Privatization of Everything” and the founder and executive director of the group In the Public Interest. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using… The post Podcast: Donald Cohen on privatization and how we can fight it first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Sen. Mike Tipping joins Ben and Esther to discuss some of the highs and lows of the legislative session just wrapping up its first year. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using any podcasting app or subscribe on… The post Podcast: Paid family leave, abortion rights and other session highs and lows first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Cate and Ben discuss some of the progressive wins in this legislative session, and how new legislative leaders’ progressive worldviews helped make new advances possible. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using any podcasting app or subscribe on… The post Podcast: For progressive wins this session, worldview made the difference first appeared on Maine Beacon.

Ben talks with former podcast host and current state senator Mike Tipping about his work so far in the legislature. Depths of Wikipedia Instagram Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182 or by writing to podcasts@mainebeacon.com Subscribe to the podcast using any podcasting app or subscribe on Apple… The post Podcast: A conversation with Sen. Mike Tipping about life on the inside first appeared on Maine Beacon.