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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
SCOOP: TRUMP DONOR A HOST AT BAKER FUNDRAISER —Gov. Charlie Baker will hold a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. later this month, and a Republican lobbyist who raised money for President Donald Trump in 2016 is on the host committee.
Baker will raise money at an afternoon lunch reception on July 30, according to an invitation shared with POLITICO. One of the hosts, David Tamasi, was finance chair for the Trump Victory Fund in 2016, and he was spotted more recently at a Trump fundraiser in Orlando, Fla. last month. Baker has ramped up his criticism of the Republican president in recent days, condemning Trump for racist comments about four first-term lawmakers, all women of color, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Baker called Trump's statements "racist," "shameful" and a "disgrace" on Monday.
The fundraiser comes as Baker has assembled a team to keep the gears turning on his political organization. The popular Republican governor is considering running for a third term in 2022, according to the Boston Globe.
Also hosting the reception are Ozzie Palomo, Brad Card, Ed Cash, Phil Cox and Loren Monroe, according to the invitation. Tamasi started bipartisan Chartwell Strategy group with Palomo and Matt Epperly in 2018. The invitation suggests a contribution of $250, $500 or $1,000 per person. Attendees who have already contributed the maximum amount to Baker can donate to Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito's campaign committee, the invitation says.
And as he raises money for a possible third term, Baker is holding onto his title as most popular governor America, according to rankings released by Morning Consult today. Baker continues to hold a 73 percent approval rating, which is three percentage points higher than the second-most popular Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan — another Republican governor in a blue state. Baker's disapproval rating is 14 percent, according to Morning Consult.
All five of the nation's most popular governors are Republicans. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is in third place with a 65 percent approval rating, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has a 60 percent approval rating and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has a 59 percent approval rating.
TRUMP TAKES AIM AT PRESSLEY, WARREN — President Donald Trump yet again ripped into two of Massachusetts' highest-profile lawmakers during a rally in North Carolina last night.
Trump ignited a days-long firestorm on Sunday when he made racist statements against four progressive lawmakers, all of whom are women of color. The president suggested Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib "go back" to where they came from, though three were born in the United States and all four are U.S. citizens.
The president continued to lob attacks at Pressley and her fellow lawmakers at his campaign event last night. (When Trump mentioned each of the four at last night's rally, Pressley received the least boos, according to a White House pool report.) The president repeated comments Pressley made at last weekend's Netroots Nation conference in Philadelphia during his speech. Pressley responded to Trump's attacks in a press conference earlier this week, urging Americans not to take the bait on Trump's rhetoric.
Trump also laid into Sen. Elizabeth Warren during the rally. Trump attributed Warren's rise in the polls to a political mistake on his part — he says he insulted her too early on in the race. "Pocahontas is gaining a little bit because we probably used the Pocahontas a little too early. That's okay, we'll bring it out of retirement very soon," Trump said, in reference to Warren's past claims of Native American heritage. (That term never really went into retirement — Trump uses it often.)
"If she should be the candidate, which I tend to doubt," Trump continued. "I will bring it up again, and I think it will be very successful." Trump concluded his riff on Warren with: "And then the Indians got together and they said, 'We don't want her.'" The crowd erupted into chants of "We want Trump!" according to a pool report.
Warren was quick to hit back at Trump online, saying it is important to call out his racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
"This president is desperate. Calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative. But he's trying to divide us and distract from his own crimes, and from his deeply unpopular agenda of letting the wealthy and well-connected rip off the country. We must do more," Warren wrote on Twitter last night. "We must call out those who remain silent. We must initiate impeachment proceedings to hold him accountable. And we must build an unstoppable grassroots movement that resoundingly defeats not just Trump, but complicit Republicans everywhere."
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 attends a Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum. Baker attends a 2019 Affordable Rental Round Awards announcement. Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attend a ribbon cutting for 2Life Communities. Walsh attends a Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance event. The Fund Our Future campaign holds a "Children's Lil' Lobby Day" at the State House. Former Gov. Bill Weld campaigns in Derry, N.H.
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TECHNOLOGICAL DISRUPTION - WHO WILL WRITE THE RULES?Chapter two of POLITICO's Global Translations" podcast, presented by Citi, is now live. Explore the emergence of 5G technology with host Luiza Savage, understand its role as the foundation for the future of artificial intelligence, and learn who will write the rules in the race to dominate technological advancement. Listen Now.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Federal Check Against Chinese Subway Cars Could Mean Lost Jobs In Mass." by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "A transit rail car manufacturing facility in Springfield has found itself in the middle of an international trade and security dispute that could lead to a premature end for what many hoped would be a permanent industrial fixture in western Massachusetts. Tucked inside Congress' annual appropriation bill for the armed forces is a ban on using federal funds to purchase rail equipment from companies controlled by the Chinese government. Federal lawmakers say the ban is a way to prevent a hostile foreign government from building security risks into American infrastructure. CRRC, the rail company with an assembly plant in Springfield that provides 257 local jobs, is one such company that would be barred from any federal funds."
- "Massachusetts National Guard will let transgender troops continue to serve," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican:"The Massachusetts National Guard will continue to allow transgender people to serve, despite a federal ban put in place by President Donald J. Trump. "The Massachusetts National Guard and the Baker-Polito Administration will continue to support transgender Soldiers and Airmen in serving our Commonwealth with dignity and respect," Secretary of Public Safety and Security Thomas Turco wrote in a letter to legislators. "The Massachusetts National Guard serves the interests of the Commonwealth and the Nation best with a military force that recruits and retains the most qualified people without regard to race, gender, color, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, or gender identity." Turco's letter said the National Guard will continue to help service members get waivers and exceptions in accordance with federal policy "to support accession and retention of the best qualified individuals in our military force regardless of their gender identity." Turco's letter, dated Tuesday, was a response to a letter written last month by Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, and Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and signed by 62 other legislators."
- "RANKED CHOICE PITCHED AS INCLUSIVE ELECTION REFORM," by Kaitlyn Budion, State House News Service:"Activists met at the State House to celebrate progress on ranked choice voting efforts and highlight bills that would allow municipalities to enact the voting reform at the local level, and legalize the process statewide. "We're all here in this shared effort to ensure that every vote in Massachusetts has a greater voice when they go to the polls," said Mac D'Alessandro, state director for Voter Choice Massachusetts, which organized the event. The group gathered activists from across the state for a lobby day featuring meetings with legislators to discuss the issue."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Walsh asks T for bolstered rail service," by Jennifer Smith, Dorchester Reporter: "Mayor Martin Walsh is shown accessing an MBTA station in a photo from his recent post about his use of the MBTA on Medium. Mayor Martin Walsh on Wednesday sent a letter to MBTA leadership asking for concrete improvements to the train system to better service those inconvenienced by the still lagging Red Line. "I just signed a budget for the City that gives $90 million to the MBTA--more than twice our own transportation budget," he wrote to Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. "As we know, the MBTA is not currently a functional service for many of the residents of Boston. Boston residents rely on the T to get to work, to take their children to school, to go to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, and live their lives--my residents need the T." Walsh noted the uncertainty on repair timing after a Red Line train derailed in June, which led to reduced service expected until at least Labor Day."
- "Wu: MBTA headed toward 'total shutdown,'" by Jonathan Ng, Boston Herald: "Commuters are facing a system "in crisis" every day when they board the MBTA and the governor is the one getting in the way of channeling the funding and political will to fix it, said a Boston City Councilor this morning. Reacting to today's power outage on the Blue Line that stranded thousands at the height off the morning commute, City Councilor at large Michelle Wu said the failures of the MBTA must be addressed as a system-wide problem. "We really need to take this moment and recognize it not just as a one-off, not just as another incident on the Blue Line, but the whole system is in crisis and is interconnected," Wu said during an appearance on Boston Herald Radio."
- "Riders give T worst marks yet in June performance review," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "RIDERS' OPINIONS OF the MBTA plummeted in June, perhaps unsurprisingly, as more than half of the respondents to the T's regular survey were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the service overall. The June rating of 2.5 out of 5 is the lowest since that survey began in February 2016, and a striking dip from ratings over the prior 40 months. Previously, the worst month was January 2018, when the rating was 3.01. The best rating so far was August 2017 at 3.5. "People are unhappy. Service continues to decline," said Rep. Tommy Vitolo, a Brookline Democrat. "People are frustrated at a deeper level, and it's going to take more than one or two perfect weeks to get people's hearts and minds back on board." Last month, 53 percent of the 1,261 respondents were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the MBTA, and 19 percent reported they were extremely dissatisfied."
- "Scenes from the Wednesday Morning Blue Line Shutdown," by Alyssa Vaughnl, Boston Magazine: "After weeks of delays, weekend closures, shuttle bus replacements, uncomfortably hot trains, a fare increase, a derailment, and an emergency $50 million infusion of funds, the summer of T turmoil continues. This morning, the Blue Line took a turn in the spotlight after a power problem forced the 200-odd passengers of a train just outside of Government Center to evacuate via tunnel just before 8 a.m. Shuttles replaced service between Maverick and Bowdoin—you know, that stretch of the Blue Line that actually takes you into downtown Boston—and guess what? They were a teeny bit delayed thanks to a phenomenon known as Boston's daily rush hour gridlock."
- "Massachusetts medical board approves rules on simultaneous surgeries," by Jonathan Saltzman, Boston Globe: "Surgeons will have to document each time they enter and leave the operating room, and who took over in their absence, under a rule approved Wednesday by the state medical board amid controversies over doctors who perform more than one surgery at a time. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine unanimously passed that rule and another requiring that patients be told the names of junior doctors who will participate in their operations. Massachusetts is the first state to approve such requirements, according to board members. A spokesman for the Federation of State Medical Boards, which represents the nation's 70 state medical and osteopathic regulatory boards, said it was unaware of any other states with similar regulations."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Prosecutors Drop Sexual Assault Case Against Kevin Spacey," by Julia Jacobs, The New York Times: "Prosecutors in Massachusetts on Wednesday dropped a sexual assault charge against the actor Kevin Spacey, bringing an abrupt close to one of the few criminal cases of the #MeToo era. Mr. Spacey, 59, had been accused of fondling an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket restaurant three years ago. But in recent weeks, there had been signs that the case was in jeopardy. Last month, the accuser's lawyer said that a smartphone being sought as evidence had gone missing, and this month, the accuser dropped a lawsuit against Mr. Spacey only six days after having filed it."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "This Was Elizabeth Warren's Plan All Along," by Paul Blumenthal and Kevin Robillard, Huffington Post: "When Elizabeth Warren came to Washington — not the first time, as a bankruptcy expert, or the second time, to oversee the bank bailout during the Great Recession — but the third time, when she was elected to the United States Senate, she wanted to solve a growing problem: student debt. During her campaign, against Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Warren had talked a lot about student loan debt and making college more affordable. She had run television ads about it, saying young people were "left drowning in debt to get an education." So, as her Senate office began to staff up, the boss wanted to roll out a policy proposal to bring down the cost of student loans. Her staff did what they always did when working for Warren: They looked for the best existing plans and the best data to show her the root causes of the problem. What they found was lacking."
- "Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Al Lawson introduce bill expanding food stamps to low-income college students," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Al Lawson introduced on Wednesday legislation that would make low-income college students eligible for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The College Student Hunger Act of 2019 would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to include college students who qualify for a federal Pell grant or whose families are considered low-income. Most people ages 18 to 49 who are enrolled in college and have no disabilities are ineligible for food stamps, except for certain students in state-designated work and training programs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Moulton, not expected to qualify for second Democratic debate, questions criteria," by John Wagner, Washington Post:"The campaign of Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democratic presidential hopeful not expected to qualify for the second debate, took issue Wednesday with the criteria being used by the Democratic National Committee to determine which candidates can participate. In a letter to DNC Chairman Tom Perez, Moulton's campaign manager, Marie Harf, argued that the thresholds for polling and fundraising do not accurately gauge the Massachusetts congressman's relative strength in the field. "Seth Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq, is running in the Democratic presidential primary on a platform of keeping our country safe and secure, taking back patriotism for our party, and encouraging every American to serve our nation," Harf wrote."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Ayanna Pressley wants to get back to the issues, although ignoring the president isn't easy," by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "In the foyer of Representative Ayanna Pressley's Capitol Hill office, interns answered constantly ringing phones Wednesday as calls flowed in from around the country. Behind a closed door in her personal office, Pressley was taking a break from the chaos, drinking a Gatorade and spending a few moments with her husband. All week, Pressley said, she's been battling a headache — a real one. It's no wonder. For the fourth day in a row, President Trump was launching vicious personal attacks on the Massachusetts Democrat and three fellow first-term lawmakers. Pressley acknowledged that trying to ignore his insults is a bit like trying not to look at a car wreck."
- "John Kerry: Trump can't hold a candle to Ayanna Pressley," by John Kerry, Boston Globe: "Of course President Trump's comments about Representative Ayanna Pressley are racist. But even more revolting is his defense: pretending he's not attacking her race, but rather her lack of patriotism. Pressley's entire life has been a story of patriotism: loving her country so much that she wanted to help America live up to its ideals. A strong woman raised in public housing by a fearless mother who sacrificed to keep her safe? An activist who found in Boston a life of public service and a determination to speak up for people who were underrepresented? That story identifies as more "American" than any mantle this president could ever claim. No wonder Donald Trump is afraid of her."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Markey Says Trump's Racist Tweet Part Of Re-Election Strategy," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News: "Sen. Ed Markey did not mince words when describing his feelings about President Donald Trump's racist tweet this week telling four congresswomen — including Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley — to "go back" to their countries, despite the fact that all are American citizens and three of the four women were born in the U.S. Markey said that the president's tweet is part of his broader campaign strategy to stoke racial tensions in order to bring more white conservative voters to the polls in 2020."
- "Mass. Rep. McGovern In The Middle Of House Vote Condemning Trump Tweets," by Adam Frenier, NEPR: "A Massachusetts congressman played a key behind-the-scenes role as the U.S. House voted Tuesday to condemn President Trump for telling four congresswomen of color to "go back" to the "places from which they came." Worcester's Jim McGovern chairs the House Rules Committee and said he advised fellow Democrats against directly calling the president a racist. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Trump remarks racist, which drew protests from Republicans, and her comments were ruled out of order."
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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- "House shoots down attempt to immediately impeach Trump," by Kyle Cheney and Heather Caygle, POLITICO: "The House voted on Wednesday to sideline an effort to immediately impeach Donald Trump, the first test of efforts in the Democrat-led House to seek the president's removal from office. Ninety-five Democrats voted to consider articles of impeachment filed this week by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who used a procedural maneuver to force action on his proposal. But most Democrats and all Republicans voted to delay consideration of the measure indefinitely. At least a handful of lawmakers who support launching an impeachment inquiry against Trump voted against immediate consideration of Green's articles, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) The vote laid bare some divisions among some House Democrats, including among Pelosi's leadership team — many of her senior members voted to block the articles of impeachment but more junior members, including Reps. David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin, Katherine Clark, Ted Lieu, Debbie Dingell and Joe Neguse voted against blocking Green's proposal.
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "50 Years Later, The Kennedy Accident Still Lures People To Chappaquiddick," by Marilyn Schairer, WGBH News: "It will be 50 years ago on Thursday that tragedy struck Chappaquiddick, a small island that's part of Martha's Vineyard. The late Massachusetts Sen. Edward (Ted) Kennedy was involved in a car accident on the island on July 18, 1969 that took the life of a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign aide to his brother, Robert Kennedy. Even after half a century, interest in the accident persists. "The Kennedy name and the Kennedy family legend are still incredibly potent," said Bow Van Riper, research librarian at the Martha's Vineyard Museum."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Boston's first recreational marijuana store receives preliminary license, could open within months," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "Boston inched closer Wednesday to having its first recreational marijuana store, possibly within months, as state regulators granted a provisional license to a planned shop in Dorchester. The license for Pure Oasis also marked the first granted to a member of the state's economic empowerment program, which aims to help people from communities disproportionately harmed by pot criminalization. So far, the state has struggled to meet its first-in-the-nation mandate to include disenfranchised groups in its cannabis industry. At a meeting dominated by criticism of national pot companies' behavior, the Cannabis Control Commission praised Pure Oasis' progress as a step toward meeting the commission's social justice goals."
- "Cannabis regulators extend Boston office lease at nearly $27K a month," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "The Cannabis Control Commission has re-upped the lease for its temporary digs in the Financial District, but expects to move into its Boston satellite office next month and get settled into its new Worcester headquarters by the end of 2019. Since it began shaping and regulating the legal marijuana industry in September 2017, the commission has worked out of temporary office space and has relied on the generosity of other agencies to secure sufficient space for its public meetings and hearings. In December 2018, the commission formalized a 10-year lease for a 14,381-square-foot office at Worcester's Union Station at a first-year cost of $439,200 and also entered into a lease for a 4,532-square-foot satellite office at 50 Franklin St. in Boston's Downtown Crossing."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "CASE CLOSED," — Globe: "Walsh demands Red Line solutions," "First black player in Red Sox history," "'Love it or leave it' tests patriotism's definition." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Facing Serious Challenges, Hampshire College Selects New President," by Sam Hudzik, NEPR: "The financially struggling Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, has named a new president. Edward Wingenbach comes from Ripon College in Wisconsin. This last semester, Wingenbach got a taste for leading a small liberal arts college, serving as acting president at Ripon while its president was on sabbatical. He's held leadership positions at the school since 2015, and before then at the University of Redlands in southern California."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Trahan blasted for post on ICE raids," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan is being criticized for offering advice over social media to legal or illegal migrants on how to deal with federal immigration crackdowns. A post on Trahan's Facebook page entitled "Know Your Rights" warned immigrants that if approached by police or agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "you don't have to reveal your immigration status and have the right to remain silent." The post pointed out that a deportation warrant "does not authorize ICE agents to enter your home" and that someone who is being detained has the right to remain silent and to speak with a lawyer. Trahan, a Westford Democrat, posted the advisory one day before ICE was supposed to carry out large scale immigration raids in 10 U.S. cities. Massachusetts cities weren't among those targeted in the immigration raids, which never materialized."
WOW - check out Mark Garfinkel's shot of lightning stiriking the Prudential Center during yesterday's storm . Tweet .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to state Rep. Paul Schmid of Westport; Sarah Iselin, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at GuideWell and Florida Blue; Democratic activist Michael Bakshi; and Emerson College lecturer Keri Thompson.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 5-4.
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