Speaker 1: This is WBZ, Boston's news radio. We defining local news
Speaker 1: eighty six degrees in Boston at four o'clock. Good afternoon,
Speaker 1: I'm Ben Parker. Here's what's happening.
Speaker 2: Republicans are applauding the passage of President Trump's Big, Beautiful
Speaker 2: bill in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Speaker Mike
Speaker 2: Johnson says his party had a vision for the bill
Speaker 2: and that it will cause real positive change.
Speaker 1: I believe in the people that are standing here behind me.
Speaker 3: I believe in this group, every single one of them individuals.
Speaker 1: Some of them are more fun to deal with than others,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 2: And just two House Republicans voted no on the bill
Speaker 2: after Johnson spent the night winning over the Republican holdouts.
Speaker 2: The budget package is full of tax breaks and spending
Speaker 2: cuts the programs like Medicaid. Massachusetts lawmakers have condemned the
Speaker 2: passage of the bill, Senator Elizabeth Warren posting Republicans in
Speaker 2: the House just cheered as they voted to kick seventeen
Speaker 2: million people off their healthcare. Congressman Jay coockincloss the bill
Speaker 2: is bad for Massachusetts and unfair to the middle class.
Speaker 2: President Tromp has set a signing for tomorrow evening at
Speaker 2: the White House. The nation's highest court has agreed to
Speaker 2: review a case on transgender students and their participation in
Speaker 2: school sports. Justice to say they'll review lower court rulings
Speaker 2: in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia.
Speaker 2: The case highlights a broader national debate, with more than
Speaker 2: two dozen states in acting laws restricting transgender women and
Speaker 2: girls from participating in certain sports. Some of the laws
Speaker 2: have been blocked in court. Like a motto rocket or
Speaker 2: a Roman candle, a lot of Americans are taken off
Speaker 2: for the fourth.
Speaker 3: More than seventy two million Americans will fly or drive
Speaker 3: somewhere to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. Mellory is
Speaker 3: heading to the mountains of South Carolina.
Speaker 2: Renting a cabin with friends.
Speaker 4: This year, we've got a pool, so I think we're
Speaker 4: going to spend a lot of time by the pool,
Speaker 4: jus parks, hiking, sight seeing, hopefully fireworks.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 3: Triple ASA's average Fourth of July gas prices are the
Speaker 3: lower they've been for the holiday in four years. Jim Chrysuli,
Speaker 3: CBS News, Lambsburg, Virginia.
Speaker 2: The Boston Pop switching things up for the annual Independence
Speaker 2: Day celebration on the Esplanade. Wbz's Jeremy Russ explains what's
Speaker 2: different this time around the show.
Speaker 4: We'll start with a concert featuring guests like Grammy singer
Speaker 4: ly Anne Rhymes and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Junior at
Speaker 4: seven o'clock tomorrow night, which is an hour earlier than
Speaker 4: last year. The fireworks will also start a bit early,
Speaker 4: closer to nine forty instead of ten thirty per usual.
Speaker 4: It's all happening at the Hatshell on the Charles River Esplanade.
Speaker 4: You have to get there early, very early if you
Speaker 4: want the best seats. The Oval, which is the grassy
Speaker 4: area near the Hatshell, opens at noon. Jeremy Russ WBZ
Speaker 4: Boston's News Radio Standing the ground, but that ground might
Speaker 4: become shakier. A paid dispute has led public defenders in
Speaker 4: Massachusetts to refuse to take new cases. Now, a justice
Speaker 4: on the state Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that it's
Speaker 4: time to move forward, implementing the La Valley Protocol, which
Speaker 4: creates a process for releasing defenders who do not have
Speaker 4: the appropriate representation and potentially dismissing cases after a set
Speaker 4: time limit. The Justice had also asked to order a
Speaker 4: pay increase for bar advocates. However, she denied the request,
Speaker 4: writing it is not the duty. It is the duty
Speaker 4: of the legislature to set such rates. We have a
Speaker 4: severe thunderstorm watch that has been posted until ten o'clock tonight.
Speaker 4: Except for the Cape and Islands, we are expecting to
Speaker 4: get underneath a few showers or gusty storms as the
Speaker 4: afternoon and evening unfold.
Speaker 2: So far, on the radar, we've been fairly clean, although
Speaker 2: now we're starting to see that activity pop especially out
Speaker 2: into western Massachusetts. Southern Berkshire is getting under a storm.
Speaker 2: We've got a few more storms popping up across parts
Speaker 2: of central Connecticut, so we'll watch all of this. Vermontsco
Speaker 2: got a couple of storms popping up too, So here
Speaker 2: we go. I'm going to get this thing revved up
Speaker 2: as we head through the latter part of the afternoon
Speaker 2: and into the evening. But eventually we'll push the storm through,
Speaker 2: push the storm out, and bring in some clear skies.
Speaker 2: Tonight sixty six in Boston, upper fifties for the inland suburbs,
Speaker 2: and then it looks like we're pretty home free for
Speaker 2: the holiday weekend. Tomorrow mid eighties with some sunshine, low humidity,
Speaker 2: Saturday mid to upper eighties with some sunshine, a little bit,
Speaker 2: higher humidity but not bad, and then Sunday turning hot
Speaker 2: end somewhat even more humid, sun and clouds ninety two.
Speaker 2: Right now, we're at eighty six degrees in Boston. Some
Speaker 2: people like to take their pets on vacation, and there's
Speaker 2: only two better places for pet friendly hotels in the
Speaker 2: country than an historic Boston hotel. As we hear from
Speaker 2: WBZ Sherry Small.
Speaker 5: The Fairmont Copley Plaza and Back Bay took third place
Speaker 5: in USA Today's Reader's Choice Awards for rolling out the
Speaker 5: red carpet for its furry guests.
Speaker 6: His name's Bubba.
Speaker 2: We rescued him.
Speaker 6: He's an American bulldog, but he's not pure bread, so
Speaker 6: we're not quite sure exactly what he is.
Speaker 5: Devin traveled to Boston from Bermuda.
Speaker 6: And he chose here because we know the Fairmont's always
Speaker 6: really great with dogs. They've been very welcoming to Bubba.
Speaker 5: Some of the pet friendly perks, so.
Speaker 6: There's a doggy menu, which is exorbitantly expensive but hilariously cute.
Speaker 5: One of those menu items codfish and caviar.
Speaker 6: And it's just nice when you walk in with your
Speaker 6: dog and everyone's friendly and says hi. Nobody gives you
Speaker 6: the side eye or wonders whether or not you should
Speaker 6: be here. So yeah, it makes all the difference.
Speaker 5: From back base. Sherry Small, WBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2: I love to get my codfish and caviar at the hotel.
Speaker 2: The Canadian government says it's taking steps to protect the
Speaker 2: endangered North Atlantic right whale. The whales migrate to New
Speaker 2: England and Canada every year to feed the wildlife, often
Speaker 2: struck though by passing ships or they become entangled in
Speaker 2: fishing gear. There are only three hundred and seventy right
Speaker 2: whales left. Canada is now enforcing mandatory protections this summer,
Speaker 2: including speed restrictions in many areas off the coast. Well,
Speaker 2: apparently wait means something when you're shoveling hot dogs down
Speaker 2: your gullet. The official way in taking place today for
Speaker 2: the Nathan's famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest
Speaker 2: in Coney Island.
Speaker 7: Joey Chesnutt, who has dominated this event over the years,
Speaker 7: will be once again taking part after he was banned
Speaker 7: from the contest last year over an endorsement deal with
Speaker 7: a rival, Chestnut eight a world record eighty three hot
Speaker 7: dogs and buns in just ten minutes last year during
Speaker 7: a different contest than Nathan's defending women's champion. Meanwhile, Miki
Speaker 7: sudo she'll be trying to pick up another mustard belt.
Speaker 2: That is correspondent's got pringle. You are now in the
Speaker 2: loop for news updates throughout the day. Listen to WBZ
Speaker 2: News Radio on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Ben Parker, WBZ,
Speaker 2: Boston's news radio