Starting Point: Who are today's Paul Reveres?

 

November 12, 2025 📆 Immigration Unmasked: Our new weekly immigration newsletter breaks down how Trump’s immigration policy is playing out in New England. SIGN UP HERE Shirley Leung Business Columnist Email: shirley.leung@globe.com Hi, I’m Shirley Leung, and I’ve been thinking deeply about the revolutionary thinking that built America — and what ideas we need today. But first, here’s what else is going on: The Supreme Court let the Trump administration continue blocking states from giving out full SNAP payments while the government remains shut down. The House is poised to vote to reopen it today. Meanwhile, one New Bedford family’s reliance on frozen or overtaxed aid programs shows the shutdown’s lingering costs. There may be political costs, too. Representative Seth Moulton, the Massachusetts Democrat challenging Senator Ed Markey, criticized the bipartisan deal to reopen the government and says Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, should lose his job over it. Being middle class in Massachusetts once meant financial security, owning a house and a car, and having enough left over for vacations. Rising inequality and the cost of living mean those days are over. And while figuring out who counts as middle class can be tricky, this calculator can help. Write to us at startingpoint@globe.com. To subscribe, sign up here. TODAY’S STARTING POINT The Paul Revere statue in Boston, the city that birthed the American Revolution. STAN GROSSFELD What would Paul Revere do? Like it or not, we’re living in revolutionary times — again. America is at a crossroads, a nation deeply divided over the ideals of this country and who even gets to be an American. Whether it’s a moment as momentous as “the shot heard round the world” on April 19, 1775, at the battle of Lexington and Concord — well, only time will tell. Times are unsettling in the run-up to the nation’s 250th birthday this July 4. The tensions aren’t only about presidential power, the rule of law, and partisan gridlock, but also about growing income inequality, whether immigrants are still welcomed, and the toll of a warming planet, from floods to fires. The battle lines, big and small, are being drawn every day. And just like the American colonials battling the British regulars, ordinary Americans today are faced with a not-so-simple question: What are you willing to fight for? That’s the backdrop of revolutionary ideas being bandied about next Tuesday and Wednesday at Globe Summit, an annual gathering that brings the Globe’s journalism to life. We’re convening dozens of thought leaders and changemakers at the House of Blues in Boston in conversation with Globe journalists. Among the speakers: Dana Farber CEO Dr. Benjamin Ebert, The Onion CEO Ben Collins, Harvard professor and American Book Award winner Sarah Lewis, Governor Maura Healey, and more. Register here: globe.com/summit. “Being revolutionary means being willing to either try something that’s never been done before and stick with it when a whole bunch of people tell you it can’t be done, or taking an old idea that’s been tried and has never succeeded, and deciding that now is the time to get from here to there,” observed Charlie Baker, NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor. “But the thing you have to have is the conviction to follow through … and to have the perseverance and the determination to see it through one way or the other.” While some of us will want to keep our heads down, others believe America is in need of a strong hand to corral a fraying society — from the Boston Foundation helping to secure $2 million for families who’ve run out of SNAP benefits to lawyers and advocates pushing for the release of detained immigrants. Still others stand up by spending weekends at “No Kings” protests, pulling out phones to document ICE arrests, or refusing federal money to stay true to their values. Perhaps the most surprising bulwark has been the federal judges in New England who, without fear or favor, put themselves at odds with President Trump. One of them, Mark L. Wolf, resigned last week after 40 years on the bench so he could speak out about what he describes as the “White House’s assault on the rule of law.” “Silence, for me, is now intolerable,” he wrote in The Atlantic. Historians will remind us that America has been here before — seemingly fractured beyond repair from the Civil War to the Great Depression to the Vietnam War. But each time ordinary Americans stepped up, when our democracy teetered on the edge. That’s what gives historians from Boston College’s Heather Cox Richardson to presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin hope — as long as people don’t think of democracy as a spectator sport. America, Kearns Goodwin told me last year, is an “unfinished experiment.” She reminds us that every major movement has been built from the bottom up — civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights. And the latest one might be unfolding in New York City, when the hub of capitalism elected Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as its mayor. “If people feel they can’t do anything about it, then we really are in trouble,” she said. “The worst thing is for people to stand by and see something bad happening and feel that they’re helpless.” 🧩 6 Across: Neighborhoods | ☁️ 45° Marginally warmer POINTS OF INTEREST Health scare: A contract dispute between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest insurer, and the UMass Memorial Health system, Central Massachusetts’ largest medical provider, threatens to cut patients off from primary care. MIAA playoffs: Fall sports tournaments are in full swing. Here’s your guide to the winners that have already been crowned and the upcoming matchups for golf, swimming, volleyball, and other championships across the state. Climate of fear: A Democratic state legislator wants to gut parts of Mass Save, Massachusetts’ energy-efficiency program, and soften the state’s commitment to slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. He says the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back climate funding make that deadline infeasible. David Pastrnak: The Bruins right winger scored the 400th goal of his career last night during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins won 5-3, their seventh straight victory. Loophole: Bankruptcy proceedings could wipe out $1.6 billion in patient liability claims against Genesis HealthCare, a troubled nursing home chain with a history of violations at facilities across New England. Families — and lawmakers — are crying foul. Prop bets: Sports betting apps that permit wagers on an endless number of in-game events and player performances have scandalized the sports world and may be fueling gambling addictions. Cover-up: A reporter tracked down the Maine tattoo artist who covered up Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol. The artist, a friend of Platner’s, says she still supports him. (AP) House arrest: Greater Boston’s housing prices are still soaring — and the construction of new units is about to crater, a report found. Their bad: Officials in Marion County, Kan., will pay over $3 million in damages after police raided the office of a local newspaper, its owner’s home, and the house of a former city official in 2023. (The Hill) Family business: Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s 32-year-old grandson known for his online political commentary, will run for an open US House seat in New York. Schlossberg has harshly criticized his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump health secretary. (NYT 🎁) BESIDE THE POINT By David Beard The Sheraton Boston Hotel's "Goodnight Moon" suite mimics the art from the 1947 book. Marriott International 🌝 Goodnight Moon: This Boston hotel offers, just like the children’s classic, a great green room, with a telephone, red balloon, and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon. (We think the book is cheaper.) 💌 Love Letters: He lives in the suburbs. He’s fine driving in, but is it too far to expect a woman to head his way for a date? 🍷 Time-bending Dali (the restaurant): Low lights, flowing sangria, waiters who burst out in song. This Spanish restaurant on the Somerville-Cambridge line has been around since Taylor Swift was born — and Dali’s vibe still works, writes Kara Baskin. 🎷 R.I.P.: Cleto Escobedo III, a saxophonist and childhood friend of Jimmy Kimmel who led the band on Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, has died. He was 59. (NYT 🎁) Also gone: Kiss guitarist and cofounder Ace Frehley. (AP) 🎤 Rap battle? Are Cardi B’s visits to Gillette stirring a beef with a Medford rapper? 🦃 Turkey on time: Can these Thanksgiving shortcuts save the holiday dinner? 🍅 Stretching your food budget: Your fridge is key. What to put on what shelves, and why you shouldn’t put your eggs on the door. Also, let us know: Are you being ambushed by higher prices even on “bargain” items? Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by David Beard. ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at startingpoint@globe.com. ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy. 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday.

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