This is a web edition of GBH Daily, a weekday newsletter bringing you local stories you can trust so you can stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.
☀️Sunny and a bit warmer, with highs in the 50s. Sunset is at 7:19 p.m.
As political leaders in the U.S. agreed to a two-week ceasefire in Iran, a Northeastern University student from the country said most people she knows back home are still afraid of what will happen next. They fear their own government, which has violently responded to dissent, and they fear further attacks from the U.S. and Israel, which have spent more than a month bombing the country.
“We find Trump completely unpredictable,” the student told GBH’s Sarah Betancourt. “Whether he’s threatening to destroy a civilization or promising help, it’s hard to take him at face value. They kind of worry that his ultimate goal isn’t regime change for Iranians, but simply some deal that involves oil prices in global markets.” And at the same time: “There is a fear that once the international pressure of war fades, the Islamic Republic will turn its focus back inwards to suppress domestic dissent even more harshly.” Betancourt spoke with more Iranians in the Boston area here.
Four Things to Know
1. Former Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins has pulled nomination papers for the office she once held, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office said. Rollins was first elected district attorney in 2018 and implemented policies declining to prosecute people for 15 low-level offenses, such as trespassing, shoplifting and some drug possession cases.
After then-President Joe Biden nominated her to serve as the state’s top federal prosecutor, Rollins was accused of multiple ethics violations, including interfering in the 2022 race to fill the Suffolk district attorney’s seat. She resigned from her job asU.S. Attorney. Then in 2023 the Department of Justice found that Rollins leaked information to reporters to benefit then-City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who was running against interim District Attorney Kevin Hayden. Hayden — who at the time was also accused of leaking information about Arroyo, which he denied — went on to win the race and still holds the job.
2. The death of Stephenson King, whom a Boston police officer is accused of shooting and killing during a carjacking investigation last month, exposed a gap in how the city’s law enforcement agencies decide when to release body-camera footage and when they do not, city councilors said this week. Body camera footage of the shooting exists. Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said it will not be released to the public until the trial of Boston Police Officer Nicholas O’Malley, who has been charged with manslaughter in King’s death. O’Malley has pleaded not guilty.
“There is no public-facing framework that explains how those decisions are made, and there is no guaranteed access for elected officials or those with oversight,” City Councilor Miniard Culpepper said. “What we are left with is a system where transparency often depends on discretion rather than clear policy.”
3. The state’s highest court yesterday heard arguments over whether the city’s renovations of White Stadium in Franklin Park amount to the privatization of a public space. The stadium is undergoing a $325 million renovation, $135 million of which will come from the city’s budget, with the rest coming from private funds. The city plans for the stadium to serve both as a hub for Boston Public Schools athletics and the home stadium for Boston Legacy FC, a private, professional women’s soccer team.
Justices from the state’s Supreme Judicial Court questioned both the city and the plaintiffs, a group that includes the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. “Yes, there will be a new use at the White Stadium parcel, but it’s not effecting a change in use to Franklin Park,” said Sammy Nabulsi, an attorney representing the city. Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd pushed back. “You’re going to have bigger crowds. It’s a completely different thing,” she said. “Can you at least admit that we’re talking about something different now?”
4. Workers at Boston-area secondhand stores — including thrift shops, pawn shops and consignment stores — are giving some economic indicators. Daniel Burhe, manager of the pawn shop LBC Boutique & Loan in Allston, said customer traffic has jumped from 10 to 15 people a day six months ago to 30 to 50 a day now. He said he is frequently seeing people sell jewelry, as the price of gold has climbed to more than $4,000 an ounce. “It’s very, very, very busy,” Burhe said.
Rachel Silverman, a co-coordinator at Thrifty Threads in Brookline, said “the needs are skyrocketing.” The store takes in donations and sells them at low prices, usually about $4 for a pair of pants or a shirt. Meanwhile at Diversity Consignment in Jamaica Plain, founder Ian Drake said he’s seeing what he described as a “paradox of thrift.” “As things become more expensive, people who buy new do not just switch over to buying used,” Drake said. “Instead, they just buy less new. And the people who buy used buy used at a less frequent rate.”
Behind the bill: How does a social media ban for teens work?
By Katie Lannan, GBH News State House reporter
Kids in the Commonwealth under 14 could be banned from social media as soon as this fall if a law being considered on Beacon Hill passes.
Members of the state House passed this bill by a vote of 129-25 yesterday. If it also passes the Senate and becomes law, it would ban children under age 14 from using social media platforms. Children ages 14 and 15 would need parental consent, and it would be up to the social media companies to put this infrastructure in place. They’d need to have age-verification systems for all users — not just teenagers — to ensure users are as old as they say they are. Lawmakers are aiming to have those systems in place by October, with regulations finalized earlier in the fall.
This is something a lot of states have been trying to do lately. House leaders compared the bill to a law in Florida with a similar structure. That law is facing legal challenges. Massachusetts House leaders described their proposal as one of the most restrictive in the country, which does create the possibility that we’d see lawsuits here as well.
“We know that there could be some potential legal challenges,” House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said. “We think it’s the right thing to do. We think we are on solid ground. We hope that once this bill passes, it’ll stand up for any legal challenges.”
Lawmakers are describing this bill as a way to protect kids from the adverse impacts of social media, whether it’s bullying, anxiety or other mental health issues. Which specific social networks and platforms the restrictions would apply to remains unclear.
Gov. Maura Healey called out Instagram and TikTok in her State of the State address earlier this year, but the House bill does not name specific apps or websites. Michlewitz said that omission is intentional. Lawmakers want to leave those decisions to Attorney General Andrea Campbell, since regulations from her office would have more flexibility to respond to a continually evolving industry.
As lawmakers considered social media bills last summer, one advocate cautioned lawmakers not to define social media so broadly that the law would apply to sites such as Wikipedia or local community forums.
Tech companies often have their own lobbyists on Beacon Hill working against some social media policies — or trying to craft them in a way that they consider workable.There are also industry groups such as Chamber of Progress, which describes itself as a center-left tech industry association representing companies including Apple and Amazon. The group’s lobbyist, Brianna January, warned lawmakers that age-verification requirements could involve the collection of sensitive data vulnerable to hacking or other unintended uses.
“If platforms or even the attorney general’s office have to collect data to verify age in order to access social media platforms, that data could be discoverable by the Trump administration for immigration enforcement, of which we’re very concerned,” January said.
We haven’t seen the Senate tackle youth social media policy yet. But the two chambers are united in wanting to ban cellphone use during the school day, a policy also included in the House bill. You can read more about this legislation here.
Dig deeper:
-Can’t put your phone down? Here’s why you should try — from a local researcher
-As lawmakers debate statewide school cellphone ban, one district says it works
-The movement to restrict minors’ social media use
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