Joe Kennedy to run for Senate seat
Rep. Joe Kennedy, the latest generation of a famous political family, announced Saturday that he would challenge Sen. Edward J. Markey in Massachusetts’ Democratic primary, a bid certain to divide the party both in the state and in Washington.
In the basement gym of a community center in East Boston, Mr. Kennedy cast his candidacy as part of a longoverdue revolution to change government and issued a rallying cry to those disheartened in the Trump era.
“Donald Trump has forced a reckoning in our nation, without question,” Mr. Kennedy said. “But to meet this moment, it requires more than just beating him, it requires taking on a broken structure that allowed him to win in the first place ... the daily acts of oppression and injustice that enabled 63 million Americans to believe he was the best stewards of their dreams and hopes and aspirations.”
Ahead of a rally, Mr. Kennedy emailed supporters a video officially declaring his candidacy and mentioned the need for a new generation to take on “outdated structures and old rules,” an implicit nod to the decades that separate him and his opponent.
Mr. Kennedy, who turns 39 next month, is the grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy, who was attorney general and New York senator when he was assassinated in 1968 during his bid for the presidency. He is also the great-nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Booker may drop out
Sen. Cory Booker is on the verge of leaving the presidential race, unless the New Jersey Democrat can raise an additional $1.7 million by Sept. 30, his campaign told reporters Saturday morning.
Campaign manager Addisu Demissie said the late push is not a gimmick and that Mr. Booker needs money to build and sustain a campaign able to compete in the long term.
The plea for donations came as the Democratic National Committee plans to increase the polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for televised debates beginning in November.
Mr. Booker’s soaring speeches and early debate performances have been praised, but his message of unity and love has not translated into concrete gains. He has struggled to break beyond 1% or 2% support in national polls or in early states, and his fundraising has trailed top candidates.
Mechanic pleads not guilty
A former American Airlines mechanic who prosecutors say may have some links to terrorists pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he sabotaged an aircraft with 150 people aboard.
The plea came at a hearing in Miami federal court for Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, 60. He is charged with deliberately disabling a key navigation component inside a Boeing 737 at Miami International Airport in July.
Prosecutors unveiled evidence earlier this week indicating Alani, an Iraqi American, may be sympathetic to terrorist groups such as the Islamic State. Alani purportedly told co-workers his brother is a member of IS and said he hoped Allah would harm non-Muslims.
Reprieve from sentence
The Massachusetts woman jailed for encouraging her suicidal boyfriend to take his own life will get a reprieve from her 15-month sentence, despite the fact that a parole board announced Friday it opted to deny her recent request for early release.
Michelle Carter appeared before the state parole board Thursday after serving seven months behind bars. She was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy III.