| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | Presented by Noom | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. BAKER 'CANNOT SUPPORT' TRUMP — Donald Trump can't count on a vote from GOP Gov. Charlie Baker on Nov. 3. That may not come as a surprise to anyone in Massachusetts, but the public knock on the president made a bit of national news yesterday. Baker said he "cannot support" the president's reelection in a statement after being pressed on the issue during a press conference, delivering a punch to the leader of his own party. "The governor cannot support Donald Trump for president and is focused on seeing Massachusetts through the pandemic," Baker said through spokesperson Lizzy Guyton. "He'll leave the election analysis to the pundits." That's not exactly a shock. The governor has spent four years holding the president at arm's length and has ramped up his criticism of Trump during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly after the president declined to say whether he'd agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. Baker did hold a public talk on the coronavirus with Vice President Mike Pence when he visited Nantucket for a Trump campaign fundraiser, though Baker says he did not attend the fundraiser. Baker's statement caught some national attention — his comments were covered twice on CNN's evening shows last night. But what may have raised more eyebrows is if Baker went the next step and pledged to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Declining to choose a presidential candidate would be a repeat of 2016, when Baker said he did not vote for Trump or then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Asked whether he plans to cast a vote in the presidential race this year, Baker said "we'll see." Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hold town halls on separate TV networks. Today is the last day to complete the U.S. Census. Rep. Seth Moulton announces the recipient of the Peter J. Gomes Service Award during a virtual ceremony. One Fair Wage releases a white paper and hosts a virtual town hall with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, state Sens. Patricia Jehlen and Sonia Chang-Díaz, and state Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Maria Robinson. Former congressional candidate Jesse Mermell discusses ranked-choice voting as part of a ballot initiative conversation hosted by the Harvard Institute of Politics and Harvard Votes Challenge. ELECTIONLAND: POLITICO is partnering with Electionland, a ProPublica project that works with newsrooms to track voting issues around the country. The Electionland project covers problems that prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots during the 2020 elections. We’re part of a coalition of newsrooms around the country that are investigating issues related to voter registration, pandemic-related changes to voting, the shift to vote-by-mail, cybersecurity, voter education, misinformation, and more. Tell us here if you’re having trouble voting. | |
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| | JOIN US FOR POLITICO'S AI SUMMIT: There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is changing the world we live in and how we live in it and the coronavirus pandemic has served as a testing ground for AI’s potential. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Oct. 15 as it virtually convenes its Third AI Summit in the U.S., bringing together policymakers, federal officials, technologists, private-sector executives, scientists and advocates to explore the future of AI as the world tries to recover from the pandemic and as the U.S. faces social unrest and a presidential election. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “New Massachusetts COVID cases went up 83% last week compared to three weeks prior; state reports 518 new cases today,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 518 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the statewide count to 138,083. That’s based on 13,057 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health .” – “63 Massachusetts communities are now considered ‘high risk’ for COVID spread,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “There are now 63 Massachusetts communities considered ‘high risk‘ for coronavirus transmission. Last week, the state reported 40 communities in that category.“ | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Baker budget plan would boost health spending and avoid draconian cuts, administration says,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Facing a multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday unveiled a budget plan nearly four months into the fiscal year that could lean on $1.35 billion from the state’s emergency savings and actually increases rather than slices the amount the state would spend amid the pandemic. The governor’s proposal, which would need legislative approval, sets the stage for what will be compressed and likely painful deliberations with the Legislature over the state’s finances in the coming weeks.” – “Danvers man who broke into Governor Baker’s home claimed he had permission to visit,” by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: “The Danvers man charged with breaking into Governor Charlie Baker’s house while his wife and daughter were inside at home claimed in court last week that he knew the governor personally and had his permission to stop by his Swampscott residence. Lane A. Forman, 59, was arraigned Oct. 8 in Lynn District Court where he pleaded not guilty to a single count of breaking and entering to commit a misdemeanor. Bail was set at $5,000, according to court records.” – “Mass. officials say census count will be flawed by early end,” by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts officials warned Wednesday that a Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to halt the census count early could result in a botched final tally, even as federal officials asserted that the vast majority of households in the state had already been counted. The disagreement underscored the high stakes of the most logistically challenging and politically contentious count in recent memory.” – “Massachusetts State Police consolidate two internal investigations units into new office overseeing complaints against officers,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts State Police on Tuesday announced it has consolidated two internal investigations units into one new office in charge of reviewing complaints against officers. The new Office of Professional Integrity and Accountability, formerly made of the Internal Affairs and Staff Inspection units, will be staffed with more officers overseeing internal investigations into complaints — who also conduct so-called barracks inspections — to ensure that department policies are being followed, state police said.” – “Budget watchdog warns reliance on rainy day fund to balance $45.5B budget could set state up for fiscal storm,” Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “A reimagined $45.5 billion spending plan that relies heavily on the state’s rainy-day fund to balance the state budget in an era of freefalling tax revenues could be setting the state finances up for a ‘challenging’ fiscal storm in the future, budget watchdogs warned.” – “Protesters Call for Eviction Moratorium Extension Outside Baker's Home as Governor Responds to Break-in,” by Kathryn Sotnik, NBC10: “Dozens of protesters made their voices heard on Massachusetts' eviction moratorium Wednesday evening outside Gov. Charlie Baker's home, despite heightened security since it was broken into last week. The protesters gathered both outside the governor's Swampscott home and nearby to call on Baker to extend the moratorium on evictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “ActBlue’s stunning third quarter: $1.5 billion in donations,” by Elena Schneider, POLITICO: “Democratic candidates and left-leaning groups raised $1.5 billion through ActBlue over the last three months — a record-smashing total that reveals the overwhelming financial power small-dollar donors have unleashed up and down the ballot ahead of the 2020 election .” – “Judge Rules In-Person Learning Can Continue In Boston Public Schools, Despite Rising Coronavirus Rates,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “A Superior Court judge has ruled that Boston Public Schools can continue in-person teaching, despite rising rates of coronavirus in the city. Late last week, the Boston Teachers Union asked for an injunction, noting that the positivity rate on all of the city's coronavirus tests was then above the agreed-upon weekly threshold of 4% .” – “Businesses face rising labor costs,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “From a minimum wage increase to rising health care and unemployment insurance, a ‘perfect storm’ of higher labor costs could force some storefronts to go dark and slow the state's economic recovery, business leaders warn. Beginning Jan. 1, the state's minimum wage rises to $13.50 per hour. In addition, a new paid leave law goes into effect, and small businesses will face an average 8% increase in health insurance premiums.” – “Despite Eviction Ban, Some Landlords Pressure Tenants To Leave Amid Pandemic,” by Beth Healy and Simón Rios, WBUR: “Unofficial eviction tactics like these have ratcheted up amid the pandemic, especially in communities home to immigrant workers and Spanish speakers, according to housing advocates and tenants. The state's moratorium was supposed to prohibit any attempt to evict people during the six-month period that ends this Saturday. But WBUR found some landlords, frustrated because renters couldn’t pay, have been pressuring tenants to leave.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “Baker to MBTA riders: Get back on board,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker, who is apparently becoming a regular Blue Line commuter, said the MBTA is perfectly safe and urged his fellow riders to get back on board. ‘I’ve ridden the T since the pandemic and I believe it’s safe,’ he said at a State House press conference. ‘There’s plenty of distance.’ The MBTA has seen its fare revenue plunge as ridership across the system has tanked during the pandemic. Baker, talking now with the experience of someone who rides the T, encouraged people to start riding it more.” | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL |
| – “Mass. ballot envelopes land on Derry counter,” by Genevieve DiNatale, Eagle-Tribune: “A box of about 500 Massachusetts mail-in ballot envelopes without a return or sender's address recently landed on the counter at Derry Plumbing & Heating, according to owner David Benedict. The envelopes, used for mailing Massachusetts absentee ballots, had the abbreviation ‘MA’ or the word Massachusetts typed into the address box designated for the ‘city or Town Clerk or Election Commissioners.’” | | ON THE STUMP |
| – “Tracy Lovvorn challenges Worcester congressman James McGovern again,” by Brian Lee, Telegram & Gazette: “Tracy Lovvorn, a Republican from Grafton, is making a second attempt at ending the lengthy congressional tenure of U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester. The two candidates in the Nov. 3 election are studies in contrast. Lovvorn, 48, has no previous political experience, while McGovern, 60, was first elected in 1996 and is now chairman of the powerful Committee on House Rules, which influences the introduction and process of legislation through the House.”
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| | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Courts gear up for eviction crush,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “In preparation for an influx of eviction cases when the statewide moratorium ends this weekend, housing courts across Massachusetts are gearing up to make the process more accessible with translators, special days set aside for people who speak different languages, and in some courts, computer setups for people who can’t Zoom from home.” – “Galvin settles lawsuit over voting access for people with disabilities,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Secretary of State William Galvin has settled a lawsuit filed by disability rights groups in a way that will make it easier for voters with disabilities to request an electronic ballot so they can vote at home on their computer in the November election.” – “Healey, 4 Mass. DAs Pledge To Decline Abortion-Related Prosecutions If Roe Is Weakened,” WBUR: “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and four of the state's district attorneys joined more than 60 prosecutors nationwide in pledging to decline prosecuting abortion-related cases if Roe v. Wade is overturned or eroded. The pledge was made in a letter released Wednesday by Fair and Just Prosecution, a network of reform-minded prosecutors.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Elizabeth Warren attacks Disney for layoffs. Disney says she’s ‘misinformed,’” by Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sharply attacked Walt Disney Co. over its plans to lay off 28,000 workers, accusing the company of prioritizing executive pay and shareholder interests over the needs of rank-and-file employees. The senior Massachusetts senator and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination sent a letter Wednesday to Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and Chief Executive Bob Chapek, challenging the company’s decision to cut staff in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.” | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| – “Police investigate candidate’s assault claim at New Bedford Trump rally,” by Tim Dunn, SouthCoast Today: “A scuffle in a strip mall parking lot near a Monday night demonstration in the city for President Trump has led to a congressional candidate claiming she was assaulted by two women. Rayla Campbell, a Republican candidate in the 7th Congressional District running against incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep Ayanna Pressley, has filed a complaint with New Bedford Police saying she was assaulted by two women and broke her tibia.” | | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| – Biden leads Trump by double digits in N.H., according to new Suffolk/Globe poll,” by James Pindell, Boston Globe: “Democratic nominee Joe Biden holds a sizable lead over President Trump in New Hampshire, raising the prospect of a November shellacking in a state the Republican just narrowly lost four years ago, according to a new poll from Suffolk University and the Globe. Biden leads Trump 51 percent to 41 percent with 3 percent undecided, according to the survey of likely voters.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “CAM PASSES," "YEAH! IT'S RAINING,” — Globe: “In Globe poll, Biden has a big lead in N.H.," "Teachers denied in bid for injunction.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Great Barrington residents chafe at town name on COVID-19 policy declaration,” by Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle: “Circulate a proposal that challenges public health policy amid a pandemic, and you’ll get an international scolding — especially when the White House embraces it. And if you name what critics call a ‘fringe’ document after the town in which it was kindled, watch out — townspeople are coming for you.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Newton schools bring on first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” by Shaun Robinson, Boston Globe: “As Newton schools respond to claims the community is unwelcoming to students of color, Kathy Lopes, who recently became the district’s first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, said she plans to ensure all families feel supported and to help teachers and students take an active stance against racism.” – “Attleboro mayor mulls third term, seeks campaign contributions in the '4's,'” by George W. Rhodes, Sun Chronicle: “In 2 1/2 months, Mayor Paul Heroux will be halfway through his second term with three years of service under his belt. But with two-year mayoral terms, that means he has to start thinking about 2021 because it’s an election year for city officials. And he is.” – “Worcester is well prepared for new wave of virus, city manager says,” by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: “City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. assured the City Council Tuesday night that the city is well prepared to deal with a second wave of COVID-19 infections should one emerge this fall or winter. He said the city and public health officials have been trying to manage the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases to prevent it from becoming a widespread outbreak.” TRANSITIONS – Olivia Goldhill joins STAT News as an investigative reporter. She previously worked at Quartz. Link. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Jose J. Villalvazo, military legislative assistant to Rep. Lori Trahan; Rick Berke, founder and executive editor of Stat; Alexis Krieg of the Omidyar Network, who is 31; Darby Bukowski and Jim St. George. 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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