Karen Read is an adjunct professor, a financial analyst, and girlfriend to a well-liked cop in Massachusetts, but is she also a murderer?
That’s the question jurors will have to answer now that Read’s trial for allegedly killing her cop boyfriend, John O’Keefe, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2024/04/29/karen-read-john-okeefe-officer-death-massachusetts/d6651944-05de-11ef-b60b-a512fc749f9b_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has begun</a>.
O’Keefe was a Boston police officer who lived in Canton, MA, since 2014 to raise his niece and nephew, who had been orphaned after O’Keefe’s sister died of a brain tumor and her husband died of a heart attack shortly after. Read, an adjunct professor at Bentley University, lived in Mansfield, MA, but had been dating O’Keefe since 2020 and regularly staying in Canton to help O’Keefe with the children, Boston Magazine <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2023/09/27/canton-karen-read/">reported</a>.
On January 28, 2022, Read and O’Keefe traveled to the Waterfall Bar &amp; Grille in Canton after drinking at another pub. At the Waterfall, O’Keefe saw some of his friends and joined them with Read in tow. Chris Albert, O’Keefe’s neighbor and the town selectman, along with Chris’ brother Brian, another Boston Police Department officer, and Jennifer McCabe, Brian’s sister-in-law.
The five chatted and drank until midnight, when the bar was about to close and Brian suggested they all go to his house. O’Keefe wanted to go, but Read was tired and tipsy and unsure about continuing the party. She agreed to at least drive O’Keefe to Brian’s house. After dropping him off, she decided to go home, but has said that she woke up alone at 4:30 a.m. and worried about where her boyfriend was. She didn’t have McCabe’s number, so she woke up O’Keefe’s then 14-year-old niece to ask her to call McCabe’s daughter, with whom she was friends. McCabe said she didn’t know where O’Keefe was, and called Chris Albert’s wife to see if O’Keefe had passed out at their house, but she said he hadn’t. At the same time, Read called O’Keefe’s friend Kerry Roberts, who also had not seen O’Keefe.
Read, McCabe, and Roberts met up to look for O’Keefe, with Read in the backseat of Roberts’ car screaming about how O’Keefe was missing, Boston Magazine reported. A blizzard had rolled through town the night before, and it was still snowing as the women drove in the darkness.
They drove to Brian Albert’s home, and Read immediately said she saw O’Keefe and jumped out of the car to rush to his side, even though it was completely dark outside. O’Keefe was lying in the snow, ice-cold, and Read began performing CPR. He had blood on his face and a black eye, while his hat and shoes were missing. McCabe brought blankets to warm him up and called 911. It was 6:04 a.m.
Read cried and repeatedly asked if she had hit O’Keefe. An ambulance took O’Keefe to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m.
<div id="attachment_730353" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-730353" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-730353 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1238270697-864x576.jpg" alt="Braintree, MA - February 6: Hundreds of Boston Police officers line up to attend the wake for Boston Police officer John O'Keefe, III at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree, MA on Feb. 6, 2022. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1238270697-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1238270697-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1238270697-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1238270697.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Braintree, MA &#8211; February 6: Hundreds of Boston Police officers line up to attend the wake for Boston Police officer John O&#8217;Keefe, III at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree, MA on Feb. 6, 2022. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)</div>
Read, according to court documents reviewed by Boston Magazine, said that she spent the next three days traumatized at her parents’ house, even asking her doctor for prescription sleep medication. She hired attorney David Yannetti and cooperated with police when they questioned her about the night O’Keefe died.
Read then returned to her home in Mansfield and was soon arrested and taken to jail. She was charged with manslaughter for allegedly hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus when she dropped him off at Brian’s house. The original charges stemmed from the belief that Read accidentally hit O’Keefe with her car. 
But four months later, the charges were increased to second-degree murder. Part of the change came from the allegation that Read admitted to hitting O’Keefe on the morning she found him, which was overheard by first responders and police.
<div id="attachment_730361" style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-730361" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-730361 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/karen-read-6452afd9062eb.jpg" alt="Karen Read. Courtesy WCVB-TV/ABC, Boston." width="810" height="456" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/karen-read-6452afd9062eb.jpg 810w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/karen-read-6452afd9062eb-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/karen-read-6452afd9062eb-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" />Karen Read. Courtesy WCVB-TV/ABC, Boston.</div>
Read <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/karen-read-denies-killing-boston-police-officer-john/story?id=102165997" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC News last year, however, that she was questioning whether she could have hit him by accident.
“I said, ‘I hit him’? It was preceded by a ‘Did,’ and preceded by a question mark,” she said. “What I thought could have happened was that, did I incapacitate him unwittingly, somehow, and then in his drunkenness [he] passed out?”
Read’s attorney, Yannetti, reviewed the charging documents with her and questioned whether Read really could have caused all the injuries to O’Keefe just by backing into him with her car. A medical examiner found that O’Keefe had abrasions on his right arm, two black eyes, along with cuts on his face and a laceration to the back of his head, CNN <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/10/us/john-okeefe-boston-police-death-cec/index.html">reported</a>. He also had several skull fractures.
The charging documents also contained interviews with McCabe and Roberts. McCabe told police that Read had told her she had gotten into a fight with O’Keefe at the Waterfall and didn’t remember driving him to Brian’s house. Roberts said Read told her she was so drunk she didn’t remember the night before. Roberts also told police that O’Keefe showed her and McCabe her cracked taillight and said she didn’t know how that happened.
Police found red and clear bits of plastic near O’Keefe’s body, consistent with Read’s broken taillight. When police seized the vehicle, they found damage to the right rear tailgate.
This information led police to believe Read was intoxicated and backed into O’Keefe before driving away.
Soon, a tipster called Read’s attorney, Yannetti, and claimed that O’Keefe was “beaten up by Brian Albert and his nephew.”
“They broke his nose, and when O’Keefe didn’t come to, Brian and a federal agent dumped his body on the front lawn,” the tipster added, Yannetti told Boston Magazine.
An attorney for that tipster, however, denied Yannetti’s version of the tip to the outlet.
After this call, Yannetti and Read began looking into whether O’Keefe could have been killed at the party and left out in the cold to die.
Read believed that Brian’s nephew, Colin, could have been behind the attack, since, she told Boston Magazine, he and O’Keefe were in a feud dating back a couple years.
Then Read saw the photos of O’Keefe’s body and believed it looked like he had been beaten up and possibly even attacked by a dog. Brian Albert’s family had a German Shepherd.
Read then learned that the lead detective on the case, State Trooper Michael Proctor, was friends with the Albert family.
Read already believed O’Keefe was actually beaten up at the party, but now she believed Proctor was helping to frame her, including an alleged period where Proctor had access to Read’s vehicle and may have planted evidence.
Read hired another attorney – famous criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who had once represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.
Once Jackson joined the defense, they learned that Brian had gotten rid of his dog and sold his house after O’Keefe’s death. Months later, they found that McCabe had Googled “hos [sic] long to die in cold” at 2:27 a.m. – hours before she, Roberts, and Read found O’Keefe’s body. She made the same search again at 6:23 a.m. and 6:24 a.m. Roberts told police that Read asked her to make the searches.
A massive campaign began to support Read, reportedly dividing the town among those who believed she was innocent and those who believed she was guilty.
<div id="attachment_730343" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-730343" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-730343" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2107846356-864x576.jpg" alt="Dedham, MA - March 20: A Karen Read supporter held a sign outside of Norfolk Superior Court following a motions hearing which Read appeared for. Read is accused of murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, in a case that's become a media sensation. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2107846356-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2107846356-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2107846356-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2107846356.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</div>
In September of last year, the prosecution requested Read’s cellphone data, data they had been denied because it contained privileged communications with her attorney. The Prosecution argued that the cellphone could explain why Read’s arrival back at O’Keefe’s house wasn’t captured on his Ring camera system, or explain how surveillance footage showed Read driving toward the Waterfall bar at 5:11 a.m. and then away from it at 5:15 a.m. That surveillance data further showed Read driving toward Brian Albert’s house before going to McCabe’s home in the morning, leading to questions that she had already looked for and found O’Keefe’s body before going to McCabe’s.
But the prosecution also has other evidence that pokes holes in the idea that Read was framed, Boston Magazine reported. For starters, the “framed” concept relies on a feud between O’Keefe and Brian Albert’s nephew Colin, but sources told Boston Magazine that the issue that led to the alleged feud that Read pointed too actually involved O’Keefe and a different teenager, and that he never had any issue with Colin.
As for the Alberts getting rid of their dog and selling their home, a source told the outlet that Brian got rid of the dog after it fought with another dog, and that they had contacted a real estate agent to sell his house before O’Keefe died.
The idea that Proctor planted evidence in Read’s car also has issues. The district attorney says the time discrepancy in police reports was just an error and was corrected in later reports and filings. These reports, and the DA, show that Proctor was never alone with Read’s car, according to Boston Magazine.
Further, microscopic pieces of Read’s taillight were found on O’Keefe’s shirt, and the timestamp on McCabe’s Google search can be explained by a technicality. McCabe made the search on a search bar of a tab that was opened at 2:27 a.m., which is why it appeared she made the search before she ever heard from Read.
A medical examiner also testified to a grand jury that the injuries from O’Keefe weren’t from a fight and that data from Read’s car showed that it had reversed at high speed before striking O’Keefe, continuing to reverse, and then leaving.
O’Keefe’s niece also told police that Read’s story about her night changed multiple times the morning she went to look for O’Keefe. Read also reportedly told Proctor that she dropped O’Keefe off but never saw him enter the house, but she told Boston Magazine that she saw him enter the house and waited for him to tell her it was okay for her to join his friends. When she didn’t hear from him, she left.
The prosecution has also argued that evidence from O’Keefe’s phone showed Read called him around 50 times the night he died and left him angry voicemails telling him she hated him. It also appears that the “federal agent” referred to by the tipster who originally started the framing theory may have had a romantic relationship with Read.
Nevertheless, there is a federal investigation into whether there was a police cover-up in the case, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/09/metro/karen-read-federal-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Boston Globe</a>.
Sources told the New York Post that the FBI had interviewed everyone at Brian Albert’s house that fateful night, and that at least one said O’Keefe had been there. If that person is correct, it could corroborate Read’s story.
Even with everything known in the case, the prosecution has said it has evidence that has not been released yet, and will only be revealed during the trial. That evidence could sway the jury toward finding Read guilty, but only time will tell.

Karen Read Motions Hearing

Karen Read Is On Trial For Allegedly Killing Her Cop Boyfriend, But Is She Being Framed?

Boston

Court

Massachusetts

Murder

Police

Readers Pass

Several of the illegal immigrants Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis flew to Martha&#8217;s Vineyard in 2022 have since been approved for U-visas — based on claims that they were the victims of a crime.
According to a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/22/metro/desantis-migrants-marthas-vineyard-legal-status/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Monday by The Boston Globe, three of the 49 illegal immigrants who were transported from San Antonio, Texas, to Florida and then to Martha&#8217;s Vineyard have been granted what&#8217;s called a &#8220;bona fide determination&#8221; – meaning that they qualify for a U-visa but have not yet received it.
U-visas are typically &#8220;set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,&#8221; <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-of-criminal-activity-u-nonimmigrant-status#:~:text=The%20U%20nonimmigrant%20status%20(U,or%20prosecution%20of%20criminal%20activity." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
And in this particular case, they cooperated with a Bexar County Sheriff&#8217;s investigation into whether any of them had been lured or coerced into getting on the flights. The investigation lasted about one month, and Sheriff Javier Salazar concluded that the illegal immigrants involved had been &#8220;lured &#8230; under false pretenses&#8221; to board the planes and then said they were &#8220;unceremoniously stranded&#8221; upon their arrival in Martha&#8217;s Vineyard. DeSantis has repeatedly denied any coercion, saying that all migrants <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-investigate-desantis-for-flying-migrants-to-marthas-vineyard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boarded the flights</a> &#8220;voluntarily.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Official U-visas could take up to ten years to approve because Congress only allows 10,000 to be issued annually — but the &#8220;bona fide determinations&#8221; protect recipients from deportation until their visas arrive and allow them to legally work in the United States during that time as well. U-visas also put recipients on a path to obtaining green cards.
Hemanth C. Gundavaram, co-founder and director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at Northeastern University School of Law, explained to The Globe that the goal was to help correct for &#8220;a failure in our system,&#8221; noting that in order to qualify for U-visas, the illegal immigrants must first be shown to be the victims of crimes and then had to assist law enforcement or the government in any investigation that followed.
&#8220;This is a harm reduction provision. If you didn’t have these protections, someone would have to stay here, worry about deportation, and not be able to make a living,&#8221; he said.

Venezuelan Migrants

‘Crime Victim’ Visas Approved For Migrants Who Were Flown To Martha’s Vineyard

'Crime Victim' Visas Approved For Migrants Who Were Flown To Martha's Vineyard

Border Crisis

Florida

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Martha's Vineyard

Politics

Ron DeSantis

Visa

Massachusetts residents say that immigration is the top issue facing the state, a recent poll has found.
The poll, performed by the MassINC Polling Group, <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/by-the-numbers/mass-residents-say-immigration-migrants-top-issue-facing-state/#:~:text=In%20a%20new%20CommonWealth%20Beacon,and%20welfare%20(12%20percent).">asked 1,002 Massachusetts residents</a> what they believe is the most important issue facing the state, leaving the question open-ended.
A plurality of Massachusetts residents, 21%, said that immigration and migrants are the biggest issues facing the Bay State, with housing coming in second at 15%. Taxes, government spending, and welfare came in as the third biggest issue facing the state at 12%. Inflation and the cost of living, meanwhile, tied government spending in third place at 12%.
The vast majority of respondents, 67%, said that the situation was either a crisis (28%) or a major problem (39%), with Democrats showing significant concern over the issue. Among Democrats, 21% called the issue a crisis and 40% called it a major problem. The poll was conducted online between March 21st and 29th, surveyed 1,002 Massachusetts residents, and has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
Immigration broke the top 10 most pressing issues among poll respondents in Massachusetts for the first time in August 2023 when it moved into fourth place with 10% of respondents dubbing it the Bay State’s biggest issue.
Massachusetts is not the only blue state that has become concerned about the effects of Biden’s open border. Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-colorado-voters-say-immigration-is-the-top-issue-as-2024-election-draws-closer">recent poll</a> found that likely voters in Colorado say that immigration is the top issue facing their state as well. The poll found that 14% of likely Colorado voters said immigration is the top issue facing the state, with homelessness coming in second at 12%.
The Massachusetts and Colorado polls correspond with a wider national trend, with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-say-immigration-is-top-issue-facing-country-biden-faces-widespread-disapproval-on-immigration">36% of voters</a> across the country saying that immigration is the top issue facing the country, while inflation came in second place. A recent Harvard-Harris poll also found that Biden’s lowest issue-specific approval rating is on immigration, a trend that has persisted for four consecutive months.
The poll results come as the United States faces an unprecedented crisis on our southern border, with officials recording about 9 million <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/nationwide-encounters">nationwide encounters</a> and 1.7 million <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-may-have-lost-track-millions-of-migrants-crossing-southern-border-congressional-report">estimated gotaways</a> since President Joe Biden took office. The figure poses a sharp contrast with the 415,000 total reported gotaways for 2018, 2019, and 2020 under the Trump administration.

Migrants at border

Poll: Massachusetts Voters Say Immigration Is The Top Issue Facing The State

Border

Migrants

Poll

An anti-Israel student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology publicly celebrated her new gig in the school’s admissions office in a video on her Instagram.
“Accepted a job at MIT Admission — as a queer, indigenous, pro-Palestine activist,” Kathleen Julca wrote in the caption of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5qbJQ3OpZS/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a video</a> in which she sported a red and white keffiyeh.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Donning a keffiyah, an MIT student brags on Instagram that she was just hired to join the prestigious university&#39;s admissions office “as a queer indigenous, pro-Palestine activist.”
Full report by <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyDillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kassydillon</a>:<a href="https://t.co/Tk57jTqTlz">https://t.co/Tk57jTqTlz</a> <a href="https://t.co/siITMJFTke">pic.twitter.com/siITMJFTke</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1780282335805444605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Julca’s social media accounts reveal her involvement in anti-Israel activism on campus, including a December post of her holding a sign stating, “Indigenous is a global term &amp; Palestinians are indigenous. Zionism = Genocide.”
An MIT student who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from peers said there are concerns that Julca will dissuade future Jewish students from applying.
“The employment positions for students in the admissions office are meant for interacting with future students and showing what it’s like to be an MIT student day-to-day,” the student said. “By choosing this person out of many other possible student candidates, MIT has shown that it wants to showcase rule-breaking students and make it clear that anti-Israel students who praise Hamas martyrs represent a popular and normal viewpoint on MIT’s campus.”
<div id="attachment_724263" style="width: 586px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-724263" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-724263" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n-576x576.jpg" alt="Kathleen Julca" width="576" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n-576x576.jpg 576w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/410289148_18408362071035829_6132758626484346913_n.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" />MIT student and new admissions office employee, Kathleen Julca, posted a photo of her holding a sign claiming &#8220;Zionism=racism.&#8221; (Photo: Facebook)</div>
In November, Julca shared a video of an anti-Israel protest that was counter-protested by pro-Israel students.
“No matter where the protests happen, hateful and aggressive pro-Israel protesters appear,” Julca’s video states. “MIT what will you do?”
In March, Julca <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02S9x3Ay6vnJDhvJ2YDy6ggRbhWRfBJuC39w1YewsZgTEgLjXat44AzZf3V1LxYvcNl&amp;id=100011358462729" target="_blank" rel="noopener">encouraged peers</a> to vote anonymously in a referendum for a ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel by sharing graphics that accuse those who oppose it of being “complicit in the murder of people in Gaza.”
“If you are more concerned with policing the movement for a Free Palestine than calling for an end to the Genocide in Gaza—you are complicit in upholding a system which dehumanizes, overpolices and jeapordizes [sic] the safety of Black and brown people, minoritized genders, indigenous peoples and every person fighting for a free Palestine,” the shared graphic states.
The graphic adds that the backers call for an end to Israeli military war research and that they “believe in the cause for Palestinian liberation.”
“It does not require any stake in the matter or take any risk to anonymously vote for a ceasefire, if you are an undergraduate at MIT use your privilege a vote yes on MIT UA referendum #2,” Julca wrote in her post.
The referendum passed last month, with 1,209 votes in support and just 688 opposed, <a href="https://thetech.com/2024/04/04/2024-ua-elec-res" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Tech</a>.
A few days later, <a href="https://archive.ph/ErIdP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julca advertised</a> an anti-Israel lunch event to “honour the martyrs of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Prior to her anti-Israel activism, the engineering student received the <a href="https://archive.ph/EhsW6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 Coca-Cola Scholars</a> $20,000 scholarship for creating a supportive environment and mentorship for girls pursuing a computer science education.
MIT did not respond to a request for comment.

Kathleen Julca

Anti-Israel MIT Student Touts New Gig In Admissions Office As ‘Queer, Indigenous, Pro-Palestine Activist’

Anti-Semitism

Gaza

Hamas

Israel

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

It’s never a good time to be a baby who’s been exposed to drugs. But the brilliant antiracist minds at Mass General Brigham have somehow found a way to make that situation even more risky. Early this month, the Massachusetts healthcare network announced its latest gambit in the fight against racial disparity in medicine: no longer reporting instances of abuse in cases of fetal drug exposure.
The rationale for this baffling new policy? The DEI-rich language of ‘health equity.’ As per Mass General’s <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/updating-system-policies-perinatal-testing">announcement</a>, “Black pregnant people are more likely to be drug tested and to be reported to child welfare systems than white pregnant people.” The decision was further portrayed as “the latest step in our efforts to address long-standing inequities in substance use disorder care.” But will it?
As the <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/updating-system-policies-perinatal-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">updated policy</a> reads:
<blockquote>First, the new policy requires written consent for toxicology testing of any pregnant individual or infant outside of emergent situations. At the same time, it limits toxicology testing to circumstances where results will change the medical management of the pregnant person or infant.
The policy also notes that an abuse/neglect report to state child welfare agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after delivery should be filed only if there is reasonable cause to believe that the infant is suffering or at imminent risk of suffering physical or emotional injury and that ‘substance exposure’ alone, including treatment with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, does not require a report of abuse or neglect in the absence of protective concerns for the infant.</blockquote>
Under Brigham’s no-report policies, black babies exposed to drugs can be passed over for potentially life-saving care if their mothers refuse help. How is erecting new barriers to treatment for these children a step toward any serious concept of justice?
As psychiatrist Sally Satel <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/mass-general-brigham-antiracism-maternity">notes</a>, the new policy would reduce not only the amount of reporting involved in the Boston system, but strip healthcare providers of the ability to meaningfully intervene in cases where a baby’s health appears compromised.
This is hardly the first time Brigham’s chosen to mix racial politicking with its patient care. The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as part of its United Against Racism campaign, <a href="https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/addressing-heart-admission-disparities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently introduced</a> a program where patient admissions to cardiac units would weigh the race of the patient, as a supposed ‘righting of the scale’ against historic health disparities.
Let’s be clear here: these practices, while perhaps palatable to the modern advocates of equity, cannot be conscionable to modern advocates of justice. Brigham has made its stand: prioritizing marginalized patient populations in a bid to right historical wrongs. Yet the obvious problem remains: Such policies attempt to right historical wrongs by risking modern ones.
The system may purport to advance ‘health equity,’ but it runs a real risk of hurting innocent children. We must evaluate these systems based on what they do, not merely on what they purport to do. To do otherwise is to adopt an uncritical perspective on equity that cedes legitimacy to unserious and dangerous solutions.
We are sometimes asked, in the name of charity and good faith, to pretend that arguments over DEI and equity-based policies are low-stakes questions. We’re told that the real diversity argument is between “validating the feelings and lived experience of people of color” or “propping up white supremacy with our complicit silence.” I’ve <a href="https://rlo.acton.org/archives/124960-the-strange-death-of-dei.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written</a> <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/12/14/willour-dei-oklahoma-universities-nikole-hannah-jones-racism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/3-things-my-future-children-need-to-know-about-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">length</a> about how this isn’t the case, but the actions and results of the DEI movement speak far louder than its critics’ most pointed words.
For a further example, let’s take a closer look at Brigham’s cardiology policy. Brigham alerted physicians when a black or “Latinx” patient presented with heart failure to “educate the clinician about the fact that, historically, this population has had inequitable access to specialized cardiology care and offer a recommendation to consider changing admission.” It’s not an override of a clinician’s judgment or even a treatment prescription, meaning that it’s actually a relatively impotent policy in the aggregate. By any modern standard of DEI, it doesn’t even qualify as intersectional. But that’s actually the point — the policies that work aren’t the ones being dreamed up for ‘health equity’ brownie points.
Intersectionality, particularly in medicine, only works at the most basic level: the differentiation of the individual patient. The only morally serious option is for healthcare providers to evaluate patients based on individual history and symptoms — and avoid the kind of DEI-esque language of ‘health equity’ that makes observers and patients alike start raising questions about what forces are actually driving the boat over at Mass General Brigham.
That practical and rhetorical vision isn’t what modern DEI proponents want you to sign up for. Accepting their view of equity, in this case, means systems that risk passing over treatment for innocent children. Is that equity? It’s certainly not equality, it’s certainly not justice, and it’s not what anyone really wants for the future of American healthcare: we can’t validate people’s lived experiences if they die as babies in a maternity ward.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work on race &amp; DEI has been featured at outlets including National Review, USA Today, C-SPAN, and the Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program, and can be found on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

Ambulance Service In Chelsea, Mass., Grapples With State’s Coronavirus Surge

‘Health Equity’: Why Mass General’s DEI-Infused Policy Update Places Infants At Risk

'Health Equity': Why Mass General’s DEI-Infused Policy Update Places Infants At Risk

Anti-Racism

Drugs

Equity

Health Care

Hospitals

Opinion

Pregnancy

A major Massachusetts hospital group will no longer automatically file child abuse or neglect reports for babies who are born with illegal drugs in their systems.
Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest hospital network, <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/updating-system-policies-perinatal-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> Tuesday that babies born with “substance exposure” will no longer be immediately reported to state welfare agencies unless there are other concerns that the baby is being abused or neglected.
&#8220;&#8216;Substance exposure&#8217; alone, including treatment with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, does not require a report of abuse or neglect in the absence of protective concerns for the infant,&#8221; Mass General Brigham <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/updating-system-policies-perinatal-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a Tuesday release.
An abuse or neglect report to the state should only be filed if there is &#8220;reasonable cause to believe that the infant is suffering or at imminent risk of suffering physical or emotional injury&#8221; under the new policy.
Under the new policy, hospitals will also require written consent outside of emergencies before conducting a drug test on newborns or mothers.
The hospital system <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mass-general-brigham-changing-infant-neglect-report/3327237/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> &#8220;racial and ethnic inequities,&#8221; saying that &#8220;more punitive approaches&#8221; to substance abuse during pregnancy &#8220;disproportionately affect Black individuals.&#8221;
&#8220;Studies — including some within our system — have found that Black pregnant people are more likely to be drug tested and to be reported to child welfare systems than white pregnant people,&#8221; the hospital system said.
The previous reporting requirement for babies born with drugs in their systems was criticized because it included women taking opioid addiction medications like buprenorphine or methadone, which babies can be born dependent on.
Some women have <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/06/03/study-stop-mandatory-child-abuse-reporting-for-infants-exposed-to-addiction-medications" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> stopping their medications out of fear of losing custody of their babies.
The new policy is meant to &#8220;reduce stigma&#8221; and improve access to substance abuse treatment, the hospital group said.
“Our new perinatal testing and reporting policy is the latest step in our efforts to address longstanding inequities in substance use disorder care and to provide compassionate, evidence-based support to families, while addressing substance use disorder as a treatable health condition,” <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/04/02/these-massachusetts-hospitals-wont-automatically-file-neglect-reports-for-babies-born-with-drugs-in-their-systems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sarah Wakeman, the hospital system&#8217;s senior medical director for substance use disorder.
“The goal here is balancing the safety of infants and families,” Wakeman <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/04/03/mass-general-brigham-newborn-drug-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.“A positive toxicology test does not tell you anything about someone’s ability to parent. Actually, a positive buprenorphine test tells you this person is engaged in treatment.”
Mass General Brigham has labor rooms in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Boston Medical Center previously made a similar change to its policy on reporting newborns born dependent on drugs their mother was taking.

Newborn Infant

‘Racial Inequities:’ Massachusetts Hospital Group Won’t Automatically File Neglect Reports For Babies Born With Drugs In Systems

Massachusetts Hospital Group Won't Automatically File Neglect Reports For Babies Born With Drugs In Systems

babies

Health

Women&#8217;s rights activist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/riley-gaines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Riley Gaines</a> laid the blame on Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey after a disturbing incident involving a trans-identifying male athlete came to light.
The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13266245/KIPP-Academy-Lynn-Massachusetts-transgender-athlete-rowing-harassment-suspended.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">story</a>, published by the Daily Mail, revealed that the athlete in question — who was filmed injuring rival female players during a February basketball game — had participated in several other sports on the women&#8217;s teams and had allegedly made lewd comments to girls while they were changing clothes in the locker room.
The Kipp Academy student, Lazuli Clark — who towers over most female competitors at over six feet tall — has competed in the women&#8217;s divisions in basketball, rowing, volleyball, track &amp; field, and tae kwon do. According to <a href="https://quillette.com/2024/04/02/the-damage-wrought-by-trans-inclusion-in-female-sports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quillette</a>, the student was allegedly suspended from the women&#8217;s rowing team at a private club after &#8220;leering&#8221; at another female student in the locker room, saying, &#8220;Ooh, t***ies.&#8221;
Quillette cited a leaked copy of a letter dated October 12, 2022, and sent by 15 parents to the United States Rowing Association, the sport&#8217;s governing body in America. That letter stated that the student had placed &#8220;near the bottom&#8221; when competing for the club&#8217;s men&#8217;s team and had subsequently joined the women&#8217;s team — but did not bother to shave and continued to wear the men&#8217;s uniform to compete.
According to Quillette, the locker room incident resulted in the student being &#8220;reported by team officials to <a href="https://uscenterforsafesport.org/?ref=quillette.com">the U.S. Center for SafeSport</a>,&#8221; after which Clark was not permitted to row for either team again.
&#8220;Stop letting these pervs hide behind preferred pronouns and blurred out images. This photo was proudly posted by the school therefore it&#8217;s public domain. Name and shame them. Lazuli Clark is a man that sexually harassed women,&#8221; Gaines <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1775538386331160828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the initial story — and then took aim at Governor Healey for allowing it to continue.
&#8220;These girls were forced to participate in his sick fetish at the hands of @MassGovernor,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
These girls were forced to participate in his sick fetish at the hands of <a href="https://twitter.com/MassGovernor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MassGovernor</a> 
If this headline shocks you, you haven&#39;t been paying attention <a href="https://t.co/RBn2agoTsK">https://t.co/RBn2agoTsK</a>
&mdash; Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1775536990093480201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gaines went on to ask where the parents — particularly the fathers — were in this case, suggesting that they should be standing up for their daughters against the organizations, schools, and states that were allowing biological males to take over women&#8217;s sports.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;Where are the dads of these girls?&#8221; she asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Where are the dads of these girls?! <a href="https://t.co/6hOD2Qugeu">https://t.co/6hOD2Qugeu</a>
&mdash; Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1775544043990135203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing Examining Female Athletics And Title IX

Riley Gaines Goes After Massachusetts Governor After Girls Injured By Trans-Identifying Athlete

Riley Gaines

Social Issues

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

U.S.

Women's sports

The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/baltimore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baltimore</a> this week was involved in another accident several years ago, according to newly unearthed video.
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ship-that-hit-baltimore-bridge-also-involved-2016-antwerp-accident-2024-03-26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the 1,000-foot Dali hit a port on July 11, 2016, as it tried to leave the North Sea container terminal in Antwerp, Belgium.
The ship reportedly suffered damage that was serious enough that it impacted the ship&#8217;s seaworthiness, causing the ship to remain docked for a long time while it underwent repairs.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Baltimore ship involved in 2016 collision" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jdy9kY79_70?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The ship has been inspected more than two dozen times and has recorded two &#8220;deficiencies,&#8221; according to records obtained by CNN.
&#8220;In June of 2023, in San Antonio, Chile, the Chilean authorities gave the DALI a &#8216;deficiency&#8217; for &#8216;propulsion and auxiliary machinery — gauges, thermometers, etc,'&#8221; the report said, according to Equasis records.
The National Transportation Safety Board gave <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ntsb-reports-timeline-of-baltimore-bridge-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">details</a> about this week&#8217;s accident in a newly released timeline.
The ship departed Seagirt Marine Terminal at approximately 12:39  a.m. By 1:07 a.m., it had entered the Fort McHenry Channel. By 1:24 a.m., the ship was underway on a true heading of approximately 141 degrees in the Fort McHenry Channel at an indicated speed over ground of approximately 8 knots/9 miles per hour.
Roughly one minute later, “numerous aural alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio,” the NTSB reported, adding, “Around the same time, VDR ship system data ceased recording, however, the VDR audio continued to be recorded using the VDR’s redundant power source. Around 01:26:02, the VDR resumed recording ship system data. During this time, there were steering commands and rudder orders on the VDR audio.”
“Around 01:26:39 the ship’s pilot made a general VHF radio call for tugs in the vicinity of the DALI. MDTA data from around this time indicated the pilot association dispatcher phoned the MDTA duty officer regarding the blackout. Around 1:27:04, the pilot commanded the DALI to drop the port anchor and issued additional steering commands,” the NTSB continued. “Around 1:27:25, the pilot issued a radio call over the VHF radio and reported the DALI had lost all power approaching the Key Bridge,” the NTSB stated, adding that at roughly 1:29 a.m., “the ship’s speed over ground was recorded as just under 7 knots/8 miles per hour. From this moment until approximately 1:29:33, VDR audio recorded sounds consistent with the collision with the Key bridge.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="NTSB B-Roll - Investigators Aboard the Cargo Ship Dali" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YwWVqTy4Ofg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="NTSB B-Roll - Hazardous Material Investigators and Engineers Aboard the Cargo Ship Dali" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIA5uH-i08I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Port Of Felixstowe Ltd. As U.K. Warns No-Deal Brexit To Raise Prices

WATCH: Ship That Crashed Into Baltimore Bridge Was Involved In Another Accident In 2016

Baltimore

Disasters

Shipping

A Massachusetts teachers union representing 117,000 teachers and faculty members at public schools and universities across the state is under fire for hosting a webinar that featured a professor who praised the &#8220;courage&#8221; of Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7. 
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/massachusetts-teachers-association-board-member-accuses-israel-of-genocide-apartheid-and-ethnic-cleansing-claims-that-a-way-to-bring-peace-is-to-end-israel/">webinar</a> titled, “The Struggle Against Anti-Palestinian Racism,” featured three professors from the University of Massachusetts Boston, all of whom are anti-Israel activists. One of them, Leila Farsakh, <a href="https://www.newarab.com/opinion/israels-propaganda-us-media-motivated-fear">penned an op-ed</a> two weeks after Hamas’ attack praising its terrorists that raped, killed, and beheaded Israeli civilians.
“The courage of those who broke through the barbed wire, sailed by boat to return to their ancestral homes, or flew with their hang-gliders over the wall of the largest open-air prison has shown that Palestinians will continue to defy the gravity of settler colonialism to be free, whatever the cost,” Farsakh wrote.
“The facts unfolding on the ground have made it clear who the perpetrator is and who the victim is,” she added, referring to Israel as the perpetrator, before Israel entered Gaza in an attempt to find its hundreds of civilians taken hostage.
The webinar is the latest radical anti-Israel action by the union in the months since Hamas terrorists massacred more than 1,000 people in Israel. The MTA late last year <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massachusetts-teachers-union-says-u-s-is-complicit-in-genocidal-assault-in-gaza">passed a resolution</a> accusing the United States of being complicit in a “genocidal assault.&#8221;
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NEW: A Massachusetts teachers union representing 100,000+ people hosted a webinar last week that tried to convince its audience that anti-Zionism and antisemitism have no correlation. <a href="https://t.co/opttqx2UXB">pic.twitter.com/opttqx2UXB</a>
&mdash; Kassy Akiva (@KassyDillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyDillon/status/1773022242097549695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The webinar was crafted in conjunction with Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Semitic organization that <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/jewish-voice-peace-jvp-what-you-need-know">blamed Israel</a> for Hamas’ attack while it was still ongoing and stepped up its anti-Israel activism afterward,<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-left-protesters-with-anti-semitic-group-storm-u-s-capitol-seeks-to-end-israel"> including storming</a> the U.S. Capitol.
Prior to the webinar, participants were asked if they felt supported by their schools when “teaching anti-Zionist narratives about Palestine,” according to a survey obtained by The Daily Wire.
<div class="mceTemp"></div>
<div id="attachment_714835" style="width: 303px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-714835" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-714835" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/MTA-Webinar-Palestinian-Question-1-293x576.jpeg" alt="" width="293" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/MTA-Webinar-Palestinian-Question-1-293x576.jpeg 293w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/MTA-Webinar-Palestinian-Question-1-153x300.jpeg 153w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/MTA-Webinar-Palestinian-Question-1.jpeg 718w" sizes="(max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px" />Survey sent out ahead of MTA&#8217;s webinar on anti-Palestinian racism.</div>
At the webinar, presenters made it a focus to convince the audience that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism have no correlation. 
“How do we counter this unfair and misleading propaganda?” Gender Studies professor Heike Schotten said with a slide stating, “One of the biggest, most common, painful, and offensive ways this propaganda works is by attacking anyone who speaks out against Zionism as anti-Semitic.”
“Well, you know, all of us in the Zoom room are educators,” said Schotten, who according to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement&#8217;s website, has been active in anti-Israel activism <a href="https://bdsmovement.net/news/us-bds-activism-reaches-third-rail">since 2006</a>. “Education is and has always been central to movements for liberation and justice… and when we do this together, when we learn and teach and know about Zionism, both as settler colonialism and as a very well-funded propaganda effort, we realize that these claims about anti-Semitism are lies.”
Following the event, the Anti-Defamation League New England released a statement saying it was “deeply concerned by the framing” of the webinar. 
“By expressly rejecting anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism and invoking frameworks of ‘colonialism and imperialism’ in a discussion regarding Israel/Palestine, this programming reinforces anti-Semitic and anti-Israel falsehoods.”
“Educational programming on topics such as Zionism and anti-Zionism, particularly where a stated goal is to better prepare educators for discussions in the classroom, must be subject to at least the same rigorous standards we would expect of any curriculum intended to be taught to our children,” the ADL added in its statement.
Jeremy Burton, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, <a href="https://www.jcrcboston.org/an-open-letter-regarding-recent-mass-teachers-association-activities/">accused members of the MTA</a> of using “pernicious and inflammatory rhetoric” and said messaging from the MTA in recent months played into “dehumanizing anti-Semitic tropes.”
Burton added that he took issue with the webinar “coupling concerns for anti-Palestinian racism with a campaign of anti-Zionism in classrooms.”
The webinar’s promotional materials stated that “anti-Palestinian racism too often goes unnoticed” because many teachers do not feel confident to speak about the complex topic of “Palestine” in classrooms.
<div id="attachment_714839" style="width: 453px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-714839" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-714839" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GIo5RRXW4AAXaBz-443x576.jpeg" alt="" width="443" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GIo5RRXW4AAXaBz-443x576.jpeg 443w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GIo5RRXW4AAXaBz-231x300.jpeg 231w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GIo5RRXW4AAXaBz.jpeg 560w" sizes="(max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px" />Massachusetts Teachers Association&#8217;s promotional material for its &#8220;The Struggle Against Anti-Palestinian Racism&#8221; webinar.</div>
Brigitte Karns, a teacher and MTA dues-paying member, said she fears the school’s curriculum will be infused with anti-Semitism and anti-Israel teachings.
“We have major concerns that the end goal for the MTA is to implement this type of curriculum into classrooms across Massachusetts,” Karns told The Daily Wire. “They are looking to train teachers with dangerous material that will indoctrinate our students to be anti-Semitic.”
“The MTA should not be involved in geopolitical issues,” she added. “There have been many in the past with the same groups and they did not get involved.  Ukraine/Russia and they did not get involved.”
The MTA president <a href="https://massteacher.org/news/2024/03/uniondemocracy">defended the webinar</a> as an opportunity for dialogue and noted that it plans to host an upcoming event on anti-Semitism.
“I expect that there will be members in attendance who will agree wholeheartedly with what is presented; there will be members in attendance who could not disagree more,” Max Page said. “The particular viewpoints expressed in these individual workshops do not represent the official views of the MTA.”
Page added that he lost 18 family members during the Holocaust and that it has been difficult to be accused of anti-Semitism in recent months.
Arielle Kingsbury, who is an occupational therapist in a public school in the Greater Boston area and dues paying member of MTA, called the webinar “abhorrent.”
Kingsbury took issue with Schotten making the claim that Israel rules with “Jewish supremacy.”
“The webinar was biased and contradictory,” Kingsbury said. “They spoke about the history of the conflict but neglected to mention a lot of historical fact.”
MTA’s board of directors passed a resolution in December that accused Israel of committing genocide and the U.S. of being complicit, the Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massachusetts-teachers-union-says-u-s-is-complicit-in-genocidal-assault-in-gaza">previously reported</a>.
“As an educators’ union, we must take a stand with our union siblings, and promote peace and justice in the region by calling for an end to our government’s complicity with Israel’s genocidal assault on the people of Gaza and intent to take over their territory,” the statement reads. “How many deaths, how many more children must die, before we take a stand? Silence is complicity,” it adds.
The ADL at the time, accused the resolution of camouflaging “an ill-founded attack on Israel.”
“At a minimum, the statement’s failure to explicitly and unconditionally condemn the Hamas attack call for the return of all remaining hostages or demand that any ceasefire include a commitment to remove Hamas — whose officials have reportedly vowed to repeat terrorist attacks like the one on October 7th until Israel is destroyed — as a controlling actor in Gaza is revealing,”  ADL chapter’s director, Dr. Jonah C. Steinberg said.
More than 57,000 Massachusetts teachers, students, and parents signed a <a href="https://israelusa.quorum.us/campaign/mtajewishsafety/">counter petition</a> to the resolution which demanded a public apology, a statement noting that only 34 MTA members voted in favor, and a motion to rescind the proposal. 
In the wake of the controversies, MTA’s board of directors was invited to a Lappin Foundation seminar this April about countering anti-Semitism in schools. Board member Joe Herosy rejected the invitation, claiming the foundation is part of the “Israel lobby.”
Herosy has been pushing anti-Israel rhetoric on <a href="https://archive.ph/f0iEN">his social media</a> in recent months, including sharing a cartoon of Hamas terrorists bulldozing into Israel just a day after the attack. 
UMass Boston and Joe Herosy did not respond to a request for comment.

TOPSHOT-education-FRANCE-SCHOOL

Massachusetts Teachers Union Hosts Webinar By Professor Who Praised Hamas, Enraging Membership

Education

Unions

Massachusetts is spending about $75 million a month on shelters and is reportedly on track to run out of cash next month as officials struggle to contend with a migrant crisis.
Democrat Governor Maura Healey&#8217;s administration has not revealed exactly when the money is slated to run out, but it is <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/03/22/massachusetts-spending-75-million-a-month-on-shelters-cash-could-run-out-in-april-without-infusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to be sometime in early or mid-April, according to the Boston Herald.
“We don’t have any further updates at this time. We are encouraged by the progress the Legislature has made and look forward to working with them to finalize the supplemental budget as soon as possible,” Matt Murphy, spokesman for the administration&#8217;s Executive Office for Administration &amp; Finance, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/03/22/massachusetts-spending-75-million-a-month-on-shelters-cash-could-run-out-in-april-without-infusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the news outlet.
Massachusetts has seen an influx of thousands of migrants in recent months that has strained the state&#8217;s shelter system as well as its finances.
About 7,500 families <a href="https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/massachusetts-sets-new-requirements-migrants-shelters-open-chelsea-soldiers-home-site/NXLYNYCUURBRFAUPWURTKJUMK4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are currently</a> living in emergency assistance shelters, and another 240 families are currently living at state overflow sites. Those numbers do not take into account the thousands more single migrants and homeless Americans housed in the shelters.
The state legislature is currently negotiating a new spending plan with lawmakers working to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state&#8217;s budget to fund the government&#8217;s response to the migrant crisis.
“I’m hopeful that once we get into this discussion with our counterparts that we’ll be able to produce something with time to spare in terms of any funding running out,” House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, a Democrat, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/03/22/massachusetts-spending-75-million-a-month-on-shelters-cash-could-run-out-in-april-without-infusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the outlet.
Massachusetts will soon <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mass-adding-new-requirements-for-migrants-opening-chelsea-soldiers-home-site/3318181/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">start</a> requiring migrants at the shelters to start showing they are attempting to obtain work or housing, the Healey administration announced Monday.
Healey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massachusetts-governor-says-state-can-no-longer-guarantee-shelter-for-migrant-families" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> in October that the state could no longer guarantee shelter for migrant families as the shelter system reached capacity due to a flood of illegal migrants.
“We are entering a new phase of this challenge — we can no longer guarantee shelter placement for families who are sent here,” Healey said at the time.
In August, Healey <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4260155-massachusetts-migrants-homeless-no-shelter-gaurantee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> a state of emergency over the migrant issue and activated 250 state National Guard members to aid shelters and hotels that are housing migrants.
Since then, Healey has urged the Biden administration to provide federal aid to Massachusetts for the crisis, as well as to speed up the work visa approval process for migrants.
Other states and cities are also struggling with a huge influx of illegal migrants who have arrived in recent months.
New York City has a similar shelter crisis with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-city-to-limit-migrant-family-shelter-stays-to-60-days-mayor-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than</a> 183,000 migrants arriving since spring of 2022. Chicago has <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/texas-new-arrivals/home/Dashboard.html#:~:text=Since%20August%2031%2C%202022%2C%20the,the%20City's%20new%20arrivals%20response." target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen</a> more than 37,000 migrants arrive since the summer of 2022.

US-MIGRANTS-SHELTER

Massachusetts Burning $75 Million A Month On Shelters, May Soon Run Out Of Cash Amid Migrant Crisis

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts</a> private school is standing by its decision to let a trans-identifying male play on the girls&#8217; basketball team after three opposing players said they got hurt.
KIPP Academy Lynn just north of Boston criticized what it called “harmful comments” about the trans-identifying player, who is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-trans-controversy-erupts-when-girls-basketball-game-ends-in-forfeit-following-three-injuries">reportedly</a> over six feet tall with facial hair.
“We condemn harmful comments being made online toward members of our community, and will continue to let the vision, mission and principles of our organization guide our actions,” school spokesperson Samantha Cooke <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/26/metro/girls-basketball-transgender-player/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Boston Globe.
A viral video clip from a February 8 game shows the trans-identifying male player yanking the basketball away from a girl on the opposing team, who is thrown to the ground. The girl remains on the floor clutching her back as others rush up to help her.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trans-identified male player for Kipp Academy in MA injured 3 girls before half time causing Lowell Collegiate Charter School to forfeit. 
A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it&#39;s called brave. 
Who watches this &amp; actually thinks this is &quot;compassionate,… <a href="https://t.co/ZLlqYH6iAs">pic.twitter.com/ZLlqYH6iAs</a>
&mdash; Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1759651078566498435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The clip was shared by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, as well as Libs of TikTok.
The coach of the opposing girls&#8217; basketball team, Collegiate Charter School of Lowell, forfeited the game at halftime after multiple injuries, the charter school said in a news release.
“Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play,” the school said in its press release. “The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs.”
Executive Director Carol Rose blasted the clip going viral, calling it “part of a coordinated attempt nationwide to try to remove LGBTQ people from public life.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Rose also claimed that there are “hundreds, if not thousands” of trans-identifying high school student athletes who play without problems. She cautioned against “conflating allegations of aggressive conduct by one player with broader issues of inclusion.”
The trans-identifying male also plays on the girls&#8217; volleyball and track teams, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/26/metro/girls-basketball-transgender-player/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to KIPP’s executive director, Rhonda “Nikki” Barnes.
“To the best of our knowledge, this student has never been on a men’s team at KIPP,” Barnes told the Globe.
&#8220;The vision of KIPP Massachusetts is that every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities,&#8221; Barnes said previously in a statement to Fox News. &#8220;To do this, we work to create joyful and identity-affirming schools for our students, and prioritize maintaining student and staff safety above everything else.&#8221;
&#8220;We also support state laws and regulations, which provide students with the right to participate in all school extracurricular activities and sports based on their gender identity or expression,&#8221; Barnes said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is also reportedly supporting KIPP in this matter.

Girls playing hoops

School Rips ‘Harmful’ Criticism Of Trans-Identifying Basketball Player Accused Of Hurting Girls

School Rips 'Harmful' Criticism Of Trans-Identifying Basketball Player Accused Of Hurting Girls

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Gender

Women

Women's Basketball

Violence and drug use at one Massachusetts high school have reached such proportions that school officials asked Gov. Maura Healey to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-high-school-national-guard-4a7257c5514641d67454bf882e5b31fe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">send the Massachusetts National Guard</a> to the school.
A majority of members of the Brockton School Committee — four out of seven — favored asking for the National Guard. Despite the fact that he personally opposed the decision, Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, who chairs the committee, forwarded the request to the governor.
“National Guard soldiers are not the answer,” he said.
But at a Monday news conference, committee member Ana Oliver said, “We’re not asking them to deploy a whole army to our school. We’re asking for support.”
“If you support safety in our schools, you will support the National Guard to come in here and keep our schools safe,” committee member Tony Rodrigues echoed.
Four of the members of the committee sent a <a href="https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/national-guard-final-ltr2024-version-6-1-1-240218-194343-65d2a61e2c19f.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Sullivan in which they stated: “Over the past few months, our high school has experienced a disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse. The situation has reached a critical point, more recently we had an alarming 35 teachers absent, underscoring the severity of the challenges we are facing. &#8230; There are many instances where trespassers are found on school grounds, raising serious questions about the security and safety measures in place. These situations not only put the students and staff at risk but also undermines the overall safety of our community.”
“We&#8217;re not asking them to deploy a whole army to our school. We&#8217;re asking for support, especially with the teacher shortage throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” committee member Ana Oliver said, WCVB <a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/call-for-national-guard-help-brockton-high-school-security/46855550" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. “I also want to highlight that we have some great students in Brockton. They are doing excellent work. They&#8217;re coming in, getting their education. They are following the policy, the authority with the educators, but we do have some that continue to not do what they&#8217;re supposed to be doing and that&#8217;s what we need help with.”
“We started (the letter) more than a couple of weeks ago and we held off on it,” committee member Joyce Asack echoed. “We got to the point where we&#8217;re seeking help.”
“This isn&#8217;t something that [is] negative. The National Guard does bring positivity,” committee member Tony Rodrigues added. “We&#8217;re looking for support with the National Guard to come in and act as substitute teachers (and) hall monitors to make sure that the high school is safe.”
“I know that the first thought that comes to mind when you hear ‘National Guard’ is uniform and arms, and that&#8217;s not the case. They&#8217;re people like us. They&#8217;re educated. They&#8217;re trained and we just need their assistance right now,” committee member Claudio Gomes said. “We need more staff to support our staff and help the students learn (and) have a safe environment.”
Brockton is also the home of the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated, Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who held the heavyweight championship from 1952-1956, going 49-0. He was killed in a plane crash in 1969.

386th National Guard Birthday Ceremony

Massachusetts School Officials Ask For National Guard To Keep High School Safe

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National Guard

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