If the persistent rumors about ambulance calls to Mayor Michelle Wu’s house are so “baseless,” then why has the City of Boston been stonewalling me for 14 months in my attempts to obtain the very records that will put the lie to the scurrilous gossip once and for all? It’s not like I haven’t been patient. I filed my first Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the city on Oct. 9, 2022. Fourteen months ago. The secretary of state’s Public Records Division just ordered the city to turn over the documents, known as Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) records, that show all police, fire and amb ..read more

By STEVE PEOPLES (AP National Political Writer) WASHINGTON (AP) — In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, it was a hard-to-explain 90-minute clash that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years. But for a night, at least, the big-state governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over t ..read more

Ahead of a fourth debate appearance and with her numbers climbing in early primary states, former U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley is launching her first advertising campaign of the primary and it seems to be aimed directly at her former boss. Titled Moral Clarity, the 30 second video will be broadcast on cable and across digital services in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first caucus and first primary will occur, and where Haley has been making ground against former President Donald Trump. “A president must have moral clarity and know the difference between good and evil. Today, China, Russia ..read more

A push to develop a soccer stadium in Everett stalled out on Beacon Hill Thursday after state lawmakers chopped a proposal from a multi-billion budget bill, putting ice on an idea that had drawn support from Robert Kraft. House lawmakers pushed for the proposal last year and the Senate included language connected to a professional soccer stadium in the city in a nearly $3.1 billion supplemental budget this session that has since become the subject of a procedural battle on Beacon Hill. But as Democratic negotiators announced a deal on the budget bill, it became clear that the soccer stadium la ..read more

A new report on the economic impact of Encore Boston Harbor shows the resort casino brought billions in economic activity to the region and created thousands of new jobs but also shifted hundreds of millions of dollars away from local businesses. Prepared by the UMass Donahue Institute’s Economic & Public Policy Research Group, the report, titled “Encore Boston Harbor, First Three and a Half Years of Operation: Economic Impacts Report,” was presented to the state’s Gaming Commission on Thursday. “Over my 40 years of experience in the gambling research field, this is really the most detaile ..read more

The Boston City Council shot down a proposal from the body’s president, Ed Flynn, who was seeking the creation of a new committee focused on domestic violence. The proposed rules change to create a City Council Committee on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, which needed two-thirds approval from the 13-member body, was defeated by a 5-2-3 vote Wednesday after a lengthy discussion, with opponents largely stating that another committee is not needed to address the issue. Several opposing councilors, two of whom voted “no” and three of whom voted “present,” mentioned that the ..read more

It may not have the historic impact of Nixon v. Kennedy, or deliver the memorable lines of Carter v. Reagan, or even Bentsen “You’re no Jack Kennedy” v. Quayle. In fact, one of the debaters insists he isn’t even running for president, though no one believes him. The other is indeed running — but so far behind his party’s leader in the polls many don’t believe him either. Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, we present “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,” coming Thursday evening to your cable TV screen or radio hosted and moderated by Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity. Ca ..read more

By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after the former president repeatedly disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial. The one-sentence decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge put the gag order on hold while the appeals process played out. Trial judge Arthur Engoron, who imposed the restriction, said he now planned to enforce it “rigorously and vigorously.” Trump attorney Christophe ..read more

By JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred former President Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial. The decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge had put the order on hold while the appeals process played out. The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed the gag order Oct. 3 after Trump posted a derogatory comment about the judge’s law clerk to social media. The post, which included a baseless allegati ..read more

By FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical adviser, is expected to testify before Congress early next year as part of Republicans’ yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease. Fauci, who served as the nation’s top infectious disease expert before retiring last year, will sit for transcribed interviews in early January and a public hearing at a later date. It will be his first appearance before the Republican-controlled House. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic first reques ..read more