I chatted with Jim about his superb profile of Susan Collins for today's @slate.com Slatest newsletter. Come for the electoral prognosticating, stay for the insider sauce on how Mainers who might need federal money someday don't want to criticize Collins on the record... slate.com/news-and-pol...

He Spent a Month Investigating How Susan Collins Keeps Beating Democrats. Here’s What He Found.

Slate's Jim Newell talks about his opus on one senator's seemingly inexplicable success.

slate.com

Jim Newell@jim-newell.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New from me: How does Susan Collins do it? Everyone knows she’s a tough opponent, but I really wanted to break down how. Here’s my feature. slate.com/news-and-pol...

All roads lead back to newsletters! Thrilled to say I’ve taken over the Slatest, @slate.com’s daily evening newsletter. We’ve revamped each send to help you understand the day’s biggest news — while also giving you tools to enjoy a fulfilling, doomscroll-free rest of your night slate.com/theslatest

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Individually, all the reporters calling Trump’s personal cellphone aren’t getting consistent answers about his plan for Iran. But collectively, they are revealing something useful: more evidence that he doesn’t really seem to have one slate.com/news-and-pol...

Reporters Keep Calling Trump’s Cell. The Answers He’s Giving Them Are Revealing One Core Truth.

Everyone has Donald Trump’s digits. And he keeps picking up.

slate.com

I really enjoyed getting to pick your brain about this, @amyjnelsonphd.bsky.social!

Amy J. Nelson@amyjnelsonphd.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Glad to see this argument getting attention. In this piece I’m quoted from my recent @newamerica.org report (supported by @ploughshares.bsky.social), where I argue that nuclear risk has become normalized—warnings accumulate, but urgency fades. Worth reading, especially on Oscar night.

Went outside my comfort zone to argue that “A House of Dynamite” is, despite its Oscars snub, the most important movie of the past year:

Slate@slate.com · 5mo ago

The Oscars are this weekend. The movie we should all be talking about isn’t even nominated. slate.trib.al/dTipgMl

The discourse about whether Trump can TACO his way out of war with Iran is flawed on two levels. First, Iran (and maybe other countries, too) gets a say. And second, as a descriptor of how Trump actually behaves, “TACO” isn’t really true. My latest for @slate.com: slate.com/news-and-pol...

As the Iran War Fallout Widens, Trump Seems to Be Turning to an Old Tactic. He’s in for a Rude Awakening.

Can you TACO a TACO?

slate.com

Americans think Donald Trump is focusing too much on international issues and not enough on domestic concerns like the economy. It’s a temptation several of Trump's predecessors have fallen into — to their and their parties’ political detriment slate.com/news-and-pol...

This Presidential Pitfall Ensnared Wilson, Bush, and Biden. Now Trump’s Falling Into It Too.

Why is the “America First” president so focused on the rest of the world?

slate.com

My first story for @slate.com (at least in a while) is about the double dose of bad economic news this week that cast new doubt on Donald Trump’s boast of delivering the “greatest economy ever” slate.com/news-and-pol...

Donald Trump’s Greatest Promise Is Looking More Disastrous for Him by the Day

Is it good politics to preside over job losses and rising gas prices? We’ll find out!.

slate.com

After an eventful year @bostonglobe.com, I’m heading back to @slate.com to be a senior politics writer covering *gestures at all this.* I’m psyched to get started, so drop me a line at ian.philbrick@slate.com

Katie Rayford@katierayford.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We're excited to welcome @ianprasad.bsky.social as Slate's new politics writer. He wrote The Morning at the NYT, Starting Point at the Boston Globe, and once upon a time interned and freelanced right here. Welcome (back), Ian! slate.com/slate-welcom...

Key line from @assoumou.bsky.social “If you don’t come into my ICU because you were vaccinated, that’s a win.”

Ian Prasad Philbrick@ianprasad.bsky.social · 7mo ago

During Covid, more Mass. residents got flu shots. But fewer are now choosing to get them even as a bad flu batters the state. For today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, @billhanage.bsky.social and @assoumou.bsky.social helped me think through why that might be www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/21/n...

During Covid, more Mass. residents got flu shots. But fewer are now choosing to get them even as a bad flu batters the state. For today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, @billhanage.bsky.social and @assoumou.bsky.social helped me think through why that might be www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/21/n...

Fewer people in Massachusetts are getting flu shots. It might be another legacy of COVID — or RFK Jr. - The Boston Globe

Despite a bad flu season, the share of residents choosing to get vaccinated against the virus has fallen. Here are 4 possible reasons why.

bostonglobe.com

The mayors of Lewiston and Portland, Maine are warning that immigration agents may soon descend on their cities. For today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, I asked them about the intel behind their warnings, how residents are reacting, and what may come next www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/20/n...

‘I’m afraid, too’: Why two Maine mayors decided to warn residents about ICE coming to their cities - The Boston Globe

Immigrant communities in Portland and Lewiston are bracing for federal agents to descend on the city as soon as this week.

bostonglobe.com

The killing of Boston philanthropist John Axelrod and his dog, allegedly by a man struggling with mental illness, seems likely to renew hard discussions about the link between mental illness and crime. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point lays out what we know www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/08/n...

After the killing of John Axelrod, what do we know about the links between mental health and crime? - The Boston Globe

Most struggling people aren’t violent. Research suggests that severe mental illness can increase the risk — but also suggests ways to reduce it.

bostonglobe.com

New year…old stories? I asked my @bostonglobe.com colleagues about the New England storylines they closely followed in 2025 and plan to keep covering this year. See their answers in today’s Starting Point: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/07/n...

7 stories Globe journalists obsessed over in 2025 — and are following into 2026 - The Boston Globe

From women’s sports to a long-awaited star turn for Boston’s best restaurants, pay attention to these storylines as the old year gives way to the new.

bostonglobe.com

The public reaction to Jan. 6 began as something close to collective horror. Five years later, Trump’s historical revisionism has destroyed any shared national understanding of what happened that day, today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/06/n...

Trump’s campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack has largely succeeded. Here’s why. - The Boston Globe

Five years after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol to try to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss, Americans lack a shared understanding of what happened that day.

bostonglobe.com

Venezuela wasn’t a major focus of the 2024 campaign, and the explanations for the US campaign that culminated in Nicolás Maduro's ouster keep shifting. That makes it even harder than usual to guess what comes next, today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/05/n...

What’s next for Venezuela? Trump’s shifting explanations make it hard to say. - The Boston Globe

The South American country wasn’t a big focus of the 2024 campaign, so it’s difficult to assess Trump’s goals in ousting President Nicolás Maduro

bostonglobe.com

I’ve been reading The Best American Short Stories for years and was intrigued to find this year's collection full of stories and authors with New England ties. I called series editor @nicolealamy.bsky.social to discuss for today's @bostonglobe.com Starting Point www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/31/n...

New England helped make short stories an art form. A new anthology reflects those regional roots. - The Boston Globe

This year’s “Best American Short Stories” collection features New England-based editors, authors, literary journals, and stories.

bostonglobe.com

I’ve been curious about how Providence is coping — and the questions residents are asking themselves — since the Brown University shooter was found. So I asked @bostonglobe.com reporter @alexagagosz.bsky.social, who’s based there, for today’s Starting Point: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/30/n...

‘Could this happen again?’ Providence confronts hard questions after the Brown University shooting. - The Boston Globe

Nervous looks, flowers left in tribute, and other scenes from a still-edgey community just starting to process the violence that shattered it.

bostonglobe.com

Russia’s war in Ukraine isn’t just about land; it’s also an effort to erase Ukrainian culture and national identity. That’s one reason why a deal to end the fighting remains elusive, as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/29/n...

Why the war in Ukraine has been so hard to end - The Boston Globe

Russia’s invasion is more than just an attempt to conquer territory. It’s a fight to erase Ukrainian culture and national identity.

bostonglobe.com

At this point in President Trump’s first term, scandal and backbiting had cost many top administration officials their jobs. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains why internal chaos (Signalgate, Wiles in VF, etc.) hasn’t had the same effect this time www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/18/n...

Trump, famous for firing people, has parted with few top aides this term. Why? - The Boston Globe

Staff turnover and chaos dominated the headlines during Trump’s first presidency. This time he has an administration full of MAGA loyalists.

bostonglobe.com

In a recent poll, 76 percent of Americans said they didn’t think Trump had explained the goals behind his pressure campaign against Venezuela. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explores his possible motives, ranging from regime change to oil: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/15/n...

What is Trump really trying to accomplish in Venezuela? Here are a few possibilities. - The Boston Globe

His pressure campaign has included a buildup of forces and strikes on alleged drug boats. Regime change, oil, and countering China are among the mentioned motives.

bostonglobe.com

I've said it before: Talking out ideas with my colleagues and sharing them with Starting Point readers is among the most rewarding and fun parts of this job. If you're looking to understand how the Pats turned things around this year, @christopherprice.bsky.social has you covered.

Christopher Price@christopherprice.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Good time talking Patriots with @ianprasad.bsky.social.

For today’s Starting Point, @theatlantic.com is in the @bostonglobe.com! The magazine founded in 1857 by a group of Boston literary luminaries is going on tour, and I chatted with @jeffreygoldberg.bsky.social about coming back to the town where it all began www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/10/n...

Boston luminaries founded a magazine dedicated to American ideals 168 years ago. Last week, it came home. - The Boston Globe

"If you stray too far from your DNA, you run the risk of losing yourself," said Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg as the magazine kicked off a nationwide event series in Boston.

bostonglobe.com

Something different for today’s Starting Point: a lesson in (literally) rising above Boston’s infamously bad traffic from the legendary @bostonglobe.com photographer Stan Grossfeld www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/09/n...

High above the Boston traffic, a Globe photographer captured the choreography of modern travel - The Boston Globe

Stan Grossfeld went to take photos of the moon. He ended up beholding something less natural but still pretty majestic.

bostonglobe.com

If Trump and his allies prevail, you’ll soon see his name on the Kennedy Center, a football stadium, and an airport. As today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, Trump’s branding efforts put him in the company of history's strongmen, not past US presidents www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/08/n...

From Roman emperors to tinpot dictators, strongmen have long named things after themselves. Now Trump has, too. - The Boston Globe

Trump and his allies’ efforts to name things in the president’s honor are a break from American history and a sign of Trump’s governing style.

bostonglobe.com

What makes a workplace good? As @bostonglobe.com rolls out its annual list of Massachusetts’ top places to work, I put that question to resident expert @ktkjohnston.bsky.social for today’s Starting Point: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/n...

Thoughtful leaders, strong values, and ‘meaningful perks’: These qualities make for a good workplace - The Boston Globe

A Globe reporter discusses the companies that made our list of the top places to work in Massachusetts this year.

bostonglobe.com

An emboldened Trump is stretching the pardon power in new ways: nakedly helping allies, accusing the previous administration of selective prosecutions, and placing a loyalist in charge. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/02/n...

As Massachusetts knows, going easy on criminals can sink politicians. Will Trump’s controversial pardons do the same? - The Boston Globe

Presidential aspirant Michael Dukakis learned that lesson the hard way in 1988. But partisanship may shield the White House’s current occupant from similar consequences.

bostonglobe.com

Brian Walshe’s murder trial is underway in Norfolk Superior Court. If you’re just catching up with the case, today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains what you need to know: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/01/n...

Did Brian Walshe kill his wife? What does the evidence suggest? Here’s what to know as his trial begins. - The Boston Globe

The murder case, which starts with opening statements in Suffolk Superior Court today, has drawn significant public attention.

bostonglobe.com

Eel broth, salmon fishballs, and vermicelli “pudding”: To whet your appetite, today’s Starting Point catalogues the many strange ways New Englanders’ Thanksgiving menus have changed over the decades using recipes shared by @bostonglobe.com readers past www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/n...

Turkey, stuffing, and … vermicelli pudding? Some of these Thanksgiving delicacies past are downright bizarre. - The Boston Globe

To mark the holiday, we’re serving up a slice of unusual New England culinary history.

bostonglobe.com

Democrats and Republicans who have defied Trump have gotten bomb scares, death threats, and been swatted in recent days. And as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, a crackup in the Trump coalition could intensify America's political violence problem www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/25/n...

From bomb scares to swatting, the threat of political violence seems to be getting worse - The Boston Globe

Democrats and Republicans alike who defy Trump are getting death threats, and new divisions in his coalition could intensify the problem.

bostonglobe.com