The renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma gives an impromptu performance in a vaccine waiting room in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, after having received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. He performs Ave Maria and the prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite No 1 to the small number of patients waiting to receive the dose. Ma, who played for about 15 minutes, is a part-time resident of the area and wanted to ‘give something back’ to his community, according to a local paper, the Berkshire Eagle
Continue reading...Category Archives: Massachusetts
Marvin Hagler obituary
One of the greatest world middleweight boxing champions of all time
Marvin Hagler, who has died aged 66, is recognised as one of boxing’s greatest champions, holding the world middleweight title from 1980 to 1987, but his fabled status is assured because of one never-to-be-forgotten night in the old open-air arena at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 1985, when he fought and defeated his great rival Thomas Hearns in one of the most thrilling contests the sport has ever produced.
Related: Marvin Hagler, middleweight boxing's towering champion, dies aged 66
Continue reading...Massachusetts city to post climate change warning stickers at gas stations
Bright yellow stickers warn drivers burning of gasoline has ‘major consequences on human health and the environment’
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first US city to mandate the placing of stickers on fuel pumps to warn drivers of the resulting dangers posed by the climate crisis.
Continue reading...US Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths rise amid Thanksgiving rush
US reported 181,490 new cases on Wednesday as millions defied official advice to travel and gather for Thanksgiving
The US reported 181,490 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a third daily rise in a row, as hospitalisations hit a record for a 16th day in succession, at 89,959.
Related: Supreme court bars Covid attendance limits at New York houses of worship
Continue reading...Cape Cod issues great white shark warning ahead of 4 July holiday
Sharks found in nearly every part of the cape, and are gathering there in summer in increasing numbers
Cape Cod’s beaches and towns may be quieter because of the coronavirus pandemic, but officials are reminding visitors ahead of the 4 July holiday that the famous Massachusetts destination remains a popular getaway for other summertime travellers: great white sharks.
Great whites have been coming to the Cape in greater numbers each summer to prey on the region’s large seal colonies. Most tend to favour the Atlantic ocean-facing beaches where seals tend to congregate, but researchers have found them off nearly every part of the Cape.
Continue reading...Coronavirus US live: Trump abruptly leaves press conference after clash with reporters
- President makes vague claim numbers are ‘down almost everywhere’
- Cuomo on New York: ‘We’re on the other side of the mountain’
- Nursing homes account for ‘staggering’ share of US deaths, data show
- Texas begins to reopen after quarantine – but is it safe to do so?
- Coronavirus – latest global updates
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Trump ends the briefing on a very abrupt and sour note.
Asked by CBS White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang why he is so fixated on comparing the US’ testing capability to other countries as opposed to focusing on the lag that still exists here, Trump snapped: “Maybe that’s a question you should ask China. Don’t ask me, ask China that question, okay?”
Trump throws a fit when @kaitlancollins of CNN tries to ask him a question and abruptly ends the press conference pic.twitter.com/58AVZ9CABl
Trump walked out of his own news conference after accusing @weijia of asking a "nasty question" and refusing to take @kaitlancollins's questions after calling on her.
Trump spent Mother’s Day sending conspiratorial tweets about his predecessor. In one tweet he accused Obama of committing the “biggest political crime in American history, by far!” Trump.
Asked to name the crime he is accusing Obama of committing, Trump replied: “Obamagate. it’s been going on for a long time it’s been going on before I even got elected.”
Related: Trump charges Obama with 'biggest political crime in American history'
Continue reading...Polar vortex brings May snow and freeze warnings to New York and New England
- Unseasonable blast felt from Maine to Manhattan
- Chill coincides with Vermont reopening outdoor pursuits
Mother’s Day weekend got off to an unseasonably snowy start in the US north-east on Saturday, thanks to the polar vortex bringing cold air down from the north.
Some higher elevation areas in northern New York state and New England reported snowfall accumulations of up to 10in, while traces of snow were seen along the coast from Maine to Boston and as far south as Manhattan.
Continue reading...California to reopen some businesses this week as lockdowns ease across US – as it happened
- Trump administration privately predicts major increase
- Supreme court livestreams arguments for first time in history
- US cases at 1,157,875 according to Johns Hopkins data
- McConnell could yet pay price for ‘tone deaf’ response
- Live global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
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That’s all for today, thanks for following along. A recap of the day:
Senator Elizabeth Warren said today she believed Joe Biden’s comments on the sexual assault allegation were “credible and convincing”.
“I saw the reports of what Ms [Tara] Reade said, I saw an interview with vice-president Biden. I appreciate that the vice-president took a lot of questions, tough questions. And he answered them directly and respectfully. The vice-president’s answers were credible and convincing,” the senator and former presidential candidate said, according to a CNN reporter.
Related: Senate rejects Joe Biden's request to search for records on Tara Reade
Continue reading...Coronavirus: US reaches one million confirmed cases – live updates
- US reaches milestone according to Johns Hopkins figures
- President said he ‘would have to check’ dates of the warnings he received
- Cuomo: New York deaths are lowering ‘but not at a tremendous rate’
- Hillary Clinton expected to endorse Joe Biden today
- Live global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
- Get a fresh perspective on America – sign up to our First Thing newsletter
Mike Pence’s office has dubiously argued the vice president does not need to wear a mask because he is regularly tested for coronavirus.
The vice president faced questions about his lack of mask usage earlier this month after a photo circulated of a mask-less Pence greeting Colorado governor Jared Polis, who was wearing a mask in the picture.
Vice President Mike Pence was criticized for ignoring mask guidelines when visiting the Mayo Clinic facilities in Minnesota today.
Footage of Pence’s visit showed the vice president not covering his face as he met with the clinic’s employees and at least one patient.
PENCE flouts Mayo Clinic policy that everyone on campus wear a mask, even as he meets with staff and a patient. pic.twitter.com/kfo64KQDhU
Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.
Continue reading...Coronavirus US live: Andrew Cuomo details ‘horrific level of pain’ as deaths pass 10,000 in New York
- Concerns US lawmakers are using briefings to make stock decisions
- Death penalty states urged to release stockpiled drugs for patients
- Live global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
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It’s been one month since Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, and many of his key promises remain unfulfilled.
An in-depth NPR investigation found many of the pledges that Trump made in his March 13 Rose Garden speech have only been parially realized, while others have gone completely ignored.
NPR’s Investigations Team dug into each of the claims made from the podium that day. And rather than a sweeping national campaign of screening, drive-through sample collection and lab testing, it found a smattering of small pilot projects and aborted efforts.
In some cases, no action was taken at all.
Independent congressman Justin Amash pushed back against Trump’s claim that he has the authority to reopen the economy at the federal level, an assertion that is also challenged by constitutional experts.
President Trump is flat-out wrong. The president has no authority to “close down” or “open up” the states. He’s the one creating conflict and confusion. Put down the authoritarianism and read the Constitution. https://t.co/3AFqRx7YTX
Continue reading...US bans shock ‘treatment’ on children with special needs at Boston-area school
FDA ban brings an end to decades-long battle against use of ‘aversive therapy’ at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts
The US government has banned an electric shock machine that is used to zap children and young adults with special needs in a school outside Boston – the only institution in the world known to practice the controversial punishment “treatment”.
Related: Elizabeth Warren drops out of Democratic presidential race – live
Continue reading...Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in prison for college bribery scandal
Actor pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy and fraud after admitting to paying $15,000 to boost daughter’s SAT scores
The actor Felicity Huffman was sentenced on Friday to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT scores in the college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy and well-connected parents.
Related: The US college admissions scam toolkit: bribes, fake profiles and playing 'stupid’
Continue reading...MIT to investigate research lab’s ties to Epstein as director resigns
Joi Ito exits after reports claim lab worked to hide extent of financier’s donations
The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has ordered an independent investigation of the ties between a prestigious research lab at the school and Jeffrey Epstein, the influential financier and convicted sex offender.
Joi Ito, the director of the influential MIT Media Lab, submitted his resignation on Saturday, in the wake of continued scrutiny over the center’s financial relationship with Epstein, the university announced in a statement.
Continue reading...Boston ‘straight pride’ parade dwarfed by large counter-protest
- Milo Yiannopoulos was ‘grand marshal’ for rightwing event
- Houston: Islamic group sees rightwingers rally
A controversial “straight pride” parade in Boston on Saturday drew more than 1,000 counter-protesters and a few hundred supporters.
The rightwing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was “grand marshal” of the event, for which a group calling itself Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) acquired a permit in June.
Continue reading...Seth Moulton: meet the 19th Democratic contender for US 2020 race – video
The Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton has become the 19th person to declare their intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Watch the decorated Marine Corps veteran talk about his fame in Iraq, his attempt to stop Nancy Pelosi's re-election as House Speaker and what makes him stand out in a crowded Democratic field
Continue reading...Bill Cosby settles defamation lawsuits with seven female accusers
- Entertainer had accused them of lying about sexual allegations
- Cosby, 81, is currently serving sexual assault sentence
Disgraced actor and comedian Bill Cosby has agreed to settle lawsuits filed by seven women who say he defamed them when he accused them of lying about sexual misconduct allegations.
Related: Bill Cosby sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault
Continue reading...Elizabeth Warren launches 2020 bid with attack on ‘rigged politics’ – video
Senator Elizabeth Warren has officially launched her presidential campaign in Massachusetts, calling for a more equal society and an end to corruption. 'This is the fight of our lives,' she told supporters in the city of Lawrence, the site of a historic workers' strike in 1912 led by women and immigrants
Continue reading...‘Rigged system’: will Warren’s rage against the rich win over 2020 voters?
While controversy around her heritage lingers, voters call the Democrat’s fight against economic injustice ‘inspiring’
On a cold, blustery January day in 1912, immigrant women walked out of the Everett Mill in the Massachusetts factory town of Lawrence demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Mill owners and city government responded in a swift and heavy-handed manner; local militias and police forces were called to the streets. Protesters died. Many more were arrested.
On a cold, blustery February day 117 years later, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren stood in front of Everett Mill to announce her candidacy for president of the United States, channeling the spirit of those women as she told her supporters that they were in a fight for their lives against a rigged system that favors the rich and powerful.
Continue reading...Kevin Spacey appears in court in Nantucket on indecent assault charge
- Actor will face a maximum of five years in prison if convicted
- Groping incident allegedly took place at bar in 2016
At a minutes-long arraignment on the ritzy Massachusetts island of Nantucket on Monday, Kevin Spacey did not appear to utter a word.
Related: Kevin Spacey case brings attention to Nantucket – where many go to avoid spotlight
Continue reading...‘Creepy’: Elizabeth Warren lambasts Trump after offer to…
Washington: Democratic senator and potential 2020 US presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has released a genetic analysis, with an accompanying video , aimed at proving her Native American heritage and rebutting a frequent attack from President Donald Trump that she lied about her ancestry. The critique of Warren has been a frequent one since 2012, when the Boston Herald reported that Harvard Law School had listed Warren's Native American ancestry in touting its diversity.