POLITICO Nightly: The precarious politics of trade deals

BY GAVIN BADE Presented by President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images ABOUT-FACE — The biggest diplomatic week of Joe Biden’s term appears to be unraveling before it even begins. The president had hoped to project strength in his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. For months, the administration has planned to use the event to unveil Biden’s new economic agreement for the region — the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework — showing Xi that Beijing’s neighbors are aligning with the U.S. But domestic politics are upending that carefully choreographed program. In recent days, the U.S. has pulled back on trade negotiations in the Indo-Pacific pact after criticism from senior Senate Democrats. Now, four officials with knowledge of the conversations say that the so-called trade pillar of IPEF is unlikely to be finished this week. The reason? Pushback from Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown, who is facing a tough reelection campaign next year in an increasingly red and trade-skeptical Ohio. Brown urged the administration late last week to drop the trade pillar altogether, saying he’d publicly oppose the entire package if it wasn’t punted. Other senior Democrats, like Sen. Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), soon piled on. And though IPEF isn’t subject to congressional approval, their concerns found resonance in the Biden White House, where many officials still view backlash against global trade deals as a key reason why Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. Brown’s comments “spooked some folks” in the administration, said an official familiar with the talks, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter. “People are taking the time to make sure they do right by him,” said the source. “He’s up next year.” It’s an abrupt about-face after months of intensive negotiations — including a last minute round of talks this week — aimed at finalizing the trade pillar before the APEC summit. While most trading partners are publicly still on board with the negotiations, they’re seething behind the scenes. The U.S. move “is quite a shock,” said one IPEF participant, also granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The situation now is “very, very difficult” between the trading partners, added another. The move is already being slammed by U.S. industry groups, who point out that this is the second time in less than a decade that the U.S. has stepped away from trade talks in Asia, after former President Donald Trump walked away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017. “It would be a terrible blow to U.S. credibility, after we negotiated and then withdrew from the TPP, if we were to do something similar with the IPEF,” said the Chamber of Commerce’s senior vice president for international policy, John Murphy. “So we need this spiral of timidity and U.S. trade policy to be brought to a halt, because it really threatens the competitiveness of U.S. companies internationally.” To foreign policy observers, it’s all just another example of American political dysfunction that analysts say Xi will try to seize on this week. In recent weeks, the Biden administration has also pulled its support from e-commerce proposals at the World Trade Organization, a decision that split economic policymakers from the White House and U.S. Trade Representative’s office. And the entire APEC summit is taking place as congressional lawmakers struggle to fund the federal government. All of that internal dissent, “feeds the narrative that the U.S. is unreliable and China represents an alternative,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank. “It’s impossible to ignore how domestic polarization here in the U.S. is impacting views of the U.S. abroad, and as long as Xi can present himself as a compelling alternative, I think unfortunately that message is going to continue to gain resonance.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at gbade@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @ShiaKapos . A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Congress: Support the highest possible increases for cancer research funding at the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to make time. Literally. More than 1.9 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2023 alone. But by investing in the research of today, you’re helping prevent, detect, and treat many of the cancers of tomorrow, creating countless moments for patients and their loved ones in the process. Fight Cancer. Make Time.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Embattled Supreme Court adopts code of conduct: The Supreme Court has adopted a formal ethics code for the first time in its history , bowing to public and congressional critics who demanded such a policy in the wake of reports about unreported luxury travel by justices and influence campaigns aimed at the court. All nine justices endorsed the code released today. It generally tracks existing rules for lower court judges but includes some special provisions addressing the Supreme Court’s “unique institutional setting.” — Abigail Spanberger launches bid for Virginia governor: Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a centrist Democrat from Virginia, announced today that she will not seek reelection to the House but instead will run for Virginia governor in 2025 . Spanberger’s decision to leave her congressional seat creates a tough job for Democrats who will have to defend her competitive district to have a shot at retaking the majority. Her bid comes a week after Virginia Democrats retook full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power. — Maryanne Trump Barry, the former president’s older sister and a retired federal judge, dies at 86: Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal judge and former president Donald Trump‘s oldest sister, has died at age 86 at her home in New York . Until her retirement in 2019, Barry was a senior judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a level below the Supreme Court. Before becoming a judge, Barry became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1974 and was nominated to the federal court in New Jersey by former President Ronald Reagan. She was later elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals by former President Bill Clinton. She retired in 2019 amid an investigation into her family’s tax practices.   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 FITTING EXIT — When Tim Scott announced the end of his presidential bid from the studio of his house in Hanahan, S.C., some campaign aides and allies of the senator joked among themselves that the abrupt exit was fitting, reports POLITICO. For months, Scott’s campaign, mired in low single digits, had been beset by a lack of organization and poor communication about the campaign’s strategy , said one Republican operative supporting Scott. And compared to some of his Republican rivals, Scott had hardly been aggressive with campaign travel. It made sense, the operative said, that “Tim, from his home studio, made this announcement without the staff knowing.” CHRISTIE’S IN — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has amassed support from the 80,000 donors needed to qualify for the fourth Republican presidential debate in December, as he pushes to remain on the stage even while one of his rivals from last week’s debate, Sen. Tim Scott, just suspended his campaign, reports NBC News. DONOR POACHER — Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is poaching donors from her Republican competitors, fueling a surge in her presidential campaign and opening the door to support from other major financial contributors, reports Bloomberg. Haley lured in 250 contributors — including billionaire Harlan Crow and Bruce Kovner of Caxton Alternative Management, who had previously given at least $200 to other Republican campaigns — during the third quarter, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of Federal Election Commission filings. Those donors collectively gave her $218,000, with the vast majority of that sum coming after her breakout first debate in late August. SCOTT FUNDRAISER TO BACK HALEY — A top Tim Scott backer is co-hosting a high-end fundraiser for Nikki Haley, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO today — and sent less than 24 hours after Scott announced he was suspending his presidential campaign . Eric Levine, a New York-based donor who was raising money for Scott, the South Carolina senator, is listed among the eight people hosting the Dec. 4 event in New York City for Haley, who has been on the upswing in the GOP primary.   A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:     AROUND THE WORLD Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron (left) leaves 10 Downing Street with Sir Philip Barton, the Under-Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, after being appointed Foreign Secretary today. | Carl Court/Getty Images CAMERON CRAZIES — David Cameron, the former U.K. prime minister stunningly vaulted back into front-line British politics today, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed him foreign secretary. And despite Cameron’s role in instigating the Brexit referendum which caused years of friction between the EU and the U.K., at least some of the Continent’s top politicians are happy to see him back, reports POLITICO EU. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna were among those who publicly congratulated Cameron. In Sunak’s Cabinet reshuffle today, he kicked out controversial Home Secretary Suella Braverman, after a row with the police over pro-Palestinian marches in London, and replaced her with ex-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. But Sunak’s appointment of Cameron comes with risk — and could get awkward for the British PM . TANGLED WEB — A Ukrainian MP who in 2019 helped former U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in his search for dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden has been charged with treason , reports POLITICO EU. Oleksandr Dubinsky, together with ex-Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach and ex-prosecutor Kostyantyn Kulyk, had joined an organization formed by chiefs of Russia’s Military Intelligence (GRU), Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said in a statement today. Although SBU did not name the MP in the statement, the photos and video materials attached to it identify Dubinsky, whose alias, “Buratino,” was taken from a 1930s Soviet “Pinocchio” knockoff. Dubinsky met Giuliani during his visit to Kyiv in December 2019 while the former New York City mayor and failed U.S. presidential candidate was filming a documentary aimed at discrediting an impeachment probe into Trump.   GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE .     NIGHTLY NUMBER $52 billion The amount that Emirates is paying for new aircrafts from Boeing , the airline announced today at the opening of the Dubai air show. It’s a massive deal showing how much aviation has bounced back since groundings during Covid sent shocks through the industry. RADAR SWEEP JUNO PASSES JUPITER — Jupiter’s biggest moon appears to have a salty underground ocean — one of the key requirements for life to exist. The NASA spacecraft Juno recently spotted evidence of organic compounds and salts on Ganymede on a recent journey, where it got within 650 miles of the large moon. Ganymede, a moon that is larger than the planet Mercury, has its own magnetic field. Scientists believe that there could be an ocean layer under Ganymede’s icy crust, or even multiple layers of oceans and ice. Briley Lewis writes for Popular Science how this salty ocean does not prove life exists there, but is necessary for life to exist at all. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1970: Mourners gather at the tomb of former French President General Charles de Gaulle, in the cemetery of Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, France, the day after his burial. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here . A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Cancer takes away many things, but the most devastating is time. And while policies and federal research investment have helped avert 3.8 million cancer deaths since 1991, the fight against the country’s second most common cause of death is far from over. With over 609,000 deaths and 1.9 million diagnoses expected in 2023, there is still work to do in the fight against cancer. And that is where you come in. When Congress prioritizes ending cancer as we know it, you literally make time for patients, loved ones, caregivers, and everybody else affected by 200 diseases known as cancer. By investing in the research of today, you’re helping prevent, detect, and treat many of the cancers of tomorrow, creating countless moments for cancer patients and their loved ones in the process. Fight Cancer. Make Time.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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I need your help to withstand the attacks

 

Here’s the latest update on California’s U.S. Senate race:

First, Republicans escalated their attacks just as Adam launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate — kicking him off the Intelligence Committee, introducing legislation to bar him from receiving classified information, even issuing a formal House censure under the personal threat of Donald Trump.

Then, Super PACs got involved in the Senate race. A super PAC just launched a $1 million advertising blitz across California that covers TV and all digital platforms.

And, with the primary election just around the corner, the attacks against Adam are only going to ramp up. We need to get ahead of the GOP lies and share our ads about Adam’s record sooner than we thought.

Thanks,

— Team Schiff

135 E. Olive Ave., #750 Burbank CA, 91502

WWW.ADAMSCHIFF.COM | CONTACT@ADAMSCHIFF.COM | PRIVACY POLICY

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Informed Comment daily updates (11/13/2023)

 

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The Nuremberg Charter and the War on Gaza ( Counterpunch ) – “In preparation for the Nazi war crimes trials in 1945, representatives of Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States met to discuss the legal basis of the proceedings. They produced on August 8, 1945, the London Charter of the International Military Tribunal, a document that subsequently became known as […]

The University of Pennsylvania must Defend its Faculty’s Right to Condemn War Crimes Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association University of Pennsylvania Liz Magill President, the University of Pennsylvania president@upenn.edu   John Jackson Provost, the University of Pennsylvania provost@upenn.edu . . . Dear President Magill and colleagues:   We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its […]

Bad Times in Gaza and Ukraine: Good Times for the Military-Industrial Complex ( Tomdispatch.com ) – The New York Times headline said it all: “Middle East War Adds to Surge in International Arms Sales.” The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and beyond may be causing immense and unconscionable human suffering, but they are also boosting the bottom lines of the world’s arms manufacturers. There was a time when such weapons […]

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Bank Regulator Who Approved the Riskiest U.S. Bank Getting Bigger in May, Wants to Do a Survey on Why Trust in U.S. Banks Is Tanking

 

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Bank Regulator Who Approved the Riskiest U.S. Bank Getting Bigger in May, Wants to Do a Survey on Why Trust in U.S. Banks Is Tanking

By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: November 13, 2023 ~

Michael Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the OCC

Tomorrow, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing to question federal banking regulators on what they are doing to restore public trust and financial stability to the U.S. banking system after the second, third and fourth largest bank failures in U.S. history occurred this Spring and caught regulators napping. One of the regulators scheduled to testify is Michael Hsu, the Acting Comptroller of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

Hsu undermined public trust in the U.S. banking system in May when he allowed JPMorgan Chase, the largest and riskiest bank in the United States, to become even larger and riskier through its purchase of the failed bank, First Republic Bank.

At a July 12 Senate hearing, Senator Elizabeth Warren had this to say about Hsu’s conduct:

“When First Republic Bank collapsed in April, the bank was ultimately sold to the biggest bank in America, JP Morgan Chase. That sweetheart deal cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Fund $13 billion. Meanwhile, overnight, the country’s biggest bank got $200 billion bigger. And what happened to the regulators? The Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Michael Hsu, rubber stamped the deal in record time. When I asked Mr. Hsu at a hearing in May to explain how this merger was approved, he was unable to provide a clear answer.

“But the overall picture gets worse. Instead of inattentive regulators who don’t use their tools to block increasing consolidation, leaders within the Biden Administration seem to be inviting more mergers. In a May 2023 statement before the House Financial Services Committee, Acting Comptroller Hsu reassured banks that the agency would be ‘open-minded’ while considering merger proposals….”

Senator Warren said this attitude was “courting disaster.”

The federal agency that is charged with providing an early warning system for serious cracks in financial stability, the Office of Financial Research, has the chart below currently residing on its website. It shows how banks rank in OFR’s Contagion Index.

OFR’s Contagion Index measures the degree to which a default by a specific bank could create systemic contagion in the U.S. banking system as a result of its interconnectedness and leverage. As of June 30, 2023, JPMorgan Chase represented three times the amount of potential contagion as the second largest bank in the U.S., Bank of America.

Hsu’s idea to deal with the collapse in public trust in the U.S. banking system is to – wait for it – conduct a survey measuring public trust in banks. Is it possible that Hsu doesn’t know that the esteemed Gallup organization has been doing just that for more than 40 years?

The most recent Gallup annual survey that measures the confidence that Americans have in key U.S. institutions was conducted between June 1-22 and released on July 6. Banks continued their downward trend, registering just 26 percent of Americans who have “a great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in banks. That confidence ranking stood at 27 percent last year and at 33 percent in 2021.

Measured against a longer time horizon, today’s public confidence in U.S. banks looks dramatically more dire. In 1979, the Gallup poll showed 60 percent of Americans had confidence in the banks. In the years prior to the Wall Street financial crisis of 2008, which gutted the U.S. economy and also caught regulators napping, roughly half of Americans had confidence in the banks.

Another reason that trust in U.S. banks is setting four-decade lows is that the mega banks on Wall Street continue to function as serial fraudsters with no corrective pushback from their regulators – who frequently make a beeline to get a fat paycheck at the banks after leaving the U.S. government.

In an October 10 letter to the OCC, the nonprofit financial watchdog, Better Markets, wrote as follows:

“Beyond specific periods of panic, trust in the banking system is consistently being undermined by the steady stream of illegal, predatory, dishonest, and deceitful behavior that blatantly harms the American people, particularly the most vulnerable members of our communities. The frequency and severity of cases against the largest banks in the country for engaging in such conduct against their customers is a trust-killer.”

Better Markets included the graph below, showing the number of illegal acts of the six largest banks over the last two decades, along with the $207 billion in fines they have paid.

It summarized the graph’s findings as follows:

“These almost 500 matters and more than $200 billion in fines and settlements are widely reported and visible to the American public. The public not only sees that the banks break the law repeatedly, but that they are never meaningfully or effectively punished. The public also sees puny fines imposed on banks while the bankers just keep pocketing billions of dollars in bonuses while continuing to break the law. Moreover, it’s not just that those banks were all bailed out in 2008 and that not one Wall Street banker went to jail for crashing the global financial system, but it’s equally visible to the public that the banking regulators failed to do their jobs.”

And it’s not just the federal banking regulators that are failing to do their job. The criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice has been compromised for the past 15 years when it comes to prosecuting Wall Street mega banks and their executives.

In 2013, the PBS program, Frontline, took a hard look at why the criminal division of the Justice Department had not brought one single indictment against any of the executives at the big Wall Street firms that had engaged in peddling fraudulent mortgages in the leadup to the 2008 financial crash. Frontline Producer Martin Smith had this exchange with the then head of the DOJ’s criminal division, Lanny Breuer:

MARTIN SMITH: We spoke to a couple of sources from within the Criminal Division, and they reported that when it came to Wall Street, there were no investigations going on. There were no subpoenas, no document reviews, no wiretaps.

LANNY BREUER: Well, I don’t know who you spoke with because we have looked hard at the very types of matters that you’re talking about.

MARTIN SMITH: These sources said that at the weekly indictment approval meetings that there was no case ever mentioned that was even close to indicting Wall Street for financial crimes.

On March 11, 2016, the National Archives released a large volume of documents related to the work of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) and its investigation of the causes of the 2008 financial crash on Wall Street. After reviewing those documents, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a September 15, 2016 letter to the Inspector General of the Justice Department and to then FBI Director James Comey seeking to find out why the Justice Department had not prosecuted any of the individuals or banks that were referred to it by the FCIC for potential criminal prosecution.

Senator Warren indicated in her letter to James Comey that her staff had “identified 11 separate FCIC referrals of individuals or corporations to DOJ in cases where the FCIC found ‘serious indications of violation[s]’ of federal securities or other laws consistent with this statutory mandate. Nine specific individuals were implicated in these referrals — yet not one of these nine has gone to prison or been prosecuted for a criminal offense.”

After a year of silence on Warren’s letter, Wall Street On Parade filed its own Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Justice Department in the matter. To be certain that the Justice Department would not decline our FOIA on the basis that we were seeking too broad a search, we narrowed our inquiry to the three former Citigroup executives whom the FCIC had referred to the Justice Department for potential prosecution: former Chairman of the Executive Committee of Citigroup, Robert Rubin – who served as the former U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton; former Citigroup CEO Charles (Chuck) Prince; and former Citigroup CFO Gary Crittenden. The Justice Department responded as follows:

“This is in response to your request for records on Charles Prince, Gary Crittenden, and Robert Rubin. Please be advised that I have decided to neither confirm nor deny the existence of such records pursuant to Exemptions 6 and 7(C) of the FOIA. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6), (7)(C). Even to acknowledge the existence of law enforcement records on another individual could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. This is our standard response to such requests and should not be taken to mean that records do, or do not, exist. Accordingly, I cannot confirm nor deny the existence of records responsive to your request.”

Read the full Justice Department response to Wall Street On Parade’s FOIA request here.

Until corporate and Wall Street billionaire funding of political campaigns is outlawed by Congressional legislation; until Wall Street’s revolving door is slammed shut; until the U.S. President stops nominating (and the Senate stops confirming) partners at Wall Street’s law firms to run the U.S. Department of Justice, this is the corrupt, predatory banking system that every American will be forced to attempt to navigate.

Related Article:

JPMorgan Chase Paid $1.085 Billion in Legal Expenses in Last Six Months; It’s Still Battling Hundreds of Charges and Legal Proceedings on Three Continents

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: On the frontlines of the shelter crisis

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by With help from Kelly Garrity VELIS' VIEW — A young boy was wandering around the room at the hotel where John Velis and his fellow National Guard members were stationed. He couldn’t have been more than 6 years old. The boy was hungry. But, because of a language barrier, he didn’t know how to ask for something to eat. One Guard member handed him a granola bar as another spoke to his parents. The boy struggled to open it. He tried biting the packaging. When Velis ripped it open, the boy beamed. He reminded Velis of his own son. “The human side of this is something that I didn’t anticipate,” Velis told Playbook. “Talking to these folks, finding out about their life journey. It was something that I didn’t think I would get out of this. And I most certainly did.” State Sen. John Velis was activated by the National Guard to help with the state's emergency shelter system. | Office of John Velis/Courtesy Velis was one of the hundreds of National Guard members activated by the state to help out across dozens of hotels and motels serving as shelters for more than 3,800 migrant and homeless families. Now the state senator is back on Beacon Hill with firsthand knowledge of the situation on the ground just as he and his colleagues prepare to take a critical vote on $250 million to help float the state’s emergency shelter system for a few more months. The Westfield Democrat said he would “proudly” support more money for the program. And he wants the state to have “flexibility” around how to spend it because “so many things can pop up, particularly on the ground.” The spending bill sent over from the House includes stipulations like designating $50 million specifically for overflow shelter. The Senate has yet to release its version. The shelter system exceeded Gov. Maura Healey’s 7,500-family capacity limit last Thursday . Starting today, the state is teaming up with federal officials for the first of two legal clinics aimed at shortening the work-authorization process for hundreds of migrants to weeks instead of months — something Healey argues is essential to accelerating their departure from the shelter system. Velis said the migrants he spoke with want to work. “It was literally across the board, at every hotel, that every single person that I spoke to said, ‘We want to work.’ And they said it with such conviction,” he said. “There’s this misperception out there that we have this group of individuals who are kind of just loving life [in the shelter system]. And that’s not the case," Velis continued. "They’re incredibly grateful that they have a spot to be in. But they also want to get out there and they want to provide for their families.” But Velis said the federal government has to do more than just process work permits faster. While he was deployed, Velis said he encountered asylum-seekers with court dates scheduled as far out as 2027 — another sign of laggardness within the nation’s immigration system. And he worries about the state’s ability to keep funding an emergency shelter program that was never meant to handle this much volume. Massachusetts needs an “off ramp,” Velis said. Asked if that means the state should consider changes to the “right-to-shelter” law, the senator said “every single factor should be on the table” — particularly with the feds “abdicating their authority” on the issue. “The status quo is unsustainable without incredibly adverse financial consequences to the commonwealth,” Velis warned. “I’m not suggesting repeal. I’m not saying preserve. But is a conversation worth having about modifying [the shelter law]? I would certainly engage. I would certainly say that's a worthwhile conversation.” GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Get ready for a busy few days on Beacon Hill before formal sessions end for the year on Wednesday. TODAY — Healey kicks off apprenticeship week at 11 a.m. at Boston Carpenters and hosts a contract celebration with SEIU 1199 at 2 p.m. at the State House. Rep. Seth Moulton addresses The New England Council at 9:30 a.m. at the Hampshire House in Boston. Gabe Amo is scheduled to be sworn in as Rhode Island’s 1st District U.S. representative in the evening. Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com . A message from Conservation Law Foundation: Conservation Law Foundation is separating fact from fiction when it comes to the role of bioenergy in cutting climate-damaging pollution and transforming our economy to one built on clean energy. The economic, environmental, and public health of our communities and businesses demand that we invest in energy efficiency and clean energy sources – while moving with caution and care on bioenergy resources. Get the full story.   BALLOT BATTLES RENT-CONTROL CAMPAIGN FOLDS — Tracking tens of thousands of signatures short before a crucial deadline, the group pushing a 2024 ballot question on local-option rent control ended its campaign Friday night. The ballot committee — led by state Rep. Mike Connolly and supported by former Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone and state Sen. Jamie Eldridge , among others — had collected just 10,175 of the 74,574 signatures that are due to local officials next week. While public and private polling showed majority support for a ballot measure that would let cities and towns implement rent control, the effort was splintering progressives and housing advocacy groups. And it was meeting fierce resistance from conservative and real-estate industry groups, which cheered the campaign’s demise. Connolly said the decision to abandon the ballot campaign was made in part to refocus efforts behind similar legislation that’s up for a hearing on Tuesday . But that, too, is an uphill battle. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said in a recent interview on NBC10’s “At Issue” that voters “got rid of [rent control] for a reason.” While Michlewitz said he’ll “keep an open mind” as rent-control bills — including a home-rule petition being pushed by his mayor, Michelle Wu — wind through the legislative process, “I need to be convinced and I think that a lot of my colleagues need to be convinced.”   GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     FROM THE HUB — “Boston Mayor Wu downplays reported Mass and Cass spillover spike at nearby hospital,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Mayor Michelle Wu downplayed statements from Boston Medical Center’s top executive, saying that there hasn’t been a spike in the number of people loitering outside and sheltering in the emergency department since tents were removed at Mass and Cass. Wu did say, however, that the city has been targeting ‘hotspots,’ particularly at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square and the Massachusetts Avenue MBTA station.” — RELATED: “Life after Mass and Cass: Ex-Homeless talk ‘Opportunity’,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald. — “Boston’s plan to ban fossil fuels in new buildings goes up in smoke,” by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: “More than three years after introducing her Green New Deal plan for Boston as a mayoral candidate, Mayor Michelle Wu said in an interview last week that the city will not be participating in a state program that will allow 10 communities to ban developers from including fossil fuels in new buildings. … Wu said, ‘it breaks my heart,’ but that the city was not applying for the state program because it appears it was not actually intended for a city as complex as Boston.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES AROUND AND AROUND — Acting Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt wants to “find solutions, and not just a long-term solution” to one of the state’s most crash-prone intersections. The state wants to replace the intersection of Route 28 and Chickatawbut Road in Milton with a roundabout. But the plan has drawn opposition from residents and local officials who would rather see dedicated left-turn lanes and other fixes. A push to reduce the speed limit in the area was pocket-vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker just before he left office. Tibbits-Nutt pledged more partnership during a recent visit to the town. More from the Herald’s Lance Reynolds.   A message from Conservation Law Foundation:     2024 WATCH ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST — Sen. Tim Scott dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday night in a Fox News interview . The South Carolina Republican said he has no plans to endorse one of his rivals. POLITICO’s Natalie Allison has more . Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy is apartment hunting in New Hampshire as the Ohio entrepreneur shifts his campaign staff to the Granite and Hawkeye states in a bid to boost his longshot campaign, POLITICO’s Adam Wren reports . And Donald Trump echoed dictators as he campaigned in Claremont, N.H., on Saturday, calling those on the political left “vermin.” The former president remains the polling frontrunner in New Hampshire and nationally by a sizable margin. PETER DURANT IS A CLOWN FOR ENDORSING DESANTIS, THE BOOK BANNER, RE-WRITES HISTORY, DON'T SAY GAY DIM WIT! That's before defining the ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION in FLORIDA or the numerous other issues...homeowners insurance? radioactive roads? DEAD MANATEES? POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DESANTISLAND — One of GOP state Rep. Peter Durant ’s first big actions as state senator-elect: endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, per the Florida governor's campaign. THIS IS THE CLOWN THAT PETER DURANT ENDORSED: NOTE: GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION is a DIRTY ENERGY KOCH fund think tank - it's a SCAM! Ron DeSantis' New Surgeon General Appeared in 'Demon Sperm' Doctor's COVID Conspiracy Video excerpt: One of the video's main speakers, Dr. Stella Immanuel, is a physician who operates a medical clinic in a Texas strip mall next to her church, Firepower Ministries. In the video, she called hydroxychloroquine a "cure" and said, "You don't need a mask" to prevent the virus' spread. Immanuel has claimed that ovarian cysts and endometriosis are caused by "demonic seed." Demons insert sperm into sleeping individuals when they have sex in their dreams, Immanuel claimed in articles on her church's website. Ladapo has also promoted the anti-parasite medication ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised against using ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment. In October 2020, Ladapo signed the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement that called for developing societal herd immunity to COVID-19 through natural infection. https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-new-surgeon-general-appeared-demon-sperm-doctors-covid-conspiracy-video-1631372 DESANTISLAND — One of GOP state Rep. Peter Durant ’s first big actions as state senator-elect: endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, per the Florida governor's campaign. DAY IN COURT — “Former Methuen police chief, ex-officer both plead not guilty at arraignment in corruption case,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “Former Methuen police chief Joseph Solomon and a former city councilor that he hired as a police officer both pleaded not guilty to fraud and corruption charges and were released on personal recognizance during arraignments Friday in Essex Superior Court, according to court records.” Inside the courtroom with the Eagle-Tribune .   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK : Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Cambridge bike lanes face murky path forward after City Council elections,” by Bob Seay, GBH News: “Cambridge has been on a tear to build separated bike lanes on city streets over the last four years, setting ambitious targets and bypassing traditional community engagement processes to set up safer biking infrastructure. But local elections … made the project’s future murky. Some supportive councilors declined to run for reelection, and one of the program’s most vocal opponents narrowly won a seat on the council.” — “Truro wraps up voter registration hearings, clearing way for Nov. 16 town meeting,” by Walker Armstrong, Cape Cod Times: “The Truro Board of Registrars completed hearings Thursday on the 66 voter registration challenges filed with the town, wrapping up a contentious four-day process that saw nearly half of the challenged individuals either being taken off the voter rolls by the Board or removed prior to the week’s proceedings, according to records reviewed by the Times.” — “No school in Andover on Monday as teachers strike continues,” by Abbey Niezgoda and Kaitlin McKinley Becker, NBC10 Boston. MEDIA MATTERS THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY — CommonWealth Beacon’s Bruce Mohl reports that MBTA public relations officials were ordered to ignore calls from then-Boston Globe reporter Andrea Estes for the paper’s April story about top MBTA managers living far from the public transit system. The Globe issued multiple corrections to the story . Estes was fired, and is now trying to get her job back, per Mohl. MEANWHILE IN MAINE PORTRAIT OF A KILLER — A four-reporter team from the Boston Globe chronicles the circumstances that led up to Robert Card ’s deadly shooting spree in Lewiston. ICYMI — Maine Gov. Janet Mills created an independent commission to investigate the shootings. A message from Conservation Law Foundation: Conservation Law Foundation is working to fight climate change and secure a livable and healthy future for all New Englanders. We know New England needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels, and that presents a pressing question: What role will bioenergy play in the region’s energy system as we move toward 2050? The fossil fuel industry is leaning hard on selling biofuels such as renewable natural gas as viable options to meet state mandates for cutting climate-damaging emissions. But what’s beneath the surface is more of the same climate-damaging fuels. We don’t have time or resources to waste on costly and ineffective solutions. Conservation Law Foundation is sorting fact from fiction. Bioenergy’s role in New England’s clean energy future is a limited and targeted one. Get the full story.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to NCAA president and former Gov. Charlie Baker, who turns 67; NECN/NBC10’s Sue O’Connell ; Sudbury state Rep. Carmine Gentile, Monica Scalpato Burke and POLITICO alum Jonathan Topaz . 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 Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   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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