POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY PROPAGANDA! NUCLEAR ISN'T CLEAN, ISN'T CHEAP & WE'RE STUCK WITH RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN PLYMOUTH! Presented by THE PICK IS IN — Gov. Maura Healey has made one of her most important hires by tapping Kate Walsh, CEO of Boston Medical Center’s health system, as her health and human services chief. HHS is the largest secretariat, with 12 agencies that oversee everything from MassHealth to the state’s two soldiers’ homes and combine to account for more than half of the state’s budget. Walsh will take over from acting secretary Mary Beckman. Walsh is no stranger to running vast organizations. She’s spent nearly 13 years helming BMC’s health system and steered it through the pandemic. Her priors include high-level positions at Brigham and Women’s, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts General Hospital. Walsh “has a proven track record of delivering results on health equity, affordability and behavioral health, while also addressing social determinants of health like food and housing insecurity,” Healey said in a statement. “She will bring an innovative and compassionate approach to the office that centers the needs of patients and providers.” Healey’s Cabinet is almost complete. Her transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, will be sworn in by month's end. Healey has tasked a working group with helping to create her standalone housing secretariat. And she'll need to appoint a veterans’ services secretary, which rises to the Cabinet level in March under soldiers’ home reform legislation passed last year. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. New documents from MassGOP Treasurer Pat Crowley show just how cash-strapped the party that's so often described as cash-strapped really is. The GOP could have just $35,000 left in its coffers after it pays off outstanding invoices, according to the latest trove of documents Crowley emailed to state committee members yesterday and obtained by Playbook. The party already owed some $86,000 to vendors at the end of last year, mostly to the Stirm Group for digging up dirt on Healey at Chair Jim Lyons’ request. Crowley has since found another roughly $30,000 in previously unreported invoices from September and October that weren’t paid until this month. According to Crowley's latest calculations, continuing to pay off those bills would drain almost all of the roughly $152,000 the party had across its state and federal accounts at the end of 2022. His analysis doesn't include the party's January income. The continued document dumps from Crowley provide fodder for those seeking to oust Lyons as chair in next week’s leadership election. But they’re also galvanizing some Republicans to Lyons’ defense. Neither Crowley nor Lyons, who's suing the treasurer over access to the party's bank account, returned requests for comment. Speaking of financial woes, Fair and Secure Massachusetts, the MassGOP-aligned ballot committee that led the failed effort to repeal the new law granting undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses, appears to be in the hole. The committee has nearly $45,000 in liabilities and less than $5,300 in its account to pay them, according to its year-end report . TODAY — Healey speaks at MassBio's annual policy leadership breakfast at the Omni Parker House (event starts at 8:30 a.m., remarks around 10:10 a.m.) and chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gives her first state of the city address at 7 p.m. at the MGM Music Hall in Fenway; Healey attends. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com . PROPAGANDA! NUCLEAR ISN'T CLEAN, ISN'T CHEAP & WE'RE STUCK WITH RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN PLYMOUTH! A message from NextEra Energy: Affordable, carbon-emissions free, reliable electricity from nuclear energy. Seabrook Station lowers consumer energy costs in Massachusetts and New England by providing a year-round, low-cost, baseload energy supply. And American-made nuclear energy supports hundreds of jobs across New England.   WU TRAIN — WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING (A BIG SPEECH): Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will deliver her first state of the city address tonight to some 3,500 city and state electeds, business bigwigs, union heads, faith leaders and community members at the MGM Music Hall in Fenway. There will be policy, but also some pomp and circumstance. The lobby will feature a gallery of “civic heroes” — city employees across a variety of departments who are “working exceptionally to help city residents and build community,” her office said. Wu’s speech will also be simultaneously interpreted into seven languages: American Sign Language, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Cabo Verdean Creole and Vietnamese. FROM THE HUB — “Lego’s North American headquarters is coming to Boston,” by Dana Gerber and Catherine Carlock, Boston Globe: “The Lego Group on Tuesday announced that it would move its North American headquarters from Enfield, Conn., to Boston over the next few years, a transition expected to bring hundreds of jobs to Massachusetts at a time when concerns are mounting over the state’s ability to compete for big business.” — More: “How Boston pieced together the Lego headquarters move,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The process started with a missive from the business-focused nonprofit MassEcon: a big company’s thinking about coming to Boston. You interested? They were." — “Busing doesn’t improve academic outcomes for Boston students of color, study finds,” by Christopher Huffaker, Boston Globe: “[D]espite the changed demographics of the district, Boston public school students are still being bused. But what if busing has little educational upside today? That’s the provocative question raised by a new study that tracked Boston sixth-and ninth-grade students over about a decade. The research conducted by MIT’s Blueprint Labs found that students who were bused to schools outside of their neighborhoods saw no academic benefit.” — “Boston police account for $31 million of city legal payouts since 2020, including $16 million for wrongfully convicted man,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe. — WU WOULD DISAGREE: “Boston Eyesore? City Hall Nearly the Ugliest Building in US, Survey Says,” by NBC10 Boston.   JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — DOLLARS AND SENSE: The consensus from yesterday's consensus revenue hearing is that there’s ... no real consensus yet on how the millionaires tax will impact the state’s finances. First, it’s unclear how much money the new surtax will actually generate once it kicks into fuller force in fiscal 2024. Beacon Hill’s chief budget writers heard revenue estimates yesterday ranging from $1 billion to $1.7 billion. Prior estimates had ranged from $1.2 billion to $2 billion. Second, it’s still not clear where, exactly, the money from the millionaires tax is going. The constitutional amendment stipulates it’s supposed to go toward transportation and education initiatives. But the final spending decisions rest with the Legislature, which hasn’t set anything in stone. Independent budget experts offered some ideas, like putting the money into a trust fund to split evenly between transportation and education. Or they suggested capping how much of it could be spent in the upcoming fiscal year, given the potential volatility of the new tax, and putting the rest into savings. But it’ll be weeks before we know what executive and legislative budget writers decide. — More: “Top budget officials still undecided on tax cuts,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “[E]conomists and officials from the Department of Revenue projected tax income would slightly exceed the revenue forecast for the current year while coming in below last year’s record-setting pace. For fiscal 2024, which begins in July, most economists were forecasting revenues to increase slightly over fiscal 2023. Top budget leaders in the Legislature and in [Gov. Maura] Healey’s administration said the state is in reasonably good shape assuming the predictions of modest revenue growth are accurate, but they weren’t committing to a tax cut package.” — “Lawmakers push for universal free school meals,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “A bipartisan proposal filed for consideration in the upcoming two-year session would make breakfast and lunch free for all public school students, regardless of their family’s income. The move would make permanent a pandemic-related policy that provided free school meals for students in the past three years.” — “Legislation addresses root causes of health disparities in the state,” by Zeina Mohammed, Boston Globe: “The bill aims to prioritize equity in the state government by creating a new Cabinet-level Executive Office of Equity, led by a secretary of equity, and requiring state agencies to track and publicly report health equity data. It also aims to improve universal access to quality care by expanding MassHealth coverage to people of all immigration statuses, requiring provider organizations to meet national standards for culturally relevant services and addressing the cost of medication for chronic diseases that disproportionately affect diverse and low-income communities.” — “Mass. employers to disclose salary ranges if pay range transparency bill approved,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Employers with 15 or more workers would be required to share estimated salary ranges on job postings and advertisements, should a bill filed by state Reps. Josh Cutler and Brandy Fluker Oakley move forward in this new legislation session." — “'Ambitious and attainable': Mass. school officials defend new school accountability plan,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR: “School superintendents from across the state filled the seats at Tuesday's meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to voice support for a proposed new student accountability plan unveiled by the state department of education in a special meeting earlier this month. The significant turnout by school leadership came after the department's proposed accountability goals received stiff pushback from BESE members at a Jan. 3 special meeting.”   PROPAGANDA! NUCLEAR ISN'T CLEAN, ISN'T CHEAP & WE'RE STUCK WITH RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN PLYMOUTH! A message from NextEra Energy:     PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Lawmakers pushing for MBTA to electrify Commuter Rail by 2035,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Legislation was filed in both the House and Senate that calls for the MBTA and its rail contractor, Keolis, to operate a fully electric Commuter Rail system by Dec. 31, 2035, and ‘ensure sufficient zero-emission infrastructure is in place’ to meet that timeline.” — “Cape Cod bridge project cost worth looking at, Healey says it’s a priority,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The governor is confident, despite twice being denied by the federal government, that funding to replace the busy bridges connecting Cape Cod with the rest of the state will come through.” — “Greenfield calls for more passenger rail to Boston as commission mulls how to get the trains rolling,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican. FROM THE DELEGATION — "Massachusetts lawmaker asked ChatGPT to write his floor speech," by Tal Kopan, Boston Globe: "On Wednesday, Representative Jake Auchincloss will debut a new speechwriter: An algorithm. The Newton Democrat is set to deliver a speech written by an artificial intelligence program, ChatGPT, the first time an AI-generated speech will be given on the House floor, according to his office. And a casual observer would never know the difference, based on a copy of the speech shared with The Globe. Auchincloss will use the remarks to plug legislation he plans to introduce that would establish an artificial intelligence research center between the US and Israel, a bipartisan bill that he also introduced last Congress." — "Lapses persist for Capitol Hill panic buttons two years after insurrection," by Jess Bidgood and Lissandra Villa de Petrzelka, Boston Globe. FROM THE 413 — “Holyoke mayor seeks ouster of Historical Commission chairwoman,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Citing an incompatibility with where the city is going, Mayor Joshua Garcia has informed the chairwoman of the Holyoke Historical Commission that he intends to remove her from the panel. On Monday afternoon, during a 90-minute hearing on her removal, Commission Chairwoman Paola Ferrario told the mayor she would fight her termination.”   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .     IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN — “Vineyard Wind opponents ask federal judge to halt project over environmental concerns,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “Opponents of an offshore wind turbine farm under construction south of Martha’s Vineyard are asking a federal judge to halt the project, and require federal authorities to take another look at the project’s potential impacts on the environment and wildlife.” TODAY'S SPECIAL (ELECTION) — “Stacia Kraft enters mayor's race,” by Dustin Luca, Salem News: “Stacia Kraft, a Federal Street resident and prior candidate for City Council in 2019 (Ward 2) and 2021 (Councilor-at-Large), has pulled nomination papers to run for the upcoming special mayoral election on May 16, according to the city clerk’s office. Kraft is the fifth resident, and so far the only woman, to enter the fray.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Up for the challenge: Somerville city councilor looks to abolish medical debt,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “[Somerville City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr.] is leading the charge by requesting city officials consider allocating $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to team up with RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit that abolishes medical debt across the country. If approved by Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the $200,000 allocation is estimated to reach 5,000 of Somerville’s roughly 80,000 residents as early as this summer, wiping out $4.3 million in debt, Burnley told the Herald on Tuesday.” — “Parent group blasts ACLU over book ban stance,” by Jim Sullivan, Daily News of Newburyport: “The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders sent out a letter Monday urging state public school districts to protect students’ legal rights by rejecting censorship in school libraries. … The letter drew instant condemnation from local parent advocacy group Citizens for Responsible Education which drew considerable attention last summer and fall for its criticism of the Newburyport Public Schools and books made available in the middle and high school libraries or on a student app (SORA) that they believe should not be in the hands of kids.” — “Norwell's Jennifer Coolidge named Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year,” by Dana Barbuto, Patriot Ledger. PROPAGANDA! NUCLEAR ISN'T CLEAN, ISN'T CHEAP & WE'RE STUCK WITH RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN PLYMOUTH! A message from NextEra Energy: Seabrook Station has provided Massachusetts with low-cost, clean, reliable energy for over 30 years, reducing carbon emissions regionally by approximately 4 million tons per year. Nuclear energy is Massachusetts’ most cost-effective and essential tool to combat climate change.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Former LG hopeful and former state Sen. Eric Lesser is joining WilmerHale's public policy and regulatory affairs group as senior counsel. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Ted Chambers, Heather Bellow  and David Newman. 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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Ted Cruz crumbles on Fox over Pence doc scandal

 

OD Action is now atAdvocacy!

Today’s Action: Tell Congress to tax stock buybacks for price-gouging oil companies!

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Daily Dose of Democracy:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Ted Cruz utterly humiliates himself on national TV
Facing softball questions from a friendly Fox News host couldn’t prevent Ted Cruz from ramming his foot into his mouth with such stunning speed and force that he appeared to surprise even himself. From one sentence to the next, Cruz gave completely opposite answers to questions about classified documents. How does this man keep getting reelected?

Take Action: Expel Ted Cruz from the Senate!

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Why those documents at Mike Pence’s place should be bad for Trump
The discovery of classified documents at Mike Pence's house underscores the critical difference between the Trump, Biden, and Pence document scandals. Biden and Pence immediately gave the documents back and did not claim they "owned them," while Trump fought so hard to keep "his" documents that pertained to national security that it required an FBI raid to get them back — meaning his scandal is not about overclassification or a simple mistake but something much more malicious.

Take Action: Tell Biden and the Senate to fill the courts with Democratic judges!

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Biden has the tools to save the planet WITHOUT going through Congress
OD Action Partner: TikTok star TizzyEnt breaks down how the Biden team get the US to 100% clean energy WITHOUT the GOP-held House — but he has to act NOW!

Take Action: Tell Biden and the EPA to act NOW to save the planet!

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Republican revolts over Kevin McCarthy's plot to deny Democrats committee seats
Immediately after Kevin McCarthy followed through on his petty threat to block Democrats Eric Swalwell, Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar from reclaiming their seats on their respective committees, a fellow Republican, Rep. Victoria Spartz, blasted him for his "charade" designed to own the libs on social media rather than to address any legitimate concerns.

Take Action: Stop McCarthy from kicking Dems like Adam Schiff off their committees!

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George Santos changes source of suspicious campaign loans in new filing
The 12-time Olympic medalist and Nobel Cheese Prize winner from Long Island has insisted all along that funds for mysterious personal loans he made to his campaign totaling over $700K came from wealth he's amassed through legitimate earnings – even though he's never reported income or assets anywhere near levels that could support making a loan of that amount. In a flurry of amended campaign finance reports filed Tuesday, however, he seems to be changing his tune. You may not believe this, but it appears obvious that George Santos...is lying.

Take Action: Tell Congress to overturn Citizens' United!

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DA says decision on indicting Trump for attempting to steal 2020 election "imminent"
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told a judge Tuesday that a Georgia special grand jury report on its investigation into attempts by Trump-affiliated operatives to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the state – including the disgraced former president himself – should remain under seal in order to protect the rights of "future defendants." I wonder who she could be referring to?

Take Action: Tell Biden and the EPA to act NOW to save the planet!

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Rebranding rift guts "Blue Dog" Democrat ranks, cutting the caucus in half
The conservative "Blue Dog" Democratic caucus exists largely to validate bad-faith Republican "fiscal responsibility" concerns as "moderate," often obstructing Democrats from delivering the change American families need. In a telling development, the caucus is now left with just eight, all-male members after a naming dispute. The issue stems from the "Blue Dog" moniker, which some of the incoming representatives felt too heavily recalled the group's past of being a socially conservative (racist) Southern “boys’ club." Seven members promptly left the group over the unwillingness of the rest to embrace change and move into the 21st century, which is an apt metaphor for the group as a whole.

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House Republicans finally reveal HORRIFIC demands
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Disgusting

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Doomsday Clock now closer to midnight than it's ever been
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned that we are more in danger of nuclear annihilation today than we’ve been at any point since the Doomsday Clock's creation. The time on the clock moved forward from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight Tuesday, due in large part to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and their open threats to use nuclear weapons.

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Trump henchman tries last ditch Hail Mary to avoid testifying in contempt trial
Former White House economic advisor Peter Navarro, like Steve Bannon before him, is facing contempt of congress charges after stiff-arming the 1/6 Committee and refusing to comply with subpoenas. Navarro was central to Trump's "Stop the Steal" plot, and he's called in one last favor from Trump in a desperate attempt to avoid his comeuppance, which took the form of a letter claiming that Navarro could assert executive privilege because he was working for the President. Like most of Trump's endeavors, this one also seems doomed to failure, since the judge had previously noted that Navarro had presented no evidence that Trump actually asserted executive privilege on his behalf.

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Rights groups dismayed as world ignores killings by Peru's right-wing government
Peru's left-leaning president tried to dissolve his congress last month, but instead it was he who was ousted in what looked and smelled quite a bit like a coup. A steady clip of public demonstrations against the new right-wing government that replaced him has resulted in over 50 protester deaths in a violent government crackdown with nary a word from anyone, including the U.S.

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Hood-off white supremacist Nick Fuentes back on Twitter after year-long ban
Elon Musk's mismanagement of Twitter has mercifully managed to stay off the headlines in recent weeks, but the reinstatement of the notorious white nationalist Fuentes – who's made headlines of his own recently meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and serving as Kanye's traveling court jester on his antisemitism tour – is the most egregious example yet of Musk's true intentions for the beleaguered platform.

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Dispatches from the MAGAverse

Proud Boys expecting "civil war" before January 6th insurrection, testimony shows

Fox outrage peddler Jesse Watters calls for calm in Pence classified document scandal

Fans yell "N" word, make monkey noises during Texas high school basketball game

Iowa's GOP governor signs bill designed to destroy public schools into law

20 red states sue Biden over immigration policy that turns away more migrants

Dispatches from the Barrel of Bad Apples

Police officer convicted of child molestation charged again with child molestation

Video catches New York police stealing $6,000 during home search

Police took 5 hours to warn public that Monterey Park shooter was at large

Autopsy confirms Tyre Nichols died from "extensive bleeding" after 5 cops literally beat him to death

Privacy concerns raised after NYPD officer filmed fans leaving Drake concert

Hope...

Minnesota reveals $65 billion budget with $1,000 checks for taxpayers

Radio signal from galaxy nearly 9 billion light-years away captured

State bill could end private prisons for migrant detention if passed

Want more hope? Subscribe to our favorite good news newsletter FREE.

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Today’s Action: Tell Congress to tax stock buybacks for price-gouging oil companies!

Oil companies like ExxonMobil pulled in record profits last year while gas prices continued to skyrocket. In that year alone, ExxonMobil increased profits by 53% — amounting to a whopping $90.5 billion in revenue. Instead of reinvesting those funds into increased production, cleaner technologies, or lowering gas prices for American families, they have decided to buy back $10 billion of company shares, to the delight of the megawealthy elite. There’s still no way to prevent this from happening, despite the devastating impact it has on our communities and the budgets of working families.

Prior to 1982, corporations buying back shares were subject to stock manipulation charges. But today, corporations are free to line their pockets and manipulate their stock value at the expense of our communities. It's greed in every sense of the word.

Call (202-224-3121) or write your members of Congress and demand they pass a stock buyback tax on greedy oil companies!

If oil giants like ExxonMobil want to use international crises to manipulate their company value and profit, it should absolutely not come scot-free. The American people are already being milked for all they're worth by wealthy corporations, with inflation on essential goods nearing a 40-year high.

There is no good reason gas prices should ever surge while oil companies are tripling their revenue and have the money to buy back $10 billion of their own stock. It's obscene.

Call (202-224-3121) or write your members of Congress and call on them to implement a stock buyback tax!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to investigate Mike Pence for stealing classified documents, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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