| | |  | By Stephanie Murray | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. PATRICK LAUNCHES NEW PAC — A few months after ending his presidential campaign in February, former Gov. Deval Patrick is launching a new political action committee today aimed at supporting progressive Democratic candidates and grassroots organizations. The TogetherFund PAC will focus on "practical, pragmatic change rooted in social justice," Patrick says. "I'm launching this as a way to have a platform to advocate for progressive values on behalf of candidates including Vice President Biden and candidates for the Senate and the House, especially in swing districts," Patrick told me over the phone. The former governor is social distancing at his home in the Berkshires. "This is about more than this cycle," Patrick continued. "I think it's going to be the next several cycles that are especially consequential." The PAC received an initial contribution from Reason to Believe, the super PAC that supported Patrick’s short-lived bid for president earlier this year, to assemble a Boston-based staff. Patrick is working on a consultant basis with strategist Doug Rubin, who served as chief of staff in the Patrick administration, and is inking a deal with another consultant in President Barack Obama's orbit. Patrick hasn't spoken with Obama about his new PAC, but said the former president encouraged him to stay involved in politics. "He's encouraged me to stay engaged and stay active, and at a time like this, everybody has to do what they can to come off the sidelines, and this is what I think I can do," Patrick said. When it comes to Biden, Patrick said he has been urging the former VP to present a forward-thinking vision in the race against President Donald Trump. "I've known the vice president for a long time. I have a tremendous respect for him. And I've said this to him. I think in many ways, his long list of qualifications notwithstanding, his empathy is right on time. And the more the campaign lets that come through, the stronger it will be," Patrick said. "I and others have been pushing his policy team to lean forward. What we don't need right now, as comforting as it might seem to some of us, is to leave the impression that we need to go back to what we used to do at a time before this president. There was a lot of unfinished work before President Trump and it's just gotten worse," Patrick added. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: VIDOT RAISES NEARLY $7,000 — Chelsea City Councilor Damali Vidot has raised nearly $7,000 in the week since she announced her Democratic primary campaign against state Rep. Dan Ryan. When Vidot launched her campaign last Thursday, she raised $2,000 during a digital launch event attended by around 1,000 people. Vidot previously served as council president, and she appeared on MSNBC last month to discuss the impact the coronavirus has had on Chelsea. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Massachusetts First Lady Lauren Baker and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta speak at a webinar on coronavirus resources for businesses hosted by WeWork. Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins a Massachusetts Restaurant United online meeting with Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio and others. Sen. Ed Markey and Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo host a coronavirus livestream. Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who is running for congress, joins a Mass Peace Action town hall. Rep. Joe Kennedy III questions Dr. Rick Bright during a congressional hearing, then testifies on behalf of vote-by-mail at a virtual legislative hearing. Kennedy holds a tele-townhall with Dr. Supriya Rao. Rep. Katherine Clark and New York Rep. Grace Meng speak at an online town hall with the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a coronavirus tele-town hall. | |
| | JOIN TODAY - WHY IS THE INCARCERATION RATE OF WOMEN RISING? Women are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population in the United States, increasing at a rate nearly double that of men over the past 35 years. Join Women Rule Editorial Director Anna Palmer today at 3 p.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with April Grayson, campaign surrogate and statewide coordinator for the Young Women's Freedom Center; Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC); and Emily Ratajkowski, model, actress and activist. Learn about the challenges women face behind bars and how they fit into the criminal-justice reform movement. Have questions? Submit yours by tweeting it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts health officials announce 174 new coronavirus deaths, 1,165 new cases,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Health officials on Wednesday announced that another 174 Massachusetts residents have died of coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,315. Officials also confirmed another 1,165 new cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 80,497. There were 8,536 new tests conducted on Wednesday, for a total of 410,032 carried out since the outbreak began.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “‘Not a virus to be trifled with,’ Baker says, as governor holds firm on slow return; coronavirus deaths top 5,300,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Days before Massachusetts is slated to begin to reopen its economy, Governor Charlie Baker insisted Wednesday that a deliberate, phased approach, underpinned by the continued expansion of COVID-19 testing, is the best path toward a new normal, as the state’s coronavirus death toll topped 5,300.” – “Restaurateurs lobby Baker to open at full capacity in June,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Boston Business Journal: “A group of roughly 100 Massachusetts restaurant owners and related hospitality businesses is pushing Gov. Charlie Baker to allow the industry to open at full capacity in June. Noting that the hospitality industry has seen half of its 300,000-person workforce laid off as the economy shut down to slow the spread of coronavirus, the group said 60,000 of those jobs may never return.” – “Educators Tell Mass. Lawmakers Of Remote Learning Frustrations And Budget Worries,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR: “Concerns about budgetary and technological gaps dominated the conversation between Massachusetts educators and lawmakers on Wednesday. Speaking during the Education Committee's first remote oversight hearing since schools closed down due to the pandemic, Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said about 9% of state students don't have reliable internet access, and 15% don't have exclusive access to a device.” – “Boston Chamber of Commerce: Crucial details are missing in Baker’s phased reopening plan,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “The Baker administration earlier this week tried to give the business community some guidance about what a reopened economy would look like. For at least one prominent business group, however, there are still too many unanswered questions. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce issued a policy brief on Wednesday afternoon identifying several key details its members want to see fleshed out in Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan, which is expected to be released on Monday.” – “Lawmakers seek money to bury COVID-19 dead,” by Christian M. Wade, CNHI News: “As the death toll from the coronavirus in Massachusetts rises above 5,300, some families are struggling to pay for burials, say lawmakers who have proposed a $5 million fund to help cover the expenses. A bipartisan proposal, backed by nearly a dozen lawmakers, would provide individual grants of up to $1,500 for qualifying families to offset the cost of a burial related to COVID-19.” – “What It’s Like to Be a Massachusetts Contact Tracer,” by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: “Former Boston nurse Celia Gillis really wanted to get off the sidelines. So in April, the Martha’s Vineyard resident joined the ranks of Massachusetts’ ambitious contact tracing program, an initiative that has served as a model for the rest of the country as states try to track the spread of the virus and notify anyone who may have been exposed. It’s not an easy job, nor is it straightforward.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Mayor Walsh Says Boston Had First Day Without A COVID Death Since Early March,” by Esteban Bustillos, WGBH News: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said Wednesday that Boston reported its first day without new deaths from COVID-19 since early March when no new deaths were reported on Monday. ‘Definitely we're seeing a gradual decrease and we're seeing some positive news out of our hospitals. A decrease in emergency rooms for COVID as well,’ he said.” – “Coronavirus SNAP benefits automatically en route to all Boston Public Schools families,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “All families with children in the city’s public and charter schools are on track to receive $28.50 a week in SNAP benefits per child amid the coronavirus pandemic. The program is through the federal Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer initiative, which was authorized by the large COVID-19 relief package passed last month, and is also available to all families in the rest of the state with children who qualify for free or reduced lunches in school.” – “Coronavirus in Massachusetts: Chelsea, Brockton rates still lead town-by-town breakdown,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Chelsea, Brockton and other smaller Massachusetts cities continue to have the highest rates of coronavirus cases as Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home order expires next week. Chelsea, which has continued to make local and national headlines with its sky-high rate, now has 2,412 cases, or 6,404 per 100,000 residents. Brockton, which has a similarly dense, low-income urban center, now has 3,429 cases, for a rate of 3,490 per 100,000.” – “Harvard Medical School says incoming students will learn online; UMass Medical School will hold classes on campus,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “Students entering Harvard Medical School this fall will learn remotely to help avoid spreading the novel coronavirus, while returning students will likely have access to at least some on-site research and clinical facilities, administrators announced Wednesday.” – “Under Financial Stress, Pine Manor College To Join Boston College,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “Pine Manor College will enter into an ‘educational partnership’ with Boston College, after the pandemic-related closures stretched its finances to a breaking point. A memorandum of understanding between the two schools paves the way for Boston College to take on all of Pine Manor's assets — including their leafy, 45-acre campus in Chestnut Hill — as well as their liabilities.” – “Boston is planning to repurpose streets for pedestrians during the coronavirus outbreak,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “With vehicle traffic dramatically reduced in Boston, officials are looking to make better use of the city’s streets during the coronavirus outbreak. During a Boston City Council hearing Tuesday night, Boston’s top transportation planner said the city is preparing to expand sidewalks into driving lanes in certain places ‘later this month’ in order to make more space for pedestrians and cyclists.” | | THE OPINION PAGES |
| – “Congress must act on child care crisis,” by Rep. Katherine Clark, CommonWealth Magazine: “Child care is an essential component of our national economic infrastructure, as fundamental as our roads and bridges. Just ask any parent performing essential services during the pandemic, or any mom or dad juggling kids and working from home. Ask any parent in America and they will tell you that quality, affordable child care has always been hard to find, but the coronavirus has pulled back the curtain on the fragility of our child care system that has for too long been undervalued and underfunded.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Elizabeth Warren most likable among women contenders for Joe Biden’s VP pick, Democrats say in new poll,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “According to a recent poll, the Massachusetts progressive has an edge over some of the top contenders after waging a year-plus presidential campaign known for its host of policy plans, selfie lines and a Nevada debate performance that many credit with pulverizing Michael Bloomberg’s near-billion-dollar campaign.” | | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| – “US Rep. Richard Neal: Vote-by-mail no substitute for in-person elections; seeks ‘magnifying’ glass on plans for proxy voting in House,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The coronavirus pandemic will change the way the public votes with more vote-by-mail and the way lawmakers — especially in the U.S. House of Representatives — vote. But U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, urged caution on both fronts Wednesday during a wide-ranging news conference in support of a $3 trillion coronavirus response bill that he and his follow House Democrats introduced Tuesday.” – “Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren introduce bill to offer refunds for canceled airline travel,” by Michelle Williams, MassLive.com: “A new bill introduced in the Senate would mandate airlines offer full cash refunds for canceled tickets instead of future travel credits. The bill, titled Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act of 2020, was introduced Wednesday by both of Massachusetts senators, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, as well as Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and California Sen. Kamala Harris.” | | KENNEDY COMPOUND |
| – “Joe Kennedy III Wants You to Know He’s More Than Just a Name,” by Michael Damiano, Boston Magazine: “On a normal day, the meeting hall in Middleton’s Flint Public Library is so empty and quiet, you can hear a bookmark drop. On a chilly afternoon in early February, though, the room looked like it had suddenly become the hottest spot in town, packed to capacity with politically engaged baby boomers eagerly awaiting an appearance by Massachusetts’ political man of the moment: Joe Kennedy III.” | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| – “Mass. emission strategies all up in air,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The company selected by Massachusetts to build a power line delivering large amounts of hydro-electricity from Quebec into the regional power grid at Lewiston, Maine, is asking a judge to block a voter referendum on the project. Avangrid, the corporate parent of Central Maine Power, which has won a series of approvals for the project from state regulators, said in a court filing that holding a referendum on a decision by the state’s Public Utilities Commission would violate the state constitution.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “CALL TO ARMS,” — Globe: “A middle ground on reopening," "Baker still stressing a phased approach.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “As a precaution against coronavirus, MassMutual, one of state’s largest employers, to keep offices closed through at least August,” by Michelle Williams, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., one of the largest employers in Massachusetts, will keep its offices closed through the summer. CEO Roger Crandall announced the decision during an all-staff meeting. Employees will return to their offices no earlier than the beginning of September.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Yarmouth officials see trouble ahead with draft beach rules,” by Christine Legere, Cape Cod Times: “Proposed beach rules likely to get a green light from the governor before the Memorial Day kickoff to summer have Yarmouth officials worried about the challenges the coming season will pose. The public won’t like the guidelines they may have to follow because of the threat of the coronavirus, the officials say, and it could cause tempers to flare.” – “New Bedford, Southcoast to expand testing for large workplaces, at-risk areas," SouthCoast Today: “Mayor Jon Mitchell and Southcoast Health have announced that, together, they are expanding a program to reach more at-risk areas and essential workers with COVID-19 testing. The program is based on a joint pilot effort undertaken earlier this month to test commercial fishing crews on the New Bedford waterfront using the Southcoast Mobile Health Van for on-site, targeted COVID-19 testing, officials said.” – “City manager pleads for better mask use,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. on Wednesday made an appeal for tighter adherence to state and local requirements on face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Augustus said his office and other city departments have been fielding calls from residents reporting that the face covering requirements in place are not being universally followed, or that the coverings are not properly worn - covering somebody’s mouth but not their nose, for example.” – “South Shore first responders wind down coronavirus parades,” by Joe DiFazio, The Patriot Ledger: “It was fun while it lasted. As the state begins to open up and looks to transition out of coronavirus restrictions, South Shore police and fire departments are beginning to wind down birthday and celebration parades. For the last several weeks, parades celebrating healthcare workers, birthday parties, anniversaries and other milestones have seen police cars and fire trucks driving by, but departments say they have to get back to work .” TRANSITIONS – Maya Getter joins Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office as director of advance and scheduling. Tweet. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts; Lucy Martirosyan, Samuel Greer, Jeffrey Barrett, Playbook’s chief foodie correspondent Alycia DiTroia and Sophia Nigro, who turns the big 1-3! NEW EPISODE: H-O-R-S-E – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith, Maeve Duggan and Stephanie Murray discuss the state’s plans to reopen, and a recent poll of Massachusetts nurses. Special guest Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics talks about the future of the NBA. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud, or watch on Facebook. 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. | |
| | POLITICO Magazine Justice Reform: The Decarceration Issue, presented by Verizon: Over the past decade, the longstanding challenge of criminal-justice reform has emerged into the spotlight with a new twist: Both Republicans and Democrats are onboard. But if both parties want to lower the incarceration rate, why are our jail and prison populations still so high? The latest series from POLITICO Magazine works to answer this important question and take a deeper look into what it will take to make progress in the policy and politics of justice reform. READ THE FULL ISSUE. | | | | | | |
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