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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!
WARREN'S CHECKLIST — Sen. Elizabeth Warren will check a visit to Nevada off her list today, making her the first top-tier 2020 presidential candidate to visit the four early-voting states that will have a key impact on the Democratic primary next year. Warren will hold an organizing event in Las Vegas later today, fresh off a swing to South Carolina and Puerto Rico.
"You get one chance to make a good first impression , and Elizabeth Warren is the first one to make a first impression in all of these key states — and Puerto Rico," political consultant Mary Anne Marsh told me last night. "It's a long race, and they'll have their bad days, too. But as of today, people are still looking at Elizabeth Warren's back because they're following her to the places she's already been."
Because she's been the first one to hold events in each of the early-voting states , every 2020 hopeful who follows will be compared to her — and she has drawn large crowds over the last several weeks. Another smart early move: taking a trip to Puerto Rico and calling for an investigation into how President Donald Trump handled hurricane relief. That helps her here in Massachusetts, which has one of the largest Puerto Rican populations outside the island, and could help Warren win over voters in the swing state of Florida, where the community it's estimated upwards of 30,000 people moved in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
"Elizabeth Warren has left nothing to chance, and no detail is too small to be addressed," Marsh said. "She really feels like she has a full campaign that is well into spring training, and possibly out of it. Everyone else still has a startup feel to it."
The Massachusetts Democrat made another kind of move yesterday, too. Warren touted a plan to establish a wealth tax on the richest Americans in an appearance on MSNBC last night.
"One tenth of one percent has about the same wealth as 90 percent of America," Warren said last night. "Forty percent of Americans today can't come up with $400 in an emergency ... That is not an economy that's sustainable and it's not a democracy that's sustainable."
The move put some new policy muscle behind the economic populist message that has carried the early stages of her campaign, and helps her shape the conversation around the economy as the primary contest gets underway. It also allowed Warren to turn the spotlight back to her message after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a much-talked about 70 percent marginal tax rate for the rich.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds an organizing event in Las Vegas. Attorney General Maura Healey is a guest on Boston Public Radio. Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito hold a ceremonial bill signing with state Sen. Patrick O'Connor and state Rep. David DeCoste. Auditor Suzanne Bump visits Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington in Pittsfield for a tour. The Black and Latino Legislative Caucus visits a prison in Concord.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Education bill would expand state's power to intervene in struggling schools," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe:"Governor Charlie Baker's new education proposal would expand the power of the state to intervene in struggling schools, opening up a major front in the coming Beacon Hill debate over how best to revamp the state's troubled school funding formula. Teachers and other education advocates slammed Baker's plan, which includes enabling the commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to withhold some state aid from school districts if the department determines they aren't making necessary changes to improve student performance."
- "Massachusetts Senate creates working group on federal government shutdown," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Massachusetts Senate has formed a working group to look at the impacts of the federal government shutdown in Massachusetts and how to help affected residents. The seven-member working group, which includes Democrats and Republicans, will be led by Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester."
- "BAKER'S EVOLUTION ON TAXES PROVIDES 'A LITTLE FUN' FOR DeLEO," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who for four years has been an ally of Gov. Charlie Baker's on taxes, said he was "having a little fun" with the Republican governor on Thursday after Baker put out a budget this week stuffed with targeted tax hikes, but the speaker did not rule any of them out. Baker, who explained that he's alright with using taxes to 'level the playing field' or regulate a new industry, has proposed a real estate transfer tax increase to pay for climate adaptation and a tax on opioid sales to pay for addiction treatment."
- "Mass. Lawmaker Proposes Freezing Sick Time Payouts for Employees Under Investigation," by Ryan Kath, NBC10: "A Massachusetts lawmaker is taking action in the wake of an NBC10 Boston Investigators report, which showed how state troopers caught up in the overtime scandal cashed in on a taxpayer-funded perk on their way out the door. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, is proposing freezing payouts for accrued sick time to employees who retire while under criminal or internal investigation."
- "Offshore drilling ban sought for state waters," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Energy companies have no immediate plans to begin searching for oil and natural gas off Massachusetts' coast, but opponents of offshore drilling are hoping to fend off future efforts by denying access to the state's land and waters. A proposal filed in the Legislature would ban drilling for oil or gas in state waters, while prohibiting the lease of state land including tidal or submerged lands for oil or gas exploration, development or production."
- "Gov. Baker again targets sick-time accruals for public employees," by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: "For the fourth consecutive year, Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing putting a cap on the hours of sick time that government employees can accrue, in order to limit the large payouts they can receive from the accrued time when they retire. As part of his budget proposal Wednesday, Baker would limit unused sick time to 1,000 hours for executive branch and public higher education workers. If one of those employees has already accrued more than 1,000 hours of sick time, that amount would be frozen in place."
- "Charlie Baker vows to veto bill giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants," by Sean Philip Cotter and Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker says he'll 'certainly veto' a bill that would let illegal immigrants in Massachusetts get driver's licenses — a proposal critics say would make the Bay State a magnet for fraud. The policy stance came a day after state Sen. Brendan P. Crighton (D-Lynn) and Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) and Christine Barber (D-Somerville) introduced the Work and Family Mobility Act, which would strip the portion of the current law that says people illegally in the country cannot get Massachusetts licenses."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "RMV finds workaround for immigrant commercial drivers," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "There are thousands of people in Massachusetts like Reyes, who is in this country under a designation called temporary protected status. So a group of unions, immigration advocates, and members of the Baker administration tried to figure out what was going on. What they learned was that a shift to a new form of federally approved driver's license had triggered a new requirement for proving license applicants have a lawful presence in the state. That requirement was blocking people with temporary protected status from renewing their commercial driver's licenses, so the group came up with a work-around that seems to be working."
- "Most Students In Massachusetts's No-Interest Loan Program Are in Collection," by Fred Thys, WBUR: "More than half of the college students who borrowed from a Massachusetts loan program are in collection. That's the finding of a report by the Hildreth Institute, a non-profit that aims to replace student debt with grants and scholarships. The Massachusetts No Interest Loan Program allows students to borrow up to $20,000 in interest-free loans. The money has to be repaid within ten years. Most eligible students are low-income."
- "Commissioner William Gross Says He Has Felt Unwelcome At The BPD," by Jason Turesky, WGBH News: "Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, Boston's first black commissioner, told Boston Public Radio on Friday that he "absolutely" has felt unwelcome during his tenure at the Boston Police Department. Gross did not offer specifics about his experiences. Gross said that his ability to rise through the ranks despite experiencing prejudice came from his upbringing."
- "Unpaid for weeks, fed workers turn to church food pantry," by Yukun Zhang, Dorchester Reporter: "Patsy works for Food and Nutrition Service in the US Department of Agriculture. It's a federal job that she's held for 40 years. On Wednesday, she came to the Holy Tabernacle Church near Grove Hall in Dorchester to get food. Patsy, who does not want her full name to be published, said she's never had to ask for help in her four decades of working for the US government."
- "MBTA's parking lot operator sues transit agency," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE PRIVATE COMPANY hired to operate the MBTA's 101 parking facilities is suing the transit agency for failing to comply with the terms of the contract, which requires the payment of as much as $2 million a year in bonus compensation for meeting key performance targets. Republic Parking of Chattanooga, Tennessee, said in its lawsuit that the MBTA has refused to even establish the performance targets on which the bonus payments would be made."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Elizabeth Warren to propose new 'wealth tax' on very rich Americans, economist says," by Jeff Stein and Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will propose a new 'wealth tax' on Americans with more than $50 million in assets, according to an economist advising her on the plan, as Democratic leaders vie for increasingly aggressive solutions to the nation's soaring wealth inequality."
— "Warren readies plan for tax on 'ultra-millionaires," by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO: "Smacking the ultrawealthy with a new tax burnishes the centerpiece of Warren's 2020 campaign for president: a message about income inequity that she's hammered away at in front of crowds in Iowa and New Hampshire . It also builds on a career centered on the economics of middle-class families, laid out most prominently in her 2003 best-selling book, The Two-Income Trap.
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Neal defends go-slow approach to seeking Trump's tax returns," by Brian Faler, POLITICO: "House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal today defended his go-slow approach to demanding President Donald Trump's tax returns. Under pressure from some liberal groups unhappy he hasn't acted more quickly, Neal (D-Mass.) said: 'You're going to have to, I think, resist the emotion of the moment and make sure your case is carefully documented. This is likely to become the basis of a long and arduous court case,' he told reporters. ' You can't step on your tongue.'"
- "US Reps. Jim McGovern, Joe Kennedy call out Commerce secretary for questioning food banks set up for furloughed federal workers," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican:"Massachusetts congressional lawmakers took aim at U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Thursday for expressing confusion over why food banks and other supports have been set up for federal employees who have been furloughed or working without pay due to the 34-day government shutdown."
- "Boston chefs on board with Jose Andres' nation-wide effort to feed furloughed workers," by Devra First, Boston Globe: "When disaster strikes, chef Jose Andres and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen have been there to feed the hungry: in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, in California after residents lost their homes to wildfires, and most recently in his home city of Washington. But federal workers do not live only in D.C. Now World Central Kitchen is reaching out to chefs across the country, including Boston, in an effort titled #ChefsForFeds."
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| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
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- "Shutdown Is 'A Nightmare,' Katherine Clark Says," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News: "Thirty-four days into the longest running government shutdown in American history, Rep. Katherine Clark has had enough. 'This is a nightmare,' Clark said in an interview with Boston Public Radio Thursday. 'It has quickly moved from just fundamentally wrong — from asking workers to come to work and not be paid, and that ripple effect across our economy — to very real national security threats as this drags on.'"
- "House Democrats march to Senate for shutdown votes," by Scott Wong, The Hill: "About 20 House Democrats on Thursday marched across the Capitol onto the Senate floor to urge senators to vote to reopen the government. The visit came as the Senate began voting on two dueling bills aimed at ending the 34-day shutdown, neither of which were expected to pass. House Democrats huddled in the back of the Senate chamber and were visited by senators including Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Zero-interest loans available to furloughed workers," by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: "As the partial government shutdown entered its 34th day on Thursday, Congressman Seth Moulton announced that there was some help on the way for furloughed federal workers. The assistance is in the form of zero-interest loans that will be available through several local financial institutions. More than 800,000 federal workers nationwide face missing a second paycheck Friday as the shutdown is more than a month old."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "Historic photos of Rose Kennedy, Jack, and Ted will grace banners on the Greenway all winter," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Ask not whom those photos depict — virtually all New Englanders of a certain age will know immediately. Large photographs of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and two of her famous sons, former president John F. Kennedy and the late senator Edward M. Kennedy, will adorn the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston throughout the winter."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "TIGHT," "NOT A PENNY FOR THE BULGERS!" Globe:"Baker's plan expands state power over schools," "A PUSH FOR COMPROMISE," "Warren targets super rich with tax on wealth." |
| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Rejected marijuana store sues Salem to stop it from allowing competing shop to advance," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "A marijuana company is trying to stop Salem from allowing a competing store to advance toward opening, saying in a lawsuit that the city unfairly rejected its application. The city says it had the right to pass over the firm, Mederi, in picking five cannabis shops out of nine applicants. A judge on Friday will hear Mederi's request for an order stopping the city from entering into its fifth and final contract with a pot retailer. The lawsuit, which observers say is the first of its kind in Massachusetts, could test the limits of local governments' freedom to choose winners and losers in the pot business, a growing industry since recreational sales started in November."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "MBTA overtime spending spiked last year," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority doled out more overtime pay to workers last year than it has in several years, covering a stretch that includes the record-breaking 2015 snowfall that drove up the agency's labor costs. The T spent $81.9 million on overtime last year, up more than 13 percent from the previous year and nearly 30 percent higher than 2016, 2014, and 2013, the earliest year of data available. Last year's tally was slightly higher than the $80.9 million the authority spent on overtime in 2015."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Methuen begins layoffs of 50 police officers," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Local police chiefs worry public safety in the Merrimack Valley could be imperiled as Methuen begins the process of laying off more than half its police force over a contract dispute. Pink slips began going out to 50 Methuen officers on Thursday. Solomon said the drastic reduction to his force would leave just enough officers to work patrols, and is worried Methuen would have to rely on aid from neighboring departments, state police or the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council."
- "Vineyard Wind offers concessions to fishermen, environmentalists," by Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times:"Vineyard Wind officials are not waiting for federal officials to return to their desks: The company has reached an agreement with environmental groups to protect North Atlantic right whales and has offered Rhode Island fishermen a $6.3 million deal to compensate them for any economic damages they may incur from the wind farm's construction and operations."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to the Berkshire Eagle's Heather Bellow, who turns 5-0; Laura Simolaris, Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker and Boston.com's Hayden Bird.
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