The Supreme Court has reversed decades of progress

 

Last month, the Supreme Court once again reversed decades of progress when it greenlit  discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community by businesses. This attack on basic rights, one that bolsters the assault on LGBTQIA+ Americans in state legislatures across the country, is in keeping with its decisions favoring this Court’s right-wing majority.   It is heartbreaking to watch our nation go backward and see our hard-fought progress eroded. The Supreme Court is wildly out of touch with the values of modern-day Americans, and it will remain so as long as its justices are serving lifetime appointments. Sign if you agree: We need term limits for Supreme Court justices. Sign the Petition To re-establish the Court as an impartial, nonpartisan branch of the federal government, I introduced the Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act, which would create an 18-year term limit for justices.   Establishing term limits for Supreme Court justices would eliminate the incentive to play politics and plan retirements around whichever party holds the White House. The goal of this bill is to ensure that justices can focus on the law, not politics, and are not out of step with everyday Americans.   Democrats, Independents, and Republicans all agree: it's time to set term limits for Supreme Court justices.   Sign the petition and show your support for the Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act.   In solidarity, Ro

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FOCUS: Bernie Sanders Statement on Supreme Court Overturning Student Debt Cancellation

 

 

01 July 23

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FOCUS: Bernie Sanders Statement on Supreme Court Overturning Student Debt Cancellation
Bernie Sanders, US Senate
Sanders writes: "Today's 6-3 Supreme Court decision is a devastating blow for tens of millions of low-income and working class Americans who were hoping for relief from the severe financial stress they face due to a mountain of student debt." 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement Friday after the right-wing majority of the U.S. Supreme Court moved to block President Biden’s action to cancel student debt for 40 million Americans:

Today’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision is a devastating blow for tens of millions of low-income and working class Americans who were hoping for relief from the severe financial stress they face due to a mountain of student debt.

Thirteen years ago, in the disastrous Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court ruled that billionaires can legally buy elections. Today, the Supreme Court has made it clear that they will continue doing everything possible to protect the big money interests against the needs of struggling working families. This right wing ideology is consistent with their recent decisions: denying women the right to control their own bodies, ending affirmative action, attacking LGBT rights and limiting the government’s ability to address climate change.

Justice Kagan is absolutely correct when she wrote in her dissenting opinion that “this case should have been open-and-shut” in favor of the Biden Administration, the “Court’s first overreach in this case is deciding it at all,” and that the Supreme Court should “stay away from making this Nation’s policy about subjects like student-loan relief.”

In my view, if right-wing Supreme Court justices want to make public policy they should quit the Supreme Court and run for political office. Frankly, I do not think their extremist views will gain much traction with the average American voter.

Today, I am urging the Biden Administration to implement a Plan B immediately to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans who are struggling to pay the rent, put food on the table, and pay for the basic necessities of life.

Despite this legally unsound Supreme Court decision, the President has the clear authority under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cancel student debt. He must use this authority immediately.

If Republicans could provide trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the top one percent and profitable corporations, if they could cancel hundreds of billions in loans for wealthy business owners during the pandemic when Trump was President and if they could vote to spend $886 billion on the Pentagon, please don’t tell me that we cannot afford to cancel student debt for working families.

The American people understand that we cannot continue to crush our young generation with a mountain of debt for doing the right thing – getting a college education.

As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I will do everything I can to make sure that the more than 40 million Americans who are drowning in student debt get the relief that was promised to them as soon as possible.

Lastly, the time is long overdue for the Supreme Court to do what every other branch of the judiciary does. They must establish a code of ethical standards so that justices cannot secretly accept lavish financial gifts from billionaire patrons.

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POLITICO Nightly: The post-affirmative action era begins

 

View in browser   BY ANKUSH KHARDORI Presented by Supporters of affirmative action protest near the Supreme Court Building today. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images NEXT STEPS — Today the Supreme Court issued a widely anticipated ruling striking down college admissions programs that take race into consideration when selecting which applicants to admit. The decision — which upended nearly 50 years of jurisprudence — has already sent liberals scrambling on two fronts: with lawyers trying to mitigate its effects and Biden’s Education Department and Congress reviewing other longstanding pillars of the college admissions process, including legacy admits. The post-affirmative action era has already begun. The decision concerned two different college admissions programs — one at Harvard, the other at the University of North Carolina — that, in different ways, took race into account when reviewing applications. Harvard receives federal funding, while UNC is a public university, but the distinction proved not to matter to the result. Chief Justice John Roberts issued the ruling, and he was joined by all five of the other conservative justices. The liberals on the court dissented. As a matter of legal realpolitik, none of this was particularly surprising given the current composition of the court, which shifted decisively in favor of conservatives with the addition of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett during the Trump administration. Conservatives have for decades been wary of race-based programs designed to benefit minorities, and indeed today’s ruling was the capstone to a decades-long crusade by a conservative activist who finally found a hospitable conservative majority that agreed with him. As with the fallout from last year’s overruling of Roe, we can expect two broad sets of responses to today’s decision. First, liberal lawyers and activists are likely to try to cabin and mitigate the consequences, though that could prove challenging given the sweeping language in Roberts’ opinion, which will almost certainly be used in challenges to race-based programs entirely outside the context of college admissions. Meanwhile, conservative lawyers and activists, who had also been anticipating today’s ruling, are likely to try to leverage it to attack programs in those other settings , including in areas as seemingly mundane as corporate internships limited to minority groups. The second set of responses will be political, with liberal condemnation of the ruling already well underway. Shortly after the decision came down today, President Biden offered a blistering statement from a White House podium . He has already directed the Education Department to review college admissions practices, which may come to include one particular target — legacy admissions. That is the practice of giving preferential treatment to relatives of university alumni, which benefits the wealthy and is thought by some to disproportionately disadvantage non-white applicants. The practice is inextricably intertwined with universities’ efforts to bring in donations from alumni. We may also see some movement from Congress in this area, though it would not be the first time. Early last year, two Democrats — Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon — introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act , which would have banned legacy admissions at schools that participate in federal student aid programs, but the bill ultimately never gained momentum. It remains to be seen whether today’s ruling from the court will shift the political dynamics. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy quickly hailed the decision, arguing the justices “just ruled that no American should be denied educational opportunities because of race.” Still, shortly after the decision came down, Bowman and Merkley said that they will reintroduce their bill. “The Supreme Court has yet again taken us back in time by barring institutions of higher education from using race-conscious admissions policies,” Bowman said. “These policies are critical to ensuring that our Black and brown students, who have already experienced redlining and systemic underinvestment in their schools and communities, have an equitable shot at higher education to pursue their dreams.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at ankush.khardori@gmail.com .   A message from Bank of America: Transitioning public transportation to clean energy could reduce global CO₂ emissions by 20%. Proterra is developing safer, cleaner, more reliable transportation — with the support of partners like Bank of America.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Supreme Court to rule Friday on student loans, LGBTQ rights: The Supreme Court is expected to announce rulings on student loan forgiveness and LGBTQ protections Friday , the final cases still pending before the Court begins its summer recess. At the close of today’s session, Chief Justice John Roberts announced that Friday will be the final day for the court to issue opinions in this term’s argued cases. The court is set to announce rulings on a pair of cases that challenge President Joe Biden’s bid to forgive over $400 million in student loans, a policy that would relieve the debt of over 40 million Americans. — Prosecutors charge three men with insider trading scheme related to Trump’s media company: Federal prosecutors in New York charged three investors today with an insider trading scheme in which they allegedly made more than $22 million in illegal profits by acting on information about a plan to take former president Donald Trump’s media company public. The three men — Michael Shvartsman, Gerald Shvartsman and Bruce Garelick — were investors in a special purpose acquisition corporation called Digital World Acquisition Corporation, which had plans to take public Trump’s company Trump Media & Technology Group. As investors, they learned of the confidential plans for Trump’s media company and they were prohibited by non-disclosure agreements from disclosing or using the information to buy or sell securities, according to an indictment unsealed today. — Biden admin finalizes student debt ‘safety net’ as repayment looms: Biden administration officials are devising plans to ease the sting of requiring tens of millions of Americans to resume paying their student loans this fall for the first time in more than three years. The Education Department in recent weeks finalized a three-month grace period for missed payments once student loans come due in October and directed loan services to be “prepared” to extend that flexibility for subsequent 90-day periods, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Once interest accrual resumes on Sept. 1, under the department’s current plans, it would continue to pile up even if borrowers miss payments.   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 KOCH CASH — The political network established by the conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch has raised more than $70 million for political races as it looks to help Republicans move past Donald J. Trump, reports the New York Times. With some of this large sum to start, the network, Americans for Prosperity Action, plans to throw its weight into the G.O.P. presidential nominating contest for the first time in its nearly 20-year history . The network spent nearly $500 million supporting Republican candidates and conservative policies in the 2020 election cycle alone. The Koch network’s goal in the 2024 presidential primaries, which has been described only indirectly in written internal communications, is to stop Mr. Trump from winning the Republican nomination. In February, a top political official in the network, Emily Seidel, wrote a memo to donors and activists saying it was time to “have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.” TEAM OF RIVALS — Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson compared a string of resignations among her campaign staff to Abraham Lincoln’s search for a top general during the Civil War. Asked by The Messenger on Wednesday about her quixotic campaign losing two campaign managers and other top staff , Williamson said, “Do you know how many generals Lincoln went through to get to Ulysses S. Grant? He went through 12 generals and I don’t think anyone would say he was not an effective leader.” The departures come after reports that Williamson’s campaign has been “plagued by staff turnover and internal dysfunction” in part because of the candidate being a “nightmarish boss” who makes “demeaning” comments to staff.   A message from Bank of America:     AROUND THE WORLD French citizens protest in Nanterre after a 17-year-old was killed during a traffic stop on Tuesday. The French police officer who shot and killed the driver will be investigated for voluntary homicide, following two days of fires and violent protests, officials said. | Michel Euler/AP Photo ON EDGE — The violent unrest that has spread across France since a teenager was killed by police in a Paris suburb has raised the specter of riots that rocked French suburbs for weeks in 2005 — and Emmanuel Macron’s government is scrambling to stop that from happening again, writes Clea Caulcutt . This morning, the French president called an emergency Cabinet meeting in the wake of overnight clashes in French cities after a 17-year-old was shot by police on Tuesday during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a western Paris suburb. The government decided to cancel all “non-priority” trips by ministers, the government’s latest move to dial down tensions that are gripping the nation. Macron’s own response to the images of a police officer shooting Nahel M.(his full name has not been given) was swift and unequivocal. While some questioned whether the police officer had felt threatened by the teenager, the president spoke of “the emotion of the nation” and said the killing was “inexplicable” and “inexcusable.” Instructions have also been issued to police officers to avoid behavior that would stir up tensions in France’s impoverished banlieues, according to Paris Playbook. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said some 40,000 police officers were being deployed across France. ANOTHER ROUND — Jens Stoltenberg is set to stay on as NATO’s chief for another year , four people familiar with the decision told POLITICO. A U.S. official said the secretary general’s leadership extension is “a done deal.” Asked if that was the case, a senior diplomat from Western Europe said “yes,” adding it “will be formalized next week.” A senior diplomat from Eastern Europe and a senior NATO official also confirmed there is consensus within the alliance for an extension. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been serving as NATO’s chief since 2014 and has already had his mandate extended multiple times. NATO allies spent months mulling a successor, with leaders such as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace under consideration, before opting to stick with the current secretary general.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .     NIGHTLY NUMBER 2 percent The percentage the economy grew in the first quarter, a jump from GDP estimates of 1.3 percent and a boon for the Biden administration. The numbers land as Biden and other top administration officials are fanning out across the country, including visits to deep red Republican districts, to spotlight government programs and tax credits intended to aid the middle class. RADAR SWEEP DRUGGED UP — According to many reports, routine drug use — often “microdosing,” or taking a small amount — of substances like ketamine, LSD and psilocybin, is all the rage in Silicon Valley . Tech executives and employees are arguing that in small doses, these drugs make them more productive and more creative, among other benefits. But that’s far from settled science. For The New Republic, Timothy Noah looks into this trend and some of its historical analogues — including during World War II. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 2009: Bernie Madoff received a 150-year prison sentence for orchestrating the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. Madoff victim Richard Friedman speaks to the media outside Manhattan federal court. | Louis Lanzano/AP Photo Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   A message from Bank of America: The EPA estimates that the transportation sector accounts for more than one-quarter of energy-related CO₂ emissions worldwide. While much attention has been paid to lessening these emissions by transforming light-duty passenger vehicles, there’s also ample opportunity to innovate heavy-duty commercial vehicles used for public transportation — especially diesel buses. To counter these emissions, Proterra is developing innovative solutions that drive sustainability, with the support of partners like Bank of America. Proterra is a leader in the transition to zero-emission, electric commercial vehicles, including electric transit buses, school buses, delivery trucks and more. To help companies like Proterra achieve their business goals, Bank of America has committed $1.5 trillion towards sustainable finance by 2030. This funding will help society transition to a low-carbon future. Watch to learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Katherine Long @katherinealong   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey takes out a billboard

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY Presented by TARGETED ADVERTISING — If you’re looking for a sign to come to Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey can point you to a few — along highways in Texas and Florida. The state’s first openly lesbian governor has spent Pride month pitching the state’s legal protections for LGBTQ people as a selling point for moving to Massachusetts. Now her administration is targeting that message to red states whose Republican governors are curtailing LGBTQ rights. Healey’s tourism office is running a Pride-themed advertising campaign in Florida and Texas, with digital billboards and social media posts bearing the slogan “Massachusetts: For us all” and featuring LGBTQ couples photographed in locations throughout the Bay State. The ads will run for a month in the two southern states. The roughly $750,000 campaign also includes New England and New York. “At a time when other states are misguidedly restricting LGBTQIA+ rights, we are proud to send the message that Massachusetts is a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for all,” Healey said in a statement. “To anyone considering where they want to live, raise a family, visit or build a business — we want you to join us here in Massachusetts.” Massachusetts is running a Pride-centric tourism ad campaign in states including Florida and Texas. | Image courtesy of the Healey administration It’s a big national play from Healey. And it’s one that seems more in line with her days as a hard-charging state attorney general repeatedly suing the Trump administration than it does her actions as governor thus far. Healey has largely shied away from the national spotlight while learning how to run the state — except for when it comes to protecting abortion and LGTBQ rights. The governor already staked her place in the national conversation on the former , leading the charge of blue-state governors stockpiling the abortion pill mifepristone in the face of court challenges potentially restricting access to the drug. Now she’s flexing her political muscle on the latter. Healey is no stranger to taking her message straight to her ideological foes. Still, she’s now joining a long line of governors who’ve crossed state lines to drum up attention on the national political stage. And she’s been building up to it throughout the month. Notice how she's slipped “welcome, Disney” messages into press conferences and interviews — a pointed dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ongoing battle with the entertainment giant, which started over that state’s law limiting discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. But it’s not all about ribbing Republicans with White House aspirations. The billboards also coincide with the speech Healey will give to the Irish Senate at 10 a.m. EST marking 30 years since Ireland decriminalized homosexuality. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. While the billboards deliver the governor's message stateside, Healey is hammering home Massachusetts' competitiveness abroad. She met yesterday with U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin and talked trade with business leaders during a roundtable hosted by Enterprise Ireland . Next on the itinerary: a celebration of 60 years of two-way trade between the U.S. and Ireland. More from GBH News’ Adam Reilly in Dublin . TODAY — Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll attends the Glasswing Annual Summit at 2:30 p.m. at the MIT Media Lab and keynotes the MMA-Suffolk Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management graduation at 5 p.m. at Suffolk Law. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at Bisnow’s Boston Multifamily Conference at 8:30 a.m. at the Westin Seaport, joins NAACP leaders to preview next month’s national convention in Boston at 11 a.m. at the Bolling Building in Roxbury, and opens the Boston Common Frog Pond spray pool at 12:30 p.m. Rep. Stephen Lynch announces federal funding at 11 a.m. at Wessagusset Beach. Sen. Elizabeth Warren visits Cape Cod Community College’s aviation facility at noon. Rep. Jake Auchincloss joins VoteVets at 1:30 p.m. to virtually pre-but Nikki Haley ’s foreign policy speech on China.   A message from American Beverage Association: At America’s beverage companies, we are committed to reducing our plastic footprint. That’s why we’re carefully designing our plastic bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. Our goal is for every bottle to become a new one, so they don’t end up in nature. Learn more at EveryBottleBack.org.   DATELINE BEACON HILL — BUDGETING MORE TIME: Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll signed off on the one-month spending plan lawmakers sent to her desk yesterday to buy themselves more time to negotiate the budget. The common practice of passing interim budgets to keep the state running as closed-door talks continue into the new fiscal year elicits little more than a shrug on Beacon Hill. But government watchdogs are warning that a late budget isn't a good thing. DOES ANYONE PAY ATTENTION TO THESE HACKS? The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance called it "pretty irresponsible" of lawmakers to "brush off deadlines that serve a purpose. Why should people make a bet on Massachusetts when Beacon Hill can't seem to pass a budget on time with unified control of the government and supermajorities in each chamber." Massachusetts Tax Foundation president Doug Howgate said it's "bad practice" for lawmakers to continue to slip past the start of the new fiscal year. But he said having the interim budget in place makes it so "it's not a crisis by any means." — “Tax cut talks begin, again, as Legislature works to finish work abandoned last year,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “‘We want to make sure that we finish the job on this one, as we’ve obviously had some starts and stops over the last year or two related to these things,’ House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz told his colleagues.” — “Top House Democrat’s omnibus gun bill would crack down on ghost guns, expand ‘red flag’ law,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “A top House Democrat on Beacon Hill delivered Monday on a request made a year ago by House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, when the lawmaker filed a wide-ranging proposal aimed at reforming gun laws in Massachusetts, which already has some of the strictest rules in the country. The bill, filed by Joint Judiciary Committee Chair Michael S. Day would ‘modernize’ the state’s gun laws and take steps to get rid of so-called ‘ghost guns,’ among other measures.” — “Lawmakers target cell phone tracking data in abortion fight,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine: “[W]hile most who offered testimony in favor of the Location Shield Act cited fear about people seeking abortion in Massachusetts being susceptible to tracking by other states, a number offered a much broader note of caution: almost everyone is left startlingly vulnerable by the current system.” — "Report shows without changes, push to meet climate goals could add $10K to $23K to median single-family home cost," by Tréa Lavery, MassLive.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .     PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “More and more T workers are leaving, thwarting agency efforts to staff up, officials say,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “As the MBTA tries to aggressively staff up, the agency faces a growing hurdle: The workers they already have are leaving faster than before. The transit agency is losing employees at an annual clip of roughly 13 percent, an increase from previous years and one that is hurting its efforts to buttress a stretched workforce, MBTA officials told lawmakers during an oversight hearing Monday at the State House.”   A message from American Beverage Association:     DAY IN COURT — “Beej Das federally indicted for allegedly defrauding clients of more than $5M,” by Alana Melanson, Lowell Sun: “An attorney, former Tyngsboro hotelier and one-time 3rd Congressional District candidate was arrested in Florida Monday on federal charges for allegedly defrauding clients of more than $5 million in escrow funds. … Two years ago, Das was also arrested for allegedly violating the Federal Election Campaign Act and false statements, for which he was on federal pretrial release.” — “Mass. colleges brace for Supreme Court's affirmative action decision,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the use of affirmative action in higher education could land with an outsized impact in Massachusetts, home to several of the country’s most selective institutions of higher learning.” DATELINE D.C. — “How do gender care bans affect health? Markey bill seeks research on anti-trans laws,” by Daily Hampshire Gazette staff: “Sen. Edward Markey D-Mass., is seeking $25 million annually over five years for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research barriers to gender-affirming care and the impact of those barriers on health.” — “Biden Admin Awards $147 Mil for Mass. Internet Access,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): “President Joe Biden announced $42 billion in federal funds for broadband expansion across the country on Monday, $147 million of which will be directed to the Bay State.”   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY .     THE LOWELL CONNECTOR — “City ‘sweeps’ Centralville homeless encampment,” by Melanie Gilbert, Lowell Sun: “Within hours it was over. The so-called Dog Park homeless encampment in Centralville off First Street Boulevard, that has existed in some form for 10 years, was gone. Not only gone, it was obliterated in a coordinated action by city services Monday morning. With it, the city hopes the homeless problem for that location is gone, too, which Assistant City Manager Shawn Machado described as a public health and safety issue.” FROM THE 413 — “Posts on transgender athletes sink Faginski-Stark’s candidacy for top post at Hampshire Regional schools,” by Emily Thurlow, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “During an emotional virtual meeting Thursday night, the leading candidate for an assistant superintendent job at Hampshire Regional School District apologized for controversial Facebook posts about transgender athletes that emerged when she was a superintendent finalist in nearby Easthampton in April. The apologies from Erica Faginski-Stark, however, were not enough to convince the district’s joint school committees to go along with Superintendent Diana Bonneville’s pick for assistant superintendent.”   A message from American Beverage Association: America’s leading beverage companies - The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo - are working together to reduce our industry’s plastic footprint through our Every Bottle Back initiative. We’re investing in efforts to get our bottles back so we can remake them into new bottles and use less new plastic.  Together, we’re:  Designing 100% recyclable plastic bottles – we’re making our bottles from PET that’s strong, lightweight and easy to recycle.    Investing in community recycling – we’re marshalling the equivalent of nearly a half-billion dollars with The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to support community recycling programs where we can have the greatest impact.  Raising awareness – we’re adding on-pack reminders to encourage consumers to recycle our plastic bottles and caps.      Our bottles are made to be remade. Please help us get Every Bottle Back.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former state Sen. Joe Boncore , Lexington state Sen. Michael Barrett , Plymouth state Rep. Mathew Muratore, Molly McGlynn , press secretary for AG Andrea Campbell; Nick Mitchell and Paul Tencher , a Sen. Ed Markey alum. 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   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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