WBUR TODAY: World Central Kitchen comes to the Cape

                                                                                                 

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❤️ Donate Wednesday, February 25, 2026

🌨️ A little snowy this morning, with a high around 39. Good Morning Boston, President Trump broke his own record for the longest State of the Union address last night. In case you missed it, here are five takeaways from the speech. NPR also has an annotated fact check of Trump's remarks on everything from immigration to the economy to foreign policy. Or, if you have 108 minutes of free time on your hands today, you can watch the speech in full here. Now to local news: Dig out, dig in: An international emergency food relief agency is on Cape Cod today to help prepare meals for people affected by Monday’s monster storm. WBUR’s Deborah Becker reports that chefs from World Central Kitchen are helping cook meals for those in shelters and warming centers, as thousands on the Cape remain without electricity. The nonprofit, founded by restaurateur José Andrés,  is known for its work helping in the wake of natural disasters and in war-torn places like Ukraine and Gaza. Now, they’re helping out on the Cape, working with the nonprofit Family Table Collaborative to provide food. The collaborative’s executive director, Jeni Wheeler, told Deb they expect to serve 5,000 to 6,000 daily meals over the next few days. Zoom out: The number of power outages statewide is around 160,000 this morning. That's down from nearly 300,000 at the peak of the storm. At one point, there were 150,000 outages on Cape Cod alone. Zoom in: Some Outer Cape communities, like Provincetown, had gone 100% without power for over 24 hours. Town Manager Alex Morse told WBUR's Fausto Menard that dozens of people have been sleeping overnight in Provincetown's community center. Morse said Eversource crews have had a tough time accessing power lines, but he's hoping for more progress today. "Because the storm didn't hit western Mass and New Hampshire and Connecticut as hard as they expected, they're able to shift more resources to the Cape," he said yesterday. "But we're hoping that turns into seeing some restoration in the near future, because we see a crew here and there. But we haven't seen as much of a presence as we want to see." Meanwhile: Gov. Maura Healey lifted the travel ban for southeastern counties yesterday at noon. However, she urged people in hard-hit areas to continue to stay home if possible to allow crews to work. (FYI: State Police told WBUR's Ally Jarmanning that no citations were given out for travel ban violations.) Go deeper: For more scenes from the recovery on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts, read this triple-bylined story from WBUR's Eve Zuckoff, Patrick Madden and Chris Van Buskirk. You can also click here for more photos of New England's big dig-out. Back to normal-ish: The MBTA says regular service should resume today for most of the system. That is except on the Fall River/New Bedford line, which will continue on a limited schedule, because, well... have you seen those South Coast snow totals? Boston Public Schools are also reopening today. (That sound you hear is thousands of local parents rejoicing.) But you don't have to drive too far south before you run into communities on their third straight snow day. Schools in Quincy, Brockton, Randolph, Plymouth, Weymouth and all up and down the South Shore and Cape are closed today. See the full list of closures here. North of the border: New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte says ICE is scrapping plans to turn an old warehouse in Merrimack into a detention center. The Republican governor broke the news yesterday, saying she personally spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about it during a trip to Washington, D.C., last week. The controversial plan had surprised local officials — including Ayotte herself — after it was reported by news outlets over the holidays. A state commissioner was later forced to resign for failing to communicate about ICE's plans with Ayotte. P.S.—  Snow is back in the forecast today, but fortunately a lot less than Monday. Danielle Noyes has the details on the relative dusting many of us will get (plus a look at some of the most incredible numbers from Monday's storm) here. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters The Rundown Trump cheered himself and Republicans while scolding Democrats in State of the Union Focusing on political victories during his State of the Union address, Trump gave himself and Republicans high marks while scolding Democrats for their stances on the economy and immigration. Read more. In Democratic response to Trump, Abigail Spanberger frames the party's midterm message The newly-elected governor of Virginia focused the Democratic response around affordability, a central issue to her party's campaign to win back the House this fall. Read more. Trump's many tariff tools mean consumer prices won't go down, analysts say The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's signature tariffs. But the president has other tariff tools, and consumers shouldn't expect cheaper prices anytime soon, economists say. Read more. New Hampshire resident charged in shooting at Canadian border A Manchester, New Hampshire resident was charged with one count of attempted murder of a federal officer and one count of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, prosecutors said. Read more. IMHO: THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE BEYOND WORDS!  MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS WHO ENDURED THE BLIZZARD KNOW HOW IRRESPONSIBLE ICE GESTAPO IS!  PLEASE SPEAK OUT AND SEND THIS TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS! From SCOTT DWORKIN: For all contact Congress links, or to volunteer, you can go here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-watchdog-coalition ICE flight stranded at Portsmouth airport during Monday’s snowstorm has departed for Bulgaria The deportation flight landed and was stuck on the tarmac for over 12 hours due to the blizzard conditions. Detainees were eventually allowed off the plane and were held in the terminal. The flight departed early Tuesday morning to Sofia, Bulgaria, according to Port City Air. Read more. excerpt:  A flight carrying immigration detainees that had been stranded at Portsmouth International Airport for over 12 hours Monday because of severe winter weather departed early Tuesday morning to Sofia, Bulgaria, according to Port City Air. The charter flight, Omni Air International 4065, arrived in New Hampshire from Harlingen, Texas at 1 a.m. Monday. Detainees were eventually let off the plane, fed, and held in the terminal overnight, according to a spokesperson for Port City Air, the on-the-ground operator at the airport. Details of the incident have been difficult to confirm. A spokesperson for Portsmouth International Airport said they were not told the flight was arriving until 15 minutes before it landed. “Had we been informed in advance of their intent to land at [Portsmouth] during the blizzard, we would have strongly advised against it and encouraged them to divert to another airport not being impacted by this severe winter storm,” the airport said in a statement. Port City Air, the on-the ground operator, said this wasn’t their decision, either. A spokesperson said their operations remain open through the storm. “Decisions about flights into, out of, and holding at Pease are not made by Port City Air. ICE-flight decisions are made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” according to a statement from Port City Air. “It is our legal obligation to safely service any flights into or out of the airport.“ When an NHPR reporter called flight operator Omni to speak to a spokesperson, the person who answered the phone said, “We are a charter airline; we do not give out classified information” and hung up. This incident has caught the attention of local officials and No ICE New Hampshire, a grassroots activist organization, which has been on the ground documenting deportation flights into and out of Portsmouth. Jo Jordan from the organization said the incident is an example of the agency’s “operational cruelty”. "To force a flight into a blizzard shows a complete disregard for the safety of the flight crew and airport ground staff,” Jordan said. “This is not simply a logistical error; it is a feature of ICE's inhumane mission." As of Tuesday morning, ICE had not responded to a request for comment. This story was updated at 12:13 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, with details about the flight's departure. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New Hampshire Public Radio. This article was originally published on February 24, 2026. Anything Else? Here are five events to check out around Boston this weekend as we emerge from all the snow — including an experimental variety show in Somerville and a Bollywood-fusion dance contest in Dorchester. Ever watch a movie where the characters go to the movies? What if you also watched the full movie they were watching — right in the middle of the original movie? That's the premise of a slightly unhinged "films within films" double feature series kicking off at the Brattle Theatre this weekend. In this Cognoscenti commentary, Brandeis researcher Sarah Young Goldberg writes that ICE's expanding surveillance arsenal should be a wake-up call for broader technoconsciousness. ICYMI: Here's what it was like at the street snowboarding competition over the weekend at Boston City Hall Plaza. What We're Reading 📚 Assumption University students tried to set up a sting on Tinder. It all went terribly wrong. (The Boston Globe) FBI Head’s Jet Use Delayed Brown Shooting Response, Whistleblower Says (Bloomberg) Is the YIMBY movement doomed? (Planet Money) Tell Me Something Good Have shovel, will travel: Volunteers answer Boston's call for help after blizzard Shovelers gathered in Jamaica Plain on Tuesday after the City of Boston called for volunteers after blizzard passed through the region. Read more. Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: It's spring training for the equipment, too. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here. 🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. Check out all of our newsletter offerings. 📱 Download the WBUR App for iPhones and iPads or Android devices.

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ROBERT REICH FROM MARCH 7:

Mr. President, what you should say tonight Make it clear whose side you’re on when it comes to the economy ROBERT REICH MAR 7 Friends, President Biden is addressing the country tonight in his State of the Union address. Here’s some free advice about what he should say about the economy — which is the issue most voters care most about. Instead of telling Americans the economy is great — which many won’t believe — he must tell them the truth: that most of the economic gains haven’t been felt by average working people because the gains have been going to the top. Biden should denounce the greed and political corruption that have caused this. He should explain that the biggest change in America over the last four decades — lurking behind the insecurities and resentments of many working people — has nothing to do with “wokeness,” immigration, critical race theory, transgender kids, the “deep state,” or any other Republican boogeymen. It’s been a huge upward shift in the distribution of income and wealth. The nation’s economy has seen massive gains, but the income and wealth of the bottom 80 percent of America have barely budged while the income and wealth of the richest Americans have exploded. This change didn’t happen because of the so-called “invisible hand” of the free market. It happened because of policy decisions pushed by the monied interests — decisions that deregulated Wall Street, allowed corporations to bash unions and monopolize their industries, opened the American economy to Chinese imports, let pharmaceutical companies charge exorbitant prices, cut taxes on the rich and bailed out the biggest banks while saddling working people with student debt and medical debt. In Biden’s first term he reversed much of this. He negotiated lower drug prices, funded infrastructure that will create good jobs, forgave some student debt, attacked monopolies, and protected workers’ rights to organize. He even walked a picket line. But Biden needs to tell Americans that in his second term, he’ll go even further. Mr. President, tell us: You’ll stop CEOs from raking in a record-breaking 350 times the pay of average workers. You’ll support legislation linking the rate of taxes a corporation pays to the ratio of its CEO pay to average worker pay. You’ll enforce the antitrust laws against grocery chains and food processors that have kept food prices high. You’ll make it illegal for hedge fund and private equity managers to buy up houses to drive up rents when average Americans can barely afford to keep a roof over their heads. You’ll stop big banks and credit card companies from adding junk fees and charging usurious interest payments approaching 30 percent. You’ll prevent monopolies like Amazon from hurting small businesses and firing their workers for unionizing. You’ll raise taxes on the rich and lower them on average working Americans. You’ll end corporate welfare — the special tax loopholes, bank bailouts, unconditional subsidies, loan guarantees, and no-bid contracts that have lined the pockets of the wealthy. And you’ll stop big corporations from pouring money into politics to keep the corporate welfare flowing. You’ll get big money out of politics with legislation that prevents federal contractors (20 percent of big companies) from making political contributions. And you’ll appoint Supreme Court justices who know the difference between money and speech, between corporations and people. Let Republicans criticize corporate “wokeness.” You’re taking on corporate greed. Let Republicans obsess about critical race theory and abortion. You’ll protect the freedom of speech of Americans, and their freedom to decide when and whether to have children. Let Republicans rail against transgender kids. You’re focusing on how obscenely unfair and unequal America has become. Let Republicans try to divide Americans into warring factions so we don’t look upward and see where the wealth and power have really gone. You’ll pull us together to get that wealth and power back for the people. You wouldn’t be the first Democratic president to do something like this. On the eve of his 1936 reelection, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told the American people that in his first term of office: We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob. Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred. I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master. FDR won by a landslide. Give ’em hell, Joe.