Big Beautiful Bill cuts $335 million that was set aside for massive I-90 Allston highway project, state officials say
'MassDOT is awaiting clarification from the U.S. Department of Transportation and assessing what impact this will have on the $335 million grant we received for the Allston Multimodal Project,' the statement continued. 'MassDOT will stay in communication with project partners and stakeholders as we learn more.'
The sizable cut was
The Healey administration
The project would would bring the eight elevated lanes of Interstate 90 down to ground level next to the four-lane Soldiers Field Road along the Charles River, while building a new commuter rail and bus hub known as West Station along the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line and improving pedestrian and bike access to the river. The project would also open up dozens of Harvard-owned acres in a former rail yard hemmed in between the highway viaduct and the train tracks.
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The project has long been billed as a way to stitch together a stretch of Allston that was divided by the construction of the Pike in the 1960s, though much of that stitching hinges on how Harvard develops the land in and around Beacon Park Yard, including projects built over the tracks and highway.
Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat who's made public transportation a priority, bringing in
Healey's office referred questions to MassDOT on Tuesday, and the offices of Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
'In the same way that they tore down the Central Artery so our community could reconnect to Boston Harbor and it has transformed Boston, this [$335 million federal] grant is transformative for Allston and Brighton because it, too, reconnects communities to [their] original identity,' Markey said last year when the state had initially secured the funding now-slashed by the Big Beautiful Bill.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. This breaking story will be updated when more information is released.
Travis Andersen can be reached at
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CNN
a few seconds ago
- CNN
Trump has federalized DC's police force. Now what?
Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow The Metropolitan Police along with federal agencies tasked with helping curb crime in the nation's capital are scrambling to figure out roles and strategy following President Donald Trump's decision to declare a crime emergency and federalize DC's police force, multiple sources told CNN. 'We're going to restore the city back to the gleaming capital that everybody wants it to be,' Trump said at the White House on Monday. 'It's going to be something very special.' But little communication seems to have been done before Trump's news conference – the Washington, DC, mayor and police chief hadn't been told about the takeover until they watched Trump say it live. It's led to confusion over who now leads the MPD, how their policing strategy will change and in what ways federal agents – many who aren't trained for community policing – are going to interact with local officers. During a separate news conference, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was trying to set up a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump said would be overseeing the implementation of his order. She also maintained that Chief of Police Pamela Smith would still run the department and report to Bowser up through the deputy mayor. 'Nothing about our organizational chart has changed,' Bowser said. 'And nothing in the executive order would indicate otherwise.' This is the first time a president has used Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to federalize the DC metro police, said Dr. Heidi Bonner, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Carolina University. 'It's definitely difficult to say what that means,' she said, including it being 'an open question' as to who's in charge. 'Is the chief of police still in charge of the department once it's become federalized?' Bonner asked. 'And of course, all this is mixed up in the unique nature of DC as a district and not a state. There are different authorities – the president acts as the governor for all intents and purposes when it comes from the National Guard.' Bowser seemed resigned to the fact that Trump's decision would go into effect given the city's status. Prominent Democrats called Bowser and her office Monday to offer support but indicated there was little they could do to stop the takeover. 'I don't want to minimize what was said and I don't want to minimize the intrusion on our autonomy,' Bowser said. The mayor also called the move 'unsettling and unprecedented' and advocated for DC statehood to prevent such unilateral action from the president. Police Chief Smith said she was scheduled to meet with federal liaisons following the news conference for the first time regarding Trump's announcement in order to start to 'create an operational plan.' Trump activated 800 soldiers from the DC National Guard, with up to 200 members being assigned to supporting law enforcement, according to the Defense Department. 'Duties for those personnel include administrative and logistical roles, as well as providing a physical presence in support of law enforcement,' the DOD said. The unilateral move contrasts heavily with how Trump blamed others, including Bowser and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not deploying the National Guard on January 6, 2021, before Trump-supporters broke into the US Capitol. Over the weekend, Trump had already moved officers from several federal agencies to begin assisting MPD in policing certain areas in DC, including as many as 130 FBI agents to patrol with DC police as part of the increased federal presence, according to two people familiar with the deployment. It's not typical for FBI agents to patrol with local police, and agents are often not trained for community policing and operate under different policies – including for use of deadly force – that could create issues on the ground, two federal law enforcement sources told CNN. Because of this, pairing federal agents with officers to patrol DC could present a situation where each member of the team must respond differently to a potential threat based on the respective agency's policy. In the FBI, the plan to deploy agents to patrol the streets of Washington has been met with concern over strained resources and the safety of agents who are not trained in routine police patrols, according to multiple sources. Taking agents away from their daily investigations to patrol DC would risk not adequately addressing other serious crimes like terrorism, foreign counterintelligence threats, cyber intrusions and the nation's fentanyl epidemic, sources said. 'This isn't hard: If we're doing (policing) we're not covering down on those other threats,' said one source. Federal agents are also typically only minimally trained in conducting vehicle stops, which remains one of the most dangerous aspects of a police officer's job. Unlike routine police encounters with suspects, which may only involve one or two officers, when agencies like the FBI conduct an arrest, they typically plan out the operation methodically in advance and execute it with a complement of agents that far outnumbers the suspect. During the two sparring news conferences Monday, Trump remained adamant that crime in Washington is out of control despite data suggesting that it has decreased in recent years, and Bowser said firmly that DC is 'not experiencing a spike in crime but a decrease in crime.' Regardless of the current crime rates, Bonner noted that Trump's order has a 30-day limit and said any long-term impact on crime is doubtful. 'You can't have a long-term effect on crime with fast actions like this because it doesn't get to the root causes,' Bonner said. 'At the end of 30 days, it will be interesting to see what it has done in terms of reducing the crime rate further, or whatever the goals of this operation are, and what they might try to do moving forward to affect some long term fixes.' 'Because, again, you're not going to affect crime in the long term without addressing the symptoms of crimes,' Bonner said.
Politico
a few seconds ago
- Politico
What Kamala Harris can learn from John Kerry
HISTORY LESSON — A failed Democratic presidential nominee who's thinking about running again. A party that isn't thrilled about the prospect of a repeat bid. It sounds a lot like the situation currently facing Kamala Harris, but it's actually the dilemma that confronted Democrat John Kerry after his 2004 presidential defeat. And for Harris, what came next for Kerry could prove instructive as she weighs her options ahead of 2028. Back then, Democrats were reeling after George W. Bush's election to a second term. Many in the party expected the race was theirs for the taking; in the end, Bush won both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College. Kerry, however, kept the door open to a second White House bid long after Bush's victory. It wasn't until Jan. 2007 that Kerry announced he would not make a second run. While his experience offers a roadmap for Harris, it's also a cautionary tale about the hurdles facing failed candidates. For much of the two years before the 2006 midterms, Kerry actively campaigned across the country like a potential presidential candidate. He gave a formal speech on patriotism at Grinnell College, the elite liberal arts institution in Iowa, and was the guest of honor at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in 2006. And all throughout, he stumped for candidates in swing races across the country in places from rural Iowa to south Florida. Yet what doomed Kerry was the first time he put his foot in his mouth. Speaking to students on the eve of the midterms, Kerry said, 'Well, you know, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you — you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.' Critics immediately seized on the remark as an insult to the troops, and candidates in both parties called on him to apologize. His aides insisted that it was a botched joke about George W. Bush and that he meant to say 'you get us stuck in Iraq.' It didn't matter. Coming only days before the midterms, Democrats panicked as Republicans raced to condemn the former presidential nominee. Kerry was abruptly dropped from an event in Iowa where he was scheduled to appear with Bruce Braley, a Democrat running in a swing district and canceled other campaign trips as well. It was a fresh reminder of Kerry and his various blunders on the 2004 campaign trail, but also a sign of how little room for error he had within his own party after losing to Bush. Harris is in a far stronger position than Kerry ever was. The former vice president consistently leads Democratic polls in advance of the 2028 primary — Kerry, on the other hand, lagged behind Hillary Clinton in public polls. And Harris isn't held entirely culpable for the party's 2024 defeat — an abbreviated campaign marked by Joe Biden's abrupt, mid-campaign decision to bow out — the same way that Kerry was held responsible for blowing a lead against Bush. However, Harris has been far less visible so far than Kerry at a similar point. Part of that is simply a function of the fact that Harris is no longer in public life — she announced recently she would not run for California governor in 2026 — while Kerry remained in the Senate. But the Massachusetts Democrat also kept a far more active schedule than Harris did after his loss — within five weeks of his general election loss, Kerry had already returned to both Iowa and New Hampshire to thank supporters who had backed him in his primary campaign. All of that could change with Harris' coming book tour. The book, titled '107 Days,' is set to release Sept. 23. Even if she isn't campaigning with state Senate candidates in the suburbs of Webster City, Iowa, Harris is still likely to get more than sufficient eyeballs on the late night talk show circuit. The return to the spotlight risks opening up all the old wounds. It's hard to dodge questions about past decisions when promoting a book that is intended to be a chronicle of her 107-day presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton utilized a simple yet very effective putdown of Kerry after his 2006 gaffe. 'No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed,' she said, prompting bad memories among Democrats about the devastating loss two years earlier. For Harris, that will be the first challenge if she wants to mount a presidential bid — erasing fears that her nomination would look like a re-run. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at bjacobs@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Bencjacobs. 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The president in recent days has seized on violence against a Trump administration staffer to cast the city as dangerous, pledging earlier today that 'Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.' — House Republicans back Trump on DC crime push: House Republicans moved quickly today to follow President Donald Trump's lead as he took unprecedented action to target Washington's locally elected government — further heightening the GOP's scrutiny of the capital city and its Democratic elected leaders. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he would haul Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb to Capitol Hill next month for a hearing. The public grilling is likely to come as Trump's takeover of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department approaches a 30-day expiration date, requiring congressional action to continue. — Trump: Russia and Ukraine peace requires 'land swapping': President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. The president's comments on today follow insistence from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country would not trade land for peace, and underscore Trump's focus on making a deal with Putin. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. — Trump defends deal to sell Nvidia export control license: President Donald Trump defended a deal he struck with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to waive national security concerns blocking the sale of certain semiconductor chips to China in exchange for the company giving the U.S. government 15 percent of the revenue. 'I said, 'I want 20 percent if I'm going to approve this for you,' Trump told reporters Monday during a White House press conference. 'For the country, for our country. I don't want it myself ... And he said, 'Would you make it 15?' So we negotiate a little deal.' Trump appeared to brush off concerns that he was weakening national security by approving the sale. He said the H20 chip manufactured by Nvidia is 'obsolete,' even though there is still a market for it in China and other places. — Judge denies DOJ bid to unseal grand jury material in Ghislaine Maxwell case: A federal judge today denied the Justice Department's effort to unseal grand jury material in the Ghislaine Maxwell case, calling the 'entire premise' of the government's move 'demonstrably false.' U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, in a 31-page decision, chided the Justice Department for its bid to make the material public because, he said, the public would learn virtually nothing new from the documents and 'would come away feeling disappointed and misled.' AROUND THE WORLD LAST MINUTE SUMMIT — U.S. President Donald Trump will join European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday. The call, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday's summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks, a German government spokesperson told POLITICO. JOURNALISTS KILLED IN GAZA — Israel killed five journalists during an airstrike in Gaza, news outlet Al Jazeera reported. Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, was killed in a tent alongside four colleagues and two bystanders, the Qatari-owned network said. He shared a video of Israel's 'relentless bombardment' of Gaza shortly before he died. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike, claiming that al-Sharif, who is Palestinian, headed a Hamas terrorist cell and led 'advanced rocket attacks' against Israel. Al Jazeera has repeatedly denied allegations about al-Sharif's links to Hamas, and the United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of expression, Irene Khan, said last month that the claims were unsubstantiated. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP THE ATOMIC BOWL — Less than five months after the U.S. bombed Nagasaki in 1945, the U.S. military returned to stage a New Year's Day football game. In an attempt to normalize the U.S. occupation of Japan, some 1,500 people gathered at a debris-riddled middle school to watch professional football players-turned-servicemen play. The long-forgotten game in a city where most of bombings' victims were non-combatants was emblematic of the American military and public's takeaways from the second nuclear bombing, argues Greg Mitchell. He reports on the game and its legacy for Mother Jones. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump has federalized DC's police force. Now what?
The Metropolitan Police along with federal agencies tasked with helping curb crime in the nation's capital are scrambling to figure out roles and strategy following President Donald Trump's decision to declare a crime emergency and federalize DC's police force, multiple sources told CNN. 'We're going to restore the city back to the gleaming capital that everybody wants it to be,' Trump said at the White House on Monday. 'It's going to be something very special.' But little communication seems to have been done before Trump's news conference – the Washington, DC, mayor and police chief hadn't been told about the takeover until they watched Trump say it live. It's led to confusion over who now leads the MPD, how their policing strategy will change and in what ways federal agents – many who aren't trained for community policing – are going to interact with local officers. During a separate news conference, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was trying to set up a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump said would be overseeing the implementation of his order. She also maintained that Chief of Police Pamela Smith would still run the department and report to Bowser up through the deputy mayor. 'Nothing about our organizational chart has changed,' Bowser said. 'And nothing in the executive order would indicate otherwise.' This is the first time a president has used Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to federalize the DC metro police, said Dr. Heidi Bonner, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Carolina University. 'It's definitely difficult to say what that means,' she said, including it being 'an open question' as to who's in charge. 'Is the chief of police still in charge of the department once it's become federalized?' Bonner asked. 'And of course, all this is mixed up in the unique nature of DC as a district and not a state. There are different authorities – the president acts as the governor for all intents and purposes when it comes from the National Guard.' Bowser seemed resigned to the fact that Trump's decision would go into effect given the city's status. Prominent Democrats called Bowser and her office Monday to offer support but indicated there was little they could do to stop the takeover. 'I don't want to minimize what was said and I don't want to minimize the intrusion on our autonomy,' Bowser said. The mayor also called the move 'unsettling and unprecedented' and advocated for DC statehood to prevent such unilateral action from the president. Police Chief Smith said she was scheduled to meet with federal liaisons following the news conference for the first time regarding Trump's announcement in order to start to 'create an operational plan.' Trump activated 800 soldiers from the DC National Guard, with up to 200 members being assigned to supporting law enforcement, according to the Defense Department. 'Duties for those personnel include administrative and logistical roles, as well as providing a physical presence in support of law enforcement,' the DOD said. The unilateral move contrasts heavily with how Trump blamed others, including Bowser and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not deploying the National Guard on January 6, 2021, before Trump-supporters broke into the US Capitol. Over the weekend, Trump had already moved officers from several federal agencies to begin assisting MPD in policing certain areas in DC, including as many as 130 FBI agents to patrol with DC police as part of the increased federal presence, according to two people familiar with the deployment. It's not typical for FBI agents to patrol with local police, and agents are often not trained for community policing and operate under different policies – including for use of deadly force – that could create issues on the ground, two federal law enforcement sources told CNN. Because of this, pairing federal agents with officers to patrol DC could present a situation where each member of the team must respond differently to a potential threat based on the respective agency's policy. In the FBI, the plan to deploy agents to patrol the streets of Washington has been met with concern over strained resources and the safety of agents who are not trained in routine police patrols, according to multiple sources. Taking agents away from their daily investigations to patrol DC would risk not adequately addressing other serious crimes like terrorism, foreign counterintelligence threats, cyber intrusions and the nation's fentanyl epidemic, sources said. 'This isn't hard: If we're doing (policing) we're not covering down on those other threats,' said one source. Federal agents are also typically only minimally trained in conducting vehicle stops, which remains one of the most dangerous aspects of a police officer's job. Unlike routine police encounters with suspects, which may only involve one or two officers, when agencies like the FBI conduct an arrest, they typically plan out the operation methodically in advance and execute it with a complement of agents that far outnumbers the suspect. During the two sparring news conferences Monday, Trump remained adamant that crime in Washington is out of control despite data suggesting that it has decreased in recent years, and Bowser said firmly that DC is 'not experiencing a spike in crime but a decrease in crime.' Regardless of the current crime rates, Bonner noted that Trump's order has a 30-day limit and said any long-term impact on crime is doubtful. 'You can't have a long-term effect on crime with fast actions like this because it doesn't get to the root causes,' Bonner said. 'At the end of 30 days, it will be interesting to see what it has done in terms of reducing the crime rate further, or whatever the goals of this operation are, and what they might try to do moving forward to affect some long term fixes.' 'Because, again, you're not going to affect crime in the long term without addressing the symptoms of crimes,' Bonner said.
