Ian Prasad Philbrick

Globe reporters pieced together the tragic fate of a runaway kid in Mass. Here’s how they did it. - The Boston Globe 600 kids in the state’s child welfare system go missing each year. Many are high-risk teenagers who sometimes don’t come back.

Around 600 kids in Massachusetts’ child welfare system go missing each year. For today’s Starting Point, I spoke with two of my @bostonglobe.com colleagues who pieced together the tragic fate of one of those runaways www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/09/n...

‘She’ll probably never let her daughter go again’: How a Globe photographer captured an image for our political moment - The Boston Globe The photo, of a child whose father was arrested by ICE, shows the aftermath of Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement in Massachusetts

Some photographs have a way of defining presidencies. Will this image — which shows the aftermath of an immigration raid in Mass., taken by @bostonglobe.com photographer Craig Walker — end up being one of them? www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/08/n...

5 takeaways from a Spotlight investigation into a Boston doctor accused of abuse - The Boston Globe Hundreds of patients have accused Dr. Derrick Todd of using his credentials and charisma to abuse them while working at Boston-area hospitals

A renowned doctor accused of abusing hundreds of patients — and a medical system that should have stopped him sooner. Today’s Starting Point goes inside a wrenching new investigation from the @bostonglobe.com Spotlight team: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/02/n...

It’s an exciting moment for Boston sports. Here’s where the major teams stand. - The Boston Globe The Sox beat the Yankees, the Pats have had a solid start to the season, and the region’s other pro teams are taking steps to recover.

The Red Sox beat the Yankees last night, continuing an exciting stretch for Greater Boston sports. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point checks in on where the region’s other major pro teams stand: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/01/n...

From national parks to Head Start, here’s what a government shutdown could mean for you - The Boston Globe Federal funding will run out at midnight unless Congress reaches a last-minute deal, and New England will feel the effects.

It’s looking likely that the federal government will shut down at midnight. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains that would mean for New England: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/30/n...

George Washington called it ‘an outrage.’ The Declaration condemned it. This Maine city reenacted it. - The Boston Globe Portland recreated the 1775 British bombardment and burning of the town then known as Falmouth, Mass., commemorating a largely forgotten horror of the Revolutionary War.

The 1775 British bombardment of Portland, Maine — then called Falmouth, Mass. —  is one of the Revolutionary War's uglier yet largely forgotten episodes. I watched a reenactment of the attack and wrote about it for today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/22/n...

Susan Collins has been a fixture in Washington for decades. Could a political outsider finally oust her? - The Boston Globe The Republican senator from Maine has put down challenges from a variety of Democrats over the years. These three nonpoliticians hope to break the cycle.

Maine’s senior senator has dispatched one experienced challenger after another. Could a political novice who’s never sought or held elected office finally unseat her? In today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, meet three candidates who hope the answer is yes www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/17/n...

Climate change is bringing creepy — and dangerous — bacteria, bugs, and viruses to New England - The Boston Globe From waterborne bacteria blooms to mosquito-borne viruses, global warming might already be making your skin crawl.

Skin crawling? It might be climate change. As today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, warmer temperatures and heavier rain are bringing creepy and dangerous bacteria, bugs, and diseases to New England www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/16/n...

This Kentucky Republican is bucking Trump over Epstein. He got his start in Massachusetts. - The Boston Globe Thomas Massie went to MIT and founded a company here, displaying some of the qualities that have since made him a thorn in Trump’s side.

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has become Trump’s main Republican antagonist in Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein case. And as I learned reporting today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, Massie got his professional start in Massachusetts www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/15/n...

Two candidates will be eliminated from the Boston mayoral race. But their ideas may not. - The Boston Globe Even policies on the political margins sometimes gain popularity with voters.

The Boston mayoral campaign will narrow to two contenders tomorrow. But as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, the two losing candidates could continue to shape the race’s dynamics going forward www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/08/n...

5 ways Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dismantling public health as we know it - The Boston Globe From changing vaccine rules to spouting misinformation, Trump’s health secretary is undermining the country’s capacity to combat disease, experts warn

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies to Congress, today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains the 5 major ways he’s dismantling public health as America has known it for decades, including by ousting experts and spouting misinformation www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/04/n...

Saving lives, one swim lesson at a time - The Boston Globe City and state programs offer free lessons in swimming and safety for kids and adults.

Accidental drownings are one of the leading causes of death among children. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains what Boston and Massachusetts are doing to prevent more of those tragedies from happening here www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/02/n...

In Massachusetts and beyond, ICE agents have become more aggressive as they try to drive up arrest numbers - The Boston Globe From smashing car windows to targeting people without criminal records, ICE is embracing a more forceful approach.

From smashing car windows to targeting people without criminal records, ICE is embracing more aggressive tactics to drive up detentions in Massachusetts and beyond. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/27/n...

‘It’s a difficult and fearful time for parents and students to navigate.’ - The Boston Globe As students return to school this week, a Globe education reporter discusses how immigration, vaccination, and more may look different this year.

Students across Massachusetts are encountering a changed landscape as they head back to school. For today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, I asked @marcelanotes.bsky.social about how immigration enforcement, cell phone use, and more may be different this year www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/26/n...

A hurricane hasn’t hit New England in decades. That doesn’t mean the storms have missed us. - The Boston Globe Hurricane Erin, which caused rain and dangerous surf, is a reminder of the collective costs of climate change.

A hurricane hasn’t made landfall in New England in decades, but the region still bears the material, human, and financial costs of even the storms that largely miss us. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/25/n...

Under Trump, the federal government is stepping back. Charities, states, and others are stepping up. - The Boston Globe From funding research to setting vaccine policy, other entities are trying to fill gaps left by the federal government. It still won’t be enough.

Charities like @bostonfdn.bsky.social, blue states, and ordinary people are trying to offset the Trump administration’s funding cuts and policy changes -- to the degree they can. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/21/n...

The WNBA is wary of letting the Connecticut Sun move to Boston. This dynamic helps explain why. - The Boston Globe Despite growing fan and investor excitement, the WNBA remains nervous about overextending.

Why is the WNBA resisting a bid to move the Connecticut Sun to Boston? I discussed the dynamic behind the standoff with ‪my @bostonglobe.com colleague @k8t-mac.bsky.social for today’s Starting Point www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/20/n...

Heat waves and poor air quality are here to stay. Here’s how Boston is adapting. - The Boston Globe Climate change makes high temperatures and bad air more likely. But the city has ways to help.

Boston may be getting a break from heat waves and smoky air today, but climate change virtually guarantees they’ll be back. So today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains what the city is doing to adapt to a hotter future www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/18/n...

Trump’s crackdown on Washington, D.C., has Massachusetts roots - The Boston Globe Crime has fallen in the nation’s capital, but Trump has cited two recent cases involving people with ties to the state to justify sending the National Guard.

Crime has fallen in the nation’s capital. But Trump has cited two recent cases involving people with ties to Massachusetts to justify federalizing the police and sending the National Guard, today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/n...

Inside a Globe story about a case of academic fraud that tested MIT’s president - The Boston Globe The basics of the scandal have been known for years, but the Globe's reporting uncovered new details.

More than a decade ago, a scandal over fraudulent cancer research unfolded on the watch of MIT’s future president. For today’s Starting Point, I spoke to the @bostonglobe.com reporter who uncovered new details about the story www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/13/n...

Where did gerrymandering come from? You can thank — or blame — a former Mass. governor - The Boston Globe Elbridge Gerry approved a voting map meant to benefit his political party in 1812, giving a name to a controversial practice that continues today.

Massachusetts gave American democracy a lot. But as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, it’s also the home state of partisan gerrymandering www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/12/n...

Boston isn’t known for art deco. But to find it, ‘you just have to look up.’ - The Boston Globe The city has plenty of the flashy, century-old architectural style to admire — if you know where to go.

Boston isn’t known for art deco, the famed and flashy architectural style that emerged a century ago. But as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, there’s still plenty of it to admire here -- if you know where to look www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/07/n...

The Red Sox caught fire in July. Here’s how our photographer captured it. - The Boston Globe In one of the Globe’s best photos from July, a player’s elated reaction "helps tell the story."

The Red Sox caught fire in July, winning 71 percent of the games they played that month. Today’s Starting Point goes behind the scenes of how a @bostonglobe.com photographer captured the thrill of a winning streak www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/06/n...

In a city of monuments, John Adams is notably absent. The push to change that is gaining steam. - The Boston Globe Efforts to honor the president and Massachusetts native with a memorial in Washington have faltered before. This time, advocates say, it’s real.

Efforts to honor President John Adams with a DC memorial have faltered before. For today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point, I spoke to advocates including @lynch.house.gov about why they think the latest push is different www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/05/n...

When Democrats get in trouble, they’ve often turned to southern saviors. Will they again? - The Boston Globe As Democrats seek a path back to power, some think the party should look southward.

From Carter to Bill Clinton, Democrats out of power have repeatedly turned to Southerners to rescue the party’s brand and electoral fortunes. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point asks whether it might do so again, with insights from @thirdwaymattb.bsky.social‬ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/04/n...

This top consulting firm is using AI to revolutionize its business. I saw it in action. - The Boston Globe I met Lilli in the firm’s Boston offices. It does research, makes slideshows, and talks back.

For part 2 of my @bostonglobe.com Starting Point series about how companies are using AI in practice, I visited McKinsey's Boston offices to meet Lilli, the multitalented AI platform transforming how the century-old consulting firm works www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/31/n...

7 summer stories you might have missed - The Boston Globe With the season already half over, here are a few overlooked Globe stories to remind you what it’s all about.

Depending on how you count, summer is already halfway over. With the help of @bostonglobe.com colleagues, today’s Starting Point lists some overlooked summer stories that will inspire you to maximize what's left www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/30/n...

I discovered Tom Lehrer in high school. His transgressive black humor hooked me. - The Boston Globe Lehrer, who died Saturday, was a Harvard-educated math prodigy whose satirical music was everything my nerdy teenage self craved.

I got hooked early on Tom Lehrer’s deft, subversive musical satires of midcentury America. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point is a tribute to Lehrer, who died Saturday at 97 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/29/n...

Believe it or not, the Karen Read saga isn’t over. Here’s a guide to the ongoing legal wrangling. - The Boston Globe The latest on the O’Keefe family’s suit against Read, Michael Proctor’s efforts to get reinstated, and other loose threads.

Karen Read’s criminal trial may be over, but she and others still face proceedings -- legal and otherwise -- related to the case. Today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point has a guide www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/28/n...

The other ‘Jaws effect’: A wave of shark science and conservation - The Boston Globe 50 years on, the novel and film get criticized for maligning sharks. But they also raised a generation of marine biologists and environmentalists.

“Jaws” often gets criticized for stoking public fear of sharks. But as today’s @bostonglobe.com Starting Point explains, the movie and the novel it’s based on also inspired a legion of scientists and conservationists whose work has helped protect the animals www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/25/n...