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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. I hope you had a great holiday!
KENNEDY, LISS-RIORDAN TO SIGN PEOPLE'S PLEDGE — Senate candidates Rep. Joe Kennedy III and attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan plan to sign a so-called People's Pledge this afternoon to limit outside spending in the race for Sen. Ed Markey's seat. But there will be one person missing at the ceremony today: the incumbent.
Kennedy and Liss-Riordan say they are moving forward with the pledge after waiting for Markey to come on board. The two challengers had planned a pledge-signing ceremony in November but canceled it to accommodate Markey, who said he needed to be in Washington, D.C. for votes on the day it was scheduled.
"After multiple attempts to include the Markey campaign in a signing ceremony, including a last minute cancellation of an event early last month, the two campaigns decided to move forward and put the onus on the Markey campaign to sign the pledge in the coming days," the joint release from Liss-Riordan and Kennedy said.
But Markey's got another idea. The Malden Democrat plans to propose a pledge of his own this morning, his campaign told me. Markey could not attend the signing ceremony today because he needs to be in Washington, his campaign said.
Markey's new "People's Pledge 2020" proposal would "say no" to all outside negative advertising in the primary, but would permit "positive voices" like climate and reproductive health advocates to spend money in the race. The nonprofit Environment Massachusetts has said it plans to put together a $5 million campaign to support Markey's reelection.
"We do not want to stifle or silence the positive voices that have a right to discuss the issues that matter most to residents of Massachusetts - the reproductive health community, labor unions, environmental and climate advocates, the LGBTQI+ community, among many others," Markey's proposed pledge says. "And these positive voices must disclose their donors so that they are transparent. We need these positive, engaged, and active voices in our political debate in 2020."
The People's Pledge dust-up is one of several challenges the Senate candidates have posed to one another — typically these challenges are designed to highlight one's own strengths or point out a rival's flaws. Markey invited his opponents to a climate debate, which Liss-Riordan accepted and Kennedy skipped. Kennedy called on his competitors to agree to a People's Pledge, and Liss-Riordan is calling for a $6 million spending cap for candidates in the race.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: AUCHINCLOSS' NEW PLAN — Congressional candidate Jake Auchincloss is releasing a two-part transportation plan today that calls for passing the Green New Deal and putting more federal, state and local resources into trains and buses to ease traffic congestion and pollution.
"Climate change is our planet's biggest problem. Transportation is the biggest problem for Massachusetts, and the 4th District in particular. And because the transportation sector is the state's largest emitter of carbon pollution—driving roughly 40% of total emissions—the two are inextricably linked," the plan says.
Auchincloss is running to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Six Democratic candidates have jumped in the 4th District House race since Kennedy launched a campaign against Sen. Ed Markey, and a seventh Democrat is considering a bid.
The plan proposes building a zero-emissions, statewide rail service that is available 24 hours a day. Auchincloss also suggests putting resources behind the South Coast rail project to connect Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford to Boston by train. His plan calls for chartering a federal infrastructure bank and designing a high-frequency regional bus network, among other ideas.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DONATO GETS A CHALLENGER — State Rep. Paul Donato will face a challenger from his own party next year. Nichole Mossalam, a progressive from Malden, will announce today that she's running against Donato, who is a member of House Speaker Robert DeLeo's leadership team.
"Our state legislature has failed to adequately address the challenges that so many people in our communities are facing," Mossalam said in a statement. "On a wide array of issues, we have seen too many legislators follow the Speaker's agenda. We need independent leaders who will put the concerns of our families first."
Mossalam's campaign is part of a larger trend in Massachusetts. A number of progressive Democrats have waged primary challenges against incumbents at the local, state and federal level, in recent years, and several are doing so now. Mossalam is chair of Malden's Disability Commission and is former co-chair of Our Revolution Massachusetts, the Bay State offshoot of Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
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, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo hold a leadership meeting. Baker, Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee, state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Rep. Lori Ehrlich make a MassWorks announcement in Lynn.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as part of a sister-city agreement between Boston and Belfast. Rep. Bill Keating speaks at a New England Council breakfast. Lauren Kennedy moderates a talk on childcare at the Kennedy Institute featuring Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, JD Chesloff, Amy O'Leary, and Tania del Rio.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "RMV employees complained of quality, public safety, but 'War on Wait Times' took precedent," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Multiple employees told auditors that the state government's so-called "War on Wait Times" improved customer service but hampered the quality of record-keeping at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and ultimately risked public safety, despite their complaints. Employees at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, interviewed in the wake of the New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists, told the auditing firm, Grant Thornton, that their concerns about computer glitches piling up, lack of training on regulations, out-of-state records processing and dwindling resources went unaddressed, according to a 294-page transcript released this week."
- "MA lawmakers want rules for electric scooters," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Electric scooters are gliding around cities and towns as a cheap, environmentally friendly means of transportation, but the devices are technically illegal under state law. Massachusetts requires that all motorized scooters — whether they be sitting or standing, electric or gas powered — be equipped with brake lights and turning signals like mopeds. Some communities, like Salem, have allowed high-tech companies such as Zagster, Lime and Bird to rent out scooters as part of pilot projects, but there are no statewide rules or guidelines. Lawmakers are considering several proposals to legalize e-scooters by setting rules for how and where they can be used in cities and towns that want them."
- "Gov. Baker Signs Bill To Overhaul Campaign Finance Rules," The Associated Press: "Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed into law a bill aimed at overhauling the state's campaign finance rules. The new law requires state lawmakers and some mayoral candidates to adhere to a system that already covers statewide and county officials. Under the new law signed Tuesday by Baker, state lawmakers must report campaign contributions and expenditures in monthly statements filed by their banks."
- "Driving is surging in Massachusetts. Gas tax revenue? Not so much," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "For public officials around the nation looking to fix beat-up roads and bridges or buy new buses and subway cars, it's one of the most reliable turns in the playbook: Raise the gas tax and watch the money flow in. But as the Massachusetts Legislature prepares to debate a massive fix to the state's beleaguered transportation system — one that could include a stiff increase in the gas tax — they might take note that it may not be such a reliable source of revenue for much longer. Gas tax collections by the state have barely increased over the past five years — just 2.5 percent since fiscal year 2015, the first full year after lawmakers last increased the tax, by 3 cents, to 24 cents a gallon, according to Massachusetts tax collection data."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Draconian state child care assistance leaves too many working poor with debt, advocates say," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "Chanice was so buried in bills in 2017, she took on part-time work at a taxi company in addition to her full-time job answering phones at a Boston community health center in hopes of digging herself out. Still, she staggered under the weight of the copayments she was expected to contribute for state-subsidized child care. With more than $2,100 in overdue child care bills, the young Roxbury mother lost her day care spot for her son. Then she lost her job."
- "Q&A: Business coalition backs pro-immigrant legislation," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "THREE YEARS into the presidency of Donald Trump, the main ways immigrants can remain in the country legally - through a protected status or with one of over 160 types of visas - have changed significantly. From new or higher fees, to adjustments in what paperwork must be submitted, to the complete rescinding of some immigration statuses (like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which impacts young adult immigrants brought to the country illegally as children), the legal landscape of who can stay and who must go has changed. These changes have had a strong impact on the businesses that employ immigrants. The changes have affected who can retain work authorization to stay on their job, altered what employers must do to keep immigrant employees, and created uncertainty about employees being deported because of a sudden change in federal policy."
- "The state's largest employer is changing its name," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "PARTNERS HEALTHCARE, the state's dominant health care provider and the largest employer in Massachusetts, is changing its name to Mass General Brigham. The new name shifts the focus of the health care system away from an all-encompassing, corporate title that was created 25 years ago and zeroes in on the company's two world-renowned hospitals - Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's. In a letter to the company's 75,000 employees, Anne Klibanski, the president and CEO, unveiled a new patient-centered strategy for the health care system."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Why supervised drug injection sites make sense," by Rep. Seth Moulton, CommonWealth Magazine: "SINCE 2000, 17,496 citizens of Massachusetts have died from an opioid overdose. Half of those deaths came in the last five years. That's like one of at least 245 communities in the Commonwealth disappearing in 19 years. Enough people in Massachusetts have died from an opioid overdose to fill all but 69 of the seats at the TD Garden for a Bruins game. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control estimates 700,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose death in the years spanning 1993-2017. That's more people than live in the entire city of Boston."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Suffolk district attorney defends prosecution in BC suicide in TV interview," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins defended her prosecution of a Boston College student accused of manipulting her boyfriend into suicide and addressed high-profile disagreements with other officials that have marked her first year in office as she spoke in a televised interview Sunday. WCVB's Ed Harding introduced Rollins, who was the first African-American woman elected to be a Massachusetts district attorney, as "Boston's trailblazing prosecutor," on Sunday's "On the Record." But Harding and co-host Janet Wu didn't pull any punches as they questioned Rollins about the Inyoung You case and her public friction with federal, state, and local authorities."
- "SJC faces tricky constitutional challenge in indigent defense case," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE STATE'S HIGHEST COURT is wrestling with a case centered on how to guarantee a fundamental constitutional right of the judicial system — the right of criminal defendants, even those too poor to hire a lawyer, to be represented by an attorney. But both sides in the case, as well as the SJC justices who must rule on it, seem to agree that the ultimate solution to the problem doesn't actually rest with the court but instead with the budget-writing powers of the Legislature. That's raising a second constitutional issue — the separation of powers limiting the reach of different branches of government — and presenting a challenge for the court to craft a ruling that upholds one fundamental constitutional principle without overstepping another."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "How a fight over health care entangled Elizabeth Warren — and reshaped the Democratic presidential race," by Annie Linskey, Jeff Stein and Dan Balz, Washington Post: "In mid-November, a few dozen of the country's most influential advocates of Medicare-for-all were reviewing details of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's plan to finance the proposed government-run program when they learned that she had unexpectedly changed her position. Warren (D-Mass.), who had excited liberals when she initially embraced a Medicare-for-all idea first proposed by rival presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was suggesting a more centrist idea: to delay enactment of the single-payer system and, in the interim, give consumers the choice to opt in. The change might have seemed insignificant to most Americans, but to many in the suburban Washington conference room, Warren's new stance marked an abrupt retreat, according to several people in attendance. That moment highlighted the political turbulence that Warren has experienced in recent weeks as she has attempted to extricate herself from a policy dilemma that has blunted her steady rise to the top ranks of the Democratic nominating contest."
- "Elizabeth Warren responds to new Pete Buttigieg ad airing in Iowa that criticizes free college tuition for all," by Kim Norvell, Des Moines Register: "In response to a new television ad airing in Iowa, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she wants to provide tuition-free college to every American as "an investment in an entire generation of young people." The senator from Massachusetts was responding to a reporter's question about an ad by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg that says he will not provide free college tuition to the children of millionaires."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "John Kerry: We are way behind on climate change," by Matthew Choi, POLITICO: "Former Secretary of State John Kerry said no country is taking the necessary steps to combat climate change and that the issue should be treated "like a war." "There are great efforts out there, many environmental groups, young people, particularly, but no country is getting the job done," Kerry told NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday. Kerry's comments on "Meet the Press" came just after the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee launched a bipartisan coalition with lawmakers, world leaders and celebrities to raise awareness of climate issues."
- "John Kerry Launches Star-Studded Climate Coalition," by Lisa Friedman, The New York Times: "John Kerry, the former senator and secretary of state, has formed a new bipartisan coalition of world leaders, military brass and Hollywood celebrities to push for public action to combat climate change. The name, World War Zero, is supposed to evoke both the national security threat posed by the earth's warming and the type of wartime mobilization that Mr. Kerry argued would be needed to stop the rise in carbon emissions before 2050. The star-studded group is supposed to win over those skeptical of the policies that would be needed to accomplish that."
- "'Forever chemicals' are found in MWRA fertilizer, drawing alarm," by David Abel, Boston Globe: "The sludge arrives by the ton, pumped through miles of underwater pipes from Deer Island to a waste-water treatment plant on the banks of the Weymouth Fore River, where it's spun through centrifuges into a kind of wet cake, dried by large furnaces, and made into fertilizer pellets. Converting much of the region's sewage into a valuable byproduct was a major achievement of the Boston Harbor cleanup. Over the past three decades, the fertilizer has been sold or given away in massive amounts: tens of thousands of tons a year sent to farms and golf courses, parks and gardens across the region."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "SKY FALL," "SLUSH HOUR," — Globe : "Poor workers struggling with child-care debt trap," "Trump's lawyers reject role in hearing." |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Care worker digs: A nursing home owner on the Cape offers housing to his employees," by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: "Struggling to find workers for his nursing home and assisted living center in this seaside tourist town, Bill Bogdanovich tried a new strategy: Buying properties on the southeastern elbow of Cape Cod to rent to employees. He offered below-market rents to workers, many recruited from off the Cape and as far away as Puerto Rico, who were having trouble finding places to live. He also allowed them to spread the cost of higher winter heating bills over 12 months. A year later, his gambit appears to have paid off: Bogdanovich has been able to hire and retain more workers — the better for his senior housing residents, and for business."
- "Where did the money go? Buyers of lucrative state tax credits remain secret," by Paul Leighton, The Salem News: "When Windover Development was converting a former box factory into veterans housing, the state and federal government awarded the company more than $2 million in tax credits through a program designed to encourage historic rehabilitation. More than six years after the Pleasant Street Apartments opened, those tax credits are still generating controversy, including a recent resolution by a Beverly city councilor alleging "manipulation" of the program. For all of the attention the tax credits have received, however, there's still one question that hasn't been answered: Who ultimately cashed in on them?"
- "On 50th National Day Of Mourning, Indigenous People In Plymouth Say They're Still Fighting," by Quincy Walters, WBUR: "Hundreds of people gathered in the rain and wind in Plymouth on Thursday to observe the 50th National Day of Mourning. The annual tradition began in order to give Native Americans an opportunity to speak on a holiday they say often negates their experiences. This year, the message was one of continuation: Native Americans are still being lied to, they say, and their lands are still being violated. People from tribes in New York, Louisiana, Canada and Mexico spoke out against pipelines, dams and hydropower stations."
TRANSITIONS - Matt Corridoni joins Pete Buttigieg's campaign as deputy rapid response communications director. Corridoni previously worked on Rep. Seth Moulton's campaign and his Serve America PAC.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Larry Summers and James Sonne , who both celebrated on Saturday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Morgan Hughes.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Texans beat the Patriots 28-22.
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