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What Mass. politicians are saying about the U.S.-led attack on Iran
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It's the first Monday of March. A quick PSA for MBTA riders that Orange Line service south of Back Bay will continue to be replaced by shuttle buses through this Sunday due to signal work. Meanwhile, the Red Line's Braintree branch will also slow down and run at reduced levels after 8 p.m. for the next two weeks (also for signal work).
Now, let's get to the news:
Local politicians on Iran: Members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation are pushing for a vote this week to limit the president's war powers, after the Trump administration launched surprise attacks on Iran early Saturday.
- Catch up: The airstrikes — which were launched without approval from Congress — killed Iran's longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and more than 500 others in the country, according to a local humanitarian group. As of this morning, the conflict has escalated across the Middle East, with at least a half-dozen countries struck by counterattacks from Iran and its proxies. President Trump said yesterday that three American military members have been killed and that "there will likely be more before it ends."
- The local view: Across the party, Massachusetts Democrats said they will vote for a war powers resolution that seeks to block further U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval. In a statement Saturday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren stressed that only Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war. Rep. Jake Auchincloss told WBUR's Paul Connearney that he hopes it's " the first in a series of both votes and debates" in Congress about the approach to Iran. Auchincloss said Congress should pass a bipartisan plan "based upon American air supremacy in the region, which is vital to our security interests, and also a policy of mutual non interference, where if Iran stops interfering in the affairs of other nations, America will not interfere in Iran's domestic affairs." Others were more skeptical of any military involvement. "After the experience in Iraq, after the experience in Afghanistan, here we are again, with the threat of another very long war in the Middle East, a very expensive war," Rep. Stephen Lynch told Paul.
- What's next: NPR reports that it's unclear if the war powers resolution has enough support for initial passage, not to mention the two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress needed to override a likely veto from Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, and even a few Democrats, oppose the measure.
- On the streets: According to The Boston Globe, both anti-war and celebratory demonstrations took place in Boston this weekend.
- Go deeper: NPR has the latest on the ongoing conflict here — including on rising oil prices, satellite images of the war's damage so far and a timeline of events in U.S.-Iranian relations that led to this moment in the first place.
Worcester's new wheels: Twenty new electric school buses are hitting the streets in Worcester this morning. Worcester Public Schools was able to purchase the fleet and build charging stations for them with $8 million in state and federal grant funding. In a statement, WPS said the electric buses cost about 40-60% less than a gas-powered bus in annual maintenance. And as WBUR's Dan Guzman reports, they're also expected to result in a quieter ride — both inside and outside the bus.
- How? Michael Freeman, the district's administrative director of operations, said that, like electric cars, electric buses run quieter. That means students don't have to talk as loud to hear each other. "Students actually lower their voices, so it actually becomes a very quiet ride for the driver," Freeman said. "So it's a little bit safer for him, he doesn't have to yell so much to talk over students."
- Looking ahead: Electric buses now make up 15% of Worcester's fleet. Freeman says they're not currently planning to replace their gas-powered school buses anytime soon. But if these electric buses perform well, they may consider expanding the fleet in the future, he said.
Heads up: The New England Revolution were forced to postpone this Saturday's home opener, after last week's blizzard delayed the installation of the new natural grass field at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. (The stadium was required to replace its artificial turf field in order to host World Cup games later this year.) The Revs' first home game will now be played on March 15.
P.S.— Set your alarms early tomorrow. A "blood moon" lunar eclipse may be visible just above the horizon in Massachusetts early Tuesday morning. Danielle Noyes has more details here on the eclipse and what else the skies have in store for us this week.
