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A near-total lunar eclipse will pass over us tonight, though the celestial event could be eclipsed itself by pesky clouds. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes has more details on the viewing timeline and what to look for. But first, the news: In court: After testimony from more than 70 witnesses over the course of three weeks, the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy moves to closing arguments today. Prosecutors have charged the Duxbury woman with murder for strangling her three children in 2023, before attempting to take her own life in the midst of a postpartum mental health breakdown. Not unlike another very recent South Shore murder trial, the case has attracted national media coverage, an obsessive social media following and even conspiracy theories. If you haven't been following as closely, here's a look at where things stand from WBUR's Deborah Becker, who's been at Plymouth Superior Court covering the trial. - What the two sides agree on: Both sides agree that Clancy was a devoted mother who was mentally ill. And her defense team doesn't deny that she killed her three kids. Witnesses testified Clancy developed severe depression and bipolar disorder after having her third child in 2022 — and had been prescribed multiple medications that the defense says made her mental illness worse.
- Where they disagree: Clancy's defense relies on whether her lawyers can convince jurors that her mental illness was so severe it prevented her from knowing right from wrong. Two defense witnesses testified that Clancy told them she had "command hallucinations" of a male voice ordering her to kill her kids, supporting their claim she was in the throes of what's known as postpartum psychosis. However, some witnesses called by the prosecution said Clancy's accounts of hearing a voice were inconsistent and that her actions that day were "deliberate." (Prosecutors have argued Clancy was not experiencing postpartum psychosis, but rather severe depression.)
- Go deeper: The trial has put a spotlight on postpartum psychosis, the dangerous psychological condition that can lead new mothers to hallucinate and even become suicidal. But it's not listed as a distinct diagnosis in the main mental health disorder handbook used by psychiatrists — leading to frequent misdiagnoses. Deb recently spoke to medical experts and women who’ve experienced the disorder about how it can manifest.
- Meanwhile: Pink-shirted demonstrators who sympathize with Clancy's struggle to get postpartum mental health treatment have gathered outside the Plymouth courthouse to show support. Here's what they told Deb.
- What's next: After closing arguments, it will be up to 12 jurors to decide whether Clancy is guilty or not. If convicted, she faces a potential life sentence in prison without parole. If she's not found guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a mental health facility with periodic reviews to determine if she could safely be released.
- Opinion: "Media coverage of Lindsay Clancy's trial has sometimes attempted to use coverage as an educational opportunity for readers and viewers to learn about postpartum psychosis," writes Elissa Ely in this Cognoscenti essay. "But here is what I find this coverage to be more often: voyeurism."
Very Meta: Massachusetts could get more than a half billion dollars from yesterday's landmark national settlement with Meta — plus some limits on social media that Beacon Hill lawmakers were already discussing. As part of the deal with states to settle a federal child safety lawsuit, Meta said it will impose limits for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram in the coming months. - The details: The limits include a default two-hour daily time limit and blocks on notifications during late-night and school hours — similar to what was in a social media bill passed by the Massachusetts Senate this spring. Meta's limits can only be changed by a parent and will extend for five years or potentially longer if other social media companies join in.
- Now what? State Rep. Alice Peisch, one of the lead negotiators on Beacon Hill's social media bill, said yesterday that lawmakers still want to enact more "durable, enforceable standards." Attorney General Andrea Campbell also urged lawmakers to move forward with the bill, calling Meta's limits "a floor" for tech companies and the Legislature to build on.
- Where does all that money go? Campbell said it will be put toward efforts to rectify the harms young people have faced from social media — such as mental health services and after-school programming. State House News Service has more details.
Up in smoke? Four smoke shops in Massachusetts are suing to block a statewide ban on the herbal supplement kratom from taking effect tomorrow. The lawsuit argues that Gov. Maura Healey's administration did not sufficiently justify its Aug. 13 emergency order to place kratom into the Schedule I category of drugs. However, it's unclear if the lawsuit will be able to block the imminent ban, since a court date still hasn't been set. P.S.— U.S. Jared Huffman, the only self-identifying "humanist" in Congress, is coming to CitySpace tonight. The California congressman will talk to famed environmental activist Bill McKibben about this new book on the threat of Christian nationalism to democracy, followed by a book signing. Tickets are available here. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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A second public official representing Lawrence is facing federal fraud charges, two weeks after Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested in an unrelated case. Read more. excerpt: A second public official representing Lawrence is facing federal fraud charges, two weeks after Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested in an unrelated case. State Rep. Francisco Paulino of Methuen was indicted and arrested Tuesday on federal charges alleging pandemic benefits fraud. The second-term Democrat is accused of filing a pandemic unemployment benefits claim for an elderly relative without their knowledge and routing the funds to a bank account held solely in his name. Later, prosecutors allege, he submitted fabricated documents when the state Department of Unemployment Assistance inquired. |
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The scathing report found that school employees repeatedly hired vendors without valid contracts or the required competitive bidding, then devised a workaround to pay them later. Read more. |
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At least 1,500 people are missing, many of them foreign tourists, after deadly floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border, sweeping away entire villages Read more. |
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U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston agreed to remove her previous injunction prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out Trump’s order for November’s elections following a Supreme Court ruling. Trump’s executive order remains barred from taking effect under a separate injunction. Read more. |
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New Bedford City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ask the police chief to remove or cover the city's Flock cameras while officials determine how to regulate their use. New Bedford police suspended use of the cameras earlier this month, after an officer was accused of using them to track her former romantic partner. Read more. |
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- We've reached the on-stage portion of our 2026 fall arts guides, with a roundup of 13 theater productions and 14 dance performances to put on your calendar.
- Tim Curry, the British actor best known for his starring role in both the stage and screen versions of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," died this week at the age of 80.
- Dozens of people attended the funeral yesterday of Kurt Solomon, a longtime Worcester police officer killed at his home last week in what officials are describing as a murder-suicide.
- The former head of the Massachusetts Republican Party is suing one of this year's GOP gubernatorial candidates, alleging she was unlawfully recorded during a meeting she attended over Zoom.
- excerpt:
- Jennifer Nassour, the former MassGOP chair who is now finance director for Republican gubernatorial contender Mike Minogue, is suing Minogue's primary opponent, Brian Shortsleeve, alleging he and his staff unlawfully recorded her during a caucus. Shortsleeve's campaign called the suit a "sad, desperate, last minute stunt" by Minogue's team.
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- Dunkin’ Is No Longer for People Like Me and Ben Affleck (The New York Times)
- A climate shake-up is jolting one of the most progressive cities in Mass. (CommonWealth Beacon)
- They knew their ancestor fought in the Revolution. No one told them he was enslaved by a Harvard overseer. (The Boston Globe)
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There are many traditions people think about as they prepare for a new school year — acquiring fresh pencils and notebooks, shopping for a new outfit, adjusting summer sleep schedules. But there is one tradition that most people probably don’t think about. Read more. |
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