On Point

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Why You Should Care About QAnon

The malevolent conspiracy theories pushed by QAnon are not shared just by a handful of kooks on the fringes of society, writes Julie Wittes Schlack.

A woman is reflected in a puddle as she walks past a pond during rainy weather in a forest near the village of Meshcherskoye outside Moscow on October 15, 2017. / (Yuri Kadobnova/ AFP via Getty Images)

Navigating Cancer, A Pandemic And Come What May

5 hours ago

Sen. Kamala Harris speaks after Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden introduced her as his running mate during a campaign event in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

What Kamala Harris Shows Us About The New Generation Of Women Leaders

Aug 13, 2020

A protester holds a placard saying No Mandated Masks or Shutdown Freedom First during the We Will Not Comply anti mask rally.
(Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Toxic Nostalgia Helps Explain Why Some People Still Won’t Wear Masks

Aug 13, 2020

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Toxic Nostalgia Helps Explain Why Some People Still Won’t Wear Masks

Why You Should Care About QAnon

What Kamala Harris Shows Us About The New Generation Of Women Leaders

Navigating Cancer, A Pandemic And Come What May

How To Write A Sympathy Note In The Time Of Coronavirus

Heavy Meddle: Help! My Husband Can't Stand My Parents, And Now It's Affecting Our Marriage

In Case You Missed It

Congressman John Lewis, right, hugs former Governor Deval Patrick during the Hutchins Center Honors W.E.B. Du Bois Medal Ceremony in Cambridge, Mass. on September 30, 2014. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

'A Clear Example Of How To Behave': Deval Patrick Remembers John Lewis

03:41Jul 20, 2020

City Year AmeriCorps members and students. (Elliot Haney for City Year)

Let’s ‘Deploy This Army Of Goodwill’: Congress Must Expand National Service In Response To The Pandemic

Jul 21, 2020

Orange County Sheriff deputies maintain a police block as a firecracker thrown by a protester explodes behind them during a protest against the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd during the coronavirus pandemic on May 30, 2020 in Santa Ana, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

July 4th Is Different This Year, And Also The Same. 'Independence' Day Is Complicated

05:18Jul 2, 2020

High aerial like - panorama view from Ornesvingen eagle Road observation viewpoint deck of Geirangerfjord Fjord and Geiranger village in Sunnmore region of More og Romsdal county, Storfjorden, Norway on September 1, 2019. The area of the West Norwegian Fjords is inscribed in the list of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2005. The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites, Geiranger is a branch off of the Sunnylvsfjorden, which is a branch off of the Storfjorden (Great Fjord), part of the steep Trollstigen mountain road . (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

How To Cope When We’re All Locked In The Perpetual Present

Jul 17, 2020

On Air Commentaries

A model attends a Black Lives Matter fashion show and protest by fashion designer Jason Christopher Peters at Washington Square Park on July 12, 2020 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)

'It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Your Fault': I Warn My Daughter About Police As My Father Warned Me

02:57Jul 16, 2020

A woman wheels a carriage past the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture in the Boston Public Garden. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

If Remote Work Is Our New Reality, Is Boston Still Worth The Trouble?

02:44Jul 7, 2020

A Dual Degree From Oxford. A Medical Degree From Harvard. Neither Protected Me From Racism

03:12Jun 18, 2020

My Wife Is Black. My Son Is Biracial. But White Supremacy Lives Inside Me

02:56Jun 22, 2020

Politics

Aug 12, 2020

With Kamala Harris, Biden Makes History — And Starts Repaying A Debt

A Biden-Harris team knows how the levers of Washington work, writes Eileen McNamara, and will engage them in the restoration of a democracy brought to the brink of collapse by the feckless leadership of a corrupt would-be autocrat.

BOSTON - JULY 23: A young girl leads her mother through Franklin Park during their morning exercise routine in Boston, MA on July 23, 2020. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Shutting Down Parks Won't Stop The Rise In Mass. COVID-19 Cases

Aug 11, 2020

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., after a debate with primary challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., at the studio of WGBH-TV in Boston, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Bold Plans Need To Be In Steady Hands. That's Why I Support Ed Markey

Aug 11, 2020

Nola Eaton, 6, and her brother Cam, 9, take part in home schooling on March 18, 2020 in New Rochelle, New York. (John Moore/Getty Images)

We Can't Stop Pandemic Pods. But We Can Fight For All Kids To Be Included

Aug 10, 2020

Close-up of human hand holding a letter from the Census Bureau regarding the 2020 Census, San Ramon, California, April 24, 2020. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The Trump Administration Is Weaponizing The Census. This Is How We Fight Back

Aug 6, 2020

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More From Cog

Two surfers on a Maine beach check the surf in July 2020. (Chris Ritter)

Surfers Learn How To Plan For Uncertainty. It's A Good Lesson For Life During A Pandemic

Like many students, my life until now has existed within planned blocks of time and the breaks between them, writes Chris Ritter. But the world where it was useful to...

Aug 7, 2020

Election Worker Darleen Jara handles signature verifications as vote-by-mail ballots for the August 4 Washington state primary are processed at King County Elections in Renton, Washington on August 3, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

There's A New Remedy For The Sick: Voting

Thousands of healthcare providers now consider helping a patient register to vote, receive a mail-in ballot or vote safely in person, an important responsibility. The more civically engaged we are...

Aug 6, 2020

People wait to vote at a voting station for the special election between Democratic state assemblywoman Christy Smith and Republican businessman and ex-Navy pilot Mike Garcia to replace former Democratic Congresswoman Katie Hill in the state's 25th Congressional District, in Santa Clarita, California on May 12, 2020. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

What Polling Really Is And Why It Matters

We are in uncharted territory, writes pollster Maeve Duggan, but polls provide us a road map, showing where we’ve been, where we are now and where we might be going.

Aug 5, 2020

An empty classroom at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, which has been unused since March when schools began to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

We Want To Hear From You: How Are You Managing The Uncertainty Of The School Year Ahead?

There are more questions than answers when it comes to the topic of reopening schools. Parents, caregivers, teachers, administrators, tell us: How are you thinking about back-to-school in this most...

Aug 4, 2020

In this March 3, 2020 photo, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a primary election night rally at Eastern Market in Detroit. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has already narrowed the field by saying he will pick a woman. In addition to Sen. Kamala Harris and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, other names that have been part of the speculation are Warren and former Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

I Like Elizabeth Warren, But She Shouldn't Be Biden's VP

I’d eagerly vote for a Biden-Warren ticket, writes Rich Barlow. But I’m guessing another running mate would be the Democrats’ best chance to wake the nation from its Trump-Pence nightmare.

Aug 4, 2020

Demonstrators protest President Donald Trump's decision to exit the Paris climate change accord on June 2, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Putting A Price On Carbon: It Was Hot, Now It's Not

It's fair to ask why the machinery of the neoliberal economic system, under which climate change has metastasized, would now be trusted to contain it, writes Frederick Hewett.

Aug 3, 2020

President Donald Trump’s pledge to rollback an Obama-era effort to eliminate racial disparities in America’s suburbs is drawing harsh criticism from fair housing advocates, who call it a blatant attempt at racial politics and an appeal to white votes before the November election. In this 2019 file photo, rows of homes are pictured in suburban Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer/AP)

Housing Is A Human Right. Our President Disagrees

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh responds to another "cruel and backwards decision coming out of Washington." This time, the Trump administration is repealing an Obama-era rule aimed at combating racial...

Jul 31, 2020

Middle school teacher Brittany Myers, (C) stands in protest in front of the Hillsborough County Schools District Office on July 16, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

'I Live To Teach,' But I Can't Return To The Classroom This Year

The reality of human imperfection is not compatible with the myth of control that political, medical and educational leaders are confidently selling when they say schools should reopen, writes Alex...

Jul 30, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters while hosting Republican congressional leaders and members of Trump's cabinet in the Oval Office at the White House July 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Republicans Are Lying About Our Pandemic-Inflated Debt

The GOP should spare us their faux outrage over the national deficit, writes Rich Barlow.

Jul 30, 2020

Children in an elementary school class wear masks and sit as desks spaced apart as per coronavirus guidelines during summer school sessions in Monterey Park, California on July 9, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

We Bailed Out Banks And Car Companies. Why Can’t We Invest Enough To Make Our Schools Safe?

We should minimize the potential risk of in-person school, write Margaret E. Kruk and Jessica Cohen. But demanding zero COVID-19 risk obscures the known risks to keeping children out of...

Jul 29, 2020

Police officers stand guard at City Hall as protesters gather near an encampment outside, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, in New York. (John Minchillo/AP)

Want To Reform The Police? Get Rid Of Qualified Immunity

An obscure legal doctrine often shields government officials who violate our rights from liability, even when egregious violations have occurred, writes Colin Doyle.

Jul 28, 2020

In this 2012 file photo, a pedestrian walks past credit card logos posted on a downtown storefront in Atlanta. (David Goldman/AP)

The Pandemic Is Making Life Harder For People Struggling With Debt. Let's Change The Law To Help Them

Massachusetts' debt laws are weak, leaving residents vulnerable to financial disaster, write state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and Rep. Tram Nguyen.

Jul 28, 2020

Annie Farmer, left, and Courtney Wild, right, accusers of Jeffery Epstein, stand outside the courthouse in New York, Monday, July 15, 2019. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Trump Wished Ghislaine Maxwell 'Well.' For Abuse Survivors Like Me, The Injury Is Profound

I cannot imagine the leader of the free world offering my abuser good wishes, writes Kathryn Robb.

Jul 27, 2020

This picture taken on September 10, 2019, shows the MOG (Modular Offshore Grid) offshore platform (electricity hub for four wind farms) in the North Sea, off the Belgian coast. (Eric Herchaft/AFP via Getty Images)

After The Pandemic, Mass. Can Build A Climate-Smart Recovery

The federal government has already spent $2.6 trillion to sure up the economy -- double what was spent during the 2009 financial crisis. We have the chance to make extensive...

Jul 24, 2020

A protester flies an American flag while walking through tear gas fired by federal officers during a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 21, 2020 in Portland, Ore. The federal police response to the ongoing protests against racial inequality has been criticized by city and state elected officials. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

‘A Profoundly Un-American Attack On Civil Society’: Why Trump’s Paramilitary Force Is Unconstitutional

Deployment of this clandestine force, answerable only to the president, is manifestly unconstitutional, writes Laurence Tribe.

Jul 23, 2020

Boston Red Sox's Ryan Weber delivers during a baseball practice at Fenway Park, Thursday, July 16, 2020, in Boston. (Steven Senne/AP)

I'm Sorry To Say It: This Should Be An American Summer Without Baseball

I made a career out of covering sports, writes Bill Littlefield. But amid the pandemic and the fight for racial justice, now is not the time to bring them back....

Jul 23, 2020

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Classical Music Had A Race Problem 20 Years Ago. It Still Does

As I began facing my own lack of racial sensitivity, I woke up from my naïve assumptions about racial equality in classical music, writes Linda Katherine Cutting. Clearly, I’d had...

Jul 22, 2020

In this July 13, 2019 file photo, health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim kept in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo. (Jerome Delay/AP)

Ebola Patients Paved The Way For An Effective COVID-19 Drug. But Africans Probably Won't Get It

While our global struggle against COVID-19 is shared, access to treatment is not, write Dr. Cameron Nutt, Dr. Robert A. Bonacci, Dr. Wilfredo R. Matias and Meredith L. Kernan.

Jul 22, 2020

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Trump Will Try To Subvert The Election. We Must Be Prepared

The only sure way to prevent a nightmare scenario is for the election to be so decisive that even Trump’s GOP enablers won’t support his ploys, writes Steve Almond.

Jul 21, 2020

The author's father in the U.S. Army in about 1944. (Courtesy)

My Father Helped Liberate Dachau. After He Saw The Worst In Humanity, He Refused To Remain Silent

For a long time, I couldn’t see how my father's unfiltered, combative way of being had shaped me, writes Jessica Keener.

Jul 17, 2020