Latest news with #MichelleWu
Boston Globe
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Renee Rap, singer behind ‘I Hate Boston,' drops new single ahead of album release
'I wish I could take that pretty little face,' Rapp sings, 'and shake some sense into you." Many Boston fans are well-acquainted with Rapp's fiery spirit —and know she's no stranger to stirring the pot. In 2023, her team famously displayed a The stunt promoted her single of the same name and sparked a wave of reactions, from confused glances to pointed posts across social media. Advertisement 'For me, this is funny as [expletive],' Even Mayor Michelle Wu weighed in, sharing an edited photo of the sign on Instagram with a new message, 'Boston Loves You.' But any lingering hard feelings seemed to fade when Rapp returned to the city for the 'I hate Boston because I've had a trying time here,' she told the crowd during her set, blaming several nasty exes for her heartbreak. 'But goddamn, I'm having a good time today.' Rapp charmed the audience, clarifying that she no longer wanted to 'burn the whole city down,' as her lyrics once suggested. Advertisement Let's just say, Boston probably isn't mad anymore. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Five things to do around Boston, June 30-July 13
July 1 No Strings Attached Become a puppet master at the Boston Public Library's Puppet-Making Workshop. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at BPL's Egleston Square branch, professional puppeteer and performer Nicola McEldowney will guide you in creating your own finger puppets. The workshop is recommended for children ages 4 -7 and their families. All materials will be provided. Free. Advertisement July 2-July 4 Harbor of Revolution Commemorate the American Revolution — and the state where it began — at the annual Boston Harborfest celebration. At venues across the city, listen to a kick-off speech by Mayor Michelle Wu, hear the Declaration of Independence read from the balcony of the Old State House (just how Bostonians first heard it in 1776), watch fireworks over the harbor, enjoy patriotic music from the Boston Pops Orchestra, and more. Prices vary, but most Harborfest events are free. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up July 11 Royal Refrain Discover history-making women alongside one of America's most talented vocalists at African Queens with Karen Slack. Slack, a Grammy Award-winning soprano, will perform newly commissioned music that honors seven African queens, interspersed with spoken word and displays of African artwork. At 7:30 p.m. at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, witness these queens' lives and legacies. Find tickets, starting at $38, at Advertisement July 11-July 12 Flavor Island Taste the city's finest Jamaican flavors at Boston JerkFest. This food and culture festival will take over Harvard's Athletic Complex from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Friday, sip from more than 50 spirits, cocktails, and other specialty brew samples. On Saturday, try jerk dishes (for purchase) from dozens of local vendors, enjoy steel drum music and dancing, and make your own Caribbean-inspired crafts. Ticket prices vary, starting at $44 for a Friday concert only. This edition of Your Week Ahead covers two weeks. Look for the next edition of Globe Magazine on July 13. Share your event news. Send information on Boston-area happenings at least three weeks in advance to week@ Adelaide Parker can be reached at
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani spells doom for Democrats — and glee for the GOP
The Democratic Party has created a monster it can't control. November's presidential election should have been their warning: Major blue cities showed the rest of the country what unchecked Democrat power looks like — and voters really didn't like what they saw. From Chicago's Brandon Johnson to Boston's Michelle Wu, the state of our deep blue cities shows what happens when the leftists gets everything they want. Advertisement Proving the Democratic Party can be trusted nationally begins with ensuring their political strongholds aren't insane asylums. With their nomination of Zohran Mamdani for mayor, it's safe to say the Democrats didn't learn that lesson. In choosing Mamdani, New York Democrats have decided to shed any remaining pretense of moderation or common sense, and just plow headlong into the abyss. Advertisement Bold move. How did it happen? It's the kids — and they're not alright. To put it plainly, the young left has gone insane. Advertisement They believe probably untrue things on everything from economics to history to foreign affairs, they're radical beyond any past generation, they're quick to excuse rioting and even murder, they have zero tolerance for dissent — and an ugly antisemitic streak runs through all of it. Oh, and they feel very deeply that they should be in charge of everything, immediately. Sound familiar? If you've been paying attention to activist politics in New York recently, you've surely noticed it in their attitudes on everything from bike lanes to zoning to Luigi Mangione to Palestine. Advertisement And Zohran is their perfect candidate: A 33-year-old trust-fund socialist with a liar's smile and demonstrated allegiance to every lunatic progressive totem you can name. He even has an accent he can turn on and off at will. Party leaders know they have a problem. Ever wonder why top national Democrats are the same geriatric faces we've seen for decades now? It's because they don't trust their own young people to take the reins — they're terrified of them. During the recent LA riots, moderate Democrats on X were openly pleading with activists to scale back their violence — or at the very least, to wave American flags and soften the brutal optics that were being transmitted to every corner of the nation. But those pleas were ignored: That's not who the leftists are, and they're not going to pretend otherwise anymore. And they wouldn't be caught dead with an American flag. For decades now, Democrats have cultivated these increasingly radical shock troops. College campuses became political training camps to serve left-wing interests, and our urban centers became breeding grounds for well-funded activists — backed by NGOs and nonprofits — ready to mobilize on demand. Advertisement For a while, this arrangement worked; Democrats were happy to corrupt our institutions so long it kept paying political dividends — electoral victories, fearful corporations, cultural cachet. But they were playing with fire as each generation of young Democrats moved further left than the last. Less tolerant of dissent or compromise. More insular and parochial. Increasingly detached from reality. Like making a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy, eventually the image becomes unrecognizable. Liberal became progressive, progressive became woke — and woke blew up in their faces. Advertisement Now Democrats are out of power in all three branches of the federal government, with record-low approval ratings to match. And the army of young people they empowered but can't command is the indelible face of their brand, politically toxic outside of affluent urban enclaves — yet on the verge of capturing the nation's largest and most important city. National Democrats will have to reconcile this embarrassment to voters in the rest of the country looking on with horror and disbelief. Good luck to them. Advertisement How could the financial capital of the nation nominate for mayor a socialist who's never held a job? How could a city struggling with crime and violence nominate a radical who wants to defund the police? Democrats will struggle to answer those questions. But the explanation is very simple — young urban progressives have completely lost the plot, yet they're the party's energy, the ones who get out and vote, the ones who get the clicks and views, the ones who volunteer and phone-bank and door-knock. Advertisement And they're going to relegate the Democratic Party to a permanent minority — with iron-fisted control over our deep blue cities, and very little beyond them. Extremism isn't a great long-term strategy for a national party. It tends to play poorly with exactly the sort of voters Democrats need to win back. And they're about to learn that lesson the hard way: Mamdani is a walking campaign advertisement for congressional Republicans in the midterms. As Vice President JD Vance posted Tuesday night on Bluesky, 'Congratulations to the new leader of the Democratic Party @zohrankmamdani.' Frankly, a general-election defeat would be the best-case scenario for Democrats now, sparing them years of embarrassment as Mamdani destroys this city. As a New Yorker, I pray that's the outcome. Vickie Paladino is a Republican City Council member representing the 19th district in northern Queens.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Zohran Mamdani just stunned New York City with a win in the mayoral primary. Here's a look at his New England ties.
He attended college in Maine An empty Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick, Maine, on March 13, 2020. Sarah Rice/The New York Times Mamdani, a 33-year-old native of Uganda who moved to New York City with his family at the age of 7, received a bachelor's degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine, according to his campaign website. Advertisement Mamdani published 32 articles in the Bowdoin Orient, the school's newspaper, between 2010 and 2014, according to the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In one column from 2011, he reflected on taking in a women's lacrosse game on campus. 'My girl Jordan Smith '14, a proud representative of the Dirty Jersey, which we'll call her from here on, had persuaded a few of our floormates and me to get down to watch the team take on the University of Southern Maine (USM),' Mamdani 'To be honest, I didn't really want to go — I had a lot of procrastination to take care of — and I'd heard that men's lacrosse was more enjoyable. But Dirty Jersey just didn't give up, and I agreed to head over for the first half. Even though I didn't get to see my girl take the field, the game was awesome. Advertisement 'Before the game, lacrosse, for me, meant insane flow, Crack House, and Brantford Winstonworth. But now, I realize it's actually pretty fun to watch.' In another column from 2013, he discussed thorny issues related to consent and bodily autonomy on the dance floor. 'There's nothing wrong with trying to hook up on the dance floor,' Another 2013 column described a visit Mamdani had made to Egypt. He wrote that he touched down 'before the onset of nationwide protests that were to depose President Mohammad Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.' 'The Egyptian conflict is not one of two sides, instead it encompasses many: from tamarod (the group that organized the protests and reflects much of the Egyptian left's concerns) to the resurgent feloul (the remnants of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime), the ever-present army, and the ikwhan (Muslim Brotherhood), amongst others," Mamdani wrote. 'The confusion lies in that other than the ikhwan , these groups increasingly speak with one voice, and so give off the impression of a true political alliance. Yet their united front is built first and foremost on a rejection of the ikhwan , and so they are united only in opposition—a dangerous basis for any partnership. Advertisement 'But this is not just a 'made-in-Egypt' conflict. Among other backers, American taxpayers are continuing to fund the Egyptian army to the tune of $1.3 billion a year, and it was this army that I was now watching depose a president, becoming the de-facto head of a nation—not a democratic process as most Americans would see it." He's inspired by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Boston Mayor Michelle Wu during the first 2025 Boston mayoral debate at Suffolk University's Modern Theater on May 15. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Mamdani has praised Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a fellow progressive who has also championed causes like free public transportation and rent control, while locking down the backing of her city's crunchy cohort. 'I've shown myself adept at the skills required' to occupy the Five Boroughs' corner office, He told the interviewer that Wu's free bus pilot program showed 'that dwell-time at bus stops can go down by 23 percent if you're using all-door boarding. We mandated the MTA [in NYC] to do it, for the pilot. I got on those buses on the first day. I got on them a few months after. I got on them towards the end. A lot of it was not all-door boarding. That's where I also think this can change.' He scored key endorsements from Bernie Sanders and AOC Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez acknowledge the cheering crowd during a "Fighting Oligarchy" event in Los Angeles on April 12. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who Advertisement On Tuesday night, AOC gave Mamdani a shout-out via X. 'Congratulations, Congratulations, Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) Travis Andersen can be reached at
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Wanted: An exam school admission system that can stand the test of time
The city has tweaked that system every year over the past six school years, often in response to problems revealed the previous year. Advertisement While this experimentation has been well-meaning, the uncertainty needs to end. An admission system that's this hard to understand and changes in seemingly arbitrary ways isn't transparent. Students and families don't really know what to expect, and the changes are starting to have unintended consequences by souring families on the schools and the district. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up One can say it shouldn't matter — admission to an exam school shouldn't be of such pivotal importance — but until the rest of Boston's high schools are up to snuff, whether a student gets into an exam school is a make-or-break question for many Boston families. Now, Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper are pushing a new set of changes. The administration has presented the School Committee with three options, all of which would address some of the unfair aspects of the current system. But, crucially, the administration also recognizes that endless tweaks have become a problem in and of themselves. District officials realize they need to 'craft a policy designed to remain stable for multiple years,' as a Advertisement So whether the School Committee members accept one of the three options Skipper gave them, or combine elements of the three plans to come up with their own, the important thing is for the School Committee to pick a plan and stick with it. The problem with the old system is that, while it was enviably straightforward, it was easily gamed: Savvy parents knew which private schools would give their kids straight As and could hire tutors to help kids master the material for the Change began about a decade ago. First, the district changed the test used to one that more closely tracks the BPS curriculum. Then, during the pandemic, it briefly stopped considering the test at all, admitting students solely on grades. As the pandemic eased, it instituted the current system of bonus points and tiers. Students still submit grades and test scores. But then bonus points are added if they meet one of several criteria; by far the most common bonus points are those awarded if a student is applying from a high-poverty school. Students are also no longer admitted based on a citywide competition: They only compete against other applicants from their tier. The district divides the city into four (initially eight) geography-based socioeconomic tiers, each of which is allocated a number of seats based on its population of school-age kids. Advertisement The changes have made the schools more diverse — at a price. One unintended consequence has been that in at least one year, The city responded by putting school-based bonus points on a sliding scale depending on the students' tier — making the system even more complicated and raising questions about how exactly the district is coming up with the bonus points and how empirically valid they could really be if they change this often. There is also some evidence that the policy changes may be pushing families away. Fewer students are applying to exam schools overall, and some who do apply but who don't get an invitation elect to leave the district. In the 2024-25 school year, according to the district, only 54 percent of seventh-grade applicants who didn't get an exam school seat stayed in BPS. Between 60 and 80 BPS students leave the district every year because they don't receive an exam school seat. All three of Wu and Skipper's proposals would end school-based bonus points (while retaining other kinds of bonus points, such as for students who are homeless). Two of three would also create a citywide admission window — something One of the three proposals would change the way seats are allocated to the four tiers. Instead of basing the allocation on the number of school-age kids in each tier, it would be based on the number of applications from that tier — so that the acceptance rate would be virtually the same in each tier. Advertisement According to the district's projections, any of the three proposals would have only a slight impact on the school's racial demographics. Getting rid of school-based bonus points is the most important change the committee can make, because it would do the most to simplify the process and would remove the part that feels the most subjective and arbitrary (Why 10 points? Why 4 points?). Stepping back, there is no perfect way to measure the 'smartest' kids, especially kids in sixth grade, and no admission system that won't leave some applicants disappointed. But as long as the district chooses to operate selective schools at all, the pathways should be clear, predictable, and open to all. The changes Wu and Skipper have suggested would move the district in that direction. But the real achievement will be when the committee doesn't have to consider a new batch of changes every year. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
