The Boston Globe

Is that Moulton-Pelosi standoff really over?

Last month, reporters grilled Representative Seth Moulton about his opposition to fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi. — J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press/File

The Salem Democrat found a way out of his increasingly uncomfortable fight with the likely new House speaker and is declaring victory.

Who is Steve Poftak, the next GM of the MBTA?

The long-time public policy professional will take over as chief of the transit system Jan. 1.

Four more recreational pot shops awarded final state licenses

The Cannabis Control Commission issued the licenses for two locations for Temescal Wellness as well as Northeast Alternatives in Fall River and Theory Wellness in Great Barrington.

Boston?s plastic bag ban begins today. Here?s what you need to know

Mayor Martin Walsh signed an ordinance to reduce single-use plastic bags last year. On Dec. 14, the new law comes into play.

CHESTO MEANS BUSINESS

Bill on Beacon Hill would eliminate clock-changing

Early sunsets got you down? A Quincy lawmaker has a cure for those wintertime blues.

CBS reached $9.5m settlement with Eliza Dushku after harassment claims

Dushku says she was written off the show ?Bull? after she spoke up about misconduct on the set. The settlement came to light after CBS?s chief resigned when he was accused of harassment.

A small-town feud leads to a big middle finger (literally)

The finger has been the source of much consternation in the small town of Westford, Vt. Was it some kind of political protest? Senior prank? Neighborly dispute?

Here?s what Apple?s snub says about Boston?s status as a tech hub

The area has struggled in the trophy class of tech expansions, the new campuses with thousands of jobs.

Developers get OK for high-rise affordable housing in Chinatown

Millennium Partners and a team of developers it?s leading received a green light Thursday to turn a Chinatown parking lot into a high-rise full of affordable housing.

Edgar Mejia was consoled by his sister during a vigil for his two daughters Thursday night in Revere. — Michael Swensen for The Boston Globe

A grieving community comes together to mourn dead girls

Natasha Nicole Mejia-Rivera, 2 months, and sister Adrianna, 5, were killed Sunday when an SUV crashed into them while standing in a roadway median.

?Revere?s Angels? remembered at community vigil

People gathered in front of Revere City Hall for a candlelight vigil to remember the two sisters killed after being struck by an SUV.

Christopher L. Gasper

Steelers just the ticket for the Patriots

New England, in need of a confidence booster, has a long history of success against Pittsburgh.

23-year-old Vt. man?s obituary asking for ?cooling off? period in gun laws gains attention

Andrew Black shot himself Dec. 6, hours after he bought a gun, his parents told a local TV station.

HIAWATHA BRAY | TECH LAB

Finding safe tech gifts is tougher than it ought to be

Companies like Mozilla are trying to create basic consumer tech standards to let shoppers know when gadgets are safe.

The Year in Arts

From Ariana Grande to art in the #MeToo era, plus Globe critics? Top 10 picks in TV, music, theater, art, and dance for 2018.

Berklee-bred Bay Faction will never be the same

Renegotiating the parameters of their sound has been the only way forward for the trio, who just released their debut album, ?Florida Guilt.?

Names

Nancy Pelosi and ?Big Coat Energy?

Tuesday?s Oval Office drama got the meme treatment online, but it was the House Minority Leader?s coat that set social media ablaze.

Michael Andor Brodeur | @Large

Social media is requeering me

As social media cracks down on content, a contentious word gets rebooted.

IDEAS | KELLY KASULIS

Say ?cuckoo,? not ?bird?? How computer models can help stand-up comics

For thousands of years, humans have pondered their own humor. Yet, in 2018, a good joke is still a scientific enigma.

EDITORIAL

Nancy Pelosi cuts a deal for Democrats? future

No political leader should remain in power forever. Nancy Pelosi gets it, and now the rest of the Democratic caucus should too.

Podcasts

Help was a few feet away. Why didn?t they save her?

My wife, Laura Levis, did everything she could to save herself when the asthma attack began. She went to Somerville Hospital and called 911, too. How could she have been left to die just outside the emergency room?

Newsletters

It?s All Downhill

A weekly skiing e-mail with news and reviews from the slopes of New England and beyond. Sign up here.

The Big Picture

Globe staff photos of the month: November 2018

Here?s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: a colorful sunrise, Christmas tree lightings, and high school sports.

Globe must-reads

Attorney General Maura Healey filed the lawsuit two years ago against three district attorneys.

Massachusetts prosecutors spend $68,000 to fight public records lawsuit by AG

?Landscape of Suzhou Sceneries? (detail) by Shen Zhou, dating from 1484 to 1504, is among the works being donated to the Museum of Fine Arts by collector Wan-go H. C. Weng.

MFA receives giant gift of Chinese art

Framingham officials kill beavers who caused flooding

Police officers blocked off a road in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday.

Suspect in France market shooting dies in gunfight

NESTOR RAMOS

Reindeer, donkey, and imaginary War on Christmas

Director Peter Berg at the Massachusetts Production Coalition's Holiday Meeting at District Hall.

NAMES

?Mark is family?: Peter Berg talks Wahlberg, ?Wonderland?

Boston to hold gun buybacks Saturday

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 21: Ayla Brown performs the National Anthem during the opening of the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

NAMES

Ayla Brown will co-host WKLB morning show

The neo-gothic spires of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel are the focal point of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER I TRAVEL

Is this small Mexican city the best in the world?

Suffolk Downs plan closely watched

From left: Maxime Sanchez, Isaiah J. Thompson, Tom Oren, and Herbie Hancock are shown onstage during the awards presentation at the 2018 Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz International Piano Competition.

NAMES

Berklee student wins big-time jazz competition

Jamaica Plain, MA., 12/12/2018, At the Boing toy store, employees, Deva Jasheway , cq, on left, prepare to wrap and shif gifts. Amid the downfall of Toys

Toy retailers are making a play for the Toys ?R? Us void

Sports

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Entercom, which runs several radio stations, has offices in Brighton.

CHAD FINN | SPORTS MEDIA

What does the future hold for Sox broadcasts on WEEI?

The station has discussed a format change, although one station manager said it wouldn?t become an in-game talk show.

Metro

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A deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak was linked to the New England Compounding Center.

5 convicted in connection with compounding pharmacy case

More than 100 people died in connection with a 2012 meningitis outbreak linked to Framingham?s New England Compounding Center.

Politics

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Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders seem to agree on this: It?s likely both will run for president in 2020.

Sanders, Warren acknowledge they?re both leaning toward White House runs

The senators met Wednesday night at Elizabeth Warren?s D.C. condominium to discuss their political ambitions.

Nation & World

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Fighters with the Saudi-led coalition near Hudaydah, Yemen.

Senate votes to recommend US stop aiding Saudis in Yemen war

A separate resolution condemns the ?concerning behavior of Saudi Arabia? in recent years, including the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.