| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | | IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED — The first town hall of Elizabeth Warren's reelection campaign was set up to be a show of political force after months of rumors that the senator could face a primary challenge. Sen. Ed Markey, after all, was fighting for his political life just three years ago. Warren's evening of touting her policy wins and talking about her plans to make child care more affordable was instead pockmarked by protesters. But the disruptions were less of a derailment for Warren and more of a demonstration for her potential political foes as to why attempting to take her on remains an asymmetric battle. When Warren took the stage, it was to a standing ovation with some of the state’s top female Democrats — Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu — by her side. Politicians across levels of government dotted the crowd. Her choice of venue, Hibernian Hall, in the heart of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, was as purposeful as her choice of co-headliners.
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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pumps her fist during a town hall meeting, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) | AP | But the true test of Warren’s staying power came with the protesters. First it was a series of hecklers seemingly angry about the continued American involvement with Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Then there were two community members frustrated by what they viewed as inadequate federal support for Boston’s Black community. The broader allegiances in the room were clear: This was a Warren crowd. Chants of her name drowned out the protesters. Wu and Pressley jumped into action as Warren’s defenders in chief, grabbing microphones to help deescalate an exchange over systemic racism that was growing dicey. “We’ve come to a community that feels like for a long time they have been systematically undervalued , treated badly, and that’s been true for generations. So there’s a lot of anger about a rigged system,” Warren told reporters afterward. “That’s why I ran for Senate in the first place. It's why I'm running for the Senate now. I learn a lot by being here with people.” As one of the community members continued to yell behind her, Warren added, “this is what democracy looks like.” There are no easy answers to the housing and economic issues facing Black communities in Boston and beyond. And Warren will continue to be prodded on those issues throughout her campaign. But even with the chaos — and likely amplified because of it — the evening's message rang clear: Taking on Warren in 2024 means taking on her crew. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. If you're reading this and you're running the marathon on Monday, give me a shout at lkashinsky@politico.com for a chance to be featured in Playbook! TODAY — Healey speaks at UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen’s inauguration at 11 a.m. and tours Chelmsford High at 12:45 p.m. with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll . Driscoll speaks at the North Shore REALTORS annual breakfast at 9 a.m. in Salem. Pressley and Wu join HUD Deputy Secretary Adrienne Todman for the Flat 9 groundbreaking in Roxbury at 10 a.m. Wu speaks at a Boston Marathon safety press conference at 11:30 a.m. in Copley Square, is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 12:30 p.m. and signs a stretch-energy-code ordinance at 3:15 p.m. at the Museum of Science. Pressley meets with housing advocates at the Justice 4 Housing offices at 1 p.m.
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| | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| — DEMOCRATS DIVERGE: Top House Democrats aren’t picking up all of what Gov. Maura Healey put down in her fiscal year 2024 budget proposal, setting up more points of intraparty friction over spending priorities. One of the most significant departures is over how to divvy up the budgeted $1 billion of millionaires tax revenues. Healey called for the money to be split 51/49 between education and transportation projects. Among her key asks: $59 million for a tuition lock for UMass students, $20 million for her free community college plan, $181 million in capital investments for the MBTA, $12.5 million for station improvements to facilitate East-West rail service and $5 million to study means-tested fares. House leaders are calling to split the $1 billion 50/50 between education and transportation . Top Democrats ditched the station improvements and tuition freeze, instead offering to boost funding for an existing program that provides targeted scholarships. But they matched the community college and means-tested fare funding. And they poured another $69 million into capital investments for the T and set aside $161 million to make universal free school meals permanent. House Democrats also called in their $56.2 billion budget plan to revive pandemic-era eviction protections, and to authorize online lottery sales and use the revenue to support grants for child care providers. They also upped the auditor's budget, as the governor requested. But, amid ongoing beef with Diana DiZoglio over her probe of the Legislature, top House Democrats denied Healey and DiZoglio's request to conduct state-agency audits on a four-year cycle rather than the current three. "We felt the budget was not the place to potentially settle a political score," House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz told reporters. More than 200 amendments — including a “Ted Lasso Kindness Manifesto” from state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli — had already been filed as of late Wednesday. The House budget debate is slated for the week of April 24. Dive deeper into the proposal with GBH’s Katie Lannan and the Boston Globe’s Matt Stout .
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| | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today . | | | | | | | FROM THE HUB |
| — “Divided Boston City Council battles over redistricting review request,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston city councilors clashed for more than 20 minutes over a hearing request that would review internal communications one councilor says may point to open meeting law violations that occurred during a fraught redistricting process. City Councilor Erin Murphy, who already encountered resistance from her colleagues last week when she first requested public records for 5,816 pages of inter-council redistricting correspondence, experienced harsher opposition on Wednesday, when she reintroduced this request to a heavily divided City Council.” — “Boston Schools admit it sent incorrect exam school eligibility letters,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “Officials at Boston Public Schools are backtracking this week after sending erroneous notices to dozens of sixth graders regarding their eligibility to apply to the district's competitive exam schools.”
| | DAY IN COURT |
| — “Juul to pay Mass. $41 million in multi-state settlement,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine: “Massachusetts will receive $41 million as part of a $462 million settlement between e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and six states plus the District of Columbia for the company’s role promoting nicotine vaping among young people. The settlement announced Wednesday concludes lawsuits from New York, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington, DC, alleging that Juul intentionally marketed its product to minors and created an epidemic of youth vaping.”
| | ROE FALLOUT |
| — STOCKPILE SECURED: The 15,000 mifepristone doses that Maura Healey requested UMass order ahead of the Texas court ruling jeopardizing access to the abortion pill have now arrived, the governor said on a Democratic Governors Association press call yesterday. The doses are expected to last more than a year.
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| | | | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| — “In the MBTA’s proposed $9.2 billion spending plan, transit advocates argue more funds are needed for expansion,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “Over the next five years, under its recently proposed Capital Investment Plan, the MBTA wants to inject $9.2 billion into its transit system, spending money on hundreds of projects and devoting more than 80 percent of the funding toward what the T calls ‘safety and reliability.’ But local transportation advocates argue that while the T is right to focus on safety, the agency is not pouring nearly enough resources into expanding the transit system and addressing anticipated future needs.” — “Berkshire Flyer Amtrak trains between NYC and Pittsfield returning this summer,” by Chris McLaughlin, MassLive.
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| — “Three Massachusetts lawmakers join President Biden on trip to Ireland,” by Jorja Siemons, Boston Globe: “Senator Ed Markey, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Representative Richard Neal are joining President Biden’s presidential trip to Ireland, the White House and their offices confirmed Wednesday.”
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Following ‘ladies’ debate, Easthampton residents seek recall of School Committee chair,” by Luis Fieldman, MassLive: “Easthampton residents stood in front of City Hall on Tuesday with clipboards, picket signs and a petition. With enough signatures, the petition could trigger a recall election for School Committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski.”
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| | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World , will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat . | | | | | | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — “Before Justin Pearson was a Tennessee politician at the center of the national gun debate, he was a beloved Boston resident,” by Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: “Many people across the country may now know Justin J. Pearson as the youthful, impassioned Tennessee politician at the center of the national gun control debate. But to a select number of Bostonians, he’s an adopted grandson, a fellow churchgoer, and a supporter of local bookstores.” — “Worcester approves inclusionary zoning, but housing advocates say it doesn't go far enough,” by Sam Turken, GBH News: “After almost a year of deliberations, Worcester City Council voted on Tuesday to mandate that a minimum percentage of new housing units within private development projects be affordable for low- to moderate-income households. But although the inclusionary zoning ordinance is meant to address Worcester’s shortage of affordable apartments, housing advocates and some city councilors say it does not go far enough.” — “Candidate drops out of Beverly mayor's race after Twitter revelations,” by Paul Leighton, Salem News: “Mayoral candidate Paul Guanci said Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race after revelations surfaced that he liked derogatory Twitter comments regarding race, gender, immigration and election denial.” — “Harvard donor’s support of Fla. governor DeSantis prompts criticism from students, alumni,” by Hilary Burns, Boston Globe: “In announcing a $300 million gift from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin this week, Harvard University touted his loyalty and generosity to his alma mater. But it omitted a part of his profile that has angered some in the school community. He is a big supporter of controversial Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.” — “Harvard environmental lawyer under fire for oil industry ties,” by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe. — “How President Obama wrote his ‘love letter to Boston’ after the Marathon bombing,” by Terry Szuplat, the Boston Globe.
| | MEDIA MATTERS |
| — LOGGING OFF: WBUR will stop posting on Twitter in solidarity with NPR, its CEO said Wednesday. NPR stopped tweeting after Twitter owner Elon Musk labeled the news organization as “state-affiliated media” and then “government-funded media.” WBUR CEO Margaret Low wrote in a Wednesday note that Musk’s actions “seek to undermine the integrity” of both WBUR and NPR, and that they’ll be taking their content elsewhere.
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| | | | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| TRANSITIONS — Boston.com’s Christopher Gavin is joining The Messenger as a breaking news reporter. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former Rep. Chester Atkins, Brian Bartlett, Laura Chester, Nancy Lane and Joe Rospars , founder and CEO of Blue State and an Elizabeth Warren alum. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: MAKE IT MAKE CENTS — State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski joins hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky for a House budget breakdown. 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 . | |
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