GBH Daily: Debate recap

☔Rainy and foggy with highs in the 60s. Sunset is at 6 p.m.

Today we have a story about the Head of the Charles’ first all-Palestinian rowing crew. But first, if you’re looking for an indoor activity this weekend, Culture Show host Jared Bowen has two book recommendations. First, for local history fans: “The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World” by Nathaniel Philbrick. “During the Gold Rush, a quarter of Nantucket’s population went west in search of gold,” Bowen said. “And what you think is just that, that people simply went to California to try to find gold, becomes an exploration of our country and our country’s history. … This is a whole story of ambition and innovation and immigration and all of the best and worst of our country.”

Second: “Blockers” by Michael Lewis, whose title comes from the name Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency workers gave civil servants who stood in their way. “He tells the stories of individuals who put their careers on the line,” Bowen said. “This is a very chilling, very revealing exploration of our government and the long-term ramifications of the DOGE process.” Hear more of Bowen’s thoughts on both books here.

Four Things to Know

1. Healey and Minogue’s last debate: Gov. Maura Healey and Mike Minogue, the Republican challenger, debated how to deal with rising costs, energy prices, immigration and abortion rights last night. The Nov. 3 election is about two and a half weeks away, and people are already able to vote early and by mail.

Let’s zoom in on the abortion conversation: Minogue says he is personally against abortion access, but said he would “follow the law. I believe in the separation of church and state, and when I become governor, I will swear an oath to do that. Now, I am still allowed to have my own beliefs, but my own beliefs will not get in the way of me doing what I’m supposed to do in upholding the law.” Healey said she is “not politicizing something when one in three women in America live without access to needed abortion care. … I trust women. I trust women and their doctors. Mike Minogue doesn’t.” You can find a full recap of the debate here. 

2. Get off your phone: Boston Public Schools administrators want to ban cell phones — along with tablets, smartwatches and smart glasses — at all of the city’s public schools starting in the fall of 2027. The city’s school committee still needs to vote on the proposal, and the policy leaves some details unclear: it does not say whether students will have to leave their phones in lockers or whether they will be permitted to carry them around in locked pouches.

“Some of the early indications on academic outcomes are a little mixed. It’s not as clear exactly how beneficial it is or not,” said Will Austin, an education consultant and co-founder of the Substack newsletter Boston Focus. “But a lot of the anecdotal evidence you at least hear from principals and teachers in schools is that they have seen tremendous benefits for kids’ sociability and mental health in school.”

3. Covering cancer screenings for firefighters: Yesterday the state Senate passed a bill requiring that firefighters’ health insurance plans cover free cancer screenings every three years for as long as they are on the job. The state House passed a similar bill back in July.

Working firefighters get exposed to things that increase their risk of cancer, from PFAS in their gear and diesel fumes from their trucks to hazardous materials and smoke. “Firefighters face an increased risk of cancer because of the hazards we encounter on the job, and access to early detection will save firefighters’ lives,” said Rich MacKinnon Jr., president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts.

4. Canadian pharmacy troubles: If you order prescription medication from Canada by mail, listen up: the Trump administration is eliminating a customs exemption for packages valued at under $800 from Canada. Once the new rule takes effect in January, companies will have to go through licensed customs brokers and make sure their duties are paid before they can ship packages to customers in the U.S., including prescription medications. That means some packages will be delayed and some companies might decide to stop shipping to the U.S. altogether.

“I just wanted to make sure that seniors understand that if they’re ordering [medication] from Canada, they need to get proactive, and they need to contact their legislators and also figure out what they’re going to do if this really happens, which I think there’s a pretty good chance that it will,” said Anne Weirich of Brewster, who orders some of her medications from Canada to save money.

How rowing for Palestine has created a bond for two rowers at the Head of the Charles

Meet Amel Younis and Ryan Ghalayini, two rowers who will compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta in the Men’s Championship Doubles this weekend. They’ll be representing the Palestine Sailing and Rowing Federation, becoming the first all-Palestinian crew to compete at the Head of the Charles, they told GBH’s Esteban Bustillos.

“Once, actually, Amel posted on Facebook about me being introduced to the team, my first time rowing for Palestine. My aunts texted me immediately and said, ‘We have cousins in Gaza who found your post and are, like, super proud of you. It really gives them strength,'” Ghalayini said. “After hearing something like that, it’s like, well, this is my purpose in life, is just to live vicariously for them.”

Younis, who was born in the U.S. and spent his high school years in Worcester, said he never met another Palestinian rower until Ghalayini’s older brother, Zack, joined his college rowing crew. In recent years, he’s heard from a growing number of Palestinian rowers from across the world.

Now both of them have a goal they’re working toward: representing Palestine in rowing at the 2028 Olympics.

“This is my last chapter. Like, I’m rowing for two years and then I’m gonna retire,” Younis said. “But, like, Ryan and I understand that this is bigger than either of our egos. And if one of us goes, we both go.”

You can hear more from Younis, Ghalayini and the Palestine Sailing and Rowing Federation here. 

Dig deeper: 

-'The Super Bowl of Rowing’: Annual Head of the Charles Regatta kicks off on Friday

-Bridgewater Little League balances fun with big business at Little League World Series

-For this Haverhill athlete, bare-knuckle fighting at Fenway Park is part of a family legacy