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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF.
BAKER SIGNS CIVICS BILL — Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law designed to kick-start civics education in the state yesterday, just days after young voters across the country turned out in higher-than-usual numbers for the midterm election, according to a post-election analysis from one civics group.
The new law, designed to boost civic engagement, requires public schools teach American history and civics education, provide student-led civics projects and encourage voter registration. The bill also includes a media literacy piece, although, as the State House News Service pointed out on Twitter, media were not invited to the bill signing.
Civics advocacy group Generation Citizen, which had a hand in drafting the bill, says it hopes the law becomes a model for other states. And civic engagement among young people is rising, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, based at Tufts University. Across the country, 31 percent of young people ages 18 to 29 turned out to vote in the Nov. 6 election, a 10 percentage point rise over the 21 percent of young people who voted in the 2014 midterm, CIRCLE told reporters earlier this week.
Between then and now, CIRCLE found the percentage of young people who say they've participated in some form of political activism had tripled. In 2016, only 5 percent of young people said they had participated in political activism. This year, 15 percent say they have done so.
Aside from actual participation, that means young people are now also more likely to know someone who has engaged in some form of political activism, like a walkout. And that makes sense. Since the 2016 election, we've seen large-scale political activism during the Women's March, the teen-led March For Our Lives and even the protest in support of Special Counsel Robert Mueller that assembled in front of the State House last night.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com .
TODAY - Putnam Investments President and CEO Robert L. Reynolds, Ferox Strategies Principal Cristina Antelo and Chartwell Strategy Group Managing Director David Tamasi speak on a post-midterm panel moderated by Boston Globe reporter Joshua Miller.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees honors Rep. Richard Neal with its Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. Award. Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer, Suffolk County District Attorney-elect Rachael Rollins, state Representative-elect Liz Miranda and state Representative-elect Nika Elugardo join WGBH's Callie Crossley on "Basic Black."
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "How a Massachusetts Republican became America's most popular governor," by Christa Case Bryant, Christian Science Monitor: "At a time when the cool kids in the Republican Party are calling their opponents liars and left-wing loonies, Baker is quietly charting another path - working with the other side to get things done. And he's not alone. Three of the most popular governors in America are Republicans in blue states, and they are demonstrating a pragmatism that shows that it is indeed possible to be reasonable, civil, and productive in an era of extreme polarization."
- "Baker signs 'nonpartisan' civics education bill," by Katie Camero, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill Thursday that aims to strengthen civics education in the state's public schools, by taking a nonpartisan approach to civic engagement projects and awareness programs starting in the eighth grade."
- "Ousted conservative says he wasn't motivated by hate," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "The four-term Republican legislator from Andover had become Massachusetts liberals' favorite villain this election cycle, his reelection hopes dashed by frustrations they couldn't take out on anyone else. Lyons was one of just 41 Republicans who make up a little over one-quarter of the state Legislature, and his ultra-conservative bent kept even some fellow Republicans at a distance. But in these highly contentious times, his ouster carried more than its proportionate weight."
- "WOMEN WILL HOLD 57 OF 200 LEGISLATIVE SEATS, AND THAT'S A RECORD," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service:"In a campaign cycle where record numbers of female candidates sought elected office, women picked up a handful of seats on Beacon Hill to boost their representation in the Legislature to new high of 28.5 percent. The 46 women elected to the Massachusetts House on Thursday appears to be a record level, surpassing the 42 who served in that branch in 1999, according to historical figures from the Center for American Women in Politics."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "DRINKING WITH THE MERRIMACK VALLEY RECOVERY WORKERS WHO LIVE ON AN OLD CRUISE SHIP IN SOUTHIE," by Daniel Kaufman, DigBoston: "The pipefitters and other workers who have been staying aboard the Celebration for the past month arrived in pickup trucks and buses from states all around the country to repair the damage wrought in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover after an overpressurization led to explosions and damage in more than 30 homes and businesses this September. It's tough work, and they wake up in the early morning every day to walk a quarter mile to their trucks and then fight traffic for up to two hours on their way to sites in the Merrimack Valley. Many of them are pissed off and worn out."
- "Boston Globe to lay off 15, outsource death notices," by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "The Boston Globe plans to lay off 10 longtime employees in the classified department and outsource its "Remembered" business, which prints death notices, according to the head of the union that represents editorial and business employees. Separately, the paper this week also laid off five newsroom employees."
- "At Whitey Bulger's funeral, a coda: 'It is finished,'" by Kevin Cullen, Emily Sweeney and Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "For many years, Jean Bulger urged her wayward son to find his way back to St. Monica's Church, just around the corner from their apartment on Logan Way in a South Boston housing project. Some three-quarters of a century later, James "Whitey" Bulger finally made it back, in a casket, for his funeral."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Steve Wynn sues Wynn Resorts, Mass. Gaming Commission," by Mark Arsenault, Boston Globe: "Billionaire Steve Wynn is suing his former casino company and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, alleging that Wynn Resorts has improperly handed over privileged documents to the commission for its investigation into sexual misconduct claims against him. The suit seeks to prevent the commission from releasing any investigative report if it contains privileged materials."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren says it's 'too early' after midterms to explore presidential run," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "Fresh off her reelection victory, Senator Elizabeth Warren said Thursday that it is 'too early' for her to have started weighing whether she will run for president in 2020. 'It's less than 48 hours,' she said, laughing when asked about her late September announcement that she'd explore a 2020 primary run after the midterms."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "How Mass. congressmen might wield new clout," by Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette: "Poised to take over major committees on Capitol Hill after Tuesday's midterm elections, Reps. James P. McGovern and Richard E. Neal are outlining priorities for the next two years - including East-West rail service, holding hearings on President Trump's tax cuts and committing to a more open Congress. And with the anticipated committee chairmanships, the congressmen will be in a position to deliver."
- "Pelosi's bid for speaker divides state's delegation," by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: "As Nancy Pelosi launches her bid for speaker of the new Democratic House majority, Massachusetts' congressional delegation remains divided over her candidacy. Democrats won back control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, gaining more than the 23 seats needed to take over the lower chamber."
- "As women win in record numbers nationwide, Mass. makes its own history," by Chris Lisinski, The Lowell Sun: "U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas never endorsed a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary to fill her seat, but she often said she hoped the 3rd Congressional District would continue to be represented by a woman. With Lori Trahan's victory in Tuesday's general election, that goal was fulfilled -- and on a night when women notched significant victories across the country, Massachusetts made history of its own."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "Joe K III: Beto O'Rourke's a good bet for 2020," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "Joe Kennedy III said talk of fellow Democrat Beto O'Rourke running for president in 2020 is not so far-fetched. Kennedy campaigned for O'Rourke in Texas, where the rising star lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz by less than 3 percentage points in a usually deep-red state."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Seth Moulton says new House lawmakers want Pelosi out," by Liz Goodwin, Boston Globe: "Representative Seth Moulton of Salem is about to get some serious reinforcements to his troop of Democrats who want to end Nancy Pelosi's 15-year reign as the leader of House Democrats.Nineteen of the incoming House Democratic freshmen were endorsed by the outspoken Pelosi critic through his Serve America PAC — and Moulton says many of these congressional newbies are committed to voting for new leaders in the House."
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| BEHIND THE TOFU CURTAIN |
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- "Single-payer health care gains momentum in wake of Tuesday's election," by Bera Dunau, Daily Hampshire Gazette:"Question 4, a nonbinding public policy question that asked legislators to support single-payer health care in Massachusetts, passed overwhelmingly in all six state House of Representative districts in which it was on the ballot. Now, single-payer advocates in Hampshire County plan to use the results to push the policy forward on Beacon Hill."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "NOT AGAIN: America mourns another mass shooting" — Globe: "Another tragedy we can't just forget"; "Trump claims new power over asylum decisions" |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "South Shore out-votes state in midterms," by Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger: "Nearly 30,000 more South Shore voters cast ballots in Tuesday's election than in the last midterm election four years ago, according to an initial tally from the state. Statewide, at least 58 percent of registered voters had cast ballots by the time the polls closed Tuesday, topping the 50 percent who voted in November 2014."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Carolyn Casey; Joyce Linehan, policy and planning chief for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh; Shannon Felton Spence, director of communications at Opportunity Insights; and WGBH associate producer Tori Bedford
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Celtics beat the Suns 116-109. The Canucks beat the Bruins 8-5.
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.
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