GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! BREAKING: TRUMP TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS — President Donald Trump announced early Friday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, upending his presidency and the 2020 race just 32 days before Election Day. The 74-year-old president disclosed his diagnosis in a tweet at 12:54 a.m. on Friday." COVID-19 CASES TICK UPWARD — Massachusetts saw its highest number of Covid-19 cases in months yesterday. The state reported 708 positive cases of the virus, the largest number of cases reported in one day since the height of the pandemic in the spring. The number raised eyebrows, particularly as we approach flu season and some kids head back to school. At the same time, the state is moving forward with the next steps of reopening in cities and towns where the spread of the virus is relatively low. Gov. Charlie Baker has pushed back on concerns that the state is reopening too quickly, pointing to the data about cases in Massachusetts and to similar situations in other states. Indoor performance venues will be able to open with limited capacity in communities where Covid-19 spread is lower, as part of the second step of the state's phase three of reopening. One city that's not moving ahead is Boston, which is among 23 cities and towns considered to be in the state's "red" category for virus spread. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the city will hold off on further reopening steps. The mayor made an appeal this week to college students in the city to be more careful, citing an increase in house parties with lackluster social distancing. In Worcester, which is in the state's high risk category for coronavirus cases, officials say the virus has spread not among college students but in a youth hockey league and through a group of subcontractors. The virus has also spread in the northern part of the state — Haverhill, Lowell and Lawrence are among the cities considered in the "red." North Andover's high-risk caseload is linked to Merrimack College, where school officials say an outbreak among college students has been contained. Similarly, a cluster of several dozen UMass Amherst students have tested positive for the virus after some attended an off-campus party together. Because colleges are testing students so often, cases on those campuses are detected relatively quickly. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and state Sen. Cynthia Creem speak at a virtual gathering to mark the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hosted by the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action. Rep. Stephen Lynch calls for Covid-19 relief for the live events industry. | |
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| – “As state prepares for next step in COVID reopening, Massachusetts reports 708 new coronavirus cases, 23 new deaths on Thursday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 708 coronavirus cases — its highest single-day count in months — bringing the number of cases to 130,461. Officials also announced another 23 COVID deaths in what continues to be an uptick in virus activity across much of the state. There have now been 9,265 COVID-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Despite Upticks, Baker Reassures Public On COVID Progress,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “Although the four largest cities in Massachusetts are listed in the COVID-19 "Red Zone," Gov. Charlie Baker says the state will continue allowing businesses to open or expand capacity as long as they operate in areas with low levels of COVID-19 transmission. The recent coronavirus uptick may fuel anxiety, but Baker said the Commonwealth's experience to date mirrors that of other states.” – “Divided between Baker and Trump, Mass. GOP tries to avoid sliding into triviality in November,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Its fund-raising has dwindled. Its share of registered voters statewide is at a seven-decade low. Its membership in the 40-seat state Senate is (back) down to four. And looming above those Republican Party regressions is the schism between Charlie Baker, its popular second-term governor, and Jim Lyons, its staunchly pro-Trump party chairman.” – “Massachusetts isn’t complying with COVID-19 data collection law; gaps in job, primary language and disability data persist nearly 4 months later,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Nearly four months ago, Gov. Charlie Baker signed an emergency COVID-19 bill that required more detailed data on who was hit hardest in the pandemic, including numbers on a COVID-positive person’s job, primary language and disability status. Much of that data on people who have tested positive for COVID-19, meant to help health care experts better detect patterns and disparities, remains missing as of Thursday.” – “Where is the state’s $1.1b in federal funds going?” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Legislature may control the purse strings – but Gov. Charlie Baker holds the purse. That Beacon Hill truism was on display clearly in a report Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan wrote to the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees on Wednesday.” – “Race-baiting robocall targets voters in North Andover legislative race,” by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts Democratic officials say a race-baiting robocall is targeting voters in the North Andover legislative district where a Vietnamese-American woman unseated the man who now leads the Massachusetts Republican Party. The recorded call purports to promote state Representative Tram Nguyen, an Andover Democrat who as a newcomer defeated four-term Representative James Lyons in 2018.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “For the first Black president of Mass. psychology group, racism is a mental health issue,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “When Martin Pierre was a freshman at Boston College in the mid-1980s, a group of his classmates pulled a Halloween prank that he finds painful to talk about even today. They dressed up as Klansmen, pulled him out of bed, and staged a mock lynching. They thought it was funny. Pierre was devastated.” – “Marathon Zoom Meetings Spark Debate Over Public Comments At Boston School Committee,” by Kathleen McNerney, WBUR: “A plea by some Boston School Committee members to curtail the length of virtual meetings has sparked outrage among some parents and teachers who feel the panel may be trying to limit public discourse amid an impassioned debate about reopening schools. Since going remote, the committee has provided public access via Zoom and YouTube.” – “Boston University Gets $1.5 Million For Antiracism Research,” The Associated Press: “Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research has been awarded $1.5 million from the Rockefeller Foundation to research racial disparities in the U.S. The grant, announced Thursday, will support projects including the center’s COVID-19 Racial Data Tracker, which is being used to study the virus’ impact on people of color. It will also support a project to track broader data on racial inequities.” – “Report questions BPS building air quality,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “With high-needs students scheduled to return in-person to classes on Oct. 5, the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) released a report detailing deficiencies in Boston Public Schools buildings they say will endanger the health and safety of students and staff. The report, authored by the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), identified problems with windows and fans, ventilation and air filtration systems, indoor air quality inspection data and cleaning protocols.” – “More than 6 months after COVID orders issued, Massachusetts tavern, bar owners question how much longer they can hold onto businesses,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Six months after the governor shut down non-essential businesses, taverns like Ari’s remain limited in how much they revenue can bring in and bars are sidelined altogether as other businesses resume operations with social distancing and mask restrictions. While public health officials say bars are potential COVID-19 hotspots, bar and tavern owners say their businesses are singled out as other possible virus magnets reopen.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “The $2.3 billion MBTA Green Line Extension project now more than halfway done, Gov. Charlie Baker says,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “The $2.3 billion MBTA Green Line Extension project is more than halfway done, transportation officials said on Thursday. The Green Line Extension is a 4.7-mile extension of a rail line between Cambridge, Somerville and Medford. The line will go from a relocated Lechmere Station in East Cambridge to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford.” – “Sen. Eric Lesser calls ridership estimates for east-west rail ‘flawed,’ could impact federal funding,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “Springfield to Boston is not Hartford to New Haven. The commutes between cities are too different to be fairly compared. This was state Sen. Eric P. Lesser’s argument to Massachusetts transportation officials during a meeting Wednesday regarding the proposed East-West passenger rail, which would better connect Central and Western Massachusetts to Boston.” | | ON THE STUMP |
| – “The bureaucrat vs. Mass. GOP star,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “When Republican Stephanie Fattman was elected the Worcester County register of probate in 2014, John Dolan III was one of the employees she inherited. Dolan had been working at the office for nearly 20 years years and didn’t want to leave, so he says he took a number of steps to ingratiate himself with Fattman.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Court rules unauthorized tenant can be evicted,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “An undocumented woman who was subleasing an apartment in Revere was evicted this week, illustrating one of the many gray areas in the state’s ban on evictions and foreclosures. Rosa, who asked that her last name not be used, moved into the apartment in April, paying $1,000 a month to the leaseholder who, in turn, paid the landlord. When the leaseholder disappeared in June, the landlords moved to evict Rosa, arguing that she was ‘a stranger’ they discovered on the property in June and not an authorized tenant entitled to protection under the eviction moratorium.” – “Northeastern University doesn’t owe students tuition refunds after college switched to remote learning amid COVID pandemic, federal judge rules,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “A federal judge on Thursday ruled that Northeastern University didn’t promise students in-person learning after the coronavirus pandemic forced the college to switch to remote instruction, denying several students refunds on their tuition.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “VA will be investigated after ‘staggering accounts of racism,’ Sen. Warren says,” by Alex Horton, The Washington Post: “The Government Accountability Office will investigate claims of systemic racism within the Department of Veterans Affairs, lawmakers said Thursday, two months after a government union said most of its surveyed members saw racism as a problem inside the agency.” | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| – “Cape’s Black leaders castigate president for refusal to condemn white supremacy,” by Denise Coffey, Cape Cod Times: “When President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys, a group labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to ‘stand back and stand by’ during the presidential debate on Tuesday, it wasn’t a surprise to Rev. Will Mebane Jr. The pastor of St. Barnabus Episcopal Church in Falmouth said he argued this point with Trump supporters back in 2016.” | |
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| – “FBI’s annual crime report shows declines in violent crime in Springfield, across Massachusetts,” by Patrick Johnson, Springfield Republican: “Crime in Massachusetts cities and towns declined in 2019 at a rate faster than in the United States overall, according to the FBI’s annual survey of state and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report shows crime is on the decline nationwide according to its two major categories, crimes involving violence and property crimes.” | | NOVEMBER IS COMING |
| – “Mass. raises big bucks for presidential contenders,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is heading into the final stretch of the race to the White House with a significant financial advantage over President Donald Trump — with the help of lots of cash from Massachusetts. Biden had $466 million in the bank at the end of August, compared with Trump’s $325 million, according to campaign disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.” | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| – “Feds Investigating Unplanned Gas Releases At Weymouth Compressor,” by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “The federal government is investigating what caused an emergency shutdown and unplanned gas release at the Weymouth Natural Gas Compressor Station on Wednesday, and whether it's related to the station's Sept. 11 shutdown and gas release. The announcement by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an agency in the U.S. Department of Transportation, comes on the same day the facility was slated to start sending gas northward to Maine and Canada.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “MEAN STREETS” — Globe: “Trump bets on his base with racial focus,” “In 2nd wave, protecting vulnerable will be key.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “As Berkshires get go-ahead for indoor theaters, lawmakers react with varied attitudes,” by Danny Jin, The Berkshire Eagle: “Deemed ‘lower risk’ by the state because of low COVID-19 infection rates, Berkshire communities are free to raise the curtain next week on indoor theater performances. But, while the news was seen as a welcome opportunity for cultural organizations that lost much of their programming — and revenue — to the coronavirus pandemic, some lawmakers wish it had come sooner. And lingering uncertainty about the virus might prevent some from moving forward just yet.” – “UMass sees 34 new COVID cases in last 2 days,” by Jacquelyn Voghel, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The University of Massachusetts reported 34 new cases of COVID-19 in the past two days, bringing the cumulative total to 81 since Aug. 6. Of those cases, 33 are confirmed as associated with a COVID-19 cluster announced late last week, which initially comprised a group of 13 students who had tested positive for the virus. All of those students live off-campus and had socialized together, and some had attended the same party.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Summer Tourism 'Not As Catastrophic' As Expected On Cape Cod,” by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: “In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, leaders on Cape Cod say the summer travel season was busier than expected. Visitors booked much longer stays than usual, and vehicle traffic to the region increased as the summer progressed, according to the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force.” – “Here’s how North Andover became the highest-risk community in Mass. for COVID-19,” by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: “This week’s individual community COVID-19 data revealed that North Andover now has the highest average daily case rate in the state, easily surpassing communities that have long topped the list, like Chelsea, Lawrence, and Revere. But town officials are continuing with a hybrid education model in the public schools while they continue to monitor the data.” – “Worcester city manager says college students not cause of uptick in virus cases,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “Pointing to a continued loosening of statewide COVID-19 restrictions that the city’s ‘red zone’ status prevents it from partaking in, City Manager Edward M. Augustus implored residents and businesses to look at collectively improving the city’s virus numbers as an incentive-based process.” HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – to #1 Massachusetts Playbook fans John and Darlene Murray, who were married on Oct. 4 in 1992. Pic. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to former Cambridge mayor and current City Councilor E. Denise Simmons, Rosie Quick, Marlena Baldacci and Sejal Hathi. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Massachusetts Democratic Party Executive Director Veronica Martinez, who celebrates Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who turns 4-0; Max German, Miles Halpine of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute; Eliza Adelson, Alexis Cantor, Will von Meister, Steve Picheny and Jon Tapper. 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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