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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
WARREN'S WEST COAST SWING — As Sen. Elizabeth Warren made her pitch to voters in Sen. Kamala Harris' home state of California, Harris was in Boston trying to lock down donors on Warren's turf.
Warren drew more than 1,400 people to an organizing event for her 2020 presidential campaign in Glendale on Monday, and hit the West Coast media circuit yesterday. The Massachusetts senator recorded a Pod Save America episode that airs Thursday and sat down with The Young Turks. Warren also appeared on The Late Late Show beside rapper 50 Cent for a James Corden interview last night, where she touted her newly-released childcare plan. Asked what advice he had for candidates, 50 Cent told Warren to loosen up, stay connected to hip-hop and hang out with him when she's the president.
On the East Coast, Harris pitched fundraisers on her vision for a more fair tax rate, a response to climate change, and treating the opioid crisis as a public health crisis that spans generations. Harris' message to donors builds on what she told voters over the weekend: She plans to compete in the early-voting state of New Hampshire.
The fundraiser was hosted by Georgia Murray and Mark Maloney, and fellow former state Attorney General Martha Coakley was listed as a host on the invitation, the Boston Globe first reported last week. Guests at the Harris fundraiser included former Sen. Mo Cowan, 'Yes on 3' strategist Matt Wilder, venture capitalist Jeff Bussgang, The Partnership President and CEO Carol Fulp and Joe Baerlein of Baerlein & Partners.
Speaking of fundraising, consider Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' performance yesterday. In the hours after he said he'll run again for the White House in 2020, his campaign says it raised upwards of $4 million. That sum was from more than 150,000 donors, meaning you can expect to hear the familiar refrain of how Sanders pulls in an average $27 donation, a slogan that defined his 2016 bid. Sanders won New Hampshire with 60 percent of the vote in the 2016 Democratic primary, and is seen as one of Warren's top competitors in the Granite State because he campaigns on a similar economic populist message and is able to fire up his base of small dollar donors.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh celebrates the first graduating class of City Academy at Faneuil Hall and announces new funding for affordable housing in the North End. The Alliance for Business Leadership hosts panel titled "Amazon HQ2 Proposal: What if we did it anyway?" The Gaming Commission meets.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Spilka: Lewis will help spur ed reform," by Bruce Mohl and Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "SENATE PRESIDENT KAREN SPILKA said on Tuesday that she hoped the appointment of a new chair at the Education Committee would help move foundation budget reform forward in the Legislature. 'Education reform was the reason I ran for the Legislature in the early 2000s,' she said as she walked to her office from a midday event at the State House. 'As chairman of Ways and Means, we implemented the ed reform, the Foundation Budget Review Commission's recommendations, three times in the last two sessions. Clearly it's a top priority and it remains one.'"
- "'You're creating monsters': Advocates say new rules fail to reform solitary confinement in Massachusetts," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The criminal justice reform law that the Legislature passed last year contains reforms to the state's solitary confinement system meant to provide inmates with better living conditions, limit the length of time someone can be held without review, and keep mentally ill inmates out of solitary confinement. The Department of Correction is writing new rules to abide by the law. But prisoners' advocates say the department's draft rules fall short of the reform envisioned by the Legislature and essentially let the department continue its current practices in slightly different form."
- "Peyser: Reliable charter aid would address state's 'broken promise,'" by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: " Nine years ago, as part of a broader education funding reform package, state lawmakers boosted the amount of money and the period of time that school districts are reimbursed for charter school tuition payments, citing the need to cover fixed costs. That 2010 law revamped a formula that reimbursed districts 200 percent of their costs over three years, bumping it up 225 percent over six years. Since the longer formula was put into place, the state has never been able to fully fund the amount it calls for, according to Education Secretary James Peyser."
- "'Stephen's Law' calls for murder charges for some fentanyl dealers," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "Stephen's Law," legislation calling for murder charges against some fentanyl dealers, is named after a Revere man who unknowingly shot up a lethal dose of the synthetic opioid. The bill has languished on Beacon Hill, but has been filed again this year. The bill is being sponsored by state Reps. RoseLee Vincent (D-Revere) and Angelo L. D'Emilia (R-Plymouth). If passed, "Stephen's Law" would allow police to charge fentanyl traffickers with murder if the drugs sold resulted in a death because it was injected, inhaled or ingested."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "As rents soar in Boston, low-income tenants try to stave off eviction," by Jenifer McKim and Alejandro Serrano, New England Center for Investigative Reporting: "THE THURSDAY VIBE at the sprawling Edward W. Brooke Courthouse on New Chardon Street in downtown Boston has a jittery, jagged edge to it. Thursday is trial day for eviction cases at Eastern Housing Court, where landlords and tenants from Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and eight other cities and towns square off. The busy hallway outside Courtroom 10 looks like an anxiety fair, with attorneys from legal aid clinics at tables surrounded by tenants with the desperate air of people who know that they might soon find themselves homeless."
- "Developers are scrambling for the next Kendall Square. Where will it be?" by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "From the Alewife section of Cambridge to the outer reaches of the Seaport District, from Union Square in Somerville to Barry's Corner in Allston, developers all over Greater Boston are trying to build "the next Kendall Square." And it's easy to see why. The East Cambridge district is arguably the center of the nation's biotechnology industry, as well as major outposts of innovative companies such as Apple, Boeing, and Google. That critical mass has other firms lining up to fill any space that becomes available, driving up rents higher than anywhere else on the East Coast, except for Manhattan ."
- "Somerville Community Summit seeks ways to improve news coverage," by Hannah Green, WickedLocal: "Journalists, community members and local organizations spent their Saturday brainstorming ways to improve media coverage in Somerville. In his opening remarks, event organizer Jason Pramas explained why this summit would benefit the community by increasing the quantity, quality and scope of local news stories. 'This summit is about Somerville talking to Somerville. About what local issues and happenings people feel aren't getting enough news coverage," said Pramas, executive editor and associate publisher of DigBoston, and network director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.'"
- "State Police under scrutiny for handling of guns seized at Logan Airport," by Shelley Murphy and Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "The disappearance of an antique gun that was seized from a passenger at Logan Airport last year has brought more scrutiny on the Massachusetts State Police, sparking a judicial inquiry and the removal of the trooper who oversees the handling of evidence at the airport. The episode, which has unfolded in low-profile court hearings in recent months, began in February 2018, when a Coast Guard member passed through a security checkpoint at Logan. A Transportation Safety Administration officer spotted a firearm in his backpack as it went through a baggage scanner, according to court records."
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "Fall River mayor seeks to pay back investors he's accused of defrauding," by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: "Three weeks before voters will decide whether to recall him, embattled Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II wants to repay the lenders he is accused of criminally defrauding, provided they agree to release him from any civil claims they may have against him or his tech startup, SnoOwl."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "AG Maura Healey says Massachusetts may join challenge to Trump's emergency declaration," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said Tuesday that her office is looking into what role it could play in a multi-state lawsuit brought against President Donald Trump's declaration of a federal emergency at the United States' southern border with Mexico. Healey, who has previously joined other states in trying to block controversial Trump administration policies, announced in an afternoon statement that her team has been in contact with officials behind the lawsuit challenging the federal emergency declaration."
- "Commenting on Mass. case, Justice Clarence Thomas calls for reconsideration of landmark libel ruling," by Adam Liptak, New York Times: "Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday called for the Supreme Court to reconsider New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 ruling interpreting the First Amendment to make it hard for public officials to prevail in libel suits. He said the decision was the product of unprincipled 'legal alchemy' that had no basis in the Constitution as understood by the people who drafted and ratified it."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren sell differing messages in each other's backyards," by Liz Goodwin and Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Does the party want a standard-bearer like Harris, who tells a story of a fundamentally good nation that she promises to put back on track? Or is this a moment to elect a change agent like Warren, who wants radical reforms to fix a problem she says is much bigger than Trump? They are fundamental questions, framed by two senators from deep blue states who visited each other's backyards as presidential candidates for the first time Monday. In Los Angeles, voters who sent Kamala Harris to the Senate lined up around the block to hear Warren's scathing diagnosis of the country's problems, while New Hampshire voters who have been Warren's neighbors for years squeezed in to hear Harris's emotional and uplifting call for a restoration of the nation's loftier instincts."
- "In 2020, Bernie Sanders must win the N.H. primary. Elizabeth Warren stands in his way," by James Pindell, Boston Globe:"Senator Bernie Sanders enters the 2020 presidential race with political advantages that his rivals could only dream of having. But he also has one major obstacle: Senator Elizabeth Warren — and, specifically, her candidacy in the New Hampshire primary. Sanders, after all, won the New Hampshire primary with more than 60 percent of the vote in 2016 over the national front-runner, Hillary Clinton. In a multicandidate field, he won't receive that large of a share of the vote again. But in 2020, he only has two options: win or drop out."
- "2020 Hopeful Warren Unveils Universal Child Care Plan," WBUR: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced a universal child care plan that would guarantee American families access to child care in a tweet Tuesday morning. The Massachusetts Democrat, a 2020 presidential candidate, says in a video posted to Twitter that it would be paid for by her proposed 'ultra-millionaire's tax,' which would hit an estimated 75,000 of the wealthiest American households."
- "Elizabeth Warren rallies in Glendale in a nod to California's early primary," by Melanie Mason, LA Times: "Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren brought her message of 'big structural change' to California on Monday, including a preview of a sweeping proposal for universal childcare. The Massachusetts senator pitched government-funded childcare and early learning to a raucous crowd at the Alex Theatre in downtown Glendale that was filled to its 1,400-person capacity, with hundreds more waiting outside."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Warren urges DeVos to redo 'toothless' school safety report," by Benjamin Wermund, POLITICO: "Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Thursday urged Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to get her school safety commission back together and make another try, this time focusing on the role of guns in school shootings. Warren and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the House Democratic Caucus vice chairwoman, blasted the commission's December report as 'toothless' in a letter to DeVos on the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that spurred the creation of the Federal Commission on School Safety."
- "Progressive Coalition invites US Rep. Richard Neal to Friday town hall in Holyoke," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "The newly formed coalition, which represents progressive groups from across Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District, has invited U.S. Rep. Richard Neal to discuss issues important to his constituents during a Friday town hall in Holyoke. The CD-1 Progressive Coalition announced Tuesday that it will convene an evening town hall-style event at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Weld bashes Trump on 'Morning Joe' as he considers GOP primary challenge," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "William F. Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts who is considering a challenge to Donald Trump in their party's 2020 primary election, was deeply critical of the president Tuesday in an interview on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 'Oh, the foreign policy is just awful. He goes out of his way to court despots and autocrats," Weld said of Trump. "His favorite guy is Vladimir Putin — tell me that guy's not an autocrat. Then Kim, in North Korea, the guy he's threatened to blow away with nuclear weapons. He also says, 'What a great, strong kid! He iced his uncle! He even iced his own brother !''"
- "'Sustained and ongoing' disinformation assault targets Dem presidential candidates," by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO: "A wide-ranging disinformation campaign aimed at Democratic 2020 candidates is already under way on social media, with signs that foreign state actors are driving at least some of the activity. The main targets appear to be Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), four of the most prominent announced or prospective candidates for president."
- "A Weld protégé, Baker says it's too 'early' to talk 2020 support," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Bill Weld hired Charlie Baker, he was a mentor to Baker, and he has campaigned and raised money for the governor. But that doesn't mean Baker is running to Weld's presidential corner. Ever cautious in the national political arena, Baker on Tuesday would not say whether he'd back Weld's GOP primary challenge to President Trump days after the former governor — and former Libertarian — announced he was creating a presidential exploratory committee. Baker called it 'awfully early' to be discussing the presidential election, and in a refrain reminiscent of the 2016 presidential campaign, he said he's focused on his day job."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "NOT EXACTLY PARENTS OF THE YEAR," — Globe:"Democrats diverge on a vision for change," "WHERE'S THE NEXT KENDALL SQUARE?" |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Hampshire College to lay off 9 staff members," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Nine full-time members of Hampshire College's admissions and advancement offices will be let go effective April 19 as the first cut to the college's 400-person workforce. The layoffs were announced publicly in a letter sent by President Miriam 'Mim' Nelson late Tuesday afternoon, which she described as a 'difficult day.'"
- "Eversource's leap into solar power hits milestone; more planned," by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: "The $10 million Savoy solar farm is one of four new Eversource facilities in Berkshire County — and 19 in Western Massachusetts, all part of the company's accelerated drive to provide about 70 megawatts of electricity. Legislation that has been filed would allow Eversource to ramp up even more, if it secures approvals from the state Department of Public Utilities. Though its main business is to transmit and distribute electricity to about 1.4 million customers in 140 communities, Eversource had an incentive to get into solar energy. It can obtain the electricity at lower costs."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Beaty's comments about gays spark outrage," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "A controversial elected Cape Cod representative's comments about gay people has sparked an angry backlash throughout the community and on Beacon Hill. 'I'm calling for Commissioner (Ron) Beaty to resign, I'm that upset,' said state Rep. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster. 'I don't even know what else to say.' Beaty has made a reputation for himself for inflammatory and controversial comments. On Tuesday, he posed a question on Twitter that many believed to be homophobic. 'Generally speaking, are gay politicians too self-absorbed and self-centered to adequately represent ALL of their constituents in a fair and equitable manner?' Beaty tweeted. The post comes less than a week after two openly gay elected officials who represent the Cape and Islands — state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown — were named to leadership positions on Beacon Hill."
- "Townsend selectman charged in domestic assault," by Jon Winkler, The Lowell Sun: "Townsend Selectman Cindy King was arraigned in Ayer District Court Tuesday on two counts of assault and battery and four counts of intimidation of a witness. King, the Board of Selectmen's vice chairwoman, was charged after a domestic incident that allegedly occurred in her home on Saturday at about 7 p.m. King, who is completing a three-year term, pleaded not guilty."
TRANSITIONS - Vic DiGravio is stepping down as president and CEO of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to WBZ's Tiffany Chan.
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