Republican Out To Prove He's The Real Diehl: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com.

Today is Tuesday, July 6. Let's get started.

If Charlie Baker wants to run for governor again, he'll have to weather the storm from his right.

Geoff Diehl, a conservative former state representative who fell short in his bid to unseat Elizabeth Warren in 2018, announced over the weekend he's entering the gubernatorial race. With Baker having yet to announce whether he'll seek re-election, Diehl becomes the first Republican to declare.

"It is time to re-empower the individual. It is time to free our economy," Diehl said. "It is time to help our children overcome the damage inflicted by government over this past year. A time to provide our communities with a safe and healthy tomorrow."

The Hill has more on Diehl's decision to go for it.

There is some thought that if Baker does run, he could face a tougher battle in his own party than against the Democrats. Baker has decried President Trump and his brand of Republicanism — and while Baker's approval rating took a hit during a bungled vaccine rollout, he remains overall very popular, particularly with Democrats.

Harvard professor Danielle Allen, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and former state Sen. Ben Downing have all said they will run for the Democratic nomination.

There's a lot of reporting coming out about the really weird I-95 weekend standoff in Wakefield. The Boston Globe's John Hillard spoke with the parents of the Providence man who narrated the ordeal on social media, while Tonya Alanez and Kate Lusignan wrote about how the former U.S. Marine ended up here. Tate Deloye at The Daily Mail has "the inside story" on the Rise of the Moors militia.

A rabbi is recovering after he was stabbed outside a Jewish day school he teaches at in Brighton. Rabbi Shlomo Noginski on Sunday said he tried to move the danger away from Shaloh House. "Every person in this world has a mission, and that morning, it was my mission to be there and protect children," Noginski said, according to Adrian Ma at WBUR. "It's what God wanted for me." Over at GBH, Meg Woolhouse and Yiming Fu have more on the shockwaves reverberating in Brighton.

A national look

A 24-year-old goalie for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets died after a mortar tube tipped over and launched a firework into his chest on the Fourth of July. (Columbus Dispatch)

Richard Donner, the influential director who gave audiences genre classics like "Superman," "The Goonies" and "Lethal Weapon," is dead. He was 91. (NPR)

Rescue workers are finding more bodies after what was left of the Champlain Towers South was demolished over the weekend. The death toll as of Monday night stood at 28, with 117 still missing. (Miami Herald)

What I'm reading today: I always try to keep it real in this section, so here it is: I'm reading the oral history of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" at The Ringer. Did you know they briefly considered Billy Idol for Robert Patrick's role?!

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Southwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. At night — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Have a swell Tuesday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.