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Presented by the American Heart Association
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
EXCLUSIVE: AUCHINCLOSS JUMPS INTO 4TH DISTRICT RACE — Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss is running for Congress.
The former Marine will launch his 4th District campaign with a series of visits to commuter transit hubs around the district this evening, starting with his hometown stop in Newtonville at 5:30 p.m. Here's a first look at his campaign website.
Auchincloss will focus on the Green New Deal , gun safety legislation, immigration reform and health care as he begins his campaign for Rep. Joe Kennedy III's open House seat. Auchincloss served as a captain in the Marines, and commanded infantry in Afghanistan in 2012 and a reconnaissance unit in Panama in 2015.
"As a Marine officer in Afghanistan and Panama, I was proud to lead Americans who put service before self," Auchincloss said in a statement. "In my hometown's City Hall, I've led from the front on transportation, housing and the environment, to create more equal opportunity for all. I'm running for Congress to lead from the front once more."
"The stage is bigger and the stakes are higher, but my commitment is the same: to our common values of service and opportunity," he continued.
As he begins his campaign, Auchincloss is leaving his job at Liberty Mutual's innovation lab, where he focused on helping to move the company to a "greener, less congested transportation system." His last day is on Monday.
Now that Auchincloss has entered the race , the 4th District field has swelled to five candidates. The candidates are former Wall Street regulator Ihssane Leckey, Newton City Councilor Becky Walker Grossman, former Gov. Deval Patrick aide Jesse Mermell and City Year founder Alan Khazei. The number of contenders is likely to grow in the next several weeks, because open congressional seats are something of a rarity in Massachusetts. And now that state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has decided she won't get into the race, the contest is especially wide open.
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 ceremonial groundbreaking for the Envision Bank Home for Veterans in Randolph. Baker attends a ribbon cutting for the Veterans' Housing Project in Revere. Vaping advocates hold a rally in front of the State House. The Senate meets in formal session. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts an End Citizens United forum in Concord.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at Amherst College. Rep. Richard Neal hosts EU Ambassador to the US Stavros Lambrinidis at American International College. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends a ribbon cutting for the new Charles Sumner School playground. Walsh attends a ribbon cutting for the Jamaica Mi Hungry restaurant in Jamaica Plain.
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NOMINATIONS WANTED: There's just one week left to submit your nominee for the 2019 Women Rule "Women of Impact." Tell us about the women you see on the front lines, moving the needle and changing the game in their respective fields. We are looking for women bringing their bold visions to life—whether they're running for office, leading a business, or championing a cause. We'll honor them at the Women Rule summit in December in Washington, D.C. NOMINATE A WOMAN OF IMPACT HERE.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Big boost for some, not all, in education bill, disputed analysis finds," by Victoria McGrane and Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Public schools in some struggling Massachusetts cities would collectively reap hundreds of millions of dollars in new state aid over the next seven years, according to a Baker administration analysis of a bill set for Senate debate on Thursday. But many other municipalities, while getting more education money from the state, would also be on the hook to pay more from local coffers than current law requires, according to the analysis, which the Globe obtained through a public records request and which legislative leaders dispute."
- "HIGHER ED CAMPUSES FACE PENALTIES IN COLLEGE CLOSURE BILL," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "Colleges and universities in Massachusetts could face significant fines or lose their ability to issue degrees for failing to implement financial transparency measures under a bill the House unanimously approved on Wednesday. "Designed as a response to a recent wave of higher education closures, the legislation (H 4099) requires school leadership to post financial information online in a publicly accessible fashion, undergo regular budgetary screening, alert state officials if they face imminent closure, and more."
- "Lawmakers want more money from ride-hailing services," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Lawmakers want to carve out a larger share of revenue for cities and towns from ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to help relieve congestion and reduce vehicle emissions. One proposal, filed Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn, would allow the state to charge so-called transportation network companies a new fee of 6.25% of each ride fare for single-rider trips, or 4.25% for shared trips. Cities and towns along the MBTA's rail and bus system would be allowed to charge an additional $2.25 "congestion assessment" for each ride. Crighton said the goal is to encourage commuters to share rides and use public transit, while bringing the state's ride-hailing fees in line with other states."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Cassellius puts moratorium on district's standardized tests," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "Lee K-8 School teacher Colum Whyte reached his breaking point two weeks ago while he watched some of his sixth-grade students come to tears as they attempted to answer questions on a reading assessment test, one of 11 standardized tests they're required to take in an average year. As a teacher at the Lee school since 2005, Whyte has seen it all before. "The tests are poorly written," he says. "They're often culturally inappropriate and way above the sixth-grade reading level." To add to the difficulty, this year, students were taking a Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test on Chromebooks, and they were having technical difficulties.
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- "Council finalists make their case at Florian Hall," by Katie Trojano, Dorchester Reporter: "Four Dorchester civic associations co-sponsored an at-large City Council candidate forum on Tuesday evening at Florian Hall. State Representative Dan Hunt and POLITICO reporter Stephanie Murray moderated the event, asking the candidates where they stand on education, development and zoning, transportation, and public safety. The forum came one week after a preliminary election cut a field of 15 candidates down to eight hopefuls vying for one of the four at-large seats that will be determined by the Nov. 5th general election."
- "City on pace to meet housing goals," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "Real estate development is continuing apace in Boston, with new construction pushing deeper into the city's outer neighborhoods as land downtown has become prohibitively expensive, according to officials from the administration of Mayor Martin Walsh. The housing officials met with reporters Monday to discuss their annual update on the city's Boston 2030 plan, which calls for the construction of 69,000 new units. So far, more than 30,442 new units have been permitted or completed. Of the 15,820 income-restricted units called for in the goal, 6,004 have been permitted or completed."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- "The 'Deb Goldberg for Congress' bumper stickers were ready. Then she changed her mind," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg had bumper stickers printed, a campaign schedule ready, and a meeting planned for Wednesday morning to break the news to senior staff: She would be a candidate for the open Fourth Congressional District seat. "That was it," the Brookline Democrat said of her mindset after speaking with her rabbi and family. "I was running." And then, she awoke from a largely sleepless night with an "epiphany" — and a change of heart."
- "Dan Koh polling in 3rd Congressional District," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Daniel Koh is polling in the 3rd Congressional District, further testing the waters for a potential rematch against U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, a source close to Koh confirmed to the Herald. Koh, now an Andover selectman, narrowly lost the race for the congressional seat to Westford's Trahan last year — coming up just 145 votes short after a recount. Koh is zeroing in on campaign finance issues that have dogged Trahan. The representative is facing complaints from watchdogs over the $371,000 she reportedly loaned her campaign, including a significant infusion in the two weeks before the September primary."
- "Compressor protester arrested at state offices as Markey tours site," by Jessica Trufant, The Patriot Ledger: "An environmental activist was arrested Wednesday during a protest by opponents of a proposed natural gas compressor station in Weymouth who blocked the entrance to the state Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Boston to demand that the agency reject the project. Nathan Phillips, a Boston University professor, was arrested on a charge of trespassing by Boston police during the protest of the proposed 7,700-horsepower natural gas compressor station proposed by Algonquin, a subsidiary of Spectra Energy-Enbridge."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "State trying to rein in RTAs," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION is trying to rein in the state's 15 regional transit authorities, the agencies that run buses outside the MBTA service area. MassDOT recently signed a memorandum of understanding with each authority, laying out baseline figures for a variety of performance and financial metrics, and setting targets in each category for the next two years. The memos are a baby step toward a more uniform system of operation, a way for the state to begin evaluating its sizeable investment of $87 million in operating funds plus $3.5 million in discretionary grants."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Half Of Judges Who Could Hear Appeal Of Harvard Discrimination Case Went To School There," by Esteban Bustillos, WGBH News: "Half of the federal judges who could possibly hear the appeal of the Harvard admissions case attended the school as undergraduates or law students, a WGBH News review of their official biographies has found. Three of the 10 judges on Boston's First Circuit Court of Appeals will be selected at random to hear the appeal of Federal District Judge Allison Burroughs' Tuesday decision in favor of Harvard. Students for Fair Admissions, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of rejected Asian-American applicants to Harvard, has said it will appeal the ruling upholding the university's consideration of race in admitting students."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "With Warren gaining, Biden builds a Super Tuesday fortress," by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO : "Joe Biden's campaign is ramping up its investment in the Super Tuesday states, anticipating a Democratic race that narrows to two candidates by early March. The increase in staffing across the 14 states that will vote March 3 comes as Biden's polling numbers have declined and Elizabeth Warren's have surged, particularly in states like Iowa and New Hampshire where she's heavily invested in field organization."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Annisquam dredging could move forward," by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: "A long-awaited project to dredge the sand-clogged Annisquam River could be back on track, according to U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, citing a deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will allow work to move forward. Moulton said his office, working with state and local officials, has secured a waiver from the Army Corps and the federal Office of Management and Budget that will allow the project to move ahead with $2 million in recently allocated state funding to plug a gap between the estimated $6 million price tag and bids that came in much higher than expected. "We're finally going to be able to move ahead with the dredging of the Annisquam River," Moulton told members of the Gloucester Daily Times and Salem News editorial boards on Tuesday."
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| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
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- "At HubWeek, Katherine Clark says Trump betrayed his oath," by Andy Rosen and Hanna Krueger, Boston Globe: "The organizers of HubWeek could not have known the country would be in the grip of an impeachment inquiry when they chose "The Pursuit" as the theme of Boston's annual ideas festival. But as the event began Tuesday, the congressional investigation into President Trump took center stage. US Representative Katherine Clark, who as vice chair of the Democratic caucus is the sixth-highest ranking member of the House, took part in the opening panel of the three-day gathering to discuss the pursuit of new solutions and groundbreaking ideas related to social issues. But the conversation in the Seaport District event quickly turned to Trump's efforts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden's family."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "State rep pushes bill to help farmers combat effects of climate change," by Cesareo Contreras , MetroWest Daily News: "Tom Hanson has no doubt that the effects of climate change has impacted his family's farm. "Hanson's Farm" at 20 Nixon Road in Framingham was started by Hanson's grandfather in 1908. Having grown up on the farm his whole life, Hanson, 60, has seen it change over the years. "It's just gotten warmer. There's really no question about it," he said. "Your first frost when I was a young man was usually in late September. Now we go right into the middle of October." As a result, new types of pests that typically reside in southern states are traveling up north and into his crops."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Pot store's flower cupboard is bare," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "THE MARIJUANA STORE closest to Boston is out of marijuana flower for non-medical customers while it waits to get test results back from labs that must approve all marijuana before it's sold in Massachusetts. New England Treatment Access, which has locations in Brookline and Northampton, listed four strains of marijuana on its Brookline menu for Wednesday but noted that each is only available to medical patients. On its Northampton menu, NETA on Wednesday listed one strain available to non-medical users."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "CRIMSON QUOTA," "BRUINS POWER," — Globe: "School aid change looks like mixed bag," "Democrats take aim at White House." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Politicians, activists press abortion legislation," by Noor Adatia, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Local politicians, including Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, were joined by abortion advocacy groups during a Statehouse rally Tuesday morning in support of legislation providing more reproductive freedoms to Massachusetts residents. They brought attention to the ROE Act — a piece of legislation introduced by Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, that has been up for debate in Beacon Hill for several months. The act would expand abortion access to pregnant women, notably allowing teenagers to seek reproductive care without consent from their parents."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Attleboro area lawmakers, city council push for S. Attleboro station repairs," by Mia Ping-Chieh Chen, Attleboro Sun Chronicle: "Local legislators and the Attleboro City Council are pushing the MBTA to complete repairs to stairways and an overhead walkway at the South Attleboro commuter rail station, calling the walkway "a dilapidated eyesore." The walkway is used by commuters to cross the busy road that runs between the train platform and the South Attleboro MBTA parking lot. The structure is completely rusted and there are holes in the stairs as well as other visible damage. Jagged pieces of rusty, loose metal can be found on the stairs, the ground below them and the walkway itself."
- "The State Of The Cape's Coastal And Fresh Water Is 'Alarming,' Report Concludes," by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: "More than two-thirds of Cape Cod's embayments, or shoreline indentations, and one-third of its freshwater ponds have serious water quality issues, a new report finds. The report out Wednesday, from the nonprofit Association to Preserve Cape Cod, paints a picture of a region-wide coastal and freshwater problem. The issues stem mostly from old septic systems in the area and poorly treated wastewater, which pollute water bodies with excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus."
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: PLANET OF THE VAPES - On this week's Horse Race podcast, we break down the #mapoli angle on the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Rich Parr of the MassINC Polling Group walks us through the voting map for the Boston City Council preliminary election. Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title talks about why she opposes Gov. Charlie Baker's ban on vaping product sales, and Boston Globe City Hall reporter Milton Valencia brings us up to speed on the bribery scandal playing out on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Massachusetts Democratic Party Executive Director Veronica Martinez. (h/t Patrick Coyne)
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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THE TOP 2020 ISSUE - Health care is the number one issue for many voters heading into 2020. We will bring a special edition of the POLITICO Pulse newsletter to the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit in Washington, D.C. from October 28 - 30. Dan Diamond will take you inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators as they tackle today's pressing health challenges—from rising costs to accessibility. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the Summit.
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