What changed in Mass. after the midterms

Joe Kennedy III, the former Massachusetts congressman who unsuccessfully challenged Ed Markey for his Senate seat in 2020, helped lay the groundwork for an unexpectedly strong midterm showing for Democrats in the Deep South. Kennedy was an early backer of Mississippi Sen.-elect Scott Colom and other candidates in deep-red states. He talked with WBUR's Tiziana Dearing about what he think Democrats have been missing when it comes to political organizing — and how he's trying to fill that gap with his nonprofit, Groundwork Project. "The Democratic Party has prided itself always for saying, 'We see you, we hear you, everybody counts,' and then you just skip over large swaths of the country, and you see the consequence of it," Kennedy said. In this episode, we'll also catch up on the week's news, including: Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell was found guilty of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. He was charged in federal court with killing her to prevent her from exposing alleged federal crimes, including that he had sexually abused her as a child. WBUR learned some Massachusetts communities used state grant money intended to help them offset the negative impacts of casinos to buy controversial surveillance cameras. Two wind projects in New England are fully up and running — just in time for winter.

In this episode, what changes to expect in Massachusetts after the midterms: Rep. Katherine Clark, the second most powerful Democrat in the House, will likely make history as the first woman to serve as House Majority Leader. Dan Koh will represent the 6th district, which includes much of the North Shore, taking over the seat Rep. Seth Moulton is vacating. On ballot questions, Massachusetts voters said yes to being able to register at polling places on Election Day and no to all-party primaries. Then, we speak with Lee Pelton, a prominent intellectual and civic leader in Boston. He served as president of Emerson College for a decade until 2021. Most recently, he led The Boston Foundation, which is one of the leading philanthropic organizations in the country. Pelton stepped down from the foundation this summer. A few months later, he wrote an essay in The Boston Globe revealing he has Alzheimer’s. Pelton told WBUR's Lisa Mullins that "it's as if a shadow or a veil has appeared before my eyes, and so the world feels hazy."

Harvard scientist John Quackenbush has done groundbreaking work on the links between disease and genetics. But he recently took his research to the University of Chicago. He told WBUR's Tiziana Dearing it was a necessary decision when he lost most of his funding at Harvard and no one stepped up to fill in that gap. In this episode, we'll also catch up on the week's news, including: The prosecution rests its case in the trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, who's accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. A new study from Boston University estimates that nearly 75% of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. (Editor's note: Boston University holds WBUR's broadcast license. WBUR is editorially independent.) Massport's contest for the new "Voice of Logan" is down to eight finalists. A tour in the West End presents some of the Boston neighborhood's dark and macabre history.

WBUR's Tiziana Dearing spoke to Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks this week about their move to Boston in January. The company behind iconic toys and games like Play-Doh and Monopoly is moving from Pawtucket, R.I. to the Seaport  — and they're supposedly bringing an 8ft animatronic Optimus Prime front desk receptionist with them, according to Cocks. Also this week, GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Minogue said he will govern without a lieutenant governor if he wins against Gov. Maura Healey. In Lawrence, organizers are trying to oust Mayor Brian DePeña, who's been accused of alleged wiretapping and loan fraud. WBUR also has some news: our CEO Margaret Low announced she'll step down from her role in June. Finally, don't forget to check out Allston's Tiny Door scavenger hunt. It's a fun way to interact with some of the neighborhoods small businesses.

This week, four members of our congressional delegation wrote a letter to Amazon and the FAA. They want to slow down Amazon's planned drone delivery program in part of MetroWest and Worcester. There was also major backlash this week against one of the state's biggest nursing home providers after an investigation from the Boston Globe. Finally, Hasbro told 587 of its Rhode Island employees to either move to Boston or lose their jobs. WBUR's Tiziana Dearing also sat down with Tufts University's Evan Horowitz to talk about ballot questions three and seven. Voters must decide if they prefer all-party ballots and if they want to override local zoning rules to build more single-family homes.  WBUR's got your ultimate (and simple) study guide on all nine ballot questions.

This week,  jury selection started for a federal murder case involving a former Stoughton police detective. Prosecutors allege Matthew Farwell killed 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in 2021 and staged it to look like a suicide. Also this week, Gov. Maura Healey declared a "state of energy emergency" in anticipation of high heating bills this winter.   We also check in with Jaser AbuMousa. He fled Gaza shortly after an Israeli airstrike  killed several members of his family. It was shortly after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. AbuMousa eventually settled in Walpole, Mass. with his two surviving, teenage children. AbuMousa spoke to WBUR's Lisa Mullins about the pull he feels to rebuild his homeland versus the push to help his children move forward in their new home. Editor's note: a previous version of this podcast had technical problems. We apologize for the error. 

This week, the attorney general's office released its investigation on clergy sexual abuse in the Worcester, Springfield and Fall River dioceses. And new polling gives a sense of where voters stand on the gubernatorial race and the ballot questions for this election. WBUR's Tiziana Dearing sat with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this week. She shared her complicated feelings on artificial intelligence and how it drives her policies. Plus, it's almost peak leaf-peeing season in the Boston area. Check out this foliage map from the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation to see the best time and location to see the colors change.

We'll catch up on the week's news — from an immigration enforcement operation in New Bedford to how the governor wants to deal with high gas prices. Then we'll dig into the debate on the future of delivery services: drones. Amazon plans to launch a drone delivery service from Westborough, Massachusetts - a town of around 20,000 people in Worcester County. Andresidents have mixed feelings about it. WBUR talks with a member of the town’s planning board.

WBUR's Tiziana Dearing takes us through this week's top headlines. The City of Boston released a report saying Flock Safety failed to keep its data secure during a 2025 pilot. Rep. Lori Trahan, along with other Democrats, urged congress to quickly work on guardrails for artificial intelligence. And Ed Sheeran's upcoming at Gillette stadium is at the center of a fiery debate about censorship - specifically about Israel-Palestine. We also spoke to Dr. Ashish Jha, who's the former COVID-19 response coordinator for the Biden administration. He shared the advice he gives his own family members on vaccines.

Miller spent two years at a rural high school in the northeast studying bullying up close.