How overturning Roe v. Wade could affect Mass.

Also: Nantucket votes for topless beaches; the history of the anti-abortion movement [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 4, 2022 ☁️ Foggy and rainy with a high around 56. Good Morning Boston, Let me be the one person who doesn't make [that Star Wars joke]( to you today. Instead, we have much more on the local and national repercussions of the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade below (check out [the photos of the thousands who rallied in front of the Massachusetts State House]( yesterday). But first, a few local news updates: - Residents of Boston's North End, Charlestown and East Boston neighborhoods have elected a new city councilor. Gabriella "Gigi" Coletta declared victory in last night's special election to replace City Councilor ([and state Senator]( Lydia Edwards. - The unofficial results show Coletta — a 29-year-old Eastie native who worked in Edwards' office — won nearly 57% of the 4,917 votes cast Tuesday, beating Tania Del Rio, who got 33% of the votes. - In the name of gender equality, Nantucket residents [approved a bylaw amendment]( last night to allow women to go topless on public beaches — but the new rules don't take effect quite yet. - WBUR's Stevee Chapman reports the measure needs to be approved next by Attorney General Maura Healey, since state laws prohibit women going topless in public, among other forms of nudity. - Of course, there's no law against men going topless in public. And advocates — including [the local sex educator who proposed the measure]( — say the Nantucket bylaw is about normalizing bodies of all genders and sizes. - REAL talk: We're now less than a year away from the [postponed]( REAL ID enforcement date, and the RMV is encouraging Massachusetts residents who need to upgrade their license or identification to make an appointment now. - According to the RMV, nearly 60% of ID holders in Massachusetts have not yet upgraded to a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or identification. And around a million Bay Staters have licenses expiring within the next year. - Why is upgrading important? Well for starters, anyone over the age of 18 will no longer be able to use a standard driver's license to board domestic flights or enter federal buildings as of May 3, 2023. You'll still be able to use a passport as valid identification. But if you don't have one or it's expired, the only option is a REAL ID. - You can make a REAL ID [appointment at an RMV]( or AAA branch (members only). Just make sure you bring [all the required documents](. - The MBTA has rolled out the first of its fancy new information display screens at a handful of subway stations. The hope is they'll better inform riders about long waits or elevator closures during their trip before they pay their fares. It's a feature the T says riders have been requesting for awhile. - MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak called service disruptions and elevator outages an "inevitability." But he said the new digital screens will allow customers to "see in real-time how the issue might affect their trip, and perhaps decide on an alternative way of getting where they’re going." - The first display screens (check out [some photos here]( went live this past month at Government Center, Tufts Medical Center, Maverick, Ashmont and Porter stations — with more rolling out in the coming months as part of the T's [larger digital signage project](. MBTA officials say they plan to install them at every subway station within the next three years. - Massachusetts state Rep. Maria Robinson will have to wait at least a little while longer before starting her next job. She faces a unified Republican opposition to her nomination to be President Biden's assistant secretary in the Office of Electricity. - A Senate committee vote Monday to advance the Framingham Democrat's nomination deadlocked along party lines, [as State House News Service reported](. That means the full Senate now has to take two votes to confirm Robinson. And if she continues to face universal Republican opposition, Vice President Kamala Harris would have to break the tie. - U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins [had to take a similar path to confirmation](. However, with Robinson's nomination slated to reset in August, the Senate is in more of a time crunch now. P.S.— We want your feedback on WBUR Today. The world has changed a lot since the last time we asked for your thoughts on this newsletter, and we want to make sure we're giving you everything you need to start your morning. So, we put together [a short survey]( where you can tell us everything from what you currently like (or don't like), to what you'd like to see more of in the future. It only takes a few minutes, and it would be suuuuuper helpful if you could [fill it out](. Thanks! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Here's how overturning Roe v. Wade could affect Mass. and the rest of New England]( Here is a look at where abortion rights stand in Massachusetts and across New England. [Read more.]( [Here's how overturning Roe v. Wade could affect Mass. and the rest of New England]( Here is a look at where abortion rights stand in Massachusetts and across New England. [Read more.]( [The movement against abortion rights is nearing its apex. But it began way before Roe]( Despite gaining national traction in the 1970s, the history of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. goes back more than a century before the landmark Supreme Court decision. [Read more.]( [The movement against abortion rights is nearing its apex. But it began way before Roe]( Despite gaining national traction in the 1970s, the history of the anti-abortion movement in the U.S. goes back more than a century before the landmark Supreme Court decision. [Read more.]( [What even is a draft opinion? Here's how the Supreme Court's process works]( The court says it's routine for justices to circulate draft opinions internally. It's part of a larger procedure that involves deliberating, voting and assigning writers. [Read more.]( [What even is a draft opinion? Here's how the Supreme Court's process works]( The court says it's routine for justices to circulate draft opinions internally. It's part of a larger procedure that involves deliberating, voting and assigning writers. [Read more.]( [Change at the top for Biogen after Alzheimer's drug flops]( Biogen is looking for a new CEO less than a year after its launch of its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm largely fizzled. The company said Tuesday that current CEO Michel Vounatsos will continue to lead the company until his successor is appointed. [Read more.]( [Change at the top for Biogen after Alzheimer's drug flops]( Biogen is looking for a new CEO less than a year after its launch of its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm largely fizzled. The company said Tuesday that current CEO Michel Vounatsos will continue to lead the company until his successor is appointed. [Read more.]( [EU leader calls for Russian oil ban in new set of sanctions]( The EU chief concedes that that getting all 27 member countries — some of them highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies — to agree on oil sanctions will be extremely difficult. [Read more.]( [EU leader calls for Russian oil ban in new set of sanctions]( The EU chief concedes that that getting all 27 member countries — some of them highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies — to agree on oil sanctions will be extremely difficult. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Former congressional candidate Jesse Mermell [writes in this commentary that abortion rights are "just the beginning"]( if the Supreme Court does go forward with overturning Roe v. Wade. - Remember the [new Steve Almond novel]( we mentioned yesterday? Literature writer Michael Patrick Brady is not a fan. In a [review for WBUR]( he writes the book is a "messy, maximalist" piece of writing that "comes off as glib rather than revelatory." - Wedding season is here, and NPR's Life Kit [has an acronym to help you give a memorable toast (in a good way)](. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns writes that the David Lynch movie "Inland Empire" remains an "arduously long and insanely unpleasant experience." And yet, [it's growing on him](. What We're Reading 📚 - The Forgotten Legacy of Boston’s Historic Black Graveyard ([Boston Magazine]( - An Anaconda’s Play Date With Dolphins Took a Strange Turn ([The New York Times]( - Two Executions on a Thursday in America ([The Atlantic]( Food for Thought [Budget-friendly meals from chef Kathy Gunst — who says rising food prices don't mean declining taste]( Food prices are on the rise. But don’t worry, Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst has a few ways to eat well without breaking the budget. [Read more.]( [Budget-friendly meals from chef Kathy Gunst — who says rising food prices don't mean declining taste]( Food prices are on the rise. But don’t worry, Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst has a few ways to eat well without breaking the budget. [Read more.]( Before you go: When Nubian Square [had a train station](. 😎 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 © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.