Boston Globe Today | February 7, 2024

WATCH: Wednesday's episode. Stories include: Correspondent Bob Ryan breaks down which Celtics players should be available for a potential trade, if anyone. Watch →

How deep are Steward Health Care's financial problems?

WATCH: Vendors say they haven't been paid and the extent of the debt is unknown. What happens next? Reporter Thomas Lee explains. Watch →

Social media shapes the public's perception of Gaza

WATCH: Reporter Daniel Kool spoke with young people who say firsthand accounts tend to be more compelling than traditional media coverage. Watch →

Nation

Biden administration toughens limits on deadly air pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday tightened limits on fine industrial particles, one of the most common and deadliest forms of air pollution, for the first time in a decade. Continue reading →

Nation

Florida court weighs ballot measure to allow abortion ‘before viability’

The constitutional amendment would ask Floridians to “limit government interference with abortion” before a fetus is considered viable, which is often around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Continue reading →

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

After embarrassing result in Nevada, Haley goes after her party

In a post on social media Wednesday, Haley cast her party as mired in the same disorder that surrounds the man who has remade it in his image. Continue reading →

World

Russian strikes hit Ukrainian cities at a tense time for Kyiv

A barrage of missiles streaked into Kyiv early Wednesday in a Russian attack that killed at least five people, according to local officials. Continue reading →

World

Blinken says a Hamas-Israel deal is still possible even though the sides remain far apart

Blinken was in the region trying to broker an arrangement that could bring some respite in Israel’s war against Hamas, which is entering its fifth month after killing more than 27,000 Palestinians, displacing much of the territory’s population, and sparking a humanitarian catastrophe. Continue reading →

World

US drone strike in Baghdad reportedly kills high-ranking militia leader linked to attacks on US troops

A US drone strike blew up a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing a high-ranking commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia who is responsible for “directly planning and participating in attacks” on American troops in the region, the US military said. Continue reading →

OPINION

The rise of Steward’s Ralph de la Torre — with the embrace of Boston’s business world

A 2014 fundraiser shows how the head of Steward Health Care got to where he is today. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Changing the salary rules for the state’s top police training official doesn’t pass the smell test

Governor Healey proposes to allow a single state employee to collect a full-time salary and a full pension. Continue reading →

LETTERS

What does Netanyahu want? Or Hamas? Or Biden?

Israel's "campaign will take as long as necessary to fulfill the stated goal of the war, which is to destroy an enemy that is committed to" its destruction, writes on reader. Another writes, "I am incensed that my tax dollars are going to kill innocent Palestinians, especially children." Continue reading →

K-12

Beacon Hill lawmakers derail effort to legalize teacher strikes

The committee referred the legislation for further study, a move that typically derails a bill from moving forward in a legislative session and is sometimes used as a way for lawmakers to quietly kill legislation without taking a position on it. Continue reading →

Money, Power, Inequality

Katherine and Hubie Jones were trailblazers in achieving equal education: ‘The future is in good hands’

From providing students of color with equal access to education, to founding a social service agency to help lower-income children and families secure affordable housing, Katherine and Hubie Jones were key leaders in child advocacy. Continue reading →

Crime

Adam Montgomery used drugs while his daughter moaned in anguish, prosecutor says as murder trial begins

As Montgomery’s murder trial began, prosecutor Benjamin Agati and public defender Caroline Smith addressed jurors before they boarded a bus to visit several locations in Manchester connected to the case. Continue reading →

celtics notebook

Celtics acquire forward Xavier Tillman from Grizzlies for Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks

The 6-foot-8-inch Tillman is a strong and versatile defender who will give the Celtics a boost at that end of the floor. Continue reading →

On basketball

The Celtics were smart not to wait until the trade deadline to get help at center

Brad Stevens used the many assets acquired over the past few years to acquire needed frontcourt help from the Grizzlies in Xavier Tillman. Continue reading →

Sports Media

The Taylor Swift Effect on the NFL’s popularity is real, but it’s not as powerful as you may think

Yes, female viewership for NFL games increased 9 percent this year, but viewership was up across all key demographics. Continue reading →

Real Estate

Neighbors sue to block affordable housing in Charlestown Navy Yard

The project would turn a shuttered hotel into affordable housing, much of it for homeless women and veterans. Continue reading →

Economy

Boston Fed president says more evidence of falling inflation needed before cutting interest rates

Despite solid growth, which is usually inflationary, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure fell to 2.9 percent from 4.6 percent in 2023, driven by improvements in supply chains, productivity, and the availability of workers. Continue reading →

THE FINE PRINT

A woman canceled a Florida condo rental after her husband had a stroke. Getting the $6,400 refund took months.

Two sisters — one in Wayland, one in Wisconsin — spent months unable to get a promised refund from an online rental marketplace called Houzlet. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Sebastián Piñera, former Chilean president and billionaire mogul, dies at 74

Dr. Piñera twice served as president, becoming the first conservative leader in the country decades after a brutal right-wing dictatorship. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Letha Dawson Scanzoni, pioneer of evangelical feminism, dies at 88

An evangelical author, Letha Dawson Scanzoni argued, gently but persuasively, that the Bible considered women equal to men, inspiring a wave of Christian feminism and, perhaps inevitably, a backlash against it. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Larry Taylor, gunship pilot in Vietnam who led daring rescue, dies at 81

More than a half century later, the pilot was awarded the Medal of Honor. Continue reading →

BOOKS

At Little Free Libraries across Boston and beyond, there’s more than just books on offer

The free library movement has cultivated a sense of community and mission. Continue reading →

Movies

Filmmaker Jim Byrkit debuts ‘Shatter Belt’ at Boston Science Fiction Film Festival

The director of "Coherence" discusses the project’s inspirations, how the cast came together, and a run-in with police that nearly derailed shooting. Continue reading →

Museums

MFA agrees to return sacred relics to Korea

The Museum of Fine Arts has agreed to return relics to a Buddhist order in Korea. Continue reading →