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RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin'. Mass. residents threatened revolts

RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin's sugary coffee drinks. Massachusetts residents blew up.

Business

The United States&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250th anniversary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" data-vars-content-id="c892d6ba-a617-43da-98dc-fc962d4a2d41" data-vars-headline="RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin&#x27;. Mass. residents threatened revolts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" target="_self">250th anniversary</a> may be remembered as the year a Kennedy declared war on Massachusetts.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dunkin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/25/dunkin-boston-iced-coffee-mitten-bucket" data-vars-content-id="c892d6ba-a617-43da-98dc-fc962d4a2d41" data-vars-headline="RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin&#x27;. Mass. residents threatened revolts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/25/dunkin-boston-iced-coffee-mitten-bucket" target="_self">Dunkin</a>&#x27;, the Bay State&#x27;s beloved coffee chain, is the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy&#x27;s latest target.

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What a Jayson Tatum comeback could mean for the Celtics

It appears increasingly likely he'll be back for the Celts' postseason push.

Sports

The Celtics look like a contender as the NBA playoffs near, but speculation is rampant about a player who has yet to lace up: six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum.Why it matters: Many thought Tatum would miss this entire season after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tearing his Achilles tendon" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nba.com/news/celtics-jayson-tatum-surgery-ruptured-right-achilles" data-vars-content-id="2945b821-e4d2-424d-bd76-bba2a62d5be5" data-vars-headline="What a Jayson Tatum comeback could mean for the Celtics" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nba.com/news/celtics-jayson-tatum-surgery-ruptured-right-achilles" target="_blank">tearing his Achilles tendon</a> in the playoffs last May. Instead, it appears increasingly likely he&#x27;ll be back for the Celts&#x27; 2026 postseason push.<ul><li>Meanwhile, the team has flourished in his absence, led by fellow superstar Jaylen Brown, who&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a contender for league MVP" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7081712/2026/03/03/nba-mvp-odds-sga-jokic-wemby/" data-vars-content-id="2945b821-e4d2-424d-bd76-bba2a62d5be5" data-vars-headline="What a Jayson Tatum comeback could mean for the Celtics" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7081712/2026/03/03/nba-mvp-odds-sga-jokic-wemby/" target="_blank">a contender for league MVP</a>.</li></ul>

Restaurant under scrutiny after Patriots players' late-night party

Estella's owner may now face penalties from licensing officials.

A downtown Boston restaurant may face penalties for hosting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Patriots" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/09/super-bowl-patriots-loss" data-vars-content-id="41b46e05-61c3-4fdb-95b1-8d6ac172243a" data-vars-headline="Restaurant under scrutiny after Patriots players&#x27; late-night party" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/09/super-bowl-patriots-loss" target="_self">Patriots</a> players after hours in a pot- and hookah-filled celebration in January.Why it matters: Helder George Brandao, the owner of Estella on Temple Place, said the celebration caught him by surprise and broke several local laws and regulations.<ul><li>Brandao described the evening to the Boston Licensing Board on Tuesday morning, per reporting by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="UniversalHub" data-vars-click-url="https://www.universalhub.com/2026/downtown-bar-owner-says-patriots-came-celebrate-his-place-after-they" data-vars-content-id="41b46e05-61c3-4fdb-95b1-8d6ac172243a" data-vars-headline="Restaurant under scrutiny after Patriots players&#x27; late-night party" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.universalhub.com/2026/downtown-bar-owner-says-patriots-came-celebrate-his-place-after-they" target="_blank">UniversalHub</a>.</li></ul>

Mass. groups fight lawsuit that could upend census, representation

MIRA and the NAACP joined a lawsuit that could have major implications for Massachusetts.

Immigration

A little-known lawsuit filed 1,200 miles away could have major implications for Massachusetts&#x27; political representation and federal funding.The big picture: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2020 census" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/08/08/2020-census-unanswered-questions" data-vars-content-id="3490122d-5fc9-4220-a563-b429a9430679" data-vars-headline="Mass. groups fight lawsuit that could upend census, representation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/08/08/2020-census-unanswered-questions" target="_self">2020 census</a> and its inclusion of undocumented immigrants continues to face challenges more than five years after the count&#x27;s completion.

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.

Healey moves to get ICE out of schools and hospitals

A new executive order aims to ban ICE from schools, hospitals and courthouses.

Gov. Maura Healey is shielding immigrants from federal law enforcement in sensitive Massachusetts locations like schools, hospitals and courthouses.Why it matters: It&#x27;s one of Healey&#x27;s biggest direct challenges to the Trump administration after the rescission of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal &quot;protected areas&quot; policies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/how-states-respond-immigration-enforcement-in-sensitive-locations/" data-vars-content-id="00351e3a-cf67-4f94-a296-5a4103a27266" data-vars-headline="Healey moves to get ICE out of schools and hospitals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/how-states-respond-immigration-enforcement-in-sensitive-locations/" target="_blank">federal &quot;protected areas&quot; policies</a>.<ul><li>Healey argues that unbridled <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ICE activity" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/13/boston-prepares-ice-surge-wu-plans" data-vars-content-id="00351e3a-cf67-4f94-a296-5a4103a27266" data-vars-headline="Healey moves to get ICE out of schools and hospitals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/13/boston-prepares-ice-surge-wu-plans" target="_self">ICE activity</a> in the state caused school enrollment to drop and led immigrant families to skip medical care out of fear.</li></ul>

"Kristi Noem has to go," Mass. governor says after Minneapolis shooting

Gov. Maura Healey blasted Noem for her response to Alex Pretti's killing in Minneapolis.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Monday called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign in the wake of a Border Patrol agent&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="killing of a man" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/25/minnesota-rare-legal-steps-investigation-alex-pretti-shooting" data-vars-content-id="d7b5d8dc-9df3-48bd-822f-613c0954e432" data-vars-headline="&quot;Kristi Noem has to go,&quot; Mass. governor says after Minneapolis shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/25/minnesota-rare-legal-steps-investigation-alex-pretti-shooting" target="_self">killing of a man</a> in Minneapolis.The big picture: Healey joins a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="growing chorus of Democrats" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/26/kristi-noem-impeachment-democrats-minnesota-ice" data-vars-content-id="d7b5d8dc-9df3-48bd-822f-613c0954e432" data-vars-headline="&quot;Kristi Noem has to go,&quot; Mass. governor says after Minneapolis shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/26/kristi-noem-impeachment-democrats-minnesota-ice" target="_self">growing chorus of Democrats</a> calling for Noem to be held accountable in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday.

Massachusetts bill would restrict ICE arrests in courthouses

Sen. Lydia Edwards filed a bill this week in response to arrests at and near courthouses.

A bill on Beacon Hill could make it harder for federal agents to detain someone at a courthouse over <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="civil immigration violations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/13/boston-prepares-ice-surge-wu-plans" data-vars-content-id="7d8542f9-7024-4088-b462-975149e2232c" data-vars-headline="Massachusetts bill would restrict ICE arrests in courthouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/13/boston-prepares-ice-surge-wu-plans" target="_self">civil immigration violations</a>. Why it matters: Supporters say these arrests erode the due process rights of people showing up to court, like the man who was detained in an alley behind the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="East Boston courthouse" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2026-01-13/data-offers-glimpse-into-ice-agents-presence-in-boston-district-courts" data-vars-content-id="7d8542f9-7024-4088-b462-975149e2232c" data-vars-headline="Massachusetts bill would restrict ICE arrests in courthouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2026-01-13/data-offers-glimpse-into-ice-agents-presence-in-boston-district-courts" target="_blank">East Boston courthouse</a> in November.