| | |  | By Stephanie Murray | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. WALSH'S CORONAVIRUS PLAYBOOK — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh spoke about his new curfew advisory for nonessential workers during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday evening, the latest in a string of big decisions — advisories, cancellations, and closings. As the city gears up for a surge in coronavirus cases, Walsh also recommended over the weekend that city residents cover their faces in public, and his office has shared photos of Walsh wearing a mask on social media. "The CDC is passing down recommendations and most of them we're taking very seriously," Walsh said on television, referencing new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For weeks, Walsh has upped his profile by making occasional appearances on national news programs, as he made decisions to postpone the Boston Marathon, cancel the St. Patrick's Day Parade and close Boston schools. That's partly because in the absence of firm federal guidelines, governors and mayors across the country are writing the playbook on how to stop the pandemic. "I would suggest to the federal government that they get on the ball here," Walsh said, calling on President Donald Trump to stop criticizing governors and to send more ventilators to states that need them, including Massachusetts. Gov. Charlie Baker said he "fully" supports Walsh's initiatives during a press briefing on Monday, noting that the pair spend "a lot of time talking to each other." Asked about Walsh's 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, Baker called it "perfectly appropriate." "It's a message, right? There's a message in the recommendation, the message in the recommendation is that if you don't need to be out at night, don't. Which I think is a perfectly appropriate message, and I would echo that same message," Baker said. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Sen. Ed Markey and Jane Fonda go live on Facebook. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a town hall livestream for children. Rep. Joe Kennedy III holds a Western Mass virtual town hall with Dr. James Lederer, Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington and Springfield City Councilor Justin Hurst attend. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Boston Federal Reserve President Eric S. Rosengren are among experts who join Ways and Means chairs Sen. Michael Rodrigues and Rep. Aaron Michlewitz for a virtual economic roundtable. Candidate for congress Ben Sigel holds a coronavirus virtual meeting. | |
| | HOW DOES THE ECONOMY RESTART? A Morning Money Virtual Interview: Join POLITICO chief economic correspondent and author of the Morning Money newsletter Ben White on Tuesday, April 7, at 9 a.m. EDT for an important interview with White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow to discuss what the Trump administration is doing to prevent a recession from turning into a depression and why Kudlow believes it is possible that the U.S. could really snap back to growth in the second half of the year. They'll also discuss what life is like in the White House during this time of crisis. REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| - "Following slight decline, health officials announce 1,337 new COVID-19 cases, 29 new deaths," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "The number of coronavirus-related deaths increased to 260, after health officials reported 29 new fatalities on Monday. Statewide, there are now 13,837 cases of the virus, according to the latest figures. Altogether, 76,429 COVID-19 tests have been carried out by state and commercial labs." - "What happens when lawmakers disagree?" By Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Massachusetts lawmakers are still trying to figure out how to legislate without gathering, in accordance with public health guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus. So far, lawmakers have been able to privately garner broad consensus to pass a number of coronavirus-related bills in lightly attended informal sessions, where unanimous support is required. But sooner or later there is bound to be a disagreement." | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| - "Statewide COVID-19 relief fund is launched with $13 million in donations," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker and First Lady Lauren Baker announced a new initiative on Monday, dubbed the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, to help people around the state whose lives have been disrupted by the pandemic. The fund is being launched with $13 million in gifts, mostly from philanthropists. Cofounders Lauren Baker and Joanna Jacobson hope to grow that number quickly." - "Do we still need transportation legislation?" by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "State lawmakers are starting over from scratch this week with the state budget, and many are wondering whether issues such as education and transportation that seemed so urgent just a month ago are still high priorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A big education funding package was signed into law earlier this year but now comes with a big price tag. Can the state still afford it?" - "Feds fall short on state's ventilator requests," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "The state has only received a fraction of the life-saving ventilators it sought from the federal government, leaving hospitals in the lurch as public health officials brace for an expected surge in COIVID-19 cases. Gov. Charlie Baker initially requested 1,700 ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile several weeks ago. The state has only received 100 to date, according to the Department of Public Health." - "Foreign-trained medical professionals waiting to help," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "A number of qualified foreign-trained health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, and respiratory specialists, are ready and waiting to help during the coronavirus crisis. But they're unable to jump in as providers because they are not licensed to practice in Massachusetts. Gov. Charlie Baker has acknowledged the need for reinforcements for frontline medical workers." - "DeLeo: Pandemic, Aftershocks Loom Over Budget," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "House Speaker Robert DeLeo won't even hazard a guess these days as to when or how his chamber might debate an annual budget for the state, let alone a climate change bill. But almost a month into the new reality of legislating from a safe distance, the Democrat said Monday he's not giving up on everything lawmakers thought they'd be working on this spring and summer before the coronavirus upended daily life." - "The coronavirus is expanding the safety net," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "The pandemic has exposed big holes in the country's social safety net, openings that millions of people are now falling through. With nearly 10 million people filing unemployment claims in the past two weeks alone, the federal government is mounting an unprecedented emergency expansion of that safety net for workers." | | FROM THE HUB |
| - "Marty Walsh, in the age of coronavirus, is decisive. But even he has doubts," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh recently visited his mother, Mary, in the triple-decker he grew up in on Taft Street in Dorchester to deliver a coffee. It was the third week of March, and he had a lot on his mind. He was facing the biggest crisis since he became mayor more than six years ago. The coronavirus caseload was climbing, and the emergency was forcing him to make one big decision after another, decisions that dramatically shut down everyday life in Boston as Walsh scrambled to mitigate the disease's deadly spread." - "Mass. Community Health Centers Furlough Staffers, Fear More To Come," by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "Many of the 52 Community Health Centers in Massachusetts are placing staff on furlough amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak. Health center leaders say this is the first round of layoffs — with more potentially to follow — as health centers struggle with a loss of revenue from check-ups, dental care, elective tests and procedures that have been postponed during the coronavirus pandemic." - "Boston Resiliency Fund distributes $3 million to groups providing essential services during the pandemic," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Officials behind the Boston Resiliency Fund, which was created last month to help local residents hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, announced Monday the distribution of another $3 million to support more than two dozen groups that are providing essential services during the crisis. The fund previously gave $5.4 million in grants to eight groups in late March. Since it was created on March 16, the fund has raised more than $22 million." - "Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center on lockdown after two inmates stabbed," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "The Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley was placed on lockdown Monday after a fight between three inmates left two stabbed and one of those two men hospitalized, state officials said Monday. The brawl in a general population housing unit involved a homemade weapon, the state Department of Correction said in an e-mail." - "Small businesses are struggling with the coronavirus and the federal loan process. 'It's a damn mess,' one Mass. co-owner said," by Janelle Nanos and Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: "Federal aid is slowly starting to flow to small businesses crushed by the COVID-19 crisis, but some company owners worry the bungled rollout of loan money will be too little and too late for them to survive. Business owners say they have been stymied by a litany of hurdles, including a last-minute change to terms of the Paycheck Protection Program." - "Travel Plunges 93% At Boston Logan Airport Amid Coronavirus Outbreak," by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: "As Massachusetts gears up for an expected surge in coronavirus cases, travel in and out of the state through Boston Logan Airport has plummeted. The number of airport passengers fell by 93% between March 19-23, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Massport data." - "Painters union to join walk off over coronavirus concerns," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "More building trades union members — fed up with Gov. Charlie Baker's refusal to order a statewide shutdown on construction and concerned about their safety as the coronavirus pandemic escalates — are walking off the job on Monday. The Painters and Allied Trades Union is directing its 4,000 members in Massachusetts and across New England to stop working following the close of business on Monday and ordering them not to return to work 'until it is safe to resume.'" - "State probe finds retired Boston school administrator owes city pension fund $67k," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "A retired Boston Public Schools headmaster violated state law by collecting the full amount of her pension while working for a public charter school and now owes the city more than $67,000, according to a state investigation released Monday. In many ways, Linda Nathan was effectively serving as a de facto leader of the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Dorchester." | | DAY IN COURT |
| - "Members sue Boston Sports Clubs over continued billing while gyms are closed," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "Members of Boston Sports Clubs on Monday filed a lawsuit against the fitness company, accusing it of breaking the law by continuing to collect monthly fees — even though the chain closed all its gyms in mid-March because of the coronavirus. By charging its members for services they can't receive, the company is showing 'unconscionable corporate avarice,' alleges the suit, filed Sunday in US District Court, against Boston Sports Club's New York-based parent company, Town Sports international Holdings." - "Sheriff rebuffs lawmakers on ICE detainees, denies 'outrageous' testing suggestion," by David Linton, Sun Chronicle: "Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson on Monday rejected demands by the state's congressional delegation to release U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at his facility. The sheriff also denied a suggestion he was avoiding testing ICE inmates for the coronavirus to avoid positive test results." - "'Run This City' docu-series raises concern with judge in Jasiel Correia trial," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "A documentary series and a magazine story on the political demise of former Mayor Jasiel Correia II have caught the attention of the federal judge presiding over Correia's pending criminal trial. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Woodcock is questioning whether the publicity could taint the jury for the trial, which has once again been delayed, this time from May to Sept. 14." | | WARREN REPORT |
| - "Obama touts Elizabeth Warren's coronavirus recovery proposals," by Caitlin Oprysko, POLITICO: "Former President Barack Obama on Monday offered high praise for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, endorsing the former presidential candidate's extensive framework for how to jump-start the economy once the coronavirus pandemic recedes." - "Elizabeth Warren has a plan for this, too," by Ezra Klein, Vox: "In January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the first presidential candidate to release a plan for combating coronavirus. In March, she released a second plan. Days later, with the scale of economic damage increasing, she released a third. Warren's proposals track the spread of the virus: from a problem happening elsewhere and demanding a surge in global health resources and domestic preparation to a pandemic happening here, demanding not just a public health response but an all-out effort to save the US economy." | | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| - "Amid coronavirus pandemic, black mistrust of medicine looms," by Aaron Morrison and Jay Reeves, Associated Press: "How the government and medical community responds to the crisis will be especially crucial for outcomes among black Americans, civil rights advocates and medical experts say. 'We are right to be paranoid and to ask tough questions,' said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts who joined other congressional leaders in asking the government to collect and release information about the race and ethnicity of people who are tested or treated for the virus that causes COVID-19." | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: "BRADY ICES BILL" "IMMUNITY QUEST," — Globe: "As toll climbs, Baker warns of crush of cases," "Behind the new mask protocol: a look at the latest guidance." | | FROM THE 413 |
| - "Holyoke Soldiers Home staff infected with COVID-19 increases to 31, additional veteran dies," by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: "One more veteran from the Holyoke Soldiers Home is believed to have died of the coronavirus overnight and the number of staff who have contracted the illness has nearly doubled according to state officials. Currently, a total of 22 residents at the home have died since the first veteran tested positive for COVID-19 on March 21." - "State offers support as coronavirus death toll rises at Williamstown Commons," by Amanda Drane, The Berkshire Eagle: " The coronavirus claimed several more lives at Williamstown Commons over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 10 and spurring leaders to action. Staff at the nursing home tested all residents at the facility Monday after a delivery of test kits on Sunday. State Rep. John Barrett III, who began raising alarms last week about the need for more widespread testing at the home, said Gov. Charlie Baker authorized that special delivery." - "Peak in Western Massachusetts cases may come in May, Springfield hospital officials say," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "Baystate Health President and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack and other officials donned protective masks Monday for the city's weekly coronavirus update, which included Keroack offering an estimate that Western Massachusetts may not see its peak in cases until weeks after the surge predicted by state and federal officials." - "Testing At The Big E, And Concern In Franklin County," NEPR: "There's a troubling spike in the death rate from COVID-19 in one western Massachusetts county, according to state data. Lawmakers in Franklin County wrote a letter to state officials expressing concern that the average death rate there — among people who have tested positive — is about 12%, compared to a statewide average of 1.8%. State Senator Jo Comerford said an older demographic in the county is not necessarily enough to explain the spike." | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| - "DCU Center field hospital will be ready to open by Thursday, Worcester says," by Kim Ring, Telegram & Gazette: " The first field hospital set up to deal with COVID-19 patients will be ready to open at the DCU Center by Thursday, officials said Sunday. That's about one week before a surge in the number of patients is expected to hit Central Massachusetts as the global pandemic continues. Sunday night's city press conference brought some harsh criticism of the president from U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, who said he's frustrated and angry that first responders don't have the equipment they need." - "Political Notes: 5th District candidates address shutdown hardships," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "The race to succeed state Rep. Randy Hunt, R-Sandwich, in the 5th Barnstable District is picking up steam during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Thomas Keyes, a Republican candidate and former Sandwich selectman, wants Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo to suspend legislative pay during April." REMEMBERING KAMARI WILLIAMS ... via Springfield Republican: "Kamari Williams, a high school basketball coach and son of state Rep. Bud L. Williams, has died. Williams, 36, who has been the basketball coach at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology since 2014, died Sunday of natural causes." Link. TRANSITIONS - Mary Markos joins NBC10 and NECN as a web producer, and Erin Tiernan will take over as the Boston Herald's state politics reporter. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Ricardo A. Sánchez, who celebrated Monday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to POLITICO's Daniel Lippman, who turns 3-0; Jeremiah Thompson, former Maine state director for Elizabeth Warren; and Joe Nigro, who turns 5-0. NEW EPISODE: SUFFOLK CLOWNS - On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray talk about the Massachusetts Democratic Convention, which the party will vote to cancel, and a coronavirus tracking poll of Massachusetts residents. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud or watch the Zoom video. 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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