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Lowry: Biden prepares his next basement campaign

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

Joe Biden is going to run for reelection.One question this raises: How is anyone going to tell?The basement presidency is about to embark on another basement campaign.Biden’s political genius turns out to be not provoking strong negative emotions because no one particularly thinks of him as being in charge or as having anything interesting to say.President Biden and the people around him are, in effect, conducting a large-scale, ongoing political science experiment: Is it possible to run a left-wing government — with tactics often frankly at odds with our constitutional system — and avoid a massive backlash by having a president at the top who appears ineffectual and out of touch?If Bernie Sanders, the ill-kempt, self-avowed socialist, or Elizabeth Warren, the off-putting, dyed-in-the-wool progressive former academic, presided over exactly the same administration with exactly the same policies, they’d have ignited a political firestorm by now.The cry from the...

Chicago White Sox are off to their worst start since 1986 after getting blanked 7-0 for their 6th straight loss

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

One has to go back a while to find a worse start to a Chicago White Sox season.As in 1986.The Sox dropped their sixth straight game Tuesday, getting blanked by the Toronto Blue Jays 7-0 in front of 28,917 at Rogers Centre.The Sox are 10 games under .500. At 7-17, they’ve matched their start in 1986.“It hurts to lose a major-league game,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “It hurts to lose six in a row. It hurts. There’s a lot of care in here. People care about winning.“We’ve just got to work. We’ve got to continue to work. We can’t let this thing break us and it won’t.”The loss guaranteed the Sox won’t win the series. They are 0-7-1 in series this season.Tuesday’s game began to slip away in the second. Sox starter Mike Clevinger walked the first two batters. With one out, Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer.“Got excited after the first inning, felt I was getting back to where I was pre-Tommy John,” Cle...

Graham: Carlson’s Fox exit could liberate Trump challengers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

When Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential frontrunner, gave his first post-indictment interview, it was to Tucker Carlson on Fox News.When Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy earlier this year, it was on Tucker’s show.And when Russia invaded Ukraine, support for arming Kyiv against Putin’s assault was the same among Republicans and Democrats. Then Carlson began speaking out against Ukraine and America’s support for the Zelensky government. “I don’t care what Putin does in Ukraine,” Carlson said.After a year of Carlson’s messaging, Republican support for backing Ukraine has plunged.Monday’s news that Fox News dropped Carlson in the wake of a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems is technically a media story. But because of the 53-year-old TV host’s influence on the GOP base, it is as much a story about politics as it is about ratings.In the big picture, Carlson’s reach via Fox was relatively small. While he had the top-rated cable news show — indeed, he holds the...

Montana transgender lawmaker faces censure or expulsion

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

By AMY BETH HANSON and SAM METZ (Associated Press)HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Republican leaders will vote Wednesday on censuring or expelling lawmaker Zooey Zephyr, a transgender state representative who has been silenced in the House since last week after telling colleagues that if they voted for a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children they would “have blood on their hands.”On Tuesday night, Zephyr tweeted a letter she received from House leaders informing her of the plan to consider disciplinary action against her during Wednesday’s session. “I’ve also been told I’ll get a chance to speak,” Zephyr tweeted. “I will do as I have always done — rise on behalf of my constituents, in defense of my community and for democracy itself.”Montana’s House speaker canceled Tuesday’s floor session without explanation, the latest development in a standoff over whether Montana Republicans w...

10 things to do with a rotisserie chicken

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

Once a novelty in select stores, rotisserie chicken is now ubiquitous in supermarkets and other food centers. People are drawn to rotisserie chickens by flavor and convenience. Hot and ready to serve, rotisserie chicken makes for a quick and easy meal when time is of the essence and people don’t want to spend on dining out at a nearby restaurant.Rotisserie chicken can be served right out of the container just like a traditional roasted chicken. It also can be a component in many different meals. Consider these 10 ideas for putting rotisserie chicken to use.1. After most of the meat from the chicken is eaten, boil the carcass with sliced onion, parsnips, carrots, turnips, and your preferred herbs to make a soup stock. Add bits of leftover chicken and noodles to have a delicious chicken soup.2. Purchase premade pie crust and use it to line small ramekins. Mix chopped rotisserie chicken with a can of cream of chicken soup and thawed frozen mixed vegetables. Spoon the mixture on t...

Girls basketball All-Scholastics and league All-Stars

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-SCHOLASTICSDREAM TEAMAnna Foley (Andover)Cecilia Kay (Arlington Catholic)Hannah Martin (North Andover)Yirsy Queliz (St. Mary’s)Ashlee Talbot (Dracut)ALL-SCHOLASTICSIzzy Adams (Walpole)Charlotte Adams-Lopez (Bishop Feehan)Hijjah Allen-Paisley (Cathedral)Katherine Cheeseboro (Dartmouth)Sarah Chenette (Cohasset)Camryn Collins (Foxboro)Emily Collins (Winchester)Ella Damon (Dighton-Rehoboth)Abby Dube (Pentucket)Maggie Elie (Rockland)Emma Foley (Newburyport)Maddy Genser (Newton South)Natalia Hall-Rosa (Bridgewater-Raynham)Amelia Hanscom (Andover)Alyssa Hopps (Quincy)Cyndea Labissiere (Woburn)Caitlyn Leahy (Whitman-Hanson)Margo Mattes (Brookline)Niya Morgen (St. Mary’s)Faith Newton (North Reading)Kate Olenik (Medfield)Madison Oliver (Norwell)Ava Orlando (Notre Dame)Katie Peterson (Franklin)Kellyn Preira (St. Mary’s)Sam Reale (Bishop Feehan)Abby Wager (Mansfield)Abigail Wright (Newton North)HONORABLE MENTIONCatherine Antwi (Lowell Catholic)Taylor Bette...

Editorial: Rep. Comer will use muscle to get records out of John Kerry

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

It looks like Climate Czar John Kerry’s long ride of anti-transparency arrogance may be running out of gas.House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is threatening to subpoena the Biden administration over documents related to climate envoy John Kerry’s office and work.As The Hill reported, Comer previously requested documents related to Kerry’s work as the special envoy for climate.Join the queue, Congressman.The Herald filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request back on May 13, 2021. Weeks turned into months turned into years, and no info has been forthcoming on Kerry’s staff or payroll.The State Department said the records are available, but added: “The Office of Information Programs and Services’ electronic records system indicates this request is in process and has an estimated date of completion (EDC) of Oct. 1, 2024. Please note EDC’s are estimates and are subject to change.”Even the State Dept. sent the records from D.C. by tortoise, it shouldn...

Who needs Napa? Check out these great East Coast wines

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

What locations come to mind when someone says “wine region?” Maybe Napa Valley or Tuscany or the entire country of France? Sure, sure, those places aren’t bad. But what about something a little closer to home?Turns out that there are plenty of wonderful wine regions right here on the East Coast. Don’t buy it? From Long Island and Rhode Island, New Jersey and North Carolina, here are four vintages that might change your opinion of where to find the best wines.Anchor & Hope’s Archipelago Chardonnay ($20)The “archipelago” here refers to Long Island and Aquidneck Island, homes to the Greenvale and Macari vineyards. The Macari family and Greenville Estate have both been growing Chardonnay grapes for four decades. Rumford, Rhode Island craft winery Anchor & Hope pulls the two islands grapes together for a big bodied wine with a shake of sea salt and splash of tropical fruit. It also comes in a 250ml can for beach days, barbecues and Taylor Swift tailgating.Macari Vineyards 2020 Be...

Milk Street stirs up a bounty of dishes with ‘Noodles’ cookbook

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

Noodle dishes are a menu standard in homes, restaurants and food stalls from Japan to China to Italy to Peru.Often made with easy-to-find, everyday ingredients, they’re both wonderfully economical and oh-so versatile: They can be tossed in tomato sauce or pesto for a taste of Italy, simmered in broth with meat, tofu or veggies for an Asian-style soup, or tossed in a pot with seafood or cheese for a one-pan meal.Noodles also make for great stir-fry, as Milk Street’s terrific new cookbook, “Noodles,” makes abundantly clear. From fast and saucy dishes such as shrimp with orzo and tomatoes to noodle soups, Japanese macaroni salad and Italian pastas, Christopher Kimble and his team travel the globe to gather recipes you can’t wait to slurp from a bowl or twist on a fork.One that immediately caught my eye was a stir-fry combining thinly sliced flank steak with broccolini and rice stick noodles in a soy-garlic sauce. I don’t buy a lot of meat these days ...

Dear Abby: Cheating ex a drain on man’s life, $$

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:19:22 GMT

Dear Abby: My wife and I were married 21 years ago. Since then, she has admitted to cheating with 10 different men. Each time, I stayed with her, hoping she’d change. I finally left 3 1/2 years ago because I couldn’t take it anymore. She became homeless, but for the past year and a half she has been living with my daughter and me because I saw her on the street one day and she looked terrible.We are now moving, and my daughter wants her mother to get a job (she’s capable of getting one). My ex refused to get one to help pay the bills. Now I’m faced with another dilemma: Should I let her go on her own or fight for her to stay with us? My daughter is completely against her living with us. My income is limited. I’m on disability for a bad heart. My ex is 43, and I’m 58. Can you please advise? — Not Looking Back in ColoradoDear Not Looking Back: Your daughter is right. You are disabled and on a limited income, and your ex-wife is able-bodied. Wi...