PHILIP SARNER, EMILY ORBAY: Couple accused of racist attack at Connecticut hotel arrested in N.Y.

Police seeking N.Y. couple accused of racist attack at Connecticut hotel that was caught on video

Crystal Boyd Caldwell, 59, says the suspects, Philip Sarner, 39, and Emily Orbay, 28, beat her twice and hurled racial slurs at her during both assaults.

Image: Philip Sarner and Emily Orbay (Stonington Police Dept.)

July 10, 2020, 5:26 PM EDT

By Janelle Griffith

Police are searching for a New York couple accused of assaulting a 59-year-old hotel worker in Connecticut while hurling racial slurs.

Police have issued warrants for Philip Sarner, 39, and Emily Orbay, 28. Each faces assault charges, as well as a charge of intimidation based on bigotry and bias. Sarner and Orbay have no permanent addresses but are known to be primarily in Nassau County on Long Island, Stonington police said.

They are accused of attacking Crystal Caldwell, a Black desk clerk, at a Quality Inn on June 26 after complaining about a lack of hot water in their room.

Police said they received two 911 calls at approximately 11:30 a.m. reporting a physical disturbance at the Quality Inn.

The first call came from a colleague of Caldwell's, according to NBC Connecticut.

The woman tells a dispatcher that a guest was "beating up on my desk clerk" and "he is smacking my desk clerk around," the outlet reported. Another voice is heard in the background of the call saying, "I want him arrested now."

A short time later, police received a call from a hotel guest who has been identified as one of the suspects. "I was just assaulted by staff," Sarner says. A dispatcher asks, "How did they assault you?" He replies, "punching my head. It's on camera."

Hotel surveillance video shows Sarner and Orbay approach Caldwell while she is near an ice machine. Sarner punches her, shoves her to the ground and appears to kick her in the head while she is on the floor. The couple then walk off, Caldwell gets up and two of her colleagues come to her aid.

Caldwell's attorney, M. John Strafaci, said she sustained a severe concussion, as well as injuries to her right eye, back and knees. Caldwell did not immediately return a request for an interview Friday. Strafaci said in a phone interview Friday that Caldwell asked that he speak on her behalf.

Caldwell told NBC Connecticut that the attack caught on video was the second time she was assaulted that day by Sarner and Orbay. She said they also called her a racial slur.

"When he was stomping me and the girl stopped, she said, 'The monkey's had enough,'" Caldwell told NBC Connecticut.

Caldwell also said: "Every second, every minute, I can see his foot just coming and stomping me. There's no down time from it, right now mentally."

Sarner, Orbay and Caldwell requested medical attention and were taken to separate hospitals. Police said they were unable to monitor the couple. Police said they interviewed two witnesses who work at the hotel the day of the incident. From those witness accounts, police said, they established probable cause to charge both guests in the incident.

Sarner and Orbay later returned to the hotel, retrieved their car and left the state, police said.

Sarner faces second-degree and third-degree assault charges. Orbay faces third-degree assault charges.

Police said the arrest warrants were issued after they finished reviewing all of the evidence, including security video of the incident. Captain Todd Olson said Stonington police are working with police in New York and the FBI’s Civil Rights Division to locate the suspects.

Caldwell's attorney said she was not interviewed until June 30, four days after the episode.

"It was terrible that because of lazy police work these two dangerous people were allowed to drive back to New York and now Crystal has to worry that these two people are still on the loose and that they could do anything," Strafaci said.

If the Stonington police had done their job properly on June 26, Strafaci said, Caldwell "wouldn't be going through all this and these people would have been arrested and in jail and facing the serious charges that they deserve to face."

In response to Strafaci's statements, Captain Olson said Friday, "You have the information that we are releasing at this time."

LINK

Hotel surveillance video shows Sarner and Orbay approach Caldwell while she is near an ice machine. Sarner punches her, shoves her to the ground and appears to kick her in the head while she is on the floor. The couple then walk off, while two of Caldwell's coworkers come to her aid.

Caldwell sustained a severe concussion, as well as injuries to her right eye, back and knees, Strafaci previously told NBC News.

Police said they received two 911 calls at approximately 11:30 a.m. reporting a physical disturbance at the Quality Inn.

The first call came from a colleague of Caldwell's, according to NBC Connecticut.

The woman told a dispatcher that a guest was "beating up on my desk clerk" and "he is smacking my desk clerk around," the outlet reported. Another voice can be heard in the background of the call saying, "I want him arrested now."

A short time later, police received another call from a hotel guest who was later identified as Sarner. "I was just assaulted by staff," the caller said. A dispatcher asked, "How did they assault you?" Sarner replied, "punching my head. It's on camera."

Sarner, Orbay and Caldwell requested medical attention and were taken to separate hospitals. Police said they were unable to monitor the couple, who later returned to the hotel, retrieved their car and left the state.

Sarner is charged with second-degree and third-degree assault. Orbay is charged with third-degree assault. They are both charged with intimidation based on bigotry and bias.

Sarner and Orbay were released early Tuesday after posting bonds of $75,000 and $50,000. They are next due in court date on July 29.

It is unclear if they have attorneys. They could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

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15 July 20

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15 July 20 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News WHY ARE YOU HERE? Why have you chosen to be and stay here with Reader Supported News? It means something to you, no? This organization is underfunded … Because 1% of the subscribers can’t bring themselves to respond to the fundraising appeals!? That’s crazy. “Be here”, we need you. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! FOCUS: Roger Stone Can Be Tried, Again Neal K. Katyal and Joshua A. Geltzer, The Atlantic Excerpt: "President Trump may think his former adviser is now in the clear, but his clemency can't shield Stone from future prosecutions." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation

RSN: Jeffrey Toobin | The Halted Progress of Criminal-Justice Reform

15 July 20

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Jeffrey Toobin | The Halted Progress of Criminal-Justice Reform

Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker
Excerpt: "Prosecutors are charging protesters with federal crimes, exposing them to long prison sentences, in another example of the Justice Department's grotesque overreach under Attorney General William Barr."

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Florida National Guard personnel direct vehicles at a coronavirus testing site at the Miami Beach Convention Center. (photo: Lynne Sladky/AP)

White House Urges National Guard Role in Coronavirus Data Gathering, Moves to Take CDC Out of Loop
Lena H. Sun and Amy Goldstein, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "The Trump administration is asking governors to consider sending the National Guard to hospitals to help improve data collection about novel coronavirus patients, supplies and capacity, according to a letter, internal emails and officials familiar with the plans."
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Drivers lining up for virus testing in Los Angeles. More than a third of California's cases are in Los Angeles County. (photo: Jenna Schoenefeld/NYT)

5.4 Million Americans Lost Health Insurance in Pandemic, Study Finds
The New York Times
Excerpt: "The coronavirus pandemic stripped an estimated 5.4 million Americans of their health insurance between February and May, a stretch in which more adults became uninsured because of job losses than have ever lost coverage in a single year, according to a new analysis."
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Irma Maldanado stands with Sussury her parrot and her dog in what is left of her home that was destroyed when Hurricane Maria passed through on September 27, 2017 in Corozal, Puerto Rico. (photo: Getty Images)

Trump Apparently Proposed 'Selling' Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria
Rachel Ramirez, Grist
Ramirez writes: "Ever since Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico in 2017, President Trump has expressed displeasure with the U.S. territory."

After trying to limit recovery funds provided to the island last year, he finally signed a long-overdue disaster aid bill before taking to Twitter to declare himself the “best thing that ever happened” to Puerto Rico.

But before all that, the president tried to wash his hands of the island entirely. In an article published in The New York Times on Friday, Elaine C. Duke, a lifelong Republican who led the Department of Homeland Security for four months in 2017, recalled that during her tenure Trump floated the possibility of “selling” or “divesting” Puerto Rico as the island’s recovery from Hurricane Maria proved arduous.

“The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,” Duke told the Times. “Can we outsource the electricity? Can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?”

The incident is hardly the first in which President Trump has worn his “businessman” hat in the Oval Office. Last August, the Wall Street Journal reported that the president, in conversation with top aides “with varying degrees of seriousness,” floated the idea of purchasing Greenland. The gigantic Arctic island, which is rapidly melting thanks to climate change, is a self-ruling part of Denmark and is definitely not for sale. Trump nevertheless apparently believed that Greenland could somehow be purchased. In fact, a 2019 New York Times article reported that a former official heard the president joke that he would be happy to trade Puerto Rico for Greenland.

Although Duke said the idea of “divesting” Puerto Rico was never seriously considered and discussed after the meeting in which Trump proposed it, her recollection underscores Trump’s reluctance to support the struggling U.S. territory in the aftermath of the disaster.

Duke told the Times that, as soon as Hurricane Maria began approaching the Caribbean, she argued that the administration should declare a state of emergency before the storm made landfall. But Mick Mulvaney, then the president’s budget director, rejected her request.

According to the Times, Duke recalled Mulvaney saying, “Quit being so emotional, Elaine, it’s not about the people, it’s about the money.” (Mulvaney denied making the comment.)

Despite natural disasters continuously wreaking havoc on the island, Trump has constantly sparred with Puerto Rican officials, accusing them of “poor leadership” and adding that residents weren’t doing enough to help themselves. The blame went both ways: A 2018 poll found more than half of Puerto Ricans felt that Trump and his administration had done a poor job responding to the island’s calamities.

As Puerto Rico continues to weather natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, the island is also suffering from the same global pandemic that has debilitated the mainland. And just as with his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Trump has denied any wrongdoing or fault for the lackluster actions his administration has taken to aid Puerto Rico. In 2018, he called his disaster response an “incredible, unsung success.”

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The city of Tulsa, Okla., has begun a test excavation to determine if land on city-owned property is the site of a mass grave from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. (photo: 1921 Graves/City of Tulsa)

Excavation Begins for Possible Mass Grave From 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
Brakkton Booker, NPR
Booker writes: "Nearly a century ago, Tulsa, Okla., was the site of one of the most brutal race massacres in U.S. history. As many as 300 African American residents were slaughtered by white mobs, and a section of the city known as Black Wall Street was reduced to ash."
READ MORE

Offerings sit in front of a mural of the slain army specialist Vanessa Guillén painted on a wall in the south side of Fort Worth, Texas. (photo: LM Otero/AP)

'We Are Vanessa Guillén': Killing Puts Sexual Violence in US Military in Focus
Shilpa Jindia, Guardian UK
Jindia writes: "The disappearance and killing of soldier Vanessa Guillén has gripped Texas, and reignited widespread outrage over sexual violence in the US military and the failures of recent reforms to address it."
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Methane levels have hit a high. (photo: Grist)

Methane Levels Have Hit a Scary Record High, New Studies Say
Shannon Osaka, Grist
Osaka writes: "While the world has been focused on a global pandemic and widespread protests, another crisis is gathering in the atmosphere."

And no, it isn’t carbon dioxide: It’s that other planet-warmer, methane, a colorless, odorless gas which traps 86 times as much heat as CO2. According to two new studies out Tuesday, a combination of agriculture and fossil fuel burning has boosted methane to a record-high 1,875 parts per billion in the atmosphere.

If unabated, the researchers warn, methane emissions could push the planet toward a world heated up by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius, one of the worst-case scenarios for global warming.

In the race over how to lower global greenhouse gas emissions, methane — a carbon atom joined to four hydrogen atoms — is often left out of the conversation. It doesn’t hang around in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide; when released into the air, it only takes about 9 years for half of it to dissipate and turn into other molecules. (Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, takes around a century.) But methane is responsible for a quarter of the world’s global warming since 1750. Tamping it down will be crucial for mitigating climate change.

“It’s a mistake to ignore methane,” said Rob Jackson, professor of earth system science at Stanford University and a co-author of both studies. “If we can reduce methane emissions quickly, we could shave a half-a-degree Celsius off peak temperatures.”

The problem is that methane keeps rising. And rising. Starting in 2007, methane emissions started climbing fast, after remaining fairly stable for the previous seven years. But scientists couldn’t figure out exactly why.

“It’s embarrassing, honestly,” said Jackson.

Some blamed fracking. When fossil fuel companies force water and chemicals underground to extract natural gas, they run the risk of methane leaking into the air. And studies have shown that, at least in the United States, these leaks are far larger than the government has admitted. Others pointed to the belching of methane from tropical wetlands, which depends on changes in temperature and precipitation, or to thawing Arctic permafrost releasing tons of fossilized methane into the air.

The new papers, however, tell a somewhat simpler story. Jackson and his coauthors blame the sharp increase on increased fossil fuel use and agriculture gobbling up land. Cows burp out huge quantities of methane in the process of their digestion; bacteria living in flooded rice paddies also spew out the gas.

Part of the problem is that the global population has surged to 7.7 billion over the past two decades — and many of those people are also eating more meat. “There are a billion and a half more people on Earth than there were in 2000,” Jackson said. “Emissions have gone up because of extra mouths to feed.”

Fossil fuels also play a big role, not just through fracking. Any time oil, gas, and coal are extracted from the ground, there is a risk of methane spilling out of rock formations into the air. Methane emissions from coal mining, for example, increased globally from 29 million metric tons between 2000 and 2006 to a whopping 44 million metric tons in 2017.

And, while carbon dioxide emissions fell when much of the world was locked down earlier this year (only to bounce back as shelter-in-place orders lifted), Jackson said that it’s unlikely we’ll see anything similar from methane emissions. Most of the decreases in CO2 emissions came from the transportation sector, as people stopped driving their cars and taking international flights. But as agriculture gobbles up more land and people continue to heat their homes with natural gas, methane emissions have continued climbing.

If there’s a source of optimism in the two studies, it’s Europe, where changing diets and better agricultural practices have decreased the amount of methane exhaled from the land. And despite repeated warnings that thawing Arctic soils could release huge quantities of methane into the atmosphere, researchers say that hasn’t happened — yet.

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Pandemic SHRINKS news biz — Baker admin: Wait until AUGUST for school plans —TRUMP rant goes VIRAL — Neo-Nazi group active in BOSTON

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

PANDEMIC IS SHRINKING THE NEWS BIZ — It's a story that's playing out across the country: Businesses have taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, and the news ecosystem in Massachusetts is no exception.

Cities and towns are faced with an historic pandemic that is reshaping everything — including schools, health care and the economy. Consequential elections are weeks away. And there are fewer reporters than ever to cover it all.

News of layoffs and furloughs at Bay State papers has been trickling in since the economy closed down in March. But considered together, the list is striking. Perhaps the most recent example is at WBUR. The public radio station laid off more than 10 percent of its staff last month, and ended its polling partnership with the MassINC polling group this week (for transparency, the podcast I co-host is a product of MassINC).

The Boston Globe also went through a round of layoffs , though the paper has also made several hires in recent months including Kimberly Atkins, formerly of WBUR, who was named to the Globe's Editorial Board last week.

The Boston Herald has gone through two rounds of layoffs during the pandemic, along with asking employees to take a series of unpaid furlough weeks. The Lowell Sun shares a parent company with the Herald, and reporters there also took unpaid time off. In Attleboro, well-known political reporter Jim Hand was among those laid off at the Sun Chronicle in March.

In Western Mass, employees at the Springfield Republican and MassLive.com are cycling through furloughs, and employees at the Berkshire Eagle also faced furloughs, though another outlet is actually expanding in the region. Unionized employees at the Daily Hampshire Gazette are pushing to preserve 29 jobs that were eliminated when the company said it would outsource its printing business.

The Eagle-Tribune adjusted its print schedule. The North Andover-based paper dropped two print days — Tuesdays and Saturdays — due to the coronavirus, the company announced in April. And workers at newspaper publishing chain Gannett, which owns a number of Massachusetts publications including the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, took furloughs in June.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: O'MALLEY TOUTS KENNEDY'S RECORD ON ENVIRONMENT — Rep. Joe Kennedy III is a "progressive leader" with a strong record on climate change, Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley says in a new video the Kennedy campaign will release this morning.

"As a proud progressive and as a passionate environmentalist, I'm endorsing Joe Kennedy for the United States Senate," says O'Malley, who endorsed Kennedy in October. "He is the progressive leader we need because not only will he fight to save the planet, he will fight to remedy decades and decades of injustice."

The spot features clips of Kennedy and O'Malley campaigning with face masks on, and is part of a series of endorsement videos the campaign has rolled out in recent months.

The video is also a chance to throw some shade at Sen. Ed Markey, whom Kennedy is running to unseat in September. Markey has made his work on the Green New Deal a central focus of his campaign, and he knocked Kennedy as a "progressive in name only" at their last debate. The video.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

TODAY — Rep. Richard Neal is a guest on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.” Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III speak at a virtual youth forum hosted by the Boston Climate Strike and March for Our Lives Massachusetts. Markey and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins hold a virtual rally. Rep. Seth Moulton meets with Dr. David Roberts, president of the North Shore Medical Center.

JOIN TOMORROW - POLITICO 2020 ELECTION REPORTER ROUNDTABLE: The countdown to Election Day is on, and recent polls show President Trump trailing Joe Biden. Join POLITICO journalists Natasha Korecki, Gabby Orr and Zach Montellaro who will peel back the curtain on the Biden and Trump campaign strategies, discuss key policy platforms and describe how voters are responding. REGISTER HERE

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– “Massachusetts reports 10 new coronavirus deaths, 203 cases as state launches site for public to report businesses in non-compliance,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials announced another 10 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 8,125. Officials also confirmed another 203 cases of the virus, for a total of at least 105,986.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– “Baker administration asks schools to prioritize in-person instruction this fall and not announce final plans until August,” by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley has asked schools to prioritize in-person instruction this fall and not announce any final plans about reopening until early August. In a new guidance released Friday, Riley said officials are asking schools to ‘ prioritize in-person instruction’ because of the current low transmission rate of coronavirus in Massachusetts.”

– “Police push back on reform bill,” by Jill Harmacinski, Eagle-Tribune: “Without a public hearing and in the wee hours of Tuesday morning at the Statehouse, the Senate approved controversial reforms for policing in Massachusetts that would include a ban on choke holds, limit the use of tear gas and require training police officers in the history of racism. The vote in the upper chamber now shifts the focus of the debate over racism and policing to the House with just weeks left to finalize a bill that has vaulted to the top of the Legislature's end-of-session agenda.”

– “Velis can’t back Senate’s police reform bill,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “When the state Senate took a vote on a sweeping police reform bill just after 4 a.m. on Tuesday, 30 of the Senate’s 40 members voted in favor. One of the seven who voted against it was a member of the western Massachusetts delegation. Newly elected state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, voted against the legislation together with four other Democrats and two Republicans.”

– “Advocates ask lawmakers not to move on Charlie Baker’s Holyoke Soldiers’ Home reforms,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Veterans’ advocates are urging state lawmakers to delay action on Gov. Charlie Baker’s legislation to increase oversight of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, saying it would do little to change the ‘dysfunctional chain of command’ at the facility where 76 residents died of coronavirus and that more input was needed.”

– “Massachusetts teachers unions call for phased reopening of schools, mirroring state’s business reopening during COVID-19 pandemic,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “Teachers unions in Massachusetts are calling for a phased reopening of schools, suggesting a plan that mirrors the four-phased reopening of the state’s economy, as the calendar ticks closer to the start of the school year.”

– “Mail-In Voting Lawsuit Delayed As Lawmakers Advance Funding,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: “A scheduled hearing Tuesday in a mail-in voting lawsuit will take place Friday instead, officials announced, two days after the deadline for Secretary of State William Galvin to send ballot applications to all 4.5 million registered voters.”

– “Dispatchers to receive CPR training under proposed state bill,” by Kim Ring, Telegram & Gazette: “A single piece of legislation, if passed, could save as many as 500 lives a year in Massachusetts, according to a UMass Memorial Medical Center doctor. Joseph Sabato, a emergency medicine doctor, said that when a heart attack happens, it’s critical to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation within 90 seconds. As time marches on, so do the victim’s chances for survival, he said.”

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

– “Marty Walsh ducks question about Boston mayoral re-election bid,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Mayor Martin Walsh still isn’t saying whether he’s actually running for a third term — even though he’s now almost a year closer to the upcoming election than he was when he announced he was running for a second time. Walsh, when asked on Tuesday at a press conference whether he had plans to run for re-election, chuckled and demurred, saying, ‘I’ll be making an announcement at some point in the future, I’m sure.’”

FROM THE HUB

– “Moderna releases new Covid-19 vaccine data, final trial start date,” by Allison DeAngelis, Boston Business Journal: “Saying it plans to launch what will likely be one of the largest clinical trials the drug industry has seen before in less than two weeks, Moderna Inc. revealed more evidence from an early-stage trial of its potential vaccine that indicated it could be successful.”

– “‘A fairly devout group of Neo-Nazis.’ Local white supremacist group has been active in recent weeks,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Among the dozens of rallies and street protests held across Boston in recent weeks, one at the foot of the State House last month stood out: There was a flag featuring a Nazi symbol, a swastika tattoo on one of the attendees, and a few men with shirts that read ‘Nationalist Social Club’ — an organization that experts say is a New England white supremacist group.”

– “Walsh Announces Public Hearings For Boston Police Reform Task Force,” by Paul Singer, WGBH News: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday that the police reform task force he created will hold a series of public hearings over the next few weeks to take input from the community on hot-button issues such as use-of-force policies and the deployment of body cameras. Walsh announced the creation of the Boston Police Reform Task Force in June as he declared racism a public health crisis in Boston, with a promise to take action on anything the task force proposed.”

– “Boston granting relief to businesses that pay rent to city,” by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: “With the pandemic shutdown wreaking havoc on hundreds of businesses across Boston, city officials are stepping up to provide relief to one group of enterprises with a direct tie to municipal government. Between businesses housed in city-owned buildings and those that operate on land owned by the Boston Planning & Development Agency, dozens of businesses pay rent to the city or to its development agency — and they are getting big breaks from their landlord.”

– “Demonstrators Call On Boston Companies To Bolster Black Employment,” by Adrian Ma, WBUR: “About 30 people from an array of community groups demonstrated in front of the Seaport headquarters of the biotech firm Vertex on Tuesday, calling for changes that they say would give the city's Black residents greater access to jobs in the tech and biotech sectors. Organizers of the rally pointed out that Black residents have been historically excluded from these industries due to systemic racism.”

– “Food trucks are coming to Boston neighborhoods this week as part of pilot program during coronavirus pandemic,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced that a pilot program to bring food trucks into the city’s neighborhoods will begin this Friday. ‘This summer we are piloting temporary food truck sites across our neighborhoods, including in city parks, playgrounds and public spaces,’ Walsh said during a press briefing on Tuesday.”

PRIMARY SOURCES

– “Daily Kos endorses longtime ally and progressive champion Ed Markey for Senate in Massachusetts,” by Joan McCarter, Daily Kos: “Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey has for years been a stalwart ally of Daily Kos and the progressive movement in a way few others have been. That’s why we’re proud to endorse this singular public servant in the Democratic primary on Sept. 1 .”

– “Meet Alex Morse, the gay progressive mayor taking on a 30-year Democratic incumbent,” Roger Sollenberger, Salon: “At age 22, Alex Morse was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, while still a senior at Brown University, becoming the youngest openly gay mayor in America. It's the only job he's known for his adult working life. Morse trying to change that now, running as a progressive in the Democratic primary against Rep. Richard Neal, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and has represented Massachusetts in Congress for almost as long as Morse has been alive.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– “The Allston Mass. Pike project strikes some critics as too car-centric,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “At its heart, the problem plaguing the massive Massachusetts Turnpike project through Allston appears to be one of geometry: How do you squeeze an eight-lane highway, a four-lane parkway, bike and walking paths, and four railroad tracks into a narrow strip of land without spilling into the Charles River?”

– “Front boarding returns to MBTA buses, trolleys next week,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “After nearly four months, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Monday will again require bus riders to enter through the front doors, rather than the back, a change that effectively ends a brief era of fare-free trips. The rear-door policy, which was also enacted on the Mattapan trolley line and at above-ground stops on the Green Line, was intended to create separation between riders and drivers as the coronavirus spread.”

DAY IN COURT

– “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey suing Uber, Lyft over classification of workers as independent contractors,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Attorney General Maura Healey is filing suit against Uber and Lyft, alleging the companies have misclassified their workers as independent contractors to avoid having to provide the benefits enjoyed by employees under Massachusetts law. Healey said the state is asking for declaratory judgment on the question of whether ride-hail workers are independent contractors or employees under state law.”

TRUMPACHUSETTS

– “Trump administration reverses course on international student ban,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “In a stunning reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to abandon its earlier order for international students to leave the country if their college or university is only offering online classes during the fall. US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs made the announcement in a brief video hearing Tuesday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology challenging the government rule issued eight days ago.”

– “‘I can’t take this anymore’: Video of Mendon resident and former Trump supporter lambasting president goes viral,” by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: “Sitting in what appears to be a lounge chair, with noise crackling in the background, a reluctant Jeffrey Farmer stares into his smartphone’s camera and details — in a profane rant — the various reasons he won’t be voting for President Trump a second time.”

KENNEDY COMPOUND

– “Massachusetts Democrat calls for Voice of America chief to resign,” by Rafael Bernal, The Hill: “Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) called Tuesday for the resignation of Michael Pack, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), accusing him of managing the agency in an openly partisan manner. Pack, a Trump appointee who took over as head of the USAGM in June, has since removed or pushed out the heads of the agency's news outlets — including Voice of America (VOA) — and replaced the members of the organization's bipartisan advisory board with conservative appointees.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– “Environmental groups hail Baker's lift on reusable bags, and plastic bag ban suspension,” by Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle: “Shoppers once again can bring their own reusable bags to grocery stores and pharmacies and no longer will have the option to use single-use plastic bags in places with municipal bans on them. Environmental groups are thrilled .”

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: “MODERNA LOVE,” “BIDEN HIS TIME,” — Globe : “Police unions criticize bill passed in late Senate session," "US drops international student ban," "BACK IN THE PICTURE.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– “In Framingham, calls to drop a president’s name from school,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “Framingham officials are considering a proposal to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from a public elementary school over criticism of the former US president’s racist policies while he was in office. About 900 people have backed a petition supporting the name change, pointing to similar efforts at other educational institutions, including at Princeton University, to drop Wilson’s name.”

– “Vacationing mayor saves Cape Cod wedding,” by Jessica Hill, Cape Cod Times: “A couple who recently moved to Cape Cod tied the knot on the beach over the weekend, despite a couple of hiccups on their wedding day. Matt Kalliath and Naomi Kalliath, both physicians, received help from Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who stepped in at the last minute to perform the ceremony.”

– “Dueling Peabody protests highlight national divisions,” by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: “National divisions over policing and police brutality, social and racial justice, and the pandemic were on display at the head of the Big Y Plaza at 687 Lowell St. Tuesday afternoon in side-by-side rallies.”

– “Indian out as Grafton mascot after School Committee vote,” by Sandy Quatro Bowles, The Grafton News: “The Grafton Indian mascot will fade into history. Citing opposition to the Indian from both the student body and the local Nipmuc Tribe, Grafton School Committee members voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the Indian as a mascot for the school district.”

– “Nudist campgrounds in Massachusetts open under strict guidelines,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “The two nudist resorts in Massachusetts have opened their gates to visitors for the 2020 season but have seen a drop in numbers attending. Sandy Terraces in Marstons Mills is a 10-acre nudist campground is entering its 69th season after opening for the first time in the late 1940s. At a resort where clothing is optional, masks having to be worn is a very new feature at the campground.”

TRANSITIONS – Bruce A. Percelay was elected incoming chairman of the board at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

– Suleiman Benabderrazik joins Meg Wheeler’s campaign for state Senate as deputy campaign manager and communications director.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Dr. David Lippman, who is 75; Ariel Zirulnick, Jon Hurst and Stefanie Coxe.

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.

NEW THIS WEEK – POLITICO’S “FUTURE PULSE” NEWSLETTER : 2020 has wrought a global pandemic that has accelerated long-simmering trends in health care technology. One thing is certain: The health care system that emerges from this crisis will be fundamentally different than the one that entered. From Congress and the White House, to state capitols and Silicon Valley, Future Pulse spotlights the politics, policies and technologies driving long-term changes on the most personal issue for Americans: Our health. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.

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