MASSterList: Budget flight | Liz's panned book | Diaper subsidies

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By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan 04/26/2017 Budget flight | Liz's panned book | Diaper subsidies

Happening Today

Leadership Summit Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at Comptroller Thomas Shack's annual Leadership Summit, with Auditor Suzanne Bump and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg also expected to attend, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 9 a.m.

Health Policy Commission Health Policy Commission holds a joint meeting of two committees to discuss accountable care certification and Patient-Centered Medical Home PRIME certification, 50 Milk St., Boston, 9:30 a.m.

‘Denim Day’ Mass. Caucus of Women Legislators and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito host the first Denim Day to highlight that "no matter what you are wearing, no one deserves to be sexually assaulted," with Speaker Pro Tem Patricia Haddad and Reps. Elizabeth Poirier and Natalie Higgins expected to speak, Third Floor, Staircase in front of the State Library, 10 a.m.

Governor’s Council Governor's Council holds its weekly meeting with votes expected on Gov. Baker's nominations of Susan Oker to the Middlesex Juvenile Court, Joseph Ditkoff to the Appeals Court, and Daniel Dilorati to the Circuit District Court, Council Chamber, 12 p.m.

Democracy in a divided nation Former Boston newscaster and current host of ABC News' ‘World News Tonight’ David Muir sits down with WCVB-TV anchor Maria Stephanos for a talk on ‘Democracy in the Face of a Divided Nation,’ hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Boston College Club, 100 Federal St., 36th floor, Boston, 12 p.m.

Brain Builders Award Senate President Stanley Rosenberg presents a Brain Builders Award to early childhood educator Barbara Black, sponsored by the United Way of Massachusetts and Merrimack Valley, Room 428, 2:30 p.m.

Constitutional amendments deadline Legislative committees must report by today on proposals for amendments to the state constitution, with lawmakers having filed 12 proposals for legislative amendments.

Kasich at Harvard Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate last year, speaks at a JFK Jr. Forum moderated by Harvard Kennedy School professor David Gergen, Harvard Kennedy School, JFK St., Cambridge, 8 p.m.

Today's News

House wraps up budget debate after rejecting GOP Medicaid reform plan In a surprise move, it took only two days for House members to debate and dispatch 1,210 budget amendments before approving a new $40 billion state budget last night, reports SHNS’s Katie Lannan at MassLive. The 159-1 vote came after Democrats blocked a Republican plan to limit Medicaid cost growth and place the state's largest program under the oversight of a control board, reports Michael Norton, also at the indispensable SHNS (pay wall). MassLive Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Pampers Bill: Lawmakers seek diaper subsidies for low-income families We’ll let Christian Wade at the Salem News explain this non-rash decision: “Lawmakers are pitching controversial plans to help the state’s poorest families with an expensive, albeit messy necessity — diapers. A proposal filed by Sen. Joan Lovely and Rep. Paul Tucker, both Salem Democrats, asks health officials to study creating a diaper subsidy for low-income families with children under 2 years old. ‘There’s no question that diapers are an absolute health necessity for babies, and some parents can’t afford it,’ Lovely said. ‘This is a huge issue that needs to be addressed.’” Salem News Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Mitt’s nephew runs for governor in Colorado Doug Robinson, nephew of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has tossed his Republican hat into the gubernatorial ring in Colorado, after apparently winning the blessing of his famous uncle, the Denver Post reports. Robinson’s candidacy sets up a likely dynastic fight between two powerful GOP families, as a relative of former President George H.W. Bush is also eyeing a probable run for governor in Colorado, the Post reports. Denver Post Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Warren’s book gets panned by Washington Post Emma Green, staff writer at the Atlantic and writing at the Washington Post, gives a big thumbs down to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s new book, ‘This Fight is Our Fight,’ complaining about the “faux folksiness” that winds through the book and Warren’s passionate ideology that prevents her from seeing how others view issues. “She never truly grapples with why Democrats lost, why middle-class voters would choose Trump or whether their anger might be about more than the economy. Warren sees the world through the narrow lens of economic interests, ignoring the deeply held values and beliefs that often determine people’s politics. This attitude is condescending, but more important, it limits Warren’s understanding of America — and why her party has failed so badly.” Washington Post Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Democratic Party's low ‘in touch’ numbers Also at the Washington Post: Democrats may gloat over the low polls numbers for President Trump, but WaPo’s James Downie takes a look at Democrats’ poll numbers, specifically how only 28 percent of surveyed voters think the party is “in touch” with average Americans. “Worse, it’s likely that the collapse has mostly come among independents and Democrats themselves,” Downie writes. “Politics should not be about blindly following poll numbers, but when so many of your own supporters are rejecting the direction Democrats are moving, they may want to reconsider the course.” Politico’s Garbrial Debenedetti sees the same poll number and many of the same problems facing Dems. But he suggests that the progressive grass-roots surge of late may end up helping Dems. Yet U.S. Rep. Chris Hines, who chairs the moderate New Democrat Coalition, says Dems won’t win “until we get pretty tolerant of each other’s ideological diversity,” reports the Globe's Scot Lehigh. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Walsh, Curtatone hail judge’s sanctuary city ruling Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone are praising a California judge’s decision to temporarily block President Trump’s plan to withhold funding from so-called sanctuary cities, reports the Globe’s Travis Andersen. “Today’s injunction shows that Boston, along with other cities and towns from across the nation, will not be intimidated,” Walsh said. “As one of a number of cities nationally that signed an amicus brief in support of the Santa Clara lawsuit, we’ll be paying close attention to how this continues to proceed through the courts,” Curtatone said. Meanwhile, Concord Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved a warrant making the town a “welcoming community” for illegal immigrants, after a “contentious debate by town residents pro and con,” reports O’Ryan Johnson at the Herald. Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Statewide stings go after the johns, not just the pimps A series of statewide stings aimed at curbing demand for the illegal sex trade has netted 29 sex buyers across the state, from Cambridge to the Cape, reports the Herald’s Dan Atkinson and Matt Stout, as part of the paper ongoing series on illegal sex-trafficking in Massachusetts. Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Barring comet slamming into earth, Rep. Chris Walsh is running for mayor of Framingham State Rep. Christ Walsh, a Framingham Democrat, is running to become Framingham’s first-ever mayor, after the largest town in Massachusetts recently voted to convert to city government, reports SHNS’s Matt Murphy (pay wall). “Personally, I've made up my mind. There's one or two things that could stop me – a comet, nuclear war, but other than that we're good,” Walsh said. Meanwhile, Charlie Sisitsky, a Framingham selectman who opposed converting the town into a city, is also “strongly considering” running for mayor, writes SHNS’ Andy Metzger at the Worcester Business Journal, while former selectman and state representative John Stefanini is also weighing his options, according to published reports. Patch’s Jenna Fisher has more on the looming mayoral race in the state’s newest city. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

For Amherst, 13 is better than 60 The Amherst Charter Commission has dropped a much-mocked plan to create the country’s largest town council, with as many as 60 members, and instead will recommend the town create a government with a 13-member council and an elected mayor, Diane Lederman of MassLive reports.   MassLive Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

‘No Boston Olympics’: The book that Marty can put down Chris Dempsey, one of the founders of No Boston Olympics, and Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College economist, are running excerpts at CommonWealth magazine from their new book ‘No Boston Olympics: How and Why Smart Cities Are Passing on the Torch,’ highlighting a few of the monumental political screw-ups that doomed Boston’s Olympics bid two years ago. It’s a little jarring how they refer to themselves in the third person, but they have some good insider stuff, sort of a trip down outraged memory lane. Mayor Marty Walsh is already panning the tome. "I think a couple opportunists jumped on this and I guess they are writing a book now,” he tells NBC Boston. “I'd like to know where the profits of the book are going to go. There are some falsehoods in that book that they wrote about. It seems to be that they're doing it for their own personal gain, which is fine.” CommonWealth Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Lynch: Flynn probe ‘may implicate the White House’ Revelations that ex-National Security adviser Michael Flynn failed to disclose his Russian dealings and payments could lead to a broader probe by the House Oversight Committee, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a member of the committee, as reported by the Herald’s Kimberly Atkins. “It could be a much wider investigation. It may implicate the White House. I’m not sure — we need to follow the evidence where it leads,” Lynch said. Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Is it ‘nipping and tucking’ time? Gov. Charlie Baker yesterday made clear he’s now going under the assumption that there will be a sizable budget shortfall this current fiscal year and his administration is drafting “reasonable and appropriate” responses, reports SHNS’s Michael Norton at the Lowell Sun. Ruling out dipping into the state’s rainy day fund, Baker was otherwise mum on what might be done, though he’s recently indicated drastic cuts are a “last resort” and that “nipping and tucking” might suffice. Lowell Sun Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Gonzalez reluctantly admits that, yes, he’d work with Trump, sometimes Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez, an outspoken critic of President Trump’s policies, says that, well, some of the times, he’d be duty bound to work with the Republican president to secure federal funding for Massachusetts, as he tells the Herald’s Jordan Frias. “I’m not about grandstanding for grandstanding’s sake,” said the former Patrick administration budget chief. “As governor, I would have to work collaboratively with the Legislature, with other stakeholders and with the federal government, with the Trump administration and with Congress.” Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Uber driver charged with raping passenger From Universal Hub: “An Uber driver who picked up a woman in Boston raped her, then dropped her off at Boston College, the Middlesex County District Attorney's office charges. Luis Baez, also known as Pedro Valentin, had bail set at $2,500 today at his arraignment on three counts of rape in Newton District Court, the DA's office reports.” The incident occurred before the state implemented its new background checks on ride-sharing drivers. The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald have more. Universal Hub Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Meanwhile, self-driving car tests expand to Seaport and Fort Point After reading about the rape charges against an Uber driver, self-driving cars couldn’t come soon enough, at least on the ride-hailing front. From Zeninjor Enwemeka at WBUR: “Self-driving cars will soon hit more roadways in Boston. The city of Boston has given approval for Cambridge-based startup nuTonomy to test its autonomous vehicles on roadways in the Seaport District and Fort Point. This expands the city's year-long pilot program with the company.” WBUR Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

GOP seeks crime lab audits after Annie Dookhan disaster From Christian Wade at the Eagle-Tribune: “A bill expected to be filed Wednesday by the Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr on behalf of the GOP caucus would require a ‘comprehensive audit’ of all state forensic labs by Sept. 1. ‘The justice system was compromised because a so-called scientist with falsified credentials lied about her work for years,’ said Tarr, R-Gloucester. That so-called scientist, of course, is none other than Annie Dookhan. Eagle-Tribune Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

DeLeo: Let’s slow down on sentencing overhaul Liberal lawmakers may be pushing for major overhauls of the criminal justice system this session, but House Speaker Robert DeLeo says he wants to limit what lawmakers do this year to what's already been agreed upon, for the time being, reports Mike Deehan at WGBH. "I think some of it is going to require some real discussion and some real debate, public hearings,” DeLeo said. “So we want to make sure we get it right.” WGBH Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Wynn has Hub construction sticker shock Casino mogul Steve Wynn told financial analysts he is still recovering from a case of sticker shock over the construction costs for his Wynn Boston Harbor resort in Everett, Bruce Mohl of CommonWealth Magazine reports. The project’s cost has ballooned to $2.4 billion, a bottom line Wynn said will not go up further despite struggles to find construction bids that came in on budget. “We were surprised,” Wynn said. CommonWealth Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Easthampton taps consultant to vet racism claims The Easthampton School Committee is working with an outside consultant to investigate claims of racist behavior at the city’s high school and develop a long-term plan for changes, Caitlin Ashworth of the Hampshire Gazette reports. The Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton is already interviewing students and is expected to have a report for the committee before the school year ends.  Gazette Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Theo Epstein, Democratic savior? A week after being named the world’s greatest leader by Fortune Magazine, Politico’s Ben Strauss explores how Theo Epstein’s curse-reversing magic might translate to the national political stage. Strauss interviews former Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod about how Epstein might make the leap from baseball executive to presidential material and the similarities between Epstein and Obama.   Politico Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Today's Headlines

Metro

Authorities eye closing Landsdowne Street to traffic on game days - Boston Herald

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh won’t rule out voting for Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018 - MassLive

Wynn: Building in Boston is expensive - CommonWealth Magazine

Here’s the first glimpse of the future of Southie’s Boston Edison plant - Boston Business Journal

Massachusetts

Concord votes to be ‘welcoming’ to immigrants - Boston Herald

Rep. Seth Moulton: Boston rail project would benefit Springfield - MassLive

Amherst charter commission ditches largest-in-nation 60-member council plan - MassLive

Worcester city council wants advertising ‘pollution’ stopped - Telegram & Gazette

Northboro town meeting OKs moratoriums on pot, duplexes - Telegram & Gazette

No rash decision: Lawmakers seek cash for diapers - Salem News

Republicans want regular crime lab audits - Gloucester Times

Braintree mayor seeks state exemption for police chief - Patriot Ledger

Hingham town meeting rejects adding selectmen for 5th time - Patriot Ledger

Polartec plant is on the auction block - Eagle-Tribune

Middle-mile users will not lose Internet: Judge orders operator to continue operations - Berkshire Eagle

DeLeo opposes progressive bid to embrace Mass. sentencing overhaul - WGBH

Nation

Could Theo Epstein perform a miracle for the Democrats? - Politico

White House slams ‘egregious’ ruling on sanctuary cities - Politico

Trump scrambles to show progress as 100-day mark rapidly approaches - Washington Post

Fox News faces new racial discrimination lawsuit - New York Times