Demonstrators participate in a Hands Off protest at the statehouse on April 5, 2025 in Columbia, South Carolina. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images
ONLINE ACTIVISTS — When nearly 600,000 people gathered at over 1,400 “Hands Off!” protests around the country (and globe) last month, a significant portion of the population appeared to be missing: the youth.
April’s protests were anti-Trump administration and wide in scope, with people advocating against all kinds of issues from possible cuts to Social Security to Elon Musk’s role in the federal government.
“Where the f— is Gen Z?” said Django Buenz, a content creator and Hofstra University political science student, in a TikTok video recorded at a demonstration in New York City . “There’s no fight here. There’s no youth here. It’s all 30-somethings and their children.”
Her video went viral, receiving over 2 million views on TikTok, and she wasn’t the only one who noticed the relative absence of the generational cohort in their late teens and 20s. People asked the same question across various social media platforms .
The absence of young people who identify as on the left or progressive at rallies and protests appears indicative of a broader trend. After a decade-plus of significant left-wing youth mobilization around gun control, Black Lives Matter and most recently the war in Gaza, Gen Z looks increasingly uninterested in the nuts and bolts of politics. Plus, Trump was popular among young men in November, and his gains among the youth were powered in particular by young men of color .
Omar Wasow, a political science professor at UC Berkeley, says young people, similar to people of color, tend to mobilize around issues they’re passionate about, like climate change, gun control and police reform. They’re less interested in any specific politician or the American political system in general.
“It’s easy for me to imagine that there will be some set of incidents with police violence or repression of protests that brings in more young people, brings in more people of color,” said Wasow.
Studies show that a majority of Gen Z’s activism takes place online. A 2024 survey by United Way of the National Capital Area found that while nearly one-third of Gen Z respondents said they are regularly engaged in activism or social justice work, 66 percent said their activism resides in the digital world. Instead of going to protests, they’re posting colorful infographics and memes.
Polling from Yale University also shows a micro-generational gap in young people’s political affiliation and interest. The oldest members of Gen Z graduated high school before the pandemic and started college during Donald Trump’s first term in office. They knew life before TikTok overwhelmed their feeds with right-wing content. They’re more likely to both vote for Democrats and attend protests than their younger counterparts, who started college during the Biden years and came of age when Trump and MAGA was considered counterculture.
All of these factors create a dynamic that’s not conducive to sustained, large-scale, in person protest movements. As young people live more of their lives online, are disillusioned about American politics and are increasingly conservative, a youth movement that takes to the streets and asks for specific results from politicians feels improbable. But the thing about the youth is that they’re young. Their political and social proclivities have yet to be set in stone.
To Wasow, it’s too early to make conclusions about Gen Z’s interest in — and preferred means of — political activism.
“[Any protest movement] starts out as something with a relatively small number of participants, and there are lots of people watching from the sidelines, thinking about whether they feel connected to this movement, whether they want to participate, whether they want to take the risks of putting their bodies on the line,” said Wasow. “And I don’t think there’s any reason to think this is going to be any different.”
Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, and big drug companies are fighting to keep it that way. They’re pushing Congress to delay Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices—that would cost taxpayers billions and force seniors to keep paying more. Congress: Stand with America’s seniors, not big drug companies. Protect Medicare negotiation. Learn more.
What'd I Miss?
****TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY AT THE EXPENSE OF SLASHING MEDICAID & EXPLODING THE DEFICIT!****
— GOP’s plans to advance megabill in peril: A planned Friday vote in the House Budget Committee to advance the GOP megabill is increasingly in peril , with at least three hard-liners pledging to oppose the party-line legislation. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who sits on the Budget Committee, told reporters he will vote against the package of tax cuts and extensions, border security investments, energy policy and more. So will Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Chip Roy of Texas. They were in a briefing with the Congressional Budget Office chief earlier today, where hard-liners were upset to learn that the CBO wouldn’t have cost estimates for the Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the bill ready until early next week, according to two Republicans who were in the room.
excerpts:
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who sits on the Budget Committee, told reporters he will vote against the package of tax cuts and extensions, border security investments, energy policy and more.
That leaves huge questions for already-skeptical hard-liners over how much in savings is actually contained in the proposed Medicaid overhaul approved by Energy and Commerce earlier this week.
Conservatives are also deeply concerned that changes in state program funding for Medicaid will actually incentive non-expansion states to broaden their Medicaid programs. CBO appeared to acknowledge that possibility and will likely add that into their modeling, according to the people.
Warring factions inside the House Republican Conference huddled with the speaker Thursday, jockeying primarily over what to do about SALT — the state-and-local-tax deduction.
But other disagreements are also raging around major spending cuts for Medicaid, clean energy tax credits enacted under former President Joe Biden and a slew of other issues that are part of a complex funding puzzle.
Inside the meeting, lawmakers discussed how to make more room for SALT, with some lawmakers still favoring a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans to make all the math work, according to two Republicans granted anonymity to describe the private talks. GOP leaders have pushed back against such a move. SALT Republicans, including a die-hard group of five New Yorkers, reiterated in the meeting that they would not accept the $30,000 cap currently in the megabill draft.
The speaker also brought Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) into the conversation via speakerphone, according to the people, after SALT members asked her to leave a recent meeting amid concerns she was more sympathetic to her Republican colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee than her fellow New York lawmakers.
Another Republican involved in the talks, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said they were optimistic that the speaker would “pull a rabbit out of a hat again.” Negotiators in the room were working to find “a sweet spot” on SALT and things were moving in a positive direction, the Republican said.
Hard-liners are pushing for deeper Medicaid cuts — including moving up the start date of the new federal work requirements embedded in the bill, which currently wouldn’t go into effect until 2029. Moderates are wary of making deeper cuts to Medicaid and are expecting to meet with GOP leaders later Thursday.
“For me, the numbers matter. I don’t want to, you know, get further into debt, and the deficit is important to me,” Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) said. “The numbers don’t add up.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said lawmakers need to factor in Medicaid work requirements and how to ensure states that have not yet expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act aren’t incentivized to expand.
One key hard-right negotiator, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), left the meeting early after again panning the current bill in a morning TV appearance.
— Trump’s birthright order gets frosty reception, but justices appear ready to limit nationwide blocks: President Donald Trump’s executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship found no traction today at the Supreme Court , but the justices sounded inclined to rein in a legal remedy judges have used to halt many of Trump’s early policy moves, from restricting immigration to cutting federal spending to ending anti-diversity initiatives. Three district judges have deployed that tool — known as a nationwide injunction — to block Trump from implementing his birthright citizenship order. None of the justices spoke up in defense of the order’s legality during more than two hours of oral arguments, and several suggested that the order is almost surely unconstitutional.
excerpts:
The court’s liberal justices highlighted what they said were practical problems to limiting nationwide injunctions. Without them, the executive branch might be able to enforce a policy that one court has declared illegal against some people — or in some jurisdictions — but not others.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made that point to Solicitor General John Sauer, who defended Trump’s birthright citizenship order and urged the court to eliminate nationwide injunctions.
“Your argument seems to turn our justice system — in my view at least — into a ‘catch me if you can’ kind of regime, from the standpoint of the executive, where everybody has to have a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order for the government to stop violating people’s rights,” Jackson said. “I don’t understand how that is remotely consistent with the rule of law.”
Sauer repeated a pledge in a court filing that the administration would follow and apply any ruling the Supreme Court ultimately issues about Trump’s birthright citizenship order or on other issues. But it seemed clear that lurking in the background was the perception of many lawyers and judges that the Trump administration is not faithfully abiding by lower court orders — and may not do so in the future.
Near the outset of the arguments Thursday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she believed the Supreme Court had already ruled more than a century ago against the central idea in Trump’s order: Children born to foreigners temporarily in the U.S. aren’t U.S. citizens.
“As far as I see it, this order violates four Supreme Court precedents,” Sotomayor said. “You are claiming that not just the Supreme Court, that both the Supreme Court and no lower court can stop an executive … from violating that holding, those holdings by this court.”
After several justices expressed concern that the legality of Trump’s order could be unresolved for years while the lawsuits over it make their way through the courts, several members suggested that the court dig into the birthright citizenship issue directly, perhaps by taking it up before lower courts have issued final rulings.
‘A Moral, Ethical, Legal, Constitutional Travesty’
— Newark Mayor Ras Baraka headed to trial on trespassing charge after arrest at ICE facility: Ras Baraka, the mayor of New Jersey’s largest city and a Democratic candidate for governor,said a trespassing charge against him was “silly,” “petty” and should be dropped after he appeared in federal court this morning. The charge — which came after he tried to tour a federal immigration detention facility in his city but was arrested by federal agents during a scrum that involved three members of Congress — continues to be higher profile than the typical single misdemeanor case would be. Now it appears headed for trial in mid-July, a month after the gubernatorial primary.
*** FLUNKIE PARKING LOT LAWYER ALINA HABBA KNOWN FOR LOSING LAWSUITS...MUCH BETTER AT CHOPPING VEGETABLES! ANOTHER TRUMP INCOMPETENT!***
excerpts:
The interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, sat in during Baraka’s brief court appearance but did not make public remarks.
Baraka’s defense team is planning to argue about jurisdictional issues and selective prosecution, because Baraka was the only person arrested. He appeared virtually before a federal magistrate judge after his arrest and was released that night, so Thursday was the mayor’s first in-person court appearance.
Trump administration officials have also suggested they are looking into further charges against the members of Congress — Reps. Rob Menendez, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman — who were there to inspect the facility and then got involved in a scrum with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. On Wednesday, Republicans used a congressional hearing with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to urge action against the three New Jersey Democrats.
Both sides have accused each other of assault. The situation was escalated after Baraka was asked to leave a gated area of the facility. He did, then agents came out to arrest him, while members of Congress shielded him. At one point, a federal agent shoved a member of Congress trying to reenter the facility, according to video and two of the members.
Raymond Brown, an attorney for Baraka, referred Thursday to public statements from Trump administration officials who said Baraka “stormed Delaney Hall” and then made references to storming the Bastille and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“That’s storming. It’s a term of art. He didn’t do it,” Brown said.
Baraka said he had to take a mugshot and give his fingerprints again Thursday. He also did that last week at a Homeland Security field office but was told he needed to be processed again. He said those procedures were an attempt to humiliate him.
Habba’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment but during the hearing said they have evidence to support the charge.
***FLORIDA'S JOSEPH LADAPO PROMOTED THE WHACK-A-DING ALIEN SPERM DONOR DOCTOR! LADAPO DOESN'T SEEM TO RELY ON ANY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE!****
Sex with spirits and alien DNA: The controversial views of doctor whose coronavirus theory got Trump Jr suspended from Twitter
— Florida becomes 2nd state to ban fluoride in public water supply: Florida today officially became the second state in the country to ban fluoride from public drinking water , marking a significant win for Medical Freedom groups aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Florida follows Utah, which became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water in March. Libertarian-leaning Medical Freedom groups, which grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, convinced a handful of local boards to stop adding fluoride to drinking water in recent years. But they received a significant boost from Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo after his formal recommendation against adding fluoride to public water supplies in November.
A fresh chapter for Playbook —powered by bold reporting and unrivaled access. Jack Blanchard leads with clear-eyed analysis on Trump’s second term. Dasha Burns brings exclusive White House scoops as one of the most sourced Trump reporters in D.C. Adam Wren writes the with must-read political storytelling every weekend. Sign up now to read what Washington’s power players use to drive their day.
AROUND THE WORLD
Poland's President Andrzej Duda gives a statement to the media in Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 10, 2024. | Czarek Sokolowski/AP
HEADED TO THE POLLS — In Poland’s presidential election Sunday, security looms large, reports The Associated Press. So do questions about the country’s strength as a democracy and its place in the European Union. One of the new president’s most important tasks will be maintaining strong ties with the United States, widely seen as essential to the survival of a country in an increasingly volatile neighborhood.
With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round victory is unlikely. Some have appeared unserious or extreme, with a couple expressing openly pro-Putin or antisemitic views. A televised debate this week dragged on for nearly four hours. There are calls to raise the threshold to qualify for the race.
A runoff on June 1 is widely expected, with polls pointing to a likely showdown between Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw, and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.
The Metropolitan Police announced today that Roman Lavrynovych, a 21-year-old Ukrainian national, had been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life. The fires relate to three separate events on May 11 and May 12: a vehicle fire, a fire at the entrance of a property, and a fire at another residential address.
Lavrynovych, of Sydenham, south east London, was arrested on May 13 and has remained in custody since. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday May 16.
A message from AARP:
Nightly Number
Over $3.5 billion
The amount of money in arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar that Democratic lawmakers are now trying to block following Qatar’s offer to gift a luxury Boeing aircraft to use as Air Force One and the UAE’s move to invest $2 billion in Trump’s cryptocurrency venture.
RADAR SWEEP
OLD STANDBY — Telehealth startups can no longer sell exact copies of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, thanks to regulations from the FDA. So now, in an attempt to offer a cheaper alternative to the drug that’s sweeping the nation, they’re finding success with a medication that’s been on the market since 2010 in the U.S. called liraglutide . The generic version of that drug has been available in the U.S. since last year, and now people searching for a weight loss drug are singing its praises. Liraglutide, though, is less effective than Ozempic, it requires a daily shot rather than weekly and it includes more potential side effects. In the search for a cheaper weight loss drug, people are turning to something less effective that still has huge demand. Kate Knibbs reports for WIRED.
Parting Image
On this date in 1981: Mourners gather at the funeral of Francis Hughes, a member of the Provisional IRA and hunger striker who died in the H Blocks of Maze Prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland. | David Caulkin/AP
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When it comes to Medicare negotiation, Congress faces a clear choice: allow drug companies to keep ripping off Americans, or act now to stand with seniors. Protect Medicare negotiation so America’s seniors can pay fair prices for their prescriptions.
Congress: Stand strong with America’s seniors. Protect Medicare’s power to negotiate and deliver fair prices for lifesaving prescriptions. Learn more.
DENYING HEALTH CARE TO FUND TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY & ENDLESS DEFICITS!
MEDICAID FUNDS SERVICES FOR THE LEAST AMONG US - THE DISABLED, THE POOR....
TRUMP'S WEALTHY TAX CUTS CAUSED THE DEFICITS THAT YOUR GRANDCHILDREN WON'T LIVE TO SEE PAID!
MAGA GOP WILL BANKRUPT THE NATION! STOP THE LIES!
THE MEDICAID DEBATE BEGINS — Congressional Republicans began their sprint Tuesday to pass President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” by Memorial Day. Democrats are making the process as painful as possible.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are more than 17 hours into what could be a record-setting debate over their portion of the GOP’s tax, energy and national security legislation. Democrats have been using the hearing to force a flurry of votes on doomed amendments.
The exercise, says Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who sits on the committee, is putting pressure on vulnerable House Republicans.
Democrats are “building public awareness and we're getting receipts,” Auchincloss told Playbook over the phone between votes Tuesday. “And it matters because, frankly, their proposals have already changed over the last three months as they come under public pressure,” he said.
The proposal the committee is still voting on meets Republicans' goal of finding $880 billion in savings, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. But it would leave around 7.6 million people uninsured and it could create a big hole in state budgets. That’s a potential calamity for Massachusetts.
“There isn't the money at the state level to backfill this,” said Auchincloss, who’s been in touch with Gov. Maura Healey and state House and Senate budget writers on the topic. In an interview on WBUR that aired Tuesday, Healey warned that “people are going to die ,” if cuts come to fruition.
Democrats opened the hearing Tuesday afternoon by spotlighting people from their districts who they said could be impacted by Medicaid cuts in the Republican spending plan. Rep. Lori Trahan, who also sits on the committee, highlighted a Haverhill resident, Philip, who has a disability and uses Medicaid-funded programs to help him build job skills. Auchincloss described a family who relied on personal care attendants paid via Medicaid after the son was paralyzed in an accident and his father suffered a stroke.
Republicans argue the changes would streamline Medicaid and shift the focus to serving the most vulnerable beneficiaries. But Auchincloss says the idea that waste, fraud and abuse is rampant in the federal health program isn’t true.
“It's not that there aren't things that you can do to tighten up the program,” he said. Still: “If Republicans were interested in improving Medicaid, there's a host of bipartisan initiatives they could work on with Democrats – but they're not interested in that.”
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey delivers the open remarks at the ClimaTech 2025 Conference at 10:15 a.m. in Boston. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll moderates a panel on grid resilience at the conference at 11:15 a.m., chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at 12:25 p.m. at the State House and joins a webinar on the state’s new accessory dwelling unit law at 1 p.m. Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at Boston Spirit Magazine’s 17th annual LGBT Executive Networking Night at 7 p.m. in Boston. Sen. Elizabeth Warren hosts a forum at 2:30 p.m. in D.C. as part of her “Save Our Schools” campaign. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference on the city’s bond rating at 10 a.m. downtown, speaks at a reception for people who have opened a new family child care over the past three years through the Office of Early Childhood licensing program at 5:30 p.m. in Bacon Hill and attends the MassDems "Chinatown Banquet Dinner" fundraiser at 6 p.m.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Healey unveils plan to target billions in savings for Mass. energy bills by Sabrina Shankman and Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “In an effort to tackle [electricity and heating] costs, Governor Maura Healey proposed multiple changes and new initiatives for how energy is bought, financed, and billed in Massachusetts, measures that she said would save ratepayers some $10 billion over the next decade. Among the proposals: removing or drastically reducing charges now on utility bills, such as fees to subsidize energy efficiency programs, so that consumers are only charged for the costs of delivering energy to their homes, increasing accountability of utilities, and making it easier to add cutting-edge nuclear energy technologies to the grid.”
— Scheduling underway for meeting with Canadian premiers in Boston by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey’s administration said “nearly all” of the six Canadian premiers invited to Boston to discuss the impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariffs have said they are willing to meet. Healey and five other northeastern governors pitched the Canadian premiers on an in-person gathering as Trump has said he wants to make Canada the 51st state of the United States and has placed tariffs on exports from the country.”
excerpt:
In a statement alongside a letter to the premiers, Healey said Canada is Massachusetts’ top trading partner, including for goods and resources like lumber, energy, dairy, cars and car parts, and seafood.
“Our businesses and our residents all benefit from this relationship,” Healey said. “But President Trump’s tariffs are undermining this partnership, making it harder for businesses to keep their doors open, and increasing the cost of everything that the New England and Canadian people rely on.”
Healey signed onto the letter with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee — all of whom are Democrats. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott was the lone Republican to attach his name to the missive.
An invitation was extended to the premiers of six Canadian provinces — New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Québec.
The governors said they wanted to maintain “open lines of communication and cooperation and identify avenues to overcome the hardship of the uninvited tariffs and help our economies endure.”
“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 amenities,” the governors said. “To that end, we invite you to join us for an in-person convening in Boston, Massachusetts, to be held in the coming weeks. We will be in touch to discuss your availability for this meeting.”
Previous Herald materials were used in this report.
“These people could be their grandmothers or grandparents, brothers, sisters, family members. We really need those funds to keep people at home, to keep them safe, to live at home with dignity instead of going into a nursing home,” she told GBH News.
While many seniors are fighting to stay at home, some are searching for a place to live. State Senator Pat Jehlen noted that the fastest growing group of homeless people are people over 60.
“I know there are people in my district living in the woods, in parking lots,” she said. “We heard testimony from Somerville yesterday that there were over 200 people on the waiting list for senior housing in Somerville. Four got in last year.”
In the coming years, the number of seniors at risk of being homeless will increase significantly, said Rhonda Pieroni, president and CEO of Hearth, Inc. In addition to more affordable housing, Pieroni said the shelter system needs to be more accommodating to seniors and people with disabilities.
“They’re [shelters] not made for older adults,” she said. People who need assistance with “activities of daily living” like bathing, using the bathroom or getting dressed, generally won’t be admitted to a shelter. “There is not the accessibility in the majority of them. So older adults will end up being pushed onto the street.”
Emurriel Holloway, who is 81, came to Boston from Springfield to advocate. She wants more funding for housing, home care and transportation. She doesn’t want seniors to be forgotten in legislation.
“What they [lawmakers] need to know is that seniors are really the backbone of communities. That seniors are very much contributors,” she said.
“Federal cuts to senior nutrition programs, reduction in SNAP benefits, and increasing barriers to access social security assistance are not just policy issues. They are life issues, impacting food security, health, housing stability, and independence,” Crimmins said. “There are a lot of unknowns leaving many older adults anxious and rightly so.”
FROM THE HUB
***SUGGEST REVIEWING HOW RANKED-CHOICE HAS WORKED ELSEWHERE!****
— Boston City Council set to vote on move to ranked-choice voting system for local elections by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The Boston City Council is set to vote Wednesday on a home rule petition that seeks to overhaul the city’s electoral system by replacing the traditional approach of electing city politicians by popular vote with a ranked-choice voting system. The petition, led by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and co-sponsored by fellow progressive Democrat Councilors Julia Mejia and Henry Santana, seeks to change the city’s voting system for municipal elections for mayor and city council.”
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
— Wu administration puts City Hall attorney on leave amid his mayoral run by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “John F. Houton, the assistant corporation counsel who jumped into the mayoral race earlier this month, said his superiors put him on administrative leave on Friday. City officials also told him that they were looking to hire outside counsel to sort out whether it was possible for him to mount a campaign, according to Houton.”
— As Michelle Wu seeks a second term, some fear her commitment to progressive causes has dimmed by Emma Platoff and Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “The Michelle Wu who ran for mayor in 2021 used her platform to call for a municipal Green New Deal and a free T. She had recently advocated for a 10 percent cut to the Police Department budget, and said she would refuse campaign contributions from police officers and police unions. The Wu seeking reelection in 2025 has slammed the brakes on bus and bike lanes and proposed increasing the Police Department budget every year she has been in office. The words ‘Green New Deal’ rarely pass her lips anymore. And she has touted the endorsement of both the city’s biggest police union and District Attorney Kevin Hayden, who just two years ago she snubbed in favor of a more progressive candidate.”
****CARPETBAGGER NEWTON NEBBISH MISTATED THE BIKE LANE STUDY THAT WAS PLANNED PRIOR TO HIS COMMENTS...WHITE STADIUM WAS SUPPORTED BY THE COURT - THOSE INCLUDED IN THE COURT CHALLENGE WERE NOT NEIGHBORS - LISTEN TO COMMENTS ABOUT THE POLLING...CAN'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT RECUSAL BECAUSE HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS! MUST WATCH!****
— Candidate Kraft offers unclear recusal plan when family’s involved in Boston business by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft Tuesday failed to explain how he could recuse himself from conflicts of interest involving the city of Boston and his family’s multi-pronged business if elected, potentially adding to concerns about the financial implications of his bid to lead the city.”
excerpts:
“If you’re mayor right now during this process, how do you recuse yourself?” asked co-host Jim Braude, noting the ongoing Everett Stadium negotiations.
“I recuse myself,” Kraft said.
“What does that mean? Who makes the decision for the city?” Braude interjected.
Kraft also acknowledged that his father has likely helped to raise money for his campaign by asking friends to contribute.
“He’s a dad, right?” said Kraft. “I mean, I’d do that for my kid.”
Kraft received donations from several of the top attorneys for the law firm Paul Weiss shortly after his father arranged a meeting between the Trump administration and the firm.
The firm has recently come under fire for making a deal with the Trump administration in an attempt to quell a potential federal investigation over its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The law firm will provide $40 million in pro bono legal services that are Trump administration priorities under the deal.
Asked by co-host Margery Eagan whether he would return donations from lawyers affiliated with the law firm Paul Weiss, Kraft said “No.”
“That’s unusual that that law firm partners would donate to campaigns,” said Eagan, who later asked again: “So, you’re not going to return the money from the Paul Weiss people?”
“No,” said Kraft.
Kraft reiterated his frequent criticism of how Wu deployed bike lanes in stretches across the city and that he is running to help people in Boston who don’t feel their concerns are heard by the Wu administration.
He will face Wu and other mayoral candidates in a forum organized by a coalition of Democratic ward committees Thursday, May 15.
MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS
****WORCESTER ICE PROTESTS!****
— Protesters at City Hall demand ‘ICE out of Worcester’ as council meeting goes virtual Adam Bass, MassLive: “Outside of Worcester City Hall Tuesday evening, nearly 100 people rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and their recent arrest in Worcester. The protesters gathered on Worcester Common at 5:30 p.m. and called out ICE for its arrest of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three currently being held in a Rhode Island facility, on Eureka Street on May 8.”
RELATED — Trump’s ICE Used a Woman’s Kids and Grandchild as ‘Bait’ To Arrest Her by Asawin Suebsaeng and Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone: “When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira last week in Worcester, Massachusetts, the situation rapidly devolved into chaos and community outrage. Multiple recordings of the incident went viral, but what bystanders did not capture on video was how federal agents were able to draw Ferreira-De Oliveira out in public where they could arrest her in the first place. ICE used Ferreira De Oliveira’s loved ones to lure her out of her home — where agents couldn’t arrest her — and onto Eureka Street, three people with direct knowledge of the matter and another source familiar with the situation tell Rolling Stone.”
ALSO RELATED — Petty: 'Threats of violence' led to decision to close Worcester City Hall by Toni Caushi and Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette: “Mayor Joseph M. Petty says the decision to close City Hall ahead of a May 13 meeting of the City Council followed ‘threats of violence’ against city officials.”
— Two Guatemalan fisheries workers arrested in early-morning operation in New Bedford by Eleonora Bianchi, The New Bedford Light: “Two Guatemalan men — one of whom is waiting for a kidney transplant — never made it to work at a seafood processing plant on Monday. Marvin Yobani Chitic Us, 30, and Justo Rufino Chitic Us, 33, both undocumented immigrants without any criminal history in Massachusetts, were allegedly taken into custody by federal agents before their early-morning shift at Oceans Fleet, where they have worked for years processing scallops. Though they share a surname, they are not related, their families say.
excerpts:
It wasn’t until noon that Marvin’s cousin, Rolando, received a brief call from him. “It was a very quick call,” Rolando said. “He just said that he was in Burlington and detained by immigration agents who presented him with papers that had his name on them. He said he asked the agents to get his medication before being arrested, but the agents didn’t let him.”
Marvin, who has lived in New Bedford for seven years, according to relatives, has been waiting for a kidney transplant for three, said Gerardo. He takes blood pressure medication and other prescriptions during the day and requires dialysis three times a week. “If he doesn’t get dialysis he gets very sick,” Gerardo said.
Gerardo, Isaias and Rolando spoke with The Light, requesting to be identified only by their second names out of fear.
Justo, who went to work with Marvin every morning, has not made contact with his family. His brother, Isaias, said they have received no information about his location or whether he is also in custody. “We don’t even know why they arrested them,” said Gerardo.
According to relatives, Justo has lived and worked in New Bedford for three and a half years. A search by The Light at New Bedford District Court on Tuesday showed no criminal records in Massachusetts for either of the two men.
Both are from Chinique, a municipality in Guatemala’s K’iche’ region, and are known in their community for their steady work and keeping a low profile.
Adrian Ventura, director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, said the organization is monitoring the situation closely and plans to contact the Guatemalan Consulate to inquire about Marvin’s health condition, expressing serious concerns. “What we are denouncing is the violation of human rights — this is an attack on all workers,” Ventura said.
Marvin and Justo are at least the 23rd and 24th individuals confirmed to be arrested in immigration operations in New Bedford since the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, The Light has confirmed.
Those arrested so far have been almost exclusively Guatemalan men. Most of them work in local industries and support families here or back in Guatemala.
Marvin lives in New Bedford with his wife and their 3-month-old daughter. Rolando said he was the one to call her with the news. “She was just desperate,” he said. Gerardo added that the family is stepping in to help. “We will support them with expenses till we find a solution.”
Justo, who supports a wife and a 4-year-old son who are in Guatemala, sends money home every two weeks. “He is a very hard working man,” said Isaias. “He doesn’t drink nor party. He just works hard for his family.”
YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS
***DEMOCRAT HANNAH BOWEN WINS BEVERLY SPECIAL ELECTION!****
BREAKING THE STREAK — Republicans ended their special election winning streak Tuesday night, as Democratic Beverly City Councilor Hannah Bowen cruised to victory in the special election to replace former state Rep. Jerry Parisella . In a statement announcing her victory over Republican Medley Long III , Bowen thanked Beverly and Wenham residents for “entrusting me to represent them on Beacon Hill.”
“At a time when things seem heavy, this campaign reminded me of what is possible when we bring people together,” Bowen said. More from the Salem News.
ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is backing Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan in the race to replace Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan is a “fighter,” Warren said, who is “ready to take on corrupt special interests in order to make life better for working people.”
“She is the partner I need in the Senate to make real progress on the issues that matter to you,” Warren said in a video announcing her endorsement.
Also in the race for the open seat: Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.
***DO YOUR RESEARCH! 2 MAGA GOP LOSERS WHO HAVE FAILED MASSACHUSETTS!
BRIAN SHORTSLEEVE IS AN MBTA LOSER THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD & HE'S BRAGGING ABOUT HIS FAILURES!
IT'S TIME TO STOP REPUBLICAN LIES & GATHER FACTS!****
— Republican candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve raises over $135K in first 24 hours, campaign says by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Brian Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist and former MBTA executive, raised more than $135,000 in the 24 hours since he announced he was running for governor as a Republican Monday morning, his campaign said in a statement to the Herald. Shortsleeve’s haul, which cannot be verified with state campaign finance data until fundraising reports are filed at the end of the month, is more than his Republican primary opponent, Mike Kennealy, raised in the first month of campaigning.”
AMNESIA HASN'T AFFLICTED ALL WHO REMEMBER THE MASSIVE SAFETY ISSUES OF THE MBTA OR THE SLOW ZONES OR THE DEFECTIVE CHINESE CARS OR THE NEW TRACKS THAT WERE DEFECTIVE WHEN THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR LEFT OFFICE...HOW ABOUT THE EXPENSIVE OUT-OF-STATE EXPERTS WHO NEVER VISITED MASSACHUSETTS BUT WERE IN CHARGE OF CONSTRUCTION? BRIAN SHORTSLEEVE IS SO 'COMPETENT' HOW ABOUT THE NO BID BATHROOM?
DON'T RE-WRITE THE HISTORY OF MBTA FAILURES!
One out-of-state MBTA manager fired, four others warned; Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says to expect more changes
Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan slammed Shortsleeve.
“Brian Shortsleeve’s disastrous record as manager of the MBTA and chair of Trump loyalist Ron DeSantis’ campaign will be disqualifying to voters. He was a failure then, and he’d be a failure as governor,” Kerrigan said in a statement to the Herald.
The $2.3 billion project has faced myriad issues, including narrow and defective tracks that MBTA officials knew about as far back as April 2021. The deal with Chinese manufacturer CRRC for new train cars has faced multiple delays and is now worth more than $1 billion.
But Shortsleeve said he is “very proud of what we accomplished” at the MBTA.
***NO SOLUTION FOR THE NATIONWIDE HOUSING CRISIS!****
REPUBLICAN CLOWNS WHINE & COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COST OF SHELTERS, DOES ANY SINGLE REPUBLICAN PROPOSE A SOLUTION? NO!
The state’s emergency shelter system serves both permanent Massachusetts residents and migrant new arrivals.
THE BLOVIATORS IGNORE THIS:
More than 75% of families now seeking shelter are “long-time Massachusetts” residents, according to the Healey administration.
THESE ARE THE LIES THE MASS GOP & AMY CARNEVALE PERPETUATE:
“She has the resources to spend over $1 billion a year to fund the migrant crisis — but can’t backfill $12 million to ensure our children have access to healthy, locally sourced meals?” Carnevale continued.
Homelessness rates jumped by double digits in 2024 as Americans battled to afford housing
excerpt:
Across the U.S., more than 771,800 people lived without housing in 2024, according to a count taken annually on a single night in January. The number for January 2024 is 18.1% higher than in 2023, when officials counted about 650,000 people living in homeless shelters or in parks and on streets. In 2022, the population of people experiencing homelessness was about 580,000.
“Cut the waste, balance the budget, modernize the system: We turned things around,” Shortsleeve says. “Until Governor Healey took it back and broke the budget all over again.”
***MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT passed under GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, promoted by MIKE KENNEALY!***
excerpt:
Shortsleeve said the MBTA housing law, which requires some municipalities to zone at least one district near a transit hub for multi-family housing, is “a classic example of administrative overreach.”
He also recently told the Boston Herald he would call for the repeal of the MBTA Communities Act , a controversial zoning law that some cities and towns are still fighting the state over as the deadline to come into compliance approaches.
Shortsleeve is the second Republican to enter the race, joining Mike Kennealy, another Baker administration alum, who launched his campaign in April.
It’s already looking like it’ll be a bruising primary. Kennealy’s campaign bashed Shortsleeve’s time atop the T in a statement shared with Playbook: “Massachusetts needs a manager to clean up Maura Healey’s mess. When Brian Shortsleeve had his chance to lead, he mismanaged the MBTA and left it in just as big a mess as he found it,” Kennealy’s campaign manager, Ben Hincher, said. “It’s hard to imagine what exactly he’s ‘proud’ of.”
WHILE THE MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFERED THEIR CRITIQUE OF BRIAN "SLOWZONE" SHORTSLEEVE, THERE'S FAR MORE TO BRIAN SHORTSLEEVE'S MASSIVE INCOMPETENCE THAT CAUSED MBTA DISASTERS THAT GOV. MAURA HEALEY WAS FORCED TO ADDRESS!
MASSACHUSETTS TAXPAYERS ARE FUNDING BRIAN "SLOWZONE" SHORTSLEEVE
FAILURES!
IF YOU'RE NOT ANGRY, YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!
DON'T PUT ANOTHER MAGA MASS GOP LOSER IN OFFICE - WE CAN'T AFFORD
THESE INCOMPETENT BOOBS!
"R" VOTERS NEED TO INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE RECORD
OF THESE MAGA MASS GOP MISFITS!
MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS
— Another departure from the beleaguered cannabis commission by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “Just as the state's cannabis commission seemed to be emerging from months of turmoil, the unexpected resignation of one of its members this week threw it back into uncertainty. Commissioner Nurys Camargo announced Monday that she had ‘made the decision to complete my service and step down.’ Her term had been set to end Sept. 1. That means the five-member commission will soon be down to just three, because its chair was fired eight months ago and the seat remains vacant. All matters before the commission need three votes to pass, meaning any decision going forward would have to be unanimous.”
— Methuen councilor calls out 'culture of disrespect' by Teddy Tauscher, The Eagle-Tribune: “A frustrated resident who attended last week’s City Council meeting to speak about an issue with a neighbor and a lack of action from the city has raised concerns among city councilors. On May 5, Zenzo Matoga told the council that a city employee in the Inspections Department declined to intervene in a disagreement with his neighbors over their flood lights, which he said are causing his family to struggle with the glare.”
“We need to be as prepared as we can be for this event, but also taking account what is already a jam-packed calendar between June and July,” Department of Art, Culture and Tourism director Joe Wilson Jr. said last week.
The international soccer tournament will be played in 16 host cities, including Boston. Seven games will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro from June 13 to July 9 and include a quarterfinal matchup. At the same time, Providence will also be hosting events related to the Semiquincentennial, plus Pride, Juneteeth, the Day of Portugal Festival and Puerto Rican Bay Fest.
“Our cultural festivals cannot come at the expense of a lack of capacity at that time,” Wilson said.
In last Thursday’s meeting of Providence City Council’s Committee on Finance, where the ACT department’s proposed budget was under review, Wilson told Councilwoman Sue AnderBois that the department was working closely with the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) in anticipation of an influx of visitors.
Separately, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) is beginning to meet on a monthly basis in preparation for the matches.
Wilson said in addition to planning for an enjoyable visitor experience, the city needs to be prepared for potential quality of life issues related to transportation, parking and more.
“I’m from New Orleans,” Wilson said. “When we had the Super Bowl, we’re not out in the French Quarter. We stay home. There could be a very similar effect here.”
Wilson also expressed concerns with how much guidance the state and city has received from FIFA.
“FIFA’s a mess,” Wilson told the committee. “We’re getting some information as Boston is trying to get their situation together, as far as their activation. We as a city… we’re kind of herding cats.”
Mayor Brett Smiley said in a statement to Target 12 that it is “critical” that all levels of city government play a role in preparing for the event “to help ensure that these games are safe and welcoming.”
“Here in Providence, we are collaborating with state partners and working across multiple city departments so we’re prepared to welcome this exciting event to the region and show visitors from across the globe what Providence has to offer,” Smiley said.
PEMA has already presented its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1, and asked for $250,000 in discretionary funding to earmark for public safety related costs due to the World Cup.
“There’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty right now in the planning and preparation for this,” PEMA Director Clara Decerbo said in a finance committee meeting last month. “One thing we know for sure is we’re going to have to be taking steps in this next fiscal year in preparation because games start on June 11.”
HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Natalie Milewski, previously an account executive at Elevate Communications, has joined Prosek Partners.
SPOTTED — NCAA president and former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Capitol Hill to talk Name, Image and Likeness legislation with D.C. lawmakers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Pam Wilmot, Lucy Martirosyan, Samuel Greer, Jeffrey Barrett, Alycia DiTroia, Sophia Nigro and Kylie Harrigan. Happy belated to Mary Garrity and Taylor Sprague, who celebrated Tuesday.
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