Morning Updates: The SCOTUS death penalty dissent, happy leap second
Good morning, Boston! What we learned in Boston’s revised Olympic bid, an unexpected explanation for a Confederate flag in Boston, and the rest of the news you need to know today.
What we’ve learned so far from Olympic bid 2.0: Boston 2024 conservatively estimates a $210 million profit, they say. (Boston.com) Harvard, which was heavily featured in the first Olympics plan, is largely out of the revised proposal. (The Boston Globe) Boston 2024 dreams of building temporary Olympic stadiums and then turning those into developed neighborhoods and athletic complexes. (Boston.com)
Man explains why he put a Confederate flag on a Boston memorial for black soldiers: “Some who saw the flag hanging from the memorial—including a woman who took it down—interpreted its placement as a hateful gesture. … ‘The Confederate flag is inextricably tied to a legacy of terrorism, oppression and hatred,’ said [Stephen] Allsop, who is African-American. ‘It cannot be separated from that.’ While one of the flags was burned ‘pretty completely,’ the second was only ‘partially burned,’ so Allsop said they hung it from the memorial. ‘We thought it would be clear we were trying to show the destruction of that symbol,’ Allsop said.’’ (Boston.com)
In dissent, two Supreme Court justices say death penalty should be abolished: “I believe it highly likely that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment,’’ Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “At the very least, the court should call for full briefing on the basic question.’’ (The Washington Post)
You’ve heard of the Leap Year. Now meet the Leap Second: “Since 1820, the average day has increased by about two milliseconds in length, according to NASA. Tuesday’s leap second will be just the fourth to be added since 2000 and the first since 2012. Because of atmospheric and seasonal variations, not every day is exactly the same length and leap seconds are added irregularly. From 1972 to 1999, they were added about once a year, but have since slowed in pace. Scientists don’t exactly know why.’’ (Boston.com)
Juuuuuuust a bit high: “Pablo Sandoval did something Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays no baseball player has done in years. But it wasn’t something to be proud of. … According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the highest pitch any player had put in play in five years.’’
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The Goodbye: What Boston 2024 wants the city to look like before, during, and after the Olympics.
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