The Red Sox' short-lived playoff run is over, following another quiet night at the plate and bullpen meltdown against the Yankees. Sox manager Chad Tracy called last night a "frustrating" way to end after what was a "special" summer. Now, let's get to the news. As October begins, another wave of changes due to the Republican-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act is taking hold. Plus, we have some breaking news from the campaign trail in Massachusetts: The squeeze on SNAP: Beginning today, millions of Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see their monthly benefits increase slightly to keep up with rising costs. But the amount of money states get from the federal government to administer the program is getting sliced in half, due to language in the Republican mega-law passed last year. Merrimack Valley Food Bank Assistant Director Kelly Proulx told WBUR's Amy Sokolow the funding cuts will put "an extra financial burden on the state at a time when that agency that administers the program here is already understaffed." Meanwhile: More than 7,000 Massachusetts residents are set to lose their Medicaid coverage today, due to rules created by the Big Beautiful Bill. The change affects certain low-income legal immigrants without green cards, such as refugees and asylum seekers. This comes after 34,000 legal immigrants lost subsidized coverage in January due to the 2025 law. On the campaign trail: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said this summer that she was "perfectly happy" to not get involved in more races. (It was a busy primary season, after all.) But the governor's race is apparently an exception. In an interview with WBUR Morning Edition host Tiziana Dearing, Wu said she's endorsing Gov. Maura Healey, a fellow Democrat, for reelection this fall. "We work well together," Wu said, specifically highlighting her collaboration with Healey to build more homes and improve the MBTA. "I think we work hand-in-hand on all those quality of life issues," Wu said. - The intrigue: The endorsement comes after Healey notably did not back Wu during her own reelection bid against primary challenger Josh Kraft last year, even as the governor did endorse a few other mayors in similar situations. They were also on opposite sides of two of the State House primaries Wu got involved in this summer. (Wu also endorsed Healey during her first run for governor in 2022 — a month after her primary opponent, a more progressive Boston state senator, dropped out.)
- Why now? Wu indicated that the Healey campaign only recently asked. "When a campaign needs an endorsement, they will reach out and let someone know, and we have had that conversation," Wu said. "I think when you are running for the job but also doing the job, the work comes first, and that's how I've experienced the governor and lieutenant governor's approach." Recent polling shows Healey with a comfortable, double-digit lead over Republican challenger Mike Minogue, with left-leaning independent candidate Andrea James in the single digits.
P.S.— Today marks the start of the MBTA's use of bus-mounted cameras to crack down on drivers blocking bus-only lanes and bus stops. But you won't get a fine just yet. The agency will start by sending warning letters to those caught in the bus lane. Read more about the rollout here. |
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