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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish Monday, Aug. 26 through Monday, Sept. 2. I'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 3. If you need me between now and then, drop me a line at smurray@politico.com.
MARKEY'S SHOW OF FORCE — Sen. Ed Markey showed he's ready to put up a fight for his Senate seat this week, announcing a number of endorsements and drawing hundreds to a town hall focused on his signature policy proposal: the Green New Deal.
It's a show of force as Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a fellow member of the congressional delegation, weighs a primary run against Markey for his Senate seat.
In the seven days since news broke that Kennedy is considering a run, Markey has said he is fired up to fight against President Donald Trump in the Senate and win reelection, regardless of who enters the race. If Kennedy runs for Senate, he'll join Markey's already-announced primary challengers Steve Pemberton and Shannon Liss-Riordan.
If you've noticed an influx in digital ads from Markey's campaign, it's not your imagination. Markey spent nearly $9,200 on Facebook ads this week, according to Facebook data, which is up from $6,700 last week. If Markey continues to spend in that dollar range, he would spend more than three times as much as the $119,000 he spent on Facebook ads last year. He has more than $4 million in his war chest, and Kennedy has about $4.2 million, according to the FEC.
On Monday, Markey released an endorsement video from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The Malden lawmaker has received the nod from a majority of the Massachusetts delegation, according to the Boston Globe, along with NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Markey also announced endorsements from the League of Conservation Voters and the Sunrise Movement this week — a sign he's staking out his territory on environmental issues. Markey touted his work on the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, which passed the House in 2009, to hundreds of people at a Framingham town hall on Wednesday. Grassroots advocacy group Progressive Massachusetts sent an email blast to its members in support of Markey, urging Kennedy to sit this race out so Markey can continue his work on climate change.
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 vacations in Gloucester. Rep. Lori Trahan attends a Narcan training in Haverhill. Former Gov. Bill Weld campaigns in Somersworth, N.H.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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— "Clients surprised after Beacon Hill lobbyist Anne Lynch charged in bribery scheme," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "Until Beacon Hill lobbyist Anne Lynch was charged with paying kickbacks to a client who steered business her way, clients said the behavior of her firm was generally helpful and unremarkable. "We have absolutely been satisfied with our services and the folks we worked with at Lynch Associates," said Howard Purcell, president of New England College of Optometry, which has used Lynch Associates since 2009. Purcell, who did not know Lynch personally in the year he has been the school's president, said the firm helped introduce him to legislators and key people in the community."
— "Dana Pullman, former state police union head charged in kickback scheme, receiving $5,200 in monthly pension payments," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Dana Pullman, the former Massachusetts State Police union president who is accused of defrauding the organization, gets more than $5,000 in monthly pension benefits. Pullman, who retired in 2018 amid a federal probe, qualified for an annual pension of $62,974, paid in monthly installments of $5,248 after his retirement in November, according to state records. Pullman and Anne Lynch, a retired Beacon Hill lobbyist, were arrested Wednesday morning on charges that they defrauded the State Police Association of Massachusetts in a kickback scheme that steered work to Lynch's firm. They are charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruction of justice."
— "Cowboy constables: Massachusetts process servers under fire for aggressive acts," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Actions by the Massachusetts Constable's Office — a private group of up to 25 constables — have sparked legislation to ban Bay State constables from enforcing criminal law and making arrests — and leaving that to trained police officers. "Most constables stick to civil process, but this group has been pushing the law to its limits in an aggressive way," said state Rep. Dan Cahill, D-Lynn, who filed the bill that would limit constables to serving civil papers."
— "BAKER ADMIN LIKES DATA APPROACH IN DISTRACTED DRIVING DRAFT," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service:"Lawmakers have offered few hints about the status of private negotiations on distracted-driving legislation since an "agreement in principle" collapsed last month, but the Baker administration has positive reviews for the compromise that had almost been reached. After a draft bill failed to get across the finish line during a marathon July 31 session, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security praised its approach on demographic data collection and review, one of the key differences in the original House and Senate versions of the legislation."
— "Cases of drug diversion increase," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Regulators are seeing more complaints about drug diversions and the theft of controlled substances from pharmacies, according to a new report. The state Board of Registration in Pharmacy, which oversees the state's prescribers, received at least 543 "drug violation" complaints stemming from "drug losses, record keeping discrepancies and drug diversions" at drug stores and pharmacies throughout the state from 2013 through 2018. Last year, the board logged 93 complaints for drug violations, for the first time eclipsing the number of complaints it received about failures of pharmacies to properly fill prescriptions or other regulatory violations, according to its report."
— "Attorney General presses feds to wait before approving Pilgrim transfer," by Colin A. Young, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE: "With federal regulators poised any day now to approve the sale and license transfer of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Attorney General Maura Healey is objecting on behalf of Massachusetts, attempting to stop the transfer while also pushing for a settlement with the companies involved in the sale. Entergy, which bought Pilgrim from Boston Edison in 1999, is seeking to sell the plant to Holtec International, which plans to decommission the plant on an "accelerated" basis."
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| THE RMV SCANDAL |
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— "Interim chief of Massachusetts RMV's Merit Rating Board named," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "A manager from the state's division of insurance will take over the office responsible for monitoring out-of-state license infractions after the Merit Rating Board director was fired Tuesday. Acting Registrar Jamey Tesler appointed Paolo Franzese as interim director of the Merit Rating Board Thursday, according to the MassDOT. Franzese will serve as interim for about two months while a search is underway for a permanent replacement."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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— "Boston's congestion can be hazardous to your health," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "WHEN TRAFFIC IS at a standstill - as it is all too often in metro Boston these days - there are big-picture economic and environmental impacts. But congestion can also affect the health of the drivers caught in its throes. Philip Levendusky, director of the psychology department for McLean Hospital, where he is also co-director of psychology training, says as commutes have grown longer and less predictable drivers often feel a sense of helplessness that often manifests itself in stress-induced tension and even road rage."
— "Massachusetts General Hospital notifying 9,900 people of privacy breach involving demographic and genetic information used for research," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com:"Massachusetts General Hospital said Thursday that it is notifying 9,900 people of a privacy breach in which a third party may have accessed data including demographic and genetic information for study participants. The incident involves the Boston hospital's Department of Neurology in connection with some of its research programs, MGH wrote in a news release ."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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— "Kennedy to get back in public eye next week," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "CONGRESSMAN JOE KENNEDY III, who has turned the Massachusetts political world upside down merely by considering a run for the seat held by Sen. Ed Markey, will make an appearance in Worcester on Wednesday and may hold another public event earlier in the week. The Newton Democrat's visit to the second largest city in Massachusetts is not a political event, but it could provide the public the first look at Kennedy since the news broke that he was considering a run."
— "Would Joe Kennedy run against Ed Markey from the left — or the right?" by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Rep. Joe Kennedy III will reportedly decide whether to launch a 2020 primary challenge against Sen. Ed Markey in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the question is why. "We think it's important for the voters of Massachusetts to have a choice," Jamie Hoag, one of the organizers of the effort urging Kennedy to enter the Senate primary race, told Boston.com in an interview. But what exactly would that choice be between ?"
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| WARREN REPORT |
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— "Elizabeth Warren To Introduce Bill Revoking Medals Of Honor For Wounded Knee Massacre," by Jennifer Bendery, Huffington Post: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) plans to introduce legislation this fall to rescind 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers who slaughtered hundreds of Lakota Indians ― mostly women and children ― in the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The bill, the Remove the Stain Act, was introduced in the House in June by Democratic Reps. Denny Heck (Wash.), Paul Cook (Calif.) and Deb Haaland (N.M.), one of two Native American women in Congress. Warren told Indianz.com on Tuesday that she'll introduce a Senate version in the coming months."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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— "Trump's move halts virtually all asylum cases in New England," by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: "The Trump administration is halting the processing of most New England asylum cases, a move that will increase already daunting wait times for asylum-seekers and, critics say, serves as the latest volley in an ongoing assault by the president against legal immigration. Officers who currently interview asylum-seekers in Newark and Boston will be diverted to the southern border, leaving behind more than 40,000 pending cases. Newark and Boston are the only two cities that process asylum claims for New England residents."
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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— "'It's going to be tough': House Democrats appear less likely to get Trump's tax returns before 2020 election," by Jeff Stein, Rachael Bade and Jacqueline Alemany, Washington Post: "House Democrats appear increasingly unlikely to secure President Trump's tax returns before the 2020 presidential election, according to interviews with legal experts and several lawmakers, as resistance from the Trump administration has stymied the party's efforts to obtain his personal financial records. Several Democrats involved in oversight see a long path to getting a final court decision, even if they expect to win in the end. Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump-appointed judge who was assigned the case in July, will hear the case first, and any decision is likely to be appealed to higher courts, up to the Supreme Court."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "COWBOY CONSTABLES," — Globe: "Patriots' Chung indicted on cocaine charge," "President apologizes for MIT Epstein ties," "Lobbyist in scheme known for edge. "
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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— "Scott Lively, a longtime Baker foe, says goodbye to politics — and hello to farm life," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Scott Lively says he's done with politics. And he has the chicken to prove it. The far-right pastor who's unsuccessfully challenged Governor Charlie Baker in both a primary and a courthouse — and has $30,000 in campaign debt to show for it — e-mailed supporters Wednesday to say he's withdrawing from the Massachusetts political scene. Lively, of course, had toyed with a congressional run in recent months, only to rule it out, before saying he could run for another office in 2022."
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CLIMATE CHANGE - THE BORDERLESS THREAT - Nowhere are the long-term costs of short-term thinking more detrimental than with the environment & global climate change. How can policymakers overcome the political roadblocks of the moment to take long-term action? In the third chapter of POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations", presented by Citi, host Luiza Savage will welcome special guests to explore both the science & politics of climate change, and the geopolitical implications that it presents. Subscribe and listen now.
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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— "Polito talks to teens about domestic, sexual abuse," Eagle-Tribune: "Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visited the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club Thursday afternoon to host a roundtable discussion on the RESPECTfully statewide public awareness campaign. The initiative is focused on healthy relationships in youth and teens across the state, and is the first of its kind in Massachusetts in almost 20 years. Its inception stems from the work of the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, led by Polito. The task force has been working to reduce the number of individuals who experience sexual and domestic violence in their lives."
— "In a Fight with a Woburn Font Company, He Used the Ultimate Burn: Comic Sans," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Oh, Comic Sans. The cartoonish Microsoft-made typeface is hands down the most loathed font of all time, the one specific style of lettering that nerds around the world seem to love to dunking on. It's a typographical punchline, and catnip for graphic design scolds who love roasting the rubes who use it. In the font industry, it's basically a dirty word. So when a critic of a deal at a Massachusetts typeface company invoked Comic Sans in a fiery public statement this week, you know he meant for the comment to really sting."
FOR YOUR RADAR: "Barack and Michelle Obama 'to buy $14.85 million Martha's Vineyard estate from Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck' after spending summer there and falling in love with sprawling beachfront property." Daily Mail. Link.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY — to Margie Berkowitz, who celebrated yesterday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Springfield state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, Everett state Rep. Joe McGonagle , Transportation for Massachusetts partnerships director Joshua Ostroff, State Street Assistant Vice President George Schadler, Dianne Bagley Smith, Shelley Long (the actress who played 'Diane Chambers' in Cheers), and Robert Solow, who turns 95.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: "Half in the Bag Ban." This week on the Horse Race podcast, Steve Koczela and I break down new developments in the potential Kennedy vs. Markey primary. The Boston Globe's Janelle Nanos gives us the lowdown on a plastic bag stalemate on Beacon Hill, and former state Sen. Ben Downing weighs in on how Democrats should look at Gov. Charlie Baker. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
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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