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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
PRIMARY HEATING UP ALREADY — With his seat under siege, Sen. Ed Markey is busting out the big guns. Markey's campaign shared a video of Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsing him yesterday, a show of force as the senator faces a potential primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Warren, Markey's Massachusetts colleague in the Senate and a top-tier presidential candidate, first endorsed Markey six or seven months ago.
The endorsement matters because Warren is close with both Kennedy and Markey. A former student of Warren's, Kennedy met his wife in the then-professor's class at Harvard. Markey and Kennedy each spoke at Warren's presidential campaign kickoff in January, but Kennedy introduced her to the crowd. Markey is facing two announced primary challengers: Shannon Liss-Riordan and Steve Pemberton.
The Warren nod illustrates just how many Massachusetts Democrats will be caught in the middle if Kennedy runs to unseat Markey next year, and is proof of Markey's institutional support. The Democratic political scene is tight-knit in this state, and there's plenty of overlap. Pushing out the Warren endorsement video now, with the primary 13 months away, is a sign Markey takes Kennedy's potential candidacy seriously and is flexing some political muscle.
What I'm watching for next is some public polling . Someone is bound to test Markey, Kennedy, Liss-Riordan and Pemberton in a poll in the next month or two. How Markey fares in that survey, especially after this week's blitz of media attention on Kennedy, would be telling for his reelection prospects.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: It's almost that time! Massachusetts Playbook will not publish Monday, Aug. 26 to Monday, Sept. 2. I'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
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. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joins the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on WEEI.Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visits Amy's All Natural in Palmer and holds a roundtable for the RESPECTfully campaign in Lowell.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigns in Minneapolis. Rep. Richard Neal, state Sen. Adam Hinds and state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli announce tax credit funds for Eagle Mill in Lee. The RMV Merit Rating Board holds a public meeting.
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NEW—POLITICO's UNITED NATIONS PLAYBOOK: The 74thSession of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world's most influential leaders into four blocks in Gotham. POLITICO's man-about-town Ryan Heath will take you inside UNGA—revealing juicy details from the lighter-side of the gathering and insights into the most pressing global issues facing decision-makers today. Sign up for U.N. Playbook.
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 | THE RMV SCANDAL |
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— "RMV Official At Center Of Scandal Could Be Fired," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "The leader of the Registry of Motor Vehicles division that failed to process thousands of alerts about dangerous drivers could be removed from his position as early as Tuesday when an agency board at the center of investigations into administrative malpractice meets to discuss personnel changes. Thomas Bowes is the director of the Merit Rating Board, the group within the RMV that tracks drivers' records. It's also the division responsible for processing alerts from other states about dangerous drivers, which investigators allege the RMV has failed to do properly since at least 2014. The board is scheduled to vote on personnel changes Tuesday afternoon, which could indicate that Bowes or other staff will be removed."
— "Healey, an RMV critic, sits on panel charged with overseeing unit at center of scandal," by Matt Stout, Bostno Globe: "Attorney General Maura Healey has denounced the Registry of Motor Vehicles' failures to track troubled drivers as a "shameful" example of a "lack of leadership, lack of management, [and] lack of accountability" in the Baker administration. Unlike other critics, however, Healey has a role with the beleaugured agency: She holds a seat on the three-person panel tasked with overseeing the much-maligned Merit Rating Board, the Registry unit now at the center of the scandal. The obscure panel, which apparently has not met in years, has largely sunk into the background amid other glaring deficiencies within the Registry, notably its failure to process an alert about a West Springfield trucker who, weeks later, allegedly hit and killed seven people in a horrifying crash in New Hampshire."
— "Union slams RMV report for naming names," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "AS QUESTIONS CONTINUE to swirl over who knew what and when about persistent record-keeping failures at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the union representing two RMV employees slammed a national audit firm for naming them in a summary of its investigation. Grant Thornton, the auditors tapped by the state to conduct an independent review, wrote in an interim report released by MassDOT on Friday that employee Michael Noronha viewed an alert that should have triggered a license suspension for a man who later caused a fatal New Hampshire crash but did not act on it. Auditors also said his supervisor in the so-called SPEX department, Susan Crispin, failed to ensure her department was clearing a backlog of such notices as she awaited response from a software vendor about her concerns with the system."
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| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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— "Massachusetts plastic bag ban is now tied up in Beacon Hill," by Janelle Nanos, Boston Globe: "As more and more cities across the state and country ban plastic shopping bags, a statewide ban came closer to reality in Massachusetts last month. The only problem? Some of the most adamant supporters of efforts to ban single-use plastic carryout bags say they can't support the bill. At the heart of the issue is an ideological battle over how well plastic bag ban policies actually work, and whether such legislation creates unintended environmental consequences. A coalition of environmental, retail, and municipal groups had worked with lawmakers to draft legislation with two key components: banning single-use plastic bags statewide and requiring a fee on all paper bags used during checkout. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Representative Lori Ehrlich and Senator Jamie Eldridge and endorsed by nearly 100 legislators and 200 constituent groups."
— "State's tribes seek accurate census count," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Native Americans weren't counted as part of the U.S. Census until the late 1800s, and remain one of the hardest-to-count populations in the nation. Indigenous people living on reservations were undercounted by more than 5% during the last decennial count in 2010, according the Census Bureau, the highest among any racial or ethnic group. In Massachusetts, where the state's small tribes are relatively small and their people scattered across many communities, counting the Native American population is even more of a challenge. With the 2020 Census less than a year away, state officials and tribal leaders have been organizing efforts behind the scenes in the hopes of getting a more accurate tally. "The biggest challenge is finding them," said John "Jim" Peters, executive director of the Massachusetts Indian Affairs Commission, a state agency. "The population is so small and people are spread around the state, so it's not like you can go to a reservation to get a good count." Peters, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag, said his office is working with tribal leaders on outreach to the Native American community to encourage participation."
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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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| FROM THE HUB |
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— "Advocates Will Walk From Boston To Dover, N.H. To Protest Immigration Policy," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service:"A six-day march to a New Hampshire jail launched Monday with a symbolic funeral procession in which demonstrators carried a small coffin bearing the names of migrant children who died either in U.S. custody or while trying to cross the country's southern border. The roughly 76-mile trek protesting immigrant detention and deportation will take marchers from Boston through Lynn, Danvers and Newburyport, and ultimately on to the Strafford County Department of Corrections in Dover, N.H., a facility that organizers said is used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants. Along the way, they will connect with delegations from Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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— "Kennedy vs. Markey would test loyalties of Mass. Democrats," by Victoria McGrane and James Pindell, Boston Globe: "Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III has not made up his mind on whether to mount a primary challenge against Senator Edward J. Markey, yet already the lines are being drawn in what would be a generational showdown between two of the state's most respected political figures. The prospect that Kennedy, the 38-year-old scion of the state's most revered political dynasty, might take on the 73-year-old Markey, the longest-serving member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, set off a seismic charge in the Massachusetts political landscape."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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— "Red Line ridership hasn't recovered," by Andy Metzger and Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "RED LINE RIDERSHIP has not fully recovered from the hit it took after a June 11 derailment, and the MBTA's regular monthly survey of users suggests satisfaction with the agency remains near an all-time low. The T late Monday released data indicating Red Line ridership, which had been averaging more than 200,000 on weekdays the previous year and in the months leading up to the derailment, has failed to rebound. The T earlier released data indicating Red Line ridership was off 10.5 percent from 2018 levels in the first week after the derailment and then 5.9 percent off in the second week. The T on Monday released additional data for July and the first three weeks of August that show the number of people tapping in to ride the Red Line have bounced around a bit without ever returning to the 200,000 level."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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— "Is Bill Weld the Hero Never Trumpers Have Been Waiting For?" by David Montgomery, Washington Post: "Bill Weld looks comfortable standing with his back to the mantelpiece of an antique-laden living room in a neighborhood inhabited by Washington's deposed ruling class — perhaps too comfortable. As of this rainy Tuesday evening in late June, the fiscally conservative, socially liberal 74-year-old former governor of Massachusetts is the only Republican who has dared to mount a primary challenge against President Trump. The purpose of tonight's invitation-only reception is to introduce his candidacy to about 175 members of the capital's bipartisan upper crust. The host committee and guests include a couple of Ronald Reagan's White House social secretaries; George H.W. Bush-appointed former Federal Election Commission chairman Trevor Potter; Jimmy Carter's White House communications director, Gerald Rafshoon; conservative commentator and arch Never Trumper Bill Kristol; and 2016 independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin. Coordinated by eminent Washington event planner Carolyn Peachey, the evening has all the makings of a planning session for the posh wing of the Resistance."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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— "'Codfather' must cease commercial fishing when he leaves prison and pay $3m fine," by Travis Andersen and David Abel, Boston Globe: "Carlos A. Rafael, the disgraced New Bedford fishing mogul known as "The Codfather," has been permanently banned from the commercial fishing industry and fined $3 million under the terms of a civil settlement with federal regulators. The agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration resolves "pending civil administrative claims" against Rafael, 67, and a number of his former captains, regulators said Monday. Rafael, who had owned one of the nation's largest groundfish fishing fleets before his downfall, pleaded guilty in March 2017 to perpetrating a massive fishing fraud and was sentenced to 46 months in prison."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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— "Warren apologizes for 'harm I have caused' at Native American event," by Caitlin Oprysko, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren apologized Monday to a Native American audience over her handling of past claims of native ancestry, telling a group of tribal leaders that she realized it had been a mistake. "Now, before I go any further in this I want to say this: Like anyone who's been honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes," Warren, appearing at a forum for presidential candidates, said at the outset of her presentation. "I am sorry for harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot. And I am grateful for the many conversations that we've had together." Warren was widely panned last fall when she promoted the results of a DNA test revealing that she has some native ancestry going back six to 10 generations."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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— "Shedding jobs and lagging on revenue, Springfield casino is still on right path, president says," by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "Gambling revenues are coming in far below projections, and employment has fallen sharply. But almost one year after MGM Springfield first welcomed gamblers, its president said Monday that the casino is headed in the right direction. "I feel good about the trajectory," Michael Mathis told reporters. The state's first full-fledged casino, MGM Springfield brought in $253 million in gross gaming revenue in its first 49 weeks, according to the latest state figures. When it applied for its license, MGM projected it would pull in more than $400 million in its first year."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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— "Quincy developer unveils horse track, casino plan for Wareham," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "In the Great Casino Race, one part of the state was left behind: Southeastern Massachusetts. That might be about to change. A Quincy developer is promoting an ambitious plan for Wareham to build a new horse track along with a hotel and entertainment complex with slot machines. Tom O'Connell, a top executive at Marina Bay and the Granite Links golf club in Quincy, will host dual press conferences to unveil his concept on Tuesday, at Granite Links in the morning and then in Wareham in the afternoon. The project has been rumored for weeks, as O'Connell quietly worked behind the scenes to build support ."
— "Sandy Almonte making a run for political office, again," by Bill Kirk, Eagle-Tribune: "From the outside, it looks like this year's fall election could be a quiet, sleepy affair. For the first time in many years, if ever, there will be no citywide preliminary election in September, something that came as a surprise to many elected leaders. The reason is that there are only enough candidates in one district — District C, with three — to trigger a preliminary election in September. Meanwhile, there are so few candidates running for School Committee that it's possible the committee won't even have a quorum, unless people mount sticker or write-in campaigns. But looks can be deceiving. It seems there is plenty of activity going on inside the swirling whirlwind of Lawrence politics, with much it coming from a person who isn't even on the ballot."
FOR YOUR RADAR: Will Rep. Joe Kennedy Challenge Sen. Ed Markey? I was a guest on WGBH's "Greater Boston" last night. Make sure you watch!
REMEMBERING MICHAELANN BEWSEE ... from Western Mass Politics & Insight: "Injustice had no greater foe in the City of Springfield than Michaelann Bewsee. After co-founding what would become the city's feistiest community organization, Arise for Social Justice, Bewsee contributed to innumerable battles for equality and fairness. She embraced the city's cultural mosaic without losing sight of its individual pieces. Bewsee died Thursday after a battle with lung cancer."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Boston.com scribe Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Daily Hampshire Gazette photog Carol Lollis, and Rachel Lea Fish, who turns 4-0.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: "To the Window, to the Walsh." On this week's Horse Race podcast, we break down the group drafting Rep. Joe Kennedy III for Senate and a standoff between Gov. Charlie Baker and the MassGOP. The Boston Globe's Milton Valencia talks Boston Mayor Marty Walsh now that we have a verdict in the Boston Calling case, and Jeff Gross, formerly of the MIRA Coalition, talks about a new commission that will study challenges foreign-trained medical professionals face in Massachusetts. Subscribe and listen on iTunesand 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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