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Fire away: Biden says Ukraine can launch US missiles against targets in Russia

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Fire away: Biden says Ukraine can launch US missiles against targets in Russia


In the span of 24 hours, the war raging for more than two years in Ukraine has intensified significantly.

After a massive barrage of drone and rocket attacks struck their territory overnight into Sunday, and as missiles continued to fall the following evening, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukrainian armed forces to use American weaponry against targets deep into Russia, according to sources reported by the Associated Press.

The Biden Administration’s change in policy comes after what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a “massive combined attack” that “targeted all regions of Ukraine,” killing several people and leaving parts of the country without power.

“This morning began with one of the largest Russian strikes on Ukraine. 210 missiles and drones, including aeroballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as dozens of Shahed drones, were launched. All of them targeted civilian infrastructure — critical facilities like power plants and transformers,” Zelenskyy shared via social media.

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“This evening, a Russian missile hit a nine-story residential building. There are confirmed fatalities, including children. Many people are wounded. Emergency services are on the scene, doing everything to save lives. But what is still missing — and desperately needed — is the principled reaction of the world to this evil,” he said.

Biden’s decision, attributed by the Associated Press to “a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter,” would represent a stark change in the U.S. stance on Ukrainian use of American arms in Russian territory, which before had been restricted to short range use and mostly aimed at retaking occupied parts of Ukraine.

It also comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged the aid of North Korea in his unlawful war of territorial expansion, and reportedly deployed tens of thousands those troops against Ukraine’s northern defenses.

“The entire world needs them not to turn a blind eye to Russia’s continued terror. Only when the world reacts decisively can the situation change. Russia has involved North Korea in its war—and the reaction has been weak. Russia has continued its terror for nearly 1,000 days—and the world’s decisions are still delayed,” Zelenskyy said Sunday.

According to reporting, Ukraine will be allowed to fire the U.S. made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), a vehicle mounted weapons system capable of firing missiles close to 200 miles, at targets inside of Russia. That’s not enough to threaten Putin in Moscow, but more than enough range for Ukraine to defend their northern border now that North Korean troops are apparently amassing near Kursk.

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Russia has been attacking its fellow former Soviet state for a decade, since 2014 when Putin illegally annexed Crimea. The conflict, which continued in a pair of separatist regions during the following eight years, exploded into full-scale war in February of 2022, when the Russian military further invaded the country on three fronts.

Moscow apparently had planned for just days of military actions, but Russian forces have mostly been stalled in their advances by Ukrainian troops and civilian volunteers armed and trained by a global coalition of nations. According to the U.N., the war has displaced more than 10 million Ukrainian civilians and left half again as many in need of humanitarian assistance.

According to a “confidential” Ukrainian estimate of war dead reported by the Wall Street Journal in mid-September, more than 1 million people have died as a result of the war.

In the years that have followed Russia’s invasion of their democratic neighbor, according to the Department of Defense the U.S. has “committed approximately $56.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine through both presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that use of U.S. long range precision weapons against Russia would be considered an escalation akin to an attack by all of NATO.

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“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine,” Putin said.

The U.S. policy shift comes as Biden closes out a trip to South America for a climate summit and bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, when the outgoing president apparently called for China to put more pressure on North Korea to stay out of the conflict in Europe.

National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan said that Biden used the meeting to reiterate “his grave concern over the fact that the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) has deployed a significant number of troops to western Russia to participate in the battle against Ukraine, in the war against Ukraine.”

“President Biden really underscored his view that this is a deeply dangerous development, both in the European view, the introduction of a foreign army, and on the Korean Peninsula, with deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK likely to enhance the possibility of provocative behavior by the DPRK,” Sullivan said.

Zelenskyy, during a radio interview on Friday, told his people that the war will “end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the reelection of former President Donald Trump.

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The Ukrainian Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets fly over a Patriot Air and Missile Defense System in an undisclosed location in Ukraine earlier this year. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)



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Boston, MA

Man stabbed 5 times as argument spills out of Boston concert hall, DA says

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Man stabbed 5 times as argument spills out of Boston concert hall, DA says


A man is facing charges for stabbing someone five times outside a Boston music venue this month, prosecutors said.

Witnesses told investigators the fight that led to the stabbing early Dec. 1 near the Roadrunner in Brighton began when Collin Hullum’s sister was confronted for cutting a line at the bar, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. A TikTok video showing part of the ensuing incident depicts Hullum with a knife, they said.

On Tuesday, Hullum, 36, was ordered held without bail on charges of assault to kill and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, prosecutors said. He’s due back in court Thursday.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hullum had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.

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The incident was reported about 2:34 a.m., where a 26-year-old man was being treated after being stabbed five times in the back, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage showed him and his friends arguing with three people inside the entrance to the neighboring Warrior Ice Arena.

One of the three people, later identified as Hullum, can be seen striking the man who was wounded in the back, prosecutors said. He was tracked down through eyewitness accounts and surveillance video showing him walking to his car and driving away.

Prosecutors said the man who was stabbed appeared to have been trying to break the fight up.

“What was supposed to be an evening out enjoying a show quickly turned into a violent altercation that resulted in one man facing serious injuries and another man facing serious charges. The victim here seemed to be attempting to stop the violence. I thank him for that and I wish him a full recovery,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

Another person seen with a knife in the fight tried stabbing two people inside the Warrior Ice Arena’s foyer as well, and will face charges later, according to prosecutors.

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Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston

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Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston


Neighborhoods

Dust off your yellow sweater, blue jeans, and wide circle glasses. Oh, don’t forget your ears.

Beloved (and locally produced) cartoon aardvark Arthur Read celebrated his 20th birthday in 2018. Produced by WGBH, the series holds the title of TV’s longest-running children’s animated series. PBS Kids

Missed the viral Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York? Couldn’t make it to the Tom Holland lookalike contest on Boston Common? GBH Kids and Boston Children’s Museum has the event for you.

The two groups are joining forces to host an Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest on Dec. 20 in honor of the longtime PBS Kids show produced by GBH. The contest is set to take place at noon, rain or shine, in front of the Hood Milk Bottle, a representative from GBH said. 

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The representative said fans of  “all ages” are encouraged to dress up as Arthur to compete in the contest. Participants may win prizes like Boston Children’s Museum tickets and the opportunity to have a photo of them dressed as the aardvark featured as Arthur’s official TikTok and Instagram profile picture.

GBH said attendees will have the chance to pick up some Arthur-themed swag at the event, and Arthur himself may even be around to snap some selfies.

Why a lookalike contest? Why Arthur?

The show, aptly named Arthur, was created in Boston for GBH in 1996 based on books by author Mike Brown. The anthropomorphic aardvark is known for his “signature look,” GBH said, which consists of a yellow sweater, blue jeans, and big, round glasses. 

The Boston’s Children’s Museum even has an exhibit dedicated to the cartoon called “Arthur and Friends,” intended to encourage skills like “reading, understanding feelings, creative problem solving, and connecting with friends and family,” the museum’s website said. According to the GBH spokesperson, their “longstanding partnership” with the museum, and the exhibit, made the perfect recipe for a lookalike contest.

Doppelganger face-offs have had their share of viral moments lately, starting off with the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in November. Since then, multiple similar contests have sprung up around the country, including a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago, and yes, even a JFK lookalike contest here in Boston.

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Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.





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Boston, MA

Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings $19 Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston

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Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings  Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston


The Boston Red Sox still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves World Series contenders.

It may be a harsh dose of reality, but it needs to be said. The Red Sox made a big-time trade last week, bringing in Garrett Crochet to be their new ace, but behind Crochet, the rest of the rotation still looks a bit iffy.

Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito could all give the Red Sox strong seasons if things break right. But in today’s game, things almost never break right, especially with the constant injury risks pitchers are facing.

Should the Red Sox, then, make one more blockbuster trade?

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Drew Koch of FanSided recently named the Red Sox as a possible trade destination for Houston Astros two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, who is entering his walk year at age 31. Houston already traded Kyle Tucker this winter, signaling that Valdez is likely available.

“The Boston Red Sox already emptied the farm system to land Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, but the cupboard is not bare,” Koch said.

“Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are probably off limits, but a young shortstop prospect like Franklin Arias —ranked in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline— could be the headliner of a trade package heading back to Houston. The Astros need to beef up their farm system, and Boston could help facilitate that.”

Valdez is projected to make $18.8 million in arbitration this season (via Spotrac) thanks to his excellent career to this point. He’ll likely command even more than that in free agency for several years to come, so this will be the cheapest opportunity Boston has to get him, even for one year.

This could be Boston’s opportunity to go all-in on the 2025 season. If Houston commands a reasonable price, which they should, considering there’s only one year of control left on Valdez’s deal, they should look at this situation as a true rental.

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Sure, there’s potential for an extension if Valdez truly loves pitching in Boston. But why not put some chips on the table for the short term in a wide-open American League?

More MLB: Why Red Sox Insider ‘Would Be Shocked’ If Boston Doesn’t Sign Another Star Free Agent



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