MIDDLEBORO: Family heartbroken after girl dies in house fire

 

Officials have identified a 12-year-old girl who died in a Middleborough, Massachusetts, fire that also seriously injured her grandmother.

Alex Jones Assets To Be Liquidated

 

The court is preparing to liquidate the assets of InfoWars host, Alex Jones to make him pay for his unconscionable actions.

As Trump's first criminal trial approaches, DA Bragg seeks gag order to protect jurors & witnesses MARCH 25 CRIMINAL TRIAL

HUSH MONEY PAYMENT SCHEME 

It's beginning to feel like the Trump show is in reruns, as gag orders again make an appearance in the Trump trials. Trump may have lost all his civil cases, but his first criminal trial has yet to commence. HIs first prosecution is set to begin in New York on March 25. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has now filed a motion seeking a gag order in an attempt to protect the witnesses, the jurors, the prosecutors and the court staff from Trump's dangerous and reckless rhetoric, and the threats and violence Trump's rhetoric is designed to inspire.

US Capitol Arrest Update: Beckley SENTENCED DAMON BECKLEY 55 YEAR OLD KENTUCKY

 

IDENTIFY, INVESTIGATE, PROSECUTE, INCARCERATE KEEP AMERICANS SAFE FROM DOMESTIC TERRORISTS!

CONVICTED FELON, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SPOUSAL ABUSE, 74 YEAR OLD VICTIM, ASSAULTED CONTRACTOR...

Damon Beckley was sentenced for his participation in the January 6, 2021 attack and attempted insurrection at the United States Capitol.

US Capitol Arrest Update: Krill SENTENCED 55 YEARS OLD NEW JERSEY

 

IDENTIFY, INVESTIGATE, PROSECUTE, INCARCERATE KEEP AMERICANS SAFE FROM DOMESTIC TERRORISTS!

ARMED CONVICTED FELON

 

Peter Krill was sentenced for his participation in the January 6, 2021 attack and attempted insurrection at the United States Capitol.

Another GOP Witness With Credibility Issues

 

Republican lawmakers were embarrassed again after interviewing another "key" witness in the sham impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and his family.

She was brutally beaten and collapsed there crying for help in vain for many days

SUPPORT THE RESCUERS! 

Lizzy was violated in unspeakable ways. Someone broke her upper jaw, broke her eye, broke her nose, and fractured a bunch of bones across her frail body.When they were done with her, she was left for dead for DAYS and no one did a damn thing. It was obvious that she needed help – she was bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth, trying to survive with extreme injuries in the freezing cold. But no one stepped up. Lizzy is now safe and does not even have time to remember the past. She is one of famous survivors, and it makes us so happy to see her doing so well.

Judge TAKES AWAY TRUMP'S AIRPLANE, TRUMP REACTS IN HORROR

 

Informed Comment daily updates (02/26/2024)

 

Red Sea attacks in Sympathy with Gaza Escalate as Yemeni Houthis’ Resilience Surprises Biden Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Helpers of God (Ansar Allah) or Houthis in Yemen are proving a bigger challenge for the Biden Administration’s attempt to run interference for the Israeli atrocities in Gaza than Washington had expected. Just Monday morning the Yemeni forces fired a ballistic missile at the US-owned and -operated M/V Torm […]

Abortion Ban Extremists are using a Slavery-Era Texas Law against Women By Jim Hightower | – ( Otherwords.org ) – Here’s our big word of the day: extraterritoriality. It expresses a sketchy legal theory asserting that rulers in one state have a right to enforce their laws in another state. Its most prominent was in the infamous Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required officials in […]

War is Bad for you — And the Economy: Biden touts the Alleged Benefits of the Arsenal of Democracy ( Tomdispatch.com ) – Joe Biden wants you to believe that spending money on weapons is good for the economy. That tired old myth — regularly repeated by the political leaders of both parties — could help create an even more militarized economy that could threaten our peace and prosperity for decades to come. Any […]

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POLITICO Nightly: The Supreme Court cases that could remake online speech

 

BY CALDER MCHUGH Matt Schruers (right), President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, departs the Supreme Court today. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images FREE SPEECH AND DEBATE — Texas and Florida laws attempting to restrict social media companies from removing certain posts and accounts came under scrutiny during arguments at the Supreme Court today. After multiple tech companies removed former President Donald Trump from their platforms in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021, Florida made it illegal for social media platforms to bar candidates running for public office in the state from their platforms. Texas later passed a law prohibiting social media companies from taking down content related to politics. The ruling — and how narrow or broad it turns out to be — could have a huge impact on how social media companies, which are largely left to their own devices by the government to do content moderation, are allowed to operate. The two laws haven’t taken effect because of suits from two tech industry groups — NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association. And now, with the issue reaching the Supreme Court, each side is claiming the mantle of free speech: The tech industry groups, supported by the Biden administration, say it’s a social media company’s right under the First Amendment to select and present speech as they choose. Meanwhile, lawyers for Texas and Florida argued that these tech companies are in violation of the First Amendment because they are restricting speech. To get a sense of the stakes and the state of play after a busy day at the high court, Nightly called up Rebecca Kern , a tech policy reporter for POLITICO who spent the day listening to oral arguments at the Supreme Court and has covered this story for months. This interview has been edited. What are the two cases in front of the Supreme Court today, and why are they important?  They’re important because they could determine the future of how social media companies police online speech on their platforms. It all goes back to Jan. 6, 2021, and the major social media platforms banning then-President Donald Trump from their sites for violating their rules against incitement of violence. After that, Texas and Florida passed laws that would prevent social media platforms from banning politicians and from basically removing users’ viewpoints. Two tech trade groups sued to stop these laws from going into effect, saying these laws violate our First Amendment rights, because you can’t force companies to carry speech that breaks their own policies. They’ve gone all the way up to the Supreme Court and they’d have a pretty big impact on how social media companies can act if they go into effect. As you suggested in a story this afternoon , some of the justices were at least fairly skeptical of this state’s arguments. What did the oral arguments tell us?  I think the justices were largely pretty skeptical. They suggested that it is a violation of the First Amendment when a state compels speech. But in addition, some of the justices were suggesting that some of the provisions of these laws may be constitutional, so they were grappling with whether to block the laws in full or write an exemption that would send part of the question back to a lower court. In particular, some conservative justices suggested that it would make sense to uphold parts of the Florida law. So it’s unclear how they’ll write their decision, but I think they outright did say that big social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or X have the right to moderate content on their platforms. Were there any moments that stood out to you from the oral arguments today? We did hear from Justice Samuel Alito, who was asking lawyers for the tech companies to define content moderation and equating content moderation with censorship. So, some justices do still feel that conservatives continue to be censored on these platforms, and I don’t know if you’ll see them join the majority decision. Paul Clement, who is defending the tech lobbyists, also said that if you force us to carry all speech, that means we’re going to have to carry “both sides” — if there are posts that are advocating for suicide prevention, these platforms would have to carry posts that are pro-suicide as well, for example. He was drawing attention to the idea that the states didn’t necessarily understand the breadth of what they were doing when they were writing these laws. On Sunday, you wrote for POLITICO that no matter the outcome of the case, in some sense, conservatives have already won. Can you explain that? When these laws were passed in 2021, they were done so with a goal to re-platform Trump and punish the platforms for removing him. But in the last three years, the whole social media system has changed. It began with X when Elon Musk took over in Oct. 2022 and reinstated Trump pretty soon after, which put pressure on other platforms to follow suit, especially when Trump announced his candidacy. So, if conservatives’ goals when passing these laws were to reinstate Trump and get more conservatives back on the platforms, they’ve already succeeded. I even talked with one of the state lawmakers involved in crafting the Florida legislation who said that we’re seeing less deplatforming of conservative voices than in 2021. We’ve also seen more conservative-friendly social media sites pop up. Some conservatives continue to argue, though, that censorship is still happening. At the same time, a lot of these big platforms want to get further away from politics. In the last month, Meta announced that Threads and Instagram won’t be promoting political content. That doesn’t mean they’re going to ban politicians, but I think they just don’t want to be in the business of unnecessarily moderating political views if they don’t have to be. So what does the future of content moderation look like, based on the legal questions at the Supreme Court and other political ones? It’s still a little unclear how a ruling will look, but I do think we have some sense from today’s oral arguments that there will be a more narrow ruling saying these laws do violate the First Amendment, but that these platforms don’t have full reign on not being regulated at all. Even the Solicitor General on behalf of the Biden administration [who submitted a brief supporting the tech companies’ case] argued today that there’s still ways to rein in these companies that aren’t in violation of the First Amendment. This larger debate also isn’t over. There’s another Supreme Court case coming up on March 18 concerning whether or not the Biden administration coerces platforms to take down content. So we’ll be covering that as well. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh .   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     WHAT'D I MISS? — Air Force member dies after setting himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy: An active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington in an act of protest against the war in Gaza on Sunday died from his injuries , an Air Force spokesperson said today. “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night. We will provide additional details 24 hours after next of kin notifications are complete,” Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek told POLITICO. — Ronna McDaniel to step down as RNC chair next week: Ronna McDaniel announced today she will step down from her role as Republican National Committee chair on March 8 , days after Super Tuesday, following Donald Trump’s endorsement of a new RNC leader. McDaniel’s departure comes as Trump has criticized the RNC for its decision to hold primary debates, which he refused to appear in, and has said the committee should be more focused on voter integrity issues. Trump earlier this month said he expected “changes” at the RNC. — Ex-FBI informant will remain in jail while awaiting trial on charges of lying to FBI about Bidens: Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant who is charged with lying to the FBI about the Biden family, will remain in jail until his trial , a federal judge ruled today. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II hastily called the hearing after Smirnov was rearrested last week following his release by a Las Vegas magistrate judge. Wright said the dual American and Israeli citizen has a concerning habit of making false statements and could be a flight risk if released on bail. — Manhattan DA seeks gag order on Trump in advance of hush money trial: Prosecutors asked the judge overseeing the hush money criminal case against former president Donald Trump to issue a gag order restricting his public statements about witnesses, jurors, lawyers and court staff. Trump’s pattern of attacks against people involved in cases against him creates “a reasonable likelihood of witness intimidation, juror interference, and harassment of other participants in this criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote. If the judge agrees, it would be the third case in recent months in which Trump is subject to a gag order. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 BORDER BATTLE — President Joe Biden will travel Thursday to Brownsville, Texas, to meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local leaders, a White House official confirmed this morning. The visit will coincide with one scheduled the same day by former President Donald Trump — the presumptive GOP presidential nominee — whose plans to travel to Eagle Pass, Texas, were made public last week. Biden’s visit underscores the recent shift in his stance on the border. After largely ignoring the GOP clamor over migration and border security during his first few years in the White House, Biden now appears increasingly eager to lean in on the issue — to shift from a defensive posture to an offensive one after congressional Republicans blocked a bipartisan compromise, which the president supported, that would have directed new funding to border agents and tightened asylum policies. GEORGIA KILLING STOKES IMMIGRATION DEBATE — Students at two Georgia colleges grappled today with the killing of a nursing student killed in a violent act that Republicans including former President Donald Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp blamed on the immigration policies of President Joe Biden, reports the Associated Press. The killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley revived a theme — migrants committing violent crimes — that is animating the 2024 elections as Trump seeks a return to the White House. The focus now is on migrants who have arrived in the country during the Biden administration, with Republicans blaming Biden for migrant flows even as Democrats attack Republicans for sinking proposed legislation that could have toughened border enforcement. That conflict is only likely to escalate this week with Biden and Trump planning dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday. ENDORSEMENT WATCH — Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell haven’t said a word to each other since December 2020. But people close to both men are working behind the scenes to make bygones of the enmity between them and to pave the way for a critical endorsement of the former president by the one Republican congressional leader who has yet to offer one, reports the New York Times. Assuming it happens, McConnell’s endorsement of Trump would have enormous symbolic value to the former president, giving him the embrace of the last holdout of Republican power whose rejection of him represents the final patch of unconquered territory in Mr. Trump’s march to the party’s 2024 presidential nomination. AROUND THE WORLD Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attends a press conference in Stockholm after Hungary's parliament voted yes to ratify Sweden's NATO accession today. | Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images IT’S OFFICIAL — At last, Sweden will get to join NATO , POLITICO EU reports. Sweden cleared the final hurdle to become the military alliance’s 32nd member after Hungary — the last holdout among the countries — held a parliamentary vote to approve the move. In recent years, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed Sweden away from its decades of military non-alignment and towards the world’s biggest military alliance. Sweden’s accession comes amid increasing uncertainty over NATO’s future, as the Republican frontrunner in the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump, threatens to abandon security guarantees for at least part of Europe. Budapest finally made the move today, with the parliament voting 188 to 6 votes in favor of the resolution. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained contact with Russia’s Putin in defiance of Western pressure, withheld approval of Sweden’s bid for more than 600 days. COMPETING NARRATIVES — Talks were underway for a prisoner swap for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny when he died on Feb. 16, according to two Western officials informed on the discussions, but no deal had been offered to the Kremlin , POLITICO reports. One Western official, asked if there was a prisoner deal involving Navalny in the works before he died, said “no formal offer had been made, but early discussions to that effect were underway.” The U.S. and Germany were in discussions about forming some kind of deal, the official continued. Another Western official also confirmed that negotiations were in process, but stressed that not even an informal offer was sent to Moscow. An ally of Navalny’s posted a video on YouTube today claiming that a prisoner swap that would free Navalny had been in negotiations for months before his death. Maria Pevchikh further said that “ by the spring of last year our plan was approved.” The officials said that there was no plan so far advanced as Pevchikh claimed.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS : From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      NIGHTLY NUMBER $24.6 billion The size of the deal between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons that the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in eight states, including California, Arizona and Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia, are attempting to block, the FTC said today. The lawsuit alleges the deal will raise prices, lower quality, limit choices for shoppers and harm the companies’ workers. RADAR SWEEP LIFE ON MARS — There are all kinds of huge technological difficulties associated with the long-held dream of colonizing Mars. But there’s one under-discussed piece of the challenge: Brutal, all-encompassing loneliness . Being on a new planet close to alone can drive people into the depths of depression very quickly. Thus, the industry of people seriously studying loneliness here on earth have a new question to answer — is it a solvable problem on a new planet? For The New York Times Magazine, Nathaniel Rich dug deep into missions on earth designed to simulate conditions on Mars — and also what it means to be alone. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1993: Firefighters remove an explosion victim on a gurney outside one of the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York, after a car bomb in an underground garage rocked the complex. Six people were killed and hundreds injured in a blast that forced thousands to escape the buildings down dark, smoke-filled stairs. | Alex Brandon/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Mia McCarthy @Reporter_Mia   FOLLOW US

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WATCH: TRUMP IS BROKE | THE BREAKDOWN

 

CLIP: | Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $453.5 Million in his civil fraud case February 22, 2024 FULL EPISODE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHfH5... The Breakdown with Tara Setmayer and Rick Wilson airs LIVE on Thursdays at 7PM ET exclusively on The Lincoln Project YouTube Channel.

TRUMP'S MONEY TROUBLES, CPAC, NAVALNY, NEW BOOK: "WHITE RURAL RAGE"

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $453.5 Million in his civil fraud case, Alexei Navalny murdered in Russian prison, upcoming CPAC, and special guests authors Paul Waldman and Tom Schaller to discuss their NEW BOOK "White Rage: The Threat to American Democracy" Join Tara Setmayer and Rick Wilson LIVE at 7PM ET on The Breakdown exclusively on The Lincoln Project YouTube channel.

Trump's Top NSA Lawyer, Michael Ellis, Ousted After Just 4 Days on the Job. What Was Trump's Goal?

 

In a story that has remained somewhat under the radar screen, AFTER Trump lost the election, he arranged to install loyalists at the Pentagon and the National Security Agency for reasons that have no obvious connection to our nation's security. Here is the sequence of events that led to the installation and almost immediate suspension of Devin Nunes's former Chief Counsel, 35-year-old Michael Ellis, as the NSA's top lawyer. We need to know from the Biden administration what it has found inside the government agencies Trump decimated.

'Wily' Christian right group is gearing up for massive assault on 2024 election

 

'Wily' Christian right group is gearing up for massive assault on 2024 election: writer

Opinion by Sky Palma 

Evangelical worshippers© provided by RawStory

Anew "anti-democratic" and pro-Trump religious movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has been exposed in a new book by Canadian scholar André Gagné who says it's gearing up to play a massive role in the 2024 election.

The book, “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times,” adds some context to the little-known movement that is confusing outsiders. According to Salon's Paul Rosenberg, the greatest strength of the book is its “focus on how [NAR] adherents speak of their beliefs and practices."

Researcher Bruce Wilson, in an online discussion of the movement, described it as “highly experimental, always trying new things to see what works. The star megachurch ministries, among which are Bill Johnson's Bethel Church in Redding, California, Mike Bikel's IHOP in Kansas City, and Rick Joyner's Morningstar in South Carolina, are all hotbeds of innovation,” he said.

Wilson said he has uncovered well-funded programs launched “to obscure, to confuse and confound reporters and journalists and academics who are writing about and discussing dominionist Christianity.”

In the same discussion, Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates, said NAR is ,“constantly changing, [and] has factions in tension with one another.

" ... They are wily because they are worried that the rest of society will figure out who they are and what they are up to.” 

Churches that promote the ideology of NAR seek to align themselves with other churches under the guidance of “apostles,” to engage in “spiritual warfare” against demonic forces, and conquer the “seven mountains of culture” and establish dominion over the world, according to Rosenberg.

According to Gagné, the movement's defining characteristic “relates to the ‘amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals,’” which was also “applicable to non-charismatic church leaders.”

NAR “revolves around the restoration of the five-fold ministry [a concept drawn from Ephesians, referring to apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers] and an apostolic system of governance. This model challenges the democratic structures of churches," Gagné said.

Read the full report over at Salon. 

Recommended Links:

・Many Christians are 'almost in despair' over what Trump has done to their faith: evangelical leader

・Evangelical leaders trade slurs in bitter feud over Trump-DeSantis endorsements

・Trump profanely trashed Iowa evangelicals after seeing them support rival candidate: book

・Trump's 'final battle' rant contains a 'terrifying' message for evangelicals: analyst

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/wily-christian-right-group-is-gearing-up-for-massive-assault-on-2024-election-writer/ar-AA1mmzM0?fbclid=IwAR2NnWbaLzf8z0e8AUlsNXIyywfGdm-sJVwFbnvCGpDXD7KZNM4c2cgH2Ms

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Inside Healey's Washington weekend

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY Presented by McDonald's FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: ECON DEV COMING — Gov. Maura Healey plans to file her long-awaited economic development bond bill this week, she told Playbook. We know it’ll draw on the economic development plan that her administration released late last year, and that it will at least include $100 million to create an “Applied AI Hub” in the state and a reauthorization of the life sciences initiative first launched under the Patrick administration. We don’t yet know the price tag — and how that dollar amount has been affected by the state’s slumping revenues. That’s not the only news Healey shared after her trip to Washington… FROM THE LOUNGE AT THE MARRIOTT MARQUIS — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore could barely make it across the lobby without getting stopped for a picture. When Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte moved, a phalanx of staff, security and family followed. Healey cut a more unassuming presence as she networked her way through the National Governors Association winter meeting on Friday and Saturday at one of The District’s swankiest hotels. Her lower profile is likely as much physical as it is political — at 5-foot-4 she’s simply shorter than many of the men who make up the majority of state executives. But it allows her to operate without (too many) interruptions from lobbyists and pesky reporters like yours truly. And so, as the lobby lights dimmed on Friday evening, Healey arrived for a chat with Laura Kelly, the Democratic governor of Kansas. They sat off to the side of the lounge, at the same cluster of tables where Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt had held court moments before. But Healey and Kelly were joined only by Healey’s partner, Joanna Lydgate. They spoke quietly and intensely, heads bowed toward each other, their conversation shrouded by the dulcet tones of pop songs being recast as piano ballads by the evening’s entertainer. Healey wouldn’t divulge all the details of their chat. But they did engage in some good-natured football-related ribbing, in which Healey warned Kelly not to “get too ahead of herself on the Chiefs because you can’t touch the Patriots.” On a more serious note, the two talked immigration, a focal point for governors over the two-day event and the main topic of discussion at their White House meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and administration officials including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Biden called on governors to press their federal representatives to revive the border deal that includes money for states sheltering migrants and stricter asylum rules. But Republican governors left the meeting unswayed . “It’s a shame,” Healey said. “It really flies in the face of strong consensus among governors, both Democrats and Republicans, that we need federal immigration reform and that we need Congress to act. I can’t tell you how many conversations we had, conversations with Democratic and Republican governors and the White House, all of us lamenting Congress’ failure.” President Joe Biden speaks to governors at the White House. | Evan Vucci/AP As the Biden administration explores what executive actions it can take to curb border crossings , Healey said there are “certainly things that can be done by executive action, and we have encouraged the president to exercise all authority.” She didn’t directly weigh in on the slew of executive actions Biden is considering, which have already spurred backlash from progressive groups . But she did say “it’s not about sending 15 National Guardspeople to the border from one of our northern states." That's a clear swipe at New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who recently won $850,000 from lawmakers to send members of the state’s National Guard to the Texas border. “If Congress passed the bipartisan bill," Healey said, "it would fund border agents, border personnel. It would also help with fentanyl interdiction.” Healey also had “productive discussions” with a FEMA administrator after the feds rejected her request for a disaster declaration tied to September’s flooding. She still plans to appeal. “We need Congress to act here as well,” Healey said. “We need to have a different mechanism for getting relief, getting funding to states and cities across this country that are dealing with new and devastating impacts of recurring adverse weather events attributable to climate change.” GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Also at the NGA: former Gov. Charlie Baker, who discussed sports betting’s impact on the NCAA during a private lunch with governors. TODAY — Healey swears in a judge at noon and joins Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and legislative leaders for a leadership meeting at 2 p.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends the Age Strong Black Heritage Celebration Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. in Dorchester. Rep. Lori Trahan highlights federal funding at 1 p.m. at Middlesex Community College. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is in Boston today for a Biden Victory Fund event that was rescheduled from earlier this month due to that snowstorm that didn't happen. Tips? Scoops? Fundraisers? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com.   A message from McDonald's: From 2021 to 2022, the McDonald’s System contributed over $700 million to Massachusetts’ economy, supporting over 14,350 jobs statewide. McDonald’s presence in local communities throughout Massachusetts generated nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue, providing funding for public schools, infrastructure, parks and more. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma .   DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Healey says Steward information ‘insufficient’,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “The Healey administration said Steward Health Care failed to provide requested financial information by Friday’s deadline and announced no steps to compel compliance. Steward earlier this week said it provided the state with an enormous amount of financial data, but administration officials said audited financial statements were not included. ‘The financial information that Steward provided this week continues to be incomplete and insufficient,’ said Karissa Hand, the governor’s spokeswoman. ‘What Steward must do from this point forward is clear — complete an orderly transition out of Massachusetts.’” — “ As New England Revolution kick off new season, Mass. lawmaker keeps ball rolling on new stadium,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “A new immigration court is set to open in Mass. Will it help the immense backlog of cases?” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “A new immigration court is set to open in Massachusetts, where the population of migrants hoping to present their case to a judge has grown exponentially in recent years. The Lowell Immigration Court, which will be located on Apollo Drive in Chelmsford, is set to open in early April.”   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     FROM THE HUB — “Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden is facing two ethics probes from separate state entities,” by Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe: “Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden is facing two ethics investigations related to statements he made about his opponent during the 2022 race for Suffolk DA. … One of the ethics probes is by the state’s Office of Bar Counsel, which investigates allegations of lawyer misconduct in Massachusetts. … Hayden is also being investigated by the state ethics commission for similar allegations raised by Arroyo.” — “Boston employees regularly assaulted for writing parking tickets, city union says,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston parking enforcement officers say they’re tired of being an ‘outlet’ for the anger of people they issue tickets to, and are urging city officials to impose stiffer penalties for the offenders who regularly assault and harass them on the job.” — “OTR: Boston [City Councilor Brian Worrell] wants to add 250 liquor licenses, here's why,” by Ed Harding and Sharman Sacchetti, WCVB.   A message from McDonald's:   SENATE SHOWDOWN NO ARGUMENT HERE — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her most prominent Republican rival, John Deaton , appear to be on the same page about the Alabama Supreme Court ruling jeopardizing access to in vitro fertilization. Both Deaton and Warren condemned the decision in statements posted to social media. “Children are a blessing. Efforts to prevent couples from conceiving are unconscionable and cruel. This is health care and it’s about family. Just as they were wrong on Dobbs, out-of-control judges should not be deciding these things. Period,” Deaton posted on X . Warren called the ruling “outrageous” in her own post shortly thereafter, blaming “right-wing extremists” and former President Donald Trump , who she said “set the stage for this disaster by stacking the Supreme Court with radicals who’d overturn” Roe v. Wade.   Don’t sleep on it. Get breaking New York policy from POLITICO Pro—the platform that never sleeps—and use our Legislative Tracker to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more.     PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES PUMPING THE BRAKES — MBTA Advisory Board Executive Director Brian Kane is casting doubt on the future of reduced fares for low-income T riders. Gov. Maura Healey proposed $45 million for the program in her budget, but Kane said on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” that “there’s no funding source dedicated for it in the long term.” “There’s no money in Year Two , and the cost of this program rises to $100 million after five years,” Kane said. “So it is a large concern for my organization, the cities and towns that contribute to the T.” DAY IN COURT — “Federal class-action lawsuit filed in Worcester over illegal state trooper recordings,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “Four of the more than 200 criminal defendants state police recorded illegally using a cellphone application during undercover investigations filed a federal class-action lawsuit Friday against Motorola and the state police colonel.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Milton starts to chart path forward after residents reject MBTA zoning bill,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “The Milton Planning Board is considering seeking a reclassification that would lessen the burden on the number of multi-family housing units needed to comply with a state-mandated zoning plan. … Some Planning Board members argue that being classified as an ‘adjacent community’ rather than a ‘rapid transit community’ makes more sense.” But the state has said no before to changing the town’s designation under the MBTA Communities Law. THE SAGA CONTINUES — “Medford mayor broke law during search for interim fire chief, union attorney alleges,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “An attorney for the Medford fire union is accusing Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn of breaking the law by offering a firefighter from outside the city to serve as interim chief, but the mayor says she’s in the right as she followed the city charter. … Medford has been divided since a wave of sick callouts within the fire department earlier this month cost the city nearly $100,000.” — “DCU bull riding event met with animal rights protesters disappointed hosted in city-owned venue,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.   A message from McDonald's: McDonald’s is an economic engine for the state of Massachusetts, contributing over $700 million to our state’s economy, directly employing nearly 11,600 Massachusettsans and supporting an additional 2,750 jobs statewide. It’s also an engine of opportunity: 1 in 4 independent McDonald’s operators in Massachusetts began their careers as restaurant crew members, generating wealth for their families and local communities. We are proud to support Massachusetts through public schools, parks and more from the nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue generated by the McDonald’s System’s activities. And thanks to the generosity of McDonald’s customers and owner/operators, the $700,000 raised through Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2022 provided over 7,000 overnight stays for families with children receiving medical care in Massachusetts. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma .   CAMPAIGN MODE SHE’S ONTO SUPER TUESDAY — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is vowing to fight on after getting blown out in her home state ’s GOP presidential primary by former President Donald Trump . She mathematically doesn’t stand much — if any — chance of stopping his march to a third straight nomination. But her refusal to quit means political action will briefly return to the region: Haley is capping off her swing through Super Tuesday states with a campaign event Saturday night at the Sheraton in Needham. More than 700,000 voters have requested mail-in ballots ahead of the state’s presidential primaries and nearly 250,000 had been returned , Secretary of State Bill Galvin said as early voting got underway. Even though there is “not as much of an incentive for people to come out” because races on both sides “seem decided,” Galvin said the “importance of this election” appears to be “superseding” low interest. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TAYLOR, IF YOU’RE READING THIS — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly would be enchanted to meet you. Healey said Kelly has yet to meet Taylor Swift, who’s dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce . But she’s “looking forward to doing that.” (Yes, we know the Chiefs play in Missouri, we’re just the messengers!) FIRE UP THE GROUP CHAT — Healey and Kelly are in one with the rest of the nation’s female Democratic governors. “It’s a dream team, it’s fantastic,” Healey said on CNN . HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Harold Hubschman, Cathey Park, Laura Oggeri, Adam Bass, Jill Webb and Li Zhou . 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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