POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Harvard drama engulfs Mass pols

 

BY KELLY GARRITY AND LISA KASHINSKY POISON IVY — One top university’s president is already out after equivocating at a congressional hearing over whether students should be disciplined if they call for the genocide of Jews. But Harvard President Claudine Gay is expected to remain in office with the support of Harvard's highest governing body, the Harvard Crimson reports , a decision that comes barely three days after University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill said she is stepping down. Gay’s testimony was similar to Magill’s. Both said during a heated exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last week that it depends on the “context” whether calls for genocide would violate school rules against bullying and harassment. But they’re facing different circumstances at the institutions they lead. Magill was more than a year into her role when she started facing backlash from donors furious about her decision to let a Palestinian literary festival take place on campus earlier this fall. Even before Magill resigned on Saturday (she’ll continue to serve until the school finds an interim replacement), The New York Times reported that she had lost the support of enough trustees to force her out. Gay, too, has faced pushback from students , prominent alumni and donors over her responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict and rising antisemitism on campus. But she’s apologized at almost every turn. And she’s only been in office for five months, after her historic ascension as the first Black woman to lead Harvard. While dozens of members of Congress and some prominent alumni called for Gay’s ouster, hundreds of Harvard faculty members urged the school’s overseers to “resist political pressures” to remove her, per the Crimson . The Harvard Alumni Association’s Executive Committee sent a letter pressing the university’s governing boards to publicly back her. And a petition circulated by “Concerned Black Alum and Allies” offered “unequivocal support” for Gay “in her efforts to build a stronger, more inclusive community” while also protecting free speech. Harvard president Claudine Gay faced tough questions from House lawmakers over her university's response to campus antisemitism. | Steven Senne/AP All of this is put the bevy of top Bay State politicians who’ve passed through Harvard’s hallowed halls in a difficult position, at a time when some of them are already facing blowback over their stances on the Israel-Hamas conflict at the root of this all. Prominent officials from House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark to Rep. Jake Auchincloss strongly condemned Gay’s congressional hearing comments. But many of them stopped short of calling on her to step aside, saying the decision was best left in the university’s hands. “I think that’s not the right question. I think the question really is: Where do we go from here? What does leadership look like?” Gov. Maura Healey told reporters at the State House yesterday when asked if she thought Gay should leave. “There is no place for genocide, talk of genocide, threats of violence, violence on college campuses or anywhere else in Massachusetts.” Rep. Seth Moulton said that as “a tireless advocate for ending the ‘cancel culture’ so pervasive at Harvard over the past decade, I’m not going to rush to cancel the president.” And a spokesperson for Sen. Elizabeth Warren didn’t even mention the university or its president by name in a statement that said “calls for genocide are fundamentally wrong.” ELISE STEFANIK, ELECTION DENIER, GRUDGE Other Democratic politicians have been quick to point out — some of them publicly , some privately — that the furor is being fueled in part by Stefanik, a Donald Trump ally who was removed from a Harvard Institute of Politics advisory committee in 2021 after making unfounded claims of voter fraud about the 2020 presidential election. Stefanik's score-settling pressure campaign worked at one school. It doesn't appear to have influenced her alma mater. A statement from the Harvard Corporation is expected today. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. MIT President Sally Kornbluth, who also came under fire after testifying at last week's hearing, has received her governing board’s “full and unreserved support.” PROGRAMMING NOTE:  We’ve reached the last week of Playbooks for the year!  Send us all those tips and scoops you’ve been holding onto: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com . TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a ceremonial signing for their administration’s to-be-filed economic development plan at noon; Senate President Karen Spilka attends. Driscoll provides an MBTA Communities Law update at 9:30 a.m. in Salem and attends a Blue Apple Bus line ribbon cutting at 1:45 p.m. in Canton. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS Geoff Diehl is exploring another run at political office. | AP DUST YOURSELF OFF AND TRY AGAIN — Thirteen months after losing his second statewide campaign, Republican Geoff Diehl told Playbook he’s exploring a run for state Senate, setting up a potential redux of the race he lost to Democrat Michael Brady in a 2015 special election. Diehl sent the political class chattering when he filed paperwork yesterday with state campaign finance regulators to switch his “office sought” from governor to the Second Plymouth and Norfolk Senate district. He told Playbook he was forming an “exploratory committee” for the seat and would have more to say in the new year. The Whitman Republican served four terms in the state House. But he lost three campaigns for higher office — against Brady in 2015, Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018 and now-Gov. Maura Healey last year. He had $31.35 in his campaign bank account at the start of this month, after slipping into red following his gubernatorial bid. 2022 ELECTION RESULTS: EXTREMIST DIEHL GOT LESS THAN 35% OF THE STATEWIDE VOTE! https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-elections/massachusetts-governor-results The Senate stripped Brady in 2019 of his $15,000-per-year post as Senate chair of the joint Public Service Committee because of a drunken driving arrest , but he’s since regained the title. He handily won reelection last year over both a Democratic primary challenger and a Republican general election opponent. DATELINE BEACON HILL — "'Pretty bleak': Waitlist for family shelter tops 200 households after first month," by Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR: "One month after Massachusetts officials began placing people on a waitlist for the state-run family shelter system, at least 225 families are on it. Advocates said some are sleeping in their cars or outdoors while they await assistance." — “‘Far too large and costly’: State backs away from scale of Shattuck Hospital expansion plan,” by Chris Serres, Boston Globe. — “Nearly 350 Mass. farms to receive $20 million in disaster aid,” by Marianne Mizera, Boston Globe. Santa Claus helps ring in the holidays at the State House Christmas tree lighting ceremony. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO BALLOT BATTLES ACCESS POINTS — The MassGOP has submitted four Republicans for the state’s presidential primary ballot: former President Donald Trump , former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley , Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson . The state party also submitted North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ’s name, but is in the process of withdrawing it after he dropped out. Trump and Haley's campaigns paid $20,000 for ballot access, while DeSantis and Hutchinson held events with the state party to slash the fee to $10,000. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is also set to hold a fundraiser with the MassGOP in January and pay the party $10,000 to submit his name, Carnevale told Playbook. But a new effort is taking shape to block Trump from the ballot here. Former state attorney general hopeful Shannon Liss-Riordan is looking for people to sign onto a lawsuit she’s preparing to file arguing that Trump should be disqualified under section 3 of the 14th Amendment , according to an email sent to a prospective litigants that was obtained by Playbook. The Boston Herald first reported Liss-Riordan’s move . Liss-Riordan is working with Free Speech for People , a group that has backed lawsuits to bar Trump from the ballot in three other states, according to the email. Liss-Riordan wrote that Massachusetts “may provide a good opportunity to succeed on this challenge.” 2024 WATCH SUNUNU SWITCHEROO — Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu will attend tonight’s MassGOP holiday fundraiser at the Lenox Hotel in place of his son, current Granite State Gov. Chris Sununu , who was originally slated to headline the event. The younger Sununu is now expected to endorse Nikki Haley for president tonight when he joins the former South Carolina governor on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, WMUR reports this morning . Sununu's office wouldn't confirm the endorsement but said in a statement from the governor "I look forward to joining Nikki at her town hall this evening — it's going to be a lot of fun!" Haley's team wouldn't comment. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Democratic National Committee is looking to hammer Republican presidential hopefuls flooding New Hampshire this week over an issue that’s been a winning topic for them in the state — abortion. They’re starting by calling on Haley to say whether she supports a bill GOP state lawmakers put forward — but don't expect to pass — that would ban the procedure after 15 days. Haley recently said she would have signed a six-week abortion ban if such a bill made it to her desk while she was governor. “While Haley tries to pose as a moderate, there’s nothing moderate about Haley and MAGA Republicans’ attempts to rip away women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions,” DNC spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement. DAY IN COURT CHARGED — Federal prosecutors have accused a 30-year-old New Hampshire man of threatening to “blow” Vivek Ramaswamy ’s “brains out.” He is being held pending a detention hearing Thursday. — "Air Force disciplines 15 as IG finds that security failures led to massive classified documents leak," by Tara Copp, The Associated Press: "The Air Force has disciplined 15 personnel in connection with the massive classified documents leak by [Jack Teixeira] earlier this year, concluding that multiple officials intentionally failed to take required action on his suspicious behavior, the Air Force inspector general reported Monday." — “ACLU files suit against North Brookfield officials over refusal to allow Pride event with drag show,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe. MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “2 top managers suspended at Cannabis Control Commission,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “Acting Executive Director Debbie Hilton-Creek suspended chief communications officer Cedric Sinclair and director of human resources Justin Shrader on Dec. 4, according to two people with direct knowledge of the events who are not authorized to speak publicly.” FROM THE DELEGATION — “Progressives worry Biden’s new student loan relief proposal is too small,” by Michael Stratford, POLITICO: “Top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are raising new alarms that the Biden administration is moving toward a second student debt cancellation program that leaves out too many borrowers and offers insufficient relief." WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING MORE FROM HARVARD YARD — Risa Heller has been advising Harvard on crisis communications related to anti-Semitism in recent weeks and played a role in prepping Harvard President Claudine Gay for the disastrous congressional hearing last week, three people familiar with the matter told our colleague Daniel Lippman.  Heller, a Chuck Schumer alum and veteran crisis comms pro , was hired by the university as institutional tensions rose in the weeks following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Heller played a minor role in Gay’s hearing prep, according to two of the people, and has since advised Harvard on how to deal with the fallout from the hearing. She declined to comment. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Jeff Goldstein , senior policy adviser to the CHIPS program, John Lippmann , former Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George , Alex Reimer and Eric Maskin . 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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POLITICO Nightly: The deal that’s shaping the future of the American West

 

BY ANNIE SNIDER Presented by Irrigation pumps on a canal in Holtville, Calif. The region relies on water from the Colorado River. | Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images PARCHED — The future of the American West is quietly being hashed out in the conference rooms of a Las Vegas casino this week. Just across the strip from the Bellagio’s fountains, in the shadow of an enormous Eiffel Tower-knock-off, negotiators from the seven states that share the Colorado River are racing to reach a deal on how to share the West’s most important — and shrinking — waterway. Climate change has shriveled the river’s flows by more than 20 percent over the past two decades, and the only question now is how much worse things will get. The negotiations over how to share the pain of bringing water use in line with the shrunken waterway will have huge implications for the 40 million people who rely on it at their taps in metro areas from Denver to Phoenix to San Diego, as well as for the powerhouse farming operations that use roughly three-quarters of the river’s water to irrigate some of the country’s most productive agricultural land. Also on the line are the interests of 30 federally-recognized tribes along the river and the 11 national parks and monuments it courses through, including the Grand Canyon. The politics present an absolute landmine for the Biden administration , which has taken a much more aggressive approach with the affected states than its predecessors. The sharpest pain will be centered on the three lower river states: Arizona and Nevada — two crucial political swing states – and California, home of the Democratic Party’s most deep-pocketed donors and whose governor is widely believed to harbor presidential ambitions. Especially contentious is the fault line between farmers, who typically hold the most protected rights to the river, and the urban areas that are the states’ economic engines and are home to their voting bases, but are first in line for water delivery cuts under the century-old legal regime that governs the river. “This is going to be the hardest thing that any of us have ever done,” said Jeff Kightlinger, a long-time California water manager who is representing the largest and most powerful farm district in this round of negotiations. Even before the current megadrought affecting the region, cities, farms and industries from the mountains of Wyoming to the U.S.-Mexico border were using more water than the river reliably delivered each year. They got by thanks to water stored at the river’s two big reservoirs at Lake Mead and Lake Powell. But that storage has been drained so low that, before last year’s wet winter, water managers feared they could be just a year away from losing the ability to physically get water out of one of the two main dams on the river. Mother Nature, and a three-state deal to conserve water over the next three years in exchange for $1.2 billion in federal funding, have headed off the disaster for now. But crafting new rules to govern the river through a much drier future beginning in 2026 will be exponentially harder. For one thing, the gusher of federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act that enabled the short-term pact will be gone by then, and there’s no guarantee that new federal dollars will materialize. In fact, there’s already evidence that those dollars are driving up the cost of water conservation deals . And, while some of the river’s most powerful interests — namely, the Imperial Valley farm district in Southern California that controls more water than the states of Arizona and Nevada, combined — were willing to take some pain in a moment of crisis, they’re under enormous pressure from their constituents not to give up much water going forward. The upper river states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico are also reluctant. They aren’t using their full water allocations now, but don’t want their ability to tap that water going forward to be stymied by what they see as flagrant overconsumption by their downstream neighbors. Then there’s Mexico. Under international treaty, the U.S. must deliver a set quantity of water across the border each year. While the Mexican government has agreed to participate in prior drought deals, those agreements are about to expire and it’s unclear what it would take to gain their participation in the pain going forward — especially if former President Donald Trump were to win next November. That could have something to do with why the Biden administration wants a deal done and the legal process to shore it up well underway by the end of 2024. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at asnider@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @AnnElizabeth18 .   A message from bp: Across the US, bp supports more than 275,000 jobs to keep our energy flowing. Like building grid-scale solar in Ohio and producing gas with fewer operational emissions in Texas. See how else bp is investing in America.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Jack Smith asks Supreme Court to keep Trump trial on track: Special counsel Jack Smith is urging the Supreme Court to urgently resolve Donald Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution for charges related to his bid to subvert the 2020 election. Without the Supreme Court’s swift intervention, Trump’s trial could be indefinitely delayed, the special counsel warned in a petition to the high court today. That’s because the trial, scheduled to begin March 4, is effectively suspended while Trump pursues his appeal of the trial judge’s ruling rejecting his immunity arguments, Smith wrote. Resolution of the novel legal question is necessary to ensure the case proceeds “promptly,” he argued. — Sheila Jackson Lee files reelection bid for her House seat after losing Houston mayor’s race: Two days after she lost her bid to become Houston’s next mayor, Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has filed for reelection to her seat in Congress . Jackson Lee, 73, filed paperwork for reelection today. She enters the race for the safe blue House seat she has held for nearly three decades after state Sen. John Whitmire defeated her in a landslide loss to become the mayor of Houston on Saturday, 64%-36%. Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the filing. — US ‘concerned’ about reports that Israel used white phosphorus, Kirby says: The Biden administration is “concerned” about Israel’s reported use of white phosphorus in Lebanon two months ago, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters today. Kirby’s comments follow an analysis by a journalist working for The Washington Post, who found remains of three 155-millimeter artillery rounds fired into Dheira, a small town near the border of Israel. White phosphorus can be used to obscure troop movement as the smoke falls haphazardly over an area. But the chemical substance can also stick to skin and cause potentially fatal burns and respiratory damage. Its use could violate international law if its used intentionally as a weapon against civilians, according to the World Health Organization. — Santos is in plea talks, prosecutors say: Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is in talks to plead guilty to federal charges , prosecutors disclosed in a court filing today, 10 days after the onetime congressman was expelled from the House. “The parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial,” Brooklyn federal prosecutors wrote in the filing, ahead of a court conference planned for Tuesday. Prosecutors added that “[t]he parties wish to continue those negotiations over the next thirty days” before meeting for an additional court conference. Santos, a former first-term Republican from New York who was originally indicted in May and was hit with an updated indictment in October, faces an array of 23 charges, including wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of new episodes – click here .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 BALLOT WARS — Florida Democrats continue to defend their decision to short-circuit the presidential primary in favor of President Joe Biden. But now they will have to do it in federal court, writes POLITICO. A Tampa lawyer who has run for office previously wants a federal judge to order state election officials to put the name of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) on the March 19 ballot along with Biden . The lawsuit filed last week against both the Florida Democratic Party and Secretary of State Cord Byrd contends the process used by Democrats — as outlined under Florida law — is unconstitutional. RAMASWAMY THREATENED — A 30-year-old New Hampshire man has been arrested after prosecutors accused him of threatening to kill presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy , reports POLITICO. Tyler Anderson of Dover is charged with making an interstate threat. He appeared in federal court in New Hampshire this afternoon and is being held pending a detention hearing on Thursday. If convicted, Anderson could face up to five years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release, plus a fine of up to $250,000, according to federal prosecutors. Anderson threatened to “blow” Ramaswamy’s “brains out” in a text message sent in a response to one from the candidate’s campaign informing him of an event this morning in Portsmouth, according to charging documents. He also wrote that he was “going to kill everyone who attends and then [expletive] their corpses,” documents show.   A message from bp:     AROUND THE WORLD President Joe Biden speaks about Bidenomics at CS Wind on Nov. 29, 2023 in Pueblo, Colo. | Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images GLOBAL HIT — “Bidenomics” is falling flat with American voters. But the rest of the world can’t get enough of it , reports POLITICO. The mammoth climate law that serves as the linchpin of President Joe Biden’s economics program has ignited a new zeal among leaders around the world for the kind of winner-picking, subsidy-flush governing that has been out of fashion in many countries for the past 40 years. The Inflation Reduction Act’s mix of lavish support for clean energy technologies and efforts to box out foreign competitors is also promoting a kind of green patriotism — and even some politicians on the right, at least outside the U.S., say that’s a climate message they can sell. “It’s probably the most impressive piece of legislation in my lifetime,” ex-diplomat Marc-André Blanchard, an executive at Canada’s biggest pension fund, told POLITICO at the sprawling venue of the COP28 U.N. climate talks in Dubai. That may provide little political comfort to Biden, as multiple polls show him losing the economic messaging war to former President Donald Trump, his most likely opponent in next year’s presidential election. Trump has promised to rip out the climate law root and branch. But Biden’s law has struck something at the climate talks in Dubai — either inspiration or a nerve. Trade measures for the first time are an official focal point of the summit’s diplomatic negotiating text, showing just how potent and unavoidable it has become for national governments to debate policies favoring their domestic clean energy industries. After originally billing the law as offering $369 billion in climate and clean energy goodies, the White House is now proudly proclaiming it will spur closer to $700 billion — or even $1 trillion — in green incentives over 10 years. BACK IN BUSINESS — After nine years out of power, Donald Tusk is back — securing the support of the Polish parliament today to head a new government, reports POLITICO EU. The vote was 248 in favor and 201 against, cementing his return nearly two months after a coalition of opposition parties led by the former European Council president delivered a surprising win in the October 15 national election. Earlier today, Poland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lost a vote of confidence 266-190 in the lower house of parliament, officially putting an end to the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party’s eight-year stint in power. That paves the way for Tusk to forge a centrist, pro-EU government from his Civic Coalition party, the liberal Poland 2050 party, the conservative agrarian Polish People’s Party and the Left.   POLITICO AT CES® 2024 : We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show .     NIGHTLY NUMBER 27.5 percent The percentage turnout among Hong Kong’s registered voters in their first district council elections since guidance from Beijing effectively shut out all pro-democracy candidates, setting a record low since the territory was transferred from British to Chinese administration in 1997. In the last election, in 2019 amidst pro-democracy protests, a record 71.2 percent of registered voters participated. RADAR SWEEP MUSHROOM MATTERS — It’s looking like mushroom season . From creating vegan leather to using magic mushroom’s psilocybin to treat mental health disorders, people are viewing mushrooms in a new light. The peculiar looking organisms are ingrained into daily life more than you may imagine and that’s why Merlin Sheldrake released a book about mushrooms in 2020. Since then, Sheldrake has worked other forms of media from movies to articles to show society the many wonders of mushrooms — and how we rely on mushrooms every day. In this story for The New Republic, Adam Federman explores one man’s mission to change the public perception of mushrooms in a society increasingly more reliant on them. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1978: A stream of mourners cross the plaza in front of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to pay their respects to former Prime Minister Golda Meir, who died in Jerusalem at age 80 three days prior. | Aris Saris/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   A message from bp: bp added more than $70 billion to the US economy last year by keeping oil and gas flowing and developing more lower carbon energy. It’s and, not or. See what doing both means for energy nationwide.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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