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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
MOULTON'S TRAVEL PLANS — Rep. Seth Moulton will make stops in two key early-voting states over the next week — New Hampshire and South Carolina — as he ramps up activity around a potential 2020 run for president.
Moulton will rub elbows with the New Hampshire Young Democrats in Somersworth, N.H. on Saturday, then hit the road on Tuesday for two events in South Carolina.
"I think it's a pretty straightforward message ... that he's thinking about it," Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said of Moulton's 2020 plans. Ferson advised Moulton's 2014 bid to unseat former Democratic Rep. John Tierney.
"It's probably not a coincidence he's picking states early on the primary and caucus calendar," Ferson told me yesterday.
It's no secret Moulton 2020 would be a long shot. The 2020 field is already crowded, and Moulton doesn't have much name recognition outside of Massachusetts. His last moment in the national eye was his involvement in an unsuccessful bid to oust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the end of 2018.
But in Ferson's view, the 2020 field is so wide that it is anyone's game at this point, and Moulton's age could give him a leg up.
"Biden aside, I don't think anyone at this stage has a claim to it or has it locked up, so why not?" Ferson said. "His electoral history is upsetting and being disruptive to the process."
One interesting thing: Moulton, who is 40, is emerging at a time when several other young, male Democrats are getting a closer look. Beto O'Rourke, 46, the subject of a new HBO documentary about his Senate run that debuted at South by Southwest over the weekend, says he's made a decision on 2020 — although he hasn't said what it is. And Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana mayor, had the spotlight in a CNN town hall on Sunday night.
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 Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector Louis Gutierrez visit the Massachusetts Health Connector. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announces a Project Lead the Way grant for Shrewsbury High School.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo speaks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Senate President Karen Spilka is recognized at a Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention event at the State House. The Board of Higher Education meets. The Cannabis Control Commission holds a listening session in Springfield. Former Sen. Jeff Flake speaks at Tufts.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "MORE MASS. NURSING HOME CLOSURES EXPECTED, SUDDERS SAYS," by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "In increasing numbers, senior citizens in Massachusetts are turning to assisted living or living at home with assistance, and those choices are exacerbating problems in the nursing home industry. "There will be additional closures," Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders told lawmakers at a fiscal 2020 budget hearing. One in four nursing homes have occupancy rates of 80 percent or less, which she said is "not sustainable," and the average occupancy rate is 86 percent."
- "T control board wants to discuss new revenues with lawmakers," by Bruce Mohl and Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "FOUR OF THE FIVE MEMBERS of the MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board indicated on Monday that they think the Legislature should explore new transportation funding initiatives and several said a portion of the money should go to the transit authority. Brian Lang and Monica Tibbits-Nutt were the most specific. As the T raises fares, they said, the Legislature should increase transportation funding in other ways and direct a large portion of the money to the transit authority. Options, they said, include hiking fees on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft, raising the gas tax, and imposing congestion fees on drivers."
- "SENIORS BLAST STATE FOR "FAILING OUR ELDERS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Gathering in the State House Thursday, dozens of senior advocates chanted to state legislators: "Massachusetts can do better." Kathy Paul, president of the North Shore chapter of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, led the chant, encouraging advocates to keep pressure on their lawmakers. "We will not stop until we see the senior health care gap close," Paul said at a lobby day hosted by senior and home care groups."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Suffolk DA names 'discharge integrity team' to probe fatal police-involved shooting," by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe:"In a break with tradition and in keeping with a campaign promise, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins Monday named a four-person team to oversee the investigation into the use of deadly force by Boston police officers last month. The four-person panel will meet monthly to assess the law enforcement inquiry into the death of 36-year-old Kasim Kahrim who was shot after he exchanged gunfire with two uniformed patrol officers on Feb. 22 in Roxbury, wounding one of the officers."
- "BOSTON WANTS TO CASH IN ON THE REAL ESTATE CENTERPIECE OF ITS OLYMPIC BLUNDER," by Cameron Sperance, Bisnow: "Boston may have failed in its quest for the 2024 Olympics, but not all was lost when the city's bid fell apart in 2015. The now-abandoned pursuit clued Beantown and its developers in on nearly 60 acres of developable land within walking distance of some of the city's hottest and most-established neighborhoods. "We didn't realize we had a jewel in our midst until the Olympics came about, and suddenly it was 'Wow, there's Widett Circle," NAIOP Massachusetts CEO Tamara Small said."
- "As Boston Aims To End Traffic Deaths, Deadliest Streets Often Go Overlooked," by Isaiah Thompson, WGBH News: "Earlier this month, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh unveiled a slate of new traffic measures aimed in large part at making the city's streets safer — including reducing the speed limit on residential streets to 20 miles per hour, from 25 — after speeds were already reduced from 30 mph last year. But many safe streets advocates say simply reducing speed limits, without targeting significant redesigns of the city's worst roadways won't be enough."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Facebook backtracks after removing Warren ads calling for Facebook breakup," by Cristiano Lima, POLITICO: "Facebook removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants. But the social network later reversed course after POLITICO reported on the takedown, with the company saying it wanted to allow for "robust debate." The ads, which had identical images and text, touted Warren's recently announced plan to unwind "anti-competitive" tech mergers, including Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram."
- "Warren took tech's money while ripping its biggest players," by Christopher Cadelago, POLITICO: "While Sen. Elizabeth Warren was railing against big tech companies, she was taking their money — plenty of it. The Massachusetts Democrat, who is powering her presidential campaign with a bold proposal to break up the likes of Amazon, Google and Facebook, in September accepted a $2,700 contribution from Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer. But Sandberg, whose donation went unnoticed at the time, was just the biggest name from Silicon Valley to give to the senator: Warren took at least $90,000 from employees of Amazon, Google and Facebook alone between 2011 and 2018."
- "Biden vs. Warren: Round 1," by Theodoric Meyer, POLITICO:"On a February morning in 2005 in a hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Joe Biden confronted Elizabeth Warren over a subject they'd been feuding over for years: the country's bankruptcy laws. Biden, then a senator from Delaware, was one of the strongest backers of a bill meant to address the skyrocketing rate at which Americans were filing for bankruptcy. Warren, at the time a Harvard law professor, had been fighting to kill the same legislation for seven years. She had castigated Biden, accusing him of trying "to sell out women" by pushing for earlier versions of the bill. Now, with the legislation nearing a vote, Biden publicly grappled with Warren face to face."
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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- "US Rep. Jim McGovern calls for making Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report public," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, a Worcester Democrat and chairman of the House Rules Committee, urged congressional colleagues Monday to back a measure before his panel that would ensure the report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 2016 election probe is made public. The congressman, who has vocally supported Mueller's wide-ranging investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, endorsed a resolution that would put federal lawmakers on record as supporting or opposing public access to the special counsel's findings."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "Let 16-year-olds vote, say Cicilline, Langevin and Kennedy," by Ted Nesi, WPRI: "Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote? Three of the four congressmen who represent Southeastern New England say yes. Democratic Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts all voted last week in favor of a measure to lower the voting age by two years. The region's one dissenter was Massachusetts Congressman Bill Keating, who voted no."
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "Former Gov. Bill Weld Says He's Nearing Decision to Primary 'Borderline Unhinged' Trump," by Carlo Versano and Justin Chermol, Cheddar: "Bill Weld has not held public office since the 1990s. But the former Massachusetts governor is getting closer to mounting a challenge to President Trump ー as a Republican ー for the highest office in the land, he told Cheddar at South by Southwest Monday. "We can't go on pretending the president is normal. He's not," Weld said, in some of his most pointed comments yet about a potential primary challenge to the president. "I'm watching what's going on in Washington. I think it's pretty hopeless," he said. "If it doesn't get better, I'm going to run." Weld, 73, is a former two-term Republican governor of Massachusetts who gained a reputation as a socially liberal moderate while in office."
- "This 2020 candidate learned about 'privilege' getting caught with marijuana at Harvard," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com:"Pete Buttigieg says he first learned about the concept of white male "privilege" in college. But it wasn't in a classroom. "This is largely a story about how naive I was," the South Bend, Indiana mayor — who's exploring a 2020 presidential primary campaign — said during an interview Saturday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. The 37-year-old Democrat's story dated back to his time as a student in Cambridge, where he attended Harvard University (more than a decade before recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts)."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Local Dems say Moulton moves closer to a presidential run," by Paul Leighton, The Salem News: "Seth Moulton is heading to South Carolina, and local Democrats think they know why. South Carolina happens to be one of the early presidential primary states. The Democratic congressman from Salem announced Monday that he will travel there next week. Christine Tron, a Peabody resident and member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, said the trip appears to signal that Moulton, who has said he is thinking of running for president, is indeed planning to run."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "NO SAFE SPACE," — Globe: "City to host '20 NAACP convention," "It's official: T's subway, rail fares raise July 1," "WHO MURDERED SCOTT JOHNSON?" |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "District attorneys bring new muscle to clergy abuse investigations," by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: "District attorneys say they will probe complaints of clergy sexual abuse in Western Massachusetts, even if the passage of time leaves them unable to bring charges. "We want to honor and respect what people in our area have gone through," said Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington. "Prosecution is about standing up for what's right and wrong — and for morality. Whether you can or cannot win a case." Harrington and Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, who represents Hampshire and Franklin counties, say they feel a moral obligation to aid survivors, amid questions about whether the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has adequately relayed abuse complaints to prosecutors."
- "Smith & Wesson closing Springfield distribution center, warehouse in favor of new Missouri facility," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "American Outdoor Brands Corp., parent company of Springfield stalwart Smith & Wesson, will close its distribution operations here and elsewhere around the country as it opens a new $75-million warehouse near Columbia, Missouri, this year. Executives at the publicly-traded AOBC touted the cost savings and efficiencies associated with consolidating into its new 600,000-square-foot Missouri warehouse in a conference call with analysts last week."
- "Local legislators support farmers who want to grow hemp," by Anita Fritz, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Local legislators are pushing to allow area farmers to grow hemp on land with agricultural preservation restrictions, which for years has been banned because it is related to marijuana. Legislators hope to get the change in this year's spending bills so hemp can be grown on farmland whether or not it is preserved under the state's Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program. "The APR program helps maintain farming as a thriving economic sector in Massachusetts," said Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, who co-sponsored the Senate budget bill that contains the hemp language — which is the same as the governor has placed in his supplemental budget."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Sunshine Week: Cape officials adjust to new records officer role," by Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times: "Under the updated public records law in Massachusetts, residents asking for information in Cape Cod town halls may find it easier going. But town hall employees working to respond say many requests are easy, some time-consuming and a few nearly impossible without clarification. "How far back are we going? To the 1600s?" Barnstable Town Clerk Ann Quirk said about one person's request for information on a particular property."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- Charlie Kravetz, WBUR general manager, is leaving the company. Link.
- Dan McGowan will join the Boston Globe. McGowan covers politics in Providence, R.I. for WPRI. Link.
- Antonio Caban joins Senate President Karen Spilka's office as deputy communications director. Caban most recently worked as lead producer for WGBH's "Beat the Press."
TRANSITIONS - The South Carolina arm of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's 2020 campaign hires Alycia Albergottie as state director, Ebenezer Abolarin as state organizing director and Sam Coleman as state communications director.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders tapped Democratic operative Joe Caiazzo to lead his New Hampshire 2020 campaign. Link.
SPOTTED: John Kerry speaking on Monday at the Credit Union National Association meeting in D.C. "He underscored CUNA's call for addressing the way the U.S. and global partners address data security and privacy," according to a tipster. Pic.
WEEKEND WEDDING - "Shara Ticku, Bennet Grill" - N.Y. Times: "The bride, 30, is the founder and chief executive of C16 Biosciences, a biotechnology company ... that develops sustainable alternatives to palm oil. ... The groom, 31, is a principal at Blue Wolf Capital Partners ... He graduated from Duke, and currently serves on the National Board of the Duke Young Alumni Development Council." NYT announcement ... Wedding pic.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Sen. Mitt Romney, who turns 72 today, and Michael Gallant, chief of staff to state Sen. Paul Feeney.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Clippers beat the Celtics 140-115.
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