All of the headlines from today's paper.
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Today's Headlines
Page one

Politics

Some on the right have first Black woman justice’s qualifications under a microscope. It’s not a new strategy

Insinuating that the bar has been lowered to nominate a person of color to the Supreme Court happened with Thurgood Marshall in 1967, and will likely happen again with Biden’s yet-to-be-named pick. Continue reading →

Arts

Where does Joe Rogan draw the line?

The podcaster has drawn fire for leveraging his massive platform to spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, and for using racist language. The Newton native has plenty of defenders, but many others believe a comeuppance is overdue. Continue reading →

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Boston has had a turnstile of superintendents. Why can’t BPS hold onto them?

Boston will search for a superintendent during a time of great upheaval in public schools across the country. Continue reading →

Politics

Why are beef prices so high? Some ranchers and the White House say it’s more than just inflation.

Beef and veal at grocery stores cost 16 percent more in January than they did a year earlier, and the profit margins of the four largest meatpackers have tripled in the past two years. But ranchers aren’t cashing in. Continue reading →

World

Why Ukraine matters: What to know about the crisis with Russia

On the edge of Europe and thousands of miles from the United States, the relevance of Ukraine extends far beyond its borders. Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

Act of ‘heresy’ adds horseshoe crabs to arachnid family tree

Horseshoe crabs are little armored vehicles with bright blue blood. For hundreds of millions of years, they’ve been trundling along the ocean floor. In all that time, other mighty creatures have come and gone: dinosaurs, mammoths, terror birds, Neanderthals. The humble horseshoe crab has lived on, looking not that different these days from their forebears in the Mesozoic Era. Continue reading →

Nation

New twist in pandemic’s impact on schools: substitutes in camouflage

For the past month, dozens of soldiers and airmen and women in the New Mexico National Guard have been deployed to classrooms throughout the state to help with crippling pandemic-related staff shortages. Continue reading →

Nation

Fringe scheme to reverse 2020 election splits Wisconsin GOP

Wisconsin is closer to the next federal election than the last, but the Republican effort to overturn the election results here is picking up steam rather than fading away — and spiraling further from reality as it goes. Continue reading →

The World

World

Modeling agent close to Epstein found dead in French jail

Paris police are investigating Jean-Luc Brunel’s death at the historic La Sante prison in Paris, the prosecutor’s office said. Continue reading →

World

Dubai’s Princess Latifa tells UN she is ‘well’ during meeting with human rights chief in Europe

Princess Latifa, the daughter of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who once claimed that she was being held "hostage" in the emirate, has told a senior UN human rights official that she is "well." Continue reading →

World

Locals fret as Colombia to declare hippos invasive species

People around Puerto Triunfo have grown accustomed to the herd of hippopotamuses descended from a few that were imported illegally from Africa in the 1980s by flamboyant drug lord Pablo Escobar, whose former ranch is nearby. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

OPINION

The ‘Little Magician’ who transformed American politics

A great president he wasn’t, but Martin Van Buren was perhaps the most brilliant political strategist to reach the White House. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

More oversight needed from MBTA oversight board

Thus far, the new board has shown a lack of urgency in facing critical issues like safety and reduced ridership. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Laws curbing teaching are textbook case of backward thinking

Those who profess to be protecting children in the name of comfort are instead setting young people up for an even more uncomfortable awakening as they mature. Continue reading →

Metro

Crime & Courts

Man denied parole for fourth time in 1986 slaying of Canton high school classmate

A man who murdered a Canton High School classmate in 1986 will remain in prison after the Massachusetts Parole Board unanimously denied his fourth bid for freedom last week. Continue reading →

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

‘When are we going to stop the madness?’ Edith Bazile challenges Boston Public Schools to better serve students of color

Edith Bazile is long retired from Boston Public Schools, but she still spends her time there, challenging leaders to offer better educational opportunities to Black and Latino students and those with disabilities. Continue reading →

Metro

‘Varsity Blues’ aside, the wealthy’s advantage in college admissions remains a feature, not a bug

The actions of parents accused in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal were criminal because of the deception involved, and because their payments enriched individuals. Short of that, goosing your kid’s college prospects has become a fact of life for many rich parents. Continue reading →

Sports

Bruins 3, Senators 2 (OT)

David Pastrnak breaks out of scoring slump to lead Bruins past Senators in overtime

Taylor Hall picked up the assist on the winner. Continue reading →

Bruins Notebook

Bruins need Urho Vaakanainen to play shutdown role on defense

According to coach Bruce Cassidy, Urho Vaakanainen has more to prove, more to give. Continue reading →

Dan Shaughnessy

What might have been if the Red Sox had started spring training this week, and other thoughts

We had hoped to be writing columns by now about the Red Sox and the upcoming season. Instead, we'll play make-believe. Continue reading →

Business
Ideas

IDEAS

Why does parenthood make us nostalgic?

Disruption can spark yearning for a better time — and there is no disruption quite like having a kid. Continue reading →

IDEAS

When the US shrinks from the stage, things fall apart

From Ukraine to the Middle East and Taiwan, the world requires bipartisan American leadership that’s gone out of fashion. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

Carmen Herrera, Cuban-born artist who won fame at 89, dies at 106

Carmen Herrera, a Cuban-born artist who painted abstract geometric shapes in Paris and New York all but unnoticed for most of her long life, then soared to international fame after her canvasses began selling when she was 89, died Saturday at the loft in lower Manhattan that had been her home for 60 years. She was 106. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Leslie Parnas, celebrated cellist and musical diplomat, dies at 90

A renowned cellist whose second-place award at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War helped propel him to a storied career, Leslie Parnas had a long and distinguished teaching career at Boston University. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

Television

‘Law & Order’ should have remained a closed case

The show, back after a 12-year absence, may be the most resonant symbol of the cookie-cutter approach to creativity on TV. Continue reading →

Theater

Before she left Boston, Donna Summer found her voice

With “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” on its way to its namesake's hometown, family members, teachers, and bandmates recall a singer whose talent was apparent from the start. Continue reading →

QUICK BITE

A friendly Brookline spot serves traditional food the way it’s made in Anatolia

Lahmacun, kebabs, pilaf, and other Turkish classics fill the menu. Continue reading →

Travel

STORIED SITES

Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont: true grit in the Gilded Age

A look at Marble House and Belcourt, in Newport, R.I., and their role in “A Well Behaved Woman” by Therese Anne Fowler. This is the second in a series of occasional stories offering a book list for travelers. Continue reading →

TRAVEL

These days, apres-ski can mean coaster rides and ziplining

Here are some fun things to do when you snap off the boards and unbuckle the boots. Continue reading →

Real Estate