Barney Frank died Tuesday at 86, and Massachusetts lost one of its most consequential political figures — a man who managed to be both a liberal lion and genuinely fun to watch. Frank, who represented Newton and the South Shore in Congress for 32 years, was the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, a milestone that landed with enormous force in 1987 and helped shift American politics in ways still unfolding today. He was also the co-architect of Dodd-Frank, the sweeping 2010 financial reform law that reshaped Wall Street regulation after the 2008 collapse. Not a bad résumé.

Governor Maura Healey ordered flags to half-staff and called Frank "a giant in public life" — which is the kind of thing politicians say, except in this case it was simply accurate. Frank had been in hospice care in Maine since early May. Senate President Karen Spilka put it plainly: "He stood out and stood up and was a voice for so many people when they had no voice." That's the Frank legacy in a sentence.

What happens next is, of course, the ongoing argument over that legacy — and whether today's Democratic Party, locked in its own Massachusetts Senate primary drama, can produce anyone with Frank's combination of sharp intellect, blunt delivery, and willingness to take an unpopular position in a crowded room. That feels like a high bar right now.

Nearly two years after recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from injuries suffered during a boxing exercise, the Massachusetts State Police Academy is postponing its next training class while it implements 22 urgent reforms from a damning independent report. The review found a "highly disciplined and rigorous, but also overwhelmingly punitive" culture, volatile instructors operating without adequate oversight, and recruit attrition rates significantly higher than other academies nationwide. Four instructors have already been indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges. Col. Geoffrey Noble says all 103 recommendations will eventually be adopted, with outside monitoring to hold the agency accountable.

Mayor Michelle Wu's $4.9 billion budget proposal survived a council challenge Wednesday when a vote to reject it deadlocked 6-6, with Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata out on maternity leave. The split exposed a genuinely odd coalition — conservative members and some progressives — united in frustration but divided on strategy. Councilor Brian Worrell wants to send the whole thing back; others prefer surgical amendments. The council has until the end of June to act, so this fight is far from over.

A coalition of nine students and four community organizations filed suit Wednesday arguing that Massachusetts is illegally maintaining racially segregated schools by assigning students based solely on home address — effectively mirroring housing segregation in the classroom. The plaintiffs are from Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester, all districts that border wealthier, predominantly white communities. The state's education department responded that it lacks authority to change district boundaries — which is either an honest legal assessment or a very convenient answer, depending on your perspective.

Seven employees at a MassDOT facility in Charlestown are on administrative leave after a 231-day Boston 25 News investigation found a "systemic pattern of questionable overtime billing." Reporters tracked vehicle departure times from the yard and compared them to timesheets obtained through public records — finding workers repeatedly left hours before their reported shifts ended. MassDOT says anyone found to have misused taxpayer dollars "will be held accountable." Given the state's fraught history with transportation agency accountability, we'll be watching.

A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley on a voluntary manslaughter charge Wednesday in the March shooting death of Stephenson King Jr., a carjacking suspect who was fleeing in a stolen vehicle. Prosecutors say O'Malley had no legal justification for firing at a moving car. O'Malley's attorney, David Yannetti — who successfully defended Karen Read — says the case will turn on "who the aggressor really was." The case now moves to Superior Court.

A Boston Globe dispatch from Salem captures the current state of the Markey-Moulton race: inside Seth Moulton's campaign office, enthusiastic volunteers are making calls; outside, a guy eating Hawaiian pizza half a mile away has no idea who's running for Senate. Senator Ed Markey's strategy has notably involved not acknowledging he has a challenger. With the state party convention coming up and both campaigns fighting for activist support, expect the volume to finally — finally — start rising.

Memorial Drive Shooting Suspect in Court Today — Tyler Brown, accused of firing more than 60 shots at cars and buildings on Memorial Drive on May 11, appears before a judge Thursday for a dangerousness hearing; notably, Brown was on probation for a 2020 shooting when the attack occurred. WCVB →

Harvard/MIT Assault Suspect Still at Large — Cambridge police are searching for a white male, approximately 5'9", who attacked a Harvard student in Lowell House Tuesday evening and was then spotted entering an MIT graduate dorm; if you see him, contact MIT or Harvard University police. Boston.com →

Sail Boston 2026 Is Coming — Mark Your Calendars — The Healey administration announced a $4 million investment Wednesday in Sail Boston 2026, a gathering of more than 60 tall ships from over 20 countries set for July 11–16 in Boston Harbor as part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations. State House News Service →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Tony King (Democratic) — Senate, Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol — Filed: 5/19/2026
• Margie Palladino (Democratic) — Governor's Council, 3rd District — Filed: 5/18/2026
• Leslie St.George — City Councilor, New Bedford — Filed: 5/15/2026

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