GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: KENNEDY KNOCKS 'STATUS QUO' IN NEW AD — Rep. Joe Kennedy III is rolling out a new television ad this morning as part of his Democratic primary battle against Sen. Ed Markey. The 30-second spot is titled "Build Something Better." The ad drops a day after State House News reported a new environmental super PAC said it would spend $900,000 on television and digital ads supporting Markey.
In the new TV ad, Kennedy calls on voters to “reject the policies of the past” and says “it’s time for change.” The ad is a contrast to the new pro-Markey ad released Wednesday by Unite for Massachusetts, which focuses on Markey’s past advocacy on climate change, the opioid epidemic and the pandemic before they became major issues.
"We like to think of ourselves as part of the most powerful nation in the world. The most powerful nation on earth, turns out, has left so many behind," Kennedy says in the commercial. "If you think this is as good as we can possibly be, then great, vote for the status quo."
"But if you believe that we actually can do better, this has to be the moment where we finally reject the policies of the past and we build something better, something stronger, for the future," Kennedy continues. Kennedy has spent $2.4 million on television ads so far this cycle and just began a statewide tour to promote his new jobs plan. The ad.
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TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at the Massachusetts High Technology Council’s annual meeting. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks to the New England Council. Sen. Ed Markey participates in the Citizens Inn Summer School Lunch Program and packs meals at Haven for Hunger in Peabody. Rep. Joe Kennedy III continues his “Jobs and Justice Tour” with stops in Leominster, Northfield, Charlemont, North Adams, Pittsfield and Springfield.
 | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
— “Massachusetts reports 30 new coronavirus deaths, 162 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday as US cases top 3 million,” by Noah R. Bombard, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts reported 30 new coronavirus deaths and 162 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. In addition, the state reported another 102 probable cases of the virus. Probable cases are those where patients had a positive antibody test and either COVID-like symptoms or were likely exposed to COVID-19.”
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| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
— “House wants more transparency in foster care system,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “A bill that the Massachusetts House is set to vote on Thursday would bring more transparency to the state’s troubled foster care system — but would not bring in the independent oversight that some advocates have been clamoring for.”
— “Senators push police reform bill,” by Michael Connors, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Senators on Beacon Hill are expected to vote on a sprawling police reform bill Thursday and some local lawmakers are pushing for its quick passage. The bill, S.2800, was unveiled earlier this week and, among other initiatives, would create a process for the certification and decertification of police officers in the state.”
— “Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announces free testing initiative in 8 cities with higher COVID-19 rates, lower testing levels,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “As local health officials raise the alarm about pockets of the state with higher coronavirus infection rates and lower testing levels, the Baker administration announced an initiative to provide free COVID-19 testing in eight communities in Massachusetts.”
— “Charlie Baker calls Donald Trump out on ‘inappropriate’ threat to cut school funding,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker clapped back at President Trump, calling his threat to cut funding from school districts that don’t reopen this fall ‘inappropriate.’ Speaking from the State House on Wednesday, Baker said he ‘would like to see kids return to school’ and said his administration has been working with colleagues in health care, pediatric and education communities to make that happen.”
— “Baker has mastered art of biting his tongue,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker demonstrated his skill at biting his tongue on Wednesday. At a State House press conference, Baker found a way to disagree in a fairly agreeable way with recent decisions by President Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills. Mills recently lifted a 14-day quarantine period for travelers coming from several nearby northeast states, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut — but not Massachusetts.”
| FROM THE HUB |
— “They’ve been granted parole. So why can it take years for them to get out of prison?” by Jenifer B. McKim, Boston Globe Magazine: “Nearly 10 years ago, Wilfred Dacier was told he would be a free man. But for Dacier, now 63, his view continued to be a little corner of the town of Gardner that changed only with the seasons. The positive vote he received from the Massachusetts Parole Board in 2010 did not result in his release from the North Central Correctional Institution. That’s nominally because Dacier has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and the parole board made his release conditional upon him moving to a secure facility run by the state Department of Mental Health, which repeatedly declined to give him housing. But Dacier’s incarceration for nearly a decade after being granted parole offers us Exhibit A of why many say the Massachusetts Parole Board is ripe for reform.”
— “'People Are Done With Talk': Activists confront Walsh about racism in Boston during online forum,” by Isaiah Thompson, WGBH News: “Leaders from Boston’s Black communities leveled on Wednesday sharp critiques of Mayor Marty Walsh's record on racism, leaving the mayor to defend his administration's response to calls for racial justice and equity in the wake of George Floyd's murder.”
— “Boston’s police review board was primed to push for reforms. Years later, its impact is negligible,” by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: “Four years ago, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh called on a little-known civilian oversight board to explore new ways to keep tabs on the city’s police force, monitor misconduct, and recommend policy reforms. In the wake of outrage over an unjust police killing in Ferguson, Mo., the Community Ombudsman Opportunity Panel noted the importance of its mission in its own blueprint for reform: ‘The city of Boston is not immune to the long-simmering frustration and mistrust of police.’”
— “While Black Lives Matter rises, gang gunfire keeps claiming more lives,” by Michael Jonas CommonWealth Magazine: “It’s become the untenable backdrop to a national movement demanding a reckoning with systematic racism and centuries of sanctioned brutality against black Americans: While thousands have taken to the streets to protest police brutality and a host of racial wrongs, gunfire has exploded in American cities, claiming black lives at an astonishing pace.”
— “Despite the stumbles, Paycheck Protection Program has done its job,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: “Ever since the federal government began lending billions of dollars to small businesses pounded by the coronavirus pandemic, attention has focused on the program’s flaws: loose restrictions, technical glitches, and abuse by bigger companies and wealthy people who shamelessly exploited loopholes to qualify.”
— “When it comes to police OT and union contracts, Boston councilors want to see meaningful change,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Boston city councilors Wednesday said they want to see structural changes at the Police Department that reduce its budget, and meaningful reform in the various police union contracts. ‘I think we can make real changes here,’ said Councilor Andrea Campbell during Wednesday’s council meeting, which was conducted virtually.”
— “Tom Brady’s TB12 company got at least $350,000, up to $1 million in Payroll Protection Program money,” by Chris Mason, MassLive.com: “Tom Brady’s TB12 company was among those awarded money from the Payroll Protection Program designed to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the Treasury Department listed the names of companies that had been given PPP loans, and TB12 got between $350,000 and $1 million. The low-interest loan awarded to Brady is eligible to be forgiven completely if his company avoids laying employees off and other stipulations are met.”
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
— “Ilhan Omar wants to build progressive power. She’s starting with this Muslim candidate.” by Tara Golshan and Rowaida Abdelaziz, HuffPost: “In the final months of the 2020 election cycle, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is exercising her influence as a national progressive leader, endorsing Ihssane Leckey, a former Wall Street regulator and an immigrant Muslim woman. Leckey — running on a platform backing the Green New Deal, ‘Medicare for All,’ and canceling student debt in a packed, nearly all-white field of candidates to take over Rep. Joe Kennedy’s Massachusetts House seat — is the kind of candidate lawmakers like Omar want as an ally in the halls of Congress.”
— “Fourth congressional district campaign notebook,” by George W. Rhodes, Sun Chronicle: “A commercial for Jake Auchincloss, a Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat hit TV screens Tuesday morning in the Providence media market. It’s called ‘A Marine’s Pledge.’”
| PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
— “Markey, Pressley tout transit bill in Mattapan,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “U.S. Sen. Ed Markey is pushing for free buses and trains — though, in a refrain familiar to MBTA riders, it’s probably not getting rolling anywhere quite yet, he acknowledged. Markey, who continues a tough Senate re-election campaign, appeared with U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley in Mattapan to tout the Freedom to Move Act legislation the pair partnered to introduce last month.”
| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
— “Kennedy rolls out plan to get Americans back to work amid coronavirus,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III is rolling out a coronavirus-era New Deal that would put Americans back to work in jobs to help the country recover from the pandemic while also boosting economic opportunities in Black and brown communities. The Kennedy Justice and Jobs Initiative the U.S. Senate hopeful introduced Wednesday would place millions of unemployed Americans into jobs related to health care, food distribution and manufacturing.”
| DAY IN COURT |
— “Other DAs undermine Rachael Rollins, and the will of the voters who elected her," by Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe: “There have been indications for a while now that some Massachusetts district attorneys do not like the way Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins does her job. Now they are trying to bully her. As for Rollins — let’s just say she’s not taking it.”
— “Judge denies request to expedite lawsuit over Worcester police records,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “A judge has denied a motion the Telegram & Gazette filed last month requesting an expedited resolution to a lawsuit it filed in 2018 seeking access to police disciplinary records. Worcester Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Wrenn denied the motion Monday without allowing a hearing the newspaper had requested, records show.”
— “Harvard, MIT sue to block new international student policy,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit attempting to block the Trump administration’s new policy ordering international students to leave the country if their college or university is offering online-only classes in the fall.”
| WARREN REPORT |
— “Elizabeth Warren tiptoes into Markey-Kennedy primary fight,” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “She’s the biggest name in Massachusetts politics, and one of the luminaries of the left, but so far Senator Elizabeth Warren hasn’t spent much of her considerable star power on her home state’s highest-profile 2020 contest — even though she has technically picked sides.”
| FROM THE DELEGATION |
— “Trahan joins Black Caucus leader for broadcast on race,” by Meg McIntyre, The Lowell Sun: “In a Facebook Live broadcast Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan spoke with U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, about policing and criminal justice reform in America. The virtual discussion was the first in a series of events Trahan plans to host on Facebook Live called ‘Being the Change,’ where she will speak with leaders who are fighting racial injustice.”
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
— Herald: “CONQUERING COVID,” — Globe: “Trump doubles down on reopening schools," "State reduces ambitious plan to trace virus contacts," "3 MILLION CASES, and no end in sight.”
| FROM THE 413 |
— “Federal study shows Springfield Police Narcotics Bureau engages in ‘excessive use of force,’” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “The U.S. Justice Department, investigating multiple accusations of police misconduct, said it found reasonable cause to determine the Springfield Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau ‘engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force.’ The scathing report came after federal agents conducted an intensive investigation sparked by multiple complaints about the Narcotics Bureau.”
— “Lawmakers agree: If Blandford doesn't want new Pike exit, case closed,” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “From the start, ‘no-build’ was an option, as planners explored the merits of adding an interchange along a nearly 30-mile, unbroken section of the Mass Pike. With a 195-page study still in draft form, residents of the Hampden County town of Blandford just took the off-ramp. Their vote in town elections June 27 effectively ends consideration of a new Pike interchange. ‘If they don't want it, it's time to move on,’ said state Rep. William ‘Smitty’ Pignatelli, D-Lenox.”
— “Congressional candidate and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse calls for reinstatement of fired Springfield Police Detective Florissa Fuentes,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Congressional candidate and Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse called Wednesday for Springfield to reinstate fired police detective Florissa Fuentes. Morse is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D- Springfield, in the upcoming Sept. 1 Democratic primary. Fuentes, 30, was fired on June 19 after posting a pro-Black Lives Matter image to her personal Instagram account while off duty.”
— “Hampshire College offering ‘sanctuary’ to international students amid ICE order that could force them to leave US if schools pursue online classes,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “International students who may be forced to leave the United States due to a regulation implemented by Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulating online learning may be able to remain in the country with the help of Hampshire College.”
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
— “New Bedford NAACP demands police reform,” by Kiernan Dunlop, SouthCoast Today: “The New Bedford branch of the NAACP issued 12 demands to protect communities of color to the mayor, police chief, and Bristol County district attorney on Tuesday, but the demands are only one part of a much larger fight for justice, according to branch President LaSella Hall .”
— “Nguyen faces backlash over Black Lives Matter video,” by Breanna Edelstein, Eagle-Tribune: “State Rep. Tram Nguyen and her family say they are battling hate speech in the wake of her public support of Black Lives Matter. Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, said a small but vocal group of local Vietnamese Americans launched a social media attack after she advocated for BLM in a video to constituents.”
— “Officer Said 'All Lives Matter' Sign Was Without Intent: Chief,” by Mike Carraggi, Patch: “The officer who wrote ‘all lives matter’ in an electronic traffic sign on Main Street didn't do so with ‘malicious or political intent,’ the chief of police said. The sign, which for part of Wednesday read ‘THE SAFETY OF ALL LIVES MATTER,’ touched off a passionate discussion about the appropriateness of police using a phrase that is most often used as a rebuttal to Black Lives Matter.”
| MEDIA MATTERS |
— “A Decade Of Journalism With Phil Redo,” by Sam Brewer and Daphne Northrop, WGBH News: “After a decade at WGBH, Phil Redo retires as general manager for radio and local news this month. During his last weeks on the job, two of the biggest stories of our lifetimes hit: COVID-19 and protests against racial inequity and police brutality. “
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Rachel Dec, Ryan Boehm, the Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery, a Boston Globe alum; and George-Alexander Attia.
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