Caption this

Also: Healey's first hires; Baker pardons in the spotlight [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 13, 2022 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 39. Good Morning Boston, We accidentally got a link mixed up in yesterday's newsletter. So, if you were one of the many readers who clicked to see a video of what a ride on the new Green Line Extension branch looks like and instead got recipes for custard and linguine, here's [the correct link]( Sorry for the mistake (but please let me know how [that custard]( is). To the news: - You may notice a small change next time you glance up at the TV at a bar or gym in Boston: closed captioning. Mayor Michelle Wu has signed an ordinance requiring businesses and other venues to have closed captioning turned on for all public-facing TVs. For those with hearing disabilities, it's no small change; the new rules mean they'll have access to the same content on public TVs as everyone else. - Where the captioning rules apply: Public businesses and facilities, such as restaurants, bars, banks, hotel lobbies and gyms. - Where it doesn't: There are exemptions for entertainment venues like movie theaters, concert halls and sports arenas. (People can request other accommodations in those large venues, which are subject to state and federal laws.) - The backstory: The state of Maryland and a handful of cities have already instituted similar rules. Officials in Boston first floated the idea in 2020, after realizing COVID press conferences and other critical news shown on TV was inaccessible to residents with hearing loss. Kristen McCosh, the city's disability commissioner, says that lack of access is a long-standing issue — but one that should be relatively easy to fix with the new rules. “All televisions have the ability to enable closed captions for broadcasts, and cable and streaming services offer captions, so this is something that is entirely free for businesses to do," McCosh said. - How will it be enforced? City officials are starting to reach out to local businesses to ensure they know about the rules. Residents can also report violations to the city's [Disabilities Commission](. - Over a month after her election victory, Massachusetts Attorney General and Gov.-elect Maura Healey is announcing her first three appointments today — including two members of her current staff. - Matt Gorzkowicz will serve as the state's Secretary of Administration and Finance, replacing Michael Heffernan. For over a decade, Gorzkowicz has had a similar role in the UMass President's Office overseeing the system's $3.8 billion budget. - Kate Cook, who currently works as Healey's current first assistant AG, will be the incoming governor's chief of staff. - Gabrielle Viator, who is Healey's current chief deputy AG, will serve as senior advisor. She has also served as Healey's chief of staff in the AG's office. - Heads up: Dr. Anthony Fauci is making an appearance in Boston today. The nation's top infectious disease expert will be honored at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Dorchester for his work during the AIDS epidemic in the 19080s to the COVID-19 pandemic today. - The institute is also posthumously giving its Award for Inspired Leadership to the late Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. - Rep. Seth Moulton is back home after getting a firsthand look at how Ukraine is trying to fend off Russia's invasion. The Salem Democrat secretly visited Kyiv as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation. - What did he learn? With neither country willing to budge much on peace talks, Moulton [told WBUR's Steve Brown]( that accelerating U.S. military aid — particularly anti-missile systems — to Ukraine is crucial to fend off Russian strikes, especially as they target energy infrastructure as the cold winter approaches. - Moulton also stressed the domestic importance of pushing back Putin's foreign offensive. "If he doesn't get stopped in Ukraine, he could well go to a NATO country next. That means U.S. troops would have to be involved," he said. - Go deeper: Here's [a wrap-up of NPR's latest reporting on the conflict and what to watch for in the week ahead](. P.S.— The music album isn't dead yet — and this year illustrated why. Musicians gave us experiences in 2022, from the immersive and the ambitious, to the focused and the sprawling. Check out NPR's [full list of the top 50 albums of 2022]( and see if you can guess who claimed the number one spot. (Hint: It wasn't Taylor Swift.) Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Emotional testimony expected about Baker pardons in child sex abuse case]( Doubts and questions over how investigators worked have long plagued the case. And now, members of the state’s Governor’s Council are scheduled to hear testimony on pardons recommended for Gerald Amirault and Cheryl Amirault LeFave. [Read more.]( [Emotional testimony expected about Baker pardons in child sex abuse case]( Doubts and questions over how investigators worked have long plagued the case. And now, members of the state’s Governor’s Council are scheduled to hear testimony on pardons recommended for Gerald Amirault and Cheryl Amirault LeFave. [Read more.]( [Biden to sign Respect for Marriage Act, reflecting his and the country's evolution]( The bill signing comes after months of work on Capitol Hill and years of changed attitudes — even as the threat looms that the conservative Supreme Court could roll back same-sex marriage rights. [Read more.]( [Biden to sign Respect for Marriage Act, reflecting his and the country's evolution]( The bill signing comes after months of work on Capitol Hill and years of changed attitudes — even as the threat looms that the conservative Supreme Court could roll back same-sex marriage rights. [Read more.]( [The U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet?]( A giant laser facility in Livermore, Calif., says it has created net energy from nuclear fusion. It's an important breakthrough, but fusion power remains a distant dream. [Read more.]( [The U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet?]( A giant laser facility in Livermore, Calif., says it has created net energy from nuclear fusion. It's an important breakthrough, but fusion power remains a distant dream. [Read more.]( [Savings at the gas pump are eaten up at the supermarket, as inflation stays high]( A government report due out on Tuesday is expected to show inflation cooled a bit in November. But prices are still climbing and the Federal Reserve is preparing to raise interest rates again. [Read more.]( [Savings at the gas pump are eaten up at the supermarket, as inflation stays high]( A government report due out on Tuesday is expected to show inflation cooled a bit in November. But prices are still climbing and the Federal Reserve is preparing to raise interest rates again. [Read more.]( [CRISPR gene-editing may boost cancer immunotherapy, new study finds]( Using CRISPR to modify certain immune cells could make cancer-fighting immunotherapy more potent for a broader set of patients. Two people who went through the treatment share their stories. [Read more.]( [CRISPR gene-editing may boost cancer immunotherapy, new study finds]( Using CRISPR to modify certain immune cells could make cancer-fighting immunotherapy more potent for a broader set of patients. Two people who went through the treatment share their stories. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - In a short-attention-span world, there may be no other genre of pop music that runs more counter to the times than the rock opera. WBUR's Jim Sullivan writes that veteran Boston area musician Gary Sohmers doesn't care and is [releasing a rock opera album this week](. - The 2022 World Cup semifinals kick off today, with a tested Argentina team taking on hard-nosed Croatia, followed by a match Wednesday between history-making Morocco and defending champions France. Here's [a look at the rooting case for each semifinalists]( each of which has been elevated by the heroic play of their goalkeepers. - Fascinated by Twitter's efforts to contextualize trending topics with short descriptions, an internet culture writer-turned-software engineer [logged everything he saw on the website's trending topics sidebar in 2022](. So, what did he learn? "It's both interesting and entertaining and a little bit horrifying," he told NPR. - Cognoscenti contributor Steve Almond [writes in this commentary]( that the show “White Lotus” illustrates how men who can’t experience true intimacy often inflict their misery on the women around them.  What We're Reading 📚 - After two years of muted celebrations, holiday parties are back ([The Boston Globe]( - Thousands of Teens Are Being Pushed Into Military’s Junior R.O.T.C. ([The New York Times]( - In expensive Boston, longstanding residency requirements appear back on the bargaining table ([Boston Herald](  Did You Know [Advent calendars, explained: Where they came from and why they're everywhere now]( What started as a Christmas countdown has increasingly become a retail opportunity. And while Advent calendars have evolved over the past century, they still accomplish some of their original objectives. [Read more.]( [Advent calendars, explained: Where they came from and why they're everywhere now]( What started as a Christmas countdown has increasingly become a retail opportunity. And while Advent calendars have evolved over the past century, they still accomplish some of their original objectives. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [the results of the guaranteed income experiment in Chelsea](. Before you go: You don't often [see two mayors dancing together]( but yesterday was a big day for Somerville. 😎 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.]({{ update_preferences }})  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here]({{ unsubscribe_link }}).  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( WBUR-FM · 890 Commonwealth Ave · Boston, MA 02215-1205 · USA