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Good Monday Morning, all.
As if it were needed, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu provided further confirmation last week that she won’t be “[rolling] out the welcome mat” for the incoming Trump administration if it comes to town and starts trying to deport people.
The Democratic mayor’s comments came after President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick for border czar, Tom Homan, dismissed Wu, a two-time Harvard grad, as “not very smart” for her very public defiance, and questioned why any public official would stand in the way of getting criminals off the streets.
“They can not cooperate,” Homan told the cable news channel NewsMax last week, according to The Boston Herald. “But there are certain laws in place that they can’t cross and I hope she doesn’t cross it.”
Wu fired back in a statement, arguing that Trump and his lieutenants can “say whatever they want about me, but our public safety record speaks for itself: Boston is the safest major city in America.”
The mayor’s tough talk represented the latest escalation in tensions between the Bay State’s top Democrats and the incoming Republican White House as it firms up its plans to use the U.S. military to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally.
If Trump carries through on those plans, tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts also could be deported. However, the effort is expected to face vigorous legal challenges.
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey already has said that the State Police won’t be put to work assisting the new administration.
In an interview with MSNBC earlier this month. Healey noted that “every tool in the toolbox has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents, and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law.”
Massachusetts Republican Party Chairperson Amy Carnevale slammed Healey and Wu in a statement last week, saying that it’s “appalling and disgusting” that the two pols are “prioritizing appeasing the most radical elements of their political base over the safety of Massachusetts residents.”
Carnevale’s statement came in response to the news that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Boston had arrested two undocumented immigrants on child rape charges and taken another into custody who had been convicted of the same charge in Brazil.
“Parents across the Commonwealth are horrified that individuals charged with such serious crimes are allowed to roam free because local authorities refuse to work with ICE to remove these criminals from our streets,” Carnevale continued.
X boss Elon Musk also weighed in, attacking state policies and Boston’s decade-old status as a sanctuary city.
“Why are ‘sanctuary’ cities protecting child rapists? Unconscionable. Any politician who does so should be recalled immediately,” the billionaire, and close Trump ally, posted to the social media site, WBUR reported.
In that same statement, Wu defended the city’s approach.
“Our homicide rates are among the lowest of any city nationally, and gun violence has been at an all-time historic low over the last two years here in Boston,” Wu said, according to WCVB-TV in Boston.
“This is no coincidence — it’s a reflection of the trust between our residents and our public safety officials and a result of our daily focus on community policing and coordinating city services. We will continue to focus on that work and have no intention of rolling out the welcome mat for them,” she continued.
At least one Bay State Democrat has acknowledged that the party’s immigration policies are a political liability.
Speaking to business leaders in Boston last week, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, said the Democrats’ policies have “caused people to be afraid.”
“Our task is to know who is coming into the country — to have an orderly process that does not scare the bejesus out of people of Arizona and New Mexico,” Lynch said.
Democrat Elizabeth Warren speaks to supporters at SoWa Power Station in Boston on Nov. 5, 2024 after the Associated Press declared her the winner in the U.S. Senate race against Republican John Deaton.(Sebastian Restrepo/MassLive)
There’s no doubt that Election Day went pretty well for Massachusetts Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris handily carried the state; U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren coasted to reelection, and the party retained its super-majority on Beacon Hill.
Nonetheless, Bay State Dems are engaging in the same kind of group introspection that’s kind of become a cottage industry since Nov. 5.
Party officials announced a “virtual listening tour” last week that will analyze what worked and what didn’t in 2024; gather feedback on areas for improvement, and “foster a collaborative environment where all voices are heard.
“Your voice matters, and this is your opportunity to help us build on our successes and strengthen our movement for the future. Together, we can ensure the Massachusetts Democratic Party continues to represent and advocate for the values that matter most to our communities,” state Democratic Chairman Steve Kerrigan said in a statement.
Details on the sessions, conducted over Zoom, will be coming soon, the party said.
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, holds a news conference in Brookline, Mass., on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024 (John L. Micek/MassLive).John L. Micek
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, has joined with several of his House colleagues to launch a pro-housing caucus on Capitol Hill. The group has been dubbed the “YIMBY Caucus.” Or “Yes in My Backyard.”
Other members of the bipartisan group include U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.; Scott Peters and Robert Garcia, both Democrats of California; Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo.; Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., and Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., Auchincloss’ office said in a statement announcing its creation.
“The cost of housing is the greatest economic challenge facing Massachusetts. The answer: build more housing,” the Newton lawmaker said. “At all levels of government, Americans need permitting & land use reforms that unlock more housing production.”
If you lost sleep on Election Night, take heart, you’re hardly alone.
Nearly 93% of Americans said the nation’s quadrennial political drama cost them some shut-eye this year, according to a post-election study by SleepCycle.
The website analyzed more than 593,000 sleep sessions to come up with its results. And if there’s any comfort, Americans slept better in 2024 than they did during the 2020 election, the analysis found.
In Massachusetts, 73% of residents reported some quality shuteye on Nov. 5. And most of you headed to bed around 11:35 p.m., according to the analysis.
Voters in Wyoming got the soundest sleep on Election Day, while Mississippi voters had the roughest night, the analysis found.
Phillip Eng, the general manager of the MBTA walks near a Green Line train at Riverside Station on March 27, 2023. (Chris Lisinski/State House News Service)
“They continue to deliver on the schedule that we’ve set, and the quality has not shifted. Quality, in fact, has gotten better … All of the learning curve that took place during the Orange Line [car delivery] prior to myself getting here is being factored in, so now the Red Line cars are performing right off the bat.”
— MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng on the improving quality of the T’s newly delivered Red and Orange Line cars after the agency “reset” its contract with Chinese manufacturer CRRC (via State House News Service).
Massachusetts Republicans are hoping to build on earlier gains during legislative elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 (State House News Service photo).State House News Service
A new state law could ease Mass.’ nursing shortage. Here’s how
Boston council worried about missing ballots, but says receivership is ‘premature’
Economic development bill green-lights investments across Western Massachusetts
Mass. Gov Healey signs nearly $4B economic development bill clearing the field for new Revs stadium
Mass. Rep. Clark retains top House leadership post
Mass. rail backers push for ‘Northern Tier’ passenger trains
Charles Luster, co-founder of Uncommonwealth Group, running for Worcester City Council
Because, sometimes, you just need to start the work week with Carly Rae Jepsen. Here she is, live, with Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers with a live version of “Tiny Moves,” recorded at Fisher Green Pavilion in Seattle in July.
President-elect Donald Trump has been populating his incoming administration with allies and loyalists from the two states he calls home — New York and Florida. On Friday, the Republican named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice for U.S. attorney general.
Writing for The Dispatch, Michael Warren delves into the Sunshine State’s move into the national spotlight.
Here’s the germane bit:
“No one represents this Florida takeover better than Susie Wiles, the co-chair of Trump’s 2024 campaign who will serve as his White House chief of staff. And Wiles is not just the architect (along with Chris LaCivita) of Trump’s victory this year,” Warren wrote. “She’s a powerhouse in Florida Republican politics, getting a large amount of credit for both Rick Scott’s out-of-nowhere victory in his 2010 run for governor and Ron DeSantis’ win in the 2018 gubernatorial race. Wiles ran the Trump campaign’s Florida operation in 2016, putting the state back in the Republican column for the first time since 2004. In the eight years since, Florida has only tipped further into the GOP’s column, up and down the ballot.”
That’s it for this morning. Tips, comments, and suggestions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, folks.
This time, the people marched in resistance to the harsh treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration.
“We descend from Immigrants and Revolutionaries,” read a battle cry beamed onto the side of the brick meeting house Tuesday.
“The society that stops seeing the people at the grocery line or the people that ride the bus with us, as human beings with beating hearts, then it’s not far off before our society devolves into no society at all,” Gilberto Calderin, director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said to the crowd of hundreds.
The protest was organized by activist groups Boston Indivisible and Mass 50501, and began at the Irish Famine Memorial Plaza, just steps from the meeting house.
The lively crowd held up signs, waved American flags, and chanted during the march along Milk Street and Congress Street to the harbor.
Janet England of Brighton held a sign that read, “Democracy Needs Courage.”
The protesters, she said are “true patriots because we want freedom and democracy.”
“Although protest is a long game, we can’t give up. If you think about women’s suffrage, gay rights, the civil rights movement, it took years, but we just can’t give up,” she said.
Gloria Krusemeyer, from Alrington, used a walker to join the march.
“I’m irritated that I haven’t done more, and I’m just lucky that I can walk fast enough to be doing this,” she said.
Rick Mueller, from Cambridge, was dressed as Uncle Sam and held a large sign that read, “Liberty and Justice For All.”
“We’re fighting for America, so I’m gonna be America,” he said of his costume.
He handed small American flags out to protesters who waved them enthusiastically.
Ice dumping duties was limited to volunteers and select people.
Among them was Sarah, a mother who brought her 4-year-old daughter, Fiona.
Sarah declined to share her last name for her daughter’s safety.
After throwing ice into the harbor, Fiona shyly said that she wanted to come to the protest to “help families stay together.”
Through tears, Sarah said her decision to bring along Fiona came from wanting to teach her daughter to care about people from all walks of life.
“Kindness and compassion are things we learn in kindergarten and she will be in kindergarten so it’s really important for her to be kind and compassionate,” Sarah said, kissing her daughter’s check.
Likewise, Sara Sievers, from Cambridge, brought her parents, sister, her nephews and niece to dump ice.
“I think this is one of the most brutal regimes we’ve had in this country, and I want my niece and nephew to remember that it’s important to protest, and that we in Boston are part of a proud tradition of dumping things into the harbor with which we disagree,” Sievers said.
The family wore costumes of historical figures including Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and King Charles.
As the protest came to a close, Martha Laposata, spokesperson for Boston Indivisible said she wanted protestors to walk away knowing their voices matter.
“We cannot stand down,” Laposata said. “When people rise up against an authoritarian government, if they stay consistent and they keep growing, ultimately an authoritarian government will stand down.”
Camille Bugayong can be reached at camille.bugayong@globe.com.
Crime
An MIT professor was shot and killed in Brookline on Monday night.
Brookline police responded a report of a man shot in his home on Gibbs Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning, the DA says.
Loureiro was the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics. Originally from Portugal, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs announced his death in a regulatory hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities on Tuesday, according to CNN.
“Sadly, I can confirm that Professor Nuno Loureiro, who died early this morning, was a current MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” an MIT spokesperson wrote in a statement.
In January, Loureiro was honored as one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from former president Joe Biden.
The investigation into the homicide remains ongoing. No further information was released.
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A man was hospitalized after being shot Monday night in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The shooting happened on Gibbs Street. There was a large police presence at the scene.
The victim was brought to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His condition was not known.
Police said the victim was shot three times and grazed by another round.
Authorities did not say if any arrests had been made.
No further information was immediately available.
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