Dec 6, 2019

Why Are We Letting Trump Decide Who Gets To Eat And Who Goes Hungry?

Some 35,000 Massachusetts residents will lose access to food stamps as a result of a new Trump administration rule. It's counterproductive, writes Erin McAleer, and it’s also cruel.

A still of Prince Andrew in the exclusive BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis. (BBC Newsnight/Youtube)

What Prince Andrew's Fall From Grace Tells Us About The Systems That Protect Abusers

Dec 5, 2019

Lessons Of Resilience And Hope Amid The Travesty At Boston Children’s Theatre

Dec 4, 2019

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., with committee staffer Daniel Noble at left, delivers his closing remarks at the end of a week of public impeachment hearings in Washington on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

How Democrats Win The Impeachment Argument

Dec 4, 2019

Support the news

Why Are We Letting Trump Decide Who Gets To Eat And Who Goes Hungry?

What Prince Andrew's Fall From Grace Tells Us About The Systems That Protect Abusers

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

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

Trump Is Using An Accused War Criminal As A Mascot For His Campaign

How Brookline's Ban On Gas Heating Could Seed Regional Change

In Case You Missed It

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, pictured in an interview with ITV News. (ITV News screenshot/YouTube)

Meghan Markle Is Not OK, And That’s OK

Oct 23, 2019

Elizabeth Warren at age 22 holding her newborn daughter, Amelia. (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Warren campaign)

‘You Should Have Told Me You Planned To Have Kids’: Your Stories Of Pregnancy Discrimination

Oct 11, 2019

In this Aug. 7, 1974 file photo, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., center, speaks to reporters after meeting with President Richard Nixon at the White House to discuss Nixon's decision on resigning. He is flanked by Senate Republican Leader Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, left and House GOP Leader John Rhodes of Arizona, right. The three top Republican leaders in Congress paid a solemn visit to Nixon, bearing the message that he faced near-certain impeachment due to eroding support in his own party. Nixon announced his resignation the next day. (AP)

Senate Republicans Will Determine Trump's Fate. Where Is Our Barry Goldwater?

Oct 21, 2019

The author's daughter, wife and mother pictured in the foreground, looking at a neighbor's home in their cohousing community in central Massachusetts. (Courtesy)

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

Oct 9, 2019

On Air Commentaries

Laura Levis, pictured at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Mass. (Courtesy of Peter DeMarco)

My Wife Died Of An Asthma Attack. If She'd Known About 'Peak Week,' She Might Have Survived

02:39Sep 18, 2019

My 12-year-old, Elsa (pictured), is now using "they" pronouns, writes Jane Roper. So far, people have been very supportive. But many also add, with varying degrees of consternation, that they just have trouble with the fact that "they" is a plural. (Courtesy)

'They' Is Here To Stay. Get Over It

02:22Aug 13, 2019

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin poses for a photo beside the U.S. flag on the moon. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)

The Fleeting Hope And Wonder Of Man On The Moon

02:35Jul 18, 2019

Last Thursday morning, Kanwar Singh, pictured here, was in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, when a woman yelled, "Go back to your country!" (Courtesy)

My Response To The Woman Who Told Me To 'Go Back'

03:40Jul 22, 2019

Politics

Dec 3, 2019

Trump Is Using An Accused War Criminal As A Mascot For His Campaign

In choosing to lionize Edward Gallagher, the president is showing us, yet again, the kind of America he envisions.

Joe Cabral, a sub-contractor for National Grid, uses a wrench to turn off the main natural gas line to a home, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in Newport, R.I. (Steven Senne/AP)

How Brookline's Ban On Gas Heating Could Seed Regional Change

Dec 2, 2019

Anne Brennan, right, of Hingham Mass., speaks as, from left, brother-in-law Steve Marshall, of Hingham, niece Rebecca Malone, and her husband Brian Malone, both of Duxbury, Mass., and nephew Andrew Marshall, of Quincy, Mass., are gathered for dinner in Hingham, Mass., where politics are a frequent, and divisive topic of conversation. (Josh Reynolds/AP)

Surprise! Research Says You Shouldn't Shy Away From Politics At Thanksgiving Dinner

Nov 27, 2019

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Sunday, March 24, 2019, at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Fla., en route to Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Heavy On Indignation, Light On Facts: A Guide To The GOP's Impeachment Strategy

Nov 26, 2019

MBTA commuters leave Copley Station into the snow on Boylstion Street. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

I Know It’s Cold. But Please Don’t Abandon The MBTA This Winter

Nov 22, 2019

Support the news

More From Cog

How Thanksgiving Became More To Me Than Just Another Thursday

Aine Greaney came to the U.S. from her native Ireland in 1987. Back then, Thanksgiving, like America, felt foreign. But now -- three decades later -- she believes her adopted...

Nov 27, 2019

For Jailed Parolees In Mass., A Program That Gives Time Off For Good Reading

Bill Littlefield teaches a literature class to men on parole, sharing as equals their reactions to poems and stories with the folks they’ve previously known only as representatives of the...

Nov 25, 2019

Democratic presidential candidates, from left, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. at the Democratic presidential primary debate, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP)

It Wasn't A Debate So Much As A Rorschach Test

On a night largely free of intramural attacks -- packed, instead, with stump speech excerpts and earnest pitches to the public -- it was hard to even name a clear...

Nov 21, 2019

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 20, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Donald Trump's Conspiracy Of One

Ambassador Sondland's public testimony underscores what we already know, writes Steve Almond: Trump directed a conspiracy; people obeyed him because they couldn’t help Ukraine unless they did; there are no...

Nov 20, 2019

In this Dec. 5, 2015 file photo, Yazidi refugee Salma Bakir, 9, from Iraq, waits with her family to be permitted by Macedonian police to board a train heading to the Serbian border, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)

While We're Shunning Refugees, Canada Is Welcoming Them

There are 70 million displaced people worldwide, writes Sasha Chanoff, and the old ways of helping -- giving refugees tents, food and aid -- don't work anymore.

Nov 20, 2019

Could The Strategies That Worked For Tobacco Control Also Work For Gun Reform?

Reframing the national conversation from smokers' rights, which pitched smokers against non-smokers, to public health, which united the American people against Big Tobacco, helped drive down smoking rates.

Nov 20, 2019

How One Massachusetts City Decided To Celebrate Kindness

This month marks Melrose’s fourth annual Random Acts of Kindness Day. In a world so divided, so angry and so righteous in our beliefs, writes Maribeth Darwin, it’s nice to...

Nov 19, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during her campaign Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. (Cheryl Senter/AP)

Elizabeth Warren's Cement Boots

Like Warren, I want my country to aspire to be a place where all children are treated as our own, writes Janna Malamud Smith. But that ideal is out of...

Nov 18, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick campaigns Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, at The Bridge Cafe in Manchester, N.H. (Charles Krupa/AP)

How Deval Patrick Is Misreading The Moment

At a time of deep and widespread anger about corporate influence, a former governor who left public service for a private equity firm is the putative savior of the Democratic...

Nov 15, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, left, as he files to have his name listed on the New Hampshire primary ballot, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, in Concord, N.H. At right is his wife Diane Patrick. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Deval Patrick Is A Long Shot. But He Does Have A Path To The White House

Deval Patrick's persona -- his character, integrity, compassion and demeanor -- would play well in a contest against President Trump, writes Jeffrey M. Berry. But first he has to win...

Nov 15, 2019

Deval Patrick, left, joined the race for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, and Michael Bloomberg is reportedly preparing to join as well. (Josh Reynolds and John Lorcher/AP)

The Saviors We Never Asked For

The corporate titans preparing to enter the race for the Democratic nomination are more motivated to protect the comforts they receive from this democracy, than the principles that uphold it.

Nov 14, 2019

Ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., left, confers with Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, during a break in the first public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump. (Alex Brandon/AP)

If You Liked The Birthers, You’ll Love Impeachment Opponents

Those who haven’t been persuaded by the damning reports of Trump's behavior are impervious to persuasion, writes Rich Barlow.

Nov 14, 2019

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, looks for something in his notes as he and, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., right, speak to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 6 near the area where the interviews for the impeachment inquiry are being held. (Susan Walsh/AP)

The GOP Wants To Use The Kavanaugh Playbook For Impeachment Hearings. Let’s Not Fall For It Again

Democrats have to find a way to elevate fact over affect, writes Steve Almond, to keep the focus on the president’s blatant abuses of power, not the GOP noise machine.

Nov 13, 2019

Sean Spicer and his dance partner on November 11, 2019. (Courtesy "Dancing With The Stars" Disney | ABC)

Sean Spicer Can't Dance. But There's Something Honorable About His Terrible Fox Trot

On the dance floor, Sean Spicer looked like Fred Flintstone with arthritis, writes Joanna Weiss. But there’s something about his quest for redemption that’s a pretty American two-step.

Nov 13, 2019

Students at Albany School of Humanities wait to board a bus after school on Monday, April 13, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. With standardized English tests set to begin Tuesday in New York schools, some parents are again planning to have their children sit out the exams. (Mike Groll/AP)

Robots May Be Grading Your Kid’s Essays, With Bias

Can a computer grade an essay? Yes, writes Rich Barlow, but not particularly well. And not without algorithmic bias.

Nov 12, 2019

While canvasing through a Roslindale neighborhood in September 2019, Alejandra St. Guillen, left, listens to resident Radrigunda Marmanillo, speak about some of the issues in the area. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

What A More Diverse City Council Could Mean For Boston’s Latino Community

We shouldn't be surprised that diverse candidates won by prioritizing issues important to immigrants and communities of color. We should be surprised it took Boston this long to get here.

Nov 8, 2019

The Gift Of Showing Up

Julie Wittes Schlack never fully appreciated the expression "your presence is present enough' until her daughter's recent wedding.

Nov 8, 2019

In this 2018 file photo, Russ Lewis covers his eyes from a gust of wind and a blast of sand as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach, S.C. (David Goldman/AP)

Trump Is Abandoning The Paris Agreement. If Only That Were The Worst Of It

Trump’s policies will already add gigatons of carbon to our warming atmosphere, writes Frederick Hewett. Pulling the U.S. from the Paris climate accord is but a footnote on his terrible...

Nov 7, 2019

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Married Priests In The Amazon Won’t Cure What Ails Catholicism

Allowing already married deacons to be ordained in one underserved region in South America is hardly the revolutionary action needed to counter the crisis of faith facing the church.

Nov 7, 2019

Tammy Compton restocks a shelf at Compton's Market, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

7th Graders Are Baking Cookies Shaped Like Tampons. That's Progress

A group of 7th graders made "tampon" cookies in response to their school principal's refusal to offer free menstruation products. What a cool and eloquent example of girl power, writes...

Nov 6, 2019

Con Salsa

Why Are We Letting Trump Decide Who Gets To Eat And Who Goes Hungry?

What Prince Andrew's Fall From Grace Tells Us About The Systems That Protect Abusers

Lessons Of Resilience And Hope Amid The Travesty At Boston Children’s Theatre

How Democrats Win The Impeachment Argument

Why Are We Letting Trump Decide Who Gets To Eat And Who Goes Hungry?

What Prince Andrew's Fall From Grace Tells Us About The Systems That Protect Abusers

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

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

Trump Is Using An Accused War Criminal As A Mascot For His Campaign

How Brookline's Ban On Gas Heating Could Seed Regional Change

Meghan Markle Is Not OK, And That’s OK

‘You Should Have Told Me You Planned To Have Kids’: Your Stories Of Pregnancy Discrimination

Senate Republicans Will Determine Trump's Fate. Where Is Our Barry Goldwater?

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

My Wife Died Of An Asthma Attack. If She'd Known About 'Peak Week,' She Might Have Survived

'They' Is Here To Stay. Get Over It

The Fleeting Hope And Wonder Of Man On The Moon

My Response To The Woman Who Told Me To 'Go Back'

Trump Is Using An Accused War Criminal As A Mascot For His Campaign

How Brookline's Ban On Gas Heating Could Seed Regional Change

Surprise! Research Says You Shouldn't Shy Away From Politics At Thanksgiving Dinner

Heavy On Indignation, Light On Facts: A Guide To The GOP's Impeachment Strategy

I Know It’s Cold. But Please Don’t Abandon The MBTA This Winter

How Thanksgiving Became More To Me Than Just Another Thursday

For Jailed Parolees In Mass., A Program That Gives Time Off For Good Reading

It Wasn't A Debate So Much As A Rorschach Test

Donald Trump's Conspiracy Of One

While We're Shunning Refugees, Canada Is Welcoming Them

Could The Strategies That Worked For Tobacco Control Also Work For Gun Reform?

How One Massachusetts City Decided To Celebrate Kindness

Elizabeth Warren's Cement Boots

How Deval Patrick Is Misreading The Moment

Deval Patrick Is A Long Shot. But He Does Have A Path To The White House

The Saviors We Never Asked For

If You Liked The Birthers, You’ll Love Impeachment Opponents

The GOP Wants To Use The Kavanaugh Playbook For Impeachment Hearings. Let’s Not Fall For It Again

Sean Spicer Can't Dance. But There's Something Honorable About His Terrible Fox Trot

Robots May Be Grading Your Kid’s Essays, With Bias

What A More Diverse City Council Could Mean For Boston’s Latino Community

The Gift Of Showing Up

Trump Is Abandoning The Paris Agreement. If Only That Were The Worst Of It

Married Priests In The Amazon Won’t Cure What Ails Catholicism

7th Graders Are Baking Cookies Shaped Like Tampons. That's Progress