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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
MARKEY: GOP TURNING IMPEACHMENT INTO A 'SHAM' — As we head into the second week of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, Sen. Ed Markey is sounding the alarm on what he says Republicans are turning into a "sham" and a "cover-up."
Markey had harsh words for both the president and his Republican colleagues in the Senate when we spoke over the phone. The Malden Democrat said he's "not optimistic" that Trump will be removed from office.
"The Republicans are engaging in a cover-up. They're engaging in a process that will turn this trial into a sham because all of the evidence was not made available to the American people," Markey said. "The Republican Party and its entire history will be on trial."
Senate Democrats and House impeachment managers have called for witnesses to testify before the Senate, but Republican lawmakers argue the case should only be tried using evidence collected in the House. After this interview, those calls for witnesses intensified because former Trump national security adviser John Bolton's book manuscript leaked, and it alleges that Trump told Bolton he wanted to continue freezing aid to Ukraine until officials there helped investigate his political rival.
Markey also accused the president of using his influence to keep Republican lawmakers in line. Trump tweeted hundreds of times as the trial played out in the Senate chamber and on television.
"We're in a situation where the cover-up continues by Donald Trump as the trial is being conducted," Markey said. "Donald Trump is not just tweeting in real time. I'm sure he's also calling the Republican leadership and telling them, reinforcing his demand that no witnesses be called, that no evidence be provided to the Democratic House managers that could lead to his removal."
At some points, Senate lawmakers have signaled disinterest in the trial — one fell asleep and others played with fidget spinners in the chamber. "If Republican senators are getting bored, it's not because of the evidence. It's because they don't want to see the evidence," Markey said. "There's not much to see when your head is in the sand."
Further, Markey compared the performance of the House's lead impeachment manager, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, to that of Atticus Finch in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird." "It was that powerful," Markey said.
One wrinkle in the impeachment trial that's been less serious is a Senate rule that permits water and milk as the only beverages in the chamber. While Markey said he hasn't had milk during the impeachment, the attention on dairy last week did make him think of his father, who was a milkman.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PROGRESSIVE DEM SEEKS TO REPLACE PROVOST — Somerville Democrat Erika Uyterhoeven is jumping in the race to replace outgoing state Rep. Denise Provost, who announced she would not seek reelection earlier this month. Uyterhoeven praised Provost as "the progressive north star" of the House and said she wants to carry on Provost's legacy.
Uyterhoeven is the co-founder of Act on Mass, a nonprofit that seeks to hold the legislature accountable on progressive issues. She previously worked as an antitrust economist and strategy consultant, and worked on the campaigns of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and state Rep. Nika Elugardo.
"The Massachusetts House of Representatives prioritizes business interests over passing popular progressive legislation," Uyterhoeven said in a statement. "I am running to enact a Massachusetts Green New Deal, fully fund our public schools and public transportation, and guarantee affordable housing for all. To do this, businesses and the wealthy must pay their fair share, and I'll make sure they do."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito join House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka for a leadership meeting. Baker and House Minority Leader Bradley Jones celebrate E. Ethel Little Elementary School's 2019 National Blue Ribbon Award. Polito speaks at a Caucus of Women Legislators event. Rep. Lori Trahan speaks at a New England Council round table.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "In recent years, four Mass. jails got $164 million in federal money to house ICE detainees," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "The state has received more than $160 million in funding from federal immigration authorities since 2012, mostly in exchange for keeping and transporting ICE detainees in jails run by four Massachusetts sheriff's departments, a Globe review has found. The sum, brought into the state's coffers through controversial contracts with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has raised the eyebrows of some advocates and immigration attorneys who oppose the agreements and think there are better alternatives."
- "Lawmakers weigh mandate for menstrual products," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Public schools, prisons and homeless shelters would be required to provide free menstrual hygiene products under plans being considered on Beacon Hill. A proposal recently passed by the Legislature's Joint Education Committee requires middle and high schools to stock pads and tampons in female and gender-neutral restrooms. School districts would pay for the products. Another proposal, approved the Legislature's Joint Public Health Committee last month, would also require the products in female prisons and homeless shelters. Supporters say hygiene products are basic necessities, and ensuring easy access prevents stigma and disruptions to education and work."
- "Lawmakers running out of time to vote on bill to ban NDAs," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Time is almost up for lawmakers to move on a bill that would ban legally binding agreements for silence, which critics argue perpetuate sexual misconduct with taxpayer dollars. "This issue has been swept under the rug for too long by the governor, the speaker and others who hope that people will just forget about the fact that they're using our communities' hard-earned taxpayer dollars to pay for their hush agreements," State Sen. Diana DiZoglio told the Herald. "Especially egregious is the fact that our tax dollars continue to be used to pay for these agreements." The bill regarding non-disclosure agreements, which waive a victim's right to speak out or file lawsuits, currently sits in the Judiciary Committee and will come up for a potential vote before a Feb. 5 deadline."
- "Baker addresses housing, climate change at meeting of municipal leaders," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker, capping off a week during which he delivered his State of the Commonwealth address and unveiled a $44.6 billion budget plan, pressed local officials Saturday for help moving stalled legislation to assist cities and towns address the housing crisis and combat the effects of climate change. Baker made his pitch during the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, where the governor, a former selectman in Swampscott, received two standing ovations during an address that lasted about 27 minutes. On housing, Baker said the median home price in Massachusetts is now over $400,000, the highest cost in the nation."
- "As expected, new ed funding helps Gateway Cities," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "MASSACHUSETTS'S POOREST CITIES will receive the most new money under the first year of implementation of a new education funding formula, but even wealthy communities will see their funding increase. Gov. Charlie Baker's fiscal 2021 budget proposal, released Wednesday, offers the first look at how the Student Opportunity Act, a landmark education funding bill signed into law last year, will impact funding levels for each district. The law is meant to address the persistent gap in educational achievement between students in poor and wealthy districts."
- "Immigration enforcement bill draws controversy at hearing," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE SAFE COMMUNITIES ACT saw its heyday on Friday with eight hours of testimony before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. Refiled in 2019, the Safe Communities Act limits the communications between law enforcement entities and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also prevents local police from questioning someone about their immigration status. Police officers would also be unable to notify the Department of Homeland Security when someone is about to be released from custody unless their sentence is about to end."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Boston still waiting on scooter legalization," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "The jury is still out on whether electric scooter rentals will be a viable form of transportation in the long-term. For now, though, they're pretty common on the downtown sidewalks of some major cities, where anyone with a smartphone and a credit card can unlock one and hit the road. Except in Greater Boston. Many cities and towns have been generally reluctant to open up to scooter companies such as Lime and Bird. They cite state law that was designed for mopeds but that officials believe makes powered scooters illegal under Massachusetts law because they lack turn signals."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: "National LGBTQ+ Activist and Newton City Councilor Holly Ryan Endorses Alan Khazei For Congress," from the Khazei campaign: "Holly Ryan, a Newton City Councilor and nationally recognized advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, today announced she is endorsing Alan Khazei for Congress in Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District. Her endorsement comes on the heels of Congressman Jamie Raskin's endorsement of Khazei. With her announcement, she also announced she will serve as an advisor on LBGTQ+ Community Engagement for Khazei's campaign."
- "Our One Hundredth: Love is a Battle (for Spring)field," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "In a swing through the Western Mass last Sunday, Newton Congressman and US Senate candidate Joseph Kennedy, III snapped up the endorsement of six members of the City Council here. Not to be outdone, the man Kennedy aims to beat, incumbent Senator Ed Markey, released his own list of Springfield fans, including five councilor and several state legislators. The back and forth has become something of a feature of the campaign."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Former Boston Official John Lynch Sentenced To 40 Months In Bribery Case," by Callum Borchers, WBUR: "Instead of retiring to the Cape Cod house he owns in Osterville, former Boston development official John Lynch will spend 40 months in prison for bribery and tax fraud. Lynch was sentenced Friday at U.S. District Court in Boston, capping a swift downfall that began five months ago. A longtime city employee, Lynch in August resigned his position as assistant director of real estate in a division of the Boston Planning and Development Agency. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said Lynch had accepted a $50,000 bribe and agreed to plead guilty. Lynch admitted taking the money from a real estate developer, in exchange for attempting to influence a key vote by a member of the city's Zoning Board of Appeal."
- "Charges dropped, then a backlash, in courthouse drama before SJC," by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "On a morning in November, a top aide to Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins and a defense lawyer appeared in Boston Municipal Court, seeking a new trial for a Somali immigrant. Osman Bilal was 19 when he pleaded guilty to stealing jewelry from a Boston street vendor in 2011. It was a misdemeanor conviction, but it put him at risk of deportation to a country his family had fled when he was just two days old. His plight had caught the attention of Rollins's office, which has made it a priority to help defendants get convictions dismissed when it appeared that they unjustly faced "harsh collateral consequences" under federal immigration law, according to prosecutors."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Des Moines Register endorsement gives Warren an opening," by Steven Shepard and Alex Thompson, POLITICO: "The Des Moines Register just threw Elizabeth Warren a lifeline. Polls released heading into the final week before the Iowa caucuses almost unanimously show Warren fading into fourth place — both here and in New Hampshire. Finishing behind Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg in both states could effectively end her once-promising candidacy in an eight-day period. But Warren's allies are hopeful the endorsement from Iowa's largest newspaper will provide a jolt in the Hawkeye State while she's stuck in Washington for most of this week."
- "In Warren's first electric campaign, glimpses of the future," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "When Elizabeth Warren entered politics in late 2011, Massachusetts no longer felt like political terra firma. Twenty-one months earlier, the state's brainy, progressive electorate had fallen for a handsome Republican in a barn jacket and pickup truck. Scott Brown's ascent to the US Senate seat Ted Kennedy had held for 47 years left Massachusetts Democrats with a political hangover much like the one that Democrats nationwide would suffer on Nov. 9, 2016: Did that really just happen?"
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| PATRICK PRIMARY |
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- "Deval Patrick's Righteous Anger," by Edward-Isaac Dovere, The Atlantic: "When the lights in the lobby keep swelling high and low, and the manager comes over to apologize, he doesn't recognize the former Massachusetts governor. Neither does the waiter. That's the problem for Patrick. He got in a year later than he was planning to, because his wife was diagnosed with cancer in late 2018. Then he spent this past fall stressing about how far off course the primary race seemed to be spinning, before deciding in November to go for it. That's a whole year he didn't spend getting better known, or building any kind of organization."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Markey bill would 'define or redefine' cable operator franchise fees for community TV," by Tony Dobrowolski, The Berkshire Eagle: "Legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey would allow community television stations to continue to receive the adequate financial resources they need to provide local programming. The Protecting Community Television Act, which the Massachusetts Democrat filed Thursday along with U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., basically would rescind a 2019 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission that redefines what is included in the annual franchise fees that cable operators are required to pay the communities for which they provide service."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "State joining 'net-zero' carbon race," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Massachusetts is joining the race to decarbonization, with state leaders weighing ambitious plans to all-but-eliminate greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades. The state Senate rolled out a sweeping climate change proposal on Thursday that would require the state to slash carbon emissions below previous benchmarks. The bill envisions a "net-zero" carbon economy by 2050, where emissions from gas-guzzling cars and home heating oil are substantially replaced by electric vehicles and by wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. So far, no other major economy in the world has achieved net-zero emissions."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "LEGEND," — Globe: "Memoir disputes president's assertion," "On the day of Kobe Bryant's death, scoreboard and stats hold no interest." |
| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Rep. Seth Moulton Endorses Joe Biden for President," by Ben Kesling, Wall Street Journal: "Rep. Seth Moulton (D., Mass.) on Monday endorsed Joe Biden for the Democratic Party's nomination for president, citing what he said was the former vice president's ability to build a coalition within the party and proven foreign-policy credentials. Mr. Moulton, a 41-year-old Marine Corps combat veteran who briefly vied for the nomination himself and who has stressed the need for the party to avoid tacking too far left, adds a young voice with foreign policy experience to those backing Mr. Biden's bid."
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| ALL'S WELD THAT ENDS WELD |
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- "Republican Bill Weld Makes Little Traction in New York in Run Against Trump," by Jimmy Vielkind, Wall Street Journal: "Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld says his Republican primary challenge to President Trump is a moral question for the party, but the top GOP official in New York doubts he'll even make the April 28 primary ballot. Mr. Weld, who ran the Bay State from 1991 to 1997, was born on Long Island and owns homes in both the Catskills and Adirondacks. He ran for New York governor in 2006 but ultimately lost the GOP nomination to John Faso. Democrat Eliot Spitzer won the general election."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "With regulation change, thousands of unresolved discrimination complaints now secret," by Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Patriot Ledger: "Things did not go well on Briana Bergstrom's first day as a spray operator and general laborer in Quincy's cemetery division. Bergstrom said her supervisor, Scott Logan, started by criticizing how she parked her car, according to a complaint she filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in 2018. The abuse continued from there, she said, and included sexual comments made in front of other employees. Fifteen months have passed since Bergstrom, a Quincy native, filed her gender discrimination complaint — one of three pending complaints against the City of Quincy — and the commission still has not decided whether it has enough evidence to move forward."
- "Some area school officials disappointed in state funding," by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: "What was setting up to be a promising new era for public education in the state is starting out in 2020, at least, to be business as usual for many districts. While Gov. Charlie Baker touted his fiscal 2021 state budget proposal, released on Wednesday, as a fulfillment of the state's new commitment to boost school funding, some school officials in the region were disappointed with the local aid amounts laid out in his plan. Baker's budget overall would increase Chapter 70 aid to schools by $303.5 million over the current fiscal year."
- "Comedian Pete Holmes told Malia Obama to 'Please shut the (expletive) up' during local set," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Lexington native Pete Holmes won't tolerate audience members whispering during his comedy sets — not even Malia Obama. Former President Barack Obama's eldest daughter, a Harvard University student, was sitting with a friend in the front row of Holmes' recent show at the Comedy Studio in Somerville, the local comedian told late-night host Conan O'Brien Thursday. But Holmes didn't know."
TRANSITIONS - Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros, Everett City Councilor Gerly Adrien and state Sen. Michael Moore join the North-South Rail Link working group.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to David Newman, who celebrated Saturday, and Laura Kuhl, who celebrated Sunday.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Pelicans beat the Celtics 123-108.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: IF I HAD A BILLION DOLLARS — On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith talk with State House News reporter Katie Lannan about Gov. Charlie Baker's budget proposal. NARAL Pro-Choice's Rebecca Hart Holder talks about the ROE Act on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
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