Entries in The Scrum by WGBH News
Scott Lively's 27 percent showing at the Massachusetts Republican state convention demonstrates that the hard right is a force to be reckoned with. That it took two ballots for Trump-supporting U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl to clinch the GOP endorsement shows that the Trumpians are not muscle bound, well, at least not ripped. An exhausted but ebullient Diehl joined the Scrum minutes after the convention was gaveled to its close. Other guests include: Michael Jonas of Commonwealth Magazine, Republican delegates Ed Lyons and Amy Carnevale. And from the WGBH political team: Antonio Caban, Mike Deehan, Adam Reilly, and Peter Kadzis.
Given his incredible life story, it’s no surprise that Bob Massie thinks reports of incumbent Governor Charlie Baker’s invincibility have been greatly exaggerated. In this episode of the Scrum, Massie deconstructs what he calls the Charlie Baker “Jedi mind trick,” describes the radically different approach he’d bring to the Corner Office, and explains why he thinks he’s a better choice than his Democratic rivals, Jay Gonzalez and Setti Warren. Boston Globe reporter Meghan Irons joins Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly for the conversation.
This is first of three Scrum conversations with candidates for Mass. Governor.
Jay Gonzalez is one of the three hopefuls vying for the Democratic nomination for governor of Massachusetts. The winner will face off against incumbent Republican Charlie Baker this November.
Gonzalez sat down recently with WGBH News Scrum podcast hosts Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis. Shira Schoenberg, who covers the State House for The Springfield Republican and masslive.com, joined the conversation.
Single payer health care, the millionaires tax, and the proper role of state government were among the topics discussed.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker's 2018 State of the Commonwealth speech doubled as the unofficial start of his re-election bid, and highlighted some of the major hurdles his would-be challengers face (e.g., Democratic goodwill and Baker's artfully crafted post-partisan persona). Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis were on scene to offer instant analysis, and also got some keen insights from their WGBH colleague Mike Deehan, Mass Live reporter Gin Dumcius, Politico's Lauren Dezenski, and State Senator Karen Spilka--who didn't respond quite as enthusiastically to Baker's speech as many of her Democratic colleagues.
Right before Thanksgiving, the Trump Administration said it would end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for about 60,000 Haitians who’ve lived and worked legally in the US since Haiti was hit by a devastating 2010 earthquake. The expectation now is that they’ll return to Haiti by July 2019 — and face deportation if they don’t. The Scrum sat down with State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, who’s a Haitian American and that community’s local standard-bearer, to discuss how she learned about the Trump Administration’s decision; what she hopes will happen next; and whether she thinks Boston Mayor Marty Walsh might have to make good on his dramatic vow to shelter possible deportees inside Boston City Hall.
We know Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was just re-elected by a big margin. Look closer at the results of Boston's municipal election, though, and some provocative themes and questions start to emerge. The Scrum dove into the results at the Banshee Pub in Dorchester with a panel of media experts — Meghan Irons of the Boston Globe, Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner, and Jennifer Smith of the Dorchester Reporter — and then took some sharp questions from the audience.
In less than one week, Boston voters will either give Mayor Marty Walsh a second term or hand the reins of the city government to his challenger, City Councilor Tito Jackson. The Scrum invited Walsh and Jackson to answer a few lingering questions and then make their final pitch to the electorate. Walsh wasn't able to participate, but Jackson was. Take a listen as he makes his case.
We've reached the stretch drive in Boston's mayoral race, with one Marty Walsh-Tito Jackson debate already on the books and one more slated for October 24. Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis talk to Boston political scribe extraordinaire David Bernstein about the questions he thinks Jackson and Walsh still need to answer before voters head to the polls on November 7.
Attorney Harvey Silverglate and Dan Kennedy, an associate professor of journalism at Northeastern University, joined Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis to talk about this year’s annual Muzzle Awards.