A Boston man has been arrested after allegedly trying to break into a home in Allston this weekend.
Police responded around 2:25 a.m. Sunday to Chester Street, near Packard’s Corner. A woman told investigators that she was closing her bedroom window when it reopened, with a hand reaching inside.
The man had fled before officers arrived to find the window screen torn and handprints on the glass.
While police were investigating, a man matching the suspect’s description returned, police said. Officers approached the man, who “quickly walked away before breaking into a sprint.”
They chased him, but he got away at first. He was later arrested on the 1000 block of Commonwealth Avenue, in the Packard’s Corner area.
The man, identified as 39-year-old Renato De Oliveira of Brighton, is facing charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime and trespassing.
De Oliveira is expected to be arraigned at an unspecified date in Brighton District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
With just over 200 days left until Boston takes the world stage as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, local organizers said Massachusetts has yet to deliver the funding they were expecting.
The organizers are warning that it could mean scaling back major fan events and services.
Boston Soccer 26 CEO Mike Loynd said the group is still waiting on $20 million included in Gov. Maura Healey’s supplemental spending proposal.
President Donald Trump said he would consider moving the World Cup matches Boston is set to host next year, questioning the city’s safety.
So far, the Massachusetts House of Representatives has earmarked only $10 million, while the state’s Senate has set aside $5 million to support public transit to the matches.
“It certainly would be downscaled, if not very limited, if we didn’t have the funding from the state,” said Loynd.
He said that he’s worked on a dozen major events, including the 1994 World Cup, and that the economic return for Massachusetts would far outweigh the cost.
“Every dollar spent will be returned five-fold, at a minimum, if not tenfold,” Loynd said. “So for us, yeah, it’s about maximizing this opportunity.”
President Donald Trump is threatening to move 2026 World Cup matches out of host city Boston, citing safety and the politics of Mayor Michelle Wu. Wu issued a brief statement on the tournament hours later.
Healey said she’s continuing to press lawmakers to approve the funding.
“I put forward a request for funding,” she said. “It’s currently with the Legislature now, and I’ll continue to have conversations with them about this.”
Massachusetts House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said the Legislature is mindful of the event’s potential, but must also balance other priorities.
“We put on major events before. We put on World Cup games before. I think we know how to do it, and we’re going to do it right,” Michlewitz said. “We certainly have to make sure we’re taking care of our everyday residents and not just about issues that are one-time events.”
The first batch of tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup are officially on sale, but getting them has not been easy.
Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues has said the Senate’s $5 million allocation is meant to help support public transit to the matches — and that senators are open to providing more funding down the road.
“As a longtime fan of European football, and the Portuguese National Team in particular, I am very excited to see Massachusetts host the 2026 World Cup, right here in our backyard,” he said in a statement to NBC10 Boston. “Earlier this year, the Senate proposed and secured $5 million to help support public transit associated with World Cup travel to Foxborough. I welcome future discussions about how the Commonwealth can continue to help the event be successful and look forward to having those conversations,” he said in a statement to NBC 10 Boston.
Organizers said that without the full $20 million, cuts could include fewer promotional events, no backup shuttle buses to move fans to and from Foxborough in the event the MBTA trains fail, and a smaller fan fest planned for downtown Boston.
Loynd said he expects to get reassurances from legislators this week.
Former President Joe Biden received the lifetime achievement award at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston Sunday night, saying that it was “one of the most meaningful honors” he had ever received.
The institute honored Biden as part of its tenth anniversary celebration. It noted his contributions to public service, including his election to the Senate in 1972, his time as vice president under Barack Obama, and his eventual election as the 46th president. Biden is the first-ever recipient of the award and was introduced by Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Kennedy.
“I want to tell you how much this means to me, to receive an award that honors the legacy of my friend Teddy Kennedy, who was by my side for every consequential moment of my political life,” Biden said at the event. “He made such a profound difference in my personal life.”
Biden explained that Kennedy helped him in his Senate campaign and continued to help through the death of his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, and his daughter, Naomi Christina Biden.
“I was planning to give up my seat in the Senate,” Biden explained. “Teddy wouldn’t let me give up.”
Biden speaks about democracy
He said that Kennedy believed in “the fundamental goodness of the American people” and the “power of our democracy.” He said both are values he believes in and upholds.
“In over 50 years of public life, this is one of the worst I’ve seen. Our very democracy is at stake in my view,” Biden said in his speech. “It’s no time to give up. It’s time to get up. Get up now!”
Biden also briefly referenced Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, saying that “late-night hosts that continue to shine a light on free speech, knowing their careers are on the line.”
He also spoke about the importance of the Kennedy Institute and the work that it does.
“Teaching young people how to fight for, strengthen, and cherish the institutions that make our democracy, literally a beacon for the world,” Biden said.
He hopes his presidential library will one day inspire people to have the same values.
“Whatever my legacy may be, I hope it will be said of me that is true of Teddy, who believed in our democracy and knew it was worth fighting for.”
He finished his nearly 25-minute speech by calling on people to get involved and act, and “fight like Teddy would fight.”
“These are dark days. But we are one of the only countries in the world that has time and again has come out of every crisis we faced, stronger than we went into that crisis, every one,” Biden finished. “I still believe we will emerge, as we always have, stronger, wiser, more resilient, more just.”
Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was in attendance to support her husband. Biden said his children could not attend the event.
Marty Walsh receives award at Kennedy Institute
Former Boston Mayor and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and U.S. Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti were also honored with leadership awards.
“A good secretary of labor and the best friend you could possibly have,” Biden said of Walsh during his speech. “What Marty says, he does, and he doesn’t back off.”
Walsh thanked veterans for their contributions, keeping the country safe. He spoke about the importance of “listening to every voice and returning every phone call.”
“We brought people together from all over the city of Boston. Democrats, Republicans, Independents,” Walsh said of his time as mayor. “Marty Walsh, a Democratic mayor, and Charlie Baker, a Republican governor, worked collectively together to make sure that people were safe, moving us forward, creating a message that was positive. Our disagreements happened behind the scenes, not in front of everybody. It’s important for us to continue to come together.”
Walsh thanked the Kennedy family for the award Sunday.
“It’s an honor to be standing up here tonight as a kid who grew up not too far from here,” Walsh said. He grew up in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester.
A man was found dead in Lake Champlain Wednesday, a day after a canoe carrying him and another boater capsized, leaving the other man stranded on an island overnight, Vermont State Police said.
The body was spotted in the water about two miles from where the canoe capsized off Knight Island State Park in North Hero, police said. It’s presumed to be that of the 71-year-old Montpelier man who fell into the water with his companion, a 67-year-old relative from Woodbury, after they set out about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Both men were wearing flotation devices, but they were separated when they fell into the lake. After about an hour, the 67-year-old was able to swim ashore on Knight Island, police said, and he got into the caretaker’s home for shelter — it was after dark.
But there was no way to communicate, and was only able to get help once he found a canoe in the morning and made his way to North Hero, according to police. That started a large search-and-rescue effort, which ended about noon, when the body was spotted and subsequently recovered.
Police didn’t share the name of the 71-year-old who died. His body was undergoing an autopsy to confirm his identity and how he died, but police don’t believe the incident is suspicious.
A flight from Boston to Las Vegas had to turn around Monday night because of an unruly passenger, Massachusetts State Police said.
A man from Louisville, Kentucky, was set to face a charge of interfering with a flight crew on JetBlue Flight 777, according to police.
The airline reported to police about 10 p.m. that the plane was returning to the gate at Boston Logan International Airport because of a non-compliant, verbally abusive passenger. Police didn’t share more details about the incident, or the 37-year-old passenger’s name.
A flight-tracking website shows the flight turned around over western New York.
JetBlue said the flight left for Las Vegas after the people involved got off the plane in Boston.
“Safety is JetBlue’s first priority, and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we addressed this situation,” the airline’s statement said.
WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends.
Then, as sophomore year got underway, the unexpected problems surfaced. She missed a student government meeting arranged on Snapchat. Her Model U.N. team communicates on social media, too, causing her scheduling problems. Even the Bible Study club at her Connecticut high school uses Instagram to communicate with members.
Gabriela Durham, a high school senior in Brooklyn, says navigating high school without social media has made her who she is today. She is a focused, organized, straight-A student with a string of college acceptances — and an accomplished dancer who recently made her Broadway debut. Not having social media has made her an “outsider,” in some ways. That used to hurt; now, she says, it feels like a badge of honor.
With the damaging consequences of social media increasingly well documented, some parents are trying to raise their children with restrictions or blanket bans. Teenagers themselves are aware that too much social media is bad for them, and some are initiating social media “cleanses” because of the toll it takes on mental health and grades.
This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.
But it is hard to be a teenager today without social media. For those trying to stay off social platforms while most of their peers are immersed, the path can be challenging, isolating and at times liberating. It can also be life-changing.
This is a tale of two families, social media and the ever-present challenge of navigating high school. It’s about what kids do when they can’t extend their Snapstreaks or shut their bedroom doors and scroll through TikTok past midnight. It’s about what families discuss when they’re not having screen-time battles. It’s also about persistent social ramifications.
AP AUDIO: Life as a teen without social media isn’t easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline
AP correspondent Jocelyn Gecker reports on the social ramifications some families saw for their teenagers after cutting out social media.
The journeys of both families show the rewards and pitfalls of trying to avoid social media in a world that is saturated by it.
A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE
Concerns about children and phone use are not new. But there is a growing realization among experts that the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed adolescence. As youth coped with isolation and spent excessive time online, the pandemic effectively carved out a much larger space for social media in the lives of American kids.
No longer just a distraction or a way to connect with friends, social media has matured into a physical space and a community that almost all U.S. teenagers belong to. Up to 95% of teenagers say they use social media, with more than one-third saying they are on it “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.
More than ever, teenagers live in a seamless digital and non-digital world in ways that most adults don’t recognize or understand, says Michael Rich, a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School and head of the nonprofit Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“Social media is now the air kids breathe,” says Rich, who runs the hospital’s Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders.
For better or worse, social media has become a home-base for socializing. It’s where many kids turn to forge their emerging identities, to seek advice, to unwind and relieve stress. It impacts how kids dress and talk. In this era of parental control apps and location tracking, social media is where this generation is finding freedom.
It is also increasingly clear that the more time youth spend online, the higher the risk of mental health problems.
Kids who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety, according to studies cited by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who issued an extraordinary public warning last spring about the risks of social media to young people.
Those were the concerns of the Bulkeleys and Gabriela’s mother, Elena Romero. Both set strict rules starting when their kids were young and still in elementary school. They delayed giving phones until middle school and made social media off limits until 18. They educated the girls, and their younger siblings, on the impact of social media on young brains, on online privacy concerns, on the dangers of posting photos or comments that can come back to haunt you.
Cell phones charge on a ledge between the living room and kitchen as Steph Bulkeley helps Kate select school courses, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Cell phones charge on a ledge between the living room and kitchen as Steph Bulkeley helps Kate select school courses, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Elena Romero, second from left, and her daughters Gabriela Durham, 17, left, Gionna Durham, 13 second from right, and Grace Durham, 11, have dinner together on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Elena Romero, second from left, and her daughters Gabriela Durham, 17, left, Gionna Durham, 13 second from right, and Grace Durham, 11, have dinner together on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
In the absence of social media, at least in these two homes, there is a noticeable absence of screen time battles. But the kids and parents agree: It’s not always easy.
WHEN IT’S EVERYWHERE, IT’S HARD TO AVOID
At school, on the subway and at dance classes around New York City, Gabriela is surrounded by reminders that social media is everywhere — except on her phone.
Growing up without it has meant missing out on things. Everyone but you gets the same jokes, practices the same TikTok dances, is up on the latest viral trends. When Gabriela was younger, that felt isolating; at times, it still does. But now, she sees not having social media as freeing.
“From my perspective, as an outsider,” she says, “it seems like a lot of kids use social media to promote a facade. And it’s really sad. Because social media is telling them how they should be and how they should look. It’s gotten to a point where everyone wants to look the same instead of being themselves.”
There is also friend drama on social media and a lack of honesty, humility and kindness that she feels lucky to be removed from.
Gabriela is a dance major at the Brooklyn High School of the Arts and dances outside of school seven days a week. Senior year got especially intense, with college and scholarship applications capped by an unexpected highlight of getting to perform at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre in March as part of a city showcase of high school musicals.
After a recent Saturday afternoon dance class in a Bronx church basement, the diverging paths between Gabriela and her peers is on full display. The other dancers, aged 11 to 16, sit cross-legged on the linoleum floor talking about social media.
Gabriela Durham, 17, arranges items on her dresser inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gabriela Durham, 17, arranges items on her dresser inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“I am addicted,” says 15-year-old Arielle Williams, who stays up late scrolling through TikTok. “When I feel like I’m getting tired I say, ‘One more video.’ And then I keep saying, ‘One more video.’ And I stay up sometimes until 5 a.m.”
The other dancers gasp. One suggests they all check their phones’ weekly screen time.
“OH. MY,” says Arielle, staring at her screen. “My total was 68 hours last week.” That included 21 hours on TikTok.
Gabriela sits on the sidelines of the conversation, listening silently. But on the No. 2 subway home to Brooklyn, she shares her thoughts. “Those screen-time hours, it’s insane.”
As the train rumbles from the elevated tracks in the Bronx into the underground subway tunnels in Manhattan, Gabriela is on her phone. She texts with friends, listens to music and consults a subway app to count down the stops to her station in Brooklyn. The phone for her is a distraction limited to idle time, which has been strategically limited by Romero.
“My kids’ schedules will make your head spin,” Romero says as the family reconvenes Saturday night in their three-bedroom walkup in Bushwick. On school days, they’re up at 5:30 a.m. and out the door by 7. Romero drives the girls to their three schools scattered around Brooklyn, then takes the subway into Manhattan, where she teaches mass communications at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Grace, 11, is a sixth grade cheerleader active in Girl Scouts, along with Gionna, 13, who sings, does debate team and has daily rehearsals for her middle school theater production.
Grace Durham, 11, checks her wardrobe inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Grace Durham, 11, checks her wardrobe inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13, reads a book on the sofa on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13, reads a book on the sofa on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“I’m so booked my free time is to sleep,” says Gabriela, who tries to be in bed by 10:30 p.m.
In New York City, it’s common for kids to get phones early in elementary school, but Romero waited until each daughter reached middle school and started taking public transportation home alone. Years ago, she sat them down to watch “The Social Dilemma,” a documentary that Gabriela says made her realize how tech companies manipulate their users.
Her mom’s rules are simple: No social media on phones until 18. The girls are allowed to use YouTube on their computers but not post videos. Romero doesn’t set screen-time limits or restrict phone use in bedrooms.
“It’s a struggle, don’t get me wrong,” Romero says. Last year, the two younger girls “slipped.” They secretly downloaded TikTok for a few weeks before getting caught and sternly lectured.
Romero is considering whether to bend her rule for Gionna, an avid reader interested in becoming a Young Adult “Bookstagrammer” — a book reviewer on Instagram. Gionna wants to be a writer when she grows up and loves the idea that reviewers get books for free.
Her mother is torn. Romero’s main concern was social media during middle school, a critical age where kids are forming their identity. She supports the idea of using social media responsibly as a tool to pursue passions.
“When you’re a little older,” she tells her girls, “you’ll realize Mom was not as crazy as you thought.”
STRUGGLING NOT TO MISS OUT
In the upscale suburb of Westport, Connecticut, the Bulkeleys have faced similar questions about bending their rules. But not for the reason they had anticipated.
Kate was perfectly content to not have social media. Her parents had figured at some point she might resist their ban because of peer pressure or fear of missing out. But the 15-year-old sees it as a waste of time. She describes herself as academic, introverted and focused on building up extracurricular activities.
That’s why she needed Instagram.
“I needed it to be co-president of my Bible Study Club,” Kate explains, seated with her family in the living room of their two-story home.
As Kate’s sophomore year started, she told her parents that she was excited to be leading a variety of clubs but needed social media to do her job. They agreed to let her have Instagram for her afterschool activities, which they found ironic and frustrating. “It was the school that really drove the fact that we had to reconsider our rule about no social media,” says Steph Bulkeley, Kate’s mother.
Schools talk the talk about limiting screen time and the dangers of social media, says Kate’s dad, Russ Bulkeley. But technology is rapidly becoming part of the school day. Kate’s high school and their 13-year-old daughter Sutton’s middle school have cell phone bans that aren’t enforced. Teachers will ask students to take out their phones to photograph material during class time.
Kate and Sutton Bulkeley talk in the living room, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Kate and Sutton Bulkeley talk in the living room, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The Bulkeleys aren’t on board with that, but feel powerless to change it. When their girls were still in elementary school, the Bulkeleys were inspired by the “Wait Until 8th” pledge, which encourages parents to wait to give children smartphones, and access to social media, until at least 8th grade or about age 13. Some experts say waiting until 16 is better. Others feel banning social media isn’t the answer, and that kids need to learn to live with the technology because it’s not going anywhere.
Ultimately they gave in to Kate’s plea because they trust her, and because she’s too busy to devote much time to social media.
Both Kate and Sutton wrap up afterschool activities that include theater and dance classes at 8:30 p.m. most weeknights. They get home, finish homework and try to be in bed by 11.
Kate spends an average of two hours a week on her phone. That is significantly less than most, according to a 2023 Gallup poll that found over half of U.S. teens spend an average of five hours each day on social media. She uses her phone mainly to make calls, text friends, check grades and take photos. She doesn’t post or share pictures, one of her parents’ rules. Others: No phones allowed in bedrooms. All devices stay on a ledge between the kitchen and living room. TV isn’t allowed on school nights.
Kate has rejected her parents’ offer to pay her for waiting to use social media. But she is embarking slowly on the apps. She has set a six-minute daily time limit as a reminder not to dawdle on Instagram.
Having the app came in handy earlier this year at a Model UN conference where students from around the world exchanged contact details: “Nobody asked for phone numbers. You gave your Instagram,” Kate says. She is resisting Snapchat, for fear she will find it addictive. She has asked a friend on student government to text her any important student government messages sent on Snapchat.
Sutton feels the weight of not having social media more than her older sister. The eighth grader describes herself as social but not popular.
“There’s a lot of popular girls that do a bunch of TikTok dances. That’s really what determines your popularity: TikTok,” Sutton says.
Kids in her grade are “obsessed with TikTok” and posting videos of themselves that look to her like carbon copies. The girls look the same in short crop tops and jeans and sound the same, speaking with a TikTok dialect that includes a lot of “Hey, guys!” and uptalk, their voices rising in tone at the end of a thought.
She feels left out at times but doesn’t feel the need to have social media, since one of her friends sends her the latest viral videos. She has seen firsthand the problems social media can cause in friend groups. “Two of my friends were having a fight. One thought the other one blocked her on Snapchat.”
There’s a long way to go before these larger questions are resolved, with these two families and across the nation. Schools are trying. Some are banning phones entirely to hold students’ focus and ensure that socializing happens face-to-face. It might, educators say, also help cut back on teen depression and anxiety.
That’s something Sutton can understand at age 13 as she works to navigate the years ahead. From what she has seen, social media has changed in the past few years. It used to be a way for people to connect, to message and to get to know each other.
“It’s kind of just about bragging now,” she says. “People post pictures of their trips to amazing places. Or looking beautiful. And it makes other people feel bad about themself.”
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After large crowds turned out Oct. 18 for “No Kings” rallies across the U.S., some conservative politicians and social media accounts sought to undermine the crowd counts.
One X account posted, “Analysts are calling this the biggest FRAUD in American history. MSNBC falsely aired a Video from 2017 claiming it was LIVE footage from yesterday’s ‘No Kings’ rally in Boston. MSNBC purposely wanted to portray a massive turnout for ‘No Kings.’ Which was a LIE.” Other X accountspostedsimilar claims.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reshared a post by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that included the MSNBC footage.
“Why are Dems dishonestly sending around a video from 2017, claiming it was this past weekend?” Cruz wrote. After this story was published, the X post was no longer available on Cruz’s account.
The footage MSNBC aired is real and depicted Boston’s Oct. 18 “No Kings” rally. The views of the protest that MSNBC aired were similar to others that aired Oct. 18 by four Boston-area television stations.
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Cruz’s office did not respond by publication time to an inquiry.
How large were the “No Kings” rally crowds?
Organizers of the “No Kings” rallies — dozens of liberal groups, including environmental organizations and labor unions — estimate that up to 7 million people attended protests nationally, including 125,000 people at the rally at Boston Common, a large public park.
That would make Boston’s rally the nation’s fourth largest of the day, behind New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., according to nationally crowdsourced estimates compiled by G. Elliott Morris, the former editor of FiveThirtyEight.com who now runs a Substack on political data. Morris’ median national estimate for rally attendees was between 5.2 million and 8.2 million people.
The 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., was estimated to include 470,000 people, according to academic estimates reported by The New York Times.
Crowd counts were scrutinized in 2017 after Trump said counts comparing attendees at the Women’s March with his inauguration undercounted the inauguration crowd. He falsely accused the media of lying about his inauguration crowd.
MSNBC did not respond to an inquiry for this article. Using the television monitoring service TVEyes, we confirmed that the MSNBC footage aired Oct. 18 around 11:35 a.m. Eastern Time.
Four TV stations in the Boston area aired similar views Oct. 18, showing large numbers of people filling the park and temporary structures built for guest speakers.
CNN on Oct. 18 aired similar footage that it credited to WCVB, the ABC affiliate.
Grok, X’s AI chatbot, might have contributed to misinformation about the video being from 2017, the BBC reported.
Several of the X posts that spread the claim of the footage being eight years old included as evidence screenshots of a proposed community note. Community notes are a crowdsourced system X uses to add context to information shared on the platform.
But a “proposed” community note is one that has not been approved yet. The proposed note shown in the social media posts was written by artificial intelligence, the BBC reported, with supporting links that did not prove that the footage was from 2017. Some Grok responses repeatedthefalseclaim from that proposed community note.
Our ruling
Cruz said Democrats are “dishonestly sending around a video from 2017” and claiming it showed an Oct. 18 “No Kings” rally in Boston.
The MSNBC footage Cruz was referring to was real and showed the Oct. 18 “No Kings” rally in Boston.
Four Boston-area television stations and one in New Hampshire shared similar footage during the stations’ live coverage of Boston’s Oct. 18 “No Kings” protest.
We rate the statement False.
UPDATE, Oct. 21, 2025: This story was updated after publication to note that Cruz’s Oct. 19 X post is no longer available on his account.
Kendama enthusiasts bring ancient game to life in Boston
BOSTON PUBLIC GARDEN WITHOUT STUMBLING UPON SOMETHING TRULY FASCINATING. OH YEAH, TODAY, KENDAMA. THERE ARE SEPARATE PARTS, RIGHT? THIS IS CALLED SOMETHING. IT’S THE KEN AND THE TAMA, WHICH TRANSLATES TO SWORD AND BALL. KEN. THE SWORD AND THE TAMA. THE BALL. KENDAMA MEANS BALL AND SWORD GAME. THE GAME’S ORIGINS ARE SOMEWHAT MYSTERIOUS. SOME TRACE IT TO THE FRENCH BALL AND CUP GAME POPULAR ACROSS EUROPE IN THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES. HOWEVER, IT ARRIVED, THE TOY JOURNEYED ACROSS CONTINENTS AND CENTURIES BEFORE EVOLVING INTO THE GAME. WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT TODAY. WHEN I PICK UP THIS OBJECT AND I JUST START PLAYING WITH IT, I GO, IT’S NOT LIKE SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT I’M JUST MORE KIND OF HERE. I’M JUST PLAYING WITH THE KENDAMA. THAT’S THAT’S ALL MY BRAIN IS THINKING ABOUT. I’M USING MY HANDS A LITTLE HAND-EYE. I’M THINKING ABOUT WHAT TRICKS I WANT TO DO. SOMETIMES YOU REALLY GET DOWN TO MOVE TO LIKE, CATCH SOMETHING, AND THAT FEELS GOOD TO MOVE YOUR BODY. A RARE BUT FAST GROWING PURSUIT THAT BLENDS THE PRECISION OF JUGGLING THE INTENSITY OF SWORD FIGHTING, AND THE FLAIR OF A DANCE BATTLE ALL WITHIN A POCKET SIZED TOY. BUT IS IT A GAME OR A SPORT? KENDAMA IS A VERY NEW SPORT, SO THERE AREN’T A LOT OF RULES AND REGULATIONS ON WHAT THE RIGHT WAY TO PLAY IS. AND WE KIND OF, AS A COMMUNITY, ARE FIGURING IT OUT OURSELVES. IT’S FREESTYLE WHERE PEOPLE GO HEAD TO HEAD AND THEY GET LIKE 45 SECONDS TO A MINUTE ON STAGE, AND THEN A SET OF JUDGES DETERMINES WHICH TRICKS THEY LIKED MORE. YEAH, WE MAY NOT ALL BE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE GRACEFUL FLOW OF BRANT DUFFY AND FINN POUNDS, BOTH LEADERS IN MASS KENDAMA, A GROUP THAT MEETS EVERY SUNDAY AT THE QUINCY QUARRY TO SESH. IT’S A WOODEN STICK WITH CUPS AND A SPIKE, PLUS A BALL ON A STRING. SIMPLE, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN SPIN THE BALL AND KEEP YOUR EYE RIGHT ON THAT CENTER HOLE. A NICE GRIP ON THE KEN. THE REAL MAGIC IS IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE BALL AND GRAVITY. DO YOU THINK I’LL EVER GET IT ON THERE, GUYS? YES. OH! MILLIMETERS. I HAVE FOUND MY KRYPTONITE. YOU SWING, YOU MISS, YOU TRY AGAIN. BUT WHEN THE BALL FINALLY LANDS IN A CUP OR SPIKES PERFECTLY, WHEN YOU GET YOUR FIRST SPIKE, YOU SEE PEOPLE’S EYES LIGHT UP IMMEDIATELY. IT’S JUST LIKE WORLD CHANGING. AT LEAST IT WAS FOR ME. AND PRACTICE, AS THEY SAY, MAKES PERFECT ISH. OH, THANK GOODNESS, THANK GOODNESS. OK
Visitors to the Boston Public Garden are discovering the captivating world of Kendama, a centuries-old toy that combines elements of juggling, sword fighting, and dance. The origins of Kendama are somewhat mysterious, with some tracing it to the French ball-and-cup toy popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed to have reached Japan around the same time, possibly traveling along the Silk Road from China.”When I pick this up, I am just here, all I am thinking about is Kendama,” said one enthusiast. “Sometimes you really get down and that feels good to move the body, so it is body and mind and spirit.”Kendama is a fast-growing pursuit that blends precision, intensity, and flair within a pocket-sized toy. While some consider it a game, others view it as a sport. “Kendama is kind of a new sport, so there are not a lot of rules on how to play, so as a community we are figuring it out ourselves,” said a participant. The Kendama Boston Group meets every Sunday at the Quincy Quarry to “jam” or “sesh.”
Visitors to the Boston Public Garden are discovering the captivating world of Kendama, a centuries-old toy that combines elements of juggling, sword fighting, and dance. The origins of Kendama are somewhat mysterious, with some tracing it to the French ball-and-cup toy popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed to have reached Japan around the same time, possibly traveling along the Silk Road from China.
“When I pick this up, I am just here, all I am thinking about is Kendama,” said one enthusiast. “Sometimes you really get down and that feels good to move the body, so it is body and mind and spirit.”
Kendama is a fast-growing pursuit that blends precision, intensity, and flair within a pocket-sized toy. While some consider it a game, others view it as a sport. “Kendama is kind of a new sport, so there are not a lot of rules on how to play, so as a community we are figuring it out ourselves,” said a participant.
The Kendama Boston Group meets every Sunday at the Quincy Quarry to “jam” or “sesh.”
People aggressively soliciting for fraudulent charities have charged just over $170,000 from people in Boston across 11 recent incidents, police said Thursday, warning the public about the scams.
In one case, Boston police said, someone had $50,000 charged from their account without authorization, in a scheme being reported across the country.
The scammer or scammers typically approaches a woman in a parking lot asking for donations about a dead child or charity, then push the person to donate with their phone or credit card, sometimes using the payment method themselves.
Those tactics have recently been used by small groups trying to raise money for a football team near South Station, police said Thursday.
It’s a similar scheme to what police described last month in South Boston — though officials didn’t say if they were related. In those incidents, three people had money stolen outside of a Walgreens and a Whole Foods from a group of men claiming to be collecting donations.
In each of those incidents, three men approached someone and pressured them into giving money by credit card over a tragedy in the family, according to police reports. While they indicated they were charging a small amount of money, $5 or $15, they ended up charging thousands.
Experts have advice on how to keep your phone safe from thefts like several that are under investigation in Boston.
Police on Thursday urged people not to hand their phone or credit card to people and to verify charities themselves before donating. Anyone who suspects they’re being targeted by one of the scams was urged to get away and report the activity to police.
You’re zipping down the aisle, checking items off your grocery list. Next up: fabric softener. You reach for the container, but when you lift it, something doesn’t seem quite right. Upon taking a closer look, you realize it’s not filled to the top. What do you do?
A man in Boston, Massachusetts, has a solution that might also be part of the problem. In a viral TikTok, Louie (@beantownlouiee) demonstrates what he does when the Downy fabric softener seems underfilled.
“When you go to the store you always gotta make sure you get your money’s worth,” Louie says, as he pulls a second container from the shelf.
“This right here costs $24,” he continues, opening both containers. “You gotta always make sure you get your money’s worth, gang.
“‘Cause this [expletive] costs too,” he trails off.
Then Louie fills the first container to the brim, puts the top back on it, and replaces the second one on the shelf.
“Expensive to not get your money’s worth, gang,” he continues.
“Twenty-four dollars, I need that. I need every last drop,” Louie concludes. “Let’s go.”
In the five days since he posted it, Louie’s clip has racked up 3.2 million views and over 1,000 comments. People are, in turn, amused, inspired, and exasperated.
Why do Downy containers have so much empty space?
In the caption on Louie’s post, he alludes to a widespread frustration consumers have with underfilled products. “First it was the chips … & NOW THIS???” he writes.
Many people have complained that some bags of chips have more empty space than product.
While this may seem nefarious, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. The extra air in the bag acts as a cushion to keep the chips from getting crushed during shipping. No one likes a bag of broken chips, after all.
Downy fabric softener isn’t a crushable product like chips, though.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a legitimate reason why there’s enough empty space that it takes Louie several seconds to top off the first Downy container. For example, the machinery that fills Downy fabric softener could be set to leave some space to avoid spillage. Or it could be simple human error at the Downy plant.
If Downy fabric softener intentionally or negligently contains less than the amount stated on the bottle, Procter & Gamble could get in serious trouble. It could be sued, fined, or lose consumer goodwill.
“Pretty sure it’s illegal […] to only sell half a product for the full price so he’s good,” one person commented on Louie’s post. Another replied, “They sell the product at the [fluid ounces] marketed on the product. The reason it’s half a product is because of the video above.”
Procter & Gamble didn’t respond to emails or a voicemail left Wednesday morning.
No harm, no foul in the grocery aisle?
Although some were amused, most people who commented on Louie’s video weren’t impressed.
Many blamed his behavior for stores now locking up products.
“Y’all be the reason some of us gotta wait 20 mins just for somebody to come unlock something that don’t needa be locked,” Bree commented.
Kamo.n agreed, “This is why they lock everything.”
Many pointed out that topping off Downy or any other product before you buy it is technically theft. “That’s gotta be illegal,” Pickle said. Prima responded, “Yes… stealing is illegal.. dude…”
It is possible that Louie’s post is a sketch or a joke. He could’ve purchased both jugs of Downy, for instance.
Louie didn’t respond to a direct message sent via TikTok.
Others wondered about the shopper who ends up with the Downy he filled from.
“But what about the next person who spends $24 on a quarter filled bottle?” wrote one.
Claire Goforth is a contributing writer to The Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Al Jazeera America, the Miami New Times, Folio Weekly, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, the Florida Times-Union, the Daily Dot, and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. Find her online at bsky.app/profile/clairegoforth.bsky.social and x.com/claire_goforth.
Joan Bennett Kennedy, the former wife of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, has died at the age of 89.
She passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Boston on Wednesday, according to Steve Kerrigan, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, speaking on the family’s behalf.
Kennedy was married to Ted Kennedy for 24 years, and was the mother to his three children — Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.
She was a model and classically-trained pianist when she married Ted Kennedy in 1958. Their lives would change unimaginably over the next decade and a half. Brother-in-law John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960 and assassinated three years later. Brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy served as attorney general under JFK, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1964 and assassinated while seeking the presidency.
Her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate and became among the country’s most respected legislators despite initial misgivings that he was capitalizing on his family connections. But Ted Kennedy also lived through scandals of his own making. In 1969, the car he was driving plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, killing his young female passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne.
Kennedy stood by her husband through the scandal, but their estrangement was nearly impossible to hide by the time of his unsuccessful effort to defeat President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries. They had been separated by then, and would later divorce. One bumper sticker from the campaign read “Vote for Jimmy Carter, Free Joan Kennedy.”
She was also an advocate for mental health and addiction services, and became “one of the first prominent women in America to publicly acknowledge her struggles with alcoholism and depression,” which she felt helped to tackle the taboo of addiction in the 1970s, her family said.
Joan Kennedy circa 1981 in New York. (Photo by Images/Gettty Images)
Kennedy is survived by two children — Ted Kennedy Jr. and former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, along with nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, over 30 nieces and nephews and a sister. Her daughter, Kara, died in 2011.
“I will always admire my mother for the way that she faced up to her challenges with grace, courage, humility, and honesty,” Ted Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “She taught me how to be more truthful with myself and how careful listening is a more powerful communication skill than public speaking.”
“Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful example to millions of people with mental health conditions,” Patrick Kennedy added. “She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives that she touched.”
John Williams, conductor laureate of the Boston Pops, also released a statement about her impact on the classical music community.
“Joan was an accomplished pianist and possessed an impressive knowledge of the classical music repertoire. Her dedication to the Boston Pops Orchestra, and especially to the young people of Boston, will have a lasting impact,” Williams said. “She will be greatly missed and will always be regarded as a member of our Boston Symphony Family.”
The schedule for calling hours and the date and time of the funeral ceremony have yet to be announced, but will be available on the website of the Carr Funeral Home at https://www.carrfuneral.com/Obituaries.html.
Academy Award winner Matt Damon, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, traded the big screen for the kitchen in Boston Monday night.
He and Iron Chef Ming Tsai teamed up for “Cooking Live Boston” to help families fight cancer.
Damon joined Tsai and other world-class chefs across Boston to raise money for Family Reach, a national nonprofit that helps families stay afloat when cancer treatment costs push them to the brink.
“Your financial position in this world will determine if you actually can survive cancer,” Tsai said. “That’s obviously a broken system, which we can’t fix, but Family Reach, back then, was kind of the Band-Aid, sending checks directly to the mortgage, to the car payments, to everything.”
“We went through our own cancer battle in our family, with my dad,” Damon said. “I thought often about this organization, because we were one of the lucky families that had the resources to handle all of that other stuff, and I can’t imagine, with the level of fear and trauma that kind of accompanies that journey.”
The movie star is cooking up more than just gourmet meals, also serving hope to families facing cancer.
Families like Raquel and her son, Mikalo — who was just 18 months old when he was diagnosed with leukemia — know that burden all too well.
“We were in a very desperate situation where we were indefinitely in the hospital until he got his bone marrow transplant,” Raquel said. “During that time, I had lost our home. It was, again, very difficult financially, and it took a huge toll … Family Reach kind of stepped in and helped subsidize a rent for us for an entire year.”
“The amount of medicine I needed to take, too,” Mikalo recalled. “It was really hard, and I don’t like reflecting on it, but it’s alright, because other people need to hear this, for sure.”
Now 18 and cancer-free, Mikalo and his mom are giving back, helping raise awareness for families still fighting.
“There is a direct correlation to financial need and relapse,” Raquel said. “Choosing between medication or putting food on your table.”
For Tsai, success isn’t measured in stars or awards, but in impact.
“The definition of success is actually this: That you can make a difference in someone’s life that impactfully,” he said.
Tsai has already raised more than $13 million for Family Reach, helping families across the country focus on healing, not bills. And for many families, that kind of hope is the best ingredient of all.
A 14-year-old girl is facing multiple charges after allegedly stabbing another teen near East Boston High School last month.
The suspect, who is from East Boston, has been charged with assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife) and assault and battery, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. A judge ordered the teen held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday in Chelsea Juvenile Court.
The charges stem from a incident around 2 p.m. on Sept. 24, when Boston police were called to a report of a person who had been stabbed at 115 Falcon St., the district attorney’s office said. Officers applied tourniquets to the 14-year-old victim, who sustained stab wounds to the head, legs and back, resulting in a punctured lung.
The victim told officers she was attacked by two teens who were known to her and that one of them stabbed her.
Investigators learned that the victim had an altercation with the other teen about two years ago over a pair of broken eyeglasses. She said since that day, every time she encountered the teen, they would try to fight her.
On the day of the stabbing, the victim reported leaving school and walking on Putnam Street when she noticed two teens following her. The victim said she called her sister on the phone to tell her she believed she was going to get “jumped.”
As she continued walking, she was attacked from behind and struck repeatedly by the other two teens. The victim then saw one of her attackers take what she believed to be a folding knife and place it in her pocket and walk the opposite way.
The victim said she didn’t immediately realize that she had been stabbed but reported feeling something warm running down her body. The victim told the teen who stabbed her she was going to call the police but they picked up her cellphone from the sidewalk and threw it at her.
As the victim continued to walk home, other students followed her home and advised her to apply pressure to her stab wounds. She sat down on Falcon Street and was treated by school staff before police arrived.
Several videos circulated online captured the attack, the district attorney’s office said. Both juveniles can be seen striking and restraining the victim. One teen is seen on video with an object in her right hand making striking motions in the areas where the victim sustained stab wounds.
Investigators were able to identify the teen suspects through cellphone and surveillance videos.
The second teen is expected to be arraigned at a later date, the district attorney’s office said. There was no immediate word on what charges they will face.
“This assault, beyond the injuries and fear and trauma it inflicted upon the victim, hurt us all. When young lives are impacted by such violence it’s a tragedy for families, neighborhoods, schools and larger society itself,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “I wish this victim a full recovery on every level.”
A baby boy from Lakeville, Minnesota needed specialized medical care at a hospital across the country.
Thanks to some committed parents and a Midwest nonprofit staffed with volunteer pilots, he made the journey.
“He’s overcome like every obstacle,” said mom Mackenzie Richardson.
Chase Byers has faced some serious health challenges. The 8-month-old was born prematurely, after a high risk pregnancy, alongside his twin brother Cameron Byers.
But unlike his brother, Chase Byers was diagnosed with a heart condition — dextro-transposition of the great arteries and a ventricular septal defect — which required surgery.
“So, it essentially meant his pulmonary and aorta were switched backwards,” Richardson explained.
After seeing doctors in the Twin Cities, Chase Byers’ parents searched for a second opinion. The young couple found a heart surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital confident he could give their child the specialized care he needed.
“[The doctor] said I am 99.9% confident I can do the arterial switch procedure, and it can be one and done,” said Richardson.
The next piece of the puzzle – transportation. Richardson considered the options, like driving nearly 20 hours or getting on a commercial flight with her son’s medical equipment and dozens of people.
“If Chase were to get a common cold within a month of his surgery, they would have postponed it so it just wasn’t a risk we were willing to take,” she said.
The family turned to a Midwest nonprofit, Lifeline Pilots, for help getting to Massachusetts.
Byers family
“This is a way to get some flying in and feel good about it at the end of the day,” said volunteer pilot and Lifeline Pilots board member Ken Reily, who is based in Minnesota.
While Reily didn’t pilot Chase Byers’ plane, he’s flown over 50 patients in the last 18 years to non-emergency medical care.
“[Some patients] otherwise wouldn’t drive for this care or maybe it’s too expensive to travel and we can get them there,” Reily said.
The nonprofit says they flew over 1,000 flights last year and concentrate their help in ten Midwest states. Reily says it’s the people who keep him coming back year after year.
“Just the passengers, they are so thankful,” he said. “It’s just tremendously rewarding.”
After a month and a half in Boston, little Chase Byers is back at home in Minnesota recovering. His dad, Evan Byers, calls the difference “night and day.”
“After this it’s like, why would you not get a second opinion?” said Evan Byers.
The couple are now encouraging other families to advocate for themselves and hoping people take advantage of the nonprofit and community support that made their journey just a little bit smoother.
The Byers are still fundraising to cover the cost of their son’s future care.
EXPLAINS. WE’VE COLLECTED BLOOD SAMPLES, URINE SAMPLES, TOENAIL SAMPLES, AND WE’VE COLLECTED MANY OF THESE SAMPLES REPEATEDLY OVER TIME. THE NUMBER CATALOGED HERE IS IN THE MILLIONS SINCE 1976, MORE THAN 280,000 NURSES OF DIFFERENT AGES AND BACKGROUNDS DONATING THEIR OWN BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS. THEN RECORDING DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR HEALTH, LIFESTYLE AND MEDICATIONS FOR RESEARCHERS LIKE DOCTOR WALTER WILLETT. WE HAVE DOZENS OF BIG NITROGEN FREEZERS THAT ALMOST AS TALL AS I AM, LOADED WITH THOUSANDS OF SAMPLES, AND THAT TAKES ACTUALLY ABOUT $300,000 A YEAR JUST TO PROVIDE THE LIQUID NITROGEN TO KEEP THOSE SAMPLES COLD. BUT THEN LAST SPRING, THE FUNDING STOPPED. ESSENTIALLY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TRUMP DECIDED TO ATTACK HARVARD BASICALLY ON THE BASIS OF BEING ANTI-SEMITIC, TERMINATED ALL RESEARCH, ALL FUNDING TO HARVARD. AND THAT INCLUDED OUR STUDIES. SINCE THEN, THIS SMALL TEAM HAS BEEN SCRAMBLING FOR NEW SOURCES OF SUPPORT JUST TO KEEP THESE FREEZERS FROZEN. REALLY? REMARKABLY, A NUMBER OF OUR PARTICIPANTS THEMSELVES HAVE SENT CHECKS. I THINK THEY UNDERSTAND THIS IS A GENERATIONAL TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP THEIR KIDS, THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, AND EVERYBODY AROUND THE WORLD. IN THE PAST YEAR ALONE, RESEARCHERS HAVE USED THIS DATA TO TEST THEORIES ABOUT PARKINSON’S DISEASE, TYPE TWO DIABETES, BREAST CANCER, AND DEMENTIA. SOON, IT WILL BE HOW PEOPLE CAN LIVE TO 100 WITH GOOD PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. PARTICIPANTS ARE REACHING THAT PERIOD OF THEIR LIFE AND WILL HAVE THE BEST INFORMATION ANYWHERE ON THAT, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT THEY’VE BEEN EATING, WHAT THEY’VE BEEN DOING AND WHAT MEDICINES THEY’VE BEEN TAKING OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS. REPORTER BUT FOR NOW, THE ONLY QUESTION THAT RESEARCHERS WANT ANSWERED CAN THIS COLLECTION STAY COLD AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS? I REGARD MYSELF AS SORT OF A CUSTODIAN. I THINK THE DATA THAT WE’RE PROVIDING REALLY DOES HELP EVERYBODY, WHETHER YOU’RE LIVING IN A RED STATE OR A BLUE STATE, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN IT’S BECOME DIVISIVE. FOR NOW, THE LAB IS OPTIMISTIC IT CAN KEEP THE FREEZERS ON THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR. IT’S ALSO CURRENTLY RECRUITING A THIRD COHORT OF NURSES TO JOIN THE STUDY. BUT IF FEDERAL FUNDING IS NOT RESTORED OR THERE’S NO NEW SOURCE OF MONEY, THE LAB AND ALL OF ITS DATA WILL LIKELY DISA
After funding halt, Harvard nurses health study scrambles to save 50 years of samples
The key to living a long and happy life hasn’t been found yet.But some researchers believe it could be hiding inside the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.See the story in the video aboveThat’s where nearly 50 years of data from the Nurses’ Health Study is stored.”We’ve collected blood samples, urine samples, toenail samples,” said Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition. “And we’ve collected many of these samples repeatedly over time.”The number catalogued at the school’s biorepository is in the millions.Since 1976, more than 280,000 nurses of different ages and backgrounds have donated their own biological specimens and provided detailed information about their health, lifestyle, and medications for researchers like Willett to study.”We have dozens of big nitrogen freezers that are almost as tall as I am,” Willett said. “It takes about $300,000 a year just to provide liquid nitrogen to keep those samples cold.”But then last spring, the funding stopped.”Essentially, the federal government — Trump — decided to attack Harvard,” Willett said. “And basically, on the basis of being antisemitic, (it) terminated all research, all funding to Harvard, and that included our studies.”Since then, a small team has been scrambling for new sources of support, just to keep these freezers frozen.”Really remarkably, a number of our participants themselves have sent checks,” Willett said. “I think they understand this is a generational transfer of knowledge and information that can help their kids, their grandchildren, and everybody around the world.”In the past year alone, researchers have used the collection to test theories about Parkinson’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and dementia.Soon, they hope to discover how to live to 100 with good physical and mental health.”We’re just at a point where some of our participants are reaching that period of their life,” Willett said. “We’ll have the best information anywhere on that because we know what they’ve been eating, what they’ve been doing, and what medicines they’ve been taking over the last 50 years.”But for now, the only question that researchers want answered is whether this collection can stay cold — and accessible — for another 50 years.”I regard myself as sort of a custodian,” Willett said. “The data that we’re providing really does help everybody, whether you’re living in a red state or a blue state, but all of a sudden, it’s become divisive.”
The key to living a long and happy life hasn’t been found yet.
But some researchers believe it could be hiding inside the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
“We’ve collected blood samples, urine samples, toenail samples,” said Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition. “And we’ve collected many of these samples repeatedly over time.”
The number catalogued at the school’s biorepository is in the millions.
Since 1976, more than 280,000 nurses of different ages and backgrounds have donated their own biological specimens and provided detailed information about their health, lifestyle, and medications for researchers like Willett to study.
“We have dozens of big nitrogen freezers that are almost as tall as I am,” Willett said. “It takes about $300,000 a year just to provide liquid nitrogen to keep those samples cold.” But then last spring, the funding stopped.
“Essentially, the federal government — Trump — decided to attack Harvard,” Willett said. “And basically, on the basis of being antisemitic, (it) terminated all research, all funding to Harvard, and that included our studies.”
Since then, a small team has been scrambling for new sources of support, just to keep these freezers frozen.
“Really remarkably, a number of our participants themselves have sent checks,” Willett said. “I think they understand this is a generational transfer of knowledge and information that can help their kids, their grandchildren, and everybody around the world.”
In the past year alone, researchers have used the collection to test theories about Parkinson’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and dementia.
Soon, they hope to discover how to live to 100 with good physical and mental health.
“We’re just at a point where some of our participants are reaching that period of their life,” Willett said. “We’ll have the best information anywhere on that because we know what they’ve been eating, what they’ve been doing, and what medicines they’ve been taking over the last 50 years.”
But for now, the only question that researchers want answered is whether this collection can stay cold — and accessible — for another 50 years.
“I regard myself as sort of a custodian,” Willett said. “The data that we’re providing really does help everybody, whether you’re living in a red state or a blue state, but all of a sudden, it’s become divisive.”
Every year, 12.5 million travelers pass through South Station, Boston’s 126-year-old transportation hub, to hop on Greyhound buses, Amtrak trains, and the commuter rail. But the station hadn’t been renovated in 30 years, and looked worn, industrial, and dated.
For decades, the city of Boston has been working on an ambitious urban infrastructure redevelopment project to reimagine the city’s downtown. It recently unveiled a stunning transformation of South Station that includes a redesigned transportation hub as well as a 51-story tower that will house luxury condos, offices, a rooftop garden, and a high-end restaurant.
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
For the hundreds of thousands commuters who pass through South Station every day, the most obvious change is the new vaulted concourse, called the Great Space, that will usher them to their trains. It features 10 concrete arches that reach 60 feet into the air.
The archways open to the street, bus stops, and train lines. The structure supports three enormous domes that have a ring of spotlights at the center of them to brighten the interior. While the previous concourse felt industrial and functional, with concrete ceilings and metal railings, it now feels opulent and open.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
The design of the space was conceptualized by Pelli Clarke & Partners, an architectural practice based in New Haven, Connecticut founded in 1977 by Yale Professor Cesar Pelli. The firm is known for taking ambitious projects in cities around the world, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Tokyo’s Mori JP Tower, which is now the tallest skyscraper in Japan; and the Natural History Museum in Chengdu, China.
The project was a private-public partnership, backed by the developer Hines. Amtrak, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and Boston Planning and Development Agency were also involved in the process.
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
While part of the goal of the project was urban renewal, the architects were also tasked with modernizing the transportation hub to increase capacity and improve efficiency. There is now 50 percent more capacity in the bus terminal.
“As Boston’s population grows, so is the demand for transportation,” says Graham Banks, a partner at Pelli Clarke, who worked on this project. “But rebuilding South Station without disrupting any of the transportation service was an enormous challenge. Work took place slowly.”
Banks says work began on this project in early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction, and then afterwards, workers were only able to work in the brief stretches when trains and buses weren’t running. “Workers would be sitting around waiting for Amtrak to give them the signal that they could get going,” he recalls. “Orchestrating the logistics of construction took a lot of work.”
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
The original South Station structure was unveiled in 1899 during the late Gilded Age, when railway tracks expanded rapidly across the country. Five different railroads served Boston, and initially, each had their own terminal. South Station, which was designed by architects Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, was meant to consolidate these different lines. By 1913, it had become the busiest station in New England, helping to boost Boston’s status as a city.
The station in the late 19th century. [Photo: GHI/Universal Images Group/Getty Images]
Pelli Clarke wanted to preserve the original South Station building, while also modernizing it. They have kept the South Station’s facade, but they also built a glass tower on top of it, adding another skyscraper to Boston’s skyline. On lower levels, there is office space. Banks says that there is already interest from local firms to move in. “These offices are designed to have all the amenities and ambiance of a hotel,” says Banks. “Companies realize that they have to entice workers to come into the office.”
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
Starting at the 36th floor and going to the top, there are luxury Ritz-Carlton apartments, that cost between $1.3 million for a 683-square-foot one-bedroom and $14.5 million for a duplex penthouse. Residents will have access to an outdoor pool that overlooks Back Bay, as well as a 1-acre rooftop park that features gardens, a dog run, an outdoor movie theater, and a dining terrace. Residents have their own private entrances, both from the street and from a private parking garage.
The idea of introducing luxury apartments to South Station is fairly radical. For years, the station and the area around it were crime ridden. The neighboring financial district emptied out at night, as workers went home. But building high-end condos is likely to make the area livelier and spur restaurants, grocers, and shops to come back to the area. It’s a similar transformation to what has happened in New York’s financial district, which is now bursting with luxury apartments, office buildings, and glittering shopping centers. “This part of the city will now be alive 24/7,” Banks says.
[Photo: Jason O’Rear/courtesy Pelli Clarke & Partners]
South Station’s redevelopment is part of a broader revitalization of downtown Boston. Boston’s Planning and Development Agency, in partnership with WS Development, transformed the Seaport District from an industrial wasteland, covered in parking lots and vacant wharves, into one of its hottest neighborhoods. In 2014, it unveiled the new mixed-use development, which features high-end condos, buzzy restaurants, and hip retailers like Warby Parker and Mejuri. It quickly became the fastest-growing part of Boston, and is now an economic engine for the city.
There’s some concern that these luxury apartments and offices will alienate Boston’s lower and moderate income residents. And it could further exacerbate the city’s affordability crisis, much like the one New York City has experienced in recent years. But at the same time, the revitalization of this transportation hub also benefits everyday Bostonian who pass through it on their daily commutes and who rely on buses and trains to get in and out of the city.
We’ll have to wait and see how the new South Station Tower transforms the neighborhood. But in the meanwhile, hopping off a bus or train upon your arrival to Boston is already a more pleasant experience.
This article originally appeared in Inc.’s sister publication, Fast Company.
Fast Company is the world’s leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world changing ideas, creativity, and design. Written for and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company inspires readers to think expansively, lead with purpose, embrace change, and shape the future of business.
The MBTA has responded to the Trump administration’s demand for information on how it’s working to make travel safer in the Boston area.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter last month to MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, giving the agency until Thursday to explain how it is keeping passengers and workers safe and how it is paying for those efforts.
Duffy said the federal government may redirect or withhold funding from the MBTA if it did not respond to the request.
The Trump administration said funding could be on the line as it requested details on the MBTA’s plans to reduce crime, vagrancy and fair evasion by Oct. 2.
In a letter to Duffy, dated Thursday, Eng pointed to progress the MBTA has made in recent years.
“We share your commitment to the safety of our employees and the public we serve. All riders must be safe — and feel safe — while using any part of our network,” he wrote. “In partnership with FTA Region 1 and with support from the Administration, we have made significant strides in rebuilding our workforce and improving our infrastructure, making the MBTA safer and more reliable … However, I want to emphasize that this is only the beginning of our aggressive approach to accelerate the delivery of projects and service improvements for the riders, communities, and businesses we serve.”
Eng noted that he joined the MBTA in April of 2023, the year after the Federal Transit Administration placed it under a Safety Management Inspection for staffing and maintenance concerns. He said the goal of making 1,000 new hires in a year was exceeded.
The federal government is calling on the MBTA “to reduce crime, vagrancy and fare evasion,” threatening to pull funds from the transit system.
The MBTA Transit Police Department now has 228 sworn officers, compared to 195 in Fiscal Year 2022, Eng added.
The MBTA also pointed out that since 2012, it had built more than $512 million worth of security infrastructure.
“The MBTA responded in line with the request from the USDOT, we submitted our response yesterday, and now we await any response back,” MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan told NBC10 Boston Friday. “We continue to work with our federal partners, our state partners, to make sure that we continue to capitalize in delivering safe, reliable service.”
“Year to date, between January 1, 2025, and September 24, 2025, we have observed a 16% reduction in recorded crime across the system (632 recorded crimes in 2024 vs. 528 recorded crimes in 2025) or 2.63 crimes per million trips,” Eng wrote.
All it took was 17 months and six marathons for a Boston native to set a world record.
At just 20 years old, James Redding, who’s from the city’s Brighton neighborhood, has become the youngest male to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors.
The Boston College junior crossed the finish line in Berlin in September, earning him a Six-Star Medal.
Redding says the Boston Marathon was his favorite, but he actually ran his fastest time in Chicago.
The Boston Athletic Association is bringing big changes to the 2026 race.
He credits all of his supporters along the way who helped him cross every finish line.
“It’s just going to be something I can look back on, and remember that the hard work does pay off, and that I am 100% capable of getting through times that may get tough,” Redding said.
He now has his sights set on the Sydney Marathon, which just joined the Abbott World Marathon Majors. He hopes to earn his Nine-Star Medal when Cape Town and Shanghai are officially added to the series.
Zumper, a national digital marketplace for renters, has published its latest National Rent Report, and rents in Atlanta remain among the top 25 most expensive in the country. One-bedroom and two-bedroom units in the city proper, not to be confused with metro Atlanta, are above the national average despite rents falling over the past 90 days.
Atlanta is 25th on a list that includes the usual suspects, New York City (1st), San Francisco (2nd), Boston (3rd), and Miami (6th).
“National rent prices have now been flat or falling for three straight months, which signals a real shift in the market,” said Zumper’s Crystal Chen, one of the two authors of the report along with Quentin Proctor. “A mix of cooling renter demand, last year’s record wave of new supply, and softer conditions in the job market has taken some heat out of rents.”
Zumper’s National Rent Index revealed that national rent prices were either flat or declining for the third consecutive month. In September, one-bedroom rent units held steady at $1,517 per month, while rents for two-bedroom units dipped 0.2% to $1,894. The good news: Year-over-year, both unit types are down 1%.
An apartment building (left, rear) looms large near Atlanta’s Historic Sweet Auburn District. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
But not in Atlanta—at least not yet. According to Zumper data, one-bedroom units in Atlanta average $1650 per month, while two-bedroom units average $2,010, more than $100 above the national average.
“We’ll likely see prices temper a bit further through the winter if typical seasonality patterns hold true, but with fewer new units being built this year, rent prices will likely increase again as we move into the spring months of 2026,” Chen said.
Those numbers are still better than those in San Francisco, for example, where a one-bedroom unit averages $3,500 and a two-bedroom unit is breaking the $5,000 mark.
Rents in the mountain region are down. For example, one-bedroom units in Salt Lake City are down 11% year-over-year. Desert cities such as Las Vegas (-3.3%) and Phoenix (-3.8%) have also seen rent prices fall.
