POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Warren, Markey slam ‘EXTREMIST’ court pick — How the PANDEMIC hit SENIORS — ROLLINS releases POLICE list

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! ALL ABOUT TRUMP — There are only 35 days until the November election, and October is just around the corner. Expect President Donald Trump and the presidential election to dominate the news cycle this week. The New York Times just published an in-depth investigation into the president's taxes, and Trump will meet Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the debate stage for the first time tomorrow. And now that the president has announced his pick to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg over the weekend, an historic confirmation battle is heating up in Washington. Senate Republicans say they have the votes to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, while Democrats are considering ways to disrupt and delay the process. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey, who will be in the chamber for the confirmation fight, hammered Barrett as an "extremist" when she was revealed as Trump's pick. "The awesome power of the presidency is in the hands of a man who spits on our Constitution. We cannot stand down when Donald Trump tries to hand our highest court – and the rights and liberties of the American people – over to extremists," Warren said in a tweet. And Markey is taking it a step further, pledging to pack the Supreme Court if Barrett is confirmed. Markey's push to add justices to the court has frustrated the Biden campaign, according to the Washington Post, because the former vice president has sought to avoid the topic. "President Trump has selected a far-right, extremist judge, whose vote on the Supreme Court will put at risk the fundamental rights sacred to our democracy," Markey said in a statement to reporters. "If the Senate Republicans confirm Judge Barrett, Democrats must move to end the filibuster and expand the Court in the next Congress.” On the other side of the aisle, the Massachusetts Republican Party told its members "we need to fill this seat" in a recent fundraising email. But GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, often at odds with both the president and the state party, said earlier this month that the seat should remain open until after the election in November. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Rep. Lori Trahan and state Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik celebrate federal grant funding for the Gardner Fire Department. Rep. Jim McGovern and state Rep. Joseph McKenna announce federal funding for the Webster Fire Department.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– “Massachusetts reports 594 new COVID cases, 13 more deaths Sunday, a day before state eases restaurant restrictions,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “A day before the state eases COVID-19 mitigation efforts at restaurants, Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday reported another 594 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13 more deaths linked to the virus. At least 128,426 Massachusetts residents have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state Department of Public Health.” – RELATED: “State public health officials monitoring as cases of COVID-19 increase,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “As Massachusetts reported new deaths and new cases of the coronavirus Saturday, officials are monitoring an increase in cases that a state spokesman has attributed in part to more testing being done by colleges and universities. That rise in cases raised concerns Saturday among some public health experts, amid efforts to reopen schools, restart businesses, and loosen limits on daily life imposed during the early days of the pandemic, and as state officials move to ease limits on indoor dining at restaurants starting Monday.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– “A Home To Die In,” by Robert Weisman, Liz Kowalczyk, Todd Wallack, Rebecca Ostriker, Mark Arsenault, and editor Patricia Wen, Boston Globe: “They were the most vulnerable to COVID — thousands of elders in nursing homes across the state. Yet for the Baker administration, praised for its overall pandemic response, they were for too long a secondary priority. The result was calamity — 1 in 7 dead, among the highest rates in the land.” – “Governor Baker and his staff continue to withhold key pandemic data,” by Todd Wallack, Boston Globe: “Governor Charlie Baker’s administration continues to withhold key details about COVID-19 cases and deaths at many nursing homes and other senior-care facilities, despite Baker signing a law three months ago that requires greater disclosure about infections at the institutions. The law specifically orders the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to issue a daily report with the number of cases and deaths for staff and residents at nursing homes, assisted living centers, and other health care and housing facilities catering to the elderly.” – “Suffolk DA Releases List of 136 Police Officers With Credibility Issues,” by Walter Wuthmann and Ally Jarmanning, WBUR: “The names of 136 law enforcement officers appear on a list of potential prosecutorial witnesses with credibility issues assembled by Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office. Rollins released the list — comprised mostly of officers from the Boston Police Department and State Police — late Friday night. In a statement, the DA's office referred to it as the ‘Law Enforcement Automatic Discovery’ database and said 115 names have been added to it in the last year.” – “Black leaders call on legislature to pass police reform bill,” by Andrew Stanton, Boston Globe: “Black leaders from across Massachusetts renewed calls Sunday for the state Legislature to pass a police reform bill, hosting an online rally to draw attention to a list of desired changes. In a letter sent to state lawmakers, community leaders, clergy, and civil rights organizations outlined several measures intended to curb racism among police departments, including the implementation of statewide standards and training for officers, limits on police use of force, and a civil service exam commission.”

FROM THE HUB

– “'Protect Us While We're Here': Protesters In Boston Demand Police Reform At Rally For Breonna Taylor,” by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: “A grand jury decision not to charge the officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor resonated from Louisville, Kentucky to Boston on Friday night, as hundreds of people gathered in the streets in protest. Protesters in Nubian Square characterized the killing of Taylor as a metric for society.” – “After a slow start, Boston racial equity fund will begin fund-raising,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of Boston in March, Mayor Martin J. Walsh rallied the city’s corporate community to raise millions of dollars within days to help needy families weather the coming storm. But three months have passed since the mayor’s launch of a separate initiative, the Boston Racial Equity Fund, and the dialing for dollars hasn’t even begun.” – “Early Trial Results Show Promise For Johnson & Johnson And Beth Israel Vaccine,” by Angus Chen, WBUR: “Researchers have reported hopeful results from an early clinical trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by a team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Johnson & Johnson. The company announced earlier this week it has moved forward to field test what could be the first single-shot vaccine for the virus in a third and final phase clinical trial.” – “Black Boston leaders call for more coronavirus testing amid uptick in cases,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “A group of Black leaders are urging Boston officials to boost coronavirus testing and tracing for the city’s Black community as cases start to tick up in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. The Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition says the city has not done enough for the Black community after a massive social gathering weeks ago.”

ALL ABOARD

– “Regional Transit Authorities Are Struggling. But There May Be A Silver Lining,” by Bob Seay, GBH News: “Just like its more well-known cousin, the MBTA, Massachusetts Regional Transit Authorities are suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state's 15 RTAs, as they're known, use buses and vans to provide transportation to tens of millions of riders across Massachusetts, from the Berkshires to Martha's Vineyard. Ridership has drastically declined, and many regional transit authorities suspended fare collection as the pandemic began.” – “Plymouth & Brockton bus line defends holding on to federal pandemic loan,” by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: “Billions of dollars were injected into businesses earlier this year through the federal Paycheck Protection Program — a program administered by the Small Business Administration as a forgivable loan ‘designed to provide a direct incentive for a small business to keep their workers on the payroll.’ But not everyone is using it that way.” – “The federal government rejected funding for a major Blue Hill Avenue bus project. Now what?” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “In an era of massive budget deficits, Boston and state officials are scrambling to find money to build one of the most ambitious bus projects in the region after the federal government earlier this month declined to pay half the cost. The $30 million project is expected to improve service for thousands of bus riders, most of whom are people of color, by replacing the center-running median with two two bus-only lanes on a congested three-mile stretch of Blue Hill Avenue that runs through the heart of Boston’s Black community and is heavily used by commuters.”

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

– “Voting groups push for more ballot drop boxes,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Voting rights advocates are urging cities and towns to install more drop boxes to collect vote-by-mail ballots sent ahead of the November election, and the state's top election official is pledging to pick up the tab. Election officials predict a record turnout for the Nov. 3 election, when Massachusetts voters will pick a president and U.S. Senator amid a host of other races. They're also bracing for a crush of ballots cast by mail amid concerns about spread of COVID-19.”

DAY IN COURT

– “Superintendent, medical director face criminal charges in deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Soldiers’ Home,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The superintendent and former medical director of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke have been indicted on criminal charges in connection with their roles during a deadly COVID-19 outbreak that swept through the facility earlier this year. Attorney General Maura Healey announced Friday morning that a grand jury had returned indictments against suspended superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director Dr. David Clinton.”

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TRUMPACHUSETTS

– “After Trump RINO Tweet, Baker Stands By Mass. Mail Voting,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “Gov. Charlie Baker is defending the state's system for voting by mail after President Donald Trump called the governor out by name for criticizing his position on mail-in balloting. ‘The Baker-Polito Administration has complete confidence in Massachusetts' mail in voting system that worked as designed in the recent primary elections, and the Governor stands by his statements,’ Baker communications director Lizzy Guyton wrote in a statement Friday morning.” – “Federal prosecutor in Massachusetts criticizes Barr in letter,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “In a rare public rebuke of Attorney General William P. Barr by a current Department of Justice employee, a federal prosecutor in Boston wrote that the nation’s chief law enforcement officer ‘has brought shame’ to the agency.”

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

– “Massachusetts health care system reports uptick in children becoming sick from THC-laced edibles,” by Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: “A Massachusetts health care system said it is seeing an uptick in children becoming sick after ingesting candies, chocolates and gummies containing THC. South Shore Health, located in Weymouth, said the many of the THC-laced edibles are packaged to look like brand name candies and snacks.”

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: “TESTING EQUALITY," "PATS ROLL ON,” — Globe: “Racial equity fund gets off to a slow start," "Trump pays little in federal income tax.”

FROM THE 413

– “UMass officials: Cluster of 13 students test positive for COVID-19,” by Michael Connors, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The University of Massachusetts has identified a cluster of 13 students living off campus who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement made by the school Friday. ‘All are known to have socialized together, and a number of them attended a party together,’ reads a statement from the university.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– “School officials concerned after Milton residents report large party with high school-aged crowd,” by WCVB: “Another large party involving high school-age students is threatening to derail a school district’s plans to keep kids in class part-time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses in Milton reported seeing 50 to 100 kids partying Friday night in a neighborhood on the Milton-Quincy line, near Presidents Golf Course.” – “Massachusetts Residents Gone Fishing During Pandemic,” by Esteban Bustillos, GBH News: “Over the past few months, as people have been stuck at home because of strict restrictions on gatherings in Massachusetts, they’ve looked for new hobbies that could still be done safely. One activity that’s fit that mold perfectly? Fishing. Outdoors, usually done alone or in small groups, and something that can fill plenty of time, fishing may have been the hot trend of the summer.” – “COVID takes bite out of idle DCU Center as deficit climbs,” by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: “Unable to host any events since mid-March because of COVID-19, the city-owned DCU Center is on a track to rack up a $915,000 deficit through the end of December, according to city officials. They said that budget deficit will continue to grow if the state does not reach Phase 4 of its reopening plan by then.” – “Rest stops in disrepair,” by Alana Melanson, The Lowell Sun: “On a Tuesday afternoon, cars, trucks and RVs crowd the rest stops on both sides of Interstate 495. Many are out-of-staters passing through on longer journeys, personal and professional. Several drivers park and walk up to the cinder block buildings only to find them closed, and then they see the row of portable toilets. Save for some vending machines, these are the only available facilities for weary travelers.” – “ Can we still go trick-or-treating this year? Local communities are creating new events for Halloween 2020, while saying take precautions if trick-or-treating.” by Lauren Young, MetroWest Daily News: “It’s been a scary year, and we’re one month away from the year’s scariest holiday - Halloween. Still, many are wondering if they’ll be trick-or-treating this year in their community or if it’ll be a ghost town due to an even scarier fear of spreading the coronavirus.” MEDIA MATTERS – “Nestor Ramos, recently promoted at the Globe, leaves for The New York Times,” by Dan Kennedy, Media Nation: “Nestor Ramos, only recently promoted to the masthead at The Boston Globe, is leaving to become an assistant editor on The New York Times’ metro desk. He’ll begin next month, according to a press release from the Times. In late August, Ramos was named the Globe’s senior assistant managing editor for local news.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Matt Corridoni, Ryan Migeed, Kevin Ready, filmmaker Nadia Szold (h/t proud brother Daniel Lippman); Molly Crosby of Planned Parenthood; Simon Winchester , who turns 76; Calley Means and Stephanie Blumenthal. NEW EPISODE: YES WE CAMPBELL – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela discuss Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell’s entrance into the 2021 mayoral race, and Rebecca Hart Holder of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts talks about the Supreme Court and the ROE Act. 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? 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