CHARLIE BAKER

Prince William’s Kensington Palace office says “racism has no place in our society” as he seeks to prevent the backlash over his godmother’s treatment of a Black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse from overshadowing his trip to the United States.

In a statement, Prince William said that his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, remembered her own visit to Boston "with great fondness."

Massachusett's Governor Charlie Baker is once again asking for assistance with the strain migrants have place on the state's shelter system, this time in the form of $139 million.

Republicans thought they could make crucial inroads in New England. Instead, the GOP lost three House races, as well as a Senate race in New Hampshire.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has emerged victorious in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, becoming America’s first elected openly lesbian governor.

Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey has been elected governor of Massachusetts, making history as the nation’s first openly lesbian governor and the state’s first woman and openly gay candidate elected to the office.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is asking for federal help to shelter illegal migrants, in a letter to Secretaries Alejandro Mayorkas and Xavier Becerra.

In liberal Rhode Island, Republican Allan Fung stands a chance of flipping a U.S. House seat and possibly helping his party gain control of the chamber.

Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law that names the Podokesaurus holyokensis as the new official state dinosaur.

Podokesaurus holyokensis, which lived millions of years ago in what is now Massachusetts, has been named the state's official dinosaur under legislation signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker.

A “swift-footed lizard” that lived millions of years ago in what's now Massachusetts has been named the state’s official dinosaur.

The Massachusetts' governor's office says the last of dozens of migrants shipped to Martha’s Vineyard last month are set to depart temporary shelter at a military base on Cape Cod for transitional housing by the end of the weekend.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says migrants in temporary shelters on Joint Base Cape Cod after being bussed from Martha's Vineyard are expected to leave this week.

Venezuelans have surpassed Guatemalans and Hondurans to become the second-largest nationality stopped at the U.S. border in August after Mexicans.

Highlights of this day in history: A pivotal battle in the American Revolution; President James Garfield dies; Bruno Hauptmann is arrested in the Lindbergh baby case; Unabomber's manifesto published; The 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' premieres. (Sept. 19)

Republican MA Gov. Charlie Baker provided an update on migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard, sharing a way for Americans to donate to the state while it houses the 50 migrants.

The immigrants who were sent from Texas to Martha's Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will now be housed in Joint Base Cape Cod.

Migrants who arrived in Martha's Vineyard this week were bused to Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, taking a ferry off the wealthy island enclave.

Authorities say migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard on the orders of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be moved to housing on a military base on Cape Cod. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the move Friday is voluntary.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Martha's Vineyard with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants.

Gov. Ron DeSantis's office claimed Florida sent the airplanes, as Martha's Vineyard became a flash point in GOP opposition to President Biden's border policies.

Republican governors are escalating their practice of sending migrants without advance warning to Democratic strongholds, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.

A Q&A to kick off the midterms, a look at the Democratic upset in Alaska, and what polling shows about the battle for Congress.

A former state representative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Geoff Diehl, has won the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor over a businessman, Chris Doughty, who was considered the more moderate candidate in the race.

The Massachusetts primary lands on the day after Labor Day, raising concerns about a potentially low turnout, although early voting began on Aug. 27.

Republicans hoping to hold on to the Massachusetts governor’s office are choosing between a Donald Trump-backed candidate and a moderate businessman in Tuesday’s primary election.

New York City will begin posting signs proclaiming the iconic tourist destination Times Square as a “Gun Free Zone.”.

Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds like Maryland and Massachusetts when they have fielded moderate candidates who could appeal to voters in both parties.

For Boston subway riders, it seems every week brings a new tale of transit woe.

This week, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed the state’s version of the CROWN Act, which bans discrimination against natural hairstyles.

When the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion, it sparked legal changes and court challenges in states nationwide.

A federal court has allowed Tennessee to ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Judges have temporarily blocked abortion bans in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law sharply restricting the procedure would take effect there immediately.

The Supreme Court's decision to end the constitutional right to abortion likely will lead to legal battles as already divided states grapple with the new landscape of abortion access.

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker on Friday vetoed a bill that would make illegal immigrants eligible to receive state-issued driver’s licenses, though state lawmakers are poised to override the veto.

Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

Gov. Charlie Baker is a popular Republican in a blue state. That's exactly why his party doesn't want him.

When she was elected mayor of Boston in November, Michelle Wu transformed the image of the city’s chief executive.

The Massachusetts governor’s refusal to seek reelection is a dark omen for the future of America’s two-party system.

A winter storm in the eastern U.S. has snarled travel and given hundreds of school districts struggling amid a surge in coronavirus cases an excuse to shut down for a respite.

In New York colleges and universities like New York University and Columbia will start classes remotely in January.

An expected decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming year to severely restrict abortion rights or overturn Roe v.

The Guard members will provide support for transportation, observation, security, moving patients and delivering meals.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision not to seek a third term has sparked a scramble among potential successors in a suddenly wide-open race. Can Republicans find a way to hang on to the governor’s office — their only remaining lever of power in a state when Democrats hold every other statewide office, every seat in Congress, and overwhelming majorities in the Massachusetts House and Senate? Since its first governor, signer of the U.S. Constitution John Hancock, took office way back in 1780, Massachusetts has elected an unbroken string of men as governor. Only one woman has served, but on an acting basis: Lt. Gov. Jane Swift, a Republican, took over as governor in 2001 after Paul Cellucci became ambassador to Canada.

U.S. health officials say that while the omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading in the country, early indications suggest it may be less dangerous than delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations.

Baker, a Republican, is currently more popular with Democrats than with Republicans.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says he won’t seek a third term as governor of Massachusetts.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has signed an ordinance designed to divest the city from fossil fuels.

Michelle Wu has been sworn in as Boston’s first woman and first person of color elected mayor in the city’s history.

Across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, nearly half a million residents were left without power due to the storm.

Across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, nearly half a million residents were left without power due to the storm.

President Joe Biden’s most aggressive move yet to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is almost ready to see the light of day.

Dozens of Massachusetts State Police troopers have submitted paperwork to resign in response to the governor's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a union that represents around 1,800 officers.

Dozens of Massachusetts State Police troopers have submitted paperwork to resign in response to the governor's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a union that represents around 1,800 officers.

Under the governor's executive order, all executive department employees are required to show proof of vaccination by Oct. 17. Up to 20% of employees are not vaccinated.

In a story published September 27, 2021, about vaccine mandates for health care workers, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Dr. Jeff Smith was the CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The pandemic has contributed to a shortage in bus drivers, so Gov. Charlie Baker says 250 Guard members with commercial driver's licenses will be brought in to help.

Up to 250 personnel have been made available in the state to help with the staffing shortage.

Forecasters said Henri was expected to remain at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall midafternoon Sunday.

Parts of the Northeast could begin to feel the effects of Hurricane Henri as soon as late Saturday, as the storm barrels toward the region.

Henri is now a hurricane.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) issued an executive order Thursday that requires executive department employees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination on or by Oct. 17. Why it matters: Baker's order comes as other Republican governors push back on vaccine and masks mandates. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Democratic governors in Minnesota, Washington, California, Illinois and New York, among others, have mandated vaccination for state employees.

California Republicans see a chance of ousting embattled Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a September recall election.

About 73 percent of the renters likeliest to be evicted are people of color and about 56 percent are women.

Lebanon has vaccinated a daily record of people against COVID-19, raising the total number of shots administered around the country against the virus to more than 1 million.

With COVID-19 cases declining and vaccinations increasing, governors across the U.S. are wrestling with decisions about when to declare an end to the emergency declarations they have issued and reissued throughout the pandemic.

Arizona’s state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites, which were touted as a national model, will be shutting down later this month.

The German government is following up on media reports that some coronavirus testing centers have overbilled authorities for the number of tests taken.

More cities and states are shrugging off lingering COVID-19 restrictions as vaccination rates rise and the number of infections falls.

The party has many very popular governors in blue states. Republicans hate them.

A number of states have embraced new federal guidelines that say fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or out in most situations.

President Joe Biden is highlighting new programs from ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to provide free rides to and from vaccination sites as the pace of vaccination shots nationally declines.

Nations around the world are setting new records for COVID-19 deaths and coronavirus infections, and the disease is surging even in some countries that have kept the virus in check.

Eric Holcomb received his COVID-19 vaccine shot Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the opening of the state’s first mass vaccination clinic. Holcomb wore a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the drive-through clinic. Ad___TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19, approving the Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose. Canada has pre-purchased 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses, with options to buy another 28 million. The U.S. approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month.

Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff “will help protect our communities," Pennsylvania Gov. The Department of Health and Human Services has ordered all states to make teachers, school staff, bus drivers and child care workers eligible for shots. In Wisconsin, teachers will get priority when the state receives its first shipment of about 48,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, health authorities said. In Texas, where teachers have been battling to gain access to shots, state officials on Wednesday ordered vaccine providers to begin administering shots to school workers. “The more people we can get the safe and effective vaccine, the faster we can return to a sense of normalcy,” Michigan Gov.

Employees with the McKesson Corporation scan a box of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine while filling an order at their shipping facility in Shepherdsville, Ky., Monday, March 1, 2021. AdThe push to reopen comes as COVID-19 vaccine shipments to the states are ramping up. Johnson & Johnson shipped out nearly 4 million doses of its newly authorized, one-shot COVID-19 vaccine Sunday night to be delivered to states for use starting on Tuesday. The company will deliver about 16 million more doses by the end of March and a total of 100 million by the end of June. White House vaccination coordinator Jeff Zients also acknowledged that scheduling of vaccination appointments “ remains too difficult in too many places."

The Justice Department said Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 it will appeal a judges ruling that found the federal governments eviction moratorium was unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)WASHINGTON – The Justice Department said Saturday it will appeal a judge’s ruling that found the federal government’s eviction moratorium was unconstitutional. “The CDC’s eviction moratorium, which Congress extended last December, protects many renters who cannot make their monthly payments due to job loss or health care expenses," he said. “By preventing people from becoming homeless or having to move into more-crowded housing, the moratorium helps to slow the spread of COVID-19.”AdThe CDC eviction moratorium was signed in September by President Donald Trump and extended by President Joe Biden until March 31. “The federal government cannot say that it has ever before invoked its power over interstate commerce to impose a residential eviction moratorium,” Barker wrote.

People line up for vaccines at a clinic in Central Falls, R.I., Saturday Feb. 20, 2021. Nearly a third of adults in the city have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to state data. Like Central Falls, it’s a tiny former industrial city that is overwhelmingly Latino. But the two cities’ fortunes could not be more different during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. And the vaccine rollout hasn’t been all smooth sailing in Central Falls.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)ALBANY, N.Y. – At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, two Democratic governors on opposite ends of the country were hailed as heroes for their leadership in a crisis. The COVID-19 virus has been an especially painful illustration of that point. “New York and California are under a magnifying glass,” said Jared Leopold, former spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association. First, the state’s Democratic attorney general chastised the Cuomo administration for minimizing the death toll at nursing homes by excluding certain fatalities from the count. “Any of these Democratic governors are going to come off these initial highs they got that were better than Republican governors,” Stutzman, a Republican, argued.

He went on to say that by the end of July his administration can deliver 600 million doses for Americans. But “it's one thing to have a vaccine available, the problem was how to get to people's arms.”The Pfizer plant Biden toured, near Kalamazoo, produces one of the two federally approved COVID-19 shots. "I would’ve gotten there some way.”AdWhite House adviser Slavitt said the 6 million doses delayed won’t spoil and the vaccine is “safe and sound” under refrigeration. Slavitt said about 1.4 million doses were being shipped Friday as the work of clearing the backlog begins. The Virginia Department of Health reported that it was expecting delays on about 90% of its expected 120,000 doses this week and warned that delays could cascade into next week.

Making decisions about risks large or small in the pandemic era is fraught enough. But the storms and outages ravaging Texas and other states have added a whole new layer to the process. But the storms and outages that have hit a big swath of the U.S. over the past several days have added a whole new layer of complexity. They’re taking precautions while there, she said, including wearing two face masks each and keeping their distance from other people. Under normal circumstances, the family could stay with neighbors or family, but the pandemic has made that harder.

Coronavirus vaccination sites across the Northeastern U.S. are getting back up and running after a two-day snowstorm that also shut down public transport, closed schools and canceled flights. Some vaccination sites in New York City remained closed, but others, including those run by the public hospital system, were open Tuesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Coronavirus vaccination sites across the Northeast ramped back up Tuesday after a two-day snowstorm that also shut down public transport, closed schools and stranded travelers with canceled flights. Some vaccination sites in the city remained closed, but others, including those run by the public hospital system, were open Tuesday. Tom Wolf declared a disaster emergency after snowfall of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) throughout central and eastern regions.

The winter weather prompted school districts to cancel in-person learning on Monday, and many COVID-19 vaccination sites were closed and rescheduling appointments. As much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow was predicted to fall in areas throughout the day Monday and overnight. 11:30 a.m.BOSTON — The second phase of Massachusetts’ coronavirus vaccine rollout is being disrupted by a winter storm that’s causing schedule changes and at least one vaccination location to shutdown. A winter storm warning remained in effect until Tuesday for much of the state. Most of the state remained under winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories that were expected to remain in effect through Tuesday morning.

(Peter Meecham/New Zealand Herald via AP)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Travelers returning to New Zealand will face stricter rules at quarantine hotels as health authorities investigate how up to three people got infected with the coronavirus while isolating at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel. The record increase of 65 deaths is three more than the previous one-day record reported on Jan. 6, according to health department records. The university and county health department are asking students to limit leaving their residence to going to classes, getting food, work and other necessary in-person activities. The health department said in the news release that if the case counts continues to rise, stricter measures will have to be applied. The previous one-day record of 62 was reported Jan. 6, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

But if the U.S. Capitol — a shining symbol of democracy with a dedicated police force— can be overrun by a violent mob, could state capitols be next? In August, protesters temporarily derailed a special legislative session in Idaho. In Oregon, where Trump supporters burned a life-size puppet of Democratic Gov. “Pretty sure more #txlege members are going to start carrying inside the Capitol,” Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain tweeted Thursday, a day after the Capitol grounds were abruptly shuttered as hundreds of Trump supporters demonstrated outside without any reported incidents. Mike Parson is planning for more than a thousand guests to gather Monday on the lawn of the state Capitol for his inaugural ceremony.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)NEW YORK – The latest developments on the winter storm moving across the Northeast (all times local):7:45 p.m.Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday he is banning tractor trailer and tandem trailers from all limited access highways, beginning at 9 p.m. due to the severe winter snow storm. ___2 p.m.PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island has closed all state-run coronavirus testing sites as the region braces for a major winter storm. A winter storm warning has been issued for Providence and Kent counties from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 p.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, New Jersey is poised to restrict commercial traffic from some highways because of the impending snow storm.

Massachusetts governor announces reopening rollback Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced Tuesday the state will roll back some of its reopening measures beginning Sunday. He said new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are "showing disturbing trends." Watch his remarks.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced Tuesday that all communities in the state will return to Phase 3, Step 1 of reopening beginning Sunday. A move back to Phase 3 Step 1 will close certain businesses including indoor performance and high contact indoor recreational facilities. When eating indoors at a restaurant, patrons will also now have to wear masks unless they are eating and drinking. "The days of most people doing most of the right things are probably not enough," Baker said. Kayrn Polito said, "These restrictions today are targeted ways we can fight back again the second surge of the virus.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is giving a COVID-19 update Friday. He was expected to speak about a plan to reopen field hospitals in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases. Back in the spring, five field hospitals were opened in Boston, Worcester, Lowell, Dartmouth and Hyannis to deal with a surge. How to watch Baker's update on plan to reopen field hospitalsWhat: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker gives update on plan to reopen field hospitalsMassachusetts Governor Charlie Baker gives update on plan to reopen field hospitals Date: Friday, November 13, 2020Friday, November 13, 2020 Time: 12:30 p.m. "These field hospitals will be fully equipped with hospital beds, life-saving equipment, and medical supplies."

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll spoke on Wednesday about new restrictions on Halloween activities as the state faces a rise in COVID-19 cases. Salem typically attracts half a million visitors during October, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the city is asking visitors without plans to not visit. The new restrictions in the city include early business closures, road closures and parking restrictions. CBSN BostonParades, balls, and all large city events for Halloween were canceled back in August. Governor Baker spoke about Halloween, saying outdoor trick-or-treating, if done in small groups with face coverings and limited interactions, is "a lot safer" than hosting a house party.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said Tuesday the state is developing a plan to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. The plan lays out the initial steps for a "robust, comprehensive and equitable" vaccine distribution system once one or more vaccines become available. Massachusetts is among the states that has recently seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases. High risk communities are those with over 8 cases per 100,000 residents during the last 14 days. "While we continue to plan for distribution of a vaccine, we can't take our eyes off the measures that we've been talking about for the last several months to keep people safe," Baker said Tuesday.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said Tuesday the state is developing a plan to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. The plan lays out the initial steps for a "robust, comprehensive and equitable" vaccine distribution system once one or more vaccines become available. Massachusetts is among the states that has recently seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases. High risk communities are those with over 8 cases per 100,000 residents during the last 14 days. "While we continue to plan for distribution of a vaccine, we can't take our eyes off the measures that we've been talking about for the last several months to keep people safe," Baker said Tuesday.

BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered Massachusetts authorities to allow gun shops to reopen after the governor deemed them non-essential businesses that needed to close to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock in Boston ruled that the restrictions ordered by Republican Governor Charlie Baker in response to the pandemic imposed an improper burden on the constitutional rights of citizens seeking to possess firearms. Several would-be gun purchasers, retailers and gun rights advocacy groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, sued, arguing the orders amounted to an unconstitutional ban on acquiring firearms and ammunition for self-defense purposes. Woodlock ordered the state to allow firearms retailers to re-open by noon on Saturday under restrictions meant to promote cleanliness and social distancing. The case is one of several nationally seeking to keep gun shops open after states began directing the closure of businesses to reduce infections.

BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered Massachusetts authorities to allow gun shops to reopen after the governor deemed them non-essential businesses that needed to close to slow the spread of the coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock in Boston ruled that the restrictions ordered by Republican Governor Charlie Baker in response to the pandemic imposed an improper burden on the constitutional rights of citizens seeking to possess firearms. The judge said he would direct the state to allow firearm retailers to re-open by noon on Saturday under a series of restrictions meant to promote cleanliness and social distancing. Several would-be gun purchasers, retailers and gun rights advocacy groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, sued, arguing the orders amounted to an unconstitutional ban on acquiring firearms and ammunition for self-defense purposes. He cited a major gun-rights ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008 holding that the U.S. Constitutions Second Amendment guaranteed an individuals right to own guns for self-defense inside the home.

Then there are bars and restaurants that blur the distinction by serving culinary cocktails such as Aviary in Chicago or BarMini in Washington, D.C. There is one other thing independent bars and restaurants have in common: they are both facing extinction. According to the IRC and James Beard Foundation, only 9%of the $349 billion offered in the first round of PPP went to independent bars and restaurants. Bars and restaurants are fighting back by taking insurance firms such as Hartford Insurance to court in class action suits. And, lastly, through organizations like the IRC, independent bars and restaurants are hoping to establish a $120 billion dollar stabilization fund.

U.S. coronavirus-related deaths reached a somber milestone on Tuesday, surpassing the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. More than 58,300 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That compares with the National Archives figure of 58,220 deaths from the Vietnam War, which lasted more than a decade. New York Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that his states stay-at-home advisory would not be lifted on May 4 but instead was extended until May 18.

4/19: Dr. Deborah Birx, Gov. Charlie Baker, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Suzanne Clark, King Abdullah II This week on "Face The Nation", there's a new dilemma dividing the country — is it worth risking the health — and potentially the lives — of Americans in order to jump start our paralyzed economy?

FILE PHOTO: A New England Patriots Boeing 767-300 jet with a shipment of over one million N95 masks from China, which will be used in Boston and New York to help fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), arrives at Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 2, 2020. Jim Davis/Pool via REUTERS(Reuters) - A truck emblazoned with the colors of the New England Patriots football team was out on the streets of New York on Friday, delivering 300,000 N95 masks to a makeshift hospital set up in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. New York state recorded more than 500 coronavirus-related deaths in a single day on Friday, bringing the statewide total to nearly 3,000. The Patriots, who are based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, received a shipment of 1.7 million N95 masks from China earlier this week after the teams owner, Robert Kraft, and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker partnered to buy the much-needed supplies to help protect healthcare workers on the front lines. The NFL team said on Thursday it would send 1.4 million of the masks to hospitals in Massachusetts, with the remaining ones going to New York.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A call for help from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker prompted an unorthodox mission from the New England Patriots, who sent their team jet to China this week in order to retrieve 1.7 million N95 medical masks, the NFL side said on Thursday. A New England Patriots Boeing 767-300 jet with a shipment of over one million N95 masks from China, which will be used in Boston and New York to help fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), arrives at Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 2, 2020. It is an honour for our family to be a part of this humanitarian mission, team owner Robert Kraft said in a written statement. Another 300,000 purchased by Kraft will be sent to New York, the epicentre of the outbreak in the United States. As a life long NY Jets fan, hats off to Mr. Kraft and the team business and aviation professionals making this possible!

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday at noon ET the same time that non-essential businesses in the state are ordered to close their in-person operations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. How to watch Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's press conference live todayWhat: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito give an update on coronavirus with Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and Commissioner of the Department of Public Health Dr. Monica Bharel. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito give an update on coronavirus with Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and Commissioner of the Department of Public Health Dr. Monica Bharel.