Boston Globe Today | September 5, 2023

Watch today’s full episode of Boston Globe Today from September 5, 2023. Watch →

New Hampshire’s primary is first. Does it matter?

WATCH: Political reporter James Pindell breaks down three top storylines to watch as the 2024 presidential election season heats up. Watch →

Oh, the humanities! Liberal arts being cut in small colleges

WATCH: Higher education reporter Hilary Burns explains why some colleges are eliminating their liberal arts departments and the controversy that has followed. Watch →

Nation

Federal court again strikes down Alabama’s congressional map

The judges ordered that the new map be independently drawn, taking the responsibility away from the Republican-controlled Legislature while chastising state officials who “ultimately did not even nurture the ambition to provide the required remedy.” Continue reading →

Nation

A huge threat to the US budget has receded. And no one is sure why.

“Without a doubt, this is the most important thing that has happened to the federal budget in the last 20 years,” a health policy specialist said. Continue reading →

Politics

Biden awards Medal of Honor to Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight

Captain Larry Taylor flew low into heavy enemy fire and provided cover for a reconnaissance team while improvising a new escape strategy. Continue reading →

World

Ukraine’s forces try to punch second hole in Russian lines

Ukrainian forces, churning slowly forward after breaching Russia’s initial defensive lines in the occupied south, are turning their attention to breaking through in another heavily defended patch of territory. Continue reading →

World

South Korean teachers want an end to parents’ harassment

Tens of thousands of teachers across South Korea have protested in the streets since July amid worsening complaints over student misbehavior and harassment by parents. Continue reading →

World

Caught between China and the West, a Pacific island nation ousts its leader

With 1,200 miles of almost empty ocean to its west and more than 7,000 miles of the same to its east, the tiny Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu has long sought a position of neutrality toward its faraway would-be foreign partners. Continue reading →

OPINION

Only Sweden had the right COVID-19 response

Scandinavia’s largest country avoided lockdowns and mask mandates. The result: fewer excess deaths and much less social damage. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Latest Thomas financial filing shows he hasn’t learned much

Supreme Court justice misses the point that taking favors from billionaires is simply wrong. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Digging the dancing scene

The ban on dancing near the stage at Castle Hill concerts in Ipswich had one reader recalling a line attributed to Emma Goldman. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

Former Everett schools superintendent convicted of assault now registered sex offender, loses state pension

Frederick F. Foresteire, the ex-Everett schools superintendent convicted in February of indecently assaulting three women, has been registered as a sex offender. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

Police investigating after signs from white supremacist group are posted around Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard

Police on Martha’s Vineyard are asking for the public’s help after four signs promoting a white nationalist hate group recently appeared around the town of Oak Bluffs. Continue reading →

Education

Parents, educators defend Lexington schools’ diversity curriculum after petition

The “Serious Talks” curriculum has existed for more than a decade and highlights themes including disability, race, and gender identity. But an online petition created last month demands the curriculum be removed from Lexington schools. Continue reading →

patriots

Patriots’ Jack Jones reaches deal with Suffolk County district attorney to have gun charges dropped

Jones, 25, had been arrested at Logan Airport in June allegedly carrying two loaded guns in his luggage. He could still face punishment from the NFL. Continue reading →

Peter Abraham | On baseball

Alex Cora pulled every lever at his disposal, but it’s not enough to prevent a Red Sox squandered opportunity: ‘We were all in’

Tuesday night's 8-6 walkoff loss in 11 innings was a showcase — good and bad — of how the Red Sox are balancing the present and future. Continue reading →

Rays 8, Red Sox 6 (11 innings)

Brandon Lowe’s three-run homer beats Red Sox in 11 innings

The teams conclude the three-game series Wednesday night. The Sox are off Thursday then welcome the division-leading Orioles to Fenway on Friday. Continue reading →

Housing

Dog owners face dearth of pet-friendly rentals in Boston: ‘Just give us a chance’

Renters have reported a shortfall of reasonably priced properties that will welcome certain pets. Continue reading →

Business

How a Boston entrepreneur helped more than 160,000 children in Central America to read and write

Project Alianza has built 16 schools and trained 200 educators who not only teach, but also make house calls to involve families in their children’s education. Continue reading →

trendlines

Employers are reclaiming the balance of power

Hiring has slowed for months against the headwinds of higher interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve to restrain inflation, and people are pouring into the labor force. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Dr. Aram V. Chobanian, president who calmed BU at a troubled time, dies at 94

He led the school “at a crucial moment, and Boston University is better for his service,” said Kenneth Freeman, BU’s current interim president. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Nathan Louis Jackson, writer for the theater and TV, dies at 44

The playwright grappled with serious issues including the death penalty, homophobia, and gun violence. Continue reading →

Continue reading →

APPRECIATION

RIP Steve Harwell, lead singer of Smash Mouth and meme king extraordinaire

In my own life, Smash Mouth is shorthand for childlike joy. Their music is an invitation to see life through Harwell’s boxy, rose-colored sunglasses — the Capri-Sun-in-hand anthems of suburbia. Continue reading →

Books

‘We did puberty and menopause on a 34-foot boat’: How a family of three sailed for two years from Mass. to Grenada

Kimberly Ward and her family sailed from Massachusetts to the Caribbean over a two-year period, learning to do everything from cooking to schooling to laundry aboard a 34-foot sailboat. Her new book, "Crew of Three," chronicles their adventure. Continue reading →

FOOD

Whopper-less her entire life, our critic tried one for the first time. Here’s what she thought.

Devra First had her first Whopper. It happened, like so many things in this country, because of a lawsuit. Continue reading →