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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy July and happy fiscal 2020.
MICHELLE WU'S BOSTON 'T' PARTY — Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu is leading a protest against the MBTA fare hikes that go into effect today, along with 50 other elected officials and candidates, and 300 volunteers. The plan is to hand out stickers and fliers at MBTA stations across the state's transportation system during the morning commute for a protest they've named the #BostonTParty.
The higher prices come on the heels of two MBTA train derailments , which paralyzed commutes and raised concerns about the transportation system's durability. The derailments also ignited frustration among some Democrats over the pace of existing plans to fix the T. Gov. Charlie Baker announced an accelerated capital plan last week, but advocates say more needs to be done to fix the state's transportation woes.
"We need to see a faster pace. We need to see bolder action. We need to see a stronger commitment to not just getting to the bare minimum of functionality, but a system that people actually want to ride, that serves the needs of the region," Wu told me yesterday after a rally in front of Park Street station.
Instead of a fare hike, Wu and other advocates would like to see new revenue streams to fund transportation. Proposals they will present to riders today include increasing fees on Uber and Lyft, congestion pricing, raising the gas tax and changes to the government structure of board that governs the MBTA. Canvassers include Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. Sen. Ed Markey challenger Shannon Liss-Riordan also attended yesterday's rally.
Some state lawmakers are hopeful that some of those policy ideas could surface on Beacon Hill after the summer, due to signals from House Speaker Robert DeLeo.
"The Speaker's committed to having a robust debate on revenue this fall. That'll be the first debate on revenue for transit, really, in about six years. I think there's a real opportunity for us now," state Rep. Mike Connolly told reporters after the rally yesterday. "I think it could be a real turning point."
And this could signal a turning point for Wu, too. Wu led a group of activists who spoke out against the fare hikes before they were approved in February, and this latest move will spark questions — if not conclusions — about her political future. Wu is on the front pages of the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald this morning. She's often floated as potential 2021 challenger to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh if he runs for reelection, and forging alliances with progressive elected officials and Democratic activists is one way to build a base of citywide support.
IMPEACHMENT SPLITS DELEGATION — Rep. Joe Kennedy III is the latest member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to call for impeaching President Donald Trump. The move further splits the state's lawmakers over whether Trump should be removed from office, and now a first-year lawmaker is under scrutiny from a former opponent.
Kennedy called for Trump's ouster on Friday afternoon , calling it a "dark day for our country." The move is a step leftward for Kennedy, an ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kennedy is headed to a detention facility near the U.S.-Mexico border today, which has grabbed recent headlines for its treatment of migrant children under the Trump administration. Also on today's trip are Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Lori Trahan.
Dan Koh, the Andover selectman who finished second to Trahan in last year's jam-packed 3rd District primary, is calling on her to support impeaching the president. Trahan beat Koh by just under 150 votes, according to a recount after that election.
"I've intentionally stayed pretty quiet after the recount. But after seeing this week's heartbreaking pictures at the border and the continued stonewalling of justice happening within my own party, I need to speak out," Koh wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.
"I'm heartened that many of our Massachusetts elected officials support impeachment, including Elizabeth Warren, Ayanna Pressley, Joe Kennedy III, Jim McGovern, and Seth Moulton. It's time that my #MA3 Representative Lori Trahan do the same. We can't waste any more time waiting for more information. We can't stonewall. We need impeachment, now," Koh continued. A Trahan spokesman declined to comment on Koh's post, but said the Westford lawmaker believes Trump's actions qualify as obstruction of justice.
"Congresswoman Trahan has consistently said that President Trump will be impeached if he continues to hold himself above the law," Trahan spokesman Mark McDevitt told me in a text yesterday. "She believes Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller's testimony before Congress this month will further clarify to the public the extent of Russia's interference in the 2016 election."
So why is Koh weighing in right now? I asked him if he's thinking about running for Trahan's seat, and he told me it is "too early to tell." But time will start running out soon — most congressional candidates will try to get in a 2020 race by the end of the summer to hit fundraising markers. A House member's first reelection campaign is often their most vulnerable, and Trahan has warned of "potential opponents" in her fundraising emails to supporters.
On the flip side, a certain South Boston lawmaker is not budging on impeachment. Getting the gears turning on impeachment now could help Trump get reelected next fall, Rep. Stephen Lynch warned during an appearance on "On the Record" that aired Sunday.
"If we proceeded to impeachment, we would lose in the Senate, probably just before the elections," Lynch said. "So that would give the president the opportunity to spike the football and say this is all a hoax."
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish on Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5. The next Massachusetts Playbook newsletter will publish on Monday, July 8.
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, Rep. Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Paramount Theater. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito hold a leadership meeting with Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Lori Trahan visit migrant detention facilities in El Paso and Clint, Texas. Rep. Tim Ryan, a presidential candidate, speaks at an American School Counselor Association conference in Boston.
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POLITICO's The Agenda: The New Moon Race issue, presented by Leidos, has landed. America is heading back to the moon, but so is everyone else. This special report brings together POLITICO's growing space expertise with pivotal industry players, including NASA chief Jim Bridenstine, to explore the stakes of the new moon race. Read the full issue now.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Arts agency gets reined in by lawmakers - and a raise," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "NO STATE AGENCY has taken more of a pounding from the press this year over its spending practices than the Massachusetts Cultural Council, but the agency is poised to emerge from the Beacon Hill budget-writing process with its highest appropriation in years, even if that comes with some new restrictions on its spending. How that came about is partly a story about a tabloid feeding frenzy, but it's also evidence of how state funding for arts and cultural projects at the municipal level has become a sought-after prize for Beacon Hill lawmakers. For them, it's all about money fueling an arts and cultural scene across the state that attracts tourists, spurs economic development, and builds neighborhood pride."
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| WHAT CITY HALL IS READING |
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- "Michelle Wu says Boston is ready for change. But is Boston ready for Michelle Wu?" by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "Wu lives in the southwest corner of the city, far from the South Boston and Dorchester domains that have traditionally generated Boston's political machines. A protégé of Senator Elizabeth Warren, she picks battles the city's establishment politicians have avoided, such as advocating for residential parking permit fees as a means to cut down traffic congestion. Her prodding from the left on issues such as transportation and the environment has made her one of the leaders of the city's new progressive wave — and sparked speculation about whether she might run for mayor in two years ."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "'I was black, I was nobody, and I worked for security': Guards at the MFA speak out," by Zoe Greenberg and Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "The security guards at the Museum of Fine Arts are ambassadors to the public, often the only staff that visitors see when they want to ask a question or lodge a complaint. They are also part of the institution's most diverse department — while roughly 70 percent of all staff members are white, more than half of the guards are people of color. And some guards say they have been treated like second-class citizens at the museum for years."
- "Boston Police Commissioner Gross Promises Transparency In Investigation Of Officer-Involved Shooting," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News: "Boston Police Commissioner William Gross on Friday shed more light on the details of a shootout between a Dorchester resident and BPD officers this week. According to an eyewitness who spoke with the Boston Globe, the incident occurred late Monday evening, when two BPD officers confronted 19-year-old Jaymil Ellerbe, after responding to a report of shots fired in Field's Corner. The witness said Ellerbe, who was armed, was first asked by officers to put down his weapon. Instead, Ellerbe fired two shots at the officers, beginning a firefight that ended in his death."
- "Boston superintendent gets super relocation allowance," by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "INCOMING BOSTON school superintendent Brenda Cassellius signed a three-year contract with the city that provides some of the standard perks for a top-level hire, including reimbursement for moving expenses involved in her relocation from Minnesota to Boston. But the agreement goes a step further than that with an unusual provision that seems to anticipate address changes by the new school leader even after her arrival Boston. The contract includes language covering Cassellius's expenses for moves up to once per year within Boston."
- "Real Estate Boom Threatens Rooming Houses At The Bottom Of The Housing Market," by Chris Burrell, WGBH News: "A hot real estate market in Boston and surrounding cities is fueling rent hikes and evictions in what has long been one of the cheapest housing options in poor neighborhoods — rooming houses. Housing advocates say rooming houses — also known as SROs, meaning 'single room occupancy' — are a vital source of affordable shelter for minimum-wage workers, the elderly and people with disabilities or mental illness. But as urban real estate values surge, some investors and property owners are raising rents, evicting tenants and trying to shift away from low-income residents."
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "Liss-Riordan slams Markey on 1970s stand on busing," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "JOE BIDEN isn't the only 1970s-era pol whose views on school busing are coming in for fresh scrutiny. A day after Biden was scorched for his views by Kamala Harris in the second round of Democratic presidential debates, Sen. Ed Markey's Democratic primary opponent picked up on the issue and suggested the Massachusetts senator had also been on the wrong side of the busing debate."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Former Probation Department officials sue retired judge for $2.85 million," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Two former top state Probation Department officials who resigned more than eight years ago amid a political patronage hiring scandal have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the former chief of the state Trial Court system, seeking damages of $2.85 million. Former probation commissioner John J. "Jack" O'Brien and Elizabeth V. Tavares, who was O'Brien's top deputy, filed suit Friday against retired judge Robert A. Mulligan, who they say targeted them for termination partly out of a personal dislike for O'Brien. O'Brien and Tavares claim Mulligan "knowingly deprived" them of their due process rights and "has shown a reckless or callous indifference to the federally protected rights" of both plaintiffs, according to the civil complaint filed in the case."
- "You Can't Make Boston Fly Your Flag If It Doesn't Want To, Court Says," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "No, you can't make Boston officials fly a Christian flag at City Hall if they don't want to, a federal court told a conservative activist on Thursday, upholding a ruling from another court last year. UniversalHub reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit agreed with a U.S. District Court ruling that Hal Shurtleff, the operator of a Christianity and patriotism-themed summer camp called Camp Constitution, c an't force the city to fly a flag featuring a Christian cross."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren restates support for busing amid Biden-Harris duel," by Alex Thompson, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren reiterated her support for federal busing programs the night after Sen. Kamala Harris confronted former Vice President Joe Biden over his past opposition to federal intervention on the issue. "I'm already on record on busing and using busing as a way to help communities that are diversifying," the Democratic presidential candidate told reporters Friday following a raucous rally in Chicago with about 3,600 people, hundreds waving placards imprinted with "Warren has a plan for that!" Warren was referencing the Strength in Diversity Act, of which she is a co-sponsor along with presidential rival Sen. Bernie Sanders. The bill would provide $120 million in grants to support local efforts aimed at increasing socioeconomic diversity in schools, including busing."
- "Elizabeth Warren: 'My faith animates all that I do,'" by Daniella Diaz, CNN: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who does not usually speak about her faith on the campaign trail, talked at length on Saturday morning at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's annual convention in Chicago about the role her faith plays in the decisions she's made in her life. After being introduced by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who founded the coalition, Warren told a story to the audience about teaching Bible study to fifth graders and read a passage that she said has led many of the decisions and policies she's crafted since entering office."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Denied debate slot, Seth Moulton makes case directly to N.H. voters," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "While U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was mobbed at the Nashua pride parade Saturday, one of his Democratic presidential rivals, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, took a much quieter approach to campaigning at the festival. After walking with boisterous supporters in the parade, Sanders quickly ducked out. Moulton, who did not march in the parade, instead spoke to voters one-on-one amid the array of festival tents at the end of the route, even as the skies unleashed a downpour."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Sick of the subway? Try one of the MBTA's new electric buses, coming this summer," by Kellen Browning, Boston Globe: "As the MBTA works to stay on top of Boston's transit and commuter needs — a challenge made more difficult given a recent spate of train derailments — the transportation agency is making major investments to upgrade its aging vehicles and infrastructure. Part of the MBTA's plan? New energy-efficient buses, some fully battery powered and others hybrids."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: "Biden, Harris set for dueling New Hampshire appearances after debate clash," by Christina Prignano, Boston Globe: "The Democratic presidential primary field is on a collision course following the first set of debates, with three campaigns this week announcing mid-July appearances in New Hampshire. Senator Kamala Harris said Friday she will travel to the state July 14. It will be the California Democrat's fourth New Hampshire stop, according to her campaign, which said details of the trip would be forthcoming. Harris's campaign announced her trip following her commanding debate performance Thursday, when she clashed with former vice president Joe Biden on his recent comments about working with segregationist senators. Biden, meanwhile, said earlier this week he will campaign in New Hampshire on July 12 at a cookout hosted by the New Hampshire Young Democrats at Cisco Brewers in Portsmouth."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "THE WU TRAIN," — Globe: "Wu positioned as catalyst for progressive change," "$30k said to be price in Ortiz shooting," "A barrier-breaking step." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Student Journalist Uncovers High School's Use of Prison Labor," by Mariel Padilla, New York Times: "In mid-April, Sara Barber-Just screened "Spotlight," the 2015 film about The Boston Globe's investigation of a sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, for her high school journalism students. The students were enthralled. One asked Ms. Barber-Just if she had ever done a similar investigation. Ms. Barber-Just, a journalism teacher at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School for more than 20 years, laughed and told her class that it was really hard to do an investigation of that scale while in high school. You don't have a big Spotlight team, she said. By the next week, a student in her class had begun his own one-month investigation into the school district's use of prison labor to reupholster all the seats in Amherst-Pelham Regional's auditorium."
- "Impatient Sarno Sinks Police Review Debate with New EO Plans," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "On Friday, Mayor Domenic Sarno likely killed efforts to find a compromise in the police oversight debate in Springfield. After introducing an ordinance that would effectively reverse the Council's efforts to revive the Police Commission—and encountering resistance—the mayor indicated he would act to change the existing board unilaterally. This comes after some councilors indicated a willingness to compromise if the Council got seats on the new board."
- "Amid turmoil at Hampshire College, just 15 take the leap to join freshman class," by Alison Kuznitz, Boston Globe: "Devin Forgue was all too familiar with the problems plaguing Hampshire College, the financial strains that threatened to undermine the very survival of the unorthodox liberal arts school. In April, during an Accepted Students Day program, the Belchertown resident witnessed a protest at the Amherst campus in which students demanded more transparency from administrators. But hours after that rally, Forgue, 18, put down his deposit to join Hampshire's Class of 2023. It will be an intimate group of freshmen. Only 14 other new students decided to take a leap of faith and enroll at the school, which famously eschews majors and letter grades."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Replacement drivers arrive on Martha's Vineyard amid bus driver strike," by Gal Tziperman Lotan, Boston Globe: "Bus drivers with the Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority entered the third day of their strike Sunday as replacement drivers kept operating most of the agency's routes. Service was canceled Sunday on four of the VTA's 15 routes — 2, 10A, 11, and 12, said Vineyard Transit Authority administrator Angie Grant on Sunday. The rest were running normally during the day, Grant said, with six more routes ending earlier than usual Sunday night. Service should be back to normal by the Fourth of July holiday Thursday with either regular employees if the strike ends, or with trained substitutes, Grant said ."
- "As stigma of home schooling eases, more parents keeping children out of school," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger:"Massachusetts is quick to boast of the quality of its public education system, which is ranked best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, but a growing number of families on the South Shore and elsewhere in the state are choosing to teach their children at home instead of sending them to public or private school. For some, the choice is born out of what parents see as a failing by the public education system, but others simply crave the flexibility and real-world education they say is stifled when students are kept within four walls for most of their day."
- "Cape Codders with wind in their future," by Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times: "In union halls throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, business managers and trainers are preparing for the calls expected late next year from Vineyard Wind when the 84-turbine project could be fully underway. Other offshore wind farm construction projects will be coming as well, along with 25-year operations and maintenance contracts. The interest is high among union members."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- Luke O'Roark joins The Lowell Sun as a reporter. Tweet.
TRANSITIONS - Jason Park joins DraftKings as chief financial officer. Link.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Boston City Council candidate Kenzie Bok, who celebrated Sunday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Amy Blum, Keith Macleod, Kevin Franck and John Giesser.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Yankees beat the Red Sox 12-8.
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