GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
POST-PRIMARY, PROGRESSIVES EYE MASSACHUSETTS — After progressives made better-than-expected gains in Tuesday's Democratic primaries, should longtime members of the Massachusetts delegation be sweating over their primary challengers?
The big headline from Tuesday night was progressive educator Jamaal Bowman, who is expected to upset New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs committee, once all the ballots are counted. Also in New York, the race between progressive challenger Suraj Patel and House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney is too close to call as absentee ballots trickle in. In Kentucky, progressive state lawmaker Charles Booker has a real shot at beating well-financed fighter pilot Amy McGrath, a darling of the national party, for the right to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in November.
Dr. Robbie Goldstein, the infectious disease specialist and political newcomer challenging Rep. Stephen Lynch, sought to capitalize on the progressive victories on Wednesday. His campaign pointed to "momentum for the next insurgent campaign," meaning his primary in September. And Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, challenging House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal from the left, even went to New York to campaign alongside Bowman. Bowman in turn urged voters to support Morse in a video on Twitter, writing “Vote for this man!”
If all this sounds a little familiar, that’s because it is — Rep. Ayanna Pressley made history in 2018 when she toppled former Congressman Michael Capuano, just a few weeks after New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s stunning upset of former Rep. Joe Crowley. Because of the lateness of the Sept. 1 primary, it‘s not hard to imagine the left rallying around one of the insurgent candidacies, since it will be one of the last chances to take down an incumbent in a primary.
In New York and Kentucky, longshot progressive campaigns caught fire in the final stretch of the primary, so why not here?
While some of the dynamics are similar — Neal is a powerful committee chairman and Morse is backed by Justice Democrats, the progressive political action committee that backed Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman — it would be a steep, steep climb to victory. Both Neal and Lynch represent districts that are older and less diverse than the area where Pressley ousted Capuano, and Pressley had both a record in Boston politics as a city councilor, and a strong political organization.
Plus, it’s always tough to beat incumbents who are well-liked at home and have lots of cash in the bank. Neal had $4.5 million in his war chest at the end of the last FEC filing period, while Morse had only $140,000. And Neal is already using some of that money to talk to voters. He spent $1,000 on Facebook ads this week and is already running ads on television, while Morse is dark on both advertising platforms. For his part, Lynch had $1.5 million in the bank at the end of the filing period, while Goldstein only had $36,000.
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TODAY — Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a virtual discussion with board members of Community Teamwork Inc. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a virtual briefing on the hidden costs of college education with the nonprofit uAspire.
TODAY AT 9 a.m. EDT - "A WORLD TRANSFORMED,” PART IV: Low income workers across the globe have been hit hardest by the coronavirus-induced economic crisis. What are trade unions doing in response? What impact will the climate movement and racial equality protests have on the future of trade unions? Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath for a virtual interview with Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation. Burrow will detail what she believes needs to be done to combat the inequalities caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and why she supports protests against companies like Amazon. REGISTER HERE TO JOIN.
 | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
– Mass. reports 172 new coronavirus cases, 48 new deaths; key metrics remain low relative to springtime surge,” by Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: “State officials reported Wednesday that the coronavirus death toll in Massachusetts had risen by 48 to 7,938 and that the number of people testing positive for the virus had climbed by 172 to 107,611, as key metrics monitored by the state lingered at low levels relative to the springtime surge.”
| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
– “Independent report on Holyoke Soldiers’ Home COVID-19 crisis paints early decisions by Superintendent Bennett Walsh as ‘a catastrophe,’” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “A long-awaited independent report probing the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home paints early decisions by suspended Superintendent Bennett Walsh as ‘catastrophic,’ resulting in ‘pandemonium’ after a decision was made to combine two locked dementia units, cramming actively dying veterans next to those who were not yet sick.”
– “Walsh is fall guy, but it goes way beyond him,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “In his 174-page report on the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Mark Pearlstein and his team paint a portrait of a long-term care facility for veterans that was managed poorly, overseen improperly, and largely overlooked by the higher-ups in state government, up to and including Gov. Charlie Baker. Bennett Walsh, the former superintendent, is likely going to take the fall for most of what went wrong at the Soldiers’ Home, including the deaths of 76 veterans. But in many respects he is emblematic of a system in state government that often rewards people not for the skills they bring to a job but where they come from.”
– “After Holyoke Soldiers’ Home report shows oversight failures, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker defends HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Gov. Charlie Baker said his administration failed to oversee the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home leadership, including ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary Francisco Urena, but he defended top health officials who had some knowledge of the coronavirus outbreak that would eventually kill dozens of veteran residents.”
– “Attorney for Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh claps back at report skewering his leadership during COVID-19 crisis,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “An attorney for ousted Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh clapped back at a newly released report that was sharply critical of Walsh’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis at the long-term care facility.”
– “Calls for reform grow after report into Holyoke Soldiers’ Home coronavirus outbreak,” by Lisa Kashinsky and Meghan Ottolini, Boston Herald: “Advocates, lawmakers and relatives of loved ones lost to the devastating coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home are pushing the Baker administration for major reforms and are calling for further investigations after the release of a harrowing report on the facility’s failures to sufficiently respond to the crisis.”
– “Lawmakers want to freeze estate seizures,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Massachusetts is among a handful of states that can seize a Medicaid recipient's home or assets when they die to pay for outstanding medical bills. Advocates for the elderly and poor say ‘estate recovery,’ which is overseen by MassHealth, has continued during the pandemic despite a ban on foreclosures and evictions, and even though courts are closed to the public.”
– “State guidelines for schools: masks, meals in classrooms, no temperature checks,” by James Vaznis and Meghan E. Irons, Boston Globe: “When schools across Massachusetts reopen this fall, it will be unlike the start of any other academic year: Students, starting in the second grade, and all adults will need to wear masks; desks will likely face forward, ideally 6 feet apart but not less than 3 feet; and students will likely eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms, according to state guidelines obtained by the Globe Wednesday.”
– “State Ethics Commission finds reasonable cause to believe DA Joseph Early and former state police colonel violated conflict of interest law in Alli Bibaud arrest report scandal,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division has alleged that Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. and Former State Police Col. Richard McKeon, among other officials, violated conflict of interest law when handling the arrest report involving a judge’s daughter.”
| FROM THE HUB |
– “Boston City Council passes budget in tight vote,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The Boston City Council passed Mayor Marty Walsh’s annual budget on Wednesday in an unusually tight and emotional vote as councilors weighed continued pushes for police reform, the coronavirus crisis and potentially looming layoffs. The council passed Walsh’s operating budget by an 8-5 vote, with councilors Frank Baker, Kenzie Bok, Liz Breadon, Lydia Edwards, Annissa Essaibi-George, Michael Flaherty, Ed Flynn and Matt O’Malley voting to pass the budget, and City Council President Kim Janey and councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Andrea Campbell, Julia Mejia and Michelle Wu against it.”
– “‘The avatar of cop violence in Boston’: Police captain routinely crosses line, activists say,” by Dugan Arnett, Adam Vaccaro and Steve Annear, Boston Globe: “Outside of Boston’s police commissioner, there may be no officer more widely recognized than Captain John ‘Jack’ Danilecki. A presence on the front lines of recent city protests, Danilecki and his actions have been captured, frame by frame, in videos and photos posted across the Internet. In one, he knocks a seemingly peaceful protester to the ground. In another, he appears to rip apart a protester’s sign following a march against police brutality. And in multiple cases, he can be seen utilizing the pepper spray that serves as the inspiration for his nickname: Pepper Jack.”
– “Boston University Gives Student Workers A Choice: Come Back To Campus Or Lose Your Health Insurance And Salary,” by Tori Bedford, WGBH News: “Doctoral students at Boston University could be forced to take a leave of absence and lose their health insurance if they do not comply with new guidelines requiring them to return to campus in the fall. The guidelines, announced on Friday, mandate that ‘continuing students with teaching service appointments for fall 2020 who are unable to return to Boston University by September 1 should be expected to take a leave of absence,’ according to a memo released last week.”
– “Mayor Walsh launches fund to address racial inequity,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “Mayor Martin J. Walsh plans to unveil a new city-led initiative on Thursday aimed at raising tens of millions of dollars to address racial inequities in Boston amid a national uprising against police violence and systemic discrimination. The new initiative would be similar to the city-led Boston Resiliency Fund, which has raised more than $32 million for COVID-19 relief efforts, but could become even larger.”
– “Boston approves ban on facial surveillance tech,” by Lucia Maffei, Boston Business Journal: “The Boston City Council voted unanimously to pass a ban on the government's use of facial surveillance technology in the city, becoming the second large U.S. city — and the first on the East Coast — to do so. City Councilors Michelle Wu and Ricardo Arroyo proposed the ordinance, which went to a vote shortly before 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday.”
– “City officials to do random inspections in North End after numerous complaints about outdoor dining,” by Steve Annear and Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: “Following dozens of complaints about safety violations, the city will begin random inspections of new al fresco dining spaces set up in the North End to accommodate the return of customers after months of coronavirus closures. The city’s Licensing Board issued the warning in an emergency online meeting Wednesday.”
– “BPDA chief demands Faneuil Hall Marketplace operator defer tenants’ rent,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “Boston’s top planning official issued a list of demands to the operator of Faneuil Hall Marketplace on Wednesday, insisting the firm allow struggling small businesses more time to catch up on rent and outdoor seating for diners as shops reopen from pandemic-related closures.”
| PRIMARY SOURCES |
– “Background, residence at issue in Somerville race for open House seat,” by Zack Huffman, DigBoston: “Close watchers of state politics expected the race to fill the vacancy left by retiring state Rep. Denise Provost to be hotly contested. The well-liked Somerville representative has held her seat in the 27th Middlesex District since 2006, and it seemed likely that several hopefuls would enter the contest for what could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
| DAY IN COURT |
– “Massachusetts state courts to reopen in July for limited purposes, most matters will still be handled virtually during coronavirus pandemic,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “State courts in Massachusetts will reopen for some purposes next month, according to an updated order issued Wednesday by the Supreme Judicial Court, after months of holding matters virtually during the coronavirus pandemic.”
| THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
– “Ayanna Pressley weighs in on Marty Walsh’s proposal to reallocate police funds,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Rep. Ayanna Pressley says that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s proposal to reallocate $12 million from the local police overtime budget toward social services is a step in the right direction — but only a step. ‘We’re making progress, but given the depth of the hurt, it is a drop in the bucket,’ the Massachusetts congresswoman said during an appearance Tuesday night on WGBH’s Greater Boston.”
| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
– “Trump signs memo to aid US lobster industry,” Associated Press: “President Donald Trump is directing the Department of Agriculture to provide U.S. lobster fishermen with financial assistance to make up for lost income from Chinese tariffs. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Trump signed a memorandum Wednesday calling on the agency to make available to the lobster industry subsidies like those given to soybean and other agricultural growers.”
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
— Herald: “TENSE TIMES," "TOTAL PANDEMONIUM,” — Globe: “A captain at the crossroads with activists," "Report slams handling of outbreak at Soldiers' Home.”
| FROM THE 413 |
– “Springfield Diocese will institute series of reforms after sexual abuse claims against the late Bishop Christopher Weldon deemed credible,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “Bishop Christopher Weldon’s name will be removed from Mercy Medical Center’s rehabilitation center, all honorable references, memorials and photographs of him will be removed from Catholic properties and his remains buried at the entrance of the Gate of Heaven Cemetery will be exhumed and moved to a less prominent location in the cemetery and his grave marked with an ordinary size stone.”
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
– “Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera calls for Christopher Columbus statue at Union Station to be removed,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “Days after it was vandalized with red paint, Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera is calling for a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the historic Union Station to be removed.”
– “City budget to include $254K increase for police; reconsideration effort falls short,” by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: “City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.’s $721.8 million fiscal 2021 municipal budget recommendation is about to go into effect without a vote of the City Council. An attempt to call a special meeting of the City Council to take up the budget fell short of the signatures that were required, according to City Clerk Nikolin Vangjeli.”
– “Council backs citizens advisory panel for police,” by Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: “Should the Police Department create a Citizens Advisory Committee? City councilors say go right ahead. In an 8-0 vote on Tuesday, councilors supported a motion instructing the law department to draft an ordinance. This ordinance would establish a board of residents to provide input and recommendations to the Lowell Police Department.”
– “Hispanic/Latino community account for nearly half of New Bedford coronavirus cases,” by Kiernan Dunlop, South Coast Today: “The city of New Bedford began releasing the ethnic and racial breakdown of its COVID-19 cases this month and like the rest of the country, minorities disproportionately account for the majority of cases, but that majority lies in the Hispanic and Latino communities in the city rather than the Black community.”
– “Salem police officer demoted over tweet,” by Julie Manganis, The Salem News: “The Salem police captain who used the department's official Twitter account to post a comment comparing protests over the killing of George Floyd to dining out has been demoted two ranks, to sergeant, among several disciplinary measures announced Wednesday. Kate Stephens also wrote a letter of apology to the community, which Salem police Chief Mary Butler released Wednesday morning.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Eddie Rupia, Avital Mintz-Morgenthau and Jeremy Bearer-Friend.
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