Baker's one big takeaway from the midterms

Also: Inside Radio Boston's Friendsgiving potluck; Women's Lunch Place celebrates 40 years [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 15, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 45. Good Morning Boston, There may now be [8 billion people on Earth]( but you all are my favorites for reading this newsletter every morning. Here's what we're following, including more of the interesting insights from the latest United Nations [report]( on the world's population. But first: - Let's start locally, shall we? Massachusetts is getting pretty independent (and [not like the Kelly Clarkson song](. More than 60% of the electorate across the state is now unenrolled. Gov. Charlie Baker was on CNN last night to talk about the midterm elections. He said Democrats and Republicans both are frustrated with political extremism, and it's pushing millions of voters to leave the parties every year and register as independents. - "I think in the midterms one of the big lessons that the Republican party nationally needs to take away from it is that voters want collaborative elected officials," Baker added. - We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sales — or rather, the terms of contract. That's what the parent company of Commonwealth Wind, the developer behind the state's largest planned offshore wind farm, wants to do. The company is saying that inflation and other issues are making the project more expensive and, because of that, the contract with utility companies is no longer viable. Its hope is to raise rates and push back the project timeline, according to reporting from WBUR's newscast team. - Utility providers response? It's a hard no. They've already told state officials they're not interested in renegotiating their deals. - Google is about to pay Massachusetts $9 million. It's part of a nearly $400 million multi-state settlement with the tech giant over some of its privacy policies. Mainly, location tracking. - What happened: Attorneys general in 40 states argued that Google was tracking users' location history even when they had asked the company not to do so. This behavior spurred Connecticut Attorney General William Tong to lead the investigation. Google's response? We changed the policies years ago. - The Boston Globe is making — not just writing — historic headlines. The paper [named Nancy Barnes as its next editor on Monday](. She is the first woman to take on the role in the newspaper's 150-year history. - If you recognize the name, that's because Barnes was previously the chief news executive at NPR. She announced in September that she was leaving our mothership and we wish her all the best! - Zooming way out: As promised, here are some of the highlights from the UN's word population report. The main trends: people are living longer and having fewer children. - Digging deeper: The average life expectancy is projected to rise from 72.98 in 2019 to 77.2 in 2050. (Woo!) With more available birth control and education, we're not expected to reach a population of 9 billion for another 15 years. That may seem pretty fast, but compared to the last billion person jump in 2011, it's actually a slower pace by a few years. You can read all the takeaways [here](. - Your hard news palate cleanser: It was one of the best Mondays in a while at WBUR's studios. That's because Radio Boston and celebrity chef Tiffani Faison hosted a Friendsgiving potluck yesterday with a bunch of local prominent chefs. And, yes, there were samples of the dishes (and yes, I did eat mac and cheese at 11 a.m.). [You can watch the celebration here](. P.S.— Do you have a favorite Friendsgiving recipe that means something to you or wows your guests? Share by replying to this email, and we'll pass it along to the Radio Boston team. Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Day shelter Women's Lunch Place celebrates 40 years amid changing dynamics of homelessness]( When the program opened on Nov. 15, 1982, in the basement of a Newbury Street church, it was equipped to serve just eight lunches a few times a week. It now serves more than 1,800 women a year with programs including art therapy, yoga, job placement and housing searches. [Read more.]( [Day shelter Women's Lunch Place celebrates 40 years amid changing dynamics of homelessness]( When the program opened on Nov. 15, 1982, in the basement of a Newbury Street church, it was equipped to serve just eight lunches a few times a week. It now serves more than 1,800 women a year with programs including art therapy, yoga, job placement and housing searches. [Read more.]( [Tackling the fake pill supply killing teens and young adults]( Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are killing young people. Here's how parents, advocates and social media companies are trying to tackle the problem. [Read more.]( [Tackling the fake pill supply killing teens and young adults]( Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are killing young people. Here's how parents, advocates and social media companies are trying to tackle the problem. [Read more.]( [Kevin McCarthy faces early loyalty test in his bid for GOP speaker]( House Republicans will hold leadership elections Tuesday to determine their party leaders for the next Congress, even though the House has still not officially been called in their favor. [Read more.]( [Kevin McCarthy faces early loyalty test in his bid for GOP speaker]( House Republicans will hold leadership elections Tuesday to determine their party leaders for the next Congress, even though the House has still not officially been called in their favor. [Read more.]( [NASA's Artemis moon rocket is hours from launch. Will it finally fly?]( The space agency has been trying for months to send its giant moon rocket on its first test flight. The goal is to send a crew capsule, with no astronauts on board, around the moon and back. [Read more.]( [NASA's Artemis moon rocket is hours from launch. Will it finally fly?]( The space agency has been trying for months to send its giant moon rocket on its first test flight. The goal is to send a crew capsule, with no astronauts on board, around the moon and back. [Read more.]( [Markey, Musk tussle over Twitter verification rules]( Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Twitter head Elon Musk traded barbs over the weekend about the social media network's new verification policies. [Read more.]( [Markey, Musk tussle over Twitter verification rules]( Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Twitter head Elon Musk traded barbs over the weekend about the social media network's new verification policies. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - I’m raising my sons to be proud of their Blackness, writes John Vercher in this [republished commentary from 2017](. But I also know that they’ll benefit from their lighter skin. - Michelle Obama's new book, "The Light We Carry," [comes out today](. She'll be speaking later this afternoon with NPR on All Things Considered to dig into the themes of the book, including tough times in her life, and how coped and remained hopeful. While you're waiting, you can [listen to these exclusive excerpts from two sections of the audio book]( read by Obama herself. - Why buy the "A Christmas Story" fans in your life a leg lamp when you could buy them the whole living room — and more! According to WKSU, [the Tremont home used in the 1983 film is for sale]( along with much of the neighborhood. But it will likely cost you; no price is listed. - WBUR theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair [reviewed]( “The Chinese Lady,” which is produced in partnership with CHUANG Stage and runs through Dec. 11 at Central Square Theater. She writes that "the moving story eloquently provides another lens through which to view America’s history."  What We're Reading 📚 - She was a celebrated oncologist. Why did she hide her breast cancer until it was too late? ([The Boston Globe]( - Time Is Running Out for the Leap Second ([The New York Times]( - Biotech’s next destination: Why not Lynn? ([CommonWealth Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [Dolly Parton gets $100 million from Jeff Bezos to spend on charity]( The singer and entrepreneur famously has used her success to help others, especially in areas of education. The gift matches two by Bezos last year to chef Jose Andrés and activist Van Jones. [Read more.]( [Dolly Parton gets $100 million from Jeff Bezos to spend on charity]( The singer and entrepreneur famously has used her success to help others, especially in areas of education. The gift matches two by Bezos last year to chef Jose Andrés and activist Van Jones. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common talks about [why some young Black people are leaving Boston and moving to the South.]( Before you go: A true [gentle giant.]( 😎 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? 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