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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: ESSAIBI GEORGE BACKING MARKEY — Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George is throwing her support behind Sen. Ed Markey's reelection campaign today. Markey is facing a tough primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III.
The at-large Boston City Councilor said she's backing the Malden Democrat because of his "tireless" advocacy on climate issues, and his dedication to easing the opioid crisis.
"Here in the city of Boston, especially our inner city communities, we are all so directly impacted by a changing environment. Our future is contingent on having a place to call home, and Sen. Markey works every single day to make sure we're safe from those changes," Essaibi George said in a new video released by the Markey campaign today.
Markey has rolled out a number of endorsements over the last week or so. Markey touted endorsements from 20 Massachusetts mayors yesterday, and former Gov. Michael Dukakis, who is one of Kennedy's constituents, is also backing the incumbent senator.
Earlier this month, Kennedy announced his own list of high-profile endorsements. Kennedy has support among more than a dozen House lawmakers, including Reps. John Lewis and Joaquin Castro.
IOWA ALERT — Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu will travel to Iowa on Friday to campaign for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She will attend canvass and phone bank kickoffs in Waukee, West Des Moines and Iowa City.
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 visit Polar Beverages in Worcester, then celebrate the completion of Princeton's new broadband network. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School Lunar New Year celebration. Walsh speaks at the Boston Tax Help Coalition's season launch. The state Senate is expected to take up three climate change bills in a formal session.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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— "State gets poor grades on anti-tobacco spending," by Christian M. Wade, Curbing teen tobacco use and vaping get a lot of attention in Massachusetts, which has hiked age requirements to buy products, raised taxes and enacted some of the toughest regulations in the country. But when it comes to overall spending on tobacco control, the state still gets failing grades. That's according to a new report by the American Lung Association, which raps the state for devoting too little from tobacco taxes and other sources of revenue to helping people quit."
— "Fields Set for Five Legislative Special Elections," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "All four March 31 special elections for vacant state legislative positions are on track to be contested by at least one Democrat and one Republican. Sixteen candidates, including a current state representative seeking a Senate seat, multiple municipal officials and several hopefuls who have run unsuccessfully before, submitted certified nomination papers to Secretary of State William Galvin's office by Tuesday's deadline to run in any of the four special elections. The candidates will all make the ballots unless they withdraw or someone objects by Friday."
- "Advocates Say New State Forms May Make It Harder To Post Bail," by Shannon Dooling, WBUR: "After a year's worth of meetings, one of the recommendations coming out of the state Legislature's bail reform commission was to make sure guidelines for posting bail are clear and easily accessible. And yet, new changes this year to the process of posting bail surprised not only advocates but also the state senator who co-chaired the bail reform commission. The two new fields of information added to what's known as a 'recognizance' form, filled out by people paying bail, have advocates and attorneys concerned the updated documentation may have a chilling effect on people who want to post bail ."
— "Job postings bill returns to Legislature for third decade," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "For almost 25 years, a Hadley resident has attempted to get a law passed requiring all state agencies and institutions to have their job openings listed in a statewide computerized database. "Citizens have a right to know where jobs are, people are entitled to know what job opportunities there are," said Thomas McGee, 84, a former federal government employee. This week, two local legislators endorsed the latest legislation, which they filed last year, to mandate better transparency regarding state jobs for which people can apply."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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— "Boston's Middle Class Is Doomed," by Thomas Stackpole, Boston Magazine: "Like a guy picking up his favorite T-shirt from college and thinking, 'Yeah, I can still rock that' despite the thirty pounds he's gained since then (yes, it's me), Boston's self-image is stuck in an earlier era. Despite the luxury-condo developments and tech sector nouveau riche that have become today's norm, we often still talk about our city as having a largely well-to-do middle-class that is enjoying the upswing of an economic boom. Never mind the fact that nobody in The Departed could actually afford to live here anymore."
— "Boston City Council homelessness, addiction committee reorganization receives pushback," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "A plan to dissolve the City Council's Committee on Homelessness, Mental Health & Recovery was criticized as City Council President Kim Janey announced committee assignments on Wednesday. Third-term Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, who chaired the Committee on Homelessness, Mental Health & Recovery last session, said the dissolution of that committee will "further marginalize these issues and our most vulnerable residents." Janey vowed that those issues would remain on the table, with the newly created Committee on Public Health handling addiction and mental health issues, and the Committee on Housing & Community Development dealing with homelessness."
— "In the heart of Chinatown, Tufts Medical readies for possible coronavirus cases," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: "Located in the heart of Chinatown, where just days ago many residents had celebrated the Lunar New Year with relatives from China, Tufts Medical Center would seem to be the first place in Boston where the novel coronavirus might show up. But so far the hospital has not seen even a suspected case of the illness that has sickened thousands in China, Tufts officials said. Local residents have called with questions and concerns, or shown up asking to be checked out, but no one has met the CDC criteria to test for coronavirus, said Dr. Shira I. Doron, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center."
— "Progressives push for takeovers of Boston ward committees," by Kenneal Patterson, Bay State Banner: "When Massachusetts voters head to the polls on Tuesday, March 3, most will have their minds fixated on their presidential candidate of choice. But as fierce as the 12-way race for the party nomination is, many Boston voters will face even more heated battles at the bottom of the ballot, where dozens of candidates are vying for seats on their local ward committees. "People need to know that the confusion on the rest of the ballot is worth paying attention to," said Rachel Poliner, an organizer with Progressive West Roxbury and Roslindale, who is part of an effort to diversify the Ward 18 Democratic Committee."
- "Barstool Sports is selling a stake to the owner of Plainridge Park casino," by Andy Rosen, Boston Globe: "Barstool Sports, a popular media brand that has sometimes faced criticism because of its personalities' provocative commentary, is selling a stake in itself to Penn National Gaming, the large gambling company that operates Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville. Penn National said Wednesdaythat it has agreed to pay about $163 million for a 36 percent stake in Barstool Sports, which was founded in Massachusetts in 2003."
— "2 Years Early, Boston Raises $10 Million To Help House People Who've Been Chronically Homeless," by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR: "Two years before its target date, Boston has reached a goal of raising $10 million to help people who've been chronically homeless be permanently housed. The Boston's Way Home Fund will help pay for support services for the residents of a future permanent housing development that homeless services provider Pine Street Inn is planning in Jamaica Plain. It will be the largest housing development the city has ever had for people who've been chronically homeless."
— "New England colleges suspend study abroad programs to China, call students back, in light of coronavirus outbreak," by Danny McDonald and Matt Berg, Boston Globe: "More than 10 colleges and universities in New England have suspended their spring study abroad programs in China and some are scrambling to bring back students already there, amid rising concern over the fast-spreading coronavirus that has sickened thousands and led to some 170 deaths. The decision by the schools mirrors similar reactions by companies that do business in China. A growing number of major airlines have halted or reduced flights to and from the country."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: "FORMER U.S. SENATOR GARY HART ENDORSES ALAN KHAZEI FOR CONGRESS," from the Khazei campaign: "United States Senator Gary Hart, a former Presidential candidate and prolific author, today announced he is endorsing Alan Khazei for Congress in Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District. His endorsement comes on the heels of both Newton City Councilor Holly Ryan and Congressman Jamie Raskin's endorsements of Khazei. With his announcement, Hart said of Khazei: "At a time when our democracy is in peril, we must turn to those who can address what ails our system and face the issues which have led to the current political climate head on."
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| THE OPINION PAGES |
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— "Healey: Stop individual residential electricity sales," by Attorney General Maura Healey, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE COMPETITIVE ELECTRIC SUPPLY INDUSTRY has overcharged Massachusetts consumers for far too long. We've all seen these companies in action. They go door-to-door, send letters in the mail, and call over and over with promises of cheaper electricity, or a locked-in low rate that they claim will save you money. They promise if you sign up and switch your electricity service from your utility company, they'll provide consistent savings and lower bills. But the truth is, they won't."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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— "SJC: Police can't pat frisk a driver solely out of concern for safety of officers and public," by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: ""Police can no longer frisk drivers during traffic stops based solely on safety concerns, but must have independent information that the driver is potentially armed, the state's highest court ruled Wednesday. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled, 7-0, in favor of Manuel Torres-Pagan, who was stopped by Springfield police in a high-crime neighborhood in 2017 for a motor vehicle violation and was standing outside his car with his hands visible when an officer handcuffed him and frisked him."
— "State Police trooper allegedly stole twice as much OT as previously known, records show," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "A new court filing exposes just how damning the records were that the State Police didn't provide to prosecutors for a year and a half during their investigation into trooper overtime fraud. The records have led federal prosecutors to more than double the amount of overtime pay they allege one former trooper, Daren DeJong, embezzled from the department, according to the filing Monday by US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling's office."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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— "Elizabeth Warren's Iowa Pivot: From Her Plans to Her Plan to Win," by Shane Goldmacher and Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times: "The last time Senator Elizabeth Warren trundled across Iowa in a specially decorated campaign vehicle, an R.V. headed to the Iowa State Fair in August, it was wrapped with a cheeky play on the slogan for her sweeping agenda: "Honk if you're ready for big, structural change!" Now, with days before the Iowa caucuses, her bus is plastered with a far more direct and urgent message, as she looks to quell the skepticism that has slowed her momentum here in the crucial final stretch. "Courage over cynicism" it urges on one side; "hope over fear" it says on the other."
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| THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
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— "Ayanna Pressley described the difficulties — and importance — of coming forward as a sexual assault survivor," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Rep. Ayanna Pressley hopes sharing her story as a sexual assault survivor helps end the stigma around the dramatically underreported crime. That doesn't mean it's been easy. But she says it's worth it. In a book released Tuesday, the Massachusetts congresswoman opened up about some of the difficulties she's encountered as a prominent survivor of sexual assault."
— "Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and other progressives propose platform to combat homelessness, expand affordable housing," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Progressive lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday, including U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts's 7th District, declared housing a fundamental human right and called for a new wave of investments in combatting homelessness and expanding affordable housing."
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| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
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— "Rep. Clark: 'We Don't Know The Last Chapter' Of The Impeachment Trial," by Bob Oakes, WBUR: "As the impeachment trial of President Trump moves Wednesday into a question and answer phase, the next major question the U.S. Senate faces is whether to call any witnesses. Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, joined WBUR's Morning Edition host Bob Oakes to talk about what's ahead in the trial."
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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— "Congress goes to bat for minor league baseball," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Members of Congress want to pressure Major League Baseball to scrap plans to scale back the minor leagues, saying it would be "devastating" to clubs and communities that host them. A bipartisan resolution, filed in the House of Representatives by Rep. Lori Trahan and other members of the "Save Minor League Baseball Task Force," expresses support for the current roster of 160 minor league teams and "recognizes the unique social, economic and historic contributions that Minor League Baseball has made to American life."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "FLIGHT RISK," — Globe: "Schools cancel study trips to China," "GOP aims for quick acquittal." |
| EYE ON 2020 |
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— "Barney Frank's Appointment To Convention Committee Once Again Rankles Sanders Supporters," by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: "Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank will once again play a leading role at the Democratic National Convention this summer — and supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders aren't happy about it. Frank confirmed to WBUR that over the weekend the Democratic National Committee appointed him to co-chair the convention's rules committee. Frank served in the same role in 2016. At the time, Sanders formally asked Democratic leadership to remove him. The Massachusetts Democrat has a long history of criticizing Sanders."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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— "Rep. Richard Neal calls east-west rail a 'priority' at House hearing," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Richard E. Neal told the committee Wednesday that passenger rail connecting Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield will be a priority as the U.S. House of Representatives considers a $760 billion infrastructure program Democrats introduced Wednesday. Neal opened a transportation funding hearing praising the 18-month-old CTrail Hartford Line, which links Springfield with New Haven, Connecticut. A pilot program continues service farther north along the Connecticut River valley."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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— "Rape kit tracking system launches in Massachusetts, giving survivors online access to track evidence through the testing process," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "A confidential online system that will allow survivors of rape and sexual assault to track their evidence kit as it moves through the testing process has launched in Massachusetts, officials said Wednesday. The sexual assault evidence collection kit tracking system, known as Track-Kit, has launched in six of the state's counties. The system went live in southeastern Massachusetts on Jan. 6."
— "Wareham distances itself from Cape Cod with new slogan," by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: "Wareham has long been identified with the Cape, but a new slogan seems intent on putting an end to that. In an effort to distance itself from the 'Gateway to Cape Cod' title it has carried for years, the town has undergone a rebranding campaign with the slogan "It's Better Before the Bridges." The slogan was plucked from a handful of other possibilities that were posed to residents in a survey, including 'Off-Cape and On the Rise' ' No Cape Necessary' 'Miles of Coastline, Not Traffic' and 'A Destination, Not a Gateway'."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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— "Boston Globe Apologizes For Calling Black Artists 'Anthropoids,'" by Tori Bedford, WGBH News: "The Boston Globe issued an apology Tuesday after referring to a group of black musicians as "anthropoids" in an article about the upcoming Boston Calling music festival lineup. The original article, published Monday, praised the festival for including local talent after being criticized for not booking enough local acts in recent years. 'Rock weirdos Dinosaur Jr. play Sunday, as do Lowell-bred rock hitmakers PVRIS and Swiss-army-knife rapper Cliff Notez,' the article read. 'Hip-hop anthropoids Camp Blood, meanwhile, are on Saturday.' 'Anthropoids' translates to 'ape man' in most dictionaries. Camp Blood is comprised of musicians Haasan Barclay and Shaka Dendy, both black men."
NEW STUDY — "Science, Technology, & Democracy: Building a Modern Congressional Technology Assessment Office," via the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a think tank at Harvard Kennedy School. Link.
TRANSITIONS - Michael Cummings is leaving state Sen. John Keenan's office to join Rep. Joe Kennedy III's campaign for Senate.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Ed Murray.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: DO MORE WITH LESSER — On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray talk with state Sen. Eric Lesser about his push for East-West rail. Boston Marathon Bombing survivors Patrick Downes and Jessica Kenskey talk about why they've endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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