11/21/2017 06:53 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Sunny with a high of 57 in Boston today.
TPS FOR HAITIANS TO END, CALL TO ACTION BEGINS - The Department of Homeland Security's announcement that it will end its temporary protected status for Haitians after July 2019 immediately set off criticism - and a strong call to action among Massachusetts stakeholders.
The decision affects nearly 5,000 individuals in Massachusetts living with the TPS protected status - of the 59,000 in the US following the island's devastating 2010 earthquake. There was already vocal opposition here to the threat to scrap the protected status for Haitians, with figures including Gov. Charlie Baker issuing two letters to the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security to hold off.
State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who is Haitian-American, called the announcement "neither defeat nor victory" in a Facebook post last night: "This outcome is tempered only by the reality that many of the forces on the other side of this debate sought an immediate expulsion of Haitian nationals with TPS status. Instead, what we have now is an 18-month window in which we must plan, organize, advocate and persist in our collective work to protect the best interests of Americans and Haitians alike; to strive to protect human rights at its most fundamental level."
And Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Association executive director Eva Millona said the organization was "relieved" the protective status was extended by 18 months. "We hope that Congress now recognizes the urgency of the TPS issue, and will start working in earnest on a legislative solution. There is bipartisan support for providing a path to permanent residency. Now we just need Congress to step up to the plate."
Sen. Ed Markey pulled no punches in a statement: "President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have arbitrarily targeted a community that both contributes greatly to the United States and supports their families back home in Haiti. It is unconscionable that, just days before Thanksgiving, the Trump Administration would turn its back on those who still remain in need of assistance."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - Rep. Joe Kennedy III joins Rep. Jim McGovern on the Sunderland leg of McGovern's 46-mile walk against hunger at 1 p.m. - The Boston Common Christmas Tree, a gift from Nova Scotia to thank Boston for its mutual aid during a wartime explosion in Halifax, arrives on the Common under police escort. This year's tree marks 100 years of friendship between Boston and Halifax - Hundreds of immigrants and refugees - from new arrivals to recently sworn-in U.S. citizens - MIRA coalition hosts a Thanksgiving meal with immigrants and refugees alongside elected officials, legislative staff, service providers and advocates at the State House. The keynote speaker will be M. Lee Pelton, president of Emerson College, with emcee state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, alongside Attorney General Maura Healey and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.
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DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "State crime bills would expand inmates' access to addiction treatment," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: "The proposal, phased in over four years, would make Massachusetts only the second state to pledge to provide the full array of treatments, including Suboxone and methadone, to inmates with opioid-use disorder."
- "Passionate debate on drug-dealer punishment," by J.D. Capelouto, Lowell Sun: "Several amendments to the House bill, including one by Andover Rep. Jim Lyons, put a heavy focus on painkiller drugs. His amendment would extend manslaughter charges to anyone found guilty of trafficking heroin or fentanyl that leads to someone's death."
- "MBTA control board green-lights 2 major contracts," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Monday approved $1.8 billion to improve and expand service, the agency's biggest spending day in three years and a significant step toward delivering on Governor Charlie Baker's promise of a more reliable and better-managed transit system."
- "Charlie Baker confirms link between troopers, DA in scrubbed report case," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker yesterday confirmed that someone in the Worcester DA's office communicated with state police about the arrest of a judge's daughter by state troopers, as first reported in the Herald last week."
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
- "Obamacare or not, birth control in Mass. will stay free," by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker signed into law Monday a bill that will mandate many Massachusetts women receive free access to contraceptives - a direct response to President Trump's efforts to roll back coverage."
- "Judge blocks order on sanctuary cities," by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: "U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick in San Francisco yesterday rejected the administration's argument that the executive order applies only to a relatively small set of funds and said Trump cannot set new conditions on spending approved by Congress."
- "Harvard Faces DOJ Probe Over Affirmative-Action Policies," by Melissa Korn and Nicole Hong, Wall Street Journal: "The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the use of race in Harvard University's admissions practices and has accused the university of failing to cooperate with the probe, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal."
THE WARREN REPORT -
FROM LATE NIGHT - "Senator Elizabeth Warren Explains Who Benefits From The Tax Bill," from the Late Show With Stephen Colbert: "Senator of Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren has read the fine print and can explain why, like 52% of Americans who 'strongly oppose' Trump's tax cuts, she's against it." (10:31)
ON THE STUMP -
- "Dems urge Baker to withdraw support for Fitchburg Senate candidate," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Gov. Charlie Baker has tried, often against the odds, to grow the Republican Party since his 2014 election, but often times that means siding with candidates that don't perfectly align with his brand of moderate, socially liberal Republicanism. That conflict is rearing its head again two weeks before a special Senate election in north central Massachusetts as the Massachusetts Democratic Party is calling on the governor to withdraw his support for Fitchburg City Councilor Dean Tran over comments the candidate made during a debate this past weekend."
THE TSONGAS ARENA -
- "Sen. L'Italien running for Congress," by Rick Sobey, Lowell Sun: "The Democrats are going to need a bigger ballot. ... State Sen. Barbara L'Italien made it official Monday, announcing that she's running for the 3rd Congressional District seat."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "THAT''S NOT THE TICKET," "BIRD IS THE WORD" - Globe: "Haitians to lose path to stay in US," "Regulators order fishermen to port," "Top day in spending for T under Baker," "Efforts translate to success," "Bills would boost inmates' addiction treatment," "CHARLIE ROSE SUSPENDED."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Some Mass. towns going to pot, after all," by Bob Salsberg, Associated Press: "Recent votes in several cities and towns against prohibitions on pot shops have cheered advocates for the nascent cannabis industry who say it could signal that communities around the state are slowly concluding that potential benefits, including a boost in tax revenues and the driving out of illegal dealers, outweigh the drawbacks of welcoming such businesses to town."
- "Second Nantucket medical pot dispensary approved," by Joshua Balling, Cape Cod Times: "The island's second proposed medical marijuana dispensary has a green light from the Nantucket Board of Selectmen, but The Green Lady must still clear several additional state and local regulatory hurdles before setting up shop. Summer residents Nicole and Rupert Campbell, of Katonah, New York, hope to open the dispensary at 11 Amelia Drive, with sales planned for a former dentist's office at the rear of the .30-acre property and cultivation, storage and processing operations in a two-story building fronting on the street."
- "Fishing fleet dominated by 'Codfather' grounded," by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times: "Jailed New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael's empire, once one of the largest fish businesses in the country, continues to crumble."
TIS THE SEASON - "Hogan pardons rescued turkey in time for Thanksgiving," by Stow Wicked Local: "In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Ed Laquidara, owner of Bolton's Animal Adventures, invited state Rep. Kate Hogan, D-Stow, to his family zoo and rescue center earlier this month in hopes of procuring a pardon for his beloved Narragansett rescue turkey, 'Vulture.' Hogan was delighted to oblige, and on Nov. 10, she, in her official capacity as state representative, spared Vulture the fate of his peers this holiday season and wished him a long, happy life at Animal Adventures."
- "From Salem, Satanism (Of A Sort) Goes National," by Adam Reilly, WGBH: "As the case of the storage-shed Baphomet suggests, the Satanic Temple isn't engaged in the sort of activity that usually springs to mind when you hear the word 'Satanism,' their ill-fated attempt to re-enact a 'Black Mass' at Harvard in 2014 notwithstanding."
- "3 Lenox residents appeal local judge's ruling in Berkshire Museum art sale," by Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: "Three residents of Lenox want a higher court to decide whether they possess legal standing to challenge the Berkshire Museum's planned sale of art. In a notice filed Monday in Berkshire Superior Court, the plaintiffs seek to have the Massachusetts Appeals Court review a Nov. 7 decision by Judge John A. Agostini that denied the trio's request for a preliminary injunction to stop art auctions that were to start Nov. 13."
MAZEL! - to Meg Cotter and Tory Mazzola, who welcomed LeighJay Cotter Mazzola into the world on Saturday at 7:08 p.m. Tory writes, "Named after my father, Jay, she weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 19.5 inches. LeighJay's middle name is her mom's maiden name. LeighJay and Meg are healthy and resting when they can. Her older siblings Will and Norah had a chance to see her Saturday and were ecstatic to meet her and learn her name. From our grateful family, have a great Thanksgiving everyone!"
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Grafton Rep. David Muradian, Matt Martinelli, managing editor for The Improper and alum of the Boston Herald and Berkshire Eagle, and Michael Lipson of Great Barrington.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! - The Celtics beat the Mavericks 110-102.
JUST OUT IN TIME FOR YOUR HOLIDAY TRAVEL LISTENING: The final episode of The Horse Race, a podcast about Massachusetts' campaigns with yours truly and MassINC Polling Group's Steve Koczela. It's our season finale, #mapoli! But before we go on our holiday hiatus, we've got the lowdown on ballot questions thanks to our expert guest George Cronin, our usual What to Watch, and - as Steve put it - POLLS POLLS POLLS POLLS! Subscribe and listen to our past episodes on iTunes and Sound Cloud - AND tickets are now available for The Horse Race live event: Where we'll preview the big elections facing #mapoli voters in 2018 and look at a key issue for the year ahead: Women remain drastically underrepresented in the State Legislature and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation. What are the roots of this, and what can be done to change it? Featuring special guests Jenn Nassour of Conservative Women for a Better Future and Puja Mehta , Board Chair of Emerge Massachusetts, bringing insight from both sides of the aisle.
NEW: POLITICO is accepting applications for its fifth session of the POLITICO Journalism Institute (PJI), an educational initiative focused on newsroom diversity . The intensive program, which is designed for college students, will be held May 29 to June 9, 2018. It features hands-on training for up to 12 recent grads and university students interested in covering government and politics. Students also will have an opportunity to have their work published by POLITICO. All expenses are paid for the program, reflecting POLITICO's ongoing support of journalism education, newsroom diversity and recruitment of top-notch talent. Admissions are made on a rolling basis, so APPLY TODAY but no later than Jan. 15, 2018. https://www.politico.com/pji
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** A message from Atlantic Link: The Atlantic Link advantage: delivering a new, reliable source of clean energy directly to Massachusetts for a delivered price that remains fixed for 20 years. It's a reliable, cost-effective solution to help the Commonwealth meet its energy diversity and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Atlantic Link is a proposed 1,000 megawatt subsea cable, securely and reliably delivering onshore wind energy, supplemented by hydropower, directly to Plymouth, MA from Atlantic Canada. The subsea cable will connect to the grid using existing infrastructure that is currently tied to the Pilgrim Nuclear Station, which will close in 2019. Atlantic Link is the only clean energy project delivering to Massachusetts more than 200 jobs during construction. The only clean energy project delivering $2.5 million a year in tax revenue to the Town of Plymouth. Projected in-state capital investment of $260 million. And a commitment of $15 million to support low-income energy programs in the Commonwealth. http://politi.co/2hsN050 **
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