GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday!
WARREN TALKS VEEPSTAKES — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a top Democratic vice presidential prospect, declined to respond Sunday to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s assertion that Joe Biden should choose a woman of color as his running mate.
Following weeks of activism across the country in response to police killings of Black people, including George Floyd in Minneapolis, Klobuchar said publicly that she had called Biden and urged him to choose a woman of color. In doing so, the Minnesota senator — a former presidential primary rival and fellow veepstakes contender — effectively took herself out of the pool of potential vice presidents. (Of course, in the wake of the Floyd killing, her past role as a tough-on-crime prosecutor in Minnesota had already complicated her chances of being chosen).
"I truly believe, as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket," Klobuchar said during an interview on MSNBC. The move was seen as a knock to Warren, a white woman still being considered.
Warren didn't directly address Klobuchar's comments during an interview on Sunday morning, instead saying the choice is up to Biden. The former vice president has said he hopes to announce a running mate by Aug. 1.
"Any decision is up to the vice president. Every woman being considered is extremely qualified and would be an asset for the vice president both in his campaign for the presidency and in the White House," Warren said during an interview on WCVB's "On the Record ."
When asked whether the right vice presidential pick could bolster Biden's chances winning the election, Warren stayed on message, saying again that it's Biden's choice.
"This decision is up to Joe Biden, but I think the choice in November is going to be stark," Warren said. "This is a time when America needs both competence but also needs a president with real empathy, and that's who Joe Biden is."
For the rest of the interview , Warren showed how she'd perform if chosen as Biden's running mate. She urged Democrats to remain focused on winning in November, slammed Trump and hit former Trump adviser John Bolton for his new book. The first issue Warren would like to lead on if Biden is elected, she said, is responding to the dual health and economic crises brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Rep. Ayanna Pressley and state Rep. Mike Connolly discuss housing stability and Covid-19. Rep. Joe Kennedy III speaks at the Alliance for Business Leadership “Progressive Power Hour.”
HAPPENING TODAY 9 a.m. EDT - "INSIDE THE RECOVERY," PART IV: CONGRESS DURING COVID-19: Join POLITICO Playbook co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for a special virtual program featuring congressional reporters Heather Caygle and Burgess Everett. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to report from inside the Capitol during a global pandemic, what legislation on police reform is gaining traction, and what to expect in the next coronavirus aid package. REGISTER HERE
 | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
– “Massachusetts health officials report 30 new coronavirus deaths Sunday, 125 new COVID-19 cases as second step of Phase 2 reopening plan begins Monday,” by Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: “Health officials in Massachusetts announced 30 new coronavirus deaths Sunday, bringing the statewide death toll to 7,858 since the pandemic began. Authorities also announced 125 new cases of COVID-19. The new cases include both confirmed and probable cases. As of Sunday, at least 107,061 people have had coronavirus in Massachusetts.”
| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
– “Amid defunding debate, Baker calls for something different: training bonuses for police,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Tucked into a sweeping police accountability bill Governor Charlie Baker released last week was a proposal that surprised even some law enforcement leaders: a system of one-time bonuses up to $5,000 for police officers who go beyond the state’s required training. Hailed by some as a sensible way to coax police into advanced coursework, the proposed language also is seemingly at odds with the demands of protesters, activists, and legislators now coursing through the halls of government.”
– “Massachusetts Restaurants May Resume Indoor Dining Monday,” WGBH News: “Governor Charlie Baker announced Friday that Massachusets restaurants will be able to resume indoor dining Monday as part of the next step of reopening the economy. Offices will also be allowed to bring more employees back Monday, though only up to 50% capacity, and Baker encouraged employers to allow people to continue to work from home as much as possible.”
– “Baker files interim state budget,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: “With the state’s finances in disarray and the COVID-19 pandemic making it extremely difficult to predict the next 12 months, Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday filed a $5.25 billion interim spending bill that would keep government running beyond June 30 through July. The new fiscal year is set to begin in less than two weeks, but neither the House nor the Senate have produced an annual spending proposal as they wait to gauge how severely the pandemic-caused recession will erode state tax revenues, and how slowly or quickly the economy might rebound.”
– “Report: COVID-19 hits blacks, Hispanics harder,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: A Baker administration advisory group released new data on Friday indicating the impact of COVID-19, including fatalities, is falling disproportionately on blacks and Hispanics. According to the data, blacks account for 7.2 percent of the state’s population but 14.4 percent of COVID-19 cases and 13.8 percent of hospitalizations.”
– “Coronavirus could cement telemedicine role,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Telehealth has been crucial to the state's coronavirus response and now a push is underway on Beacon Hill to make it a permanent part of the health care system. Gov. Charlie Baker expanded access to telehealth services through executive orders meant to help hospitals and health care providers respond to a surge in COVID-19 cases while continuing to care for patients' other medical needs.”
– “Despite positive trends, Baker stays course on tracing, testing,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Despite very positive news on the COVID-19 front, Gov. Charlie Baker said on Friday that he has no plans to stand down or curb his aggressive contact tracing effort or his plan to ramp up testing to roughly seven times the level it is at today. Baker said contact tracing and testing are key weapons in battling the coronavirus and made clear that he is worried about a rebound – he called it an ‘echo’ – of the virus in the fall.”
| FROM THE HUB |
– “Black men, clergy renew calls for racial justice, equality on Father’s Day,” by Lucas Phillips, Abigail Feldman, Gal Tziperman Lotan and John Hilliard Globe, Boston Globe: “In a march through Roxbury by a group of about 40 Black men and boys early Sunday afternoon, followed a little later by a separate prayer ceremony with nearly two dozen Black religious leaders outside the Franklin Park Zoo, participants said the city and the nation must address longstanding issues of inequality facing the Black community.”
– “A tale of two schools and the way they teach — or fail to teach — about racism,” by Jenna Russell and Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: “In Milton, where 70 percent of the middle school’s students are white, some teachers and families say they have long been frustrated by a deep resistance to acknowledging — and talking about — the persistence of racism in American culture and institutions. But just a few miles away at the McCormack Middle School in Boston, where close to 90 percent of students are Black or Latino, and at many other city schools, the subject is ingrained in curriculum and everyday conversation.”
– “Massachusetts parent group pushes Baker to get students back to school this fall,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “A parent group worried about worsening achievement gaps and increasing psychological strain on children forced out of schools by the coronavirus pandemic is pushing Gov. Charlie Baker and state education officials to bring students back into the classroom this fall. Bring Kids Back MA — a coalition of local parent groups — sent a letter to Baker on June 15 slamming virtual learning over the past few months.”
– “Demolition dust one more Chelsea burden,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The commentary in dust was a reflection of how put-upon many Chelsea residents feel. They are surrounded by industries that contaminate the community’s air, water, and land, and they suffer from elevated rates of asthma, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and cancer. During the coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea has had the highest rate of infection of any community in the state.”
– “Huge Mass. Pike project in Allston is due for a crucial update Monday,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “The biggest Boston highway project in a generation could veer in yet a new direction or even make a U-turn, after the latest plan to squeeze 12 lanes of traffic into a narrow strip of land along the Charles River in Allston has come under withering criticism. On Monday, state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack is expected to disclose the state’s latest thinking on the $1 billion-plus Massachusetts Turnpike Allston Interchange project.”
– “Walsh warns of ‘prolonged recession’ in Boston due to coronavirus,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Mayor Martin Walsh is warning that the “uncertainty and the unpredictability” of the coronavirus pandemic could result in prolonged financial woes for the city as he grapples with budget cuts and faces calls from activists and councilors to move police money toward social services. The public health crisis has already left the city in financial straits, with lost revenues forcing Walsh to cut upwards of $65 million from his $3.61 billion fiscal 2021 budget proposal.”
– “‘It’s like pulling teeth’: There’s still a PPE shortage — and a second wave could send medical workers into crisis mode,” by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: “Even as the rate of new coronavirus cases has ebbed across Massachusetts, medical workers say they still face shortages of gear to protect themselves, their families, and their patients. Many are taking matters into their own hands, while worrying that a second wave of infections, which some experts consider likely, would again send them into crisis mode.”
– “Extra year of high school effort takes root,” by Meghan E. Irons, Boston Globe: “As uncertainty looms over the reopening of universities, a new program is offering Boston’s graduating seniors a critical extra year of preparation before they dive in fully to college. The program — a partnership between an organization called Digital Ready, which connects low-income youth to high-tech opportunities, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology — will provide between 25 and 40 recent Boston public high school graduates a year of intensive training, including exposure to different careers, at no charge.”
| PRIMARY SOURCES |
– “Meet Ed Markey and Joe Kennedy, now more woke,” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “The killing late last month of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer sparked weeks of protest demanding systemic changes to law enforcement and other systems of power. It’s also led the two white men competing in Massachusetts’ Democratic Senate primary to recalibrate their campaigns, as they attempt to meet the moment and live up to progressive voters’ demands on issues of race and policing.”
| DAY IN COURT |
– “Local gym files lawsuit against Gov. Baker for COVID-19 closure,” by Aaron Curtis, The Lowell Sun: “While most people are celebrating July Fourth weekend, Gym World Inc. CEO David Dos Santos says he will be working to get the gyms he owns and operates ready for their tentative July 6 reopening date. Dos Santos said his gyms will be ready for customers at that time — including his Best Fitness locations in Lowell and Chelmsford — but he has doubts the reopening date will come to fruition.”
| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
– “‘I’m not a Black man that is going to be silent’: Boston Police Commissioner William Gross defends meeting with U.S. AG Barr,” by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: “Days after a meeting with U.S. Attorney General William Barr drew criticism from area politicians and public officials, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross defended the decision to meet with Barr and pose for a photo. In a discussion with a group of other Black men, hosted by Roxbury Community College and livestreamed online, Gross said he gave Barr ‘an earful’ about his feelings as a Black man, as well as what the Boston Police Department is doing, during their meeting Thursday.”
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
— Herald: “FALL PUSH," "MISSING THE MOMENT,” — Globe: “Baker calls for police training bonuses," "On the menu again: Indoor dining.”
| FROM THE 413 |
– “Coronavirus impact: With no students, small college towns like Amherst worry over future,” by The Associated Press and MassLive.com: “The quaint Massachusetts college town had to deal with the sudden loss of some 35,000 students from UMass Amherst and four other colleges in the area. By May, Amherst had a 32.6% unemployment rate, tied for second highest in the state, according to an analysis provided by the Pioneer Institute.”
– “Report on sexual abuse allegations against late Springfield Bishop Christopher Weldon could prove pivotal,” by Anne-Gerard Flynn, Springfield Republican: “A soon-to-be-released report nearly a year in the making could shed light on decades of sexual abuse by clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and forever change how one of its most influential bishops is viewed.”
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
– “Black Lives Matter sign sparks complaint, then support,” by Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times: “The removal Friday of a Black Lives Matter sign outside a dog boutique in Mashpee Commons sparked immediate reaction on social media. On June 3, Ashley Carr, owner of Hot Diggity, placed the sandwich-board type sign that read ‘Dogs Don’t Discriminate. Be Like Dogs! #BlackLivesMatter’ outside her store in the Mashpee Commons.”
– “T&G pushes release of withheld police records in Worcester,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “As city officials publicly decry systemic racism and talk reform in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, they continue to fight the Telegram & Gazette in court over the release of police disciplinary records, leading the newspaper this week to request an expedited resolution to the case.”
– “Brockton mayor signs police reform pledge, commits to dismantling systemic racism,” by Cody Shepard, The Enterprise: “The city’s mayor has committed to a nationwide pledge to examine and reform police policies with the goal of creating equality for all. Mayor Robert Sullivan has joined mayors throughout the United States in taking the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Mayor’s Pledge, which calls on mayors and City Council officials ‘to introduce common-sense limits on police use of force.’”
– “State ‘price-gouging’ out-of-state campers,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Covid-19 cancellation of all campground reservations at Massachusetts state parks and then the restart of the season July 1 isn’t sitting well with out-of-state visitors who had been planning vacations to Massachusetts for a long time. The state canceled all existing reservations for the entire summer on June 4 and announced that reservations for a smaller number of campsites could be made today for dates beginning on July 1. For out-of-state visitors, who made their original reservations months ago, the state’s approach is not only jeopardizing their vacations but costing them twice as much .”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is 71; Matt Sheaff and Brendan Concannon.
NEW EPISODE: MIRANDA RIGHTS – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray speak to state Rep. Liz Miranda about her new bill to create new guidelines for police. 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.
JOIN WEDNESDAY 1 p.m. EDT - THE SPEED OF SCIENCE POST-COVID-19: What does the future of science in a post-Covid-19 world look like? What lessons can we learn to accelerate medical research outside of the coronavirus? How can newly developed drugs and vaccines be distributed equitably? What can we do to minimize misinformation from flawed or inaccurate scientific studies published during a public health emergency? Join Patrick Steel, CEO of POLITICO, and Alexander Hardy, CEO of Genentech, for this critical and timely discussion. REGISTER HERE.
Follow us on Twitter
 |
Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour
|
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family
Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook
FOLLOW US
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.