Politics - The Boston Globe

New England politics news

Maine governor launches independent commission to probe Lewiston mass shootings

Governor Mills said Wednesday that she will establish an independent commission to look into the Oct. 25 mass shootings that killed 18 people.

Amid influx of migrants, state judge allows Healey to move ahead with limits on Mass. emergency shelter system
A judge on Wednesday rejected a request from Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based advocacy group, to temporarily block the Healey administration from creating a cap of 7,500 families on the statewide program.

Harvard students and alumni call for more action to fight antisemitism on campus
More than 1,200 people identifying themselves as Harvard College students and alumni have signed an open letter to top administrators calling for more action to protect Jewish students from antisemitism as controversy over the war between Israel and Hamas continues to roil the campus.

See more state and local political coverage

Latest from our D.C. bureau

Factory workers and United Auto Workers members picketed in Louisville, Ky., on Oct. 14. A long strike could have posed a risk to the economy.

The US has dodged a recession in 2023, but the economic luck could run out next year

Pictured on stage during a debate on the future of America held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, on the campus of St. Anselm College, are Congressman Ro Khanna, left, and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

In N.H., Vivek Ramaswamy and Ro Khanna debate America’s future

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke over each other during the second Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Sept. 27, 2023.

Super PAC backing DeSantis said it was a ‘two-person race’ against Trump. Now it’s targeting Haley.

John Anthony Castro, of Texas, signs a commemorative poster after filing to get on the Republican ballot for the 2024 New Hampshire primary in Concord, N.H., on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Castro, who has filed multiple lawsuits contending the 14th Amendment bars former President Donald Trump's candidacy, wrote: "Freedom comes from our Constitution. Without that we fall." (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Judge dismisses lawsuit that sought to block Trump from N.H. ballot

National politics news

The US has dodged a recession in 2023, but the economic luck could run out next year

New risks could be ahead, including a possible federal government shutdown this month and skyrocketing oil prices if the Mideast war drags on.

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

Biden travels to Minn. to highlight rural investments

The White House on Wednesday announced more than $5 billion in funding for agriculture, broadband, and clean energy needs in sparsely populated parts of the country.

Biden’s Minnesota trip serves as a show of political force against primary challenger Dean Phillips

President Biden is headed to Minnesota to visit a family-run farm south of Minneapolis and hold a fundraiser featuring many of the state’s top Democrats.

White House will develop an anti-Islamophobia strategy but faces skepticism from Muslim Americans

The White House is preparing to announce that it will develop a national strategy to combat Islamophobia even as it faces skepticism from the Muslim American community for its staunch support of Israel’s military assault on Hamas in Gaza.

Biden’s Minnesota trip serves as a show of political force against primary challenger Dean Phillips

President Biden is headed to Minnesota to visit a family-run farm south of Minneapolis and hold a fundraiser featuring many of the state’s top Democrats. 5:08 a.m.

White House will develop an anti-Islamophobia strategy but faces skepticism from Muslim Americans

Supreme Court weighs when officials may block citizens on social media

The cases argued Tuesday were the first of several this term in which the Supreme Court will consider how the First Amendment applies to social media companies. 6:29 p.m.

The Jerry Colangelo Museum at Grand Canyon University is seen at at dusk in Phoenix, on Sept. 20, 2017.

Largest Christian university in US faces record fine after federal probe into alleged deception

Grand Canyon University, which has more than 100,000 students, mostly in online programs, faces a $37.7 million fine issued by the Education Department. 5:08 p.m.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken looked on during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing to examine the national security supplemental request on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

US military and diplomatic leaders urge a divided Congress to send aid to both Israel and Ukraine

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told senators that broad support for the foreign aid would be a signal of American strength to adversaries. 1:28 p.m.

Super PAC backing DeSantis said it was a ‘two-person race’ against Trump. Now it’s targeting Haley.

The spending by Ron DeSantis’s super PAC comes as Nikki Haley pulls even or ahead of the Florida governor in many polls. 6:24 a.m.

Senate Democrats plan to subpoena Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo over Supreme Court justices’ travel

Senate Democrats say they will subpoena Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo for more information about their roles in organizing and paying for luxury travel for Supreme Court justices. 11:07 p.m.

President Biden spoke about student loan debt forgiveness at the White House on Oct. 4. The Biden administration is moving toward a narrower student loan relief plan that would target specific groups of borrowers rather than a sweeping plan like the one the Supreme Court rejected in June.

Biden administration is moving toward a narrower student loan relief targeting groups of borrowers

The Education Department on Monday released a draft of new federal rules paving the way for a second attempt at student loan relief. The proposal targets groups that are seen as especially vulnerable, focusing on those who owe so much, or make so little income, that they otherwise may never repay their loans. 7:40 p.m.