the battle for the gop

Can the Republican Party rein in the conspiracies? Here’s what its history says

For as long as there has been a Republican Party, it has had a conspiratorial strain, often flowing on currents of conservative populism, racism, fear of Black racial progress, and resentment over a dwindling white middle class. Continue reading →

Coronavirus

Montana and the Dakotas were hot spots. Until they weren’t

Experts say the spikes in the northern Great Plains ebbed largely for the same reason that the US caseload has been falling: People finally took steps to save themselves in the face of an out-of-control deadly disease. Continue reading →

Nation

Boy Scouts celebrate the first group of female Eagle Scouts

“This is a powerful moment for these young women, for all Eagle Scouts, and for our nation,” said Jenn Hancock, the BSA's national chair for programs. “People recognize Eagle Scouts as individuals of the highest caliber, and for the first time, that title isn’t limited by gender.” Continue reading →

World

Seeking fresh start with Iraq, Biden avoids setting red lines with Iran

In a strike on a US military base in Irbil, Iraq, that officials blamed on an Iranian-backed militia, one foreign contractor died, and an American service member and several contractors were wounded. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the United States as “outraged” and another official sternly promised “consequences for any group responsible.” But the Biden administration’s otherwise measured response to the strike stood in sharp contrast with former president Donald Trump’s pitched campaign against Iran. Continue reading →

World

In Canada, did a comedian’s joke go too far?

The question of whether a comedian has the constitutional right to offend came under a national spotlight at Canada’s Supreme Court. Continue reading →

World

Venezuelan women lose access to contraception, and control of their lives

The moment Johanna Guzmán, 25, discovered she was going to have her sixth child, she began to sob, crushed by the idea of bringing another life into a nation in such decay. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

It’s time to fix the Affordable Care Act

The law still functions, but it could work much better. Continue reading →

LETTERS

A new day, maybe, for gun control

"Much of what is proposed mirrors legislation we already have in Massachusetts, policies shown to reduce gun deaths." Continue reading →

LETTERS

The pitfalls and perils of the Anthropocene (that’s us, by the way)

"We humans have already unmade and remade vast tracts of our planet and disrupted ecological balances of all sorts." Continue reading →

Metro

Beset by critics, Baker now stressing speed and scale in COVID-19 shots

As the Baker administration scales up its COVID-19 vaccine drive, it has shifted its focus dramatically to a network of larger vaccination sites equipped to get more shots in arms quickly. Continue reading →

Metro

Lawmakers seek $25.2 billion for vaccine equity as part of budget plan, Markey says

Senator Edward Markey said Saturday that lawmakers are seeking $25.2 billion to address COVID-19 health disparities nationally and protect vulnerable populations hardest hit by the pandemic as part of President Biden’s stimulus package. Continue reading →

Social Justice

Smiling on the outside: The darker reality of Super Happy Fun America

Super Happy Fun America always claimed to be kidding. But the group's history suggests otherwise. Continue reading →

Celtics

Celtics continue to be treated as if they have won something — which they haven’t — and other thoughts

Danny Ainge said the Celtics don't respect their opponents enough, and that's a big part of the problem. Continue reading →

Red Sox

If Nate Eovaldi stays healthy — and it’s a big if — he could be linchpin to Red Sox rotation

Eovaldi's 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings in the shortened 2020 season was the best mark of his career. Continue reading →

Sports analytics

The sports analytics community is overwhelmingly white and male. What is being done to make it more diverse?

As the sports world works to acknowledge deep racial disparities, many in the data community are forced to look in the mirror and examine ways to make a growing industry more inclusive. Continue reading →

Business

How one city is stemming evictions, one person at a time

There are a number of reasons why the widely anticipated wave of evictions has yet to arise. But one important factor is cities and towns that have launched an array of programs to help tenants and landlords alike. Continue reading →

Business

How one city is stemming evictions, one person at a time

There are a number of reasons why the widely anticipated wave of evictions has yet to arise. But one important factor is cities and towns that have launched an array of programs to help tenants and landlords alike. Continue reading →

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IDEAS

Now that science fiction is reality, it’s time for new laws of robotics

Eighty years ago, Isaac Asimov dreamed up three rules to ensure machines would serve humanity. It’s a framework that has shaped decades of debates about AI ethics, but it needs an update. Here are four laws of robotics for the real world. Continue reading →

IDEAS

Delaying second vaccine doses might end the pandemic sooner

Spreading COVID-19 doses out in time would create space for more people to get their crucial first shot. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Rupert Neve, the father of modern studio recording, dies at 94

When the Seattle grunge band Nirvana recorded their breakthrough album, “Nevermind,” at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, in 1991, they used a massive mixing console created by a British engineer named Rupert Neve. Continue reading →

Obituaries

U-Roy, whose ‘toasting’ transformed Jamaican music, dies at 78

U-Roy helped transform Jamaican music by expanding the role of DJ into someone who didn’t just introduce records but added a layer of vocal and verbal improvisation to them, a performance that was known as toasting and that anticipated rap. Continue reading →

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ART REVIEW

Folk art gets a proper pedestal at the MFA

With a new show, the museum reconsiders its own record on an underappreciated genre. Continue reading →

Music

Yes, we miss concerts. But let’s face it, sometimes they’re awful

Memories are made when a show turns into a train wreck. These are some of mine. Continue reading →

MUSIC

Eleven months later, these neighbors still meet outside to sing — every night

The "Olmstead Choristers" stuck with their nightly pandemic-era ritual long after other singalongs tapered off. Continue reading →

TRAVEL

There is so much Black history in Providence, and still so much to learn

We embarked on the Early Black History Walking Tour, which was developed because "we don’t teach it, and we don’t do a good job lifting it up." Continue reading →

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

You think you miss everything about travel. I’m here to remind you that it’s not always glamorous

In all of our longing to step out into the world again, we gloss over the annoyances. Here’s a refresher. Continue reading →

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