Entries in The Scrum by Adam Reilly

It's always dicey to talk about the political ramifications of tragedy, and the mass shooting in Orlando—the deadliest such event in recent American history—is no different. Yet there was such a rush by politicians to weigh in on the meaning of the massacre that the topic is impossible to avoid. And—as is so often the case in this strange election cycle—no one tackled this extraordinarily delicate topically with more aggression that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, who (among other things) strongly implied that President Obama himself had a hand in the grisly outcome.

The Vice President of IBEW local 2222 Kevin Holland and CWA Local 1400 executive board member and Vice President for Southeastern Mass. Greg Irving joined Adam to talk about the Verizon strike.

It's been a pretty rough stretch for Marty Walsh. In recent days, the Boston mayor has seen his name linked to a federal labor probe in the pages of The Boston Globe; watched the Grand Prix of Boston, an event he staunchly supported, go up in smoke; and—last but definitely not least—battled the incredibly painful scourge of kidney stones. 

It's one of the defining political debates of 2016 here in Massachusetts—but so far, we haven't seen or heard supporters and opponents of legalizing recreational marijuana sitting down face-to-face to hash things out. (Get it???)

Enter the Scrum! 

There's a big Massachusetts Senate election coming up in less than a week, #mapoli fans. The Scrum asked all seven candidates to come in for a sort of political speed-dating session, and five joined in the fun.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh gave his second State of the City address Tuesday night at Symphony Hall. Afterward, the Scrum caught up with a bevy of political observers to get their take on what the mayor had to say--and what he decided to omit or gloss over. 

Not everyone sees 2016 in such stark, Hillary Clinton-centric terms. Erica Sagrans and her compatriots at Ready for Warren still think there's a chance they'll convince Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to challenge Clinton--and that, whether she runs or not, Warren's ideas and beliefs are already shaping the race as a whole.

How do you fight a fight that seems like a forgone conclusion? The Scrum's Adam Reilly headed to City Hall to speak with two volunteers behind the No Boston Olympics team.