 | By Kelly Garrity | MASSACHUSETTS IS BLESSED WITH STUDENTS FROM OTHER NATIONS THAT CREATES AN EXCITING BLEND! PROFESSIONALS WHO COME TO STUDY & RESEARCH ENRICH OUR MEDICAL COMMUNITY! A WISE MAN ONCE SAID 'I MAY NOT AGREE WITH YOU, BUT WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH YOUR RIGHT TO SAY IT!' TRUMP ET AL CONDEMNATION OF FREE SPEECH JEOPARDIZES US ALL! IT CAN ONLY BE SETTLED IN THE COURTS DUE TO THE IMMIGRATION ZEALOTS! WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER SPEAKING OUT FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT!
TROUBLE AT TUFTS — Massachusetts lawmakers are decrying the arrest of a Tufts University graduate student who was detained by federal immigration authorities earlier this week. But their calls did little to assuage the concerns of some of the thousands of people who turned out for a rally in support of the student, Rumeysa Ozturk, in Somerville Wednesday night. “Elizabeth Warren is not going to save you. The Democratic Party is not going to save you. They did not save Rumeysa,” one rally leader told the crowd of more than 1,000 students and activists. In a flurry of statements throughout the afternoon and evening Wednesday, Democrats from across the state voiced their outrage over the detention of Ozturk, a Tufts doctoral student and Fulbright scholar from Turkey who lives in Somerville. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the incident “the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties.” Gov. Maura Healey warned that it could “signal to students in other countries” that they shouldn’t study in Massachusetts. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said the arrest was a “horrifying violation of Rumeysa's constitutional rights to due process and free speech,” calling for her to be released “immediately.” Attorney General Andrea Campbell described footage of the arrest as “disturbing.” And Rep. Jim McGovern said the situation was “sick and cruel.” ICYMI: A video circulating showed plain-clothes agents stopping Ozturk on a sidewalk near the Tufts campus. Her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, said she was on her way to a Ramadan event when she was approached Tuesday evening. By Wednesday, Khanbabai said, Ozturk had been moved to Louisiana — despite a court order mandating Ozturk not be taken out of the state without officials first notifying the court. What DHS is saying: Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that DHS and ICE investigations “found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.” “A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security,” she wrote on X . Tufts University President Sunil Kumar didn’t identify Ozturk, but appeared to reference the arrest said in an email to students shared with Playbook, noting that the school “had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event.” But that message , and Somerville’s status as a sanctuary city, did little to quell the concerns of those who gathered for the protest in nearby Powder House Square to call for Ozturk’s release. “The city of Somerville and many other cities in Massachusetts call ourselves a sanctuary city. But what does that really mean, if our neighbors are being disappeared by the state?” one rally leader told the crowd. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speak at the ResilientMass Summit at 9:30 a.m. in Boston. Healey joins a fireside chat at the summit at 12:45 p.m. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll moderates the summit’s panel on climate resilience at 11:45 a.m. Wu announces the city’s 2025 youth summer jobs program at 11:15 a.m. in Roxbury.
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| | Cut through policy complexity and turn intelligence into action with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant—a new suite of tools designed to save you time and demonstrate your impact more easily than ever—available only to Pro subscribers. Save hours, uncover critical insights instantly, and stay ahead of the next big shift. Power your strategy today— learn more . | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| ****THESE FUNDING CUTS WILL IMPAIR THE NATION! THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF IMPRESSIVE RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED THAT WILL FORCE TALENTED RESEARCHERS TO SEEK OPPORTUNITIES IN OTHER NATIONS!***** — “Governor concerned Trump’s actions will be a setback to life sciences,” by Robert Goulston, GBH News. — “Gov. Maura Healey slams President Trump over attempt to cancel public health grants,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey lashed out at President Donald Trump Wednesday over his administration’s attempt to cancel more than $11 billion in COVID-19-related grants across the country, of which Massachusetts was expected to receive $100 million over the next year.” ****THANK YOU! THERE NEED TO BE LIMITS! EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT A GAMBLING, THE ADVERTISING IS OUTRAGEOUS!**** — “Mass. lawmakers propose sweeping new limits on sports gambling,” by Chris Serres, The Boston Globe: “Massachusetts would impose strict new limits on online sports betting and ban sports gambling operators from running advertisements during televised events, under an expansive bill introduced by three state Democratic lawmakers. The legislation, called the Bettor Health Act, is designed to rein in the runaway growth of sports betting in Massachusetts and ban industry practices that some public health advocates have described as highly addictive.” POISON PILL — Gov. Maura Healey’s pitch to add new taxes on prescription drugs won’t make it into the budget blueprint the House is set to unveil next month, per the State House News Service . House Speaker Ron Mariano announced his chamber's plan to axe the provision during a speech at MassBio's "State of Possible" conference Tuesday.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| ***DESTROYING THE DEPT OF EDUCATION HURTS THOSE CHILDREN & THOSE STATES THAT NEED TO GREATEST SUPPORT! THERE ARE RED STATES THAT RANK LOWEST IN EDUCATION WHEN COMPARED THAT WILL SUFFER THE GREATEST LOSSES! ALL CHILDREN DESERVE THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE!**** — “‘There’s a lot of uncertainty in this budget’: Boston School Committee approves $1.58b budget, but officials wary of future federal cuts,” by John Hilliard, The Boston Globe: “The Boston School Committee approved a $1.58 billion budget for the next school year Wednesday night, including additional funds to create more inclusive classroom settings for special education services and English language learners. But administrators worry $100 million in federal funds could be at risk as the Trump administration tries to tighten its control over K-12 public schools with threats to withhold money.”
***MEASLES ALERT!***** — “Amtrak reaching out to passengers who may have been exposed to person with measles on Boston to Washington train,” by Claire Thornton, The Boston Globe: “Some passengers on an Amtrak train traveling between Boston and Washington, D.C., one week ago could have been exposed to measles from a person on board, health officials are warning. The train, Amtrak’s Northeast Regional 175, left Boston at 3:15 p.m. on March 19, Amtrak officials said. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health told the Globe it learned the infected person boarded at Penn Station in New York City.”
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| — “Brown becomes third newcomer to enter Peabody at-large race,” by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: “Tristan Brown is the third newcomer to throw his hat in the ring for two open seats in the City Council at-large race this fall. Brown is a 40-year-old data privacy attorney for the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| ****MASSIVE NATIONAL SECURITY BREECH!**** IT WAS JUST REPORTED THAT MICHAEL WALTZ LEFT HIS VENMO ACCOUNT OPEN & THERE ARE PAYMENTS TO JOURNALISTS REPORTED!
— “Mass. Reps. Lynch, Pressley join call for Trump admin to explain group chat with journalist,” by John L. Micek, MassLive: “With congressional scrutiny mounting, two Massachusetts lawmakers have joined the ranks of those on Capitol Hill who are calling on senior Trump administration officials to explain how a journalist was included in a sensitive text chain about military action in Yemen. U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, and Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, were among the signatories of a letter that Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee sent to those officials on Wednesday demanding an immediate briefing on the headline-making security breakdown.” ****THIS WILL BECOME A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE & IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES!**** — “Pass the SALT? Mass. lawmakers largely mum on tax deduction,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal.
PAY WALL What is a SALT Deduction, and Who Benefits from It? TAX POLICY CENTER
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “WMass legislative delegation urges Healey to speed up judge nominations,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Vacancies for more than a third of the seats on the western Massachusetts Superior Court, causing some court sessions to be canceled and recall judges to be used to cover the workload, is prompting area legislators to appeal to Gov. Maura Healey for expediting the nomination of new judges. A bipartisan letter sent Wednesday by Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and Rep. Todd Smola, R-Palmer, and signed by 16 senators and representatives from the four westernmost counties, asks Healey to prioritize the nomination process for western Massachusetts judicial applicants.” PAY WALL — “Hampshire Regional district’s $18.2M budget up slightly, will lead to elimination of 3 positions,” by Alexa Lewis, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The Hampshire Regional School District’s newly approved $18.2 million budget for next fiscal year presents a 4.5% increase in spending from the current year — but it carries with it the elimination of two full- and one part-time positions, which has raised concern from the district’s union.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| ****HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN THROUGH A COMMUNITY SERVICED BY EVERSOURCE AFTER A STORM? AFTER ONE STORM, EVERSOURCE HAD EMPLOYEES SITTING IN TRUCKS 24/7 FOR A TREE THAT WAS BLOCKING A ROAD ~ 5 MILES DOWN A ROAD WITH NO SIGN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD. LOGIC WOULD INDICATE THAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN COST EFFECTIVE TO CUT UP THE TREE RATHER THAN HAVE EMPLOYEES IN VEHICLES 24/7...CUSTOMERS NEED TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF ALL OPTIONS...OF COURSE, BEGINNING WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY, BUT ALSO NEED TO QUESTION PRO-ACTIVE MANAGEMENT! **** — “Eversource meet in New Bedford to provide billing options gets sidetracked,” by Frank Mulligan, The Standard-Times: “If Eversource representatives thought eliminating a Q&A session after their presentation Tuesday night on why bills have increased would make the meeting less acrimonious, they may have been mistaken. Following their 30-minute presentation to about 125 or so people at the Pulaski School, they offered to meet with all in attendance one-on-one to discuss their bills and what their options might be, including financial assistance, flexible payment plans, and energy efficiency programs.” ***DISASTER PREPARATION!**** — “City drafts new plan for dealing with disasters,” by Adam Goldstein, The New Bedford Light: “Building an inventory of replacement parts for the hurricane barrier. Improving stormwater drainage systems near Route 18 and Padanaram Avenue. Rehabilitating the Buttonwood Park Pond dam. Dredging the harbor to create more space for boats to dock. Those are just a few of the myriad disaster and climate resilience projects that the City of New Bedford wants federal grant funding for within the next five years, according to its newly drafted multi-hazard mitigation plan.” — “Mansfield school budget continues to draw strong opposition,” by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle: “For a second straight school committee meeting, over 100 parents, staff members and students on Tuesday night packed the meeting room at town hall to voice concern over the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. After the annual public hearing on the budget, school committee members voted 4-0 for a proposed $60.5 million balanced budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, which represents a $664,944, or 1.11%, increase over this year’s spending — far lower than other past years.” — “With numbers down, Wachusett schools consider courting students from other districts,” by Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette: “Years of declining enrollment, as well as students opting to go elsewhere, have left Wachusett Regional School District searching for more students. Wachusett is now seeking to allow for students who live outside the district to opt in to attending its schools. Under state law, districts can provide students who live outside the district to opt into attending schools in the district, provided the district has space for those extra students.” — “Teachers strike costs Beverly taxpayers nearly $800,000,” by Caroline Enos, The Salem News.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| TRANSITIONS — WCVB’s Kyle Grimes has been promoted to executive vice president at Hearst. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former House Speaker Bob DeLeo, Charlotte Peyser and Matt Siegel. 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 . | |
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