| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! THREE THINGS TO WATCH — Today is the first Monday in October, and the election is only weeks away. Here are three stories to keep an eye on as we begin the week. THE PRESIDENT'S BATTLE WITH COVID-19: President Donald Trump sick with a Covid-19 infection, and remains at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he's being treated with a pair of experimental drugs. The White House is struggling to maintain credibility when pressed for information about the president's health. The full picture of when Trump became ill, and his condition now, remain unclear. Trump's illness comes as the November election looms, and as some have already cast mail-in ballots. In Massachusetts, Trump supporters flocked to the New England for Trump store in Bellingham over the weekend. Many in the state's all-Democratic delegation wished the president well but criticized Trump for the way he responded to the pandemic, often flouting safety protocols like masks and social distancing. MARKEY AND O'CONNOR DEBATE: Sen. Ed Markey and his Republican opponent Kevin O'Connor will debate for the first time, and the last time, tonight on GBH. Markey agreed to one debate against O'Connor, while the underdog Republican had called for seven debates, one more than the six debates Markey had against primary opponent Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Tonight's hourlong program will present a stark contrast between the co-author of the Green New Deal and the Trump-supporting attorney. But it's not clear how many people will tune in. A New England Patriots game, scheduled for Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, was postponed after quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for Covid-19. Kickoff is 7:05 tonight, minutes after the Markey and O'Connor are set to take the stage. STATE BUDGET GEARS TURNING: The state's financial picture could come into clearer view when lawmakers meet for a financial roundtable on Wednesday. Ways and Means Committee chairs state Sen. Michael Rodrigues and state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, and Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan, are hosting the virtual event to hear from financial experts. The state's annual budget was put on hold earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of passing a full budget in time for the start of the fiscal year in July, lawmakers opted for an interim budget that funds the state through the end of this month. Massachusetts ended the last fiscal year with a $700 million budget gap, Gov. Charlie Baker wrote to the Legislature last week. 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 Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor debate on GBH. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is a guest on WBUR. Secretary of State Bill Galvin holds a press conference at the State House. | |
| | JOIN TUESDAY - A PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH REP. JAMES CLYBURN & ERIC HOLDER : The way that Americans are voting in this year's presidential election is changing. What ballot access problems are Black and minority voters facing? Join Playbook authors Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 9 a.m. ET for an interview with House Majority Whip James Clyburn and former Attorney General Eric Holder on mail-in voting, the Black Lives Matter movement, and what Democratic priorities should be in the next Congress. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 626 new COVID cases, 3 more coronavirus deaths on Sunday,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday announced that another 626 people have tested positive for COVID-19, after multiple days of recording between 600 and 700 new cases. The total number of statewide cases now stands at 132,440. Additionally, 3 more people have died from the illness related to the virus, which has claimed the lives of 9,295 people in Massachusetts throughout the pandemic.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “State to ease restrictions in lower-risk communities Monday as number of COVID-19 cases rises,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “As Massachusetts’s health department reported three new deaths and 626 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the state was preparing to ease restrictions for lower-risk communities Monday. Meanwhile, the coronavirus continued to take its toll.” – “Medical experts question Massachusetts move to next step of reopening,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Erin Tiernan and Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Many parts of Massachusetts are moving into a new phase of reopening Monday even as coronavirus metrics hit numbers that haven’t been seen since the height of the pandemic — leading medical experts to question Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to forge ahead.” – “Massachusetts School Districts Report 97 Coronavirus Cases Among Students And Staff,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR: “The first snapshot of coronavirus cases as schools reopen in Massachusetts shows there were 97 COVID-19 cases reported over the last week. The cases were reported to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from Thursday, Sept. 24 to Wednesday, Sept. 30 .” – “As state officials, others track officers accused of misconduct, Joseph Early among DAs with concerns,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “A growing number of state prosecutors, including the attorney general, are compiling and releasing lists of police officers with credibility concerns - a move supporters say is aimed at fighting corruption, but which Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. opposes as potentially unfair to police. Early is one of at least five of the state’s prosecutors resisting calls for such a list.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Hospitals digging in for a long winter as coronavirus patients increase,” by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: “The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients is steadily increasing across Massachusetts as health care leaders dig in for what they suspect will be a long winter of illness and unease. Since late August, when the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients across Massachusetts hit a low, the caseloads are up 41 percent, according to Sunday’s data from the state’s Department of Public Health. The steepest increases have come in the past two weeks.” – “Walsh To Seek Added Tenant Protection As Eviction Deadline Looms,” by Isaiah Thompson, GBH News: “With state-wide tenant protections set to expire at midnight on October 17, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says he will propose an ordinance to the City Council on Monday granting new protections for renters facing eviction. The measure would require landlords notifying a tenant of their intent to evict to also provide information on city and state resources that could help the tenant avoid eviction.” – “COVID-19 outbreak at Plymouth substance abuse center,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state prison system is seeing a hotspot of COVID-19 among those civilly committed at the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Plymouth. The Department of Correction said on Friday that 28 of the 97 male patients at the facility have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and been moved to a separate wing of the facility. None have required hospital care so far, and four have been released.” – “COVID-19 outbreak reported at Middleton jail,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “A COVID-19 cluster at a jail in Middleton continues to grow after the town was moved into the red zone for coronavirus risk last week. The Essex County Sheriff’s Department announced Saturday night that 25 inmates, 21 employees and two contractors had tested positive for coronavirus at the jail in Middleton.” | | THE SENATE SHOWDOWN |
| – “Ed Markey, Kevin O’Connor expect Monday debate to highlight stark differences,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor will face off in their first and only debate Monday, a bout each candidate hopes will highlight their stark ideological differences and give voters a clear-cut choice as ballots begin to land in their mailboxes.” – “Markey V. O’Connor: For The Challenger, One Big Chance To Reshape The US Senate Race,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “When the two candidates in this year’s Massachusetts Senate race meet tonight at GBH for their first and only debate, the stakes will be high for both — but especially for Republican Kevin O’Connor, whose challenge to Ed Markey, the Democratic incumbent, features some daunting structural hurdles.” | | NOVEMBER IS COMING |
| – “Under new law, even death can’t stop some Massachusetts voters this election,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “In Massachusetts, the dead may have a say in November’s election. Under a temporary pandemic-era law passed this summer, voters who legally submit an absentee ballot and then die before Election Day will still have their votes counted, in perhaps the most consequential presidential election in a generation. That legal quirk applies only to the 2020 elections and is already on the books in other states.” | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL |
| – “Mail-in ballots: Local experts said the chance for fraud is ‘almost non-existent,’” by Henry Schwan, MetroWest Daily News: “To get a clear understanding of how the mail-in ballot system works in Massachusetts, the Daily News also spoke with Amy Neves — Milford’s town clerk since 2007 — and Christopher Latimer, chairman of the political science department at Framingham State University. Neves said she and her staff are doing their best to ensure the mail-in ballot process is safe by following the rules set by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office.” | | BALLOT WARS |
| – “Voting changes backed by out-of-state donors,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “A proposal to scrap the state's winner-take-all elections in favor of ranked choice voting is being largely funded by wealthy, out-of-state donors, according to a review of campaign finance data. Question 2 on November's ballot, if approved, would require the state to convert to a ranked-choice system for congressional, state and municipal elections. Under the system, voters rank candidates in order of preference in case no one receives more than 50% of the vote.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Disagreement Over Just How Wired Worcester Is,” by Carrie Saldo, GBH News: “It's a tale of two connectivity perspectives in Worcester. An industry group that represents several telecommunications companies says the broadband network is operating well — while many Worcester residents say it does not. That disagreement has gone public following reporting last week by GBH News that focused on internet challenges in Worcester.” – “Cape Cod region judges say courts are not getting increasingly political,” by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times: “While most local and state judges and experts interviewed for this story expressed concern about the public perception of political bias at the Supreme Court level, they think judicial training and the role of a judge as an impartial decision-maker would offset the political pressure felt during the confirmation process.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Sen. Elizabeth Warren chides Trump for ‘undermining’ work of scientists,” by Travis Andersen, Elizabeth Warren: “Like many members of Congress who woke up to the stunning news Friday that President Trump had tested positive for coronavirus, Senator Elizabeth Warren wished her ideological opposite a speedy recovery. But the Cambridge Democrat, a liberal firebrand and frequent Trump critic who sought her party’s 2020 presidential nomination, also laid into what she said was the president’s deeply irresponsible behavior throughout the pandemic.” | | THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
| – “Rep. Ayanna Pressley: ‘No confirmation until inauguration,’” MSNBC: “Host of MSNBC’s ‘American Voices’ Alicia Menendez speaks with Massachusetts Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to discuss what’s blocking a bipartisan agreement on federal COVID-19 aid.” | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| – “Mass. Trump Fans Offer Well Wishes And Unwavering Support,” by Aaron Schachter, GBH News: “A steady stream of customers this afternoon flowed into the New England for Trump store in Bellingham. Patrons young and old were shopping for ‘Trump 2020’ lawn signs and bumper stickers, ‘Socialism Sucks’ t-shirts and facemasks emblazoned with the presidential seal (Trump 2020 facemasks were sold out).” – “How The All-Democratic Mass. Congressional Delegation Is Reacting To Trump's Coronavirus Diagnosis,” by Callum Borchers, WBUR: “The 11 Democrats who represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives include some of President Trump's harshest critics. But several members of the delegation promptly wished the president well Friday, after he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.” – “Military-style truck with a fake machine gun in Sagamore leads Trump rolling rally to N.H.” by Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times: “Cars streamed into the Sagamore Bridge Commuter Parking lot Saturday morning with colorful flags in support of President Donald Trump, Back the Blue for law enforcement, and American flags. Leading the Trump Car Caravan was a camouflage-colored military-style truck with a replica .50-caliber machine gun tacked onto roof of the cab and American and pro-Trump flags hanging off the sides.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “HOPEFULLY HOME,” — Globe: “Fresh concerns on Trump's health," "Hospitals bracing for long winter.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Head of Holyoke Solders Home Resigns Amid Charges Over Virus Deaths,” The Associated Press: “The leader of a Massachusetts home for aging veterans where nearly 80 people sickened with the coronavirus have died has resigned amid criminal charges over his handling of the pandemic. Former Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh submitted his resignation Thursday.” – “‘Now the fun begins;’ In the wake of Springfield mayoral aide Darryl Moss' firing, community angered,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “The morning after a rally outside Springfield City Hall was held in support of longtime mayoral aide Darryl Moss, he received a hand-delivered letter informing him of his termination. ‘Fired!!! Now the fun begins!!!’ he posted on Facebook alongside a photo of the termination letter. Moss’s supporters have reacted with a mixture of shock and anger at the mayor’s decision to fire Moss following news of the police department’s investigation into a social media post Moss made.” – Easthampton officers track down thieves who took more than 25 ‘We Support our Police’ signs,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “Residents who are already big supporters of local police probably appreciate them even more now. Over the past few weeks, the department has received multiple reports of people stealing lawn signs saying ‘We Support Our Law Enforcement Officers: Thank you for your service.’” – “Getting the vote out: Valley Democrats work to move voters in Maine, North Carolina and Pennsylvania,” by Steve Pfarrer, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “A coalition of over two dozen groups, including the Democratic committees of Northampton and several other area towns, has been reaching out to voters in Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Under the umbrella names of 413 Staying Connected and Take Back Our Democracy Coalition, volunteers have been using the pandemic’s go-to tool, Zoom.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Tribal Council Votes To Endorse Biden-Harris Campaign,” by Ryan Spencer, Mashpee News: “The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council has voted to endorse the presidential campaign of Joseph R. Biden Jr. amid a years-long battle with the administration overseen by Mr. Biden’s opponent, President Donald J. Trump. The vote on Wednesday, September 30, by the tribal council marks the first time the tribe has endorsed a candidate in a presidential campaign.” – “Braintree, Quincy moving ahead with reopening,” by Joe DiFazio, The Patriot Ledger: “After Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order pushing the state forward in reopening amid the coronavirus, Braintree and Quincy said they would follow suit and move into the next phase of reopening on Monday. The loosening of restrictions on businesses and gatherings in Braintree and Quincy follows Baker’s orders earlier in the week allowing communities deemed ‘lower risk’ to move forward into the second step of Phase 3, part of the state’s four part reopening plan.” WEEKEND WEDDING -- Michael Greenwald, a former U.S. Treasury diplomat who served during both the Obama and Trump administrations and is now director at Tiedemann Advisors, and Nolan Wein, an associate at Targeted Victory, were married on Sunday in an intimate, family ceremony at Greenwald's family home in Brookline, Mass. The couple resides in Palm Beach and plan to renew their vows with a special celebration once large gatherings become appropriate. Pics by Michael Blanchard ... Another pic 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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