Massachusetts in the news: court battles over plastic-pollution rules clash with industry and green groups. Commonwealth state with a long policy fight legacy.
U.S. federal courts have temporarily blocked the Trump administration's efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Somalis. Judges cited constitutional concerns and the potential for grave risks to affected migrants. The rulings preserve protections for thousands pending further legal proceedings, amid ongoing debates over immigration policy and national interests.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to expedite cases challenging the Trump administration's efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from Haiti, Syria, and other countries. Lower courts delayed these terminations, but the court's decision could allow the administration to proceed with deportations affecting hundreds of thousands.
Multiple US states and cities have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration's decision to revoke the 2009 endangerment finding, which classified greenhouse gases as threats to health and welfare. The move aims to reinstate climate protections and challenge deregulation efforts that could increase pollution and natural disaster risks.
A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking access to the state's voter rolls. The judge ruled the DOJ failed to meet legal requirements and did not provide sufficient factual or legal basis for the request, leading to case dismissal.
New York is delaying green energy projects and extending Diablo Canyon's operation to 2045 amid rising costs and energy demand. The state is reconsidering its 2019 Climate Act goals, with officials citing economic and reliability concerns. These developments reflect ongoing challenges in balancing climate ambitions with practical energy needs.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled that the Trump administration's efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 13 countries violated congressional procedures. The decision challenges the administration's attempts to restrict migration and affirms the role of Congress in immigration policy. The case affects hundreds of thousands of TPS holders.
Recent data shows Californians have less disposable income despite higher median incomes, due to high costs of housing, energy, and taxes. Job growth has slowed, especially in tech, prompting residents and businesses to leave. The state's economic performance is shrinking relative to the US overall.
A two-colored lobster has been rescued from being cooked and donated to a science aquarium. Found off Cape Cod, it exhibits a brown and orange pattern from head to tail. The lobster is housed at Woods Hole Science Aquarium, where it will be on display after the aquarium's reopening. The find is considered exceptionally rare due to genetic mutation or egg fusion, and it highlights the diversity of lobster coloration.
As jet fuel costs surge amid the Middle East conflict, airlines are cancelling, consolidating, or delaying flights. Passengers are changing plans, booking earlier, or shifting to rail, with governments offering contingency measures to protect summer travel.
Environmental groups say California's new plastic packaging rules weaken protections and plan to sue, arguing exemptions undermine the law; regulators defend the compromise as a meaningful step toward reducing waste while industry warns of higher costs and practical hurdles.
Leading climate and transport groups are urging ministers to ban non-essential private jets and lower motorway speeds to blunt a looming jet fuel shortage amid geopolitical tensions. The call follows warnings that supplies could tighten this summer unless demand falls and energy sources diversify.
A 46-year-old man has fired more than 50 rounds along Memorial Drive in Cambridge, near Harvard and MIT. He has been wounded and faces multiple gun-offense charges as investigators say there is no connection to the victims. Authorities are reinforcing safety measures and continuing to investigate motive.
Fidelity Investments has agreed to a $2.5 million class-action settlement for failing to prevent a 2024 data breach that compromised 77,000 customers and others. Eligible claimants may receive about $100, with California residents getting an additional $50, plus two years of identity theft protection. The settlement also covers documented losses and related expenses, with a claim deadline of July 27, 2026.
A coalition of states and the federal government are clashing over anti-ICE measures and undercover enforcement rules. New York’s budget package tightens cooperation with federal immigration authorities, while other states and the DOJ have filed lawsuits or threatened legal action to defend or contest these policies.
A series of policy changes and local actions across the US and Hawaii are threatening tax credits, farm and rooftop solar projects, and small-business solar adoption. While some communities push for faster rooftop and street-level solar deployments, lawmakers are revisiting credits and funding rules, risking delays for ongoing installations and new deployments.
An ICE agent, Christian Castro, has been arrested in Texas after Minnesota prosecutors charged him with four counts of second‑degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime related to the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis during Operation Metro Surge. The arrest follows earlier revelations that officers provided false information and the case is part of heightened scrutiny of federal agents’ conduct in Minnesota.
Arsenal’s title celebrations have prompted a heavy security response and multiple arrests as fans gathered in London. Police report stabbings, assaults and widespread disorder, with hundreds of officers deployed and additional stop-and-search powers authorized. Authorities urge caution as celebrations continue and investigations proceed.
A motorcoach collided with vehicles in a work-zone backup on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, Virginia, killing Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and two children, plus others, as a Worcester, Massachusetts native dies in a related SUV crash. The driver, Jing S. Dong, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and faces further counts as investigations continue. The wedding in South Carolina will proceed as relatives mourn.
A meteor about 3 feet wide has entered the atmosphere near the New Hampshire–Massachusetts border, producing loud booms and shaking reported from Delaware to Montreal. NASA and the American Meteor Society say most such meteors burn up before reaching the ground, with possible oceanic impact if any fragment survives.
A cyclist has died after a crash on Rowson Street, New Brighton. Police say a 65-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving; dashcam footage is being sought as investigators compile how the incident occurred.
NASA has disclosed new details about a weekend meteor over New England that produced a double sonic boom. The natural object, 5 feet wide and elephant-sized, traveled at roughly 42,000 mph, fragmented about 40 miles above the ground, and released energy equivalent to about 230-300 tons of TNT. The meteor likely landed in Cape Cod Bay, with no ground impact confirmed.
TotalEnergies has agreed to withdraw offshore wind leases off New York/North Carolina and invest $1 billion in fossil fuels, a move the Trump administration has been paying to terminate wind projects. Seven states, led by New York, are challenging the deal as unlawful and harmful to jobs and clean energy.
Historians are re-evaluating the widely taught image of George III as a tyrant, arguing that the American Revolution narrative has been shaped by wartime propaganda and that he was not mentally ill during the period. The new view emphasizes Parliament's role and the limits of royal authority within a constitutional framework.
Robert Coles, Harvard psychiatrist and author of the five-volume Children of Crisis, has died at a Lincoln hospice. His work documented the lives of children across desegregation, migrant labor, poverty, and migration, earning prizes including a Pulitzer and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.