Beacon Podcast

With filibuster reform yet to pass, a wide range of progressive priorities, from lowering prescription drug prices to expanded child care to a roadmap to citizenship for immigrant essential workers,

Cate Blackford and Mike Tipping discuss the end of Maine’s legislative session, some vetoes that weren’t overridden and how Democrats got their way on federal funding for housing and caregiving.

This week, Beacon is showcasing an episode of Reproductive Left, a podcast created by the Mabel Wadsworth Center, the only not-for-profit, private, independent feminist health center in Maine. Join hosts

Esther Pew, Cate Blackford and Mike Tipping discuss the end of the legislative session and the status-quo administration of Governor Janet Mills on the podcast this week. They highlight bills

Esther Pew interviews Leyla Hashi of Maine Youth Justice on the movement they’ve built to close Long Creek prison and end the incarceration of children in Maine. Maine People’s Alliance

From advances on voting rights and fossil fuel divestment to setbacks on workers’ rights and public power, Ben, Esther and Mike catalogue the status of a dozen important bills this

As Maine’s legislative session hurtles toward completion, Esther, Ben and Mike review the fate of wide range of legislation, including bills to close Long Creek youth prison, create a consumer-owned

This week on the Beacon Podcast, Esther Pew gives a rally recap from a demonstration at the State House. Ben Chin gives an update on what legislation is where and

Penobscot-area Maine People’s Alliance organizer Rob Laraway joins the podcast to discuss the THRIVE Agenda and the work of local volunteers to get Rep. Jared Golden on board. Also: a

Carrie Walsh sent an email to her bosses, concerned that the company she worked for was violating Maine’s pandemic regulations. Seven minutes later, she was fired. Months after that, she

With new state regulations arriving on Monday, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the state of Maine’s pandemic response and how epidemiology intersects with social science in the formation of public

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther, Ben and Mike speak with Rep. Rebecca Millett on her affordable housing plan and ICU nurse Maddy Riker on the successful union organizing

As employers struggle to fill jobs that pay less than a living wage, workers in Maine are speaking out, from union organizing drives to some Dollar General employees who quit

Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the stark contrast between the increasing difficulty of getting shots in arms in America and the complete lack of access to life-saving vaccines in poorer

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther Pew and Mike Tipping discuss the new milestones in vaccinations in Maine, even as rates of shots tick downward and some clinics close.

On the podcast this week, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine use and what that could mean for vaccinations in Maine, as cases continue

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the process of getting vaccinated against COVID-19, now that immunization has been opened to all residents over the age

On the Beacon podcast, it’s finally infrastructure week! The Biden administration is rolling out a broad plan to improve the lives of Americans paid for by increasing taxes on corporations

On the podcast this week, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the plan by Democrats in Augusta to pass a two-part budget and legislative Republicans’ strange response. They also cover a

This week on the Beacon Podcast, Ben Chin presents a special live interview and Q&A with Sarah Austin, tax and budget analyst for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, conducted

This week on the Beacon podcast, Ben, Mike and Esther discuss the state supplemental budget and the push by Republicans for even more corporate tax cuts. They also discuss the

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther and Mike are Joined by Carrie Jadud, who is helping lead a grassroots lobbying effort at Maine’s virtual State House. They discuss the

This week on the Beacon Podcast, Esther and Mike discuss the federal relief package, including the fight for a $15 minimum wage for all workers and Sen. Susan Collins’ efforts

The Maine State Republican Party is moving to censure the last Republican member of Congress in New England and Ben is breaking out the popcorn on this week’s episode of

An $80 million tax break, targeted only to profitable corporations, is working its way through the Maine Legislature. On the podcast this week, Ben, Esther and Mike discuss the corporate

This week on the Beacon podcast, Ben, Esther and Mike discuss Congressional maneuvering on the pandemic relief package and the breakdown of “bipartisanship. They also discuss the in-state push to

On the podcast this week: Even as a raft of executive orders from the Biden administration improve the lives and safeguard the futures of millions of Americans, COVID recovery and

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the last gasps of the Trump administration and the first acts of President Joe Biden, including their effects on

Tens of thousands of Mainers are out of work or facing eviction as food banks report the greatest need they’ve ever seen. Thousands of small businesses are teetering on the

New bills in the Maine legislature, new increases in Maine’s COVID counts and a new and powerful organizing model in Georgia are the focus of this week’s Beacon podcast. Ask

Esther Pew interviews newly-sworn-in State Senator Chloe Maxmin and Beacon reporters Dan Neumann and Evan Popp discuss some of their recent reporting and what to look forward to in the

Is it possible to perpetrate election fraud in Maine, and what would that look like? On the podcast this week, Esther, Ben and Mike explore this question as well as

This week on the podcast: A new Maine legislature is sworn in under unique circumstances, Governor Janet Mills announces a new climate plan and Ben Chin interviews historian G. Edward

This week, Esther, Ben and Mike handicap the behind-the-scenes race for Secretary of State and recap a recent public forum where the six candidates shared their views. Also: Ryan Fecteau

With the results now in, Esther, Ben and Mike talk about last week’s election, competing theories for how progressives can win, polling in Maine’s U.S. Senate race and Maine’s spike

Rep. Seth Berry joins the podcast this week to discuss how he won re-election by ten points in a district Trump won by four, while championing progressive policies including taxing

As Republicans pack the Supreme Court with conservative ideologues, Rep. Chellie Pingree says it’s time to expand the number of justices to restore balance and protect people’s rights. Sen. Angus

This week on the Beacon podcast, Esther Ben and Mike discuss some moments from the First Congressional District debate and whether super-spreader venues in Maine should face prosecution. Also: Sen.

From long lines to intimidation at the polls to fake drop boxes, reports of voter suppression and election meddling are increasing as the election approaches. On the podcast this week,

With Sen. Susan Collins now acknowledging that she hasn’t been following the pandemic protections required of all other Mainers, it’s clear that the entire Republican party has a cavalier attitude