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Boston Globe
05-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
A look at how Trump's relationship with Musk hit the rocks and what they're saying now
In the Oval Office Thursday, Trump spoke about his falling out with Musk, while Musk launched a barrage of online attacks criticizing Trump's bill. The clash quickly intensified, with Trump firing back by threatening to use federal power to damage Musk's business interests. Here's what has been said between the president and his former adviser. Advertisement May 27: Musk says he's 'disappointed' in Trump's spending bill Musk criticized Trump's spending bill, saying he was 'disappointed' in the president's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' in a Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk told CBS. DOGE stands for the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been responsible for slashing federal programs and jobs during Trump's first months back in office. June 3: Musk calls Trump's spending bill a 'disgusting abomination' Just days after Musk departed as a senior adviser at the White House, the billionaire issued a scathing criticism on X, calling President Trump's spending bill a 'disgusting abomination' 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Musk Advertisement June 4: Musk continues to blast Trump's bill Musk on Wednesday escalated his attacks, urging lawmakers to 'KILL the BILL.' 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman,' Musk wrote. 'Bankrupting America is NOT ok!' June 5: Trump threatens to cut Musk's government contracts During an Oval Office meeting Thursday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump told reporters that he was 'very disappointed' with Musk as the tech billionaire continued to blast the president's massive tax and spending cuts package. President Trump on Elon Musk: "I've always liked Elon. I was very hasn't said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill because the bill is incredible...I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." — CSPAN (@cspan) 'I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill,' Trump said. 'I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot.' Trump added that he and Musk 'had a great relationship' but 'I don't know if we will anymore.' Musk swiftly responded to the president's criticism on social media, saying 'Slim and beautiful is the way.' 'Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' Musk 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way,' Musk added. Musk continued his criticism in a series of posts, saying Trump has him to thank for winning back the Oval Office. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Advertisement 'Such ingratitude,' Musk Just hours after Trump said he was 'disappointed' with Musk, the billionaire fired back online — prompting Trump to stoke the flames by threatening to cut Musk's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump wrote Truth Social, his social media network. 'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Alyssa Vega can be reached at
Boston Globe
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Why haven't Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins joined new teams yet?
Neither move has happened yet. Rodgers and the Steelers Advertisement In Pittsburgh, Steelers owner Art Rooney has said all spring the team will be patient with Rodgers, and said 'a little while longer' at the owners meetings two weeks ago. Rodgers said multiple times this offseason that he won't be signing quickly with any team because 'I've been in the weeds with these people who are close to me that have cancer,' Rodgers recently told the ' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up If Rodgers truly is helping his sick friends before signing with the Steelers, he might want to say so more publicly and forcefully than he has. Because the impression Rodgers is giving is that he's once again being a diva — milking the attention and delaying his signing because he'd rather go on an ayahuasca retreat than participate in the Steelers' offseason program. Advertisement It's certainly Rodgers's right to skip the offseason since he's not under contract, but Steeler Nation is getting frustrated. It began in March when team leader Cam Heyward said he wasn't going to recruit Rodgers. 'I ain't doing that darkness retreat. I don't need any of that crap,' Heyward said. 'Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don't. That's simple, that's the pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers — if you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don't, no skin off my back.' This past week, with the Steelers beginning voluntary organized team activities, cornerback Darius Slay said, 'Everybody has to buy in, and this is the time that you need to be bought in.' And Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw went off on Rodgers in a radio interview in Arkansas. 'That is just to me is a joke,' The Steelers have little choice but to bite their lip and wait for Rodgers, who even at 41 and coming off a poor season is the Steelers' best option at quarterback this year. They have handled the transition from Ben Roethlisberger poorly, and their only quarterbacks are career backup Mason Rudolph , rookie sixth-rounder Will Howard , and practice squad candidate Skylar Thompson . With coach Mike Tomlin entering his 19th season and no playoff wins in eight years, 2025 could be make-or-break in Pittsburgh. But if Rodgers isn't careful, the Steelers could turn their attention to Cousins, who has been skipping the Falcons' voluntary OTAs while they work through his situation. Cousins, 36, would be more expensive, as Rodgers has said he'll play for as little as $10 million and Cousins is owed $27.5 million this year and $10 million next year. Advertisement It's possible that the Falcons have been waiting to trade Cousins until after June 1, when they can split his dead salary cap money over two years, but the lack of trade movement seems to be mostly about cash. Last year, the Broncos decided to cut Russell Wilson and pay him his $38 million guarantee, allowing the Steelers to sign Wilson for league minimum ($1 million). This year, the Falcons reportedly want an acquiring team to pick up about $20 million of Cousins's guarantee, which has stalled trade talks. If the Falcons were willing to eat the money, Cousins would likely be traded by now. The other problem is that most of the musical chairs have been filled. Other than the Steelers, the only team without a clear-cut starting quarterback is the Saints, who have rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough and youngsters Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener . A Falcons-Saints swap for Cousins makes sense, and intra-division trades do happen ( Drew Bledsoe , Donovan McNabb ), but the Falcons and Saints revel in their especially nasty rivalry. The Browns made sense for Cousins earlier this offseason, but now they'd probably have to trade and/or release Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco . The Jets could probably use another arm, but they chose Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor for a reason. Ironically, one team that could use Cousins is the Falcons. Penix is still unproven, and they don't have much behind him in career backup Easton Stick and youngster Emory Jones . In 99 percent of situations, the team will want to trade the expensive veteran to get out of the contract and put all its support behind the youngster. But Cousins might be the one guy who can be a good teammate and support Penix without making it awkward, and he'd be a great insurance policy for a team looking to make noise in the NFC. Advertisement Most likely, the Falcons will be patient through training camp and see if any new trade partners emerge, like when the Vikings traded a first-round pick for Sam Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater went down in 2016. Absent that, the Falcons may be better off keeping an expensive backup for 2025. The Falcons' trade options for Cousins have just about dried up as they struggle to find a team to take on a contract with $37.5 million fully guaranteed. Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press BILLS, BILLS, BILLS All isn't rosy in Buffalo All seems to be well in Western New York. The Bills locked up Josh Allen with a They have quietly had a messy offseason. Two of their bigger free agent signings, defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi , will begin the regular season with six-game suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. The Bills knew about Hoecht's punishment when they signed him, but Ogunjobi's came as a surprise on the day he signed his contract. Related : This past week, the news got worse. Pass rusher Joey Bosa , the Bills' biggest signing and the replacement for Von Miller , suffered a calf injury at voluntary OTAs and is out until training camp. Though it's potentially not a big deal for Bosa to miss nonpadded practices, the last thing he or the Bills need is a lingering calf injury. Now in his 10th season, Bosa has missed 23 games and played in 28 over the last three years. Advertisement 'Listen, it is concerning,' Bills coach Sean McDermott said. 'Durability, availability are key ties to our roster.' Amid all this was a notable exchange from Bills general manager Brandon Beane a few weeks ago, when he The pressure certainly seems to be building in Buffalo coming off Pass rusher Joey Bosa, the Bills' biggest signing and the replacement for Von Miller, suffered a calf injury at voluntary OTAs and is out until training camp. Maria Lysaker/Associated Press ETC. A few notes on the Patriots ▪ The Patriots led the NFL in The Patriots' cash spending for 2025 ($289 million) still ranks just 23rd, though they rank 10th in cash spending for 2026 ($244.5 million). ▪ Remarkable but true: Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers has never been on a winning team in eight NFL seasons. Peppers has won just 29 of 99 games he has played in since the Browns drafted him in the first round in 2017. Overall, his teams are 37-94-1 (.284) with no playoff appearances. Advertisement Peppers went 7-24-1 with the Browns (including an 0-16 season), 14-35 with the Giants, and 16-35 in three years with the Patriots. Peppers's best seasons were 8-9 with the 2022 Patriots and 7-8-1 with the 2018 Browns. 'I'll be the first one to tell you I'm tired of that,' he said last week. Related : ▪ The Patriots are going to have two epic joint practices this August featuring the quarterback class of 2024. First the Patriots will host the Commanders in Foxborough before their Aug. 8 preseason game, giving fans a chance to watch Drake Maye duel Commanders phenom Jayden Daniels . The next week, Maye will battle J.J. McCarthy as the Patriots visit the Vikings to practice before the Aug. 16 game. ▪ A league source, who knows Stefon Diggs from Buffalo and has no financial or personal reason to protect him, reached out Friday to defend Diggs in light of that 'I promise you, he's working harder down here than whatever he would be doing with the Patriots,' the source said. 'All he does is train all day. He works harder than all of their young receivers. He can throw with Drake later. Doing this now is going to help him be ready to go for Week 1.' Related : ▪ Caught up with the great Ernie Adams last week, who is still living in the area after Mike Vrabel insisted on playing weakside safety on the scout team defense when it was the starting offense's turn on the field, spending most of the time chirping at Tom Brady . 'It was the best part of practice,' Adams said. Tax man The NFL owners held their quarterly meetings two weeks ago in Minnesota. As usual, the NFL used a silly rule change — in this case, We may have discovered the reason that the NFL owners seem to be capitulating to President Donald Trump lately. The bill includes a provision that would allow sports owners to write off only half of the value of their intangible assets over 15 years, instead of a full write-off. A Congressional committee estimated the provision will raise nearly $1 billion over 10 years, but NFL owners believe it could cost them more. The bulk of NFL franchise values consist of intangible assets, including player contracts, media rights, and sponsorships. While the new tax provision would only affect future NFL owners, it could significantly hamper franchise sale values moving forward. Trump and the NFL have long been sparring partners, and this could be Trump's knockout blow. 'The president is committed to ensuring that sports teams overcharging ticketholders do not receive favorable tax treatment,' White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Times in a statement. 'His focus is on fairness for fans, not team ownership.' Hard at work No. 2 draft pick Travis Hunter hasn't signed his rookie contract yet, but he's putting in the work with the Jaguars at voluntary OTAs. Hunter is primarily practicing at receiver, but spent last Wednesday's practice with the cornerbacks and defense, and is participating in defensive meetings. Hunter hasn't done team drills on defense or played both sides of the ball in one practice, but it's coming. 'He still meets defensively every day that he's on offense. So, he's getting the mental part of it and being able to catch up on some of the communication, some of the corrections off the film from the defensive side of the ball,' Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. 'And it would probably be unfair to put him out on the grass and do both and ask him to go do that and see success. 'In season, he's definitely going to have to do that. I envision maybe a third-down day in-season where obviously he's playing receiver, but he's also going to have to go get some reps on defense and be able to do some of those things. It will come up, absolutely.' Extra points The Raiders will be a tricky Week 1 opponent for the Patriots, with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Geno Smith tough to get a read on. Kelly, Brian Schottenheimer : Certified 'Players' Coach.' The Ping-Pong table is back in the Cowboys' players' lounge. So is a 10-foot basketball hoop and putting competitions. And last week, he took the team to play paintball, an activity usually reserved for the very end of the offseason program. 'We went paintballing on the first day. I thought that was like a crazy thing, it's never happened before,' fourth-year guard Tyler Smith told the Dallas Morning News … Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't wrong this past week when he told reporters, 'Sounds like we need to play in the preseason, huh?' The Bengals have a 7-14-1 September record under coach Zac Taylor , who doesn't play his starters in the preseason. It was surprising to hear Chase call out his head coach so publicly, but he probably feels more confident speaking his mind after getting Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones an equal 170 reps, with equal turns with the 1s and 2s during OTAs. The Browns, though, aren't giving 25 percent of reps each to Joe Flacco , Kenny Pickett , Dillon Gabriel , and Shedeur Sanders … Congrats to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer for winning the Bill Nunn Award, becoming the second woman to earn this spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Cabot has been covering the Browns expertly since 1988, three years before Bill Belichick arrived … When I called former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck recently to chat about Tim , is the head coach. 'As a player in the NFL, you take for granted that there's 20 coaches that do all this,' Hasselbeck said. Ben Volin can be reached at
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
7 kid-friendly things to do in and around Boston for Memorial Day weekend
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT Ah, Memorial Day weekend: Three whole days without school, work, or (hopefully) extracurricular activities. What do you plan to do with your family? Here are seven quirky ideas in and around Boston, far from Boston Calling and the beach. 1. If your child is an adventurous eater, consider a ramen-making class at 2. Though it might be strange to contemplate wool in May, wool days at Advertisement 3. If you long to pry your children from screens in favor of some real, live culture, bear in mind that both the free admission on Memorial Day . Advertisement 4. Elsewhere in the artistic orbit, the kid-friendly ' ' runs at Harvard Square's Comedy Studio on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. A humorous take on the treacherous world of Dungeons & Dragons, the show is just $7 for gamers under 18. Audience participation is a possibility. 5. To take the sting out of any potential boredom, consider attending an at the Somerville Community Growing Center Saturday at 2 p.m. This kid-friendly STEM event combines opera with apiary activities: Learn about harvesting nectar and make bee-themed crafts, all while listening to Opera on Tap Boston croon tunes about the beauty of the natural world. 6. If screens are more your speed, fear not: Just weave some nostalgia into the mix with a 50th-anniversary screening of 'Jaws' to kick off summer. 7. Last but definitely not least: It's finally patio season . Family-friendly patios abound. In Newton, Advertisement 🧩 3 Down: POINTS OF INTEREST A rare spring nor'easter struck Boston on Thursday. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Boston Track record: There have been Crowded field: Nine candidates vying to Nor'easter: Heavy rains and high winds Online threats: After a loss, Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks said he received social media 'threats against my wife' and comments Massachusetts and New England Karen Read: A judge Home rule: Local officials, not state lawmakers, would get to Senate passed yesterday. House leaders are resisting the change. 'It is over': Everett's mayor has refused to return $180,000 in city funds he gave to himself as inflated bonuses. The city council plans to Wicked problem: Massachusetts utility bills are rising. Here's why Regional representation: Three of the four teams competing in this weekend's Division 3 women's lacrosse championship — Tufts, Middlebury, and Colby — Trump administration Trump's agenda: The massive tax bill the House passed yesterday would shift billions in spending Mixed review: The Supreme Court's conservative majority said Trump likely has the power to fire Democratic appointees to independent federal agencies but suggested he couldn't remove the Federal Reserve chair. ( RFK Jr.: 100 days into his tenure, Trump's health secretary's promises to disrupt the drug and food industries have also Legal fights: A judge temporarily blocked the administration from arresting, moving, or terminating the legal statuses of international students nationwide. ( The Nation Religious schools case: The Supreme Court deadlocked over whether Oklahoma can give public money to a religious public charter school, blocking the effort for now. ( Diddy trial: The rapper Kid Cudi, who dated Diddy's former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, accused Diddy of breaking into his home and testified that someone threw a Molotov cocktail into his car after Diddy allegedly threatened to blow it up. ( Plane crash: A private plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, killing at least 3 people and injuring 8 others. ( VIEWPOINTS Is a City Hall lovers' spat a political problem for Mayor Michelle Wu? Yes. The firing of two city employees who No. Even an ugly quarrel doesn't make for a mayoral management crisis, and attempts by Wu's rivals to drag one of her top aides into it BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin 🦈 You're going to need a bigger island: The 50th anniversary of the release of the blockbuster movie 'Jaws' is next month, and Martha's Vineyard, where it was filmed, has 📺 Streaming this weekend: 🥋 Wax on: The second major 'Karate Kid' spinoff of the year arrives May 30, and Ralph Maccio talks about ¢ A nickel for your thoughts: The Treasury is finally phasing out production of the penny, as Trump ordered. ( Advertisement ⏰ Welcome to ' ': It's the dreaded month, Kara Baskin writes, in which parents 👄 Look into my teeth: Eyes may be the window to your soul, but your mouth gives dental hygienists a peek into your health, such as how you sleep, if you smoke, and even what you eat. ( 🦎 Fin to limb: The discovery in Australia of the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like creature suggests that the first animals to slither out of the ocean were able to walk and live on land a lot sooner than anyone thought. ( Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Boston Globe
19-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
‘What's more patriotic than Americans helping other Americans?'
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT Nicole Kach has always wanted to help people. Growing up in Seekonk, Mass., Kach cleared trails with the Girl Scouts and volunteered at the town food pantry. During her junior year at UMass Dartmouth, she led a service trip to Guatemala to help install water filtration systems. So when the head of her college's office of community service suggested she consider serving with AmeriCorps after graduating last spring, Kach agreed. She applied to be a team leader with the National Civilian Community Corps, part of a network of AmeriCorps programs that fields teams of young adults to work on community service projects across the US for months at a time. 'It's important to give back to others,' Kach wrote in her application, 'and I believe that participating in AmeriCorps is one of the ways I can do that.' A few months later, Kach was on the other side of the country, leading a team of a dozen NCCC members to fireproof a campsite and retreat center in Julian, Calif. After that, her team headed to the Seattle area, where they worked at a food bank and helped low-income residents file their taxes. Advertisement Then Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency stepped in. Advertisement Kach was helping a woman with her tax return when her boss called. The Trump administration had ordered her team demobilized. Kach and her fellow corps members needed to leave their worksite, pack their things, and return to AmeriCorps' regional hub in Sacramento immediately. Their service was over. 'I just remember dropping to the floor and just sobbing,' Kach said. 'Probably the hardest thing that I've ever done was telling the team that we were going home.' Besides sadness, Kach's main emotion was confusion. Congress had already appropriated funding for AmeriCorps. Her team was already out in the field. 'We just all thought that we were doing such good work for the communities we were in,' she said. (The White House has called AmeriCorps 'a target-rich environment for President Trump's agenda to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse,' even though an audit of the agency last year made no claims of fraud Besides Kach's, the administration has demobilized NCCC teams that were building homes in North Carolina, facilitating afterschool programs in Arizona, and Advertisement It's hard for me to be objective about Kach and her work because I also did AmeriCorps. For 10 months between high school and college, I served as a tutor and classroom assistant in a Boston public school with an AmeriCorps program called City Year. The administration's grant terminations have impacted City Year's operations in several cities, a program spokesman told me. AmeriCorps has long had bipartisan support. The agency began in 1993 under Bill Clinton, but many Republicans 'People I'm talking with are in advanced stages of sorrow,' Goldsmith said. Their concerns reflect the many ways AmeriCorps' work helps people. Independent studies find that some of the agency's programs generate National service also exposes those who undertake it to people unlike themselves. Kach's team reflected the country, comprising corps members from Texas, New Jersey, Ohio, Arizona, and Puerto Rico. The City Year team I served on remains the most socioeconomically diverse group I've ever worked with. 'You can think about it as helping understand the lives of others, which is important,' said Goldsmith, who is now a Harvard professor. 'But you can also think about it as a training ground for civic leadership.' Advertisement AmeriCorps isn't for everyone. The work is poorly compensated and can be grueling. Kach received a $500 stipend every two weeks; her corps members got even less. Over five months, four of them dropped out. 'I went into AmeriCorps knowing I was gonna be dirt poor,' Kach said. 'I did it because I believed in the mission.' Kach is now back at her parents' home in Seekonk applying for jobs. She's confident she'll land on her feet, but less sure about those her service was helping. 'It's a question as to who's going to do this work,' she said. Still, Kach left even more convinced that AmeriCorps was good for her, is good for America, and is worth preserving. 'It made me realize for sure that the biggest thing I want to do is to continue to help the country,' she said. 'That sounds so cringey to be like, 'I want to keep helping people!' But it's honest-to-God true.' 🧩 6 Across: | ⛅ 61 ° POINTS OF INTEREST Canton, Mass. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Boston and Massachusetts Karen Read retrial: Testimony has given Canton, the town where John O'Keefe died, a reputation for hard drinking and casual drunk driving. The data Looking ahead: This spring has been warmer and wetter than usual. Here's what that RIP: Charlene Roberts-Hayden grew up in Medford and became a pioneering Black woman in computer programming. She Trump administration Russia-Ukraine war: Russia launched hundreds of drones against Ukraine. Trump is scheduled to speak with Vladimir Putin today in an effort to end the war. ( Israel-Hamas war: After US pressure, Israel said it would allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza even as it began a new ground offensive there. ( Trump's agenda: A House committee advanced Trump's tax bill after conservative Republican holdouts, who blocked it last week for not cutting Medicaid sooner, relented in exchange for promised changes. ( Friendly fire: Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, praised Trump for securing the southern border, but called his tariffs a tax hike. ( New pope: JD Vance, Trump's current vice president, met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome. ( Haitian Flag Day: On the holiday, Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune The Nation and the World Collision: Officials are investigating what caused a Mexican Navy training vessel to hit the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two sailors. ( Fertility clinic bombing: The FBI identified the suspect who detonated a car bomb in Palm Springs, Calif., as a man who said he opposed bringing people into the world against their will. ( N.J. strike: New Jersey Transit's train engineers reached a tentative deal to end a three-day strike that disrupted service to New York City and elsewhere. ( Tornados: After deadly twisters struck Kentucky and Missouri, locals reported tornado damage in Colorado and Kansas. ( International elections: Bucharest's liberal, pro-Europe mayor won Romania's presidential election, beating a right-wing nationalist. ( BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin 🗓️ Free events this week: A best margarita contest, outdoor exercise classes, a BPL film screening, free concerts, 🌞 Summer Arts Guide: Globe critics and contributors have put together a comprehensive list of Advertisement 📺 TV this week: Julianne Moore stars in a dark comedy, Sarah Silverman mourns her parents, Tyler Perry has a new political sitcom, 🍿 Movie review: The recap of the entire Mission: Impossible series that opens the latest installment is tedious. But when the action starts, 🎭 SNL rumors: The last episode of SNL's 50th season Saturday had no cast goodbyes, so speculation over who's leaving — including boss Lorne Michaels — is rampant. ( 🙏 Appreciating New England: Quit whining about the rain and look around, photographer Stan Grossfeld says: 🔌 Worker beware: Even if your boss tells you to unplug outside of work hours, she may not mean it. And could ding you for it. ( 🥒 Food watch: Deli meat, cucumbers, and some cheeses made Consumer Reports' list of the 10 riskiest foods to eat because of the frequency of bacterial contamination. ( ⚾️ Fat chance: One-time Red Sox nemesis Ron Darling, the former Mets pitcher who grew up in Millbury, considers himself Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can Advertisement 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump's efforts to boost birthrates (probably) aren't going to work. Neither are anybody else's.
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT I am a single, 47-year-old relationship writer who's never wanted kids, so, as you can imagine, I have been reading recent stories about declining birthrates, in the US and worldwide, with great interest — and many opinions. I've never been 'mom material' — I am built to be a fun and supportive aunt-type — but I want to live in a world where people who want children can have them, support them, and keep them (and themselves) healthy. As you probably know, there's been a lot of talk about why people aren't having children, and why the birthrate is plummeting globally. It's Advertisement The problem with that? The world's population is aging. We need workers and caregivers. Not everyone can be like me. There are plenty of people who want kids, but see barriers to having them. Globe business reporter Dana Gerber would have children — or more children — if they had the money to support them comfortably. Advertisement The current administration's proposed solutions to this problem make me feel like I'm watching 'The Handmaid's Tale,' of course. The Trump administration is considering giving women $5,000 to have kids, and a 'National Medal of Motherhood' for those who have six or more. I hate all of that, but I will say that from my vantage point, no government or administration seems to be asking the right questions when it comes to falling birthrates and how to deal with them. In South Korea, for instance, which has had the lowest global birthrate since 2013, some local leaders have gone into the matchmaking business. In Seongnam city, just southeast of Seoul, Mayor Shin Sang-Jin has made headlines for hosting parties for singles. He hopes the events will help people fall in love so that they get married and have babies. We did a I do not like the idea of a city butting into people's love lives (although I'll admit, the initiative did seem to be helping people find partners). But I especially didn't like the mayor's plan to go into school classes to teach young kids the message that, as he put it to me, 'marriage is a blessing and childbirth is happiness.' It sounded like brainwashing. And while marriage and kids can be lovely, so is being single in a clean apartment. Advertisement South Korea's birthrate did increase in 2024, slightly. I suspect this has something to do with more companies offering better benefits to parents. What Mayor Shin seemed to miss, on a more global level, are the many reasons why girls and women feel like marriage and children can be an unpleasant path. There can be a loss of freedom; the gender division of labor at home is still lopsided. That's a big issue in the US, too. While reporting a new story about how COVID-19 Corrine Wiborg, who presented a paper at the recent annual meeting of the Population Association of America in Washington, D.C., said this trend started in 2015, with more and more high school seniors saying they're unsure that marriage and children will be part of their future. This comes from the I'd also like to know more about what young people want and how we can help them find it. The answers to those questions might produce better solutions than brainwashing students or $5,000 bribes, and actually show us a path to the future. Advertisement If you'd like to try my Love Letters newsletter, . 🧩 4 Across: | 😶🌫️ 76° POINTS OF INTEREST Staff at Butler Hospital in Providence rallied in the rain yesterday. It's the facility's first strike in 37 years. Lane Turner/Globe Staff Boston and New England Karen Read: The doctor who autopsied John O'Keefe called his head wound 'severe,' but said she'd been Walkout: Nurses and staff Bear necessities: To cull a growing population of black bears, Massachusetts regulators Looks familiar: The CEO of Baystate Health, Western Massachusetts' biggest health system, writes a weekly blog for employees. He New building: Lego executives — joined by Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and people dressed like toy minifigures — cut the ribbon on Surprise discount: In 1946, Harvard bought a copy of the Magna Carta for $27.50. It turns out to be Mayoral race: Wu and Josh Kraft traded criticisms at a candidate forum that included their two lesser-known rivals. Asked which ward he lived in, Kraft answered, ' Trump administration Supreme Court: During arguments, the justices Trump's agenda: Conservative House Republicans threatened to block Trump's tax bill from advancing today because they want it to cut Medicaid sooner. ( Kseniia Petrova: A judge ordered federal authorities to transfer a Harvard cancer researcher back to Massachusetts to face charges that she smuggling frog embryos into the US. The administration is Violent arrest: A Guatemalan native whose car window was smashed in by ICE agents during his arrest in New Bedford last month No deal: Immigrant rights groups want Governor Healey to ban police throughout Massachusetts Higher power: After officials in Weare, N.H. cracked down on a backyard church, the church sued the town. Trump's Justice Department The Nation Another airport outage: Air traffic controllers in Denver lost contact with planes for 90 seconds this week, similar to recent equipment failures at Newark airport. ( Diddy trial: Sean Combs' defense lawyers cross-examined the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, trying to portray the music mogul's ex-girlfriend as a willing participant in his drug-fueled orgies. ( UnitedHealth Group: The health insurance giant's stock price slid after it abruptly replaced its CEO this week and the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department is investigating it for possible Medicare fraud. ( WNBA: The season starts tonight. VIEWPOINTS Is the new Copley Square an eyesore? Yes, says the Globe's Editorial Board. The park needed renovating, but the new design has turned its inviting lawn into ' Be patient, counters MassLive's John L. Micek. The sleek new space makes room for music performances and, maybe, a beer garden. And the city BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin ✈️ Um, excuse me: Airplane seat squatters, a new breed of 🚚 Helping hand: Her DoorDash order was delivered by her former teacher who needed extra money for bills. So she 💘 Blind date: They both are scientists and even have similar hair. 📺 Weekend streaming: 'Paddington in Peru,' season 7 of 'The Chi,' the latest season of 'Nine Perfect Strangers,' and 🎵 US debut: During the Boston Early Music Festival, the Boston Camerata will perform a timely program about Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday.
