This is WBZ Boston's news radio re defining local news, seventy.
Four degrees in Boston, partly cloudy. It's eleven o'clock on Wednesday morning. Thanks for joining us. I'm Nicole Dave sn Here's what's happening. Starting in Dedham, where day twenty two of testimony and the Karen Reid murder retrial is officially underway. The defense now cross examining doctor Judson Welcher, a crash reconstruction expert. He testified earlier that based on his testing, John O'Keefe was hit by an SUV. Wbz's Emma Friedman
has more coming up in the news at eleven fifteen. Meantime, the State Department is putting a stop to scheduling new student visa appointments while new guidelines are established. Among these new changes is toughening up the review of a student's online presence, their use of social media. Your CBS's Nancy Cordus, As you.
Can imagine, that's pretty labor intensive to go through the social media of every single person who applies for a student visa every year. So are they going to get more resources to do that? And exactly how soon would that happen, and will it be in time to enable everyone who's been accepted at a US university for the fall to actually get their visas and get here to the United States.
This's the latest move in the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and universities including Harvard it believes to be allowing anti semitism now. Elon Musk has been backing away from politics in the past few weeks to focus more on Tesla. Appearing on CBS's Sunday Morning, he was asked about President Trump's tax bill.
President Trump's bill includes tax cuts and extensions and a proposal to create one thousand dollars Trump accounts for babies born during his second administration. It does not cut spending enough, say Republicans who have voted against it. Elon Musk was asked about the bill for CBS Sunday Morning.
You know, I was like disappointed to see the massive spending bill. Frankly, which increases the bunch deeps that not doesn't decrease it, and our reminds the work that the Noch team is doing.
Some conservatives in the Setate say they won't sign off on legislation that would add to the country's dead, Matt Piper, CBS News.
And that is not his only disappointment, as yesterday the launch of one of his SpaceX rockets wound up spinning out of control and exploding.
From the new officially named City of Star based Texas. SpaceX's starship successfully lifted off, but flew into trouble minutes later. As the booster returned to Earth, a flash of flame erupted. People watching from Texas beaches could see the booster explode in the air. Then more problems showed up. About thirty minutes into the flight.
We did spring a leak in some of the fuel tank systems inside of starship.
Engineers lost the ability to control the starship's movements and it broke apart over the Indian Ocean.
Afterwards. Musk posted on X the latest setback will not delay the SpaceX program and he expects new launches every three to Another sunny day out there, which we're not complaining about. It is quite nice. We have a breeze coming in from the south about eight to ten miles an hour, so just enough to sway the trees a little bit and kind of rustle your hair. But it's
not all that cool. We've got temperatures in the mid to upper seventies now if you're inland, a little bit cooler right on the coast, but we are getting up to the upper seventies on the coast and low eighties if you're away from the water. Then tonight more clouds move in and we have a bit of rain through the overnight hours and a low in the mid fifties. Is rain sticking round into tomorrow morning with a bit of heavy rain at time, some drizzle. A'll tapering to
an afternoon shower. So bring the umbrella tomorrow you will need it, or at least the poncho. We have a high in the low to mid sixties. Then Friday, mix of sun and clouds with another couple of showers around and a high in the low seventies. Hey to be the bearer of bad news here, but yep, another Saturday where we're going to have some showers and storms, and
we've got a high in the mid sixties. Seventy two in Marlborough right now, seventy four in Haveril where seventy one in Bridgewater, and in Boston at eleven oh five it is partly cloudy and seventy four. How's your social circle these days? For more and more of us in the digital age, it's getting smaller and smaller, and in many cases, leading to dangerous levels of loneliness.
The difference is not having somebody next to you.
Elizabeth from Plymouth has been a single person for many years now, explaining how hard loneliness can be. Over twenty percent of people in a recent study found their social circles were smaller than just three years ago. A proactive approach is the best way to break the lonely cycle.
I think we need things like this to get our social engines working again.
Ryan just completed his freshman year at college. He volunteers on campus at four seas.
It's like talking with the stranger and getting to know them definitely takes certain skills.
Even for young people. It's not easy, intimidating to develop face to.
Face conversation and connection is necessary for all of us. In Plymouth, jimmikatabvs Vosston News Radio.
Now, Texas has become the second state to expand parental control over kids' phones. Wbz's James Rojas is asking locals if Massachusetts should.
Do the same starting next year. Miners in Texas would need to have parental permission to download apps. The new law is opposed by both Apple and Google, but many I'm talking to say they think it's a good idea and Massachusetts should consider it. Also, parents control all kinds of things, what the kids do. I think that makes good sense.
You know, when we hand our kids a cell phone, we're handing them the world, right so, and I think any kind of protection of security we can put on that, I'm all for it.
It doesn't sound like a terrible idea. It sounds like a pretty good idea. But some think age verification and extra parental control is too much.
It shouldn't be a.
Law to force parents to do whatever they want, whatever parenting style they want.
To their kids, and I don't think we should do it here in Massachusetts.
Utah was the first state to pass a similar law. In Boston, James Rojas WBZ Boston's news radio and.
New lawsuit has been filed against the City of Quinsy and its mayor over two statues of Catholic saints. These statues are bronze ten feet tall and were personally commissioned by the mayor, Thomas Coke, without public input. They're expected to cost about eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars and
be installed at the new Public Safety Building. The American Civil Liberties Union filing the suit on behalf of residence from a wide range of faiths, and they say the statues violate the state Constitution by promoting a specific religion or faith at a government building. One of the plaintiffs, Gilly Rosenthal, saying, quote, it's about keeping government neutral so everyone, regardless of what they believe, feels equally welcome and protected. End quote. You are now in Malup for news updates
throughout the day. Listen to WBZ Radio on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Nicole Davis, w b Z and Boston's News Radio