 | By Kelly Garrity | NEW THIS MORNING: YOU READ THAT RIGHT — Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden is endorsing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this morning, marking a stunning turn for the duo after Wu backed his opponent in a bitter, no-holds-barred primary for DA in 2022. "Mayor Wu has been a true partner in delivering real public safety for Boston — not just through words, but through action,” Hayden said in a statement shared with Playbook. “Together, we've built smart, compassionate strategies that have made Boston the safest major city in America. I am proud to endorse her for re-election and look forward to all we will continue to accomplish together." Not so long ago, Hayden’s explicit support for the mayor’s reelection would’ve been almost unfathomable. Wu notably backed Hayden’s opponent, then-City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, for DA — setting off the first clash in what would be one of Boston’s nastiest primaries in recent memory. Hayden would go on to win the race after Arroyo’s campaign was plagued by resurfaced sexual assault allegations, which he denied . But Hayden’s endorsement may not be as surprising as it seems on its face. Wu regularly touts the city’s safety statistics, in part a product of her working relationship with Hayden. Earlier this year, the pair stood together as they unveiled the city’s latest plan to address the effects of the open-air drug market in the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard that has recently migrated into other parts of the city. The plan, Hayden said at the time, marked a “targeted and balanced approach towards accountability and enforcement, and treatment and diversion at the same time.” THE NEWTON NEBBISH IS AN EMPTY SUIT SUPPORTED BY THE WEALTHY! The endorsement from the county's top prosecutor also shows Wu attempting to neutralize a core argument her most prominent opponent, Josh Kraft, is making against her — that the city is unsafe under her tenure, especially surrounding Mass and Cass. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Wu may have more work to do to completely win over Rep. Stephen Lynch, who sidestepped throwing his full support behind her Sunday. Lynch gave Wu a “B” when evaluating her record since she took office, though he said she earned “an A for effort.” “I just wish my office and her administration could work better together,” Lynch said during an interview on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large.” But that doesn’t mean he’s against her. “Let’s put it this way: I think she’ll do much better job than her opponent, going forward,” Lynch said. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu accepts the endorsement at 10 a.m. in Hyde Park and speaks at the Second Chance Month celebration hosted by the Office of Returning Citizens at 5:45 p.m. in Fenway. Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Boston Arts Academy’s “Cocktails and Conversations” event at 5:30 p.m. in Boston. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .
|  | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| ****ZELDIN HAS ROLLED BACK REGULATIONS, UNDERMINED CLEAN AIR, PROMOTED DIRTY COAL, OPPOSED MERCURY REGULATIONS, OPPOSED CAFE STANDARDS. IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION EFFECT POOR COMMUNITIES SEVERELY - IT'S NOT DEI THAT MAGA PRETENDS! + 50 YEARS AGO, THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY WAS AWARE OF THE CATASTROPHIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATES & FOUGHT REGULATIONS! DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN COURT FILINGS! ZELDIN IS JUST PROPAGANDIZING DIRTY ENERGY RHETORIC!
DID THE BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG INCLUDE DETAILS OF ZELDIN'S ACTIONS? NO! excerpt: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, acting on authorization from President Donald Trump on Wednesday, rolled out bombshell plans Wednesday for what would become the largest revamp of federal climate and energy regulations in U.S. history. Armed with Trump’s Day 1 executive order to conduct a review of “the legality and continuing applicability" of the Obama EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding related to greenhouse gases, Zeldin announced what he called “31 historic actions” which would, if successful, completely revamp the agency’s approach to imposing its will under the Clean Air Act. “Our actions include the Biden administration’s deeply flawed Clean Power Plan 2.0, Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, Quad-O BC, Particulate Matter 2.5, light, medium, and heavy car and truck rules, neeshaps, and the so-called social cost of carbon,” Zeldin said in a video released as part of the agency’s rollout. “Among many other actions, today’s momentous day also includes the 2009 endangerment finding, along with all actions that rely on it,” he added. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2025/03/13/zeldins-bombshell-puts-epa-endangerment-finding-in-the-crosshairs/ — Gov. Maura Healey says Trump is withholding nearly $900K in asthma-related grants by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration terminated just under $1 million in grant dollars promised to the state to address asthma in Western Massachusetts, a move the governor argued undermines efforts to improve residents’ health. The federal Environmental Protection Agency withheld almost $900,000 from the state Department of Public Health to support “in-home environmental remediations” like mold removal and improved ventilation in Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield, according to the Healey administration.”
excerpt: A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency blasted former President Joe Biden and Gov. Maura Healey, arguing the former president “shouldn’t have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and preferencing on the EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.” “Partisan actors can spin this grant cancellation in any which way they choose, this is an ‘environmental and climate justice’ grant, not about asthma. The first pillar of Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative is providing clean air, land, and water for all Americans,” the spokesperson said in a statement. | | WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET |
| 100 DAY CHECK — One hundred days into his second term, it’s clear “Trump 2.0 is different,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell told reporters Friday. Democratic attorneys general across the country spent the months leading up to Trump’s inauguration bracing for legal action they anticipated they might take when the former president returned to the office. “What we could not have expected was that the volume of the attacks from the federal administration on the rule of law, on immigrants, vulnerable communities, state economies would be much greater and quicker than the first term,” Campbell said during a press briefing unpacking the president's first few months in office and the lawsuits she and other attorneys general are currently engaged in. Campbell’s office has now sued the Trump administration more than a dozen times, while, she says, maintaining their work on local issues. The load means the office needs more staff — and a bigger budget. House lawmakers delivered Campbell’s office a boost in the budget they’re set to start debate on today, allocating $82.5 million for her office, (about a 7 percent increase from last year and $6.8 million more than Gov. Maura Healey pitched in her January budget). All the lawsuits are also raising Campbell’s national profile as Democrats continue to call for stronger resistance to actions out of the White House. MORE — AG Campbell sued Trump more than a dozen times in his first 100 days, saying ‘courts are our strongest tool’ by Anjali Huynh, The Boston Globe. RELATED — Read the full transcript of Donald Trump’s ‘100 Days’ interview with TIME via TIME Magazine staff. — Mass. AG Campbell sues Trump administration after threat to hold education funds over DEI by Ryan Mancini, MassLive.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| ****AIR QUALITY!***** — It’s not your imagination, air quality in Boston is getting worse by Madeleine Aitken, Boston.com: “The Boston–Worcester–Providence metro area was ranked the 61st worst for high ozone days out of 228 metropolitan areas [analyzed in a American Lung Association report], 114th worst for 24-hour particle pollution out of 225 metropolitan areas, and 110th worst for annual particle pollution out of 208 metropolitan areas. Although all those levels are better than they were in the late 1990s, thanks in large part to the Clean Air Act, they have been on the rise since hitting lows a few years ago.” WATCH — Boston Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu talks federal funding, office vacancies and the city’s housing crunch on WCVB’s “On the Record.” — Thousands march through Boston for 60th anniversary of MLK Jr.'s Freedom Rally by Trajan Warren, GBH News.
excerpt: Cambridge native and current Dracut resident Doreen Wade was at the 1965 Freedom Rally, an experience she recalled as inspiring and life-changing. She said she came out to Saturday’s rally because she feels like “we’re going backwards in time.” “We’re losing rights that we shouldn’t be, we’re losing businesses … and we need to be out here speaking for ourselves and striving hard to make sure we have what we’ve worked hard for,” she said. Irene Desharnais was also among those 20,000 attendees of the 1965 Freedom Rally. She remembers holding hands with the other marchers. “I never believed [on] that day that I’d be still saying in 2025, ‘Ain’t done yet,’” Desharnais said. “But I have hope. What gives me hope is the leaders we have in Boston.” The day began with a march down Boylston Street as chants of “we shall overcome” and “let it shine” reverberated from the crowd. At the Charles Street entrance to the Boston Common, the group stopped and heard from several city leaders, including Mayor Michelle Wu. | | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — IAC executive director leaves; president stays amid concerns by Arthur Hirsch, The New Bedford Light: “The executive director of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center has stepped down, resolving one management conflict at a time of crisis for the city’s longest-standing immigration advocacy organization. The change in leadership comes as the Trump administration continues aggressive enforcement on immigrants in New Bedford. Anne Ohlrich, hired by the organization in early 2023 and promoted to executive director in October, is no longer named on the IAC’s web site, and no executive director is shown. John Markey, a lawyer for the IAC, confirmed in an email that Ohlrich is no longer with the IAC, but offered no other comment.” — Mass. schools scramble for details after ICE begins restoring international students to database by Roberto Scalese, Carrie Jung and Suevon Lee, WBUR: “College administrators across Massachusetts scrambled to learn more after attorneys for the Trump administration said Friday the government will reverse course and restore legal status for thousands of international students studying in the U.S. Following the announcements, student names started to reappear on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems, or SEVIS, a database controlled by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that allows students and schools to track immigration standings.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| WATCH — Rep. Jake Auchincloss talks President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, the future of the Democratic Party and speculation about a Senate bid (Auchincloss says he’s running for reelection to his House seat, but he doesn’t "close doors.”). Via WPRI .
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — Pittsfield School Committee faces budget, superintendent search questions Wednesday by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “One of the busiest and most important School Committee meetings of the year is set for Wednesday, with three items directly tied to its immediate future up for discussion and votes. Committee members will debate and vote on the district's proposed $86.9 million budget, discuss interview questions for interim superintendent candidates and, if the United Educators of Pittsfield approve a tentative contract proposal, vote to ratify the deal.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — Employee downloaded data to private email, Barnstable Sheriff's Office says by Zane Razzaq, Cape Cod Times: “The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office has placed an employee on administrative leave after a data breach was detected, according to Sheriff Donna Buckley. The matter is under investigation.” The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office has placed an employee on administrative leave after a data breach was detected, according to Sheriff Donna Buckley. The matter is under investigation. Buckley's office said she learned about the data breach on April 22. The breach appears to be an intentional act by the employee now on leave, according to the office, and not due to a failure of "digital or cybersecurity safeguards." The employee sent an email to their personal email account, according to a statement from Buckley's office on Thursday, April 24. The email contained a spreadsheet with the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and social security numbers of one current and over 100 former Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office employees. The office is notifying affected employees as well as the state Attorney General's Office. "Because this matter remains under investigation, we cannot comment further at this time," reads the statement. The Sheriff's Office is at Joint Base Cape Cod in Bourne and includes the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, and a regional 911 communications center for fire and police departments. In Barnstable Village, the sheriff operates the Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Civil Process Division for Barnstable County. — Amendment would cut time homeless have to remove belongings from camps by Michael McHugh, The Salem News: “Changes to the city’s no-camping ordinance received first passage with a 10-1 vote from the Salem City Council on Thursday night, despite opposition from some residents. The amendment more clearly defines an individual’s ‘personal belongings’ and would broaden local police’s ability to sweep campsites in or on public property.” PAY WALL — Mayor hosting budget, rec. center public forums by Jim Sullivan, The Newburyport Daily News: “With a special election coming up on May 13 and his annual operating budget in the works, Mayor Sean Reardon has a lot of pots on the proverbial stove. To give taxpayers a chance to see what’s cooking on both burners, he has scheduled a pair of public meetings on April 30 and May 6.” PAY WALL — Amid Trump’s immigration crackdown, local employers wonder: Who will fill all the jobs? by Katie Johnston and Janelle Nanos, The Boston Globe.
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| 2028 WATCH — Nope, it’s not too early to start thinking about the next presidential election cycle, at least not for New Hampshire Democrats and the potential nominees to-be. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker fueled the 2028 speculation while in the Granite State over the weekend to deliver the keynote address at the annual McIntyre-Shaheen Dinner Sunday night. In the 30-minute speech, Pritzker railed against the “do nothing Democrats” he blames for ceding power to Republicans. And he lambasted pundits and scorned those “flocking to podcasts” (Hi there, California Gov. Gavin Newsom .) to criticize their colleagues for not caring about the working class — the same people, he argued, “who when it comes to relief of the struggles of real people have been timid, not bold.” The crowd ate it up, standing and applauding along as Pritzker urged them to fight “everywhere and all at once.” But the second-term Democratic governor and longtime philanthropist is brushing off the speculation about a presidential bid . For now.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| SPOTTED — Gov. Maura Healey enjoying the White House Correspondents’ Weekend Garden Brunch with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar . HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Jason Schwartz and Patrick Lally. 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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