Mass. GOP's moderate streak uncertain post-Baker

Also: Rachael Rollins will be next U.S. Attorney for Mass.; COVID booster clinics opening today [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 8, 2021 🌞 Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Good Morning Boston, Happy first snow! You know what it means: time to pull out the snow brush if you parked your car outside last night. And rush around because you didn't actually leave enough time to clean off your car... or is that just me? Here's what we're watching this morning: - Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins could be sworn in as the new U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts as soon as next week. The Senate approved her nomination in a tie vote yesterday, which was broken by Vice President Harris. More on this historic confirmation below. - All eyes are on the Supreme Court after the Biden Administration sided with Harvard in a lawsuit over its admissions policy. [Here's some background information]( on the suit that claims the school discriminates against Asian American applicants. It's still unclear whether the Supreme Court will decide to take up the case. - Earlier this week, lawmakers looked at a few bills that [centered around trees]( as important tools to address climate change. The main idea? Protect acres of forest and watershed land, as well as urban trees, for their carbon storage abilities. The state's public land policies were written decades ago and some legislators think they could use an upgrade to better reflect this fact: realizing net-zero emissions in Massachusetts over the next three decades has to involve trees in order to meet the goal. - PSA: Boston is holding a free vaccine and booster clinic today at City Hall. It's open to the public. There's also a booster clinic opening at the CambridgeSide mall today for anyone over 18 who works or lives in Cambridge. You'll need to make an appointment for the latter. P.S.– It's looking like the perfect weekend for a movie. You can [skip “Being the Ricardos,”]( according to WBUR film critic Sean Burns. But Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" got a [great review]( from The New York Times. Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  The Rundown [Mass. Republican party faces uncertain future after Baker's decides against another term]( Massachusetts has a long tradition of electing moderate Republicans to state-wide office. But the only major Republican candidate running for governor is a pro-Trump conservative. [Read more.]( [Mass. Republican party faces uncertain future after Baker's decides against another term]( Massachusetts has a long tradition of electing moderate Republicans to state-wide office. But the only major Republican candidate running for governor is a pro-Trump conservative. [Read more.]( [Rachael Rollins will be the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, the first Black woman to hold the office]( The Senate narrowly confirmed Rollins to the position, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie after a lengthy confirmation process. [Read more.]( [Rachael Rollins will be the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, the first Black woman to hold the office]( The Senate narrowly confirmed Rollins to the position, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie after a lengthy confirmation process. [Read more.]( [MBTA trimming bus service amid driver shortage]( About 5% of currently scheduled MBTA bus trips will be eliminated when a new winter schedule takes effect this month, part of the agency's response to what its leaders described as a "national workforce shortage in the ranks of bus and train operators." [Read more.]( [MBTA trimming bus service amid driver shortage]( About 5% of currently scheduled MBTA bus trips will be eliminated when a new winter schedule takes effect this month, part of the agency's response to what its leaders described as a "national workforce shortage in the ranks of bus and train operators." [Read more.]( [A new poll finds major warning signs for Biden and fellow Democrats]( The NPR/Marist survey has President Biden with a 42% approval rating. Americans also don't feel the direct payments or expanded child tax credits Democrats doled out helped them much. [Read more.]( [A new poll finds major warning signs for Biden and fellow Democrats]( The NPR/Marist survey has President Biden with a 42% approval rating. Americans also don't feel the direct payments or expanded child tax credits Democrats doled out helped them much. [Read more.]( [Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri hears senators brush aside his promises to self-police]( Takeaways from a hearing include: senators are frustrated with Instagram for not moving more quickly to protect young users and the CEO maintains the platform does more good than harm. [Read more.]( [Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri hears senators brush aside his promises to self-police]( Takeaways from a hearing include: senators are frustrated with Instagram for not moving more quickly to protect young users and the CEO maintains the platform does more good than harm. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Some lockdown drills can harm students' mental health. [Here's what one expert advises.]( - From a holiday stroll to "The Great Animal Orchestra" at the Peabody Essex Museum, here are [five things to do this weekend](. - A series of actions – from enhanced masking to opt-out testing – would go a long way in helping Massachusetts get through this most recent spike in COVID cases, local public health experts write [in this commentary](. What We're Reading 📚 - Who will save the saddest pier in Boston? ([Boston.com]( - The Science of Exercising in Extreme Cold ([Outside]( - At Long Last, Onscreen Portrayals of Lesbian Relationships Are Getting Complex ([The New York Times Magazine]( Tell Me Something Good [Here & Now | End the year on a sweet or savory note with chef Kathy Gunst's favorite cookbooks of 2021]( These cookbooks take readers on trips around the world, learning the secrets and treasured recipes of cooks from varied cultures. [Read more.]( [Here & Now | End the year on a sweet or savory note with chef Kathy Gunst's favorite cookbooks of 2021]( These cookbooks take readers on trips around the world, learning the secrets and treasured recipes of cooks from varied cultures. [Read more.]( Before you go: for the [memories]( even though they weren't so great. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.