Nation

Justice Dept. forms domestic terrorism unit to address growing threat

The news comes just a few days after the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, an event that some lawmakers say showed the FBI underestimated the threat posed by domestic extremists. Continue reading →

Nation

Christmas tree behind fire that killed 12, officials confirm

“We are left with the words of that 5-year-old child, that traumatized 5-year-old child, to help us understand how the lighter and the tree came together with tragic consequences,'' the fire commissioner in Philadelphia said. Continue reading →

Nation

Maya Angelou becomes first Black woman on a quarter

The coin is the first in the American Women Quarters Program; other honorees are Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Wilma Mankiller, a Native American activist; Nina Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement; and Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Continue reading →

World

Russia, US take tough stands ahead of more talks on Ukraine

Moscow and Washington both took uncompromising stands Tuesday ahead of more talks amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, with the United States rebuffing a demand to halt NATO expansion and the Kremlin saying it will quickly see if it’s worthwhile to even keep negotiating. Continue reading →

World

Kazakhstan says Russian troops can start leaving this week

In Moscow, Russia’s defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, did not mention specific plans for the troops to withdraw, leaving it unclear when they would actually leave. Continue reading →

World

A pandemic party again has Boris Johnson on the hot seat

If Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain had hoped to put a perilous stretch of political and ethical blunders behind him this year, his hopes were dashed Tuesday by a fresh kerfuffle: a BYOB garden party at 10 Downing Street that violated his own government’s pandemic lockdown rules. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Qualified progress on qualified immunity

State commission recommends some worthy reforms, but punts on larger question of whether to change controversial rule that shields police officers from legal liability for abuse. Continue reading →

OPINION

To save ‘America’s soul,’ Biden must fight harder for voting rights

Time is running out for the president to be the man who saved democracy instead someone who failed to stop its demise on his watch. Continue reading →

OPINION

Clock is ticking on what Garland needs to do about Trump’s bid to overturn 2020 election

The plotters’ initial seditious efforts could easily have succeeded. The fact that they failed cannot justify avoiding a robust investigation of those efforts as part of an apparent conspiracy that landed, with vengeance, in the House and Senate chambers. Continue reading →

Metro

Time to put Willie Horton to rest: Governor Baker should commute Koonce, Allen sentences

Baker has just a few days to decide whether to approve clemency for Thomas E. Koonce, who has been in prison since 1987 for the killing of a New Bedford man. Continue reading →

New Hampshire

Prosecutors file more charges against wife of father of missing N.H. child

New Hampshire prosecutors are filing eight additional misdemeanor counts alleging public assistance fraud against the estranged wife of Adam Montgomery, the man charged with assaulting his missing daughter Harmony Montgomery, a 7-year-old who disappeared in the fall of 2019, legal filings show. Continue reading →

Politics

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll running for lieutenant governor

She called herself a pragmatic executive who can provide a voice for cities and towns within a new Democratic administration. Continue reading →

On hockey

By agreeing to prorated $1 million contract, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask showed it’s not always about the money

Rask lived up to his recent word that it was team loyalty and a simple desire to play again, that guided his decision. Continue reading →

Patriots

Patriots’ Jerod Mayo would take a head coaching job interview, but he’s focused on game-planning for the Bills

Mayo and Josh McDaniels indicated that getting an opportunity to be a head coach is something they would welcome, in time. Continue reading →

Gary Washburn

Expectations for Black NFL coaches continue to be higher, but the leash shorter

Despite the Dolphins going 9-8 this season, the Dolphins fired coach Brian Flores because they didn't make the playoffs. Continue reading →

Business

In preliminary decision, Medicare offers only limited coverage of Aduhelm

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would allow the Alzheimer's drug only for patients who participate in clinical trials, a move that will significantly restrict the number of people who can get a costly medicine whose benefits and risks have been fiercely debated. Continue reading →

Business

Baker administration’s next climate task: curbing heat emissions from buildings

State panel set to start work on plans to reduce carbon footprint of buildings in Massachusetts. Continue reading →

Technology

Boston self-driving car company Optimus Ride closes its doors

Boston-based autonomous vehicle company Optimus Ride has been acquired by a Canadian technology manufacturer, causing the company to shutter nearly 7 years since its genesis. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Chris Dickerson, champion bodybuilder and first Black Mr. America, dies at 82

Chris Dickerson, who rose from a childhood in the Jim Crow-era South to become one of the world's greatest bodybuilders, breaking barriers as the first Black Mr. America and the first openly gay Mr. Olympia, died Dec. 23 at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 82. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Chris Dickerson, champion bodybuilder and first Black Mr. America, dies at 82

Chris Dickerson, who rose from a childhood in the Jim Crow-era South to become one of the world's greatest bodybuilders, breaking barriers as the first Black Mr. America and the first openly gay Mr. Olympia, died Dec. 23 at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 82. Continue reading →

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Lifestyle

Special rescues help ailing owners find pets’ next home

Pet rescuers, advocates, and volunteer adoption services are educating and calling on pet owners and veterinarians alike to help slow the ever-increasing rate of pets going without homes, which has been on the incline in the midst of the pandemic. Continue reading →

Names

John Cena on ‘Peacemaker,’ rocking to ’80s hair metal, and what it means to grow up in New England

The West Newbury native isn’t planning to suit up as a more established superhero, instead, putting his mighty muscles behind a lesser known crime fighter for HBO Max’s “Peacemaker.” Continue reading →

FOOD

In honor of National Quinoa Day, we’re demystifying whole grains

There are about 20 varieties of whole grains, but we’re focusing on the ones you’re most likely to cook and eat. Continue reading →