POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Why the Wu train is still at the station

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY Presented by  UP IN THE AIR — It’s trial balloon season in the Boston mayor’s race. And Michelle Wu is floating above it all. Nearly everyone thinks Wu is running again , and the mayor herself has hinted at it. But the longer she waits to kick off her campaign, the longer she keeps the scrutiny on her would-be opponents. The Boston Globe’s recent parade of pieces on Josh Kraft mulling a mayoral bid (first reported by CommonWealth Beacon’s Gintautas Dumcius six months ago) elevated his possible run from the realm of insider chatter to the broader public lexicon. And that will set him up for closer inspection months before he’s likely to make a decision on the 2025 race. Mixed signals abound about William Gross , the former police commissioner who backed Annissa Essaibi George against Wu in the last mayoral race after passing on a bid of his own. He reemerged earlier this spring at a rally with restaurateurs in the North End, where PR guru George Regan stood to the side and yelled “run for mayor.” But Gross insisted to Playbook he’s not interested . Regan, meanwhile, is the spokesperson for the restaurant group clashing with Wu over outdoor dining restrictions, one of the leaders of which, Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, now says he’s running against her . Perennial candidate Althea Garrison also plans to give the mayor’s race a go, per Dumcius. Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden has been approached about running, but is uninterested, according to a person familiar with the conversations. While some people want Attorney General Andrea Campbell to make another run for the post, she told Playbook: “I love my job and I am not running.” Then there’s Ed Flynn, whose turn from being the City Council’s peacekeeper to its primary antagonist has baffled several of his former colleagues and much of Boston’s political chattering class. Flynn insisted to the Herald that his recent meeting with North End restaurateurs — in which he violated council norms by crossing district lines — was not a sign of mayoral ambitions , only to turn around and tell The Globe that any talk of his 2025 intentions are “premature.” He later told Playbook “now is not the time for politics and campaigns” and that he’s “focused on providing positive leadership” to constituents. The Navy veteran has openly signaled that he’s interested in continuing his public service in a non-elective capacity — veterans affairs, specifically. He also has a family legacy to protect. On paper, Flynn is well positioned for a mayoral bid. He’s got experience, a proven ability to fundraise, a well-known surname and a megaphone in the pages of the Herald. Kraft, too, would have personal wealth and a family name to trade on. But history is on the incumbent’s side. So are other factors. Wu has kept up a steady cadence of fundraisers since she took office, including events around the Lunar New Year and Earth Day, her annual “Women for Wu” reception earlier this week and some smaller events planned for the summer, according to a person familiar with her schedule. She started June with nearly $1.5 million in her war chest — double what Flynn had on hand. Plus, unless someone else emerges , progressives miffed by Wu governing more moderately than they had hoped don’t have much other choice (Kraft, if he runs on the left, could face difficulty distancing himself from his family’s association with Republican former President Donald Trump). And so, for now, it’s advantage: Wu. Michelle Wu celebrates her election in 2021. | Josh Reynolds/AP GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Lisa here, for the last time. Writing this newsletter over the past three years has been the opportunity of a lifetime. We’ve been through a lot together — a pandemic, a series of historic elections and a few terrible Patriots seasons — and I’ll deeply miss the community we’ve built here. Thank you for welcoming me into your inboxes each morning, for sending me your tips and scoops and for dealing with my incredibly late night and very early morning phone calls. To my editors — and there have been too many of you to name — thank you. To my co-authors over the years — Madison, Sophie and Mia — you’re all rock stars. And to Kelly — who loves an em-dash even more than I do — I can’t wait to see how you make Massachusetts Playbook your own. Like I said last week, I’m not going far. While the presidential race will now be my main focus for POLITICO, I’ll still be based in Boston and covering politics in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and across New England. So please, don’t be a stranger. I know I won’t be. Playbook runs on Dunkin', even if I don't run it. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey , her partner, Joanna Lydgate , Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey , Rep. Stephen Lynch and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm tour Trillium Brewing Company at 2:30 p.m. Healey speaks at the Winnacunnet High School graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. in Hampton, New Hampshire. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the Massachusetts School of Law commencement ceremony at 5 p.m. in Wilmington and attends a GreenRoots event at 7 p.m. in Chelsea. Markey is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. and joins Rep. Bill Keating for an update on the Cape Cod bridge project at 11:30 a.m. in Bourne. Warren visits Kam Man Food Marketplace at 11 a.m. in Quincy. Wu hosts a coffee hour in Chinatown at 9 a.m., speaks at the Asian Community Development Corporation dim sum breakfast at 11 a.m. and gives remakes at a Caribbean flag raising ceremony at City Hall at 1 p.m. THE WEEKEND — MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Boston Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu is on WCVB’s “On The Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is on NBC10 Boston’s “At Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. PLAYBOOK MEET AND GREET — Looks like you all really want to meet the Massachusetts Playbook team! We’ve had more people sign up for our June 12 event at Carrie Nation than we can accommodate. Please email Lisa at lkashinsky@politico.com or Kelly at kgarrity@politico.com if you’d like to be added to the wait list. We’ll send out confirmation emails, which will be required for entrance, next week.   A message from Choose Who You Use: A new study published earlier this year revealed that if customers chose a retail electric provider over a utility in 2022 and 2023 the combined savings would have been $1.7 billion. Join the Choose Who You Use coalition to protect electricity choice and preserve Massachusetts ratepayers’ ability to choose the most affordable, renewable options for them. Learn more.   PARTY POLITICS EXCLUSIVE — State Rep. Christopher Worrell will be the lone uncommitted delegate among Massachusetts’ 124-person Democratic National Convention contingent this summer. The first-term lawmaker from Boston, who is Black, said “it is important that the voices of Black and Brown people are heard and our votes are never taken for granted.” The free-agent slot comes after activists staged an 11th-hour effort to get Democratic presidential primary voters to select “no preference” on their March ballots to protest President Joe Biden ’s handling of the war in Gaza. While the total, just over 9 percent of the vote , fell short of the 15 percent needed to win any delegates statewide, the count was high enough in Rep. Ayanna Pressley ’s congressional district to secure an uncommitted delegate. Worrell was selected for the role at a district caucus in Dorchester in April. “Every day, my heart breaks for the tragedy that is taking place in the Middle East,” Worrell told Playbook. “The human toll has been horrific and it needs to stop. The killing needs to stop. There needs to be a lasting cease-fire. Hostages need to be freed. There needs to be a lasting two-state solution. And [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu needs to go.” Worrell wouldn’t share how he plans to vote when it comes to the party's nominee. But he said he is “100 percent committed to defeating Donald Trump in November.” Activists behind the Vote No Preference Coalition hope he at least brings the cease-fire message to Chicago. DATELINE BEACON HILL NEW THIS MORNING — Gov. Maura Healey joined our colleague Steven Overly on the POLITICO Tech podcast to talk about her plan to pour $1 billion into the climate tech sector over the next decade — plus any money she gets from Biden's administration — and why she fears a second Donald Trump presidency could undermine it all. “Donald Trump has surrounded himself by people who are only interested in furthering the power of oil and gas and the fossil fuel industry, which is the industry that's gotten us into this in the first place,” Healey told Overly. “That's not a world I want to go back to. And it's certainly a world that Donald Trump lives in.” Healey, a surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign, also said climate is “certainly a distinction” between the current and former presidents that “we need to continue to draw.” Listen to the interview here. — “Healey admin awards $3.4M to help grow Mass. ‘climate workforce’,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. — “Bill to allow campaign funds for childcare on the move,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     FROM THE HUB CELTICS WIN — Only three more W's to go before Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is feasting on some Texas brisket (and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is eating his words). More on their friendly food wager from The Globe . — “Boston city councilor ‘skeptical’ that costly capital projects will be completed,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS CASH DASH — Former Gov. Charlie Baker is headlining a fundraiser for (a far friendlier to him) MassGOP later this month, according to an invitation obtained by Playbook. Outgoing Republican National Committeeman Ron Kaufman will also be honored at the Lincoln Reagan Reception on June 26. Tickets range from $250 to $5,000.   A message from Choose Who You Use:     WARREN REPORT — “Jamaal Bowman Lands Endorsement From Elizabeth Warren,” by Nicholas Fandos, The New York Times: “Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts waded into one of the nation’s most contentious House primaries on Thursday, extending a lifeline to an endangered ally on the left." MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Marijuana Regulators Look To Preserve Island Access,” by Noah Glasgow, Vineyard Gazette : “State cannabis regulators came to the Island Thursday to hear from local cannabis producers, retailers, and medical and recreational consumers who say that a ban on the transport of cannabis by ferry will put the Island’s legal cannabis sellers out of business.”   JOIN US ON 6/12 FOR A TALK ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY : As air travel soars again, policymakers and airlines are grappling with a series of contemporary challenges to the industry's future. Join POLITICO on June 12 for a topical and timely conversation with government leaders and aviation stakeholders about the state of the airline industry. From what passengers want to what airlines need amid the high demand for air traffic, workers and technology solutions. What can Washington do to ensure passengers and providers are equipped to fly right? REGISTER HERE .     FROM THE 413 — “Springfield school chief resigns amid mounting criticism of his disparaging remarks,” by Aprell May Munford, The Springfield Republican; and Elizabeth Romȧn, NEPM: “The superintendent of Springfield Public Schools served his last day on the job Thursday, leaving a few weeks short of his planned retirement, after school and city officials reacted with outrage to disparaging comments he made this week, in a private conversation, about Springfield leaders. The resignation came after a morning press conference at which the main target of Superintendent Daniel Warwick’s comments, Latonia Monroe Naylor, defended herself and her family.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Top Quincy official was fired. Now, the feds are involved, the mayor says,” by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: “Federal investigators are presenting evidence to a grand jury of alleged ‘financial irregularities’ undertaken by former Director of Elder Services Tom Clasby, according to Mayor Thomas Koch, who said he learned of the development through sources.” — “Regulators explore impact of hospital 'greed',” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle Tribune: “[Amid the Steward Health Care meltdown, the] Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, and Department of Health and Human Services have launched an investigation into the ‘impact of greed’ in health care and plan to review details of recent transactions the agencies say may be harming patient health, worker safety and the quality of care for patients.”   A message from Choose Who You Use: Massachusetts’ utility customers have recently seen some of the highest electric rates in the country, but customers who chose retail electric providers could have saved hundreds of dollars over the last two years. The last thing we should be doing during this moment is eliminating this choice for Massachusetts consumers and forcing people to live under monopoly utility service. Choose Who You Use is committed to protecting real electricity choice in Massachusetts. We believe the power to choose energy should be in the hands of the people. In Massachusetts, individuals should be able to choose the type of energy they want and how to pay for it. Learn more.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — at Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan 's fundraiser at Cornwall's last night: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu , state Rep. Jay Livingstone , BHA leader Kenzie Bok and Suffolk SJC clerk candidate Allison Cartwright . OOPS — To those who were bombarded with happy birthday texts Thursday, our apologies. Hope people are just as generous with their well-wishes today! With that ... HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY  — to Grace Ross, Donna Fenn, Jen Hemmerdinger, Elvira Mora and Christopher Rowland, Washington Post reporter and former Boston Globe Washington bureau chief. Happy very belated to state Sen. Adam Gomez and Robert Kraft.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY (AGAIN) — to state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee; former state Rep. and past Cambridge City Councilor Tim Toomey; Kevin Sprague, Sema Emiroglu and Isaac Luria. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Zayda Ortiz of Progressive Mass, Joseph Prezioso, Bill Douvris, Ben Case, Dan Futterman, Michael Vallarelli, David Ciampi and Hailey Reed, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers FEMA Region I Administrator and former state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, Calla Walsh, Sheila Ramirez, Jeff Solnet, John Dukakis, 90 West’s Harry Shipps and Kelsey Perkins, district director for Rep. Katherine Clark. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT:  LISA’S LAST RODEO —  Host Lisa Kashinsky hops in the saddle one last time to talk politics and polls with hosts Steve Koczela  and Jennifer Smith. This wide-ranging episode covers #mapoli’s reactions to Donald Trump ’s guilty verdict and Joe Biden ’s border action, as well as new poll numbers on the state’s top politicians. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud . 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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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The other Democratic convention

BY KELLY GARRITY AND LISA KASHINSKY Presented by  A PROGRAMMING NOTE: Lisa here. It’s our last week together — if you’ve ever wanted to send me a tip or scoop, you’ve got four days left! Hit me up: lkashinsky@politico.com . UNCONVENTIONAL — As Democrats put on a show of party unity in Worcester over the weekend, renominating Sen. Elizabeth Warren and taking turns bashing former President Donald Trump, some progressives began quietly plotting how to disrupt the party's status quo. More than 100 progressives frustrated by the far-left's inability to make serious inroads on Democratic-dominated Beacon Hill gathered on a Zoom call Sunday to game out how to increase their influence — in part by unseating incumbents they view as too entrenched with more moderate legislative leadership. It started with a diagnosis: Massachusetts progressives are splintered. The movement has no centralized coalition, leaving a smattering of separate, small groups with memberships and missions that overlap and that are forced to compete for funding, at least according to keynote speaker Robert Kuttner, co-founder of the liberal magazine The American Prospect. That makes it harder to push policies — even those that are highly popular with the general public — through a Legislature where power is concentrated among just a few members and where breaking rank with those leaders can mean retribution. Even progressive laws passed at the local level often need signoff from Beacon Hill, where home-rule petitions can languish and sometimes perish in committees. So, the weekend workshop took a stab at figuring out how to change that — as well as something else progressives here have struggled to confront: why their popular policies don’t translate into more electoral wins across levels of government. Among the recommendations: Progressive groups should band together to work more like a party, making endorsements and recruiting candidates in a more “coherent” fashion, Kuttner said. Organizers are planning to meet later this week to plot their next steps, Nicky Osborne, one of the activists who helped set up the virtual "UnConvention," told Playbook. It's unclear how effective they'll be , at least in the short term. The filing window for this year’s legislative elections has come and gone with little competition to show for it. Incumbents have no incentive to change ballot rules designed to protect them. And legislative leaders have no incentive to change their highly centralized form of governance — or to stop punishing those who break rank. Meanwhile, the progressive governor is heavily promoting decidedly un-progressive policy: tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy. And one of the state’s other major progressive standard-bearers, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, runs the risk of being challenged from the right and the left. Progressives acknowledge it's an uphill battle . But “if we want to begin to have what I would call transformational politics around housing, health care, jobs — it’s going to require taking on the Democrats that are ensuring the continuation of the status quo,” Rand Wilson, a longtime labor organizer and progressive activist who attended the Sunday session, told Playbook. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email us:  kgarrity@politico.com  and  lkashinsky@politico.com . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey tours the State House with first partner Joanna Lydgate , ahead of Lydgate’s swearing-in as the honorary president of the Doric Docent Tour Guides at 9:30 a.m. Healey joins Govs. JB Pritzker and Tim Walz for an 11:30 a.m. press call to urge Congress to pass the Right to Contraception Act and attends the June Day Drum Head ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on Boston Common. Healey and Wu speak at the opening reception of the ClimaTech Conference at 6:30 p.m. at Fenway Park. Wu attends Boston’s Pride Month kick off at 11 a.m. at City Hall.   A message from Choose Who You Use: A new study published earlier this year revealed that if customers chose a retail electric provider over a utility in 2022 and 2023 the combined savings would have been $1.7 billion. Join the Choose Who You Use coalition to protect electricity choice and preserve Massachusetts ratepayers’ ability to choose the most affordable, renewable options for them. Learn more.   PARTY POLITICS Gov. Maura Healey speaks at the 2024 MassDems convention | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO MESSAGE TESTING — Almost every major Massachusetts Democrat is using Donald Trump being found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records as a campaign cudgel — except for Maura Healey. The governor pointedly left out any mention of the former president’s trial during her MassDems convention speech, a notable omission for both a former attorney general who burnished her reputation in part on repeatedly suing the Trump administration and for a surrogate for President Joe Biden ’s reelection bid. Instead, she warned of why letting Trump return to the White House could be “dangerous.” But everyone else went there. “ Every time you mention Donald Trump, you should mention ‘convicted felon’ behind it,” Rep. Jim McGovern said. “Trump’s got 34 problems, and being rich ain’t one,” Sen. Ed Markey quipped. Attorney General Andrea Campbell told Playbook backstage that voters “should know” about both Trump’s criminal record and other perceived wrongdoings in his past. And when Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned “the convicted felon says he wants to be a dictator on Day One — listen to him,” the crowd of Democratic activists erupted into chants of “Lock him up!” Auditor Diana DiZoglio sings a song she wrote about transparency at the State House during the 2024 MassDems convention. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO CONVENTION ODDS AND ENDS — Auditor Diana DiZoglio performed her song about increasing transparency at the State House as part of her pitch to party activists to support the ballot question she’s pushing to audit the Legislature. She followed it up on X by calling out her fellow elected Democrats for slamming Trump over the verdict in his hush-money trial while not "[s]tanding up to our own party leadership" for using non-disclosure agreements in state government. COWBOY CAMPBELL — The attorney general paid homage to Beyoncé 's "Cowboy Carter" album by donning a feathered cowboy hat (in green, her campaign color) throughout the convention. Attorney General Andrea Campbell pays homage to Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" album by donning a cowboy hat in her campaign's signature color while speaking at the 2024 MassDems convention. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO MOULTON MATTERS MOULTON’S VERDICT — Rep. Seth Moulton believes Trump’s conviction could sway a “frighteningly” close election in Biden’s favor. But he also says Democrats need to “do better” with their own messaging. “One of the American political parties is in a civil war playing out across the country … and it's led by a convicted felon. And yet, we're not cleaning up,” Moulton said Sunday during an interview on WCVB’s “On the Record,” echoing what he told Playbook last week. “In some ways we've become the party of the ultra rich and the ultra poor. We've lost touch with a lot of people in the middle.” RELATED — “Looming over Trump’s conviction: Reversal by the ‘13th juror’,” by Erica Orden and Ben Feuerherd, POLITICO.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     TRAVEL LOG READING THE RECEIPTS — The bill for Healey’s trip to the Vatican last month added up to $30,263, according to the governor’s office. Public funds from the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund covered the tab, which included costs for flights, hotels and ground transportation for Healey, three staff members and her climate chief, Melissa Hoffer . Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also dipped into taxpayer funds to cover costs for her trip, which started with the Vatican climate conference and included a stop in Sulmona, Italy. The total cost for Wu and her entourage — which included two staffers, the city’s Green New Deal director, Oliver Sellers-Garcia , and two Boston police officers — was $21,449, according to her office. RELATED — “Critics pounce on $30K tab for Mass. Gov. Healey’s trip to Vatican climate summit,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. DATELINE BEACON HILL SURVEY SAYS — Housing remains the top issue Bay Staters want to see Healey and the Legislature tackle in the coming year, according to a new UMass Amherst poll of 700 adults. More than a third of respondents have contemplated leaving the state over the past year — with New Hampshire and Florida being their top destinations and the high cost of living and taxes among the top reasons potentially driving them across state lines. Who are voters blaming for the state’s unaffordable housing? Twenty-nine percent said high interest rates, more so than any politician. But the Legislature has the second-highest culpability at 16 percent, while just 5 percent think Healey bears the most responsibility. And while the Legislature is again making no move to approve local-option rent control, 72 percent of respondents at least “somewhat” support the concept. Meanwhile, 62 percent “somewhat” or “strongly” support real-estate transfer taxes, which seems to be losing life in the Legislature. The poll was conducted online May 17-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. — “#MeToo exposed a history of sexual harassment in the Mass. House. A key position to address it has been empty for years,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “In recent days, the House announced it is requiring mandatory harassment and discrimination training for all employees, a move that follows years of complaints from rank-and-file House staff, who are attempting to unionize in part due to these safety issues. But the office meant to address these complaints has remained leaderless for nearly two years, and House leaders quietly removed several references to the office in an updated employee handbook distributed to staff last week, prompting concerns that House leaders are minimizing a post they once heralded as a way to address the chamber’s past problems.” ****MUST READ!**** — “Archdiocese objects on Steward sale,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald. — “Lawmakers push for 'blue alert' system,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News.    A message from Choose Who You Use:     MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Massachusetts migrant-family shelter program kicks out more than 20 people for ‘inappropriate actions’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities recently sent 22 ‘separation from household’ letters to those in the Emergency Assistance family shelter program — expelling them while referring them to individual adult homeless shelters.” — “First Shelter Exit Notices Won't Go Out Until July,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): “After previously warning that families in Massachusetts' emergency shelters could get notice starting June 1 that they have 90 days to exit the state-funded housing, the Healey administration said Friday that it is holding off on delivering those notices until early July. … The first families to exit the emergency assistance program under this new policy will receive 90-day exit notices beginning in early July -- meaning they will have until early October to find other housing options -- but not all families will be affected by the length of stay policy immediately, according to EOHLC.” — “A backlog of over 150,000 cases continues to congest immigration courts in Mass. Everyone waiting has a story,” by Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State Rep. Ruth Balser is endorsing former Newton City Councilor Greg Schwartz in the race for the 12th Middlesex House seat she’s leaving. Watch her announcement here. — Also in the 12th Middlesex, Treasurer Deb Goldberg is endorsing Newton City Councilor Rick Lipof . — Six more unions have endorsed Democratic state Rep. Dylan Fernandes for the Plymouth & Barnstable state Senate seat Su Moran is vacating as she runs for a county post. They are: Plumbers and Pipefitters Local #51, Painters and Allied Trades DC 35, Plasters and Cement Masons #534, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, IBEW 2222 and IBEW Local 223. WARREN REPORT ICYMI — “Elizabeth Warren withdraws from Palestinian conference over organizers’ Oct. 7 praise,” by Emily Jacobs and Lahav Harkov, Jewish Insider. — “Pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside Warren’s Cambridge home,” by Danny McDonald.    JOIN US ON 6/12 FOR A TALK ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY : As air travel soars again, policymakers and airlines are grappling with a series of contemporary challenges to the industry's future. Join POLITICO on June 12 for a topical and timely conversation with government leaders and aviation stakeholders about the state of the airline industry. From what passengers want to what airlines need amid the high demand for air traffic, workers and technology solutions. What can Washington do to ensure passengers and providers are equipped to fly right? REGISTER HERE .     MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Shannon O’Brien suspension hearings to run into June as two sides stay quiet,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Meetings to decide the fate of suspended Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien are scheduled to stretch into June after an hours-long closed-door session Friday concluded with no apparent resolution and both sides declining to comment publicly.” — “Former women staffers allege they were bullied at embattled Cannabis Control Commission,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR. THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Authorization for machine gun range at Cape base set to expire. Keating blocks extension,” by Walker Armstrong, Cape Cod Times: “With authorized funding for the proposed multipurpose machine gun range on Joint Base Cape Cod set to expire in October, language was introduced in the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act to extend the deadline by a year. ... But due to concerns about environmental impacts on the Cape’s sole source aquifer under the base, U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Massachusetts, said he moved on May 23 to cut the language.” — “Mass. Air National Guard unit to resume post classified document leaker Teixeira,” by Ally Jarmanning and Sydney Ko, WBUR. REGIONAL ROUNDUP SUNUNU continues to prove himself a CLOWN!  Endorsed NIKKI HALEY ignored her history! How about the NUCLEAR POWER PLANT that is a hole in the ground & screwed ratepayers? She also raised taxes. NIKKI HALEY is now signing BOMBS to continue the GAZA GENOCIDE after the RAFAH TENT MASSACRE!  Ignoring the TRUMP.ORG judgement, the E.JEAN CARROL defamation judgment, the ESPIONAGE ACT violations, the GEORGIA RICO trial, the FAKE ELECTORS SCANDALS erupting across the nation, the DISBARRED tRUMP attorneys, the INSURRECTION D.C. charges -  DIAPER DON attempted to overthrow DEMOCRACY and SUNUNU ignores it?   SUNUNU SAYS — New Hampshire's Republican governor told CNN he'll still vote for Trump in November, though "I don't want my nominee to be convicted of anything, of course." — “Campaign worker charged with falsifying nomination papers in R.I. congressional race,” by Edward Fitzpatrick, The Boston Globe. — “New Hampshire’s 2017 ADU Failure Has Implications for Mass.,” by Jay Fitzgerald, Banker & Tradesman.    A message from Choose Who You Use: Massachusetts’ utility customers have recently seen some of the highest electric rates in the country, but customers who chose retail electric providers could have saved hundreds of dollars over the last two years. The last thing we should be doing during this moment is eliminating this choice for Massachusetts consumers and forcing people to live under monopoly utility service. Choose Who You Use is committed to protecting real electricity choice in Massachusetts. We believe the power to choose energy should be in the hands of the people. In Massachusetts, individuals should be able to choose the type of energy they want and how to pay for it. Learn more.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Arnold Ventures is adding Andrew Bacher-Hicks as VP of evidence and evaluation. Bacher-Hicks previously was an assistant professor at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Eric S. Rosengren, Sean McFate and Eric Farmer . 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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