"We’ll do everything to fight that"

Also: BPS graduates suffer a setback; 5 things to do this weekend [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 23, 2023 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 58 and a chance of afternoon showers. Good Morning Boston, Gov. Maura Healey's bracket is busted — like mine and yours — as we enter the second weekend of March Madness. Here's what else we learned from the governor's interview on Radio Boston yesterday: - "We'll do everything": As residents and healthcare providers brace for [a ruling on a Texas lawsuit that threatens to force a major abortion pill off the market]( Healey told WBUR's Tiziana Dearing that "we'll do everything to fight that and ensure that women continue to have access to medication abortion." Healey said her administration has filed an amicus briefing against the lawsuit and expects to remain involved through the potential appeals process. "We'll see what any decision looks like and what appeals look like," Healey said. - Healey's administration also [issued a reminder]( local pharmacies yesterday that they are required to stock and dispense drugs like mifepristone. The guidance comes after Walgreens [announced it wouldn't distribute the abortion pill in 20 states]( where Republican officials have threatened legal action. - Zoom out: Abortion pills are the most common method for ending pregnancies in the U.S., [according to the Associated Press](. (Mifepristone and misoprostol are the two drugs on the market.) - Raise the roof: [In the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's failure]( Healey called on Congress to pass a bill raising the FDIC's insurance limit. The [current policy]( insures all deposits up to $250,000. "It's too low right now," she said. - Healey's call echoes a [recent suggestion by Sen. Elizabeth Warren]( that the FDIC's limit should be somewhere in the millions. - At the same time, Healey emphasized "our regional banks are strong." (Remember, Massachusetts has [a special fund]( insuring all deposits [at certain local savings and co-operative banks]( - Any minute now: Healey said she expects to name a new general manager for the beleaguered MBTA, as well as a transportation safety chief, "very, very soon." The new, if vague, timeline comes [two weeks after she said the announcements were "days, not weeks” away](. - The Boston Globe [recently reported]( that records show Healey interviewed an MBTA GM candidate in late February. - On a slightly longer track is Healey's appointment of a new state police colonel. Her office recently [announced a six-person search committee](. It's the first time a governor will be allowed to hire a State Police colonel from outside of the department. - No T-hanks: Healey received a listener challenge — not unlike [ones her predecessor often got]( — to ride "the MBTA for a week" so she could experience the delays and slow zones. Despite living in Cambridge near the Red Line, the governor declined. - Healey contended she's getting a very close secondhand view. "I talk to people every day who take the T, including many of the folks I work with regularly here in the office," she said. - Not a sure bet: Healey said she's "probably not" going to personally get into sports gambling, even if it's [now legal in Massachusetts](. "I hope it goes well and there's revenue for the state, and that people bet safely," Healey said. - However, she is proverbially betting that South Carolina's undefeated women's college basketball team will get upset in the NCAA tournament by Geno Auriemma's UConn team. - On the men's side, Healey — a [former pro basketball player herself]( said [her bracket]( "got pretty blown up." (Her pick to win it all was Purdue, who [lost to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson](. 😬) P.S.— It's not all basketball this weekend. The [men's college hockey tournament]( drops the puck today with some local rooting interests. Our own Boston University takes the ice at 2 p.m. up the road in Manchester, New Hampshire against Western Michigan. Meanwhile, Harvard will take on Ohio State Friday afternoon in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [New report finds setbacks in college enrollment and completion rates for Boston Public Schools graduates]( The report leaves a lot of ground to cover for city and state officials and their nonprofit partners, who aim to achieve an ambitious 70% college completion rate for BPS graduates by 2030. [Read more.]( [New report finds setbacks in college enrollment and completion rates for Boston Public Schools graduates]( The report leaves a lot of ground to cover for city and state officials and their nonprofit partners, who aim to achieve an ambitious 70% college completion rate for BPS graduates by 2030. [Read more.]( [Armed with influencers and lobbyists, TikTok goes on the offense on Capitol Hill]( TikTok's top executive will have to defend the app against allegations it shares U.S. users data with the Chinese government at a Thursday hearing, as the government weighs limiting or banning it. [Read more.]( [Armed with influencers and lobbyists, TikTok goes on the offense on Capitol Hill]( TikTok's top executive will have to defend the app against allegations it shares U.S. users data with the Chinese government at a Thursday hearing, as the government weighs limiting or banning it. [Read more.]( [6 things to know about U.S. teacher shortages and how to solve them]( There are more teachers now than before the pandemic, so why did almost half of U.S. schools still have teacher vacancies weeks into this school year? Here's what to know. [Read more.]( [6 things to know about U.S. teacher shortages and how to solve them]( There are more teachers now than before the pandemic, so why did almost half of U.S. schools still have teacher vacancies weeks into this school year? Here's what to know. [Read more.]( [Owner of Stash's Pizza in Boston, accused of abusing workers, is denied bail]( The owner of Stash’s Pizza, which has two locations in Boston, faces one charge of forced labor, but allegedly victimized at least seven employees, according to court documents. On Wednesday, a magistrate judge cited the defendant’s “history of violence and threats” and ordered that he be held without bail. [Read more.]( [Owner of Stash's Pizza in Boston, accused of abusing workers, is denied bail]( The owner of Stash’s Pizza, which has two locations in Boston, faces one charge of forced labor, but allegedly victimized at least seven employees, according to court documents. On Wednesday, a magistrate judge cited the defendant’s “history of violence and threats” and ordered that he be held without bail. [Read more.]( [That panicky call from a relative? It could be a thief using a voice clone, FTC warns]( The agency issued a consumer alert urging people to be vigilant for calls using voice clones generated by artificial intelligence. They can be used by criminals hoping to swindle people out of money. [Read more.]( [That panicky call from a relative? It could be a thief using a voice clone, FTC warns]( The agency issued a consumer alert urging people to be vigilant for calls using voice clones generated by artificial intelligence. They can be used by criminals hoping to swindle people out of money. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Plan your weekend with [our arts and culture team's list of five things to do](. The events include a crossover between the "nicest man in comedy" and the Fenway Park organist, a yoga class with a stunning view and a fan-favorite film fest at the Boston Public Library. - For Boston-area film lovers, there is no shortage of cinematic delights this spring (particularly when late-March hits). Film critic Erin Trahan [rounds up the festivals to explore in the coming months](. - "Into the Woods," the engaging production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical of fractured fairy tales, is now running at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre through April 2. After going to one show this week, [theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair was enthralled](. - Ethan Gilsdorf [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( about how a brief, near-wordless interaction with a stranger at the airport in Amsterdam reminded him how to play.  What We're Reading 📚 - Fired anti-vax Boston police officer followed Wu in a car after protesting at her house, documents say ([The Boston Globe]( - ‘Listen to Us.’ What These 12 Kids Want Adults to Know. ([The New York Times]( - The Top 10 Moments From a Classic World Baseball Classic ([The Ringer](  Did You Know? [Scientists think they know why interstellar object 'Oumuamua moved so strangely]( A strange comet-like object discovered over 5 years ago was the first known visitor from another solar system. Its movement though space was so odd that scientists struggled to explain it — until now. [Read more.]( [Scientists think they know why interstellar object 'Oumuamua moved so strangely]( A strange comet-like object discovered over 5 years ago was the first known visitor from another solar system. Its movement though space was so odd that scientists struggled to explain it — until now. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [takes a deeper look at a new report's findings that Asian American students in Boston feel overlooked]( — along with the myths and tropes that impact many Asian American students. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Just [two run-of-the-mill Cambridge guys]( hanging out on Cambridge Street. 😎 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.