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The Boston Globe

Trump names former senator David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

Trump said in a social media post that Perdue, a former CEO, “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.”

House rejects Democratic effort to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s tax proposal suffers setbacks as business groups that negotiated deal back pause on bill

For the second time this week, a Boston state senator moved to stall Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to hike commercial property tax rates.

Trendlines: After making peace, business groups may kill Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax plan after all

Judge allows motion by prosecutors to obtain off-the-record notes, other materials from reporter’s Karen Read interviews

Prosecutors sought unredacted audio recordings and notes from multiple interviews Read gave to Boston Magazine reporter Gretchen Voss for a story published last year.

Lawyers for Brian Walshe are not entitled to all the phone data from former state trooper, judge rules
Lawyers for Brian Walshe had filed a motion seeking the complete data extraction from the work phone and iCloud account of Michael Proctor, a lead investigator in both the Walshe and Karen Read cases.

Former governor Mike Dukakis speaks out in opposition to South Station expansion

Dukakis and former state representative John Businger lead a group that champions a rival project, the North-South Rail Link that could connect North Station with South Station.

Kitombe at Franklin Park Zoo in 2020.

Gorilla who has lived at Franklin Park Zoo since 1998 dies after serious health crisis, officials say

A reward poster hangs on a light pole outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York on Thursday where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot.

New clues emerge as investigators hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

The words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were found emblazoned on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics, two law enforcement officials said Thursday.

UnitedHealthcare denies the most claims of any major health insurer, data show

New York City police released photos of a person of interest in the slaying of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.

Here’s what we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in NYC

The NYPD continues its massive search for the gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning in Manhattan.

‘Hard to make ends meet’: Mass General Brigham doctors in training say they’re exploited
An MGB spokesperson said the health system has ‘the highest respect for our trainees.'

Mass General Brigham looks to reduce number of primary care doctors who can unionize

Hundreds welcome season at tree lighting on the Common
The annual lighting is more than a civic ritual. It is also about gratitude and decades of friendship with a northern neighbor.

Ariana Grande in "Wicked" and Lady Gaga in "Joker: Folie À Deux."

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Gaga vs. Grande: Why ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ could never compete with ‘Wicked’

There’s an Oz-sized canyon separating the projects, which both revolve around pop musicians who can otherwise go toe-to-toe on stadium stages.

Scituate's Willy Robinson (21) holds up the Division 4 state championship trophy as Sean Coyne (54) is overcome with emotion.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Six Super Bowl takeaways as Xaverian, Catholic Memorial, and Scituate capture state championships

On a night where some of the usual suspects claimed state crowns, we got a record-tying night from a Scituate junior and another title for the legendary John DiBiaso.

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and current quarterback Drake Maye.

Would you rather have Drake Maye as Patriots’ quarterback or Bill Belichick as coach? It’s a no-brainer.

For our columnist, who did not want to see Belichick go even after a 4-13 record in 2023, the answer is easy.

Reports: Bill Belichick interviews for North Carolina football vacancy

The Red Sox have expressed interest in an additional meeting with Juan Soto and his agent.

Free agent Juan Soto likely to pick a team by end of next week’s Winter Meetings

According to major league sources, the Red Sox remain involved, with one source stating they upped their bid for the slugger to $600 million in recent days.

US presidential transition

Kash Patel speaks before Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Arena Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

Trump’s FBI pick has plans to reshape the bureau. This is what Kash Patel has said he wants to do.

Representative Matt Gaetz speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 23.

Trump convinced Republicans to overlook his misconduct. But can he do the same for his nominees?

Trump administration picks Lee Zeldin, Thomas Homan, Stephen Miller, Michael Waltz, Susie Wiles, and Elise Stefanik.

Here are the people Donald Trump has picked for key positions

President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to challenge the Senate’s constitutionally independent role with his nominees and threats to push the boundaries of executive authority.

A second Trump term poses a crucial test of the Senate’s independence

Opinion

An aerial view of shipping containers on rail cars at the Port of Los Angeles on Dec. 4, in Wilmington, Calif.

Warning: Rough Trump trade seas ahead

Tariffs shouldn’t be an all-purpose foreign policy bludgeon.

Here’s what the Democratic Party needs to do to win back voters like me

IDEAS | MICHAEL SERAZIO

Artificial intelligence and the efficiency trap

IDEAS | MEGAN MARSHALL

An orgy of musical sustenance at WHRB

Hunter Biden pardon: Parental love or enabling?

Globe Santa

It’s easy to feel helpless when life’s woes converge
It’s no secret that the cost of living – including the price of food, rent, heat and child care – has risen sharply in the last few years.

Donate to Globe Santa

BGT

Top Places to Work

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Explore the winners lists and more

The case for setting boundaries on personal smartphones at work

OOFOS employees and “buddies” Sophie Thibault-Vazquez and Pedro Rodrigues at the Braintree headquarters.

A new buddy system for the WFH era

At C4 Therapeutics in Watertown, every employee with at least three years on the job is entered into a quarterly drawing to win two weeks of extra paid time off.

‘Certificate of appreciation’? Meh. How about a peaceful break room or Pie Day instead.

These 10 employees love their jobs. Here’s why.

More recent News

Three climbers from the US and Canada are believed to have died in a fall on New Zealand’s highest peak
The Americans — Kurt Blair, 56, from Colorado and Carlos Romero, 50, of California — were certified alpine guides, according to the website of the nonprofit American Mountain Guides Association.

Three former Citizens Bank tellers charged with stealing thousands from customer accounts
Authorities say the three former employees made a series of unauthorized withdrawals in 2022 and 2023 while working at Citizens Bank branches in Somerville, Dorchester, and Milton.

Pot cafes are finally coming to Mass. Here is what we know.
The Cannabis Control Commission debuted new licenses Thursday that will allow for marijuana consumption in public lounges, comedy clubs, and more.

BOLD TYPES

PR maven George Regan hires two of the state’s most prominent public-safety spokespeople
The arrival this week of David Traub, from Norfolk District Attorney Mike Morrissey’s office, follows Regan’s hiring of Dave Procopio from the Massachusetts State Police in the spring.

South Korea’s governing party head supports suspending Yoon’s powers, making impeachment more likely
Opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary vote on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday, calling his short-lived martial law declaration an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.”

A steep sum for summer access: Wellfleet beach needs a $125,000 new staircase after storm damage
Beachgoers may not be able to access Marconi Beach unless money is raised for a new staircase, according to the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, a philanthropic group.

Recommended reads

Ben (center) and his parents Sherri (left) and Marty at the 2024 Bowl for Ben event.

Ben Abercrombie was paralyzed in his first Harvard football game. Seven years later, he’s on the cusp of his degree.

“Even after the injury, he was always talking about getting back up to Harvard, finishing his degree, getting it done," said Doug Henze, a friend from Alabama and Harvard classmate.

When a Winthrop toddler stopped breathing, where were all the ambulances?
What happened the morning of Yuna Feeley's death was the result of a broken EMS system across Massachusetts, a Globe investigation found.

Mass. private school enrollment is declining, despite an uptick in Newton, Cambridge. Here’s why.
Statewide, the last few years have been, at most, a plateau in private school enrollment.

Move over, Bluesky: Front Porch Forum is Vermont’s most popular social network
The website's popularity has been fueled, counterintuitively, by its strict content moderation rules.

Culture & Lifestyle

A delegation from the Oneida Indian Nation met with representatives from Harvard University and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for the return of ancestral burial remains.

Harvard’s Peabody museum returns Native American burial remains

Ayo Edebiri attended the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6 in New York City. The Dorchester native was named one of the most fashionable people of 2024 by the New York Times.

Ayo Edebiri and ‘pommel horse guy’ make New York Times list of most stylish people of 2024

Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley in "Black Doves."

‘Black Doves’ is a tremendously fun spy thriller

Nicolas Fracassi and Catherine Emond

It was love at first ‘cringe’ for this North Shore native and her Orange County beau

Special Projects

Seventh-graders at the Curley School on the first day of school in 1975. (Ulrike Welsch/Globe staff)

Broken Promises, Unfulfilled Hope

The Boston Globe explores the legacy of Boston’s busing era.

An Ambulance passed Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe, La.

A Globe Spotlight Team report on Steward Health Care

A Boston Globe Spotlight Team review found the Steward Health Care hospital system plagued by staggering neglect at the hands of executives.

best of best social share image

The Boston Globe’s Best of the Best

Our ultimate guide to more than 200 winners for Boston's best food, drinks, and fun things to do.

stuart landing page illustration

Nightmare in Mission Hill

The story of how a murder in Mission Hill — the Carol Stuart shooting — terrorized and wounded a community of innocent people.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

President Joe Biden at the White House in November.

IDEAS | ETHAN LEIB & JED SHUGERMAN

The Hunter Biden pardon is unconstitutional — and a surprising opportunity

Liam Morrison in February.

A student’s T-shirt says: ‘There are only two genders.’ What does the Constitution say?

Until recently, Boston and New York were the only major metropolitan cities to let landlords pass the cost of broker fees on to tenants. The New York City Council voted in November to ban the practice, leaving Boston as an outlier.

Tenants shouldn’t be forced to pay broker fees

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pa., in 2011.

IDEAS | THEO ZENOU

Go nuclear, Trump

President-elect Donald Trump arrived to watch SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight with Elon Musk in Boca Chica, Texas, Nov. 19, 2024.

From MAGA to medieval: How Trump’s team echoes the past

Heather Hopp-Bruce/Globe staff; Adobe

Blueprints for a new downtown Boston

Metro

Hundreds welcome season at tree lighting on the Common

The annual lighting is more than a civic ritual. It is also about gratitude and decades of friendship with a northern neighbor.

Gorilla who has lived at Franklin Park Zoo since 1998 dies after serious health crisis, officials say

His health problems include “a chronic cough, loss of weight and muscle mass, increased lethargy and trembling,” the zoo said.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s tax proposal suffers setbacks as business groups that negotiated deal back pause on bill

For the second time this week, a Boston state senator moved to stall Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to hike commercial property tax rates.

Judge allows motion by prosecutors to obtain off-the-record notes, other materials from reporter’s Karen Read interviews

Prosecutors sought unredacted audio recordings and notes from multiple interviews Read gave to Boston Magazine reporter Gretchen Voss for a story published last year.

Sports

Tim Patrick celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as the Lions defeated the Packers for their franchise-record 11th straight victory.

LIONS 34, PACKERS 31

Jared Goff throws 3 touchdown passes and Lions clinch playoff spot, beating Packers on last-second field goal

The NFC-best Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight win — including two over the Packers (9-4) — to stay ahead of the Vikings (10-2) in the highly competitive NFC North.

Catholic Memorial quarterback Kise Flannery runs up the middle under pressure from King Philip's Hayden Schmitz.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

MIAA Super Bowl live updates: Catholic Memorial captures third Division 2 title in four years

Sixteen teams compete to be one of the eight teams crowned a Super Bowl champion.

Scituate's Willy Robinson (21) holds up the Division 4 state championship trophy as Sean Coyne (54) is overcome with emotion.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Six Super Bowl takeaways as Xaverian, Catholic Memorial, and Scituate capture state championships

On a night where some of the usual suspects claimed state crowns, we got a record-tying night from a Scituate junior and another title for the legendary John DiBiaso.

CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 39, KING PHILIP 21

With quick strikes, and a dynamic duo, Catholic Memorial runs to its third Division 2 championship in four years

ARKANSAS 75, BOSTON COLLEGE 64

Boston College women’s basketball falters late at Arkansas in SEC/ACC Challenge

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Watch live: The MIAA Super Bowls continue Friday night at Gillette Stadium

Business

Slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass

In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security.

US hiring likely rebounded last month after storms and strikes curtailed October job growth

Friday's jobs report from the Labor Department is expected to show that employers added roughly 208,000 jobs in November, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

New clues emerge as investigators hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

Police test DNA and fingerprints on discarded bottle as they hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer

magazine

How can I politely avoid spending the holidays at my son’s house

Slavonian-Style Shepherd’s Stew

Shepherd’s stew, baked pasta, and chicken curry recipes for cold winter days

The dos and don’ts of grandparenting: From Vicks to surprise haircuts

The writer, at right, and his friend Craig pose for a selfie while snorkeling.

The best view of the Florida Keys may be through a snorkel mask

metro

A pedestrian walked past snow-covered vegetation on East St. in Dedham on Thursday.

Several school districts in Mass., N.H. closed or delayed due to winter storm, slippery roads

Snow covered trees fall on van and house in Oxford; person trapped in van

401 Fun: The best things to do in Rhode Island Dec. 6-13

sports

Xaverian senior Vincent Busa (8) avoids Needham's Ben Schreiber (11) in the first half of the Division 1 Super Bowl.

Bruised, Vincent Busa seized a leading role in his return to carry Xaverian to back-to-back Division 1 titles

Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty confirms departure from Boise State after season

NBA returning to China for pair of Suns-Nets preseason games in 2025, AP source says

business

Pump jacks extracted oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota in 2021.

EPA hails ‘revitalized’ enforcement efforts as Biden administration heads to exit

‘Hard to make ends meet’: Mass General Brigham doctors in training say they’re exploited

Roaring Kitty sparks meme rally with post of Time’s ‘You’ cover

politics

Former Senator David Perdue.

Trump names former senator David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

Trump talks up election victory as he receives ‘Patriot of the Year’ award at Fox Nation event

Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office

Nation

Drinks and other food items are toppled on the floor inside Hoby's Market and Deli after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Dec. 5, in Scotia, Calif.

In California’s ‘earthquake country,’ a 7.0 temblor prompts confusion and a tsunami warning

New clues emerge as investigators hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

Gunman who shot 2 kindergartners at a California school wrote about attack targeting children

World

The baptistery designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet is pictured as French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Nov. 29, in Paris.

Notre Dame’s reopening will begin with an archbishop’s knock on the doors. Here’s what comes next.

South Korea’s governing party head supports suspending Yoon’s powers, making impeachment more likely

Three climbers from the US and Canada are believed to have died in a fall on New Zealand’s highest peak

opinion

Attorney and transgender rights activist Chase Strangio greeted supporters outside of the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, in Washington.

More states must pass shield laws protecting gender-affirming care

The Hunter Biden pardon is unconstitutional — and a surprising opportunity

Hunter Biden pardon: Parental love or enabling?

lifestyle

Did you just ‘know’ your partner was the one?

Ayo Edebiri and ‘pommel horse guy’ make New York Times list of most stylish people of 2024

It was love at first ‘cringe’ for this North Shore native and her Orange County beau

food & dining

Zurito specializes in pintxos, bite-size snacks, like these pimientos rellenos de bacalao (piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod).

A little bit of this and a little more of that at Zurito

Your armpits can smell like Boston Kreme thanks to a new deodorant from Dunkin’ and body-care brand Native

Pair pizza with pickleball at Bosse in Natick. Chef Chris Coombs has opened 3 restaurants there.

travel

Zendaya attends the 34th annual Gotham Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Dec. 2, 2024.

‘We didn’t even realize’: WCVB unknowingly captured Zendaya strolling down Newbury Street, and the miss went viral

Holiday festivities in Vermont, Bermuda deals, and a daypack for every adventure

Alexandria Eberhardt on Ireland, bed bugs, and that hilarious time a soft serve swirl cone was simply ‘not possible’

Arts

A delegation from the Oneida Indian Nation met with representatives from Harvard University and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for the return of ancestral burial remains.

Harvard’s Peabody museum returns Native American burial remains

Florida photographically, then and now

‘I’m actually doing art on people,’ says Salem’s Tallboy

Books

Mina Javaherbin

Walking through history in an ancient Persian city

‘My Fellow Americans’ gathers inaugural speeches good, bad, and ugly

Ten great gift books for the young children on your shopping list

Movies

Drew Starkey, left, and Daniel Craig in "Queer."

‘Queer’: quantum of boredom

Gaga vs. Grande: Why ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ could never compete with ‘Wicked’

Angelina Jolie’s performance sings in ‘Maria,’ but the film still falls flat

Television

Janelle James and Quinta Brunson in "Abbott Elementary."

‘Abbott Elementary’ is still finding ways to grow

‘The Sticky’ wants to be ‘Fargo,’ but can’t pull it off

‘We didn’t even realize’: WCVB unknowingly captured Zendaya strolling down Newbury Street, and the miss went viral

music

Tanglewood Music Center conducting fellow Na'Zir McFadden leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 29 at Symphony Hall.

‘Once you get to drive the Boston Symphony race car, nothing else compares’

Gaga vs. Grande: Why ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ could never compete with ‘Wicked’

Which artist will reign at this year’s Boston Music Awards?

Theater/Dance

Ayodele Casel rehearses her new show, "Diary of a Tap Dancer."

Dance and narrative combine in ‘Diary of a Tap Dancer’

Jinkx and DeLa want their show to be a home for the holidays

Expect 250 costume changes to tell the story of ‘Rosemary’s Baby Jesus’

Health

Dr. Susan Meschwitz, center, a chemistry professor at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., in her lab with two undergraduate students.

About 30% of women are reinfected with a UTI within a year. This R.I. professor is looking for a way to change that.

Why is Lifespan buying hospitals in Massachusetts instead of saving two in Rhode Island?

R.I. Life Science Hub still in negotiations to develop lab incubator space: ‘In the business world... things moved a lot faster’

Obituaries

Mr. Bal acknowledged applause next to models wearing his creations at the end of his show at Couture Week 2016 in New Delhi, India, on July 24, 2016.

Rohit Bal, exuberant star of Indian fashion, dies at 63

Mary McGee, motorcycle racing pioneer, is dead at 87

Richard Hamilton, who helped solve a mathematical mystery, dies at 81