 | By Kelly Garrity | INTERNAL SURVEY SAYS — Eighteen months out from Election Day, Democrats are bullish about Gov. Maura Healey’s reelection chances in deep-blue Massachusetts, per a memo from the Democratic Governors Association. A poll paid for by Healey’s campaign, and detailed in the memo obtained by Massachusetts Playbook , shows the first-term Democrat with a 59 percent job approval rating, a record high for Healey since taking office. The memo also says the poll showed Healey with “more than a 20-point lead” over her one declared challenger, Republican hopeful Mike Kennealy. Healey’s campaign declined to share further details about the results of the poll, which surveyed 852 Massachusetts voters, according to the memo, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG LEFT OUT SOME SIGNIFICANT DETAILS! No surprise here: The Healey poll paints a rosier picture than an internal survey Kennealy’s campaign conducted in February, which showed the former Cabinet secretary in Charlie Baker’s administration just 1.6 percent behind Healey and within the poll’s margin of error, per the Boston Herald . excerpts: NOTICE THAT SCRIPTED INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED - Robichaud also said Kennealy does not need a poll to “know that Republican voters will never nominate the cheerleader in chief for the MBTA Communities Act,” a controversial transist-oriented zoning law Kennealy helped implement. Pollsters provided respondents brief biographies of Kennealy and Shortsleeve as well as “information likely to be utilized in negative advertising by Healey and her allies,” according to the memo. Kennealy earned 68% of support from voters when informed about his time working for the distressed Lawrence Public Schools and another 61% from voters who were told about his work helping “restart the Massachusetts economy in the wake of COVID-19,” according to the poll. In the poll memo, Wynne said Shortsleeve’s time at the top of the MBTA, a transit authority that has faced myriad high-profile issues, is “fatal” to his potential candidacy. Shortsleeve also held a fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid in Cotuit that helped the Republican raise more than $500,000. Shortsleeve was appointed to DeSantis’ national finance committee for his presidential campaign months after the Florida governor approved a six-week abortion ban in the state. The poll paid for by Kennealy asserts that 55% of likely Massachusetts voters are less likely to vote for Shortsleeve because of his work with DeSantis.
Holly Robichaud, a strategist working for Shortsleeve, said Kennealy’s campaign is “obviously experiencing a failure to launch. Robichaud also said Kennealy does not need a poll to “know that Republican voters will never nominate the cheerleader in chief for the MBTA Communities Act,” a controversial transist-oriented zoning law Kennealy helped implement. Kennealy’s campaign, Robichaud said, is “desperately attacking someone who is not even in the race.” “As a Marine, job creator and reformer who in record time stripped waste, fraud and abuse out of the MBTA and led it to its only balanced budget in decades, Brian Shortsleeve would be the ideal contrast to Maura Healey and her failed policies that have exploded the budget, made Massachusetts among the least affordable states in the nation, and delivered us a disastrous migrant crisis,” Robichaud said. “The bottom line is you can’t defeat a Healey with a Kennealy.”
Neutral ground: A UMass Amherst/WCVB poll from February ( before Kennealy officially got in the race) showed Healey outperforming every potential Republican candidate she was polled against. That included Kennealy (40 percent to 15 percent) and Brian Shortsleeve, a former chief administrator of the MBTA (44 percent to 12 percent), though she never cracked 50 percent in a head-to-head matchup. Circumstances have changed since then, when Healey’s administration was plagued by questions about the cost and safety of the state’s emergency shelter system after a man who was in the country illegally was arrested on gun and drug charges at a Revere shelter. The number of families in the state’s shelter system has dropped to 5,000 from more than 7,600 in July 2024, though costs remain high for now. And focus has shifted from problems with the shelter system to news of deportations. There’s also the Trump factor: The president has dominated plenty of news cycles here since he swept back into office in January. He’s still pretty unpopular in bluest of blue Massachusetts, per the Healey poll: 61 percent of voters view him unfavorably, and 63 percent believe his policies are hurting the state’s economy, according to the memo. Healey’s been capitalizing on that sentiment, reprising a role from her days in the AG’s office as one of the president’s loudest critics. GOOD TUESDAY 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 participates in a fireside chat with Stephanie Mehta at IBM’s Global AI THINK Conference at 9:30 a.m. in Boston and hosts a press conference with the leaders of Sheba Medical Center/Sheba ARC on their planned expansion to Massachusetts at 2 p.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Gupta Media at 12:15 p.m. in Back Bay.
|  | EYES ON 2026 |
| ***HOW INTERESTING THAT BLOVIATOR LOGAN TRUPIANO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS LOSER'S CAMPAIGN!*** — GOP’s Mike Kennealy received a string of donations above legal limit in April, data shows by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy received a string of contributions in April that surpassed the max amount an individual can donate under state law, a situation his campaign attributed to donors covering credit card fees and couples giving through a single payment. The excess donations flowed in during the first weeks of Kennealy’s campaign for governor and ranged from $1,041 to $2,000, according to state data. The 57-year-old from Lexington loaned his campaign $200,000 last month, which helped bring his total fundraising figure to $311,315, data shows.”
excerpt: Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy received a string of contributions in April that surpassed the max amount an individual can donate under state law, a situation his campaign attributed to donors covering credit card fees and couples giving through a single payment. The excess donations flowed in during the first weeks of Kennealy’s campaign for governor and ranged from $1,041 to $2,000, according to state data. The 57-year-old from Lexington loaned his campaign $200,000 last month, which helped bring his total fundraising figure to $311,315, data shows. Logan Trupiano, Kennealy’s campaign spokesperson, said some donors covered credit card fees associated with their $1,000 donations, which caused them to “slightly exceed” the max contribution allowed in a calendar year to a candidate for elected office. “The Kennealy committee has refunded most of these $41 overages already, and will refund the remainder this week. Additionally, several joint spousal donors made maximum contributions in a single transaction — we are in the process of refunding and reattributing $1,000 in these instances,” Trupiano said in a statement to the Herald Monday night. Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan slammed Kennealy for the over-the-limit donations. “MAGA Mike Kennealy is showing us once again he is not ready for prime time. OCPF rules are straightforward and clear. If he can’t manage that basic task, how would he run state government?” Kerrigan said in a statement to the Herald. Trupiano fired back at Kerrigan. “Gov. Maura Healey has mismanaged three billion taxpayer dollars on the migrant crisis so far. There isn’t much comparison,” he said, referring to cash the Healey administration has spent on state-run shelters housing local and migrant families. Jason Tait, a spokesperson for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, said the agency does not comment on specific candidates, but regulators review all reports submitted by political hopefuls that exceed the $1,000 limit. The agency typically sends an audit letter to candidates who have received excess contributions to seek more information, Tait said. If the campaign did receive an excess donation, the candidate is required to return the amount over the state limit, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. The nine individuals who donated $2,000 to Kennealy ranged from retirees to insurance executives and CEOs to farmers, according to state records. Another 40-plus people, spanning teachers, executives, investors, and hotel owners, contributed $1,041.02 to Kennealy, campaign finance data showed. More than 20 individuals donated the legal, top-dollar amount of $1,000, including an attorney from the firm WilmerHale, a senior lecturer at Harvard University, and a handful of finance executives, according to state data last updated Monday night. Kennealy touted the April donations he pulled in as a “powerful message” and said they were more than any non-incumbent Republican gubernatorial candidate earned in their first month campaigning over the past 15 years. “The people of Massachusetts are ready for new leadership. The Healey Administration has failed on affordability, public safety, housing, energy, and managing the migrant crisis,” he said in a statement last week. Former Gov. Charlie Baker and Geoff Diehl, a former state lawmaker, are the only two other Republicans who have made it to a general election in Massachusetts over the past 15 years. Baker ran in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 statewide elections, and Diehl competed in the 2022 election. In the 2010 and 2014 elections, Baker faced a lower maximum individual donation cap of $500. Former Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, signed legislation in August 2014 that doubled the individual contribution limit from $500 to $1,000 starting in 2015. Kennealy is the only Republican to so far launch a gubernatorial campaign ahead of the 2026 elections. Brian Shortsleeve, a former MBTA executive and venture capitalist, and Sen. Peter Durant of Spencer are weighing a run. Republican mega-donor Michael Minogue has had conversations with top brass at the Massachusetts Republican Party about a potential bid but has not responded to repeated Herald inquiries. Healey, a first-term Democrat from Arlington, said earlier this year that she plans to run for reelection.
|  | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Painters & Allied Trades District Council 35 is endorsing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection. The reason is “simple” the union’s business manager, Christian Brennan, said in a statement: Wu “has been good to our members, especially the BPS School Custodians of IUPAT Local 1952." MONEY RACE — Wu is still ahead of her chief challenger, Josh Kraft, in fundraising, though Kraft continues to raise (and spend) money at a steady rate. Kraft brought in $197,070 in April — but he’s burning through money quickly. He ended the month with $151,662 in his account. Wu has roughly $2.2 million in the bank, after posting a $376,946 haul last month. Among Kraft’s donors in April: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was at the White House Monday to announce alongside President Donald Trump that the 2027 NFL draft would take place in D.C. STAFFING UP — Augusta Durham has joined the Wu campaign as finance director. She had served as the New England deputy finance director for the Democratic National Committee during the 2024 presidential election and worked on former state Rep. Sara Gideon’s campaign for Senate in Maine through the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
|  | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| BUDGET WATCH — Senate Dems plan another big bump in financial aid by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service: “The Senate Ways and Means Committee wants to keep its foot on the gas of ballooning financial aid with a 25% increase to the MASSGrant Plus program, according to someone with knowledge of the committee's plans for next year's state budget." — Mass. collected $1.1 billion more in taxes than it expected to in April. But warning signs remain. by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “Healey administration officials said Monday the state collected $1.1 billion more in tax revenue than officials projected last month, setting the state up for a repeat — and likely significant — surplus in so-called millionaires tax revenue. But that heady financial news comes layered with caveats and caution.” — Lawmakers seek help for safety-net hospitals by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “State lawmakers are considering creating a bail-out fund to help community hospitals and clinics cover medical costs for large numbers of uninsured and low-income patients. A provision tucked into the House of Representatives' $62 billion state budget, approved last week, would transfer $230 million from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to plug revenue gaps in the state Health Safety Net program.” PAY WALL — Renters can now petition to seal their eviction records in Massachusetts by Robert Goulston, GBH News: “A new law went into effect on Monday that allows Massachusetts tenants to ask the state to seal their past eviction record, making it no longer publicly available electronically or in paper form. Whether someone can take advantage of the new law depends on the type and outcome of the past eviction case.” WASHINGTON WORKAROUND — In a letter sent Monday, governors from six states, including Massachusetts, invited the premiers of six Canadian provinces for a meeting in Boston in the coming weeks as they look to bolster their economic ties with America’s northern neighbor and counteract the Trump administration’s combative trade policies. “As governors of New England, we want to keep open lines of communication and cooperation and identify avenues to overcome the hardship of these uninvited tariffs and help our economies endure,” the letter, led by Gov. Maura Healey, reads. “As we continue to navigate this period of great uncertainty, we are committed to preserving cross border travel, encouraging tourism in our respective jurisdictions, and promoting each other’s advantages and amenities.” TARIFFS ARE TAXES ON CONSUMERS! Specifics of the meeting are still TBD. The letter was signed by all New England governors except GOP New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, also signed on. More here.
excerpt: President Donald Trump threatened 25 percent tariffs on a broad swath of imports from Canada, before pausing those in March, though the specter of implementation could be used as leverage in negotiations. Canada was spared from so-called reciprocal tariffs because of its inclusion in the revised North American trade deal, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Five of the six New England governors signed onto the letter, including Janet Mills of Maine, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Dan McKee of Rhode Island and Phil Scott of Vermont, as did Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York. Scott is the lone Republican in the group. Republican New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, the only New England governor not to sign on, was invited to join the letter and the meeting but declined, according to Healey’s office. The six Canadian provinces sent the letter are Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It’s not the first time individual states have reached out to other countries in an effort to avoid getting caught in a standoff between the Trump administration and key trade partners. California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a direct appeal last month to other countries to spare his state from retaliation over Trump’s trade policies. The letter comes as newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to the White House Tuesday to meet with Trump. The tariff whiplash and Trump’s repeated talk of annexing Canada has strained the relationship between the neighboring countries. Tourism from Canada to the U.S. is already lagging, and businesses are bracing for an even steeper drop. And the threat of a trade war is cause for concern among New England leaders, whose states rely heavily on Canadian trade. “President Trump’s tariffs are the largest tax hike in American history — and they’re devastating to the small businesses, family farms, and local manufacturers,” Hochul said in a statement. “New York and Canada have a $50 billion trade relationship, and Trump’s tariffs are hurting our businesses hard.” |  | FROM THE HUB |
| ***MORE UNCONSTITUTIONAL DEMANDS FROM THE MAN WHO HASN'T READ THE CONSTITUTION!***** — Boston sues Trump administration over cuts to housing, homeless funding by Roberto Scalese, WBUR: “Boston is taking the Trump administration to court. The city joined several other municipal and county governments in a lawsuit over the administration's effort to cut $3.6 billion in federal housing and homelessness prevention funding — unless local authorities agreed to a list of policy demands, according to a statement released Monday by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.” excerpt: Boston is taking the Trump administration to court. The city joined several other municipal and county governments in a lawsuit over the administration's effort to cut $3.6 billion in federal housing and homelessness prevention funding — unless local authorities agreed to a list of policy demands, according to a statement released Monday by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “The Trump Administration is threatening to hold up nearly $48 million for Boston to tackle homelessness unless our City complies with unconstitutional Executive Orders,” said Wu. “We are joining other cities and counties across the country to protect critical funding to prevent homelessness and house families in need. Boston will not back down on making our city a home for everyone.” The complaint, filed in federal court in the state of Washington on May 2, focuses on federal funding like Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care Program, which provides federal dollars to help communities combat homelessness. According to the suit, the Trump administration has threatened to cut off funding to the program unless municipalities agree to adhere to the president's executive orders, including directives to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs; to force local law enforcement to work with immigration and deportation agents; and to eliminate "gender ideology." That demand is unconstitutional, because it assumes powers vested to Congress, according to the plaintiffs in the suit. ***BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG REGURGITATES YET AGAIN....***** — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleads guilty to federal corruption charges by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald. ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY JOHN MULCAHY BEARS WATCHING DUE TO HIS BEHAVIOR: excerpts: The facts of the federal corruption case were read into the record by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mulcahy, who mentioned that Fernandes Anderson told her staff that the relevant staff member was receiving a larger bonus, more than twice as much as the other staff bonuses combined, due to the staffer’s fire volunteer work. Mulcahy was cut off by the judge when he began to state facts of the plea deal that were not included in the indictment, that, in 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson used funds from her campaign account for her own personal enrichment, and not for campaign-related expenses, and filed fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS in 2021, 2022 and 2023. “Let’s stick to the indictment, because that’s what she’s pleading guilty to,” Talwani, the federal court judge, said. THE NATIONAL TAKE — A $1 Billion Tax Bill Is Looming Over Boston Homeowners by Peter Grant, The Wall Street Journal.
PAY WALL |  | MAHTY MONITOR |
| WHAT DEMS NEED TO DO — Former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh wants to see his Democratic Party get back to talking to people — actually talking to them. “They’re holding hearings and beating up people in hearings,” the former Boston mayor said during an interview on “The People’s Cabinet” — a podcast hosted by Dan Koh , Walsh’s former chief of staff. “They should be out in the community talking to people, not town halls, they should be out like in coffee shops and other places talking to people.” His recommendation to current elected Dems: think about your first race, and what issues voters wanted you to solve then. Listen here.
|  | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| *****ICE ABUSE & IGNORING COURT ORDER! SHE COMMITTED NO CRIME!******
— Detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk sounds alarm on conditions in Louisiana detention facility by Samantha J. Gross and Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, The Boston Globe: “Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral candidate student, has endured crowded and contaminated dorms, 45-minute asthma attacks, and uncontrollable coughing while being held in federal immigration detention in rural Louisiana, she said in new court filings. Öztürk, who has chronic asthma, renewed her call for bail or transfer to Vermont, where a judge has ordered she be returned.” ****ICE ASSAULT & ABUSE IN NEW BEDFORD!**** — How an ICE arrest changed one New Bedford family by Paul C. Kelly Campos, The Public's Radio.
Marilú Domingo Ortiz says Monday, April 14 started like any other uneventful weekday. “My husband had a dentist appointment which we were driving to,” said Domingo Ortiz. Domingo Ortiz says she and her husband, Juan Francisco Méndez, were stopped while driving on Tallman Street in New Bedford. That’s where two unmarked cars pulled in front of them and blocked them from moving. Men got out and approached their car window. Domingo Ortiz says they were asking for a man named ‘Antonio’ and they didn’t have a judicial warrant. “We showed them our papers to let them know that they were mixed up; he wasn’t the person they were looking for,” Domingo Ortiz said. “They didn’t say anything to us and after a while they told us to get out of the car. So we called our lawyer telling her we’d been stopped by immigration. She said we shouldn’t get out until she got there.” Domingo Ortiz was recording the encounter with the ICE agents when one took out a large iron axe and geared up to strike the rear window. The axe crashed through the window in one blow and glass shattered onto the car floor and into the road. “I felt shocked at that moment, I didn’t know what to do,” Domingo Ortiz said. “They got us out. Well, they grabbed my arm and brought me down and they grabbed my husband from behind, thinking he was going to try to escape.” Since her husband was detained that day, Domingo Ortiz says she hasn’t been able to sleep a full night. She’s gotten a few calls from her husband, letting her know he’s all right and that he’s being detained at the Strafford County Department of Corrections in New Hampshire. She thinks his arrest could be a case of mistaken identity, but she isn’t sure. “I don’t know how to explain it, this anguish. I can’t rest well and neither can our son. He spends the night sobbing. He doesn’t eat and always asks about his father, ‘When will he come back to be with us?’ ” Domingo Ortiz said. “Or he’ll say that he’ll eat only when his father returns. That’s stressful for me to see what he’s experiencing.” ICE didn’t respond to questions from The Public’s Radio, but a spokesperson told the New Bedford Light Juan Francisco is “an illegally present Guatemalan alien” who “refused to comply with officers’ instructions and resisted apprehension.” Domingo Ortiz said her husband doesn’t have a criminal record. She, her husband and their nine-year-old son came to the U.S. in 2023 seeking asylum, fleeing persecution from gangs in Guatemala. After moving to New Bedford, her husband worked at a fish processing factory and Domingo Ortiz stayed at home. She and her son have both been granted asylum, but Juan Francisco’s case is still pending. Domingo Ortiz says she has been struggling to pay for his legal fees on top of rent and food. She’s been relying on support she’s getting from local immigrants’ assistance groups. “This has been extremely difficult. My husband is not the first person this has happened to. There have been others who’ve been detained unjustly without trials. Sometimes I feel that I just can’t do it,” Domingo Ortiz said. “But they, these organizations, tell me that I need to, that I need to keep fighting, that I need to raise up my voice and continue forward and that’s what I’m trying to do.” Juan Franisco’s arrest comes amid heightened ICE activity in the South Coast of Massachusetts. In March, federal agents raided the Minit Man carwash in New Bedford and detained three men. Then later that same month, ICE and DEA agents used a battering ram to break into a house in New Bedford’s South End and arrest two men. The news has spread through the immigrant community, putting people on high alert. Adrian Ventura is executive director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabjadores (CCT) in New Bedford. Ventura says that detentions are nothing new, citing previous arrests from past administrations. But he says the Trump administration has been much more bold. “We’re not saying there haven’t been raids here in New Bedford before. The daily bread of the Biden administration and previous ones was detention and raids,” Ventura said. “The difference is that this administration is doing much more aggressively.” Ventura said that CCT — and other organizations like Mujeres Victoriosas, CEDC and different Catholic charitable services — have been working to help people after family members get taken away with things like getting connected to social services and mental health resources, or launching GoFundMe campaigns to help pay for rent and other bills. That includes Domingo Ortiz. “Right now we are waiting to hear back from someone that will fix her car, and we’re also helping raise funds for her,” Ventura said. “Because, imagine, he was the main breadwinner paying for rent. He didn’t come here asking for government handouts, they worked!” According to Domingo Ortiz, Juan Francisco is awaiting a May hearing on whether he can be removed from the country. If he gets deported, she says she’ll start to look for work. But in the meantime, she sees herself spending most days in places like the Centro Comunitario de Trabjadores, figuring out what she can do to be reunited with her husband.
This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by The Public's Radio.
|  | FROM HARVARD YARD |
| ****WOW! LINDA MCMAHON DEFINES HER IGNORANCE & ILLEGAL ACTIONS!**** — Trump administration bars Harvard from new federal research funding by Bianca Quilantan, POLITICO: “The Trump administration announced Harvard University is ineligible to receive new research grants from the federal government, the latest escalation in the battle between the White House and the prestigious university. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a letter sent Monday to Harvard President Alan Garber, slammed the institution for ‘engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law’ and advised him that the university won’t be eligible for the funds.”
|  | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| WATCH — Ed Markey talks 'Small Business Liberation Act,' a bill to exempt small businesses from tariffs via Forbes.
****CRYPTO SCAMS!***** — Democrats call for investigation into Trump family crypto deal over potential foreign influence by Julia Shapero, The Hill: “Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on a federal watchdog Monday to launch an inquiry into a recent deal announced by the Trump family’s crypto firm, raising concerns it could create an opening for foreign influence.”
Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on a federal watchdog Monday to launch an inquiry into a recent deal announced by the Trump family’s crypto firm, raising concerns it could create an opening for foreign influence. The company launched by President Trump and his sons, World Liberty Financial, revealed last week that its new stablecoin would be used to complete a $2 billion transaction between Emirati firm MGX and crypto exchange Binance. “The deal, if completed, would represent a staggering conflict of interest, one that may violate the Constitution and open our government to a startling degree of foreign influence and the potential for a quid pro quo that could endanger national security,” Merkley and Warren wrote to Jamieson Greer, acting director of the Office of Government Ethics. The senators argued that World Liberty Financial could be used as “a backdoor for foreign kickbacks and bribes” given its connections to both the Trump family and the Witkoff family. Steve Witkoff currently serves as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. His son, Zach Witkoff, is a co-founder of World Liberty Financial. The Trump and Witkoff families will “likely indirectly” receive hundreds of millions of dollars through the transaction, Merkley and Warren warned. “The Trumps and Witkoffs, in essence, are receiving a cut of the deal between an entity of a foreign government, MGX, and a private entity, Binance, with significant business before the U.S. government,” they said. “This creates the potential for significant conflicts of interest.” The senators also underscored their concerns with both parties involved with the deal, noting that Binance previously settled criminal charges with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and has reportedly sought a pardon for its convicted founder. MGX has close ties to the government of the United Arab Emirates through its chairman, who serves as national security advisor and reportedly lobbied the Trump administration for lighter restrictions on advanced chip sales from U.S. companies. “In short, a crypto firm whose founder needs a pardon and a foreign government spymaker coveting sensitive U.S. technology plan to pay the Trump and Witkoff families hundreds of millions of dollars,” Merkley and Warren wrote. “The opportunities for grift – in which the Trump Administration offers favors to the UAE or to Binance in exchange for their massive payouts – are mind-boggling,” they added.
|  | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| — 9 in 10 Mass. nonprofit leaders believe Mass. will be ‘worse off’ under Trump, poll finds by Trajan Warren, GBH News.
President Donald Trump’s federal policies and cutbacks are widely worrying nonprofits in Massachusetts, a new survey shows — especially when it comes to funding. As funding dries up, many nonprofit leaders and staff told MassINC Polling Group they worry demand for their services will go up, too. Over 90% of the respondents believe Massachusetts will be worse off under Trump, including 77% who said they feel it will be “much worse off.” Only 2% of respondents said the state will be better off with Trump in office. MassINC Polling Group surveyed more than 500 Massachusetts nonprofit leaders for the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and the Boston Foundation. With the loss — or potential loss — of federal funding, nonprofit leaders hammered the importance of donations. Fundraising was the top need for the 500 survey respondents, as 86% cited it as a priority. Mary Skelton Roberts, CEO of Philanthropy Massachusetts, spoke on a panel about the survey’s findings Monday and said that philanthropy alone can’t fill the void left by billions of dollars in federal funding cuts. “But the good news is, particularly here in Massachusetts, is philanthropy has stepped up,” she said. Several survey respondents worried, too, about potential downstream impacts on philanthropy amid federal funding cuts. “If philanthropic dollars shift to fill the gaps of government funding, that would make the philanthropic landscape that we rely on more competitive,” one respondent wrote. Another respondent feared that money from philanthropists would dry up as they try to minimize risk and respond to federal executive orders, some of which target particular sectors or initiatives. Roberts said that Massachusetts should look for opportunities to flex its political muscle and consider how nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and other stakeholders can take risks and push back. “Because otherwise we’re going to be responsive in a way that’s not going to be helpful to us,” Roberts said. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents said they received federal funding. “We do not have reserves,” one respondent said. “Our organization may no longer be viable as a result of current and future actions by the Trump administration.” Despite the new policies and funding cuts, about two-thirds of respondents expected the demand for their nonprofit’s services to increase. About the same share, though, said that the Trump administration will make it much harder to do their work. “Our current clients are already afraid to meet their volunteer tutors in public,” one respondent is quoted as saying in the survey’s results. “They are canceling sessions more frequently due to fear. We fear our numbers of new clients will decline.” The sectors that expect the most demand are nonprofits that work with current/former incarcerated people, seniors and transit riders. Nearly three-quarters of nonprofits that support immigrants expect a surge in demand for their services, too. Several refugee resettlement agencies throughout New England have made staffing cuts after the Trump administration suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program at the start of the year, GBH News reported in March. Jim Klocke, Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s CEO, said that there’s a long road ahead for nonprofits. However, there are strengths that nonprofits can leverage, he said. One is the size of the nonprofit community in Massachusetts with 500,000 employees throughout the state. Along with this, one million residents made a charitable donation to a nonprofit organization last year, Klocke said. This doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands more who serve as volunteers, board members or advisors. “So what does that mean?” Klocke asked. “It means our sector in Massachusetts is over two million people strong. That matters. … It means that we have allies everywhere in this room and across the state. So remember that when the days get tough and the nights are long.”
Trajan Warren is a reporter with the GBH News Equity & Justice unit. Feedback? Questions? Story ideas? Reach out to Trajan at trajan.warren@gbh.org.
— AGs sue Trump to salvage offshore wind projects by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune.
PAY WALL |  | FROM THE 413 |
| — DCAMM and Springfield Discuss Their Long-term Relationship with the Courthouse by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: “Residents of the city and state officials agree something must replace the aging and possibly dangerous Hampden County Courthouse. Yet, they aligned on little else during a nearly two-hour meeting at City Hall. Ward 7 Councilor Timothy Allen, who chairs the City Council’s Finance Committee, convened the Wednesday meeting to provide residents with another opportunity to hear from state officials and provide feedback.” — EPA officially terminates $20 million grant to Springfield by Greta Jochem, The Springfield Republican. SPRINGFIELD — The Environmental Protection Agency officially terminated nearly $20 million in grant funding to Springfield that was set to go toward disadvantaged neighborhoods and covered about half of the city. The grant focused on a slew of green programs, including home energy retrofits, air pollution monitoring and de-leading of homes. The $19.9 million in funding, part of the EPA’s Community Change Grants Program, was announced in August. The funding has been in limbo since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year. Court documents filed last month as part of a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island said that the EPA planned to terminate nearly 800 grants, and Springfield’s funding was on that list, said Tina Quagliato Sullivan, the city’s deputy development officer for housing, community development and neighborhoods. “As with any change in administration, the agency is reviewing each grant program to ensure it is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with administration priorities,” an EPA spokesperson said. Last week, the EPA sent a termination letter to the city, saying that the funding had been canceled. “The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,” it said. Even though it was expected, the news of the loss still stung at City Hall. “We’re disappointed and devastated about the impact this will have, but we’re not surprised,” Sullivan said. After Trump’s inauguration, he signed an executive order “Unleashing American Energy," that instructed federal agencies to withhold funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, the source of the city’s EPA grant. But then in late February, Springfield officials said it looked like they were able to draw down funds on the grant, so they were cautiously moving forward on its use. So far, only about $10,000 had been spent, Sullivan said. Programs that will miss outThe grant funds would have gone toward a variety of projects that would have reduced emissions and improved air quality. Money was planned to help low- and moderate-income homes abate lead and increase energy efficiency with new roofs, insulation and windows. The city’s childhood lead poisoning rate is double the state average, according to data from the Massachusetts Environmental Public Health. The home remediations would have improved indoor air quality, which is a contributor to the city’s high asthma rate, which at times has led the nation in numbers of afflicted. Another program would have replaced gas appliances in homes. Funds also would have installed better air conditioning at the Mason Square Library, plant more than 1,500 trees, update the city’s climate plan, make the West Street corridor safer and create a green workforce training program at Springfield Technical Community College. It also would have installed more air quality monitoring sensors with the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. The grant was part of the Environment and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. “Clearly there is an agenda here,” said Gerry McCafferty, the city’s housing director. “At the same time this administration is talking a lot about efficiency and eliminating fraud ... this means that a lot of valuable community development work that went into the planning for this grant is lost.” Planning the grant took into account resident feedback, Sullivan said. “Obviously the termination of this grant has very negative and harmful impacts directly to residents, and also ignores the direct resident community that has indicated their desire for these types of interventions and solutions.” The letter from the EPA does say that the termination decision can be formally appealed.
“The city does intend to file an administrative dispute to the termination of the grant,” Sullivan said, “and also exploring all of our legal options.” — Greenfield Planning Board votes against proposed ADU amendments by Anthony Cammelleri, Greenfield Recorder.
|  | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — Worcester Human Rights Commissioners say city manager refused to reappoint them by Sam Turken, GBH News: “For over a year, the Worcester Human Rights Commission has complained that City Manager Eric Batista is hindering its oversight of Worcester’s police department, among other duties. Now, the commission’s two leaders say Batista has declined to reappoint them to new three-year terms.” — Worcester City Council to consider borrowing for capital improvements, including firehouse renovation by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette. — Fall River School Committee reverses course asking for help with $16M transportation bil l Emily Scherny, The Herald News.
|  | MEANWHILE IN MAINE |
| ****MAINE: PAUL LEPAGE REDUX? REMEMBER HOW IRRATIONAL LEPAGE WAS?***** — ‘Donald Trump before Donald Trump’ tries for a comeback in Maine by Gregory Svirnovskiy, POLITICO: “The former Maine governor who has called himself ‘Donald Trump before Donald Trump’ has launched a campaign to take over the seat held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. Paul LePage, who served as governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019, on Monday announced a run for the state’s swingy second district, which Golden won last November by less than a point in a ranked-choice vote.” |  | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Paul Clark, Daniel Jick, David Rogers, Lori Lefkowitz, Meg McIntyre, Amanda Drane and Cara Philbin. 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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