Doug Jones is the first Democratic Senator-Elect from Alabama in 25 years, after an historic upset win over Republican nominee Roy Moore. The race was the subject of national attention, not only because of accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, but because of the precarious Republican majority in the Senate. The balance will be just 51-49 in favor of Republicans when Jones takes office — a balance Donald Trump needs to sway in his favor in order to get his tax plan through Congress. Jim Braude was joined by former chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Jennifer Nassour, and Michael Curry, the chair of the national NAACP Advocacy and Policy Committee, to discuss the impact of the election.

Since State Auditor Suzanne Bump issued a scathing audit on the state’s Department of Families and Children, top Beacon Hill officials have been pushing back. The state auditor joined us earlier this week to go over some of the key findings — including, from 2014 to 2016, 260 cases of serious injuries that were documented by MassHealth, but not by DCF over a two-year period; and more than 100 validated cases of sexual abuse, which were not reported to the Office of the Child Advocate because, the auditor said, sexual abuse does not rise to the level of a "critical incident" by DCF standards. Shortly after the report came out, Gov. Charlie Baker called the report “irresponsible” and pointed to recent efforts to reform the agency, including a $100 million budget increase. Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, whose department overseas DCF, joined Jim Braude to discuss the audit.

If you own a grocery store, plastic bags have some big advantages. They’re cheap — around two or three cents each, compared to anywhere from six to 12 cents for paper bags. They’re also quick and easy to pack. But according to Emily Norton, the Massachusetts Chapter Director for the Sierra Club, the problems they create are much, much bigger.

Jim Braude shares his thoughts on the lack of hearings on President Trump’s sexual misconduct allegations.