| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | Presented by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. WARREN PRESSES BIDEN ON STUDENT LOANS — President Joe Biden is pretty blunt about where he stands on canceling $50,000 per borrower in student loan debt. “I will not make that happen,” Biden said during a CNN town hall earlier this week. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren is betting she — and like-minded Democrats — can change his mind. The Cambridge Democrat held a virtual town hall last night where she called for canceling student debt, despite Biden's apprehension. The proposal to wipe out loans through an executive order was a key part of Warren's platform during the 2020 presidential primary. "Send a note to President Biden," Warren said last night, asked when debt relief might come. "If we can persuade the president, we can do this one fast." Biden is still in the first 100 days of his term, a key period for presidential administrations. And along with the all-consuming task of Covid-19 relief, student loan debt is shaping up to be one of the first Democratic battles of the Biden era. Warren is far from the only lawmaker promoting the $50,000 idea — she and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are pushing the plan. Biden did offer some wiggle room on his position on student debt cancellation during his town hall in Wisconsin on Tuesday. “I'm prepared to write off a $10,000 debt, but not 50," the president said. But the White House appeared to even step away from that idea yesterday, saying there's no proposal on the table. This all comes at a time when Warren's influence in Washington is rising . Democrats hold the House, the Senate and the White House. Some of Warren's top allies and aides have moved into roles in the Biden administration. And she recently joined the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Warren and Biden have feuded over policy before — namely in the early aughts, again during the Obama administration and most recently in the presidential primary. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a government affairs forum hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber. Baker, Rep. Jake Auchincloss and Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell are guests on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren tours the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center vaccine site at La Colaborativa in Chelsea. Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark is a guest on WBUR, and hosts a virtual roundtable on challenges in confronting domestic and intimate partner violence during the pandemic. Sen. Ed Markey visits the Holyoke Soldiers Home, the site of a proposed biomass plant in Springfield, and a Massachusetts Nurses Association picket line at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. | |
| | A message from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM): We’re a community of 3,300+ employers from small neighborhood shops and startups, to Fortune 500 companies. Our member companies employ almost three quarters of a million Massachusetts residents, who depend on the success of those businesses to earn a living, and build fulfilling lives for themselves and their loved ones. Our goal is to create economic opportunity for all of Massachusetts. Join us as we strive to create a better state of business. https://aimnet.org/introductory-membership/ | | | | |
| | GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what’s really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what’s about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don’t miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we’d be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Active COVID infections in Mass. dip below 40,000 people as state reports 1,322 new cases, 55 deaths on Wednesday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 1,322 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is based on 82,971 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health. Officials also announced another 55 COVID-related fatalities, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 15,312.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Mass. Legislature to probe Baker’s COVID vaccine rollout,” by Emma Platoff and Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “In a rare flex of legislative authority, the Democratic-led Massachusetts Legislature will call Governor Charlie Baker’s administration to a series of oversight hearings to answer for a vaccine rollout that some have criticized as sluggish and inequitable .” – “State nudges along design process for new women’s prison — again,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state agency in charge of construction and maintenance of state buildings on Wednesday moved forward proposals to construct a new prison for women despite pushback from former prisoners and advocates who said the estimated $50 million for the project would be better spent toward efforts to rehabilitate women with previous traumas.” – “The pandemic has put Baker in a novel spot,” by Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe: “The pandemic has put Governor Charlie Baker in a novel spot. For years, the Republican has enjoyed stratospheric approval ratings from voters, including Democrats, and preternatural deference from Democrats on Beacon Hill.” | | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| – “Residents 65 and over, and those with two underlying health conditions, will become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines Thursday,” by Robert Weisman, Deanna Pan, Travis Andersen and Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: “State officials are nearly doubling the number of people in Massachusetts eligible for COVID-19 shots, announcing that residents age 65 to 74 and those with two or more underlying health conditions, including asthma, can book vaccine appointments starting at 8 a.m. Thursday.” – “Massachusetts residents with multiple comorbidities can sign up for the vaccine Thursday. Here’s what does and doesn’t count.” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “The list of qualifying health conditions — ranging from cancer to heart disease to obesity to being a current or former cigarette smoker — is mostly based on federal guidelines on which underlying conditions are shown to put individuals at increased risk of hospitalization or death due to COVID-19.” – “Older baby boomers are relieved by vaccine eligibility — and ready to scramble for appointments,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “After the new eligibility rules were announced Wednesday morning, about 250,000 people flooded to the appointment-booking website and caused brief crashes, before Governor Charlie Baker said new appointments would appear online Thursday morning.” – “‘Sigh of relief’ after Massachusetts adds asthma to vaccine eligibility, but concern for medical conditions left out,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Some anxious asthmatics are able to ‘breathe a sigh of relief’ now that Gov. Charlie Baker has added moderate-to-severe asthma to the list of comorbidities eligible for vaccines, but many others continue to be shut out.” – “It may take up to a month for residents 65 and older, or who have 2 health conditions, to book COVID vaccine appointments, Gov. Charlie Baker says,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Because of an ongoing supply shortage, the newly eligible residents — which include those 65 and older or who have two or more certain health conditions — may have to wait up to a month before they can even book an appointment.” – “There are 6.9 million people in Mass. Here’s why the state goal is to vaccinate 4.1 million of them,” by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe: “The state’s coronavirus vaccination campaign, which has drawn an increasing amount of flak in recent days, has a goal of vaccinating 4.1 million Massachusetts adults. Experts say it would be a good step toward protecting the population, but the shots shouldn’t stop there.” – “Advocates push vaccine equity for black and Latino residents,” by Shira Schoenberg and Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Advocates for Black and Latino Massachusetts residents are asking Gov. Charlie Baker for a large influx of money and vaccine doses aimed at increasing vaccination rates among their populations.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “After damning report, Boston City Hall to set new goal for contracting diversity,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh plans to unveil an executive order later this week that will set a goal of awarding at least 17% of the money given to contractors by the city to women- and minority-owned businesses, according to a person familiar with the plans.” – “Boston College faces big challenges repairing trust on race,” by Deirdre Fernandes and Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: “Boston College faces a difficult task in rebuilding the trust of students who have felt betrayed by years of inaction from top leaders amid a string of racist incidents, campus activists and industry observers said, as the school promises to re-examine its efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive campus.” – “Legal Sea Foods sale leaves vendors with piles of unpaid bills,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: “The subject line was a grabber: ‘Roger Berkowitz and Legal Seafood [sic] deal stiffs creditors.’ The e-mail came from a sales rep for a supplier to Legal Sea Foods, the Boston restaurant chain that, you may remember, was sold in a pandemic fire sale in December .” – “Public health experts at Harvard, BU weigh-in on CDC school reopening guidelines,” by Dialynn Dwyer, Boston.com: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its roadmap Friday for how schools can safely reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and two local public health experts are raising concerns the guidance will keep ‘millions’ of students out of school ‘unnecessarily.’” – “Everett Mayor DeMaria Denies Claims Of Racism, Fires Back With Accusations Of 'Rude And Ignorant' Behavior Against Councilor Adrien,” by Aidan Connelly, GBH News: “On Wednesday’s Boston Public Radio, Everett City Mayor Carlo DeMaria defended comments he made during a Jan. 25 city council meeting where he strongly implied his desire mute the screen of Councilor-at-Large Gerly Adrien.” | | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| – “Growing list of contenders in at-large race,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “As the city is on the verge of having its first Black acting mayor and a mayoral campaign in which the three current front-runners for the office are women, several candidates are positioning themselves to run for the at-large City Council seats vacated by mayoral candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George.” | |
| | A message from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM):  
| | | | | OUT OF THIS WORLD |
| – “MIT’s ‘MOXIE’ to land on Mars Thursday,” by Charlie McKenna, Boston Globe: “A device designed by a group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory is currently hurtling through space aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover, set to land Thursday on Mars.” | | ON THE STUMP |
| – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Mass Teachers Association endorses Juan Jaramillo for State Representative,” from the Jaramillo campaign: “Juan Jaramillo’s bid to represent the 19th Suffolk District continues to pick up steam with the endorsements of the widely respected Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA). Jaramillo was endorsed by the Boston Teachers Union last week.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “‘Roaring Kitty’ Sued for Securities Fraud Over GameStop Rise,” by Anthony Lin, Bloomberg News: “Keith Gill, one of the most influential voices that pushed GameStop on the WallStreetBets Reddit forum, was hit with a lawsuit that accused him of misrepresenting himself as an amateur investor and profiting by artificially inflating the price of the stock.” – “Former FBI agent convicted of helping James ‘Whitey’ Bulger orchestrate 1982 slaying granted medical release,” by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “John J. Connolly Jr., a former FBI agent convicted of helping James ‘Whitey’ Bulger orchestrate the 1982 slaying of a gambling executive in Florida, was granted medical release Wednesday and will be released from prison in Florida after serving nearly 19 years.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Elizabeth Warren on the vaccine rollout in Massachusetts: ‘People are feeling really frustrated,’” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn’t satisfied with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Massachusetts, and expects she is hardly alone. ‘People are feeling really frustrated all around Massachusetts,’ Warren told WBUR in an interview Wednesday afternoon. ‘I mean, this has just been a very slow rollout, and a rollout that has just a lot of aggravation attached to it.’” | | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| – “Newton marijuana store seeks end to appointment-only rule, as nearby competition grows,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “Newton’s only recreational marijuana store is seeking to end a restriction limiting sales only to customers with appointments, as more cannabis businesses line up to open in the city. Garden Remedies wants to be more competitive with stores in other nearby communities, chief operating officer Jeff Herold said in an interview.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “RIP RUSH: HOWIE ON LIMBAUGH,” “VAX TRACK,” — Globe: “Vaccine eligibility opened to 65 and up," "Black, Latino groups file complaint on contracts.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Annals of vaccination: Held back by the state, with doses soon to expire, Berkshire coordinators skirt rules to give out shots,” by Francesca Paris, The Berkshire Eagle: “Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were poised to expire at the Berkshire Community College clinic, and no one was around to receive them. ... With no word from Boston, few eligible recipients signed up and over 100 refrigerated Pfizer doses nearing the end of their lifespan, clinic coordinators made their own call.” – “12-year battle continues: Area organizations urge Gov. Charlie Baker to not allow rule changes favorable to Springfield biomass plant,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “Area organizations that have fought against a proposed biomass energy plant in East Springfield for the last 12 years urged Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday to reject rule changes favorable to the project.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Worcester officials investigate claims that police protested officer’s suspension with coordinated ‘sick out,’” by Michael Bonner and Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: “The city of Worcester and its police department are investigating allegations that officers coordinated a ‘sick out’ in response to a fellow officer receiving disciplinary measures. The investigation stems from 14 officers calling out sick during the week Police Officer Ryan Joyal was issued a five-day suspension, MassLive learned.” – “Attleboro officials angry over governor's latest plan to distribute vaccines,” by George W. Rhodes, Sun Chronicle: “Gov. Charlie Baker announced a plan Wednesday to ‘streamline’ coronavirus vaccinations by removing them from the hands of most local health departments. As a result, most municipal vaccinations will stop as of March 1 except for those people due to get a second dose or those in cities which were deemed exceptions to the policy.” – “Ferry line board skeptical of private shuttle service request,” by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: “The Steamship Authority balked Tuesday at a proposal to create new runs between Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard by the Falmouth-Edgartown Ferry that would essentially act as a private shuttle .” – “UMass Medical School raises $435K to support statewide vaccine rollout,” by Nicole Shih, Telegram & Gazette: “Philanthropic donations totaling $435,000 have been raised to support the Vaccine Corps, led by a $200,000 gift from the Woburn-based Cummings Foundation that UMass Medical School was challenged to match.” – “Methuen: No vaccine a 'slap in the face,'” by Bill Kirk, Eagle-Tribune: “Local and state officials reacted swiftly and harshly to the announcement Monday by Gov. Charlie Baker that the city wouldn't be getting any doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week after holding two small but successful clinics at The Loop over the past two weeks.” – “State Undercounts Outer Cape Covid Cases,” by Paul Benson, Provincetown Independent: “The Covid testing program at Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS), which relies on rapid BinaxNOW tests provided by the state, has been a local success story. The tests are free, appointments are available, and the wait time for results is often less than two hours.” TRANSITIONS – Michelle Manion was appointed vice president of policy and advocacy at Mass Audubon. – Communications firm J Strategies is forming a new branch in Washington, D.C. overseen by Managing Partner and CEO Julie Miner, Managing Director Minda Conroe, Senior Vice President Ashlee Casper-Palmieri and Vice President and Media Relations Director Adam Morey. – Hannah Rehm joins Rep. Jake Auchincloss’s office and campaign as a press and digital aide. Rehm previously worked on Patricia Timmons-Goodson ’s congressional campaign and is a Buttigieg alum. REMEMBERING VIRGINIA BOHLIN … via the Boston Globe: “A serious reporter who brought depth and insight to subjects others treated lightly, Virginia Bohlin Dorman wrote for more than seven decades as Virginia Bohlin, her byline before marrying, including nearly 40 years as the Globe’s antiques columnist. Mrs. Dorman was 101 when she died Jan. 20 in her longtime Boxford home after her health declined due to congestive heart failure.” Link. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Auditor Suzanne Bump, the Boston Herald’s Rick Sobey, and Joe Caiazzo, a Sanders and Kennedy alum. NEW EPISODE: POWER OF ATTORNEY – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray talk about what's next for the U.S. Attorney's Office with Sean Cotter of the Boston Herald. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. 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. | |
| | A message from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM): We’re a community of 3,300+ employers from small neighborhood shops and startups, to technology innovators and Fortune 500 companies. Our member companies employ almost three quarters of a million Massachusetts residents, who depend on the success of those businesses to earn a living and build fulfilling lives for themselves and their loved ones.
With our breadth, size, and influence, we create real, and positive change for Massachusetts businesses through our public policy work, HR resources, and member- based communities. We have a unique offering applied with a diverse and tailored approach including Human Resources training, and workers compensation insurance. We can meet the requirements of any business.
Our goal is to create economic opportunity for all of Massachusetts. Join us as we strive to create a better state of business. https://aimnet.org/introductory-membership/ | | | | |
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