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Presented by JUUL Labs
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
PRESSLEY'S PAC — Rep. Ayanna Pressley launched a new leadership PAC yesterday, a tool that could help her boost fellow progressives and replicate her upset victory against former Rep. Mike Capuano last year.
The Power of Us PAC will build on Pressley's 2018 campaign and focus on "bold, activist leadership," and certain issues, she said in a statement. And the PAC won't shy away from funding primary challengers, Pressley told WBUR yesterday. That's breaking with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which says it will blacklist consultants who work with primary challengers in an effort to protect incumbent Democrats. And in a way, it's also breaking with other members of the Massachusetts delegation who are involved in the DCCC. Rep. Katherine Clark was a key member of the committee during the 2018 midterm, co-chairing an effort to flip seats from red to blue. Rep. Richard Neal is among the top donors to the DCCC.
Leadership PACs are a way for House members to raise money outside their own campaign accounts, connect to donors and build their networks. Rep. Seth Moulton used the $2 million raised by his Serve America PAC in the 2018 midterm to boost a number of veteran candidates across the country, for example.
A number of Pressley's progressive first-year peers in the House have launched leadership PACs, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar. Ocasio-Cortez launched the Courage to Change PAC shortly after she was elected to the House. If successful, this flurry of new PACs from first-years could function as a way for members of the party's left flank to build a broader progressive coalition in the House in 2020 and beyond.
Would Pressley put some juice behind Brianna Wu, who is challenging Rep. Stephen Lynch, Kennedy challenger Ihssane Leckey, or even Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse if he runs against Neal? Maybe, maybe not.
But one candidate to watch is Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu. Wu could be a beneficiary of Pressley's new PAC, especially if she runs against Mayor Marty Walsh in 2021. Pressley and Wu worked together on the Boston City Council, and Pressley gave Wu a boost last week at a fundraiser for her reelection campaign.
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, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh,MassMutual President and CEO Roger Crandall and The Fallon Company CEO Joe Fallon attend the groundbreaking for MassMutual's Boston building. Baker attends a Project Lead the Way & Mass STEM Hub Design Showcase with Boston Children's Hospital. State Sen. Michael Brady is on trial in Quincy District Court on drunk driving charges.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends the MassHousing 2019 Community Services Conference, co-chairs an engagement session of the Economic Development Planning Council in Chatham, visits Landing 53 in Braintree, and attends a South Shore Chamber of Commerce event in Quincy. Walsh reopens the Paul Revere Mall in the North End and speaks at Boston Pride Lights. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wuhosts the Caribbean Heritage Month flag raising, Walsh attends.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren takes her presidential campaign to Michigan. District Attorney Rachael Rollins is a guest on "Greater Boston." Presidential candidate and former Gov. Bill Weld speaks at Salisbury University in Maryland. The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture hear testimony.
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Youth vaping is a problem. We're taking action. No youth or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL products. We've taken a series of actions to greatly reduce youth use of tobacco products, including our own. Learn more about our youth prevention efforts: JUUL.com/youth-prevention
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DATELINE BEACON HILL
- "Mass. House will vote on bill designed to aid unions after labor's 2018 Supreme Court defeat," by Matt Stout and Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts House is moving to strengthen the hand of organized labor, nearly a year after the Supreme Court dealt it a major financial and a symbolic setback by ruling that public sector workers who opt to not join unions can't be required to pay collective bargaining fees. House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said the chamber will vote Wednesday on legislation that would allow public sector labor groups to bill nonmembers for certain "reasonable" fees."
- "PAID LEAVE LAW DELAY GETTING SERIOUS CONSIDERATION," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service:"If state government is going to approve the three-month delay in payroll taxes needed to fund the new paid family and medical leave program that advocacy and business groups have pushed for, it is likely going to happen this week, the governor said Monday. The fledgling Department of Family and Medical Leave plans to begin collecting a 0.63 percent payroll tax from employers July 1 to fund the estimated $800 million paid family and medical leave program launched so workers can more easily take care of themselves and their families without facing fiscal crises."
- "Friction Between House Speaker And Top Union Leader Complicates Labor's Legislative Drive," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "State Rep. Daniel Cullinane didn't name names when he publicly condemned the rhetoric of the one of the state's most powerful labor organizations as "bluster and B.S.," but practically everyone crammed into a State House hearing room knew the Dorchester Democrat was talking about AFL-CIO president Steven Tolman. Cullinane's remarks earlier this month were widely seen by State House watchers as a rebuke of the labor leader's attacks on long-time House Speaker Robert DeLeo and what's seen as the House's wanting track record on key portions of the labor legislative agenda."
- "Mass. Sees 2nd Measles Case This Year. Now There's A Bill To Remove Religious Exemption For Vaccines," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "A week after this year's second case of measles in Massachusetts was diagnosed, a state lawmaker from Haverhill filed a bill that would remove the religious exemption for vaccinating schoolchildren. State law requires children who are entering school to be immunized against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles and poliomyelitis, unless a physician certifies that a vaccine would endanger the child's health or unless the parent or guardian offers a written statement that vaccination or immunization conflicts with their 'sincere religious beliefs.'"
- "Offshore drilling ban gets airing," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Trump administration plans to encourage offshore oil and gas drilling are motivating attempts to exempt Massachusetts, and maybe foil the entire scheme. Lawmakers are weighing a ban on drilling for oil or gas in state waters, as well as a prohibition on the lease of state lands for oil or gas exploration, development or production. While there are no immediate plans to drill off the New England coast, green groups say the proposal would fend off future efforts by denying access to the state's land and waters, thus making exploration impractical."
- "Parents, doctors, and students urge tighter food allergy safety laws in Mass. schools," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "Roughly 7 percent of Massachusetts students have a food allergy, yet not all schools stock epinephrine to treat a severe reaction, or train staff to deal with such emergencies. With the prevalence of the food allergies shooting up at least 50 percent since the late 1990s, doctors, students, and their parents on Monday urged state lawmakers to support legislation addressing these gaps. "Each day . . . I leave my son in his school's hands," said Dr. Christine Olsen, a radiation oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital whose seven-year-old son, Zeke, has severe food allergies."
FROM THE HUB
- "Mass. colleges use new tool to measure adversity faced by applicants," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "As they sifted through applicants' grades, test scores, and essays this year, several of the top colleges and universities in Massachusetts also took into account a controversial new measure that gauges the level of adversity the students faced. At least six Massachusetts institutions were part of the 50-school nationwide group that tested the College Board's Environmental Context Dashboard, commonly dubbed the "adversity index," and others plan to do so in the upcoming admissions cycle. Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Brandeis University, Wellesley College, and Amherst College are using the data. Smith College said it has signed a contract with the College Board, which also produces the SAT test, to try the dashboard when it reviews applications for the 2020 freshman class."
- "South Boston school's temporary closure causes chaos," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "The Notre Dame Education Center, a charity founded by nuns, forged an unusual partnership with a developer in the hopes of continuing its mission amid a rapid rise in South Boston real estate prices. A year after buying the center's quarter-acre Old Colony Avenue property for $4.5 million, the nonprofit's good standing in the neighborhood helped it win city approval for a controversial six-story apartment building on the site. The school would survive, by operating out of one floor. But things have soured since Notre Dame started preparing to close its building for two years during construction, and to move some of its classes to temporary spaces."
- "Boston rolls out plans to make City Hall Plaza an inviting hangout," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The city has unveiled its plans to make the vast, barren brick expanse of City Hall Plaza an attractive place where people might actually want to be. The plans and accompanying artistic renderings were shown to the media by city officials and staff from the Watertown-based Sasaki architectural firm on Monday. They call for making the area more like a park, by planting more than 100 trees, adding a play area for kids and segmenting the area up into different portions. The idea, officials said, is to make the plaza an appealing hangout in the middle of the city."
- "Cinder Blocks To Starbucks: Debate Is On As Developers Descend On Allston-Brighton," by Gabrielle Emanuel, WGBH News: "In recent years, Boston's skyline has been equal parts construction cranes and skyscrapers. City officials say Boston is going through the biggest development boom in its history. New buildings are rising in the Seaport, South Boston, the South End — and now, Allston-Brighton. Some say Boston is squandering a rare opportunity to build a neighborhood that's affordable. Others say this development is a sign of the city's success. Take the transformation of Lower Allston at Western Avenue and North Harvard Street."
- "Frustration builds over soaring Boston parking fines," by Sean Philip Cotter and Taylor Pettaway, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin Walsh admitted that he hasn't received a parking ticket during his tenure as mayor, little solace for those slapped with "outrageous" fines as more city residents lashed out against aggressive ticketing tactics. Walsh, of Dorchester, has been chauffeured around by a police driver since he took office in 2014, and his spokeswoman said he hasn't been ticketed in Boston in the last six years and records older than that were not immediately available. He also parked for free on Beacon Hill before that when he was a state representative."
THE OPINION PAGES
- "Tainted money and the timeless twisted morality of noblesse oblige," by Alice Lloyd, Boston Globe: "For anyone in the arts, academia, and even in print media these days, there's no avoiding the shadow of whatever capitalist sin actually impels your billionaire benefactor's noblesse oblige. Nan Goldin is much more hero than hypocrite here. Shaming the Sacklers is worthy work: They made billions while hundreds of thousands died from a drug they'd been misled to believe was safe. Thanks in part to Goldin and the anti-Sacklerites she leads, philanthropic efforts to elevate and separate the family from its fortune's ugly origins have failed."
- "State's low-income children deserve better education," by Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Matthew Slater and Duron Harmon, Boston Globe: "As members of the New England Patriots, we've been fortunate to visit schools across the state to talk to kids about the importance of their education. We've read stories to elementary school students, sitting on carpeted floors in large libraries filled wall-to-wall with books and colorful seating areas. Yet we've also visited schools where we see a very different picture. Two weeks ago, we invited members of the Legislature to join us on a tour of Tracy Elementary School in Lynn. It was clear that Tracy's principal, staff, and teachers are the school's heart and soul, doing their best to give these children the best educational experience possible — but they also clearly lack the basic resources necessary to help their students succeed."
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DAY IN COURT
- "From Kraft and Brady (but not that Brady), an apology — and vigorous legal defense," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "KRAFT AND BRADY. The two names will be forever linked in local lore for their roles in a football dynasty to rival all others. But the names are also now linked in ways more scandalous than celebrated. The Kraft in both cases is the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, who is also now the big-name defendant in the tawdry tale of a prostitution operation allegedly run out of a massage parlor in a Florida strip mall. The Brady who also finds himself the subject of unflattering headlines, however, is not the star quarterback of Bob Kraft's NFL team, but a Brockton state senator."
- "Attorney General Maura Healey sued by group seeking records involving Michael Bloomberg, ExxonMobil," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Attorney General Maura Healey has been sued by a think tank to obtain records involving her global warming lawsuit against ExxonMobil and her office's relationship with billionaire Michael Bloomberg.The law firm Government Accountability & Oversight P.C. and a local attorney filed suit on behalf of the nonprofit Energy Policy Advocates against Healey and Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin in Suffolk Superior Court Monday. The group, citing the state's public records law, wants Healey to release documents regarding her work with Bloomberg, a climate activist and former New York City mayor, who has funded two special assistant attorneys general in Healey's office, the lawsuit states. These attorneys advance progressive climate-change positions, according to the suit."
- "Kevin Spacey trial: No surveillance video, but plenty of fireworks over accuser's phone data," by Aaron Cooper and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN: "Surveillance footage from the night actor Kevin Spacey allegedly groped a teen at a Nantucket bar does not exist, lawyers learned during a pretrial hearing. Judge Thomas Barrett ordered last week that the bar, The Club Car, produce the footage Monday, only to learn there is none. Instead, the action revolved around the accuser's and his mother's phone records. In last week's hearing, Barrett allowed a defense request to examine the contents of the accuser's phone from July 7, 2016 to December 31, 2017 and denied a defense request for the mother's phone records."
- "Katherine Maddox, wife of Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox, must undergo counseling after striking husband in face during couple's anniversary," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Katherine Maddox, wife of CEO Matt Maddox, pleaded no contest last week to one count of domestic battery after an altercation with her husband at the Red Rock Resort in April, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Katherine Maddox, who pleaded no contest to one count of domestic battery earlier this month, must perform at least 48 hours of community service and undergo domestic violence counseling, the Review-Journal reported, citing court records."
WARREN REPORT
- "AS SANDERS REPRISES GREATEST HITS, ELIZABETH WARREN IS SURGING," by Chris Smith, Vanity Fair: "Elizabeth Warren had an impressive weekend. She went to Oakland, hometown of Kamala Harris, and drew 6,500 people. She went to the California Democratic Party Convention and drew headlines for taking not-so-veiled shots at frontrunner Joe Biden: "Some say if we all calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses. But our country is in crisis. The time for small ideas is over." Those two stops, in front of thousands of voters and hordes of political media, capped a formidable month for Warren, whose chances seemed dim after an underwhelming, beer-drinking New Year's Eve campaign launch. But an old-fashioned dedication to retail politics is paying dividends."
FROM THE DELEGATION
- "'It seems that this administration's priority is enabling discrimination;' U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and colleagues slam HUD Secretary Ben Carson over proposed change to federal housing rule," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined colleagues to criticize Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson for his attempts to rollback rights for transgender people who are experiencing homelessness. "Trans women experience housing instability at higher rates than the general population, but it seems that this administration's priority is enabling discrimination, instead of getting as many people into stable housing as possible," Pressley and colleagues wrote in the letter."
- "Key Democrat considers next steps after Mnuchin refuses to hand over Trump's tax info," by Lauren Fox, CNN: "House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal is set to meet with House counsel to decide how to respond to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's decision to deny Neal's request for President Donald Trump's tax returns, Neal told CNN on Tuesday. The Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview that they have "exhausted" the letter writing process and he'll make his next steps likely by the end of the week. The chairman did not say if he'd issue a subpoena, but that he'd rely on guidance of counsel."
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
- "In future Mass bids, offshore wind could be forced to compete with other green energy," by Jennette Barnes, SouthCoast Today:"The next time Massachusetts goes out to bid for renewable energy, offshore wind could have some serious competition. The state Department of Energy Resources recommended Friday that Massachusetts buy another 1,600 megawatts of renewable power but open the bidding to all sources of clean, renewable energy, not just offshore wind. Patrick Woodcock, undersecretary of energy, said the offshore wind market has matured enough to compete with other industries. At the same time, the number of companies that hold federal leases on locations for offshore wind remains relatively small."
MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS
- "VA denies Mass. veteran home loan over his legal marijuana job," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "The couple, crammed in a tiny Revere apartment with two kids and a third on the way, had spent months searching for a house they could afford. It wasn't easy in Massachusetts' pricey market. But the man, a disabled Army veteran, had one advantage — a military benefit, a loan guarantee, that would provide a low-rate mortgage with no money down. Finally, in November, they found a yellow split-level ranch in Dracut they loved — it had a giant living room, a two-car garage, and a nice yard for the kids. The veteran filed his Army paperwork. But in January, as the deal was set to close, he learned that the Veterans Administration had denied his loan application."
MOULTON MATTERS
- "Tapper presses 2020 Democrat Seth Moulton over 'cop out' on Biden's Iraq War vote," by Chris Mills Rodrigo, The Hill: "CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a 2020 White House hopeful, on Sunday on whether he thought then-Sen. Joe Biden's vote for the Iraq War was good or not, calling Moulton's response a "cop out." "You fought in Iraq even though intellectually you opposed the war. Joe Biden was in the Senate at the time, he voted to go to war in Iraq, was that a mistake?" Tapper asked during the network's "State of the Union," referring to the former vice president who is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. "I have a lot of respect for Joe Biden, he's a mentor and a friend, but I do think that it's time for the generation that fought in Iraq and Afghanistan to step in," Moulton initially responded."
- Rep. Seth Moulton was a guest on the "Titans of Nuclear" podcast. Link.
ABOVE THE FOLD
— Herald: "MARTY BOASTS: I HAVEN'T BEEN TICKETED SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR!" — Globe: "Nothin' but the Blues," "Adversity data added to colleges' admissions."
FROM THE 413
- "With School Funding Debate, Holyoke Reckons with Much More," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "Not quite two weeks ago, supporters of a debt exclusion ballot question rallied on the High Street lawn outside City Hall here. Buffeting the speakers, supporters, politicians, educators and, of course, public school students, was a strong wind. It roared down the grid of the city adding a brisk note to the civic display unfolding. It was, however, not the only crosscurrent shaping efforts to borrow millions of dollars to build two new middle schools."
THE LOCAL ANGLE
- "Flores named Cape Republican of the year," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "Barnstable Town Councilor John Flores has been named Cape Cod Republican of the Year. Flores received the honor at the Cape Cod Republican Club's annual meeting at Riverway Lobster House in South Yarmouth on Sunday. "It was totally unexpected by me and was really taken aback," Flores said Monday. "I am filled with gratitude and humility." Flores said he referred to himself as a moderate "JFK Republican" when accepting the honor, quoting the famous "Ask not what your country can do for you" portion of the 35th president's inaugural speech."
- "Worcester school board moves to lawyer up for possible suit over state funding," by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: "The School Committee will vote Thursday whether to authorize a lawyer to work on potential plans to sue the state over inadequate funding for public schools. Michael Angelini, chairman of Bowditch & Dewey, would take on that role on a pro bono basis, according to the motion on Thursday's meeting agenda. Attorney Andrew Bartholomew and other employees of the Worcester law firm could also be designated by Mr. Angelini to join the project. On Monday, Mr. Angelini said he has already been working with the district on that effort in an advisory role for several months for no fee."
MEDIA MATTERS
- Tanya Basu joins MIT Technology Review as a senior reporter covering humans and technology. Basu will leave her role as senior editor for science at The Daily Beast. Link.
SPOTTED: Anthony Scaramucci walking into the Nantucket Dreamland on Monday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Lance Lambros.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Blues beat the Bruins 4-2.
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