GROWING PAINS — There’s a new energy on community college campuses in Massachusetts.
Enrollments are up now that community college is free for all students, thanks to the MassEducate program that began this year, bolstering the MassReconnect program rolled out last year that made community college free for students over 25.
“The life is back” on campus at Roxbury Community, Jordan Smock, the school’s communications director, told Playbook. At Massasoit Community College earlier this week, close to 500 people showed up for a campus barbecue – something the school hasn’t seen in a long time, according to Alex Villanueva, Massasoit’s communications director. And Bristol Community College saw a jump in the number of students in its athletics program – up to around 100 student athletes this year from 60 last year, according to Kate O’Hara, Bristol’s vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management.
But the sudden spike in enrollments has also put a strain on some schools struggling to match resources with rising interest.
“It is working exactly as it was intended, which is to say that we are seeing huge increases in enrollment all across all 15 community colleges,” Nate Mackinnon, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, told Playbook. But that also means some community colleges have struggled to adjust to their new size — impacting everything from parking on campus, to getting students to shuffle out of classrooms where there are now back-to-back classes.
Cape Cod Community College was resigned to closing its application deadline early, MassLive reported recently. At Holyoke Community College, where the number of new students is up more than 14 percent since last fall, the bump “really put pressure on our ability to hire faculty to fill the courses that students want and need,” the school’s Dean of Strategic Recruitment Initiatives, Admissions, and Financial Aid Mark Hudgik told Playbook.
The back-to-back double-digit spikes in enrollment (from MassReconnect last year, MassEducate this year) have meant that some students weren’t able to enroll at Holyoke because the classes they needed – at the times they needed – weren’t available. That’s an issue Holyoke runs into every year, Hudgik said, but one that was “heightened this year because of the sheer number of students who were coming in.”
Community college leaders also want to make sure that advising services can keep up with students’ needs, particularly through the SUCCESS Fund, a program that provides intensive advising to help underserved students at community colleges move on to four-year schools. With a tight state budget in FY25, the program, which is funded at $14.75 million, “didn’t see the growth that we were hoping for,” Mackinnon said. “And yet we have a big influx of new students, so that's putting a real strain on that area.”
The numbers from MassReconnect’s rollout last year did help prepare school administrators for what to expect this time around. At Roxbury Community College, the school began to hire more adjunct professors over the summer and add more courses to meet the expected bump in demand. At Berkshire Community College, “we had a really good educated guess of what was coming,” Adam Klepetar, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, told Playbook, and the school was able to extend hours and hold listening sessions across the region.
But if last year’s model holds, schools are expecting an even bigger enrollment bump in the spring — “which is great,” Mackinnon said. “We’ll be ready to take them.”
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . On the bright side, the Patriots won’t ruin our Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Jets hate? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey, Lt Gov. Kim Driscoll and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attend the El Mundo Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Healey meets with the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ahmed Dadou at 1:30 p.m. at the State House. Driscoll attends a welcome reception for the America250PA National Convening of States and Partners at 5:30 p.m. in Philadelphia. Wu speaks at the Greater Boston Stand Down, an annual event offering support services to veterans, at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall and performs a duet with world-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang at Boston Arts Academy before participating in a Q&A session with students at 1 p.m. in Fenway. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and other co-chairs of the Haiti caucus hold a press conference to stand in solidarity with Haitian immigrants at 11:30 a.m. in D.C. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Essex County Sheriff’s Department POW-MIA recognition day at 10 a.m. in Middleton and tours Northeast Arc’s Center for Linking Lives at 1 p.m. in Danvers.
THIS WEEKEND— Local entrepreneur and marketing expert Diane Hessan is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. State Sen. Barry Finegold is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Evan Horowitz of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University and the Boston Globe’s Esmy Jimenez are on NBC10Boston’s “@Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Weymouth Irish Heritage Festival at 12:30 p.m. in Weymouth.
A message from Mass General Brigham:
At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually. We’re one against cancer. Learn more.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS WOULD SUPPORT STRONGER GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION...PAY ATTENTION & DON'T ALLOW A SMALL MINORITY OF GUN ZEALOTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR RIGHTS!
— “Massachusetts gun law repeal effort has half of necessary signatures to suspend statute,”by Chris Van Buskirk: “An effort to repeal a new gun law in Massachusetts has managed to secure roughly half of the signatures needed to immediately suspend the enforcement of the statute and place a question before voters in the 2026 election, according to a top organizer. The campaign to strike down a law that — among many things — bans people under 21 from owning semiautomatic rifles or shotguns must collect more than 49,000 signatures from residents in Massachusetts by Oct. 9 to nullify the statute while the repeal process plays out over the next two years.”
— “Taxpayers to get break on unpaid debt,”by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Scofflaw taxpayers could get a chance to pay their delinquent accounts without facing fines under a 60-day tax amnesty program allowing some Massachusetts residents to clear up their debt. The state Department of Revenue announced Thursday that from Nov. 1 until Dec. 31 taxpayers with outstanding liabilities will be able to catch up on back taxes without paying hefty penalties. The program, approved as part of the fiscal year 2025 budget, is the first tax amnesty scheme in nearly a decade.”
— “‘Enough is enough’: Lawmakers, union demand change after corrections officers stabbed,”by Marilyn Schairer, GBH News: “Two state lawmakers are calling for action from the state’s Department of Correction following a violent attack of five correction officers Wednesday night. Two officers were stabbed and three more were injured at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, the state’s only maximum-security facility.”
AS AN 'IRAQ WAR HERO' he should seek mental health counseling from the VA! From the public information available, it is apparent that he was stalking others & is angry & obsessed....SEEK HELP!
— “Pro-Palestinian protesters say they warned Newton police about Scott Hayes,”by Phillip Martin, GBH News: “Supporters have raised more than $255,000 on a GoFundMe site for Scott Hayes, the Framingham man charged with shooting an individual in Newton who darted across a busy street toward him during a pro-Israel rally last week. Hayes’ supporters, including Harvard attorney Alan Dershowitz, describe him as an Iraq war hero standing up for the Jewish people and the state of Israel. But others tell GBH News that Hayes is well known in pro-Palestinian activist circles as a gun-toting individual who castigates those calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and insults and harasses peaceful protesters.” excerpt:
Neither Hayes nor his attorney, Glenn MacKinley, could be reached for comment for this story. Hayes was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty on Sept. 13 and was released on $5,000 cash bail.
Hayes, who works as a contractor for National Grid, is required to wear a GPS tracker and remain indoors after work, confined to his home between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
He is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 4.
YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS
CRYPTO SCAMMER JOHN DEATON needs to be scrutinized by VOTERS! The CARPETBAGGER has no connections to MASSACHUSETTS other than his FALSE ACCUSATIONS...his LIES...about the CAPE COD BRIDGES that he was TOO LAZY to research....he was surrounded by other REPUBLICANS who supported his LIES. (TRUMP slashed funding for the BRIDGES!)
CRYPTO has been BANNED IN CHINA & OTHER NATIONS for good reason.
JOHN DEATON voted 3 TIMES IN 20 YEARS!
JOHN DEATON has offered only vague comments about his policies....NEVER HELD ELECTED OFFICE so we have no history of his actions/votes.
2 FDIC INSURED BANKS HAVE FAILED DUE TO CRYPTO SCAMS - TAXPAYERS WILL ABSORB THOSE COSTS! CRYPTO IS UNREGULATED!
WHILE YOUR EYES MAY GLAZE OVER ABOUT THE COMPLEX REGULATORY ISSUES THAT SENATOR WARREN HAS ADDRESSED, THEY ARE SIGNIFICANT!
PLEASE RESEARCH HER HISTORY BEFORE MAKING A DECISION!
TRAIL MARKERS — Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds a comfortable lead over Republican Senate hopeful John Deaton in a new University of New Hampshire pollout Thursday.
Warren won support from 58 percent of respondents to Deaton’s 32 percent among the 596 voters surveyed in the poll between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16 (margin of error of +/- 4 percent).
Warren “is only somewhat popular in Massachusetts,” the pollsters wrote, “while large numbers are unfamiliar with Deaton.” The survey found 46 percent of likely voters had a favorable view of Warren, while 35 percent had an unfavorable view and 18 percent were neutral. Meanwhile, 42 percent said they don’t know enough about Deaton to make a call one way or another.
— “Mass. Sen. Warren, Texas’ Cruz partner on disaster relief bill,”by John L. Micek, MassLive: “New legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, would, among other things, speed the flow of federal aid, and change the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency issues the disaster declarations that open the government’s spigot in the first place.” excerpt:
Specifically, the bill would:
Allow every community impacted by a major disaster to receive federal assistance, regardless of county or state lines.
Allow FEMA to “declare major disasters based on cumulative damage to a community over 12 months, addressing concerns that existing federal regulations do not sufficiently account for the impact of cumulative disasters on a region,” Warren’s office said in its statement.
BALLOT BATTLES
MEASURING SUPPORT FOR BALLOT MEASURES — The UNH poll also gave a glimpse into where voters currently stand on each of the five ballot questions.
More than half of those surveyed said they plan to vote “yes” on questions that would over time give tipped workers a full minimum wage (Question 5), legalize and regulate psychedelics (Question 4) and allow the state auditor to audit the Legislature (Question 1). And a plurality said they support allowing app-based drivers to unionize (Question 3).
The closest contest, the UNH poll found, was on the question that would remove MCAS as one of the requirements for high school graduation (Question 2). The “no” slide polled slightly higher, notching 40 percent to the “yes” side’s 38 percent — though within the poll's margin of error.
A message from Mass General Brigham:
FROM THE DELEGATION
*****STEWARD*****
— “US Senate committee approves contempt charges against Steward CEO,”by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “A U.S. Senate committee recommended Thursday that Steward Health Care CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre be held in contempt of Congress over his refusal to appear before them to discuss the inner workings of the bankrupt hospital chain. On a pair of 20-0 votes, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved resolutions laying out both civil and criminal contempt charges against de la Torre. The votes move the matter to the full Senate for consideration.”
— “South Coast’s costly cleanup,”by Adam Goldstein, The New Bedford Light: “Across the South Coast, cities and towns are looking to clean up their sewage and septic systems. And they all agree on one thing: the fix won’t come cheap.”
— “Brockton school board tables effort to discipline mayor. Why? Was it canceled or delayed?,”by Christopher Butler, The Brockton Enterprise: “The Brockton School Committee did not discuss disciplining Mayor Robert Sullivan Wednesday night after all — a closed session item on the evening’s agenda that had previously raised question marks. School Committee Vice-Chair Tony Rodrigues at the start of the meeting made a motion to remove that item from the meeting agenda — citing the fact that school board member Claudio Gomes wasn’t present for the meeting.”
NOTE THAT SOME OF HIS 'CONNECTIONS' ARE THOSE INCLUDED IN THE TENET MEDIA, RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION & MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEMES, SUCH AS BENNY JOHNSON, DAVE RUBIN & TIM POOL....
DOJ alleges Russia funded US media company linked to right-wing social media stars
Trump’s Chief Legal Defender Vows a ‘Reign of Terror’ — Or Is It All an Act?
Mike Davis could be Trump’s attorney general, and he says he wants to put journalists in gulags and kids in cages. He also says he’s trolling. The line isn’t always so clear.
Mike Davis, lawyer and founder of the Article III Project, takes a phone call in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on June 28, in Washington. | Samuel Corum for POLITICO
Adam Wren is a national political correspondent for POLITICO, based in the Midwest.
Mike Davis was steamed.
The frenetic Republican lawyer and former Senate aide — currently Trump’s most fanatical defender on X and conservative media — had been in the middle of one of his near-daily appearances on the “War Room” with Steve Bannon when a protester materialized over his shoulder and began screaming into his ear.
From his makeshift TV-hit setup outside the Supreme Court, Davis tried to continue to explain to Bannon and his audience the legal intricacies going on inside the building behind him. There, nine justices were hearing oral arguments over whether Trump was immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“They must have let people out of the mental health asylum for today’s Supreme Court hearing,” Davis said, grinning, but only for the camera. “We have our friend here — it looks like an MSNBC correspondent behind me.”
Bannon chimed in from the cozy confines of his studio with a warning for the protester.
“Mike Davis is gonna punch your lights out,” he said.
Davis is, at least according to Donald Trump Jr. and Bannon, a possible attorney general in a second Trump administration. But today, he was feeling powerless. After the “War Room” hit was over, Davis bolted off his set and zipped toward the Supreme Court Police nearby to complain about the protester. “You do not have a First Amendment right to scream in someone’s ear,” Davis argued to an officer. “I used to work in this building — I know what the fucking law is.”
The officer took off his sunglasses. Recognition passed over Davis’ face. He knew this guy. “I remember you,” the officer told Davis. They both agreed he needed to talk to Patricia, the Supreme Court press wrangler. Davis knew exactly who she was; he called her and asked for access to the press corral.
Patricia, who also remembered Davis, granted him special access inside, marking the first time Bannon’s show had a credentialed Supreme Court correspondent.
That day outside the Supreme Court, Davis showed the full, often at-odds, range of his roles in Trump world. He is the former president’s troll-in-chief, a frequent talking head in MAGA-aligned media known for his provocative, no-holds-barred defense of the president and crusade against Trump’s perceived enemies, especially in his legal battles. He rages against the “weaponization” of the Justice Department. He has promised to “rain hell” on Washington from a Trump administration perch come January 2025 and to eviscerate institutions that he says treat Trump unfairly. He calls Democrats “Marxists” and “evil” and has joked — in ways that many others don’t always take jokingly — that he would send journalists and former GOP personalities including George Conway and Tim Miller to “the gulag” and would put migrant kids in “cages.” “My goal,” he once told me, “is for the Supreme Court to dismantle most of the federal government.”
Davis, 46, also happens to have a deep familiarity with and understanding of those same institutions, which often works to his and Trump’s benefit.
He did once work at the Supreme Court, as a clerk in 2017. He was also the chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley during the Trump administration and, as an outside adviser, led confirmation battles for two of those justices hearing oral arguments inside the building that spring day: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
“Mike Davis was a standard-stock Republican, Federalist Society lawyer, right? Standard stuff. Played by the rules. Helped get guys confirmed, could play tough, but painted inside the lines,” Bannon told me.
Now, though? “He’s a full fucking MAGA warrior.”
Davis, a stocky, redheaded lapsed Irish Catholic who calls himself Trump’s “viceroy,” is not officially affiliated with the Trump campaign. But he is undoubtedly close to Trump. In addition to being openly discussed as a candidate for attorney general, or acting attorney general, there is the more likely possibility of a position as White House counsel, chief of staff at the Department of Justice or as an outside adviser to Trump to select a candidate for any of those roles.
“Donald Trump loves him,” Caroline Wren, the GOP fundraiser (no relation to me), told me, adding that she hears from Republican mega-donors and senators who salivate over Davis’ appearances on Bannon’s “War Room.”
“If he isn’t the attorney general, he’s going to play some sort of role,” she said.
Donald Trump Jr. called Davis in a statement to POLITICO “the tip of the spear defending my father from these corrupt Democrat prosecutors.” He added: “He’s exactly the type of fighter that I’d like to see involved in a second Trump administration.”
Even less clear than what role Davis will fill in a potential Trump administration, though, is what he’d actually do in that role — and how much of what he proposes is, as he says, just “trolling.” In this way, Davis encapsulates a defining feature of conservatives in the Trump era: the dissolving barrier between reality and trolling, between serious political ideas and winking provocation. He seems to relish keeping people guessing about who he really is, what he really wants and what he will really help Trump accomplish.
I’ve had hours of conversations with Davis dating back to December from time I spent with him in Washington, Milwaukee and Manhattan. Davis is more cooperative with mainstream journalists than his rhetoric and his appearances on “War Room” would lead one to believe, but he was also unusually open with me, perhaps because I’m a national reporter who still lives in flyover country. In those conversations, along with those with nearly two dozen people who have intersected with his life, it became clear to me that even Davis isn’t always sure about when he’s being serious.
That guessing only begins with the question of where Trump will put him if he wins in November — and whether the idea of Attorney General Mike Davis is the biggest troll of all.
TRANSITIONS — Kathy Kottaridiswill serve as the new director of Boston’s Office of Historic Preservation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley, former congressional candidate and MassDPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein and Vanessa Kirsch. Happy belated to Mark A. Chapleau, who celebrated Thursday.
HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Samantha Power, Cass Sunstein, Mia Appelbaum, Deborah A. Weinberger and The Boston Globe’s Christopher Gavin, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Massachusetts Playbook and POLITICO alum Stephanie Murray, who’s now a political reporter at The Arizona Republic; POLITICO alum and GBH’s Jeremy Siegel; Chris Carlson, Abigail DesVergnes, Mike Knittle, Sean Moynihan of The Moynihan Group, TT Sitterley and Helena Zay.
A message from Mass General Brigham:
At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually.
The vision for Mass General Brigham is to build a world-class center of cancer care, with the patients at the center of everything we do. New collaborations, new treatments, and innovative approaches. Leading to new hope and possibilities. At Mass General Brigham, we’re one against cancer. Learn more.
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