Boston Globe Today: Sports | January 26, 2024

WATCH: Friday's episode. Stories include: The two paths the Patriots could take constructing next year’s team, Why Red Sox's fans want more honestly. Continue reading →

Tatum and Brown need to prove they're championship material

WATCH: The Celtics have the best record in the NBA. Columnist Dan Shaughnessy and Boston.com’s Khari Thompson argue if they’re enough to win banner 18. Continue reading →

Conference championship weekend: will Mahomes or Lamar come out on top?

WATCH: The winners head to the Super Bowl. Sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy and Boston.com writer Khari Thompson share their playoff picks. Continue reading →

Politics

Republican-appointed judge denounces Republican distortions of Jan. 6

“In my 37 years on the bench, I cannot recall a time when such meritless justifications of criminal activity have gone mainstream,” wrote Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the US District Court in Washington. Continue reading →

Politics

Haley calls Trump totally unhinged

She cast her onetime boss as increasingly antagonistic during an appearance on Fox News. Continue reading →

Nation

Alabama hails nitrogen gas execution, a new attempt to address an old challenge

For as long as America has had the death penalty, there have been questions about how best to carry it out. The execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama on Thursday, the first American execution in which death was caused by suffocation with nitrogen gas, gave no indication of settling the legal, moral and technical questions that have long bedeviled states as they mete out the ultimate punishment. Continue reading →

World

Kenyan court blocks deployment of police force to Haiti

The force, which is backed by the United Nations and financed by the United States, had been stalled since October, when Kenyan opponents of the mission challenged it in court, calling it unconstitutional. Continue reading →

World

Britain’s post-Brexit trade talks with Canada break down as they disagree over beef and cheese

The two countries have been negotiating a new trade deal over the past two years since Britain fully left the European Union. Continue reading →

World

UN aid agency investigates claim that some workers were involved in Oct. 7 attack

The workers, all men and all employed by the UN agency that aids Palestinians, known by the acronym UNRWA, are subject to a criminal investigation, two UN officials said. Continue reading →

OPINION

A win in Mexico’s landmark case against US gunmakers

The suit seeks to hold US-based gun manufacturers responsible for the deadly flow of weapons trafficked across the border that land in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, which then unleash violence all over the country. Continue reading →

OPINION

US aid to Ukraine is an investment in US security

What happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Instead of COVID mea culpa, public health leaders should take a bow

"Government efforts to save people’s lives are never a folly," writes one reader. Another writes, "As a daily caregiver for more than a decade for both of my parents, I can attest that we suffered through the inhumanity of some of those policies." Continue reading →

Health

Boston outlines plans to spend millions in opioid settlement money

The plan includes a new fund for families who have lost loved ones to the overdose crisis. Continue reading →

K-12

Judge: Newton teachers to face additional court fines if strike continues

The judge said he was concerned the pace of the previous increase might be undermining the negotiation process, giving the School Committee a potential incentive not to fully engage in the talks. Continue reading →

Higher Education

A powerful GOP congresswoman is threatening Harvard with subpoenas in antisemitism inquiry

Representative Virginia Foxx said that Harvard had produced only publicly available documents, including student handbooks. Continue reading →

celtics

‘The difference is Kristaps.’ How Porzingis is helping the Celtics offense solve so much.

In his latest effort, Porzingis scored 14 first-quarter points against Miami, helping build a big lead that was never in danger afterward. Continue reading →

chad finn

Lessons from the 2007 champs, and some other Red Sox observations

The ideal for how a baseball franchise with vast resources should build its roster is the 2007 Red Sox. Continue reading →

boston college 4, boston university 1

Boston College men’s hockey wins clash of titans, toppling top-ranked Boston University

The second-ranked Eagles got 26 saves from Jacob Fowler in goal as well as a goal and assist from Ryan Leonard in a crucial second period. The two teams meet again Saturday at BU's Agganis Arena. Continue reading →

Economy

A key inflation measure cooled in December

In particularly positive news, a key gauge of price increases dipped below 3 percent for the first time since early 2021. Continue reading →

Technology

Time is almost up for federally funded broadband program, threatening internet access for 361,000 Mass. households

The 22 million US households that already signed up for the program will lose their broadband subsidies in April, as existing funds run out. Continue reading →

Business

Catalytic converter thefts plummet following new laws, police crackdown

The pandemic-era crime plagued the Providence area, but thefts have now dropped significantly. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Bill Hayes, longtime star of ‘Days of Our Lives,’ dies at 98

Actor and singer Bill Hayes appeared in 2,141 episodes of “Days of Our Lives” over 5 1/2 decades, and had a top-selling 1955 single, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” that remains seared into the memories of the baby boom generation. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Harry Connick Sr., longtime New Orleans district attorney and singer’s dad, dies at 97

New Orleans’ district attorney for three decades, Harry Connick Sr. later faced allegations that his staff sometimes held back evidence that could have helped defendants. Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Arts

University of New Hampshire shutters Museum of Art on Durham campus

Amid budget cuts and layoffs, the University of New Hampshire has permanently closed its Museum of Art. Continue reading →

Visual Arts

Worcester Art Museum accused of housing window stolen from France’s famed Rouen Cathedral

Worcester Art Museum is among three US museums accused of having stained glass in its collection stolen from the Rouen Cathedral Continue reading →

MUSIC REVIEW

‘Lady Macbeth’ closes the BSO’s Shostakovich cycle with a bang

Shostakovich’s infamous 1934 opera, which led to his denunciation by the Stalin regime, roared with visceral fury at Symphony Hall. Continue reading →