First Run News

The admissions process is out of whack. Just ask the heartbroken applicant, rejected by her dream school. Ask high school counselors, who complain that colleges don’t reward promising students for their creativity, determination or service to others. Even the gatekeepers at some famous institutions acknowledge, quietly, that the selection system is broken. Ask five people how to fix it, though, and they’ll give five different answers. Sure, you might think colleges put too much stock in the SAT, but your neighbor’s kid with the near-perfect score thinks it should matter a lot.

A Mexican man acquitted of murder in the shooting death of a San Francisco woman that sparked a national immigration debate was sentenced Friday to time served for illegal gun possession. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Samuel Feng also denied a defense request to grant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate a new trial for his conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Garcia Zarate will now be taken into U.S. custody to face two federal gun possession charges. The San Francisco Sheriff's Department said it would hold Garcia Zarate in jail until U.S. marshals pick him up.

President Donald Trump's effort to keep Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. The federal investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia already includes a close look at whether Trump's actions as president constitute an effort to impede that same probe.

The FBI is investigating whether the Justice Department to look into corruption allegations involving the foundation. It is unclear when or why the probe began, but the sources told The Associated Press it has been ongoing for several months, with prosecutors and FBI agents taking the lead from their offices in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the foundation has offices. The people were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Enough with the polarizing political chatter on cable TV. That's the message from a nationwide health club chain that has pulled 24-hour cable news networks from TVs at its 128 locations because the "consistently negative or politically charged content" doesn't mesh with the company's "healthy way of life philosophy." Life Time Minneapolis Star Tribune, USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, ESPN and local over-the-air stations remain. Life Time Fitness spokeswoman Natalie Bushaw told the newspaper, "clubs do have f

Hillary Clinton. "Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad [expletive], and I happen to think it’s all of that you should have called the FBI immediately,” Bannon is quoted as saying, according to Wolff's book. Trump introduced the nickname "Sloppy Steve" in a tweet Thursday night, writing "I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book!

DATA: Twitter Daniel McLaughlin / Globe Staff © 2018 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

Capital Source Joseph Gargan, Kennedy’s close cousin, died Dec. 12 at age 87 at his Virginia home.  capital source He’s back, and he is not letting a stretch in a federal penitentiary get in the way of his political activities.   For pols who shunned Donald Trump’s candidacy, 2017 has been an annus horribilis. Except, of course, for Governor Baker.

Memorably dapper, Mr. Crane cultivated storied friendships that reached from the State House to City Hall to Boston’s sports arenas.

Memorably dapper, Mr. Crane cultivated storied friendships that reached from the State House to City Hall to Boston’s sports arenas.