The Boston Globe

With Breyer to retire and Biden promising to nominate a Black woman, a Supreme Court confirmation fight could be coming

Democrats now have the chance to confirm a replacement while they still hold narrow control of the Senate.

Who might President Biden nominate to the Supreme Court? Here’s a look at five potential picks.

Biden has pledged to nominate a Black woman on the Supreme Court. Two other factors may also influence his final pick

First, his nominee must be young. Second, she must be easily confirmable with no surprises.

This map shows how much snow is expected by Saturday night in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Maps: An early look at how much snow to expect from the upcoming winter storm

Massachusetts is bracing for a snowstorm that could bring more than 16 inches to eastern parts of the state, though forecasters are cautioning that it’s too early to predict the details so many days from its arrival.

Storm could bring 16 inches of snow, 60-mile-per-hour gusts

Forecasters on Wednesday issued a winter storm watch for areas in eastern, northeastern, and southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, saying 8 to 16 inches of snow could fall.

Mass. residents warned to take precautions ahead of weekend storm

New Bedford’s former acting fire chief fired for ‘putting on an act’ to get injury leave benefits

Surveillance video footage shows the former acting chief “performing activities inconsistent with his alleged injuries,” including unloading a 176-pound barbeque smoker grill from the back of his pickup truck by himself, city officials said.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Mostly educators of color could face termination due to vaccine mandate, Boston Teachers Union says

The loss could disrupt learning for many students and carry long-term implications in the district, where three-quarters of students are Black or Latino, but only 42 percent of educators are.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Boston unions file appeal regarding vaccination mandate for city workforce

New Hampshire State Liquor Outlet.

New Hampshire will sell rapid COVID-19 tests at state liquor stores

At a hearing, the state’s Executive Council approved a request by the Department of Health and Human Services to use federal funds to purchase 1 million over-the-counter antigen tests for liquor store customers.

‘There’s a collector for everything’: House of Mirth helps lost and found photos find a home
Easthampton dealer Stacy Waldman buys, sells, and collects vernacular photography and other ephemera.

‘Walking into the lion’s den’: Cities and towns say they need help as climate change dangers grow
A survey of officials from 111 Massachusetts cities and towns found that virtually all respondents observed climate change impacts in their communities.

The Supreme Court building

Are we going to see democracy work?

Is it possible that a Democratic president, who won the popular vote, is going to be able to fill a vacancy on the US Supreme Court?

Investigators at the scene of a July crash between two Green Line trolleys near 971 Commonwealth Ave.

T plans to add Green Line crash prevention tech a year earlier than scheduled

MBTA general manager Steve Poftak said on Wednesday the agency plans to speed up the implementation of a technology meant to prevent crashes on the Green Line, 13 years after federal officials first recommended the T install it and six months after a trolley crash sent 27 people to the hospital.

Mr. Mugar transformed the Fourth of July celebration on the Esplanade into a nationally viewed spectacle that included fireworks.

David Mugar, philanthropist who added fireworks to Boston’s July Fourth celebration, dies at 82

As chairman and CEO of Mugar Enterprises Inc., Mr. Mugar oversaw a sprawling, privately held empire comprising real estate holdings, retail businesses, performance venues, and other investment- and arts-oriented enterprises.

At the US Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer has been the dean of pragmatism.

With pragmatism, Breyer brought real-world justice to the high court

In choosing a replacement, President Biden should keep front of mind the legacy that Breyer leaves on the court as his tenure nears its end.

Critics of Mass General Brigham expansion plan ignore key facts

How to punish Putin if Russia invades Ukraine

Teflon Charlie Baker rides off into the sunset

Scaring cats, forgetting words and authors: A bout of ‘mild’ COVID-19 strikes Globe columnist

Takeout from Blue Mango.

Project Takeout

3 places we supported this week

Want to order from local, independent restaurants? Here are some suggestions from Globe staff.

Browse a map of reader-recommended takeout spotsExplore the full project

More recent stories

Woman, 19, injured after man breaks into Melrose home
The woman was taken early Wednesday morning to Massachusetts General Hospital with a cut to her neck, Melrose police said.

Larry Edelman
Federal Reserve is ready to boost interest rates in March as inflation worsens
“There is quite a bit of room to raise interest rates without hurting the labor market,” Fed chairman Jerome Powell said.

Governor Charlie Baker proposes nearly $700 million in tax breaks for residents as part of state budget plan
Here are some of the details about the breaks for parents, seniors, low-income workers, and renters. The plan would need the approval of the Democratic-controlled Legislature before becoming law.

‘Jeopardy!’ champ Amy Schneider’s win streak comes to an end
Amy Schneider's streak of 40 victories was the second longest in the show's history, and her winnings totaled almost $1.4 million.

Spotify to pull Neil Young music after artist’s objections to Joe Rogan podcast, reports say
Spotify is in the process of removing all of Neil Young’s music from its platform after the artist fired off a public missive to his management on Monday, demanding they remove his music from the streamer in protest of Joe Rogan spreading COVID-19 misinformation through his podcast.

Backlash grows after Tufts announces closure of children’s hospital
Doctors, nurses, and families are mourning the impending loss of a beloved institution and worry that some sick children could lose access to critical care.

Recommended reads

Beth Nolan, a resident of Mayor Michelle Wu's Roslindale neighborhood, argued with anti-vaccine protesters outside of Wu’s home.

Jeneé Osterheldt

Democracy is in danger and so are the people fighting for it, because white comfort leads to American violence

From Michelle Wu to Rachael Rollins, women of color in politics have always had to deal with debate and dissent. But it shouldn’t mean death threats and violence.

Boston’s rental market has reached an all-time high
Rents here have bounced back since early in the pandemic, rebounding faster than West Coast cities that have typically been even pricier.

There’s a new frontier in detecting cancer: blood tests
Often called liquid biopsies, the gene-based tests from several US startups hone in on worrisome biomarkers that can signal cancer.

Uber passenger paralyzed in crash sues company for $63 million
Will Good’s lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, demands a jury trial and seeks $63 million in damages, including severe physical, mental, and emotional injuries, extraordinary pain and suffering, and permanent disability.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Neil Young

Spotify to pull Neil Young music after artist’s objections to Joe Rogan podcast, reports say

In the documentary "The Panola Project," Dorothy Oliver spearheads the effort to bring a pop-up vaccine clinic to her rural Alabama town.

In documentary ‘The Panola Project,’ two Somerville filmmakers show how one woman got her small town vaccinated

Stacy Waldman collects, buys, and sells "found" photos and other ephemera under the name House of Mirth Photos in Easthampton. She is holding some of the photographs from her personal collection of women with frizzy hair.

‘There’s a collector for everything’: House of Mirth helps lost and found photos find a home

Get your groove on in DJ simulator Fuser, where you can mix tunes from Boston natives like Donna Summer (shown in 2009) and Bell Biv DeVoe.

Warm up, game on, and rock out: 10 video games featuring Boston-bred bands and artists

Special Projects

Into the Red illustration.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

Under the wheel

This is the story of Anthony Pledger and his mother, of Anthony’s lives and deaths, of Anthony and me.

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt.

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 22. Soldiers and civilians in eastern Ukraine are waiting with helpless anticipation to see if war comes.

How to punish Putin if Russia invades Ukraine

Scaring cats, forgetting words and authors: A bout of ‘mild’ COVID-19 strikes Globe columnist

Tiffany Chu: "Your entire job should not just be about the politics, but it should be around delivering government services that are simple, beautiful, and easy to use."

ABDALLAH FAYYAD

A key hire shows Wu really meant her campaign promises

Senator Kyrsten Sinema declined to betray her principles.

There’s a phrase for senators like Kyrsten Sinema

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida knows a primary rule of demagoguery — fuel irrational fears as a means of domination.

Ron DeSantis — white supremacy’s helicopter parent

The Muddy River as it emerges beneath Perkins Street from its source in Jamaica Pond.

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

Set the underground rivers free

Metro

Mass. residents warned to take precautions ahead of weekend storm

Officials on Wednesday night advised Massachusetts residents to begin preparing for a winter storm that could dump more than a foot of snow and whip up high winds across the state beginning late Friday.

Coronavirus Live Updates

Boston unions file appeal regarding vaccination mandate for city workforce

The latest news and guidance on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in New England and beyond.

Boston police union rejects city’s offer that would incentivize officers to get vaccinated

The agreement met a resounding rejection by the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association membership with more than 800 members voting against it out of about 900 who cast votes, union officials said.

Woman, 19, injured after man breaks into Melrose home

The woman was taken early Wednesday morning to Massachusetts General Hospital with a cut to her neck, Melrose police said.

Sports

Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates after winning his quarterfinal match against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime .

Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev saves match point, moves into Australian Open men’s semifinals

Down 2 sets, Medvedev asked himself what would Novak Djokovic do?

Katie Krall is in uniform this week, working with prospects and coaches and establishing herself with the Red Sox.

Katie Krall was confident she’d have a future in baseball, but not necessarily in the role she now has with the Red Sox

She’s part of a small but growing group of 11 women on coaching staffs in affiliated baseball.

Colorado's Nazem Kadri, known for his big hits on Bruins players when he played with Toronto, is fifth in scoring in the NHL with the Avalanche.

Bruins notebook

Bruins have to figure out how to stop the red-hot Avalanche, winners of 16 straight at home

Scoring hasn't been a problem for Colorado, with the skilled entities of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri.

Minnesota Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager

Celtics Notebook

7-foot-2-inch Bol Bol slowly acclimating himself to the Celtics while rehabbing a foot injury

Peter Abraham I On baseball

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling are off the Hall of Fame ballot. What comes next?

Business

No basis for Trump’s lawsuit challenging probe, New York AG says

Attorney General Letitia James wants to put a stop to former president Donald Trump’s attempted end-run around a yearslong civil investigation into his business practices, asking a judge Wednesday to dismiss his lawsuit aimed at halting the probe.

Biscuit World workers say no to 1st W.Va. fast-food union

Union organizers announced that they had filed unfair labor practice charges against the company.

Federal Reserve is ready to boost interest rates in March as inflation worsens

China sets offshore wind record amid clean energy surge

STAT

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Subscribe to STAT Plus

‘Health equity tourists’: How white scholars are colonizing research on health disparities
A STAT investigation shows that researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers.

Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms
STAT spoke with infectious disease experts and others about what to expect from Covid-19 as the seasons change.

DISTANCED: Pandemic stories of Black life in the rural South
Photographer Bethany Mollenkof spent six months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on residents of rural Black communities in the South.

Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real
The procedure aims to restore proprioception, the ability to sense where our limbs are in space and how fast and forcefully they’re moving.

The 30 best comfort foods you’ll find at Boston area restaurants

For small restaurants, Guy Fieri and ‘Triple D’ are ‘the gift that keeps on giving’

Learn about January’s wolf moon on a 30-minute naturalist-guided Lunar New Year Wild Walk.

YOUR WEEK AHEAD

Five things to do in and around Boston, Jan. 24-30

Before it was redesigned, this primary bedroom in a historic Mission Hill brownstone had too much brown furniture and too little ambiance.

Home design: Turning a bland Mission Hill bedroom into a refuge

metro

Union members held signs during a Boston Firefighters Local 718 press conference at Florian Hall in Boston.

Boston unions file appeal regarding vaccination mandate for city workforce

New Hampshire will sell rapid COVID-19 tests at state liquor stores

Governor Charlie Baker proposes nearly $700 million in tax breaks for residents as part of state budget plan

sports

Sam Dewey, Taina Mair, and Kendall Eddy have enjoyed every moment of a perfect start for the defending NEPSAC champion Brooks girls' basketball team.

The tradition continues: Big Three leading Brooks girls to basketball glory

Jon Rahm is best on South Course; Billy Horschel leads at Torrey Pines

That year off did not seem to affect the Harvard women’s hockey team

business

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's addition of four new members to its board of trustees is a first for the Seattle-based philanthropic giant.

Gates Foundation expands board following Bill, Melinda split

Boom aims to build supersonic jets in North Carolina

Mass. needs more housing. Why not at Devens?

politics

Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, at a news conference in Manhattan on Aug. 3, 2021.

No basis for Trump’s lawsuit challenging probe, New York AG says

With Breyer to retire and Biden promising to nominate a Black woman, a Supreme Court confirmation fight could be coming

Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency, AP sources say

Nation

People marched alongside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before a rally against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Jan. 23, 2022, in Washington.

Boston unions file appeal regarding vaccination mandate for city workforce

Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers leader, is denied bail on sedition charge

No basis for Trump’s lawsuit challenging probe, New York AG says

World

Despite being on legally Palestinian land, Israeli settlers have continued to occupy the unlawful West Bank settlement known as Homesh, rallying for an Israeli hold on the outpost and against the demolition of structures there.

In West Bank, Israeli settlers flex power, Palestinians struggle

US offers no concessions in response to Russia on Ukraine

Indonesia’s capital is sinking, polluted, and now moving

opinion

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida knows a primary rule of demagoguery — fuel irrational fears as a means of domination.

Ron DeSantis — white supremacy’s helicopter parent

There’s a phrase for senators like Kyrsten Sinema

Enough talk. Implement the city vaccine mandate.

lifestyle

In the documentary "The Panola Project," Dorothy Oliver spearheads the effort to bring a pop-up vaccine clinic to her rural Alabama town.

In documentary ‘The Panola Project,’ two Somerville filmmakers show how one woman got her small town vaccinated

Embracing the short, sweet maple season

These art enthusiasts are also world travelers

food & dining

Takeout from Blue Mango.

3 places we supported this week

A new generation of chefs is embracing — and updating — the classic American Chinese restaurant

Get Tasting Counter’s preserves, sauces, and vinegars to use at home

travel

Maple sap collects in a bucket at Mass Audubon's Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon.

Embracing the short, sweet maple season

These art enthusiasts are also world travelers

‘We’re off to a very robust start’: On opening day, thousands book Martha’s Vineyard ferry reservations for summer 2022

Arts

Richard Avedon, "Audrey Hepburn and Art Buchwald, with Simone D'Aillencourt, Frederick Eberstadt, Barbara Mullen, and Dr. Reginald Kernan, evening dresses by Balmain, Dior, and Patou, Maxim's, Paris, August 1959."

Judy Glickman Lauder gifts 600-plus photographs to Portland Museum of Art

How the Boston Dynamics robot Spot became one artist’s muse — then, her assistant

10 museum must-sees

Books

New novel ‘Devil House’ looks at our true crime obsessions

Jabari Asim: an ‘eclectic, voracious’ reader

Science, fiction, and fantasy blend in ‘A Snake Falls to Earth’

Movies

In the documentary "The Panola Project," Dorothy Oliver spearheads the effort to bring a pop-up vaccine clinic to her rural Alabama town.

In documentary ‘The Panola Project,’ two Somerville filmmakers show how one woman got her small town vaccinated

The burden of being human in ‘Jockey’

21 film performances from 2021 worthy of an Oscar nomination

Television

Sam Richardson (left) and Ben Schwartz in “The Afterparty.”

Stick around for ‘The Afterparty,’ an inventive whodunit played for laughs

Influential ‘Late Night’ turns 40 with humor intact

A path to sobriety worth following in ‘Single Drunk Female’

music

Neil Young

Spotify to pull Neil Young music after artist’s objections to Joe Rogan podcast, reports say

An enterprising Berklee pianist’s next gig: Live at the Apollo

Bad Bunny to play Fenway Park Aug. 18

Theater/Dance

Director Awoye Timpo (left) leads a rehearsal of the Huntington Theatre Company's "The Bluest Eye" at the Calderwood Pavilion, with actors Hadar Busia-Singleton (center) and Alexandria King.

In ‘The Bluest Eye’ at the Huntington, the challenge of capturing Toni Morrison’s unerring vision

Dramas, musicals, and a trio of blue men: 10 shows for theatergoers this winter

See dancers from all over New England during a weekend of Boston performances

globe local

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South now has a Freight Farms Greenery hydroponic container farm at the organization’s Brockton Clubhouse.

Boys & Girls Club of Metro South opens new hydroponic freight farm

‘Walking into the lion’s den’: Cities and towns say they need help as climate change dangers grow

Wake up woodchucks, and tell us how long winter’s going to last

Obituaries

Mr. Mugar transformed the Fourth of July celebration on the Esplanade into a nationally viewed spectacle that included fireworks.

David Mugar, philanthropist who added fireworks to Boston’s July Fourth celebration, dies at 82

Steve Schapiro, a witness, with camera, to seminal moments and people in the American tapestry, dies

Bill Owens, first Black state senator in Massachusetts, dies at 84