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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
SCOOP: COAKLEY JOINS JUUL — Former Attorney General Martha Coakley has a new gig: She joins the government affairs team at Juul this month.
Coakley's work for the e-cigarette giant comes as her successor, Attorney General Maura Healey, launched an investigation into Juul's sales strategies, accusing them of marketing to teens. Healey's office declined to comment last night.
Coakley had been a partner at Foley Hoag , where she worked on government and internal investigations and served as a Juul consultant for several months before the move. The company "has an incredible opportunity to switch adult smokers," Coakley said in a statement to POLITICO.
Juul has significantly ramped up its lobbying spending in Washington from $210,000 in the second quarter of 2018 to $750,000 by the last quarter of the year.
The FDA released its full plan to curb youth sales, restrict flavored vapors and heighten online sales buffers in a draft guidance in March. Juul has backed the measures and called this week for the tobacco purchasing age to be raised to 21. But departing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb also recently described a March meeting with Juul and its new stakeholder, tobacco giant Altria, as "difficult" as he questioned the companies' motivations.
During her time as attorney general, Coakley had taken on tobacco. In 2013 she called on the FDA to ban youth e-cigarette sales and crack down on youth-friendly advertising. She served as co-chair of the National Association of Attorney Generals' tobacco committee and in 2014 joined 28 state attorneys to demand that Walmart and other retailers with pharmacies drop tobacco products entirely.
FOR YOUR RADAR: WELD FILES CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE —Former Gov. Bill Weld is one step closer to declaring a 2020 Republican primary challenge against President Donald Trump. Weld's campaign filed a 2020 presidential campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission yesterday. The former Libertarian told reporters in New Hampshire last week he will decide whether to run for president in April. Weld previously filed a 2020 presidential exploratory committee with Secretary of State William Galvin when he announced he would consider running in February. Weld's campaign didn't return a request for comment.
FINAL FOUR PLAYBOOK POOL UPDATE: When top-seeded Duke went down this weekend, so did the hopes of many Playbook Pool participants. Currently, Daniel Green of Chicago and Drew Tompkins, a policy manager at New Jersey Audubon in Trenton, hold the lead, but each will slide having picked Duke to win the championship. In third place is Scott Guenther, a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, who is primed to move up having correctly picked three of the Final Four teams correctly and UVA to win it all. A pair of Georgians—John Paul Aultman of Decatur who picked Auburn, and Al Guthrie of Atlanta who picked UVA—hold the fourth and fifth spots and can move up.
Over on the VIP board, a similar dynamic is taking shape. North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh hold the top spots, but each picked Duke to win. They are followed by Illinois Playbook author Shia Kapos, who picked the ousted Zags. New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, who picked the Cavaliers, and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who picked Michigan State, are in prime position to move up the board. Good luck to all in Saturday's Final Four. Follow the action here.
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 Treasurer Deborah Goldbergmeet with rating agencies in New York. State Senate President Karen Spilka and state Sen. Julian Cyr host a breakfast discussion on employee ownership. Rep. Lori Trahan and Rep. Seth Moultontestify on the Merrimack Valley gas explosions before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials.
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means holds a budget hearing. The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture hears testimony. State Sen. Joan Lovely and state Rep. Liz Malia mark Child Abuse Prevention Month at the State House. TheJoint Committee on Housing hears testimony. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh makes a universal pre-k announcement in Dorchester. The Joint Committee on the Judiciary hears testimony.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Mass. GOP accuses abortion rights activists of supporting 'infanticide,'" by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "An attempt by Democrats on Beacon Hill to expand abortion access in Massachusetts has run into harsh blowback from the state Republican Party, which has adopted the rhetoric of President Trump and antiabortion activists. The party has launched Facebook ads accusing individual Democratic cosponsors of supporting "infanticide" through the bill that would permit abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the fetus has a fatal anomaly and is not expected to survive. Massachusetts law currently allows an abortion after 24 weeks only if necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother ."
- "As hearings begin, Steve Wynn eluding disciplinary action," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION opens a series of hearings this week on the sexual misconduct of Steve Wynn, but the gambling mogul is unlikely to attend and unlikely to face any disciplinary action despite allegations of rape and sexual harassment. The Gaming Commission on Tuesday is expected to release its report on Wynn's sexual misconduct, what his coworkers knew about it, and what the company has done since to make sure the company never finds itself in this situation again. The goal is to determine the company's suitability to retain the license it holds in Massachusetts to open a $2.6 billion hotel and casino in June. The five commissioners, deliberating in private, will decide the fate of the license, a spokeswoman said."
- "SOME REPS "MAY BE UNHAPPY WITH ME," DeLEO SAYS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "House Speaker Robert DeLeo acknowledged over the weekend that a recent investigation into the conduct of one House Democrat showed how some representatives "may be unhappy with me," but said he still feels strongly supported by Democrats who overwhelmingly re-elected him to a sixth term as speaker in January. "I've had great support from the membership, not only in terms of their strong votes to keep me as speaker but their visits to my office," DeLeo told WBZ-TV's Jon Keller on a Sunday morning broadcast."
- "Massachusetts makes $8 million investment to collect and test rape kits as Gov. Charlie Baker signs budget bill," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts is moving forward with an $8 million investment to test all rape kits in police custody following the passage of last year's criminal justice bill, which included significant measures in rape kit reform. Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a supplemental budget totaling $135.9 million in gross spending items, including the $8 million investment to collect and test rape kits, also known as sexual assault evidence kits."
- "Massachusetts edging closer to sports wagering," by Kalina Newman, Sentinel & Enterprise: "Massachusetts sports teams have long made headlines for challenging the rules. While "legal sports wagering" doesn't have the same ring as "Deflategate," the home of the nation's defending World Series and Super Bowl champions is aiming to be the first legal sports betting state with online wagering unaffiliated with existing casinos. In May 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey and overturned the Professional Amateur Protection Act, allowing for state-based legalization of sports gambling. So far, Rhode Island is the only New England state to act, with Massachusetts edging close behind in the legislative process."
- "Massachusetts Lawmakers Propose Bill To Fight Light Pollution," by Deborah Becker and Eve Zuckoff, WBUR: "It might not feel like it yet, but they tell us that soon it will be comfortably warm enough outside at night to do some stargazing. Depending on where you live, though, that may be more difficult to do because world-wide the night sky is becoming 2.2 percent brighter each year. Now, at the start of International Dark Sky Week, Massachusetts lawmakers are considering bills that would reduce light pollution — perhaps make stargazing a little easier — in part by changing the bulbs used in street lights."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Measles alert posted by Massachusetts health officials," Link.
- "Boston Mayor Marty Walsh defends Joe Biden, says former vice president is a 'very emotional person' amid allegations of misconduct," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "Boston Mayor Marty Walsh defended Vice President Joe Biden against allegations of misconduct on Monday saying while it is important to respect women, it is a "tough world" to live in right now. "I think the vice president is pretty clear on his statement that he respects everybody and he respects women," Walsh said outside a groundbreaking event in Brighton. "First and foremost I think it's important that we respect women and respect women's rights." Biden, who has signaled he may run for president, pushed back Sunday on allegations by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada lawmaker, who accused him of kissing and touching her inappropriately."
- "Boston FBI boss says local high tech industry must be vigilant against rogue hackers," by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: " As the new leader of the FBI's Boston office, Joseph R. Bonavolonta has an array of concerns - including a possibly resurgent New England Mafia, activity by members of the transnational MS-13 gang, and the drug cartels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic that are fueling the opioid epidemic. But in an interview at the FBI's fortress-like building in Chelsea, Bonavolonta stated that in the four states overseen by the office — Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island — contain some 600 defense contractors, research centers with access to highly classified information, and a vibrant high-tech industry."
- "Mayor Walsh bashes Trump tweet about census citizenship question," by Brooks Sutherland, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh slammed President Trump's push to add a citizenship question to the census, Monday — accusing him of bringing politics into the population survey — and dismissing his criticism of "Radical Left Democrats" as "immature and childish." "This is my first time in my life that I'm seeing politics be played into it," Walsh told reporters after a kick-off event in East Boston to begin efforts of collecting information for the upcoming 2020 census. "Trump's playing politics in it, with the question on citizenship and not making it available in other languages, I don't understand what his rationale behind that is, it doesn't make any sense to me. He has an address, he tweets things out and I think that that's just immature and childish," Walsh said. On Monday, Trump ripped Democrats for the party's opposition to the citizenship question."
- "Woman injured as Brookline launches electric scooter pilot program," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "Scooters are riding free in Brookline. But where to? The town made Massachusetts history Monday, as the first municipality to sanction an electric-powered scooter rental program on its streets. About 200 vehicles from the California-based companies Lime and Bird have been deployed on sidewalks and other public spaces across town, where riders can use smartphone apps to start riding a scooter for $1, with additional charges based on the length of the trip."
- "T notes: The great employee exodus," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE MBTA has a hiring problem. Since fiscal 2015, the transit authority hasn't been able to hire enough employees to offset the number of workers leaving the agency each year. According to numbers presented to the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday, the T has hired 2,520 employees since 2015, but over that same time period 3,052 employees have left the agency. Fifty-six percent of the departing employees left because they were either terminated or took a job somewhere else, while the remaining 44 percent retired. Matt St. Hilaire, the T's chief human resources officer, said he intends to dig down into the numbers to figure out what is happening at the agency."
- "Sen. Ed Markey wants to protect local access TV stations," by Jodi Reed, 22News: "Senator Markey wants to prevent cable companies from charging local access television stations to broadcast information that is crucial to keeping the public informed. Through your cable bill, you are currently paying for local access television which broadcasts town meetings, community events, and even political debates. Sen. Markey said cable companies are then valuing those programs and denying local access TV money that they need to continue coverage."
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| THE OPINION PAGES |
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- "What's next for women's pay equity in Massachusetts?" by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, state Rep. Liz Malia and former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy: "Another April 2, another Equal Pay Day. It's the symbolic date until which women on average have to work to match what their male counterparts took home the previous year. Let that sink in: It is more than three extra months of work. While this date is intended to represent the average, additional equal pay days throughout the year call attention to gender pay gaps by race. Black women, for example, would have to work until Aug. 22, and Latinas until Nov. 1, to match a white man's previous-year earnings. In Boston, we want to eliminate the need for Equal Pay Day by becoming a city where people earn equal pay for equal work. Everyone has a role to play."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Here's what Elizabeth Warren had to say about the inappropriate touching allegations against Joe Biden," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Joe Biden needs to explain himself after a fellow Democrat shared a story of an uncomfortable encounter with the then-vice president in 2014. Lucy Flores, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Nevada in 2014, said Friday that Biden put his hands on the then-35 year old's shoulders and kissed the back of her head during a campaign event that November."
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| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "Amid the rise of celebrity politicians, Joseph Kennedy III pushes substance over style," by Jon Ward, Yahoo News: "Now, with Democrats in the majority for the first time in his six-year congressional career, Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, D-Mass. — the grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy — has made mental illness a focus of his legislative efforts. In an interview last week on the Yahoo News podcast "The Long Game," Kennedy said he came to the issue in part because during a stint as a prosecutor, he saw the ways in which mental illness drove a cycle of drug addiction and criminal activity that he believes can be prevented through greater access to treatment."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "'Everyone making money from cannabis is white,' top Boston prosecutor says," by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal:"The top prosecutor in Suffolk County and cannabis experts railed against the lack of diversity in the state's marijuana market, saying the owners and employees in legal market continue to be predominantly white, despite the state's efforts. The discussion of diversity within the industry occurred at a panel hosted by Tufts University's Experimental College on Friday, where panelists were confronted with hypothetical scenarios in an effort to explore the status of the nascent industry."
- "Public safety still a concern two years after legalization of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts," by Lauren Frias, Telegram & Gazette: "More than two years after recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts, the state has yet to see much physical change in the new industry. But officials say the concern for public safety in the age of legal weed remains a priority. Public officials and experts are weighing in on the possible consequences that the developing marijuana industry could have on the state, in particular the dangers of impaired driving and the fact some cannabis consumers are sustaining the black market out of personal convenience."
- P.S. If you use medical marijuana or CBD (or if you're a health professional who has worked with it), we want to hear from you. Tell us your story and a reporter might reach out.
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Mass. is tricky during a census. Next year may be even harder," by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts' sizable populations of immigrants, college students, and renters makes it one of the most difficult states to count on the census every 10 years. Boston, for example, has among the lowest census return rates in the nation. But the traditionally hard-to-count state could be even harder during the 2020 Census, officials say, because of fears of deportation in immigrant communities, the growing distrust of government, the addition of thousands of new housing units, and the shift, for the first time, to count most people online, rather than on paper."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "STONES WILL ROLL AGAIN" — Globe: "In Mass., GOP talks tough on abortion," "Before death do us part, a chat about the dishwasher," "Security clearances called into question," "A NEW WAY TO GO." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Hampshire College board of trustees chairwoman Gaye Hill resigns, citing vitriol and 'slanderous attacks,'" by Jim Russell, Springfield Republican: "The chairwoman of Hampshire College's board of trustees resigned during a board meeting on Sunday, saying she and her colleagues have been slandered and attacked as the school struggles with long-term financial challenges. "I've become a lightning rod for criticism and felt it was time to step away," Gaye Hill said in a written statement Hampshire College released on Monday. A statement from the college said board member Luis Hernandez took over as chairman."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Long Island bridge fight includes complicated history," by Erin Tiernan, Patriot Ledger: "Following testimony by a half-dozen representatives of Native American tribes and indigenous people's advocacy groups on Monday, City Councilor William Harris said Quincy's fight with Boston over plans to rebuild the Long Island Bridge now must include the preservation of sacred burial grounds and recognition of a long-ignored history. "I'm not going to talk about a bridge and I'm not going to talk about a city to the north of us. I am going to talk about my next steps with all of you," Harris said, addressing the members of the Native American tribes who spoke before the council's environmental and public health committee."
- "More sewage flows into Merrimack amid calls for public notice," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "More than 800 million gallons of raw or partially treated sewage spewed into the Merrimack River last year from aging pipes that were supposed to be sealed up years ago. The sewage came from about 50 overflow pipes that are part of decades-old sewer and stormwater systems designed to overflow when they are inundated, usually because of heavy rain. Last year, five sewage systems along the 117-mile Merrimack River reported hundreds of discharges amounting to more than double the 400 million gallons of sewage dumped into the river in 2017, according to data compiled by environmental activists and regulators."
- "Worcester superintendent defends schools' progress on reducing racial disparities," by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: "After a local coalition called for the ouster of the head of the Worcester public schools, Superintendent Maureen Binienda responded by issuing a statement Monday defending her administration's progress on reducing racial disparities in the district. The message, a rarity for a superintendent who has not frequently had to defend her overall body of work since taking the helm of the school system in 2016, in particular affirmed her commitment to reducing harsh discipline of Latino students, something the school system has been criticized for in recent years."
- MEANWHILE IN CUBA: "Restoration Of Hemingway House In Cuba Has Roots In Massachusetts," by Joe Mathieu, Karen Marshall and Shelby El Otmani, WGBH News: "Members of WGBH News' Morning Edition team traveled to Cuba this past weekend, where the group of preservationists from Massachusetts celebrated the opening of a conservation center at Ernest Hemingway's house in Havana. One of those preservationists is Bob Vila, the former host of the TV show "This Old House." "This is representative of American culture and the genius of American literature located in one of the most controversial spots in the Americas," he said. "So when you think about the impact we've been able to have in terms of friendship [and] cultural bridge-building, it's really important stuff." Vila serves as president of the Boston-based group Finca Vigia Foundation, which was formed fifteen years ago to save Hemingway's home — and the contents within it — from the effects of mother nature."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Lawrence state Rep. Frank Moran.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Celtics beat the Heat 110-105. The Athletics beat the Red Sox 7-0.
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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