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Miami Herald
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
College Uncovered: Apprentices of the World, Unite!
Is the four-year college degree losing its grip on Americans' dreams? Just as American colleges reach the demographic cliff - a steep decline in the number of 18-year-old prospective freshmen - higher education faces mounting pressure from all sides. President Donald Trump has targeted universities, slashing federal research funding and questioning their tax-exempt status – painting them as overpriced and out-of-touch bastions of liberalism. But skepticism about college isn't just coming from the right. On the campaign trail, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris called out the country's narrow focus on four-year degrees, urging more support for apprenticeships and technical programs. The public seems to agree. A growing number of Americans - nearly a third - now say they have little or no confidence in college. That's up more than 20 percentage points from a decade ago. Employers and states desperate for talent are dropping degree requirements for certain entry-level positions. So in this episode of College Uncovered, co-hosts Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus look at the growing number of alternative pathways to good jobs. They explain that, while apprenticeship and internship are preeminent among these, there arne't enough of them to meet demand. Whether you're a student, parent, or just interested in the future of higher education or the American economy, this final episode of our season explains what comes next. [Jacqueline Rivera] It was a little bit far away, so I couldn't really realistically get there. [Kirk] And there was an even bigger issue faced by many college students. [Jacqueline Rivera] It was way out of my budget. [Kirk] So she tried a nearby community college, but she ended up dropping out. Health care just didn't feel like the right fit. Unemployed, she remembered how much she loved tinkering on her dad's old Ford Explorer. [Jacqueline Rivera] As a kid, I've always wondered how cars work, and just really wanting to learn about the intricacies, how things are put back together. [Kirk] Now, at 25 years old, she's preparing for a career without taking the traditional path through college. She's one of the only women in this new automotive technology apprenticeship program. It's one of countless routes to a good job that don't require a traditional college education. Even some employers are on board, dropping college degree requirements on new job postings. [Jacqueline Rivera] It just makes a lot more sense. I'm still learning the theory and everything while I'm in school, but I'm also able to have time to work in a dealership and learn from the people that have already been there and have already been in that field for many years. [Kirk] This is College Uncovered, from GBH News and The Hechinger Report, a podcast pulling back the ivy to reveal how colleges really work. I'm Kirk Carapezza with GBH … [Jon] … and I'm Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report. [Kirk] Colleges don't want you to know how they operate. So GBH … [Jon] … in collaboration with The Hechinger Report, is here to show you. Today on the podcast: 'Apprentices of the World, Unite!' [Kirk] So, Jon, something you and I talk about a lot is whether the four-year college degree is kind of losing its grip on the American dream. Right now, just as colleges face a dramatic drop in traditional-age 18-year-olds - that's the demographic cliff we've been exploring all season - it seems higher education is getting hit from every single direction. [Jon] Yeah, including from the top. President Donald Trump has targeted universities, questioned their tax-exempt status, and portrayed them as expensive and out of touch. He slashed billions in federal research funding and said Harvard's grants ought to go to trade schools instead. [Kirk] College leaders and the left disagree, and they're fighting this in and out of court. But there is political consensus on one issue surrounding higher ed: that a four-year degree is not the only route to a career. [Kamala Harris] Good evening, Pennsylvania! [Kirk] Here's Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris at a campaign stop. [Kamala Harris] For far too long, our nation has encouraged only one path to success: a four-year college degree. Our nation needs to recognize the value of other paths, additional paths such as apprenticeships and technical programs. [Kirk] During the campaign, Harris pledged to double the number of apprenticeships. [Jon] Yeah, Kirk, at a time when American politicians can't agree on much, this is actually one area where there's real bipartisan agreement. Remember, Trump pushed apprenticeships hard in his first term. Now, back in the Oval Office, he used his signature big black Sharpie to sign another of his many executive orders - this time aiming to create a million new apprenticeships and boost workforce training, even as his administration cut funding for them. [Kirk] And it turns out the public likes the idea of having alternatives to colleges. Fewer Americans are choosing college straight out of high school. Perhaps that's because 77 percent of adults say college is unaffordable, and many are questioning what they're getting for their money. Nearly 80 percent of recent graduates say they learned more in their first six months on the job than during their entire four years of college. [Jon] Yeah. Meanwhile, employers across the country, desperate for skilled workers - they're starting to drop degree requirements for some entry-level jobs. [Kirk] There are a lot of new options now, Jon. Trouble is, if you're a student or a parent trying to help your kid figure out what comes after high school, that can make the process even more confusing than it was before. So where does that leave you? This is our final episode in our season all about the demographic cliff. So as we stand on the edge of it, we're looking at alternative pathways. And we're asking what happens if and when the four-year college degree is no longer the default. We'll also dig into why the U.S. lags behind other advanced countries in offering internships and apprenticeships, and what that means for students, and for colleges. [Jon] And, of course, as always, we'll ask the biggest consumer-facing questions for families right now: Should you or your kid consider something other than the traditional four-year college degree? [Kirk] Okay, Jon, this podcast is all about college. But the truth is, college isn't the only way to a good job anymore. More Americans are turning to apprenticeships and paid internships as a more affordable and direct path into the workforce. But here's the problem: Demand is outstripping supply, and colleges and employers have been pretty slow to catch up. Right now there are more students looking for these opportunities than there are slots to fill. Jon, listen to this: The U.S. Department of Labor says there are about 680,000 registered apprentices nationwide. [Jon] Right, and that sounds like a lot. [Kirk] It does, but that's less than half a percent of the total U. S. workforce. Compare that to more than 19 million Americans who are enrolled in college - though that total is down from its peak in 2010. And even with historically low unemployment, students are still struggling to get work experience and earn a living wage. Nationwide, more than eight million college students say they want internships, but only about three million actually land one. [Brandon Busteed] We've got a big gap between supply and demand here right now. [Kirk] Brandon Busteed has seen that gap up close. He's CEO of the company BrandEd, which focuses on industry experiences for students. [Brandon Busteed] And we do that through Sotheby's Institute of Art, Vogue College of Fashion, Manchester City Sports Business School and the School of The New York Times. [Kirk] Here's one of its ads. [sound of BrandEd ad] My instructor was an editor at Vogue. Like, that was incredible. … Going out into the streets of New York, and you're seeing where the industry takes place for real. … In the heart of the art market and the art world, you just learn hands-on and from experts who really know what they're talking about. [Kirk] And these are internships or apprenticeships? [Brandon Busteed] It's kind of a unique twist to internships and apprenticeships. As you know, those have some pretty specific nuances and definitions. What we've tried to do is take a lot of the value of those models and scale it for students and scale up more consistently around the quality. So all the programs we do are co-designed and co-taught by industry experts who are in their fields, and by educational experts. [Kirk] Before launching his company, Busteed was at Gallup, where he advised college presidents,and he surveyed thousands of students and graduates. He says colleges saw the demographic cliff coming from a mile away, and still didn't do enough to adapt and respond to what students were demanding: more work-based learning. [Brandon Busteed] It's a classic case of what I call higher ed hubris. You ask CFOs of colleges and universities what they think the prospectus is for the sector in the next five or 10 years. Most of them think it's going to be really bad, really ugly, really disastrous, but then you go, 'Oh, well, how do you think your own institution is going to do?' And they're, like, 'Yeah, we're going to be just fine.' [Kirk] But now, the sector is beginning to realize that things are definitely not going to be just fine. Colleges desperate for students keep discounting heavily, but at the same time, sticker prices at the most selective schools keep going up. At Vanderbilt University, total costs are now estimated at nearly $100,000 a year, just as students have more viable alternatives. [Brandon Busteed] Corporate routes where I can get my college degree while I'm working, companies that will train me and pay me to train and a whole host of third parties who are doing intensive short-form training that's leading to pretty darn good jobs, high-paying jobs, jobs that pay family-sustaining wages. [Jon] The demographic cliff - that decline in the number of 18-year-olds - it doesn't only affect colleges. It affects employers, too. In some states, they're begging for workers. Take Maine, for instance. Its population is the oldest in the country. That makes it a sort of a canary in the coal mine. It has lots of retirees and not enough workers, like the whole country is about to experience. So Maine is investing in apprenticeships and internships. Those can get workers into jobs faster and more cheaply than college can, in industries like aquaculture. [Kirk] Aqua what? [Jon] Aquaculture, Kirk. Clearly, you're not from Maine. That's the breeding and harvesting of fish and shellfish. We learned about knot-tying, some boating safety skills, a lot about commercial fishing and how it's managed, how market prices are set, a lot about Maine fishing. [Jon] That's a video promoting the Aquaculture Pioneers Program, just one of several workforce initiatives run by an organization called Educate Maine. Hannah Greene manages workforce partnerships for the nonprofit. [Hannah Greene] We have high school students. We have students that are starting college, or finishing up their college experience. We have participants that have been out of college for many, many years. So it's really a broad range of folks that are interested in marine science, but want that hands-on, real-world work experience in an industry that's really growing. [Jon] Greene says Educate Maine is working across the state to connect students, schools and employers. [Hannah Greene] So we have programs from aquaculture to automotive to health care, banking and finance, IT, a lot of your typical trades, carpentry, construction, HVAC. We really run the gamut. [Jon] And students can earn certifications and credentials from the Maine Department of Labor. They're recognized nationally. Maine recently hit a record number of apprentices - just over 3,000. Hannah Greene admits that's still small, even in a state with a fairly small population. But at least it's growing. [Hannah Greene] The more work experience and experiential learning programs that we can provide for Mainers, especially younger Mainers, the more we're building the foundation of Maine's future economy. And businesses really thrive with a steady stream of trained workers. [Kirk] Now, Jon, remember what we said earlier: 80 percent of recent grads say they're learning more in the first six months on the job than they did in their entire four-year college experience. [Jon] That's a great advertisement for apprenticeship. [Kirk] It is, Jon, but other countries are far ahead of us here. The U.K. and Australia have eight times more apprenticeships per capita than we do. So we reached out to Vinz Koller. He's a vice president with Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit focused on education and the workforce. Koller grew up in Switzerland, a country known for its apprenticeship system. It's kind of like the global gold standard. Two thirds of young people there go into what's called the dual pathway system, and one third take the academic route. [Vinz Koller] What we notice, you know, when you grow up there, is that, you know, the kids that go the work-based learning pathway have more money, right from the get-go. They are the ones that graduate from the bicycle to a moped and later from a moped to a motorcycle and then from a motorcycle to a car, and we're still, you know, on our bicycle going through university education. And that's an interesting, you know, shift in perception right there, right? So it doesn't have that stigma. [Jon] That stigma, that hands-on training is something less than - that's a big hurdle in the U.S. But remember, Abraham Lincoln didn't go to law school. He apprenticed. But over time, our system shifted toward going to college, rather than learning on the job. [Kirk] Some states have pushed back on that idea. Back in the 1990s, Wisconsin launched youth apprenticeships for high schoolers. And since 2015, others, like North and South Carolina, Indiana, Colorado, Washington and Maryland have all followed suit. While the national system is still fragmented, Kohler says demand from families is high. [Vinz Koller] Do you want to spend $50,000 on your education, perhaps, a year if you're in a private school, or do you want to make $20,000 to $50,000 a year while you're learning? That's a pretty easy answer, I think, for most people. [Kirk] Right now, Kohler says, even though the opportunities are there, it's too hard for students and families to find them, and it's too hard for employers to convert into an apprenticeship model. [Jon] So what needs to change? [Kirk] Well, Kohler says the federal government needs to cut all the red tape and just make it easier to launch apprenticeships. And then states need to expand them beyond the trades like construction and manufacturing to fields like accounting, healthcare and even journalism. [Vinz Koller] We have to broaden it from, you know, the hardhat trades to the white-collar industries. And we have to make it easier for companies to start up apprenticeships. [Kirk] That's exactly what administrators are trying to do at Franklin Cummings Tech in Boston, where they've launched that automotive tech apprenticeship program. Aisha Francis is the president. [Aisha Francis] The foundation of this institution was based in access to apprenticeship. [Kirk] The school was founded thanks to a gift from one of America's original apprentices - Benjamin Franklin. Back then, it was printmaking and candle-making. Today, it's cars, construction and tech. That means you can apprentice to be a software engineer or an eye-care specialist. Francis herself majored in English, and she admits, for a long time, most academics and college leaders didn't want to associate higher education with job training. But now colleges are desperate for students, and they're joining in on the apprenticeship fad. [Aisha Francis] Apprenticeships don't necessarily have anything to do with college, but what we're doing that's different here is embedding the apprenticeship process with the degree-seeking process. So apprenticeship degrees becomes a mechanism by which college becomes more relevant and interesting and exciting. [Kirk] And why is it so important to have the degree with the apprenticeship? [Aisha Francis] Because for the population of students that we serve, most of whom are first-generation college students, many of whom are low income, there is a pride of attainment with a degree. And I don't think we should continue to force youth to make a choice between pursuing technical education or trade education and going to college. And so it behooves us to find innovative ways for people to do both at the same time. [Kirk] And as we approach the demographic cliff, everyone we talked to for this episode agreed. More schools will add apprenticeship degree programs as yet another new way to attract students. Why aren't people banging down these doors? [Aisha Francis] Well, people are banging down our doors. I think the perception might be that people aren't banging down the doors, but they are. [Kirk] Enrollment is up at Franklin Cummings Tech, from about 550 four years ago to more than 1,000 today. [Aisha Francis] And our goal is to be at 1,500. And we hope that the vast majority of those 1,500 students are taking advantage of apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities. [Kirk] Right now, Franklin Cummings Tech offers 10 apprenticeship degree programs. Francis tells me three have wait lists. One of those is automotive tech. Over two years, students in the program log 2,000 hours in a registered apprenticeship. They're paid to learn, getting real hands-on experience and a clear path to a career. Jacqueline Rivera, who we met at the beginning of this episode, is one of those students. She works 32 hours a week at a Subaru dealership - perhaps working on your car, dear podcast listener. And then she spends another 10 hours in class, earning her associate degree. [Jacqueline Rivera] You get to learn the theory, but you also are hands-on. We have a lot of labs and we get that time to go over the theory and kind of put ourselves to work. And then with this apprenticeship, it will kind of be kind of like a real-world experience. And, you know, I'll be at a dealership doing this stuff and applying myself. [Kirk] And that means she'll graduate with no debt and the skills, she hopes, to get a good job. [Jon] Okay, so with this whole debate about the value of college, what should students and families actually do? Should you or your kid go the traditional two- or four-year college route or start looking into apprenticeships and other alternative paths? [Kirk] It's a great question, and one that we get all the time. I asked Vinz Kohler from Jobs for the Future what we should tell people, and he told me, don't lock into just any one track, and then see what fits your needs and your interests. So if you're in high school, talk to your teachers and guidance counselors, and ask if any apprenticeship degree programs already exist in your area. [Vinz Kohler] This is not available everywhere yet, but it's the kind of movie that's coming to a theater near you. I think that is almost certain and in almost all parts of the country [Kirk] Until then, keep your options open. Ask questions and talk to your family. [Vinz Kohler] We saw in North Carolina, for example, and in South Carolina, how, you know, they started offering this, first time around, 10 parents show up, next time around 100 parents show up because they hear, 'Oh, wow, this is cool. You know, I might have my kid earn some money as opposed to just being a cost center in my household.' [Kirk] Okay, now, college's staunchest defenders point out there are still millions of jobs in this country that require four-year degrees, and higher ed leaders like Raj Vinnakota with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars says yes, we need to get young people ready for a career, but going to college also prepares students to contribute to society. [Raj Vinnakota] How do we engage and prepare our students to be able to effectively engage in self-government? And how do we, as institutions of higher education, engage in our democracy? And frankly, we've kind of moved away from that and we need to bring that back in balance. [Kirk] So, Jon, what do you make of that argument, and what are you going to be watching as this debate over the value of college continues? [Kirk] Well, there's a couple of important statistics to keep in mind. There's still 58 million jobs in the United States that do require a college degree. So it's not exactly black and white. Also, as you mentioned earlier, there is a lot more demand for apprenticeships than there is a supply of them. So it's going to be really hard to scale up these programs fast enough for everyone to get apprenticeships. [Kirk] So do you think that the best way to get this combination of the demographic cliff and growing demand for alternatives to colleges will finally force colleges to kind of lean into job training and focus on skills and career outcomes? [Jon] Well, yeah, the operative word there is 'finally.' I think colleges are finally understanding their role in preparing their graduates for jobs, something that they haven't historically thought about, or they've dismissed. And so, yeah. I think you'll see more explicitly career-focused education in colleges. And I think you'll see them trying to kind of catch up with and compete back against these new alternatives, like apprenticeships and internships. [Kirk] This is College Uncovered. I'm Kirk Carapezza from GBH … [Jon] … and I'm Jon Marcus from The Hechinger Report. This episode was produced and written by Kirk Carapezza … [Kirk] … and Jon Marcus. This episode was edited by Jonathan A. Davis. Our executive editor is Jenifer McKim. Our fact-checker is Ryan Alderman. Mixing and sound design by David Goodman and Gary Mott. All of our music is by college bands. Our theme song and original music is by Left Roman, out of MIT. Mei He is our project manager, and head of GBH podcasts is Devin Maverick Robins. [Kirk] College Uncovered is made possible by Lumina Foundation. It's produced by GBH News and The Hechinger Report and distributed by PRX. Thanks so much for listening. More information about the topics covered in this episode: Use a federal government website to find an apprenticeship. Read more about how some employers are dropping degree requirements for jobs. Read about how demand for outstrips the supply of apprenticeships … … and internships. Read Jobs for the Future's plan to modernize America's apprenticeship system. The post College Uncovered: Apprentices of the World, Unite! appeared first on The Hechinger Report.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Harvard Fires Star Business Professor for Faking Her Findings on Honesty
Harvard University has stripped a celebrated business professor of her tenure and fired her over allegations of academic misconduct and fraud. Francesca Gino was a leading scholar in the field of behavioral science who published famous studies on ways to promote honest behavior, The New York Times reported. Her work with Harvard's Mind Brain Behavior initiative earned her a global following in business, academia, and government, including speaking engagements with Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies. Over the past week, however, Harvard administrators told the business faculty the university's governing board had decided to revoke Gino's tenure and fire her from Harvard Business School, local public broadcasting affiliate GBH News reported. The decision came after an internal investigation found Gino had manipulated the data to support her hypotheses in at least four studies. The university said it hadn't stripped a professor of tenure in decades, and GBH News could not find any other examples of tenure being revoked at Harvard. The university declined to comment further, and Gino did not respond to GBH's requests for comment. The Daily Beast has reached out to both sides for comment. 'I did not commit academic fraud. I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result. I did not falsify data to bolster any result,' Gino said in a 2023 statement on her personal website. Her dismissal comes as Harvard faces intense scrutiny as a result of President Donald Trump's attacks on the university. Over the past month and a half, the Trump administration has sought to deny Harvard $2.2 billion in federal funding, strip it of its tax-exempt status, and prevent the university from enrolling international students. Administration officials have said the moves were intended to fight antisemitism on campus, while the university has accused officials of a 'campaign of retribution.' Harvard has sued to try to restore its lost funding and to continue enrolling international students, but the administration has warned that other universities could be next. Given the feud with Harvard and the administration's attempts to undermine trust in higher education more broadly, other professors at Harvard Business School were reluctant to comment on Gino's case, GBH reported. Questions about her work, however, predate the Trump administration. Gino earned a Ph.D. in economics and management in her native Italy and originally came to Harvard as a visiting fellow, before landing a faculty position there in 2010. By 2020, she was the university's fifth-highest-paid employee, earning about $1 million a year, and made $50,000 to $100,000 per speaking engagement, The New Yorker reported. In 2012, Gino co-authored a landmark study that found that putting a declaration of truthfulness at the top of a tax or insurance document instead of at the bottom reduced lying on the form by about 10 percent. Governments worldwide took notice—including the Obama administration—and began studying whether they could recoup billions of dollars in lost tax revenue by revising their forms, according to The New Yorker. But a group of behavioral scientists who run a blog called Data Colada notified Harvard in 2021 that they believed Gino had faked the data in the 2012 paper, along with three other studies. They had been tipped off by a recent Ph.D. who believed she had found flaws both in the car insurance paper data and in another famous study by Gino that had found people felt dirty after networking. Following an internal investigation, Gino was put on unpaid administrative leave in 2023, and the papers were retracted. Gino denied the fraud allegations and filed a $25 million defamation suit against Harvard, which was dismissed last September, according to GBH News. Her website accuses Harvard's academic integrity procedures of denying her the chance to mount a proper defense by limiting the number of experts she was allowed to consult and not letting her discuss the investigation with her collaborators. As early as 2015, though, one of Gino's graduate students reported to Harvard Business School that she thought her professor was tampering with the raw data from their experiments, The New Yorker reported. For the internal investigation that was concluded in 2023, Harvard hired an outside firm to compare the published data with the original data file and found that it had been altered in myriad ways. The report that found Gino culpable was 1,200 pages long.
Politico
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Mayoral rivals meet up
SPARKS MOSTLY DON'T FLY — Last night's forum made clear what early polling shows: the Boston mayoral race is Michelle Wu's to lose. While the incumbent mayor didn't escape the first forum of the cycle hearing some criticism of her record, the most effective arguments against her were made by candidates who have yet to qualify for the ballot. Wu took the stage at a downtown Boston theater alongside three other mayoral hopefuls: Josh Kraft, a longtime non-profit executive and son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Domingos DeRosa, a longtime activist and former city employee; and Alex Alex, a 24-year-old Dorchester resident who immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a youth. As of Thursday, Wu and Kraft were the only candidates to have met the requirements to be on the ballot this fall. For the most part during the two-hour long forum, candidates focused more on their own talking points than on landing blows on the competition, drawing on personal backstories and laying out plans to address everything from housing to education. That meant few memorable moments in a debate that could have done more to move the needle for Kraft — viewed as the frontrunner against Wu — four months out from the preliminary election. Wu planted punches on Kraft, criticizing his calls to trim the city budget and going back and forth over transportation policy. When he declined to clearly answer a yes-or-no question, she dubbed him 'Mr. Halfsies.' Kraft took most of the attacks in stride, offering Wu a good-natured handshake in response to the new nickname. And while he knocked the city's response to the addiction crisis that's long plagued the Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard intersection — giving Wu an 'F' on the issue — he acknowledged that solutions were 'easier said than done.' The night underscored one the challenges Kraft faces: introducing himself to voters in the city familiar with the famous last name but not the candidate, while undercutting Wu's popularity — without coming off as too abrasive. One moment that attendees likely won't soon forget — in a night with mostly forgettable moments — came during a rapid-fire question section in the last minutes of the forum, when moderator and GBH News reporter Saraya Wintersmith asked candidates to say which ward they lived in. Kraft, who bought a condo in the North End in 2023, said he didn't know, eliciting some grumbling from the crowd of mostly of Democratic Ward Committee members. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF. Missed the forum? You can watch it here. TODAY — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at a groundbreaking for Motta Field at 10:30 a.m., attends the grand opening of Cannery Wharf Park at 11:15 a.m. and speaks at a Seasonal Communities Advisory Council meeting at 1 p.m. in Provincetown before attending La Colaborativa's Masquerade Gala at 7 p.m. in Chelsea. Attorney General Andrea Campbell and attorneys general from New England host a town hall at 6:30 p.m. in Boston. Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the city's Haitian flag raising at noon at City Hall. THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Seth Moulton speaks at Newburyport's 3T & 2C Democratic Breakfast at 9 a.m. in Newburyport Saturday. Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Rooney is on WBZ's 'Keller @ Large' at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Mike Kennealy, a Republican candidate for governor, is on WCVB's 'On the Record' at 11 a.m. Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL AGREE TO DISAGREE — State Democratic House and Senate leaders tasked with finding common ground on a new joint rules package downplayed their points of disagreement during a rare 30-minute public conference committee meeting Thursday. But the sentiment between the chambers is still so fraught that all it took was a couple questions for the long-simmering frustration to spill out into the open. What started out as a sleepy status update (Most of the more significant differences between the two proposals had been tabled.) turned into an edgy back-and-forth between lead negotiators once the formal conference committee meeting closed. After ticking through the dozens points of disagreement that remain, lawmakers moved to close the session and meet again at a date TBD. Then, the real debate began. Sen. Cynthia Creem and Rep. Michael Moran stood side by side as they took questions from reporters for more than 15 minutes after the meeting officially ended, each offering rebuttals to answers the other gave, debating differences over the meaning of 'attendance' in live time. By the end of scrum, they seemed closer to an agreement on that issue — Moran hinted the House may be willing to 'soften' its position on remote attendance. But it's unclear how soon negotiators will reach an agreement on the more than two dozen remaining differences. — Advocates and immigrants demand Healey intervene in ICE arrests by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: 'Immigrants and advocates are asking Gov. Maura Healey to intervene in the ongoing immigration-related arrests across Massachusetts. … There are no firm numbers on how many people have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Massachusetts since President Donald Trump took office nearly four months ago. But advocates have seen a surge in activity in recent weeks. Immigrants say the flurry of ICE sightings is 'paralyzing communities,' and that these are arrests 'state-sanctioned violence.'' FROM THE HUB — Boston City Hall staffers placed on unpaid leave after alleged domestic incident by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: 'Two City Hall staffers, including Boston's chief of staff for the office of police accountability, have been placed on unpaid leave after being arrested on charges related to an alleged domestic assault, according to officials and court records. Marwa Khudaynazar, 27, and Chulan Huang, 26, were arrested after police responded early Thursday to an apartment on Hudson Street in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.' — Lego cuts the ribbon on new Back Bay headquarters: 'Boston attracts great tenants' by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe: 'Already the world's largest toy company, Lego keeps finding new ways to grow — and now Boston will play a key role in helping with that momentum. Executives at the Danish toymaker joined with Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu — plus two brave souls dressed like Lego characters Jester and Pirate Princess Argenta — to officially cut the ribbon on Lego's new US headquarters in the Back Bay on Thursday. Although the 157,000-square-foot office over six floors opened this month, the corporate relocations from Enfield, Conn., will continue through the end of next year.' EYES ON 2026 — GOP candidate for Massachusetts governor Mike Kennealy backs gun law repeal by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'Mike Kennealy, a Republican candidate for Massachusetts governor, said he supports a campaign to repeal a sweeping gun law that Beacon Hill Democrats say creates safer communities but opponents criticize as an overreach of governmental powers. In pledging to support efforts to repeal the law, the 57-year-old from Lexington has sided with a group of gun owners, hunters, and Second Amendment rights activists who have launched a ballot question campaign asking voters to buck the statute during the 2026 statewide elections.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Millions are behind on student debt. Pressley wants to stop wage garnishment for those in default. by Hannah Loss, GBH News: 'More than 5 million people in the United States could soon have their student debt sent to collections — and another 4 million are months behind on their payments. Combined, that's almost 1 in 4 student loan holders across the country. Since the Department of Education resumed sending accounts in default to collections last week, some lawmakers like U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley are trying to curb the hurt that can cause — like wage garnishment.' FROM THE 413 — Springfield and attorney general coordinating to recover $20 million feds snatched by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: 'The federal government has confirmed its cancellation of a $20 million environmental grant to the city of Springfield, but officials are not giving in.' — 'This is not fair to us': Amherst Regional Middle School leaders outline poor conditions, ask committee for help by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'Falling ceiling tiles, locked bathrooms with broken stalls and a class schedule that regularly drops a guided academic study and advisory period are among concerns Amherst Regional Middle School student leaders are bringing to the Regional School Committee.' THE LOCAL ANGLE — Honking at undercover ICE car set off Worcester arrest firestorm, family claims by Adam Bass, MassLive: 'The daughter of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 8 at Eureka Street, says that the arrest of her mother started after her partner honked at an undercover car with ICE agents. Augusta Clara Moura, the 21-year-old daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira, presented new details about how ICE arrested her mother as well as her partner, and how she was threatened with arrest by ICE agents.' — 3 citizens' petitions take aim at MBTA zoning by Buck Anderson, The Salem News: 'Citizens' petitions aimed at overturning zoning in place to comply with the state's MBTA Communities Act are likely to draw much of the attention at Monday night's Annual Town Meeting [in Danvers]. Three petitions — Articles 36-38 — come near the end of the 39-article agenda. Two of the articles propose Town Meeting reject measures it has already taken to come into compliance with the state law, while the third seeks close scrutiny of those changes and further zoning amendments to address 'overdevelopment' they will cause.' — Worcester Memorial Auditorium project gets $25 million commitment from state by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Christian Scorzoni, the Lowell Sun's Alana Melanson, Emma Rothschild, former Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey, Kayla Scire and Alvin Gunnion. Happy belated to Western Mass Governor's Councilor Tara Jacobs, who celebrated Thursday. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Ralph Neas and Robert Petito, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers POLITICO and Boston Globe alum Bryan Bender, state Rep. Bill Driscoll Jr., Erik Smith, Robert Colt, Patrick Long, Jason Meininger, Judy Boullet and Josh Troop.
Politico
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Wu makes her case for four more years
BOSTON STRONG — Michelle Wu's reelection battle has begun. In an address marking the unofficial kickoff of her campaign, Wu made her most pointed pitch to Boston voters Wednesday night for why they should give her another four years in office, rolling out a handful of new policies and projects aimed at making the city more affordable for residents while positioning herself as Boston's chief defender against a potentially hostile federal administration. But first, the mayor took a victory lap. Wu pointed to a rash of new liquor licenses the city won state approval for last year, Boston's record-low crime rate, hard fought contracts for several of the city's unions and more. And like last year, she ran the numbers on the ways her administration has improved quality of life in the city: filling 15,000 potholes, planting more than 5,000 trees and repairing more than 30 miles of sidewalk and 60 miles of roadway. Facing the tough realities of governing, Wu has tempered some of the progressive promises she made when she swept into office three years ago. She traded talk of rent control (an issue still stalled on Beacon Hill) for an announcement about a new co-purchasing pilot the city is rolling out today/ And she swapped the calls for a fare-free T for promises to get Boston Public Schools buses back on track. The miles of bike lanes installed across the city were left unmentioned. But it wasn't all nuts-and-bolts action items. Wu turned the national message she delivered during her recent congressional testimony to a local audience, taking a more fiery tone at home as she warned federal officials not to mess with Boston. 'Tonight, I can say that the state of our city is strong. And we have to be,' Wu said from the stage at MGM Music Hall. 'Because all over the country, people are feeling the weight of a federal administration that's attacking our sources of strength — the same people and purpose that make Boston great: public servants and veterans; immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community; the institutions that conduct groundbreaking research and provide lifesaving care.' GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. GBH News and WBUR have more takeaways, or you can read or watch the full speech. One difference this year? The steady stream of rebuttals flowing from Wu's chief opponent in the mayoral race, Josh Kraft. Kraft took to X to critique the speech in live time, criticizing Wu's handling of schools,safety downtown, encampments at Mass & Cass and more. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe's State of the City Address at 6:30 p.m. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the at the North Shore Chamber's Business Expo at 8 a.m. in Peabody and leads a meeting of the STEM Advisory Council at 11 a.m. in Burlington. Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce forum at 9:30 a.m. in Boston. Rep. Lori Trahan tours Incompass Human Services at noon in Chelmsford. Rep. Ayanna Pressley Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL — 'Hundreds push for new bills, rally for immigrants' rights at State House,' by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: 'Hundreds of people gathered in the State House to celebrate recent legislative gains, advocate for bills that could combat President Donald Trump's wave of executive orders and, most of all, welcome and celebrate immigrants in a state where immigrants make up about 20% of the workforce. Soon after the event, hundreds of advocates flocked to legislators' offices to promote bills they want to see become law.' — 'Voc-tech admissions saga zigzags toward finish line,' by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon: 'A nearly decade-long debate over admission policies at the state's vocational high schools seems to be nearing a conclusion, but it's been a tortured path and there is plenty of discontent with the likely outcome on both sides. Whether that means state officials have struck the appropriate middle ground or ignored sound arguments that have been put forward depends on your point of view.' — 'Leading Massachusetts: Politicians to watch in 2025,' by John L. Micek and Ryan Mancini, MassLive. FROM THE HUB — 'One year after pro-Palestinian protests, Emerson College faces enrollment drop,' by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: 'When Meira Fiber-Munro chose to enroll at Emerson College in Boston in 2023, she was drawn to the school's celebrated journalism program and vibrant downtown campus. But after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel thousands of miles away from Boston, the response on campus gradually eroded her sense of safety and belonging. … Fiber-Munro transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene. She wasn't alone — at least ten of her Jewish friends left Emerson, too. GBH News spoke to five of them, and each had similar stories of feeling ostracized or harassed because of their identity.' — 'In last-minute maneuver, Boston's White Stadium opponents seek new 'legal theory' to block city's soccer project,' by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'With half their case already dismissed, a group of plaintiffs vying to stop the City of Boston's public-private plan to rehab White Stadium for a pro soccer team made a last-minute motion near the end of trial to try to enhance their legal claims. The late motion aims to provide a layer of insurance to the plaintiffs' remaining major claim, by way of a legal theory purportedly backed by state law that gives 10 taxpayers the ability, through the court, to block the type of project the city and Boston Unity Soccer Partners are pursuing with their plan to rebuild the stadium on public parkland.' FROM THE DELEGATION — ''We have questions': Mass. residents flood congressional Democrats' town halls, calling for action,' by Deborah Becker, WBUR: 'Hundreds of people angered by national politics are crowding town halls led by members of Massachusetts' all-Democratic congressional delegation. Many are venting frustrations with Democrats, accusing them of inaction as President Trump and his administration dismantle or threaten government services. While Republican members of Congress have been advised against holding constituent town halls after heated arguments, concerned residents have packed some Democrats' forums.' FROM THE 413 — 'South Hadley Select Board reluctantly backs budget that members agree does not meet resident needs,' by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'The Select Board is reluctantly supporting a $58 million budget that will be presented at annual Town Meeting this spring, with members acknowledging that the spending plan for next fiscal year does not meet the needs of residents.' — 'ICE officers made an arrest in Pittsfield and visited a Lenox restaurant,' by Greg Sukiennik and Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle: 'Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made their presence felt in the Berkshires on Wednesday, arresting a worker in Pittsfield and visiting a Lenox restaurant, apparently in search of another person.' THE LOCAL ANGLE — 'City hires expert to investigate police narcotics and internal affairs units,' by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light: 'The city has hired an internal affairs expert to investigate two troubled New Bedford Police Department divisions, but the mayor has not identified the expert nor when he was hired. The units that are under review include the Professional Standards Unit (internal affairs), which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline, and the Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureau (OCIB), which handles narcotics cases.' — '34 groups work to join Rockport MBTA 3A suit,' by Stephen Hagan, Gloucester Daily Times: 'The number of citizen groups attempting to join forces in a lawsuit to fight the state's MBTA Community Act, also known as the Section 3A housing law, is growing. A lawsuit, first filed by litigants in Rockport on Oct. 5, 2022, has seen 34 citizen groups attempt to join the legal action, according to Michael C. Walsh, an attorney with Lynnfield-based law firm Walsh & Walsh LLP who represents a number of plaintiffs in the legal actions.' — 'Brockton's mayor isn't running again: What made this past year in office hard,' by Susannah Sudborough, MassLive: 'After five years as Brockton mayor and 14 years as a city councilor-at-large, Democrat Robert Sullivan has decided not to run for mayor again. His last year in office was an eventful one, and leaves Brockton with lingering issues that will need to be tackled by his successor.' — 'Marlborough School Committee reopens its search for new superintendent,' by Norman Miller, The MetroWest Daily News: 'It's back to the drawing board for the Marlborough School Committee in its search for a new superintendent of schools. The School Committee voted unanimously during its March 11 meeting to not offer the job to either of the two finalists selected by a search committee, instead choosing to conduct a second search to find a replacement for the retiring Mary Murphy.' HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Karlee Fain.
Axios
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
What happened when ICE agents descended on East Boston stores
East Boston store owners found themselves at odds with federal immigration agents last month, resisting attempts to search and audit their businesses. Why it matters: These business owners told GBH News, which broke the story, that the encounters showed the power of knowing one's rights when interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration advocates and local elected officials have held "Know Your Rights" seminars and passed around suggestion cards since President Trump's inauguration, drawing the ire of border czar Tom Homan. Catch up quick: ICE visited several Eastie businesses on Feb. 13, GBH News reported. The store owners and employees said the visits came after reports of people working without work permits. ICE told GBH News they didn't investigate further after speaking with managers and reviewing documents. Yes, but: Business owners and employees said they never handed over any documents. They also said the ICE agents showed no judicial warrants or documentation authorizing such a review. What they're saying: "I remembered my rights and told the man, 'I'm not obligated to respond to your questions,'" said Yhoana Zapata, who works at El Cambio Latino. The big picture: Businesses in majority-immigrant neighborhoods are becoming targets of federal immigration agents seeking to detain locals without work permits, despite the Trump administration's claims that they would go after the hardest criminals. Business owners in these neighborhoods have also suffered a drop in foot traffic in the past six weeks, WBUR reported. The other side: Homan blasted U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Fox News last month for holding a "Know Your Rights" webinar. "She can call it education all she wants, but we all know it's about evading law enforcement," he said.
