Unions’ political donations falling as their power fades

As once-powerful organized labor­ loses members and influence, unions have become more ­focused on organizing workers and protecting their rights.

Polls show that President Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate in decades to hold a clear advantage on foreign policy over his GOP opponent.

Democrats to play up foreign policy at convention

Democrats plan to praise President Obama’s signature achievements overseas and portray Mitt Romney’s views as misguided and dangerously confrontational, officials said.

Intelligence analyst Timothy Fitzgerald monitored video cameras around the city.

bill greene/globe staff

Boston uses two high-tech tools to combat crime

Pioneering a new way to synthesize crime information, police made nine arrests in the past year by comparing data from a system that tracks gunfire and another that tracks parolees.

Superintendent Carol Johnson rode along as school bus routes were tested in Dorchester last week.

Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff

Boston schools pushing to keep buses on time

While some initial confusion is unavoidable, much is riding on the School Department’s ability to have things running smoothly well before month’s end.

Governor’s Council still in eye of storm

Despite a recent state Senate bid to abolish the obscure but important body, 27 people are vying for one of eight seats on the council in Thursday’s primaries.

Dan Shaughnessy

Despite lack of big names, Deutsche Bank still interesting

Guys Not Named Tiger are giving it a nice go this weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Smartphone apps track users even when shut down

MIT researchers have discovered that certain apps continually collect and transmit sensitive information, including location, contacts, and browsing histories.

Jonathan Raphael and James Whong worked with a robot that is a test bed for the massive, six-legged robot named Stompy.

Six-legged robot project takes shape in Somerville

Unlike most of the machines churned from the more than 80 robotics companies in Greater Boston, this creature has no purpose other than awe.

Sports

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Athletics 6, Red Sox 2

Another long day for the Sox came to an end in the fourth inning for Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Red Sox swept away again

The Red Sox were outscored, 33-5, in the three-game series against the Athletics, a team that started the season with a 70 percent smaller payroll.

Metro

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Mayor Menino wants the entire casino project built in a single phase.

Suffolk casino plan needs cities’ support

Responding to complaints about its plans to develop its proposed $1 billion casino resort in phases, Suffolk Downs acknowledged that the host cities control when the resort could open.

Politics

Political Notebook

A sand sculpture created in the likeness of President Obama was on display on Sunday in downtown Charlotte, N.C.

Obama backers address past four years

Prominent surrogates for the president responded Sunday to whether Americans are better off today than they were four years ago, but their answers were mostly inconclusive.

Nation & World

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Health and wellness

Daily Dose

School safety concerns for parents to consider

A slew of scary headlines warning about a rise in whooping cough in Mass. and toxic chemicals in school supplies may have some parents concerned about school health hazards.

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