| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish Monday, Oct. 12. I'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Oct. 13. In the meantime, send tips, scoops and birthdays to smurray@politico.com. WARREN TO HIT THE TRAIL FOR BIDEN — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is headed to New Hampshire this weekend to campaign for Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Warren will also make a stop in Maine, according to the Biden campaign. The former presidential candidate is among a host of Bay State Democrats stumping for the former vice president, often virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has appeared at several Biden events as a surrogate, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosted a virtual phone bank. Rep. Lori Trahan attended a "Portuguese Americans for Biden-Harris" launch event last weekend. Warren's trip over the border on Saturday comes as a new poll shows Biden with a double-digit lead in the Granite State. Likely New Hampshire voters say they prefer Biden by a 12-point margin, 53% to 41%, according to a St. Anselm College/New Hampshire Institute of Politics poll released on Thursday. The poll was conducted Oct. 1 to Oct. 4 and has a 2.9% margin of error. That's a significant slip for Trump, who came close to winning New Hampshire in 2016. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire with the smallest margin of any state in the country, prompting Trump to make unfounded claims that voter fraud caused his loss there. And it's also a turnaround for Biden in some ways — he came in fifth in the New Hampshire primary and left the state before the votes were tallied. New Hampshire is a small prize — the state only has four electoral votes, compared to Florida's 29 votes or Pennsylvania's 20 votes. But the Trump campaign has put resources there over the last several months. Trump held a rally in Londonderry at the end of August; Vice President Mike Pence and the president's sons have made visits to the state. Bay State Trump supporters have also visited the state to express their support. A caravan of Massachusetts Republicans calling themselves the "Trump Train" drove from Plymouth to Londonderry 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 — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is a guest on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a virtual event hosted by the Boston Globe & the Boston Book Festival. Sen. Ed Markey and Democratic congressional candidate Jake Auchincloss campaign in Taunton. Rep. Jim McGovern welcomes a donation of masks at the Worcester Senior Center, and distributes Farm to Family Food packages in Leominster. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak at the New Yorker Festival. Attorney General Maura Healey distributes voter protection flyers in Roxbury and Lynn. | |
| | NEW EPISODES: LISTEN TO POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST : The world has always been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, but in 2020 many of those issues have exploded. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe now for Season Two, launching Oct. 21. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 409 new COVID cases, 8 deaths on Thursday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 409 coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the statewide case count to at least 134,277. Those new cases are based on 14,035 new molecular tests. Officials also announced another 8 COVID-related deaths, for a total of 9,350 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Maura Healey Calls Out Threats To Democracy In Wake Of FBI Uncovering Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor,” by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined Boston Public Radio on Thursday. In the interview, she responded to breaking news Thursday afternoon that the FBI had charged six men in an attempt to depose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; discussed charges her office brought against two leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers Home; and took listener calls.” – “Boston Fed Bank President Fears Winter Months Could Hinder Economy's Pandemic Recovery,” by Bob Oakes and Khari Thompson, WBUR: “A summer of slow economic recovery could be in jeopardy with the coronavirus pandemic reemerging as the winter months approach. Some states — including Massachusetts — are considering slowing down their reopening plans as positive cases and hospitalizations begin to rise.” – “Report: Child deaths drop amid pandemic,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport Daily News: “The number of child fatalities in Massachusetts has dropped to a five-year low, according to newly released state data. There were 73 deaths of children age 17 and under reported to the state Department of Children and Families in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to the agency's annual report. That's the lowest number of child deaths reported to the agency in the past five years.” – “Gov. Charlie Baker to be honored with bobblehead doll,” The Associated Press: “Gov. Charlie Baker is getting the bobblehead treatment for his response to the coronavirus pandemic. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee on Thursday unveiled plans for a Baker bobblehead doll.” – “Let’s Just Stay in Daylight Saving Time Year-Round in Massachusetts,” by Alex Reimer, Boston Magazine: “There’s no getting around the fact that Boston faces a long, dark winter ahead, with restrictions around gathering indoors unlikely to lift. And there’s one clear way to ease the burden: staying in daylight saving time permanently. Instead of losing an hour on November 1, let’s keep our summer hours, and with them, that blessed extra hour of sunlight.Sound far-fetched? It isn’t. A bill to keep Massachusetts on daylight saving time year-round is languishing in our state legislature right now.” – “Boston convenience store owners say menthol cigarette ban has led to rise in crime, lower sales,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Humayun Morshed said Massachusetts' menthol cigarette ban hasn’t stopped people from smoking the products. Instead, he said the ban has brought trouble to his stores in Boston as people sell the cigarettes illegally on the streets.” – “Total of 106 students, 57 staffers test positive for COVID in Massachusetts schools over the last week, education officials report,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts school districts have reported 106 new coronavirus cases over the last week among students who are learning in-person or through hybrid instruction, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Boston Teachers Union Sues For All-Remote Learning As City's COVID Infection Rate Rises,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News: “The Boston Teachers Union announced Thursday that they are suing to block Boston Public Schools from reopening schools in-person and requiring educators to return to campuses, after hours of negotiations with Mayor Marty Walsh and BPS. Union officials filed a temporary restraining order against the city and BPS Thursday afternoon, citing a risk of ‘irreparable harm’ done to both students and teachers if in-person classes are held in the midst of an uptick in the city’s COVID-19 infection rate.” – “Boston’s exam schools may drop entrance test for one year,” by Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: “Students wishing to attend Boston’s coveted exam schools next year may not have to take an admissions test. A Boston school committee task force is recommending the district suspend the entrance exam for one year and decide eligibility and acceptance using grades, MCAS scores, and zip codes.” – “Boston research team says it has enrolled a diverse group in Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine study,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “Research centers studying the various coronavirus vaccines being tested have struggled to enroll nonwhite participants, confronting entrenched distrust of the health care system. But the leader of the team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital says it’s bucking that trend, by recruiting ‘well over 30 percent’ of its enrollees from communities of color.” – “Housing Advocates, Landlords Vie For Funds To Cover Rents And Head Off Evictions In Mass.” by Beth Healy and Simón Rios, WBUR: “Housing groups, tenant advocates and landlords are working to hash out a deal with the Baker administration to deploy more federal money for people struggling to pay rent amid the coronavirus recession. At the same time, the state’s housing courts are planning furiously to add resources to handle an expected flood of eviction filings that could come soon after the commonwealth’s eviction moratorium ends on Oct. 17.” | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL |
| – “Hundreds of Mass. voters, or more, received mail-in ballots with the wrong deadlines,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Hundreds or perhaps even thousands of Massachusetts voters received mail-in ballots for the November election with instructions wrongly telling them their votes are due by Sept. 1, the date of the since-passed state primary, officials said Thursday. An official in Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office said the agency is aware of at least six municipalities where voters received erroneous directions with their ballots, the bulk of which began arriving in voters' homes this week.” | | THE SENATE SHOWDOWN |
| – “MassGOP chairman backs Kevin O’Connor’s calls for more Senate debates against Ed Markey,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts GOP Chairman Jim Lyons is accusing U.S. Sen. Edward Markey of ‘playing dodgeball’ by refusing to debate Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor more than once before Election Day. ‘Sen. Markey begged and pleaded for at least a half-dozen debates when he was being challenged in the primary by a Kennedy, and now he’s afraid of extending the same courtesy to Kevin,’ Lyons said in a statement Thursday.” | | ON THE STUMP |
| – “Two North Attleboro natives vie for state rep seat,” by Tom Reilly, Sun Chronicle: “When it comes to a local election, it doesn't get more local than this. Adam Scanlon and John Simmons grew up in North Attleboro (although about 20 years apart) and then threw themselves into local politics. Now they serve together on the community's first town council under the new charter that did away with the old board of selectmen/representative town meeting system.” | | BALLOT WARS |
| – “Ranked-choice voting debated as referendum nears,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Midway through a virtual debate over ranked-choice voting Thursday, moderator Sue O’Connell joked that the event had found its ‘drinking-game word’: exhausted. As in ballots. Such are the complexities involved in potentially reshaping the very nature of how we vote. Question 2 on November’s ballot asks if Massachusetts voters should alter the state’s election system by adopting ranked-choice voting.” | | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| – “Lawmakers press ICE officials for details of stop of Black man in West Roxbury,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation pressed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Thursday to explain why agents stopped a Black jogger in West Roxbury earlier this week, and questioned whether the encounter violated the man’s rights.” | | DATELINE D.C. |
| – “Injunction to halt lobster, gillnet fishing denied,” by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times: “In a hearing Thursday in United States District Court, Judge Indira Talwani denied an injunction that would have shut down lobster and gillnet fishing in Massachusetts to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales until a trial seeking that closure takes place. Richard ‘Max’ Strahan, who identifies himself in court documents as a lobster fishermen, whale watcher and ‘protector of endangered wildlife species,’ sued the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs last April.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “HUB IS HOME," "THE QUEST,” — Globe : “For an 'unmistakeable poetic voice, a Nobel prize," "Trump says no to remote debate," "Boston teachers sue over mandate," "A PLOT AGAINST MICH. GOVERNOR.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Springfield Public Schools to resume remote learning Friday after investigating potential IT threats,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Springfield Public Schools will resume remote learning Friday after abruptly pausing on Thursday to investigate possible IT threats. The district dismissed students Thursday morning and said remote learning was suspended temporarily due to potential threats to the district’s IT network. School officials said virtual instruction will begin on schedule Friday.” – “COVID in Amherst spiked 80% since Sept. 2 making the town a high risk zone,” by Jim Russell, Springfield Republican: “The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Amherst, since Sept. 2, jumped 80% -- from 139 to 251 as of Oct. 7. There are 95 new cases in the past two weeks, according to state public health data. The data puts the town into the highest risk category.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “'Not moving in the right direction’: COVID cases still climbing in Worcester, officials say people under 30 years old account for about 25% of cases,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “The number of coronavirus cases in Worcester grew for the ninth time in 11 weeks and city officials said the number of cases per 100,000 reached double-digits this week. Any municipality with a number above 8 cases per 100,000 is considered a high-risk community. Worcester is now well above that threshold at 10 per 100,000.” – “Natick Town Seal Under Scrutiny As Community Tackles Racial Inclusivity,” by Kavontae Smalls, GBH News: “In the town of Natick there’s a street, a church, and even an obelisk monument dedicated to John Elliot, the English settler who established Natick in 1651. He’s also on featured on the town seal — standing above three Indigenous people who are sitting on the ground.” – “Natick prepares to take advantage of the state’s nuisance law. People who violate safety regulations to prevent COVID-19 may be fined up to $1,000.” by Henry Schwan, MetroWest Daily News: “The Board of Health voted this week to levy fines as high as $1,000 for each violation of the board’s safety measures intended to protect the community against COVID-19. Tuesday’s 3-0 vote takes into account a state nuisance law. Those who commit ‘egregious’ violations could potentially receive the top-dollar amount, said board Chairman Peter Delli Colli.” – “Baker picks Rivera for vaccine advisory group,” by Allison Corneau, Eagle-Tribune: “When a coronavirus vaccine arrives, Mayor Daniel Rivera will be among the first in the state to know about it. Rivera is one of 17 medical professionals, public health experts, elected officials, community leaders and others chosen by Gov. Charlie Baker to sit on a new COVID-19 vaccine advisory group, the Baker-Polito Administration announced this week.” – “No internet at Tyngsboro schools interrupts online learning,” by Prudence Brighton, The Lowell Sun: “The Tyngsboro High School and Middle School campus is without reliable internet access for a third day, interrupting education for students involved in remote learning. Angry Facebook postings are appearing on Tyngsboro Talk and The Sun has received complaints.” MAZEL! to poet and Cambridge resident Louise Glück who has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature. Link. REMEMBERING DONALD MACGILLIS … via the Globe: “Donald MacGillis, a former Boston Globe editorial writer and an ardent lover of the outdoors, died Wednesday after a 50-foot fall while hiking Maine’s Mount Katahdin, a mountain he loved and knew well.” Link. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Paolo DiFabio, Pon Hunter, Peter Billerbeck, Kristin Palpini Hale, Olivia Paulo, Victoria Danberg and Amy Dacey. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Saturday birthday-ers state Rep. Jim Hawkins, former state Rep. Jen Benson , president of the Alliance for Business Leadership; Brilee Weaver, Algirde Pipikaite, Tanveer Kathawalla and Megan McCafferty. And to David Halbert and Conor Yunits, who celebrate Sunday; and Mass Cultural Council Public Affairs Director Bethann Steiner, who celebrates Monday. 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. | |
| | DON'T MISS A THING AT THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE : POLITICO's Ryan Heath and Ben White are teaming up to bring you exclusive coverage of the 23rd annual Milken Institute Global Conference featuring 4,000+ participants and 500 speakers from more than 70 countries. Don't miss out on insights from the most influential minds and thought leaders reinventing health, technology, philanthropy, industry and media. Subscribe to our special edition "Global Translations" newsletter for everything you need to know directly from #MIGlobal. | | | | | | |
|
| | Follow us on Twitter | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | FOLLOW US |
| | |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.