POLITICO Nightly: Forget last night — the next Republican debate is the one to watch

 

BY MIA MCCARTHY Republican presidential candidates (L-R): former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate in Miami, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images DECEMBER DEBATE DEETS — With the third GOP presidential debate in the rear-view mirror, it’s not too soon to begin thinking about the next debate scheduled for Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Why? Because it could mark a significant departure from what we’ve seen so far. From the moderators to the calendar timing to the qualifications, the next debate stands apart — and it could shape the primary in dramatic ways. The Republican National Committee has announced the event will take place at the University of Alabama — one of the more conservative college campuses in the nation. It’s familiar terrain for frontrunner Donald Trump, who attended a Crimson Tide football game in 2019, but the former president won’t be on the stage. He’s ditched every debate to date; his campaign manager said Wednesday he doesn’t plan to make the next one either . While it seems certain that Trump will be elsewhere, engaged in counterprogramming designed to diminish his rivals and distract attention from the debate, the rest of the December debate roster remains unclear. RNC qualification rules whittled Wednesday’s debate down to five candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — making for a tidier, nastier and, oddly enough, more substantive discussion. The Tuscaloosa debate could be even smaller as a result of the higher polling and donor thresholds necessary to qualify . Candidates will need 6% from either two national polls or one national poll and two early state polls to make the stage, as opposed to the 4% required for the November debate. DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy are hitting those percentages, but the remaining candidates are falling short. Scott narrowly made the cut last night, raising questions about whether he’ll squeeze through in December. Christie is hovering right below that 6% mark. In the event they fail to make the stage, viewers could be treated to the spectacle of a three-way, scorpions-in-a-bottle fight between DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy. It’s a far cry from the 2016 GOP primary, when nine candidates qualified for the final debate of 2015. Ramaswamy will be unlikely to spring an ambush on the media moderators as he did in Wednesday’s debate, when he used NBC News and moderator Kristen Welker as foils to make a point about the “corrupt media establishment.” In December, the RNC is partnering with the right-leaning NewsNation cable news station, SiriusXM, the Washington Free Beacon and the video-sharing platform Rumble, all of which are in better standing with GOP voters than NBC. Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly — who famously clashed with Trump in a 2015 debate — NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas and the Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson will serve as the moderators for December’s debate, which will broadcast on NewsNation and live stream on Rumble, which has drawn scrutiny for allowing far-right extremist content and election disinformation . For all the changes, it is the precise timing of the December debate that holds the most significance. The debate will take place with Iowa finally on the near horizon, roughly six weeks before the first votes are cast. It’s the final campaign window before the early states go to the polls, and could offer the last opportunity for struggling candidates to make a mark — or gang up on a rival. Likewise, a weak performance might spell the end, depriving a campaign of oxygen in a contest where many Republicans are already pressing for a consolidation of the GOP field. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at mmcarthy@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Reporter_Mia .   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE .     WHAT'D I MISS? — Joe Manchin won’t seek reelection in 2024, dealing blow to Dems’ Senate map: Joe Manchin will not seek reelection to the Senate , a move that essentially cedes his seat to the GOP in deep-red West Virginia and removes one of Congress’ most prominent centrist voices in either party. The Mountain State Democrat won his seat in 2010 and hung on since then thanks to a moderate brand that’s given him one of his party’s most conservative records. As he prepared to face popular West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) in a potential Senate race next fall, however, the incumbent senator decided to pack it in after reaching the peak of his influence over the last three years. — Harvard president condemns pro-Palestinian slogan: The president of Harvard University today condemned the use of the pro-Palestinian slogan “from the river to the sea” and what she called “similarly hurtful phrases” in an email to the university community. “Our community must understand that phrases such as ‘from the river to the sea’ bear specific historical meanings that to a great many people imply the eradication of Jews from Israel and engender both pain and existential fears within our Jewish community,” wrote Claudine Gay, who has served in the role since earlier this year. — Nancy Pelosi’s husband to take the stand in attacker’s trial: The 83-year-old husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have to recount the night he was struck in the head with a hammer by a conspiracy-obsessed attacker in the couple’s home last year. Paul Pelosi will testify in the federal trial against David DePape, the defense revealed today as both sides laid out their arguments in a case of political violence that stunned the nation. DePape, a Canadian citizen with an online history that suggested a fascination with the QAnon conspiracy and support for former President Donald Trump, is charged with assault and kidnapping in the October 2022 attack at the couple’s hilltop home in San Francisco. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 UNADULTERATED LOATHING — It’s swiftly emerging as the most gripping storyline of the GOP presidential primary, even if it doesn’t directly affect the outcome: the acidic hatred between former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, writes POLITICO. The impossible-to-overlook, mutual disdain spilled into open view on Wednesday night in Miami, turning an otherwise substantive debate into political bloodsport. There was no artifice to it, no phony attempts to feign collegiality. Just pure, unadulterated loathing. The rivalry is both deeply personal and political, which is why it makes for such compelling viewing. There are unmistakable generational and gender components, but the contempt also features an ideological and a tactical dimension. And it reveals as much about Republican Party fault lines as it does about the two candidates themselves . SHE’S RUNNING — Jill Stein, who ran unsuccessfully for president on the Green Party ticket in 2012 and 2016, will run again in 2024, she announced today — adding yet another name to the field even as the two major parties appear almost certain to nominate the same two candidates who ran in 2020, reports the New York Times. “Democrats have betrayed their promises for working people, youth and the climate again and again, while Republicans don’t even make such promises in the first place,” she said in a video announcing her candidacy, and accused both parties of being “a danger to our democracy.” That institutional backing would spare her some of the challenges in gaining ballot access that will be faced by two prominent independent candidates in the race: the progressive activist and professor Cornel West and the anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who left the Democratic primary last month. ‘GET IN THE GAME’ — After seven months of hosting Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds said it “feels good to get in the game” with her endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, reports the Associated Press. But the popular Iowa governor declined to say whether other candidates should concede and throw their support behind him as well , even as she acknowledged that a wider field could advantage former President Donald Trump. In making the endorsement earlier this week, Reynolds broke with a longstanding tradition of Iowa governors staying neutral in their party’s presidential contests, the first in the GOP nomination calendar. STRONG SUPPORT — Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill and in the Biden administration are rallying around the president for his support of Israel , amid protests and criticism from the party’s left wing, reports Axios. The protests have highlighted divisions among Democrats but also have prompted an outpouring of support for the president from Jewish politicians and leaders across the country. Biden administration officials — including several who are Jewish — told Axios that the president’s solidarity with Israel since the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas has been among their proudest moments in the administration. The same officials are angry with some of the rhetoric among progressives — including a State Department employee who accused the president of helping Israel commit “genocide” against Palestinians as it retaliates against Hamas in Gaza. AROUND THE WORLD Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel today. | Leo Correa/AP QUICK PAUSE — After days of talks with top Biden administration officials, Israel will begin to implement short humanitarian “pauses” in the fighting in northern Gaza each day, the White House announced. Starting today, the four-hour “pauses” in operations in Gaza will allow humanitarian aid to flow into the area and civilians to get out of harm’s way, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. The news comes after top administration officials, including President Joe Biden himself, ramped up efforts to pressure their Israeli counterparts to pause the fighting for humanitarian purposes. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have also spoken with their counterparts about the issue, Kirby said. The announcement is a “direct result” of President Joe Biden’s “personal leadership and diplomacy,” Kirby said. However, the agreement falls far short of the White House’s goals. Speaking to reporters today, President Joe Biden said he had asked for a pause “longer than three days” to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Biden also expressed some frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting. “It’s taken a little longer than I hoped,” he told reporters.   GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE .     NIGHTLY NUMBER 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit The amount that global temperatures hovered above pre-industrial levels between November 2022 and October 2023, good for the hottest 12-month span in recorded history according to research released today by the climate science and communication nonprofit Climate Central. RADAR SWEEP TREE HUGGERS UNITE — When a lone gunman kills in the name of a broader environmental movement, how does the movement respond? It’s a question that’s dogged environmentalists , who span from more staid, policy-oriented thinkers to “eco-terrorists” who try to shut down pipelines and stop deforestation by legal or illegal means. And while American environmentalism began as an elite project in the 1960s and 70s with organizations like the Sierra Club, it’s much more diffuse now. How can the environmental movement find the same page, and what does it mean to be an “eco-terrorist”? Gaby del Valle reports for The Drift. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1989: The Berlin Wall falls and borders open between East and West Berlin. Pictured are East and West Berliners celebrating in front of a control station on East Berlin territory. | Jockel Finck/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The elephant not in the debate room

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY REPUBLICAN RUMBLE — Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty can’t win the GOP primary for governor with Charlie Baker, but they also can’t win a general election without him. That’s one takeaway from the first — and potentially only — Republican primary debate, held last night on Howie Carr’s radio show . Baker’s name got nary a mention at the MassGOP convention in May, a testament to how far the party’s base has moved away from the moderate Republican — or, as some GOP activists feel, the governor has moved away from them. But he came up repeatedly during last night’s showdown. That included some jabs: Both candidates dragged the outgoing governor over his vaccine mandate for state workers and pledged to rehire those who were fired. Diehl knocked Baker’s support for the now-moribund Transportation and Climate Initiative. Yet there was also a surprising level of deference to the party’s top elected official by Diehl, who’s been endorsed by Baker nemesis former President Donald Trump, and Doughty, who’s distanced himself from Baker as he works to thread the needle between conservative activists and more moderate Republicans and independents who can pull ballots to vote in the GOP primary. Asked whether they aspired to be a leader in the style of Baker or Trump, the candidates drew on elements of both instead of taking a hard right turn away from Baker. Diehl talked of supporting Baker in all three of his runs for governor because he “talked about being in the weeds and trying to make sure government was more efficient. … I wanted that, but also with a strong hand, which I thought President Trump had.” Doughty lauded how Baker “held the line on taxes” while also likening his own business background to Trump’s. It’s an acknowledgment that Baker remains exceedingly popular in the Bay State, even if he’s no longer embraced by some in his party’s base. While hewing too closely to Baker could spell trouble in the Republican primary, the GOP nominee will need to marshal the same coalition of independents and more moderate Democrats that backed Baker if they want to keep the corner office come November. Massachusetts GOP gubernatorial rivals Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty face off in a debate on Howie Carr's radio show sponsored by Mass Fiscal. | POLITICO screenshot GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Rep. Stephen Lynch is endorsing Andrea Campbell for attorney general. “Massachusetts needs someone who is not afraid to tackle some very challenging situations and who is committed to enforcing the law to keep our families safe, with an approach that is both firm but fair. And I truly believe we have that person in Andrea Campbell,” Lynch said in a statement shared first with Playbook. Lynch is the latest delegation member to endorse Campbell, following Sen. Ed Markey and Reps. Katherine Clark, Ayanna Pressley and Jake Auchincloss. The South Boston congressman has also endorsed Kevin Hayden for a full term in the contentious Suffolk district attorney race. But Campbell’s campaign said that doesn’t mean the two candidates’ views on law enforcement align, telling Playbook “Andrea has been a leader in her own right on criminal justice reform.” TODAY — Baker is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 12:30 p.m. and joins state and local officials for the opening of a driver recruitment and training center in Lawrence at 2:30 p.m. Diehl hosts a media availability at his Plymouth campaign office at 10 a.m. AG Maura Healey campaigns in the Berkshires with state Sen. Adam Hinds and local officials. Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .   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 .     BIDEN TIME President Joe Biden speaks about climate change and clean energy at Brayton Power Station in Somerset, Mass., yesterday. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo DATELINE, SOMERSET — President Joe Biden took the first steps in trying to salvage his climate agenda on Wednesday, announcing a series of modest actions that fell short of climate activists’ and Democrats’ demands. Biden couldn’t have asked for a better setting to declare climate change an “existential threat to our nation and to the world.” He delivered his 18-minute speech from a small stage atop a pile of dirt and rubble near a former coal power plant being retooled for offshore wind manufacturing. Both the president and his audience were sweating profusely under an unrelentingly hot sun. Biden said his administration will clear the way for new offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, spend $2.3 billion to bolster communities’ defenses against climate change and make it easier for low-income households to purchase efficient air conditioners to combat searing heat. But the fact that he stopped short of declaring a climate emergency left Democrats, environmental groups and some in his own party wanting, even as they cheered the president’s pledge to issue “appropriate proclamations [and] executive orders” in the “coming weeks.” “As we face congressional obstruction on climate and clean energy, we need immediate executive action to take serious and significant steps to save our planet from this five-alarm climate fire. President Biden made his commitment to this clear today in Somerset,” Sen. Ed Markey said in a statement to Playbook. “I look forward to seeing the Biden administration mobilize every possible tool and resource to launch a response on all fronts — manufacturing, resiliency, clean procurement, job training, and regulatory action on pollution and leasing.” Biden may not have delivered everything on the climate wish list, but his Bay State visit did prompt House and Senate negotiators to finally reach an agreement on their chambers’ climate bills . The compromise , which could come up for votes as soon as today, “aims to ramp up clean power, especially offshore wind but also solar, storage and networked geothermal, and run it through cars, trucks, buses, and buildings, the biggest sources of emissions in the state,” lead negotiators state Rep. Jeff Roy and state Sen. Mike Barrett said in a joint statement. “We thank President Biden for issuing a call to action to the entire country today,” they continued. “Massachusetts legislators hear him, and we’re going all out.” — “Biden praises Somerset's role in growth of renewable energy, touts jobs,” by Audrey Cooney, Herald News. —  ”Love him or hate him, locals made most of a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to see Biden,” by Greg Sullivan, Herald News.  — “How do you pronounce Rep. Jake Auchincloss' last name? Biden flubbed it,” by Caitlyn Kelleher, Herald News. DATELINE BEACON HILL — “State House staffers have to wait months for health insurance to kick in. Their bosses nixed part of a bill to give them coverage on day one,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “The day state senators and representatives are sworn into office, they are covered by Massachusetts’ employee health insurance. But legislative staff — the chiefs of staff, legislative aides, policy directors, and others who play a large role in crafting laws — are subject to a minimum 60-day new hire waiting period before coverage is effective. A Senate-backed proposal to immediately cover staffers was included in the chamber’s state budget bill but was killed in negotiations with the House, to the chagrin of staffers who had hoped their concerns about the gap in coverage would be addressed this year. ... Now, Senate President Karen E. Spilka said she will be calling on state insurance administrators to ‘figure out a way’ to make health insurance available for legislative staff on their first day of work after the Legislature unanimously voted to pass a budget that didn’t include a provision to do so.” — “The search for the next higher education commissioner in Massachusetts led one search firm to reach out to thousands of potential candidates,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “A search firm seeking the next Massachusetts higher education commissioner has been in touch with thousands of potential candidates days ahead of a ‘soft’ deadline for applications to the position, the head of a search firm told an advisory council Monday afternoon." — “State delays bonds to keep jobless fund solvent,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Massachusetts is delaying plans to borrow more money to help replenish a state fund that pays out unemployment benefits. … Sales of the municipal bonds were expected to get underway on Wednesday, but the state Treasury abruptly pulled the plug on the process citing disagreement between the House and Senate over funding in an economic development bill to offset the trust fund debt.” VAX-ACHUSETTS — “BA.5 variant will keep Massachusetts at a COVID-19 plateau through the summer, experts predict,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “Experts disagree on whether BA.5 is more contagious or troublesome than previous subvariants of Omicron. But they’re unified in predicting there will be no summer lull.” FROM THE HUB — “How Mayor Wu chose Boston’s new police commissioner,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “It’s been one week since Boston Mayor Michelle Wu named Michael Cox the new police commissioner. The process, from the time of Wu’s announcement of a search committee to her announcement of Cox, took about seven months and was highly confidential. Even though the process involved more steps and communication than other police commissioner selections the city has seen in recent years, a few have acknowledged it was not as transparent as it could’ve been.” — "Three top staffers set to depart BPDA, adding to dozens of agency openings," by Catherine Carlock, Boston Globe: "Three of the most senior remaining staffers at the Boston Planning and Development Agency are departing by summer’s end, the latest in a rolling wave of exits that have many in Boston’s real estate world worried that the agency that oversees big development in Boston has become woefully understaffed."   INTRODUCING 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 .     YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: United Steelworkers District 4 has endorsed Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll for lieutenant governor. — Former MA-03 congressional hopeful Natalia Linos is endorsing former Brookline Select Board Vice Chair Raul Fernandez for 15th Norfolk state representative. — GETTING IN: Newburyport resident Dawne Shand is running as a write-in candidate on the Democratic primary ballot for the First Essex District state House seat vacated by GOP state Rep. Jim Kelcourse. Shand has taken a leave of absence as board president of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus to campaign for the seat with a focus on climate, equitable economic growth and education funding, she shared first with Playbook. — “A super PAC for . . . Mass. lieutenant governor??? Strange but true, despite the position having little power,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “A super PAC created to back Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll’s bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor is wading into the little-watched race for Massachusetts government’s No. 2 role, including with the expected help of a Boston real estate investor and regular GOP donor. Organizers of the so-called Leadership for Mass Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee filed paperwork Wednesday with state campaign finance regulators. … [state Sen. Eric] Lesser and [state Rep. Tami] Gouveia both criticized the specter of the super PAC influencing the race and keyed in on the potential involvement of [Christopher] Collins and his past donations to Republicans.” — GOP DEBATE RECAP: “Diehl, Doughty face off in first — and maybe last — GOP gubernatorial debate,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “The two Republican candidates for governor faced off Wednesday in a pointed debate, with Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty pitching himself as well-suited to juice Massachusetts’ economy and former Whitman state lawmaker Geoff Diehl presenting himself as a proven conservative who will fight and win culture-war battles. The hourlong radio forum featured several sharp exchanges. Diehl, a conservative backed by former president Donald Trump, framed Doughty, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, as insufficiently loyal to the Republican Party. Doughty framed Diehl as a sure loser in the general election who is ‘running an Alabama campaign in Massachusetts.’” DATELINE D.C. — “Marty Walsh shares Labor office staff salaries; John Kerry does the opposite,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: “[Labor Secretary] Walsh, the former mayor of Boston, is the top earner in his office at $203,100 with others coming in at $183,100 and under. Walsh did bring a few locals down with him — and each is making six figures, according to the documents.” FROM THE 413 — “A Pittsfield woman's death at the Chicopee regional jail becomes campaign issue in sheriff's race,” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: “A Berkshire County woman who was being held at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center died of what officials term natural causes while in custody this month. A challenger for the office of sheriff believes the system failed her.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Homeschooling gains remain even as pandemic wanes,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Only this month did DESE release updated data on the numbers of homeschoolers and students in private and parochial schools. That data showed that private and parochial school attendance, which had been declining for years pre-pandemic, increased slightly this year to 69,300 students in 2021-2022, compared to 67,900 last year, and 70,100 at the start of the last normal pre-pandemic year. Homeschooling, where the numbers were consistently around 7,500 pre-pandemic, continues to boom.” — “Worcester City Council votes to support abortion rights, draft ordinance that would regulate crisis pregnancy centers,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Worcester city councilors narrowly voted to investigate regulating crisis pregnancy centers that steer women away from abortion and to stand in support of full abortion rights following a lengthy discussion." — “Worcester takes next step toward policy to increase affordable housing,” by Sam Turken, GBH News: “Worcester is moving ahead with plans to mandate that a minimum percentage of new housing units within private development projects be affordable for low- and moderate-income households.” — “Alan Dershowitz’s Martha’s Vineyard Cancellation,” by Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker: “Dershowitz has lately been going on television and Twitter to discuss cancel culture, specifically how he has been shunned on Martha’s Vineyard, his longtime summer getaway. He even released the text of what he said was an e-mail from someone who had been beaten up on the beach for reading one of his books.” — “Free $50 for college going unclaimed in poorer communities,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “In the tony Boston suburb of Newton, with some of the best schools and highest high school graduation rates in the state, more than a quarter of the babies born the last two years already have college savings accounts in their names, seeded with $50 in public money from a program run by state Treasurer Deb Goldberg. In Lawrence, a poor city that is heavily Latino and immigrant, where students are far less likely to graduate from high school, fewer than 1 percent of babies born since 2020 have those savings accounts.” — THE BRITISH ARE COMING: “Prince William and Kate Middleton Are Coming to Boston,” by Marc Fortier, NBC10 Boston. — “In Harvard study of Jan. 6 rioters, top motivation is clear: Trump,” by Ben Collins, Ryan J. Reilly and Jacob Ward, NBC News. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — among the roughly 500 people at the Communities of Color debates for Suffolk County sheriff, district attorney and Second Suffolk state senator at Hibernian Hall last night: COC’s Darryl Smith and Joe Feaster, WCVB’s Karen Holmes Ward, Boston City Councilors Tania Fernandes Anderson, Julia Mejia, Frank Baker, Ricardo Arroyo and Ruthzee Louijeune, Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, Sheriff Steve Tompkins, Sandy Zamor Calixte, former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, Kristen Halbert, and state Reps. Russell Holmes, Jon Santiago, Chynah Tyler, Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda. More from the debates in tomorrow’s Playbook. ALSO SPOTTED — at President Joe Biden's climate speech in Somerset: Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating, state Senate President Karen Spilka, state House Speaker Ron Mariano, national climate advisor Gina McCarthy and special climate envoy John Kerry. ICYMI — WBUR anchor Jack Lepiarz cracking the whip on Simon Cowell on "America's Got Talent." TRANSITIONS — Jordan Maynard has been appointed to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to NBC 10 Boston digital producer Mary Markos, Dracut state Rep. Colleen Garry, former MassDems chair Phil Johnston, Sara Seager and Rachel Nieves. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: UNSAFE HARBORS — Axios Boston's Mike Deehan breaks down the state budget for hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela. The Boston Globe's Catherine Carlock dives into the recent ruling on Boston's municipal harbor plan. 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   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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