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Milford teen leaves State of the Union early after DHS post

The Department of Homeland Security singled him out in a post during President Trump's speech.

Politics

A Milford teen who was briefly detained by federal immigration agents last year went to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="State of the Union" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/2026-state-of-the-union-trump-key-moments" data-vars-content-id="b002d20b-4301-43ac-9a1c-070e816b1f9f" data-vars-headline="Milford teen leaves State of the Union early after DHS post" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/2026-state-of-the-union-trump-key-moments" target="_self">State of the Union</a> as a guest Tuesday — only to leave partway through after getting singled out online by the Trump administration.Why it matters: Marcelo Gomes da Silva <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="became a poster child" data-vars-click-url="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/ice-volleyball-arrest-eighteen-gomes-da-silva-milford/" data-vars-content-id="b002d20b-4301-43ac-9a1c-070e816b1f9f" data-vars-headline="Milford teen leaves State of the Union early after DHS post" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/ice-volleyball-arrest-eighteen-gomes-da-silva-milford/" target="_blank">became a poster child</a> for opponents of Trump&#x27;s immigration agenda, who say federal agents have kidnapped young, undocumented people with no criminal records who contributed to their communities.

Why John Henry probably won't bail like Bezos on the Globe

It comes down to money, power, and who has something to lose locally.

News

Massachusetts&#x27; own benevolent billionaire newspaper owner has every reason to stick around and almost none of the pressures that led <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jeff Bezos to decimate the Washington Post" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/05/washington-post-layoffs-bezos" data-vars-content-id="56d1870f-9318-4ee0-9c9a-c0f806ce06d5" data-vars-headline="Why John Henry probably won&#x27;t bail like Bezos on the Globe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/05/washington-post-layoffs-bezos" target="_self">Jeff Bezos to decimate the Washington Post</a>.Why it matters: There are fundamental differences behind why Bezos and Boston Globe owner John Henry bought a newspaper in the first place and what it costs them to keep it.

Larry Summers resigns from Harvard professorship amid Epstein probe

Summers' exit is the latest in a reckoning on college campuses over ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Education

Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and Harvard president, is officially out of a job at the university.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Summers&#x27; exit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/epstein-larry-summers-relationship-resignation" data-vars-content-id="563e3826-3363-4758-a31e-63e15953b48c" data-vars-headline="Larry Summers resigns from Harvard professorship amid Epstein probe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/epstein-larry-summers-relationship-resignation" target="_self">Summers&#x27; exit</a> from his professorship at Harvard is the latest in a reckoning over U.S. college leaders&#x27; ties to sex offender <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jeffrey Epstein" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/13/epstein-files-fracture-trump-coalition-bondi" data-vars-content-id="563e3826-3363-4758-a31e-63e15953b48c" data-vars-headline="Larry Summers resigns from Harvard professorship amid Epstein probe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/13/epstein-files-fracture-trump-coalition-bondi" target="_self">Jeffrey Epstein</a>.

Dunkin' is selling a 48oz "Bucket" for the iced coffee obsessed

The coffee giant is leaning into its New England roots with massive new cups and a single insulated mitten.

Dunkin&#x27; has been leaning hard into its New England roots this winter with two new releases that seem a bit too on the nose for the &quot;iced-coffee-in-a-blizzard&quot; crowd:<ul><li>A single insulated mitten for your iced coffee hand</li><li>And a massive 48oz &quot;Bucket&quot; size the likes of which are usually only found around PS Gourmet locations.</li></ul>

Beth Israel starts using AI-driven tool to spot breast cancer risk

The AI-driven platform can detect breast cancer risk over five years.

Health

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on Friday rolled out an AI-driven technology that detects the risk of developing breast cancer in the next five years.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Clairity Breast" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/11/ai-breast-cancer-risk-mammogram-guidelines" data-vars-content-id="29ddeb30-591b-4178-96c5-e75c48f33c25" data-vars-headline="Beth Israel starts using AI-driven tool to spot breast cancer risk" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/11/ai-breast-cancer-risk-mammogram-guidelines" target="_self">Clairity Breast</a> platform, which obtained <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="FDA de novo authorization" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bcrf.org/blog/clairity-breast-ai-artificial-intelligence-mammogram-approved/" data-vars-content-id="29ddeb30-591b-4178-96c5-e75c48f33c25" data-vars-headline="Beth Israel starts using AI-driven tool to spot breast cancer risk" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bcrf.org/blog/clairity-breast-ai-artificial-intelligence-mammogram-approved/" target="_blank">FDA de novo authorization</a> last year, can detect breast cancer risk for a broader swath of people, says Connie Lehman, Clairity&#x27;s founder and CEO.

Healey sets out to slash health care red tape

New regulations aim to reduce delays and lower administrative costs.

As Massachusetts residents struggle with increasing health care costs, Gov. Maura Healey is trying to take a cleaver — not a scalpel — to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="insurance bureaucracy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/10/28/mass-residents-face-massive-health-care-premium-hikes-amid-shutdown" data-vars-content-id="720073de-e310-4baf-aef7-eb8c3a1138fd" data-vars-headline="Healey sets out to slash health care red tape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/10/28/mass-residents-face-massive-health-care-premium-hikes-amid-shutdown" target="_self">insurance bureaucracy</a> that can delay patient care. Why it matters: Healey, flanked by legislative leaders, announced a plan to eliminate prior authorization requirements for some essential services.

H3N2 "super flu" drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide

We're seeing unprecedented flu hospitalizations as H3N2 "super flu" spreads.

The United States is seeing a massive surge in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="flu cases" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/12/16/flu-cases-rising-in-dallas-fort-worth" data-vars-content-id="ae6e6ca1-e6a1-4fdf-b97d-2782d4517c0a" data-vars-headline="H3N2 &quot;super flu&quot; drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/12/16/flu-cases-rising-in-dallas-fort-worth" target="_self">flu cases</a> this winter, many of them attributed to the so-called &quot;super flu.&quot;Why it matters: An unprecedented rise in flu cases comes as other sicknesses — such as the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="winter vomiting bug" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/24/norovirus-winter-vomiting-bug-variant-symptoms" data-vars-content-id="ae6e6ca1-e6a1-4fdf-b97d-2782d4517c0a" data-vars-headline="H3N2 &quot;super flu&quot; drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/24/norovirus-winter-vomiting-bug-variant-symptoms" target="_self">winter vomiting bug</a>,&quot; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/health/coronavirus" data-vars-content-id="ae6e6ca1-e6a1-4fdf-b97d-2782d4517c0a" data-vars-headline="H3N2 &quot;super flu&quot; drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/health/coronavirus" target="_self">COVID</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="whooping cough" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/28/whooping-cough-pertussis-symptoms-cases-november-kentucky" data-vars-content-id="ae6e6ca1-e6a1-4fdf-b97d-2782d4517c0a" data-vars-headline="H3N2 &quot;super flu&quot; drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/28/whooping-cough-pertussis-symptoms-cases-november-kentucky" target="_self">whooping cough</a> — are slamming the United States this winter.

Boston Children's Hospital plans $640M psychiatric expansion

The new facility in Brighton is funded by a record $100M donation from Rob and Karen Hale.

Boston Children&#x27;s Hospital will build a 116-bed psychiatric hospital in Brighton.Why it matters: The project will nearly double Children&#x27;s inpatient psychiatric capacity amid a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="persistent mental health crisis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/24/mental-health-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="89fd06e4-61c7-4ccf-8798-a1b03695eb9d" data-vars-headline="Boston Children&#x27;s Hospital plans $640M psychiatric expansion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/24/mental-health-pandemic" target="_self">persistent mental health crisis</a>.<ul><li>Pediatric patients spend days boarding in emergency rooms waiting for beds while capacity fills up.</li></ul>

MGB study shows racial disparities in extreme temperature-related deaths

Extreme weather events and temperature shifts may only expose more vulnerable populations to health risks.

Extreme heat and cold have led to more than 69,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past 25 years, a new study led by investigators at Mass General Brigham suggests.Why it matters: Climate change is contributing to extreme weather events and temperature shifts, which may only expose more vulnerable populations to health risks.

Massachusetts leads in lung cancer treatment, but faces racial disparities

Massachusetts grapples with racial disparities when it comes to diagnosing patients and treatment.

Massachusetts has some of the best diagnosis and treatment rates for lung cancer, but those early responses don&#x27;t always reach Black and Asian residents.Why it matters: The state is home to arguably the best health care hubs in the nation, but still grapples with racial health disparities that could cost some patients their lives.

Mass. residents face massive health care premium hikes amid shutdown

Increases could average more than $1,300 per year based on 2026 rates, per Health Connector officials.

Open enrollment for Massachusetts&#x27; health insurance marketplace starts Saturday and nearly 300,000 Bay Staters could see coverage costs soar.Why it matters: The Massachusetts Health Connector says the projected hikes could push tens of thousands of people to drop coverage and go without insurance.

Fenway Health ends gender-affirming care services for teens, citing federal pressure

Families with trans teens say the move is devastating.

Fenway Health is the latest U.S. health care provider to stop offering puberty blockers and hormones to teens during the Trump administration.Between the lines: Fenway Health said it had to choose between ending services and keeping them at risk of losing federal funding to offer low- and middle-income residents primary care.

Anti-vaxxers rally on Beacon Hill against vaccine mandates

Activists echoing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s debunked claims have found some support in state government.

Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.Massachusetts is the second-<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="most-vaccinated" data-vars-click-url="https://wallethub.com/edu/states-that-vaccinate-the-most/66237" data-vars-content-id="1f988f1e-f0ac-45b5-b0c5-e906f49b0f27" data-vars-headline="Anti-vaxxers rally on Beacon Hill against vaccine mandates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://wallethub.com/edu/states-that-vaccinate-the-most/66237" target="_blank">most-vaccinated</a> state in the country, but there&#x27;s still a burgeoning anti-vax movement here that&#x27;s pushing Beacon Hill lawmakers to loosen standards and mandates.Why it matters: Activists echoing some of Trump administration Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="debunked" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/14/rfk-jr-positions-vaccines-drugs-health-care" data-vars-content-id="1f988f1e-f0ac-45b5-b0c5-e906f49b0f27" data-vars-headline="Anti-vaxxers rally on Beacon Hill against vaccine mandates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/14/rfk-jr-positions-vaccines-drugs-health-care" target="_self">debunked</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="claims" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/measles-misinformation-amid-outbreak-rfk-jr-poll" data-vars-content-id="1f988f1e-f0ac-45b5-b0c5-e906f49b0f27" data-vars-headline="Anti-vaxxers rally on Beacon Hill against vaccine mandates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/measles-misinformation-amid-outbreak-rfk-jr-poll" target="_self">claims</a> about vaccines have found some support in state government.

Healey expands COVID vaccine access, mandates coverage

The moves by Gov. Maura Healey directly counter federal restrictions.

Pharmacists in Massachusetts can administer COVID-19 booster shots to residents aged 5 and older, while insurers will be required to cover any shots recommended by the state. Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="moves" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/09/04/covid-booster-access-massachusetts-order" data-vars-content-id="9d4c4d0b-3fe8-4ef2-9213-f04f86d69307" data-vars-headline="Healey expands COVID vaccine access, mandates coverage" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/09/04/covid-booster-access-massachusetts-order" target="_blank">moves</a> by Gov. Maura Healey directly counter <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal restrictions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/27/covid-vaccine-2025-fda-recommendation-rfk" data-vars-content-id="9d4c4d0b-3fe8-4ef2-9213-f04f86d69307" data-vars-headline="Healey expands COVID vaccine access, mandates coverage" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/27/covid-vaccine-2025-fda-recommendation-rfk" target="_self">federal restrictions</a> implemented by the Trump administration this week.<ul><li>Massachusetts is the first state to mandate insurance coverage of vaccines, even if the federal government stops requiring it.</li></ul>

Health 🩺

Beth Israel starts using AI-driven tool to spot breast cancer risk

Healey sets out to slash health care red tape

H3N2 "super flu" drives record flu cases in Mass., nationwide

Boston Children's Hospital plans $640M psychiatric expansion

MGB study shows racial disparities in extreme temperature-related deaths