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Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will agree to narrow the categories of documents she'll investigate in her pursuit of the legal authority to audit the legislative branch, she tells Axios.

Why it matters: It's a concession from DiZoglio that allows her suit against legislative leaders to proceed.

The auditor has been waging a legal war against the Legislature and Attorney General's office over the voter-backed law letting her look into lawmakers' books.

Yes, but: DiZoglio tells Axios accepting the narrower categories of documents now doesn't mean she'll stop there in future investigations.

And she'll only accept the terms once her chosen attorney is officially appointed to represent her.

What they're saying: "This case doesn't limit our audit but rather initiates it," DiZoglio told Axios Sunday.

State of play: DiZoglio tells Axios she will refile her complaint and limit her initial request for documents to just four categories: chamber budgets, official audits, balance-forward transaction records and employee settlement agreements, all for fiscal years 2021–2024.

DiZoglio says her office will proceed only when Shannon Liss-Riordan, the attorney she's chosen to represent her in lieu of counsel from the attorney general, is formally appointed to the role by the AG's office.

Catch up quick: DiZoglio faced a deadline Monday to either narrow her lawsuit seeking to audit the Legislature, or watch the standoff grind to another halt.

The big picture: The Supreme Judicial Court wants to settle whether the Legislature is legally subject to the auditor's oversight, but the clash between Attorney General Andrea Campbell and DiZoglio has slowed things down.

During oral arguments, Justice Scott Kafker said the parties were "battling each other to exhaustion" while the public interest went unresolved.

State of play: Campbell authorized DiZoglio last week to retain labor attorney Liss-Riordan as outside counsel and abandoned her prior role of officially defending the General Court.

Campbell's authorization carries strict conditions. DiZoglio must: 

Dismiss her February lawsuit against House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka. 

Refile the complaint confined to just the four select categories of documents.

Between the lines: DiZoglio has pushed back on any suggestion that accepting the narrowed scope undermines her office's broader authority to pursue more documents from the Legislature.

She insists the four-category limit applies only to this litigation.

What we're watching: Campbell has reserved the right to file her own separate briefs if Liss-Riordan's arguments conflict with the AG's established legal positions.

The arrangement that allowed Liss-Riordan's appointment means the AG could file opposing briefs. 

That would cause a further constitutional mess where two executive-branch lawyers stand on opposite sides of the same case.

What's next: When DiZoglio accepts the terms, Liss-Riordan will file a new complaint naming Mariano, Spilka and both chambers' clerks, while agreeing to the limited scope of documents.

A court could then finally rule on whether legislative leaders are bound by the 2024 law and allow DiZoglio to look into some, but not yet all, of the General Court's affairs.

Scoop: DiZoglio will limit audit suit scope — but says it's just the opening move

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will refile her complaint limited to four document categories — chamber budgets, audits, balance-forward transactions, and employee settlements — but insists the concession doesn't cap her broader authority.

Photo illustration of auditor Diana DiZoglio with lines emanating from her. 

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will agree to narrow the categories of documents she&#x27;ll investigate in her pursuit of the legal authority to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="audit the legislative branch" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/10/massachusetts-legislative-audit-standoff-heads-to-court" data-vars-content-id="2fa059a3-1bed-4cac-9227-da115bac54dc" data-vars-headline="Scoop: DiZoglio will limit audit suit scope — but says it&#x27;s just the opening move" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/10/massachusetts-legislative-audit-standoff-heads-to-court" target="_self">audit the legislative branch</a>, she tells Axios.Why it matters: It&#x27;s a concession from DiZoglio that allows her suit against legislative leaders to proceed.

Politics

Harvard University named 1,613 people enslaved by university affiliates in a sweeping new database released Tuesday.

Why it matters: It marks the most significant documented expansion of Harvard's ties to slavery since it identified roughly 70 enslaved individuals in a 2022 report.

Researchers warn the final count could exceed current figures by a factor of 100, the Boston Globe reported.

Nearly 3,000 affiliates' records are still under review.

Catch up quick: Harvard dissolved its in-house Slavery Remembrance Program in January 2025 amid internal disputes over research scope, transferring the work to Boston genealogy nonprofit American Ancestors.

Researchers found 259 confirmed enslavers among Harvard leaders, faculty and staff.

What's next: Harvard has committed to descendant engagement focused on education and information sharing, while explicitly ruling out monetary reparations or preferential admissions in the near term.

Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates

New research identifies 259 enslavers among Harvard leadership and staff.

A gate entrance to Harvard Yard on Harvard University’s campus.

An entrance to Harvard Yard in June 2025. Photo: Cassandra Klos/Bloomberg via Getty Images

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Harvard University" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/11/harvard-faculty-vote-grade-inflation-cap-a-grades-ivy-league" data-vars-content-id="577adbfe-5b30-492a-82da-e0f915e266ff" data-vars-headline="Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/11/harvard-faculty-vote-grade-inflation-cap-a-grades-ivy-league" target="_self">Harvard University</a> named 1,613 people enslaved by university affiliates in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a sweeping new database" data-vars-click-url="https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/supporting-descendants/harvard-slavery-remembrance-program/" data-vars-content-id="577adbfe-5b30-492a-82da-e0f915e266ff" data-vars-headline="Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/supporting-descendants/harvard-slavery-remembrance-program/" target="_blank">a sweeping new database</a> released Tuesday.Why it matters: It marks the most significant documented expansion of Harvard&#x27;s ties to slavery since it identified roughly 70 enslaved individuals in a 2022 report.

News

Harvard's faculty begins voting Tuesday on limiting the number of top grades professors can award students.

Why it matters: Grade inflation is at a tipping point at Harvard.

A move to make A grades harder to come by at one of the world's leading universities could influence grading debates at peer institutions.

By the numbers: Solid A's account for nearly two-thirds of all undergraduate letter grades. That's up from roughly a quarter 20 years ago.

More than 50 members of last year's class graduated with perfect GPAs.

State of play: An online ballot for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences opens Tuesday and closes in one week, with results announced May 20.

The big picture: The steady rise of A and B grades at elite universities since the early 2000s has reduced university GPAs as a screening tool for employers and graduate admissions offices.

In 2010, A's accounted for one-third of all marks, according to an internal Harvard report. By 2025, that number doubled to over 60%.

Faculty are voting on three separate provisions. Each requires a simple majority to pass.

A cap to limit solid-A grades to 20% of enrolled students in a class, plus four additional A's per course.

Changes to how internal honors are calculated, moving from traditional grade point average scoring to an average percentile rank.

Allowing courses to use new "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" marks with a "satisfactory-plus" distinction.

What we're watching: A pre-vote faculty poll showed around 60% of the 205 respondents favored the 20-plus-four formula over an alternative.

Between the lines: Supporters of the cap argue it's intentionally modest as it places no restrictions on A-minuses.

The four-grade buffer is designed to protect small seminars where a higher proportion of students may succeed.

Yes, but: Critics insist that any restrictions or quota systems undermine academic freedom.

They say a capped system at Harvard may disadvantage students competing for graduate placements against peers from schools without restrictions.

Princeton and Wellesley previously adopted anti-grade-inflation policies and later rolled them back amid concerns about student stress, perceptions of quotas and other unintended consequences.

Princeton's review, however, found no measurable harm to graduates' competitiveness.

What's next: If passed, changes would take effect in fall 2027, followed by a mandatory three-year review.

As a higher education leader, Harvard's decision could pressure other institutions to revisit their own grading norms.

Harvard votes on limiting "A" grades

Faculty begin voting this week on whether to limit top grades to 20% of students per course.

People walk past the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library on Harvard's campus on June 5, 2025.

Harvard faculty are considering cracking down on grade inflation. Photo: Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Harvard&#x27;s faculty begins voting Tuesday on limiting the number of top grades professors can award students.Why it matters: Grade inflation is at a tipping point at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Harvard" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/14/harvards-endowment-trump-grant-funding-cuts" data-vars-content-id="97b4c468-9320-4190-bfb6-5c2f6f275604" data-vars-headline="Harvard votes on limiting &quot;A&quot; grades" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/14/harvards-endowment-trump-grant-funding-cuts" target="_self">Harvard</a>.<ul><li>A move to make A grades harder to come by at one of the world&#x27;s leading universities could influence grading debates at peer institutions.</li></ul>

Education

All it took was one poll to scramble assumptions about the Massachusetts Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, one of the most watched races in the state this year.

Why it matters: After last week's Emerson poll showed Rep. Seth Moulton within a five-point striking distance of incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, politicos who expected a sleepy campaign season are rethinking the challenger's chances.

State of play: The poll had Markey at 37% to Moulton's 32%.

Almost as many voters, 29%, said they're still undecided.

That's a dramatic shift from an April Suffolk University survey that put Markey up by 17 points, though he still leads significantly among registered Democrats.

Between the lines: In a low-turnout primary, a large undecided bloc is a huge opportunity.

Moulton's "generational change" argument, centered on Markey's age, appears to be finding some traction with unenrolled voters outside the Democratic base.

Zoom in: The poll's crosstabs are where Markey's team should be paying attention.

Moulton leads among unenrolled voters 38%–32%.

Among voters under 50, 39% say they're undecided.

And among women, historically a core constituency for Markey, 33% say they haven't made up their minds.

What they're saying: "When you give voters a choice between the status quo and next-generation leadership, they choose the future," Moulton spokesman Taylor Hebble told Axios.

Moulton's team say they want to maintain their momentum leading into the Democratic state convention later this month.

Yes, but: Markey's campaign sees the Emerson poll as an aberration.

"Sometimes a poll is such a clear outlier you have to wonder if they accidentally surveyed a parallel universe," Markey campaign manager Cam Charbonnier told Axios.

The big picture: Markey's structural advantages in the race are still formidable.

He holds endorsements from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and most major labor unions.

And there is still considerable energy and loyalty in the "Markeyverse" of younger, college-educated progressives that lifted him through the challenge six years ago from former Congressman Joe Kennedy.

What's next: Backed by party loyalists, Markey will likely have a strong showing at the state convention in Worcester on May 29.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary faces little threat in the general election.

Attorney and crypto activist John Deaton, the presumptive GOP nominee, trails both Markey and Moulton by more than 20 points in recent polling.

The bottom line: The Dem race is real, but one poll doesn't make it a toss-up. 

Markey is still the clear favorite. Moulton needs those undecideds to break his way, and fast, if he's to stay competitive.

Markey vs. Moulton race heats up

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts appears to be tightening.

Two side-by-side images: at left, an older man with graying hair in a blue suit and purple tie pumps his fist while speaking exuberantly. at right, a younger man in a dark suit and striped tie gestures by wagging his finger while speaking.

Sen. Ed Markey (left) faces a growing primary threat from U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton. Photos: Joseph Prezioso and Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.All it took was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one poll" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/07/markey-moulton-ma-senate-primary-poll" data-vars-content-id="ce795bde-c3de-4eb6-ad24-993ac450edd0" data-vars-headline="Markey vs. Moulton race heats up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/07/markey-moulton-ma-senate-primary-poll" target="_self">one poll</a> to scramble assumptions about the Massachusetts Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, one of the most watched races in the state this year.Why it matters: After last week&#x27;s Emerson poll showed Rep. Seth Moulton within a five-point striking distance of incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, politicos who expected a sleepy campaign season are rethinking the challenger&#x27;s chances.

Tyler Brown, 46, had left McLean Hospital in Belmont just three days before police say he opened fire and wounded two people on Memorial Drive Monday.

Brown allegedly made suicidal statements to his parole officer over FaceTime and brandished a rifle on the call before police could locate him.

Authorities said a state trooper and an armed civilian ultimately shot and wounded him.

Why it matters: Warning signs about Brown were documented. Police tracked his phone to Cambridge roughly 20 minutes before shots were fired, but couldn't reach him in time.

Catch up quick: Brown served five to six years for a 2020 shootout with Boston police.

What's next: An arraignment date is pending.

Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting

Tyler Brown left McLean Hospital just three days before making suicidal statements over FaceTime before allegedly opening fire on Memorial Drive, wounding two people critically.

Police officers speak with people seated inside a car on a Cambridge street.

Police interview people in a car after a shooting on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Mass., on May 11. Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe via Getty Images

Tyler Brown, 46, had left McLean Hospital in Belmont just three days before police say he opened fire and wounded two people on Memorial Drive Monday.<ul><li>Brown allegedly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="made suicidal statements" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tyler-brown-cambridge-shooting-memorial-drive-hospital/" data-vars-content-id="fd732ec2-96da-4f0a-bd9f-837e5cf8c864" data-vars-headline="Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tyler-brown-cambridge-shooting-memorial-drive-hospital/" target="_blank">made suicidal statements</a> to his parole officer over FaceTime and brandished a rifle on the call before police could locate him.</li><li>Authorities said a state trooper and an armed civilian ultimately shot and wounded him.</li></ul>

Mike Deehan

Featured stories

Scoop: DiZoglio will limit audit suit scope — but says it's just the opening move

Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates

Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting

Harvard votes on limiting "A" grades

Markey vs. Moulton race heats up