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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
KENNEDY IN THE MIDDLE — If Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Beto O'Rourke both run for president, it could leave one of the state's rising stars caught in the middle when 2020 rolls around.
Rep. Joe Kennedy III is close to both potential candidates, who are among the leaders in early polls. On one hand, Warren was Kennedy's first-ever professor at Harvard Law School. They share a home state. And Kennedy in 2016 said she'd make a great vice president.
But O' Rourke is a fellow member of the House class of 2012, which is where Kennedy bonded with him. When O'Rourke launched his longshot bid against Sen. Ted Cruz six years later, Kennedy stumped for O'Rourke in Texas. The pair swapped stories while driving to McAllen with their wives on Facebook live.
So in the (increasingly likely) event that both Warren and O'Rourke run , who would Kennedy back? Before an event at the Kennedy Institute last night, where he spoke about bipartisanship in Congress with several fellow lawmakers, I asked him.
"I love them all," Kennedy told me.
When asked what kind of Democrat should run in 2020 , here's what Kennedy said: "All of them, and everybody is. I think you're going to see a lot of folks who are interested in making that case, and I would encourage all of them to do so. The Democratic party needs it."
As for rumors of his own presidential run, Kennedy laughed and said "no."
Candidates aside, the congressman said the coming presidential contest is going to be a "question about policy." "It is going to be a question about which candidate has the policies that are going to address the concerns of the American public," Kennedy told me. "It is also about persona, it is also about credibility, it is about inspiring the American public to take ownership of the challenges we face and to do their part and our government to do so, too.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno are in Springfield for an Orange Line rail car rolling out ceremony. The Committee on Election Laws hears testimony on a bill that would let Cambridge offer early voting in local elections.
Rep. Katherine Clark celebrates passage of the PAWS Act with animal and domestic abuse survivors and advocates at MSPCA-Angell in Waltham. The Health Connector holds a "Day of Coverage" event. Education advocates launch a new coalition to boost funding for public schools. Former Gov. Michael Dukakis is a guest on WGBH.
Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse speak at panels hosted by the Cannabis Control Commission and the Social Law Library in Boston. Rep. James Kelcourse and Senator-elect Diana DiZoglio speak at a "Pastries, Politics and Policy" forum in Amesbury. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "PROGRESSIVES CLAIM MAJORITY AMONG SENATE DEMS IN 2019," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Self-identified progressives will make up the majority of the Senate Democratic caucus next year, a milestone in a chamber already considered to be more left-leaning than the House where three of the five new faces in the Senate committing to join the Progressive Caucus. The Progressive Caucus, which will once again be chaired by Sen. Jamie Eldridge in the next session, will grow its membership from 14 to 18 come January, even as it loses one of its members, Sen. Barbara L'Italien."
- "Decision time near on Cape bridges," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE TOP TRANSPORTATION OFFICIAL in the Baker administration said on Monday that she would like to see the two bridges crossing the Cape Cod Canal and the surrounding road networks replaced as part of a joint federal-state effort. At a meeting of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack confirmed what state officials have been hinting at for some time."
- "Baker taps former city councilor as Norfolk County sheriff," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker is tapping a former Boston councilor and aide to then-Senator Scott Brown to serve as Norfolk County sheriff, filling a role long held by a Democrat. Jerry McDermott, a Westwood resident who currently serves as chief of staff in the state agency responsible for managing state buildings, will take over Dec. 24 and serve until 2020, when voters can make their pick in a special election to fill the final two years of former sheriff Michael G. Bellotti's six-year term."
- "BARRETT NOT FEELING URGENCY OVER GAS SAFETY BILL," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Natural gas industry executives and others told a key committee last week that they support Gov. Charlie Baker's bill to require stricter oversight of dangerous natural gas work, but the Energy Committee co-chair Sen. Michael Barrett said Monday that passage of the bill before the end of the year is 'not mission critical' to safety. Barrett, a Lexington Democrat and co-chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said that after hearing the testimony last week he's confident that the extra oversight proposed by Baker would not have prevented the Merrimack Valley gas disaster ."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "A new report outlines what needs to happen next at Steamship Authority," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "The Steamship Authority is excessively cheap, lacks accountability, and is rife with internal factions working at odds with each other, according to a scathing new report from outside consultants tasked with dissecting problems at the agency that led to a series of high-profile boat breakdowns this year. The 140-page report, released Monday morning, cautioned that the agency was lucky it didn't have more frequent and severe problems before this year and warned that if it fails to address the issues, it could experience 'a repeat of the spate of incidents that instigated this study, or worse .'"
- "Before announcing shutdown, Newbury College recruited students from defunct Mount Ida," by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "When Mount Ida College announced last spring that it was shutting down, Newbury College in Brookline encouraged students to transfer to Newbury, assuring at least one anxious family that the college was in no financial peril itself. Now Newbury is set to close too — leaving students devastated, none more than those who had recently arrived from Mount Ida and now feel twice betrayed."
- "Boston mayor doubles down on support for immigrants amid plea from ICE," by Brooks Sutherland, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh doubled down his support for the city's sanctuary status after the head of the New England ICE office pleaded for such cities to stop shielding illegal immigrants and 'assist in making communities safer.' 'Boston's diversity only makes our city stronger and I will never stop fighting for our immigrant community,' Walsh said Monday in a statement to the Herald. 'A safe city is our first priority, and we will keep working to ensure all residents are safe in their communities.'"
- "New coalition will push for more education funding in Massachusetts," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican:"The coalition, which is planning a Tuesday event at the Statehouse, will be asking for more funding of both the K-12 system and public colleges and universities this year. This campaign will be called Fund our Future. A 2015 report found that Massachusetts is significantly underfunding its public schools by not accurately accounting for the costs of special education and employee health benefits, among other things ."
- "Mass. 'not immune' to ripple effect of health care law ruling," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: A Texas judge's ruling late last week to throw out the Affordable Care Act could have far-reaching consequences, threatening health coverage for millions and insurance markets nationwide — even in Massachusetts, which has its own universal health care law. The Massachusetts law, which went into effect more than a decade ago, has bipartisan support and was the model for the sweeping federal health care overhaul approved under President Obama in 2010. But Massachusetts relies on billions of dollars in federal funding every year to provide coverage to lower-income residents, and the state's health care system is deeply entwined with the federal system."
- "Number of homeless people in Mass. is up 14 percent," by Cynthia Fernandez, Boston Globe: "Homelessness in Massachusetts increased by 14 percent this year, according to a federal report released Monday, and local advocates said the data highlight the need to quickly build more housing for the most vulnerable. Nationally, there was a 0.3 percent increase in homelessness, caused partly by hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural events, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. In Massachusetts, overall homelessness has increased by 38 percent in the past decade, even as cities and towns take steps to address the problem."
- "Amid Record Rise In Teen Vaping, Mass. Officials Call For Adults To Act," by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: "On the heels of a new report showing an unprecedented spike in the number of teens who use electronic cigarettes, the state's top health official says it's a problem that needs immediate attention. 'The report shows us is that there is a sharp increase in the prevalence of nicotine vaping among our young people,' says Dr. Monica Bharel, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. 'E-cigarette use by youth and young adults is really a public health epidemic right now.'"
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren bill would get feds into generic drug manufacturing," by Alex Thompson and Sarah Karlin-Smith, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a likely 2020 presidential candidate, will release a bill on Tuesday that would effectively create a government-run pharmaceutical manufacturer to mass-produce generic drugs and bring down prices, several sources in her office told POLITICO on Monday in an exclusive preview of the legislation."
- "Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls Iowa Democrats as she considers a 2020 run for president," by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register: "Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has yet to make an appearance in Iowa, but she's personally reaching out to Iowa Democrats as she considers a possible 2020 run for president. 'She's not calling me to ask about the weather or my Christmas plans,' said Tri-County Democrats Chairman Kurt Meyer, who received a call from Warren in early December. 'We talked about issues and things that were important to her and things that I care about.'"
- "Elizabeth Warren's marijuana bill has majority support in the Senate, according to its co-sponsor," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren's three big policy proposals may be gaining momentum in the House. But could the marijuana reform bill she introduced earlier this year actually pass in the Senate? Sen. Cory Gardner, the Colorado Republican co-sponsoring the bill, says it could. And he's trying to make it happen this week."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "18 states, including Mass., file motion challenging ruling striking down Affordable Care Act," by Jackson Cote, Boston Globe: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and her counterparts in 17 other states filed a motion Monday challenging a Texas federal judge's ruling last week that struck down the Affordable Care Act. The motion, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, asks the court to clarify the impact of the ruling and confirm that the ACA 'is still the law of the land,' Healey's office said in a statement."
- "Citing police corruption, Suffolk DA drops prosecution of Sean Ellis in 1993 murder of Boston detective," by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "Reversing course on a bid for a new trial, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office said they're ending the prosecution of Sean Ellis in a case involving the armed robbery and first-degree murder of a Boston police detective. The Supreme Judicial Court, the state's highest court, in 2016 affirmed a judge's order for a new trial against Ellis, who had been convicted of murdering Boston Police Detective John Mulligan during a 1993 armed robbery."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "HOUSE FLIP WILL UNBOTTLE CLIMATE AGENDA, MARKEY SAYS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "A Democratic majority in the U.S. House in January will mark the "dawn of a new era" in fighting climate change, according to U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, who on Monday ticked off his own energy and environmental policy to-do list for the coming year. Markey held a morning meeting at his Boston office with representatives of more than 20 environmental groups to discuss priorities for the new Congress."
- "Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts' 1st black congresswoman-elect, says she will get Shirley Chisholm's old Capitol Hill office," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Ayanna Pressley, the first black woman elected to represent Massachusetts in Washington, announced Monday that she will move into the Capitol Hill office once held by Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to ever be elected to Congress. Pressley, who will officially join the 116th Congress in January, said she's 'humbled to occupy the same space (Chisholm) did on Capitol Hill.'"
- "US Rep. Richard Neal pledges to take 'immediate action' to protect ACA in wake of court ruling," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat who is expected to lead the House Ways and Means Committee, pledged to take 'immediate action' when the Congress convenes in January to protect the Affordable Care Act and appeal a recent federal court ruling, which struck down the controversial health care law."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Seth Moulton says he does not plan to run for Senate in next election," by James Pindell, Boston Globe: "It has been a rocky several weeks for Representative Seth Moulton after he organized a largely unsuccessful effort to prevent Nancy Pelosi from becoming House speaker. So what's next for the Salem Democrat: Will he be forced to fend off a primary challenge? Can he mend ties with Pelosi and be a player in the next Congress? Will he look at a run for president? One thing he is not doing is running for the Senate in 2020, he said. In a Friday interview with the Globe, Moulton smothered speculation he was mounting a Democratic primary challenge to Senator Edward J. Markey."
- "Moulton Calls For Homeland Security Secretary's Resignation Over Migrant Child's Death," by Antonio Caban, WGBH News:"Rep. Seth Moulton slammed Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen and called for her to resign during a Monday interview on Greater Boston, blaming her for the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol. 'It's very clear that this president and his secretary of homeland security have set a tone where it's okay to just let a girl like that die,' Moulton said.
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Easthampton and Wareham marijuana retail stores get opening dates after Wareham shop 'jumped the gun,'" by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "The fourth and fifth retail marijuana shops in Massachusetts have been authorized to open as soon as Friday by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. I.N.S.A., Inc. in Easthampton and Verilife in Wareham received their final opening approvals on Monday and may open their doors after the commission's standard three business-day waiting period."
- "Communities not all keen on cannabis crowds," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: " From blocked driveways and traffic, to public urination and even a possible case of child neglect, Northampton and Leicester have become familiar with the nuisances of rolling out recreational pot over the past few weeks. A 10-year-old child was left in a car last week while an adult took a shuttle to Cultivate, the recreational marijuana store in Leicester, to buy pot, according to Police Chief James Hurley. The child was left in a parking lot about a quarter mile away from the facility, the chief said, which Cultivate rented to provide additional parking after residents complained of a half-mile long traffic jam."
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| THE TSONGAS ARENA |
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- "Niki Tsongas's second act comes to a close," by Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe: "When she won election in 2007, Niki Tsongas was the first woman in 25 years to represent Massachusetts in Congress. But the bigger news was how she was claiming the seat once held by her late husband, US Senator Paul Tsongas. Over the next 11 years, Niki Tsongas staked out her own turf — most notably, a crusade against sexual assault in the military. Now, as she retires from Congress, her tenure showcases the value of hard work and commitment to common ground. But it's also the story of a woman who launched and managed her own second act."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Poll: Klobuchar rising in Iowa," by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO: "Former Vice President Joe Biden led the field with 30 percent saying he was their top pick for president, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders with 13 percent and Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who captured 11 percent. But Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren — the Massachusetts senator who placed just below Klobuchar with 9 percent — saw their numbers slide among potential Democratic Iowa caucus-goers since September, according to a new Focus on Rural America poll released Monday and first obtained by POLITICO."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "SAVE OUR SCHOOL!" — Globe: "Meet the suddenly ordinary Pats," "Report slams ferry authority over mishaps," "Exclamation inflation." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "UMASS CHAIR SOUNDS ALARM OVER HIGHER ED'S "GRADUATION RATE CRISIS," by Nicole DeFeudis, State House News Service: "While not on the agenda, student debt and graduation rates emerged as focuses of last week's University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees meeting where students offered an olive branch to trustees in a plea to freeze rising tuition rates. The conversation, which began at a trustees meeting, continued on campus into the afternoon when nine UMass Amherst Center for Education Policy and Advocacy students marched a wooden box with more olive branches and student testimonials to new legislators attending training events with Beacon Hill leaders."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Everett schools superintendent placed on leave amid sexual harassment probe," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: 'The longtime superintendent of the Everett public schools has been placed on paid administrative leave amid allegations of sexual harassment, a city official said. The Everett School Committee voted Monday to place Frederick F. Foresteire on leave, according to Tom Philbin, the city's communications director. The committee also voted to allocate $50,000 to investigate the allegations against him, Philbin said."
REMEMBERING FRANCIS 'MICKEY' ROACHE, per his obit:"Roache, 82, served as police commissioner from 1985 until 1993, and then served as a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 through 2002. He then went on to become the Suffolk County Register of Deeds, a position he held until 2015."
SPOTTED: In the U.S. Capitol yesterday ... U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and former Senator Scott Brown (h/t Jake Sherman).Tweet.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Dion Irish, Boston Election Department commissioner; and Emily Williams, digital campaigns associate at Everytown for Gun Safety.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-0.
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