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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HEALEY LAYS OUT PRIORITIES FOR SECOND TERM — Attorney General Maura Healey will point to the opioid crisis, her lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, clean energy and education funding as key issues when she is sworn into her second term this afternoon, her office says. Healey's first term was marked by a bevy of lawsuits against the Trump administration, a high-profile ban on "copycat" assault rifles and legal action combating the opioid epidemic.
Healey previewed her inaugural speech in a video posted to Facebook this morning. Judge Rya W. Zobel will administer Healey's oath of office, and Healey will swear-in the assistant attorneys general. Guests at today's swearing-in will include Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association President Brian Kyes, Mark Barden of Sandy Hook Promise and Patricia and Manuel Oliver, whose son was killed in the Parkland shooting last year, a spokeswoman said.
STATE LAWMAKERS TRY TO EASE SHUTDOWN — This is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and the state is feeling the pressure. Some 7,000 federal employees and government contractors are out of work or working for no pay, and federally-funded programs like SNAP are scrambling as the stalemate continues in Washington, D.C.
Melrose state Rep. Paul Brodeur will rally at the State House on Thursday afternoon in support of federal workers affected by the shutdown. Brodeur says he expects more than 100 people to attend the rally, organized with the National Treasury Employees Union, including state Sen. Jason Lewis and Secretary of State Bill Galvin.
"There is, from my perspective, a completely unnecessary government shutdown based on Washington dysfunction," Brodeur told me last night. "Folks go into public service for a reason ... Our responsibility as a government, as their employer, is to pay them."
Several Beacon Hill lawmakers are floating legislation to ease shutdown woes for workers missing their paychecks. State Rep. Ken Gordon filed a bill on Friday to extend unemployment benefits to furloughed workers in the state, and state Sen. Diana DiZoglio sponsored legislation that would pay members of the Coast Guard and send the federal government a bill. In addition to federal workers, Brodeur told me he's been thinking about the impacts of the shutdown has on programs across the state.
"Mentoring programs we run here in commonwealth run with federal grant money, and they are adjusting on the fly to the fact that the next round of payments for these things are in jeopardy. These programs run on a shoestring budget," Brodeur said.
CHARLIE BAKER FAIL!
Gov. Charlie Baker said earlier this week he blames "all the houses" in Washington for the failure to come to an agreement. And although border security is important, Baker said lawmakers should get past the wall funding standoff if that's the only holdup. Baker said the state is looking into how it could provide unemployment benefits to furloughed employees, though it would be a complicated process. Massachusetts Democrats chairman Gus Bickford grilled Baker for what he sees as a failure to stand up to his Republican Party and to President Donald Trump, who Bickford says is "refusing to negotiate in good faith."
Down in the nation's capital, members of the congressional delegation say they are managing constituent concerns and voting to try and reopen the government. Rep. Jim McGovern submitted an amendment to ban supplemental funding money from going toward Trump's proposed border wall, and the amendment could get a vote today.
"His wall won't work. Period. We're in the 21st century, and this is a medieval solution," McGovern said in a statement.
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 and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito hold a ceremonial signing for a first responder bill, joined by Secretary of Public Safety and Security Tom Turco, State Sen. Michael Moore, state Rep. Tim Whelan, state Rep. Paul Tucker, state Rep. Hank Naughton and state Rep. Edward Coppinger. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh talks about Title IX rule changes at a press conference with college, university and nonprofit representatives. Attorney General Maura Healey, Auditor Suzanne Bump and Treasurer Deb Goldberg are sworn in.
Fall River mayoral candidate Kyle Riley delivers signatures to the Board of Elections. Presidential hopeful Julian Castro talks politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. The Fund Our Futurecoalition announces education funding legislation at the State House. State Senate President Karen Spilka announces the merge of HelpSteps with Mass 2-1-1.
The Governor's Council meets. State Sen. John Keenan, state Rep. Shaunna O'Connell and state Rep. Denise Provost are sworn in. State Sen. Michael Moore attends a Massachusetts Teachers Association event in Millbury. Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders speaks at a behavioral health forum at the UMass Club.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "VETERAN GOVERNMENT ATTORNEY JUDD-STEIN TO CHAIR GAMING COMMISSION," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "With complex decisions over the future of the nearly completed casino in Everett and the possibility of casino gaming in southeastern Massachusetts looming, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday appointed someone the lieutenant governor described as one of the administration's 'go-to people for complicated things' to chair the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Cathy Judd-Stein, who currently serves as deputy chief legal counsel to Baker's administration, will take over as chair of the commission on Feb. 4."
- "Massachusetts state worker buyouts 'gargantuan goodbye kisses,'" by Joe Dwinell and Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald:"Thousands of retiring state workers boosted their pay last year by cashing in unused sick and vacation days with more than a dozen receiving 'gargantuan goodbye kisses,' as one exasperated fiscal warrior said. The top buyout went to a former University of Massachusetts Boston provost who earned $317,000 last year after receiving $185,700 for days off never used. Three others also ended the year pulling down $300,000-plus with the help of buyouts, a Herald analysis of state payroll records shows."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Walsh touts city's progress on housing, climate change, while blasting an ineffective Washington," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Tuesday vowed to fight for the middle class at home and in Washington, D.C., lifting up the city's efforts as an example for the nation and drawing a contrast with the paralysis that has permeated the federal government. 'What happens in Washington, we feel on the streets of Boston,' the mayor told thousands of residents who gathered at Symphony Hall for his annual State of the City address."
- CHEAT SHEET: "Transcript of Marty Walsh's State of the City speech — with annotations," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe.
- "Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are taking a 'road trip' to Washington D.C.," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are going to Washington D.C. In his State of the City address Tuesday night, Walsh teased the road trip during which he and Baker will serve as an example of bipartisanship on issues of transportation, housing, and the environment, Walsh said."
- "Walsh to broaden Boston's economic development program," by Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal: "The city of Boston is broadening its economic development efforts in a bid to reach neighborhoods and communities that have often been shut out of highly bureaucratic city processes, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh will announce Tuesday. The city's Economic Development Center will use a mobile 'pop-up' style of programming and scheduling, with city staffers coming to various transit-friendly locations within each of the city's neighborhoods rather than having the workshops and seminars at one set location."
- "In Quincy, hit hard by opioid crisis, mobile treatment van cuts hours, putting recoveries at risk," by Nestor Ramos, Boston Globe: "This parking lot behind a Southern Artery gas station doesn't look much like a doctor's office, but every morning about 250 people make their way to this dead-end street to take their medicine. In Quincy, a city hit hard by the opioid epidemic, the only legal place for many patients to take anti-addiction medications that have helped them reclaim their lives is an old conversion van parked near a homeless shelter, not far from Mount Wollaston Cemetery. But not on weekends anymore."
- "Jesuits release list of priests credibly accused of abuse, including 22 with Mass. ties," by Laura Crimaldi and Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "The governing body for Jesuit priests in eight Northeastern states released a list Tuesday of 50 clergy who were credibly accused of sexual abuse against children dating back to 1950, including 22 who were affiliated with high schools, hospitals, churches, and colleges in Massachusetts."
- "No citizenship question on next census, but worries remain about undercounting immigrants," by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "A federal judge Tuesday knocked a planned citizenship question off the 2020 Census, but state officials remain concerned that the broader anti-immigrant climate could lead to an undercount of Latinos and noncitizens. Massachusetts' population has grown by more than 5 percent since 2010, and the state is not expected to lose any of its nine congressional seats, if the census count is accurate. But the population is growing because of an influx of immigrants, not because of births, said Michael Goodman, a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Accused statutory rapists can't be held pending trial under dangerousness law, SJC says," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "The state law that permits judges to lock up dangerous suspects pending trial does not apply to accused statutory rapists, though it does apply to defendants charged with using homemade explosive devices, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday. A 24-page opinion authored by Justice Kimberly S. Budd dealt with two Essex County cases in which prosecutors sought pretrial detention for defendants under the law, known as 58A."
- "ONLY TIME AND TAPE WILL TELL," by Eoin Higgins, Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism: "Malcolm Gracia was 15 years old when he was shot and killed by New Bedford police Detectives Paul Fonseca and Trevor Sylvia on May 17, 2012. The teenager was shot four times: thrice in the back and once in the side of the head. The shooting took place at the Temple Landing apartments, an affordable housing complex in the city. While the events were caught on tape at the apartments, the hard drive from 16 cameras at Temple Landing was erased by state troopers on orders from the Bristol County DA's office, leaving only one copy of the video—in the hands of the prosecutors. Fighting for access to that tape has been the singular focus of attorney Don Brisson, who is representing Gracia's family in PURDa lawsuit against the city."
- "'A blizzard of prescriptions': Documents reveal new details about Purdue's marketing of OxyContin," by Andrew Joseph, STAT: "When Purdue Pharma started selling its prescription opioid painkiller OxyContin in 1996, Dr. Richard Sackler asked people gathered for the launch party to envision natural disasters like an earthquake, a hurricane, or a blizzard. The debut of OxyContin, said Sackler — a member of the family that started and controls the company and then a company executive — 'will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.' Five years later, as questions were raised about the risk of addiction and overdoses that came with taking OxyContin and opioid medications, Sackler outlined a strategy that critics have long accused the company of unleashing: divert the blame onto others, particularly the people who became addicted to opioids themselves."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren stocks campaign with top party talent," by Natasha Korecki and Alex Thompson, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) continues to build out her 2020 team with some of the party's top talent, adding two Democratic National Committee officials who were key players in the 2018 midterms as well as a high-ranking Democratic Senate Campaign Committee operative, two sources familiar with the moves told POLITICO. Sources also told POLITICO that Warren is preparing another trip to New Hampshire this weekend and making preparations to tour the early presidential primary states of South Carolina and Nevada before the month's end."
- "Warren demands probe into Mulvaney's job talks with University of South Carolina," by Benjamin Wermund, POLITICO:"Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday she wants an investigation into Mick Mulvaney's reported discussions with the University of South Carolina about becoming the school's next president, which Warren said may have violated federal law. The New York Times reported this month that the acting White House chief of staff as recently as late last year explored the possibility of taking the top spot at the university in his home state."
- "White 2020 Candidates' Central Dilemma: Can They Move A Black Audience?" by Darren Sands, BuzzFeed News: "In the world of Democratic politics, top aides and consultants are taking people with the capacity to excite black audiences seriously. Symone D. Sanders, a Democratic communications strategist and analyst, told BuzzFeed News that capturing the political imagination of black people is a prerequisite for the eventual nominee because it's an indication that the candidate can turn them out."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Waters' big test: Keeping peace with Ocasio-Cortez and moderates," by Zachary Warmbrodt and Heather Caygle, POLITICO: "A group of fiery progressives led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is poised to take seats on the powerful House Financial Services Committee, posing a big challenge for new Chairwoman Maxine Waters. Waters, a Los Angeles Democrat, is a liberal icon in her own right. But as head of the committee, she will also have to play the role of peacemaker to bring together the new members with moderates on the panel — some of whom are wary of primary threats stoked by their colleagues on the left. In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, attention-grabbing freshmen Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) are all expected to land spots on the committee, which oversees Wall Street and the nation's housing market."
- "Neal Needs Steady Hand to Steer New Progressive Tax Writers," by Kaustuv Basu and Lydia O'Neal, Bloomberg Tax:"Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal is days into his new role and has a challenge ahead: balancing the ambitions of the committee's new progressive members with the vision of its more moderate lawmakers. Of the 10 new members named to the tax-writing panel the week of Jan. 7, five members are part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a faction that could potentially pose legislative challenges as Neal, a Democrat from Massachusetts, starts setting the committee's agenda."
- "Mass. members of Congress rap Columbia Gas about backdated bills," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Federal lawmakers from Massachusetts are criticizing Columbia Gas about backdated gas bills being sent to Merrimack Valley residents and a winter rate hike, months after explosions and fires rocked the region. The letter, signed by US Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren and US Representatives Lori Trahan and Seth Moulton, also pushes for the utility to 'suspend any planned rate increases' in Lawrence, North Andover, and Andover, where fires and explosions ripped through homes and businesses served by Columbia Gas on Sept. 13."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "MADAM PRESIDENT," — Globe: "Hampshire College looking for a partner," "May's plan for Brexit crushed in Parliament," "AN ARCTIC CIRCLE." |
| THE LOWELL CONNECTOR |
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- "Trahan named to House committee she coveted," by Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: "Rep. Lori Trahan announced Tuesday she was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee, continuing a quarter century of 3rd Congressional District representation on the committee overseeing defense policy. During Trahan's campaign she said she would fight for this appointment, following in the footsteps of her predecessors Marty Meehan and Niki Tsongas who both served on the committee."
- "Pols call for action in response to teen's death," by Rick Sobey and Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: "A trio of elected officials vowed to take local and state action to curtail bullying in schools and help get victims help, a day after The Sun detailed the death of 16-year-old Lowell High School student Anna Aslanian, who took her own life after relentless bullying. The officials emphasized they want to ensure such a tragedy doesn't happen to one more student, devastating yet another family."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Hampshire College seeks 'strategic partnership,' may not enroll first-year class in 2019," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Hampshire College will seek a long-term partner to assist with maintaining its educational mission, and may not enroll a first-year class this fall, according to President Miriam E. 'Mim' Nelson. Nelson on Tuesday morning sent a letter to the Hampshire College community announcing that the college would like to have 'a strategic partnership to address the challenges we've faced as an under-endowed institution, really from our very first days.'"
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Government shutdown costing New Bedford fishing company more than $17,000 a week," by Michael Bonner, Standard-Times:"The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is beginning to affect the most valuable fishing port in the country. The partial shutdown reached day 25 on Tuesday, which means many offices within NOAA have been closed for more than three weeks. 'Our shell stock has dwindled because I have one boat in limbo and only one boat that's fishing,' CEO and President of Nantucket Sound Seafood LLC Allen Rencurrel said."
- THIS IS A CASE FOR THE FBI: "Table Talk Pies has a rogue Twitter account, and no one knows who's behind it," by Aviva Luttrell, MassLive.com: "Take a quick glance at Table Talk Pies' Twitter account and at first, everything seems normal. But a closer look reveals some strange inconsistencies. Soon, it becomes apparent that there's something off about the company's tweets. Sometimes they're not written in complete sentences. Other times they're missing punctuation. Not a complete anomaly on social media, but oftentimes they're downright bizarre."
TRANSITIONS - Kelly O'Brien joins startup Inrupt as chief of staff. O'Brien is currently a technology reporter at the Boston Business Journal. Link.
- Needham state Sen. Becca Rausch names Caroline Sherrard chief of staff, Gretchen Van Ness general counsel and legislative director, Alana Westwater outreach director and Evan Berry and Caitlin Rougeau as legislative aides.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY — to Jonathan Hankin (h/t Daniel Lippman).
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