Boston Globe Today | October 19, 2023

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Desperate search for a missing cousin in Israel

WATCH: A cousin is missing in Israel. Reporter Mike Damiano joined us with one family’s search for answers. Watch →

Your guide to getting a COVID booster

WATCH: Finding a shot is a lot easier said than done. Correspondent Vivi Smilgius explains the holdup. Watch →

Nation

Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia Trump case

Sidney Powell, a member of Donald Trump’s legal team after he lost the 2020 election, pleaded guilty Thursday morning to six misdemeanor counts instead of facing a criminal trial that was to begin next week. She was among 19 defendants, including Trump, who were indicted in August for their efforts to subvert the election results in Georgia. Continue reading →

Nation

Atlantic hurricanes are getting stronger, faster, study finds

Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean are now twice as likely to grow from a weak storm into a major Category 3 or higher hurricane within just 24 hours, according to a study published Thursday. Continue reading →

Nation

Scholastic isolates ‘diverse titles’ at book fairs as challenges spike

Named “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice,’’ the collection features 64 books on topics such as racism and gender identity, titles that have been targeted by conservative legislators across the country in recent years. Continue reading →

World

EU seeks answers to rising security challenges as Israel-Hamas war fuels new concerns

The European Union began taking steps on Thursday to limit the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas on the bloc, amid heightened security tensions after a firebomb attack on a Berlin synagogue and killings in Belgium and France by suspected Islamist extremists. Continue reading →

World

China’s military is making risky moves and adding nuclear warheads, US says

The United States has recorded more “coercive and risky” air intercepts by the Chinese military in the past two years than in the previous decade, the Defense Department said in its annual report to Congress on China’s military might. Continue reading →

World

Deal lays groundwork for aid to reach desperate Gazans, officials say

On one side of the border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip sit more than 100 trucks packed with desperately needed food, water, and medical supplies. On the other wait more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza now scraping by on dwindling stocks of basic human necessities. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Filling the leadership vacuum in the House requires a new plan

Far-right lawmakers flexed their muscle when they deposed former speaker Kevin McCarthy. But what if the resulting impasse over a new speaker ended up elevating the middle? Continue reading →

OPINION

Bring home the hostages held by Hamas

The US can aid Israel with diplomacy, intelligence. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Mother with toddler should be admired, not derided

Homelessness is not a crime. Having opioid use disorder is not a crime. Continue reading →

Politics

Governor Healey proposes sweeping $800 million into new account to bolster state’s pursuit of federal cash

Staring down a growing list of major projects, Governor Maura Healey wants to wield hundreds of millions of dollars in interest from the state’s emergency savings fund as matching funds to compete for badly needed federal cash. Continue reading →

Elections

District 8 city council race rehashes special election matchup

Incumbent Sharon Durkan is defending her seat representing District 8 on Boston's City Council against challenger Montez Haywood, who Durkan beat in July’s special election. Continue reading →

RI NEWS

‘It wasn’t my time’: Providence councilwoman recounts life-threatening crash in California

Helen Anthony is returning to the City Council on Thursday night, more than four months after being hit by a vehicle in a California state park. Continue reading →

Commentary

For former Red Sox coach Brian Butterfield, the NLCS coaching showdown between Rob Thomson and Torey Lovullo is must-see TV

Butterfield, a former third-base coach with the Sox, met Thomson in 1990 when they both worked for the Yankees, then got to know Luvollo on John Farrell's 2011 staff in Toronto. Continue reading →

Tara Sullivan

With his Patriots 1-5, doesn’t Bill Belichick owe the fans more of an explanation?

Belichick has made a career answering questions with varying degrees of vagueness to obfuscation, but loyal fans deserve clarity these days. Continue reading →

bruins notebook

Jim Montgomery is looking for a little life from the Bruins as they begin West Coast swing

The Bruins coach lit a fire under his team for the second straight day at the morning skate prior to Thursday night’s game against the Sharks. Continue reading →

Business

Harvard expands financial aid even as its endowment turns in another lackluster year

The university’s investments gained 2.9 percent, according to its annual report, an improvement over the previous year but below the long-term return target of 8 percent. Continue reading →

Finance

Mass. residents may be able to file taxes for free next year. Here’s what you need to know.

Massachusetts is one of 13 states in the Internal Revenue Service’s experimental Direct File program for “relatively simple returns.” Continue reading →

AI/Robotics

After much hype, self-driving cars could transform cities, says Motional CTO

Laura Major discusses how humans and technology can work together to make transportation and mundane tasks more efficient. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Burt Young, Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie in ‘Rocky’ films, dies at 83

Burt Young, the Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law to Sylvester Stallone in the “Rocky” franchise, has died. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Edward Bleier, visionary executive at dawn of cable TV, dies at 94

Edward Bleier brought Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and other Looney Tunes characters to generations of Saturday morning TV viewers before becoming a prime mover in the rise of cable television and the transformation of Time Warner Cable into an industry giant. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Eve Bunting, 94, dies; tackled adult themes in children’s books

Ms. Bunting, who wrote some 250 books over a half century, gently introduced her very young readers to such subjects as war, racial prejudice, and homelessness. Continue reading →

Music

Rising star Danielle Ponder went to law school in Boston. But she’s given up the courtroom for the concert stage.

The Northeastern law school grad, whose 2022 debut album and recent festival appearances generated plenty of buzz, has closed the case on which career she wants to pursue. Continue reading →

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★

Lily Gladstone eclipses all in Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Robert De Niro also delivers a powerful performance in this flawed adaptation of David Grann’s novel about the Osage murders. Continue reading →

THE TICKET

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

Looking for something to do this weekend? Here are a few recommendations from Globe writers and critics, covering music, theater, comedy, museums, family events, and more. Continue reading →