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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
BAKER AND KISSINGER AT MIT — Gov. Charlie Baker will speak at a conference at MIT today celebrating the opening of the university's new Schwarzman College of Computing.
The new college was established with a $350 million donation from Steve Schwarzman, a Republican donor and ally to President Donald Trump. The daylong conference will focus on the future of artificial intelligence, and feature an interview of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger by journalist Tom Friedman.
Trump signed an executive order promoting artificial intelligence earlier this month, following concerns that China is besting the United States in developing the technology. MIT says the new college will create 50 faculty positions and come close to doubling its current AI and computing offerings.
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 speaks at the launch of MIT's Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announces rental housing awards in Worcester. The Boston City Council holds a hearing on city investment holdings. Sen. Ed Markey speaks to the New England Council in Washington, D.C. Rep. Jim McGovern calls into WPKZ and WRSI to discuss news of the week.Senate President Karen Spilka speaks at a women's suffrage celebration.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Baker proposes controversial change in how Mass. spends money on global warming," by David Abel, Boston Globe: "It's an obscure provision in the governor's latest budget, but it could have significant implications for how the state addresses climate change. The controversial proposal has also exposed a rift between environmental groups over whether the state should focus its efforts more on curbing the emissions that cause global warming or trying to blunt the impact of climate change. One approach confronts the cause; the other seeks to mitigate the consequences."
- "Gov. Baker: Federal law nixes consideration of safe injection sites for Mass." by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker is standing firm on the fact that safe injection sites are illegal under federal law, as a special commission charged with examining the practice is expected to release a report in favor of it. 'I'm not going to stand around and wait for something that can't happen. I would rather focus on the stuff that can,' Baker told reporters Wednesday. ' Chasing something that's not legal under federal law just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.'"
- "Mass. House OKs $135 million in new spending," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "The House of Representatives passed its first significant bill of the young legislative session Wednesday, unanimously endorsing a bill that adds $135 million in mid-year spending at a time when tax collections are trailing behind projections. The bill (H 3505), intended to funnel money in the current fiscal year to state accounts that either have run out of cash or will soon run dry, began with a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker filed late in January but House leaders shaved about $30 million from the bill before bringing it to a vote Wednesday."
- "Attorney general's office orders e-cigarette retailer to halt sales in Mass., saying ads target minors," by Max Reyes, Boston Globe: "Attorney General Maura Healey's office has ordered an online electronic cigarette vendor to halt sales in Massachusetts because it advertised on a website frequented by minors and did not have a way of verifying a buyer's age. This is the third time the office has issued such a demand to a vendor and is part of a larger crackdown on e-cigarette sales to minors. The attorney general's office alleges California-based Kilo E-Liquids advertised its products on myhomeworkapp.com, an educational website frequented by students and school employees. An investigation also found that the method Kilo uses to verify the age of its buyers does not meet requirements laid out in state law."
- "Baker Wants To Withhold Aid To Help Reform Long-Struggling Schools. Could It Hurt Them Instead?" by Max Larkin, WBUR: "A plan from Gov. Charlie Baker to withhold state aid from long-struggling schools prompts the question: Would it help those schools improve? Baker included the provision in a broader bill proposed last month, which would pump local and state aid into public schools across Massachusetts. Education Commissioner Jeff Riley — who would wield the power if Baker's bill passed into law — described it as "much less punitive" than it might seem."
- "Groups throw flag on legislation," by Rick Sobey, The Lowell Sun: "A football linebacker zeroes in on the running back sprinting up the sideline. The defender lowers his head, driving his crown into the running back's body. The days of that dangerous head technique are over, youth football coaches emphasized this week -- in response to a Massachusetts proposal to ban tackle football for those in seventh grade and younger. Youth coaches now teach a rugby-style tackle, so kids are learning how to tackle while not leading with their heads, said Angela Dulac, president of Chelmsford Pop Warner. She added that it's "preposterous" this legislative bill has been proposed."
- "The States Where the Minority Party Has Major Legislative Clout," by Alan Greenblatt, Governing: "In Massachusetts and Oregon, Democrats hold supermajority control of both legislative chambers. In each state, minority Republicans have been given greater deference or authority than their sheer numbers would command. But neither state can be described as a bipartisan paradise as a result. There's long been a rule in the Massachusetts Senate to require roll call votes when 20 percent of the members ask for them. But Republicans don't hold 20 percent of the seats in the state Senate, which would equate to eight out of 40. When their numbers slipped to just seven senators, the rule was changed to allow any seven to require a roll call vote. After the Senate GOP caucus slipped to only six members, the rule was amended to say that the total number of Republican senators, however small, would suffice."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "MBTA riders to Massachusetts transportation officials: Fix 'abysmal service' before raising the cost to ride," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "More than 100 people packed the State Transportation Building in Boston for a hearing on a proposed 6.3 percent fare hike on the MBTA and slammed the board, saying it must improve riding conditions before increasing the cost. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, who has been circulating a petition against the proposed increase, was the first to address members of the MBTA board gathered for the public hearing. The petition, which calls for unlimited year-round passes for seniors and kids, as well as a lower fare for the city's poorest residents, gathered more than 2,700 signatures by the time the 6:30 p.m. meeting began."
- "Satanic Temple cofounder accuses Boston City Council of discrimination," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "The Boston City Council is facing an allegation of discrimination from an international satanic group based in Salem. Malcolm Jarry, cofounder of The Satanic Temple, filed the complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in October, alleging the council rebuffed requests from the congregation to deliver the invocation at the council's weekly meeting in City Hall, records show. Jarry said in an interview Wednesday that he believes the council is discriminating against his congregation because its members practice satanism."
- "Sports' great gamble: Slow roll of inevitability," by Michael Silverman, Boston Herald: "The momentum that's been gathering behind legalized sports betting since last May's US Supreme Court ruling at times can appear to the naked eye to be too big to be stopped. That air of inevitability is reasonable. Still, even with the array of well-heeled industries pushing for it, the lure of more tax revenues and a generally favorable view by the public about gambling, the reality is the arrival of sports betting in the roughly 80 percent of states in the United still without sports betting is more of a slow play."
- "Why a $20m fine looks like a Wynn win," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "WYNN RESORTS WAS HIT with $20 million fine yesterday by Nevada casino regulators, by far the largest sanction ever handed down there — and the company's honchos were probably high-fiving each other afterwards, letting out sighs of relief that reached all the way to Everett 2,700 miles away. Such is the strange world of gambling, where things are often not on the level or as they appear to be. The fine was slapped on Wynn for failing to investigate earlier claims of sexual misconduct against company founder Steve Wynn, who resigned last year amidst a swirl of controversy over charges he sexually harassed and assaulted women."
- "Rachael Rollins says a DA's power is like no other," by Ben Berke, Brockton Enterprise: "Suffolk County's new top prosecutor visited Massasoit Community College on Wednesday to stress the importance of bringing criminal justice reform to the only offices she says have true control over the matter: those of Massachusetts's 11 district attorneys. Rachael Rollins was elected Suffolk County's district attorney in November after winning a crowded Democratic primary, during which she gained much attention for her "decline to prosecute" list — a campaign promise to minimize incarceration for 15 non-violent criminal charges."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Husband of former Senate president seeks dismissal of two of 10 counts," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Bryon Hefner is seeking to toss out charges alleging he forcibly kissed a man and exposed himself to another, arguing they shouldn't be considered felony crimes even if they're "disgusting." Hefner appeared in Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer, Tracy A. Miner, asked Judge Robert N. Tochka to dismiss two of the 10 counts against the 31-year-old, who prosecutors say engaged in a pattern of assaults and misconduct, including repeatedly groping two men against their will and boastfully showing nude photos of yet another."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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- "Stephen Lynch Went Masshole at the Michael Cohen Hearing," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Back home, most people are familiar with Congressman Stephen Lynch at this point. At least, they should be: He's been representing Boston and the South Shore in Washington for nearly two decades. But for the most part, the rest of America barely hears from him—he doesn't have the buzz of new colleague Ayanna Pressley, certainly, or the senatorial stature of Elizabeth Warren or Ed Markey. But on Wednesday, as the entire nation sat glued to their TVs and computer screens for Trump fixer Michael Cohen's blockbuster testimony, many got a rare glimpse at the sometimes pugnacious Democrat and his distinctly Boston mannerisms. Lucky for them, he let his Masshole flag fly."
- "Rep. Ayanna Pressley asks Michael Cohen if President Trump 'could have a black friend and still be racist,'" by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "During heated testimony before the Housing Oversight Committee Wednesday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley saved a fiery question directed for President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for last. "Would you agree that someone who has denied rentals to black people, referred to the African diaspora as s---hole countries, and called white nationalists very nice people could have a black friend and still be racist?" Pressley, a Boston Democrat, asked."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "'We're terrified': Youth activists push Neal to co-sponsor Green New Deal," by Greta Jochem, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "On Tuesday afternoon, more than 50 people, most of them young students, stood outside of U.S. Rep. Richard Neal's Springfield office holding a sign that said, "Look us in the eyes," while chanting, "Green New Deal, come on Neal." Organized by the youth climate advocacy group Sunrise Movement, the activists were pushing Neal to co-sponsor the Green New Deal, a resolution with broad actions to address climate change and economic inequality introduced earlier this month by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "All 2020 presidential candidates now support marijuana legalization efforts — even the Republicans," by Naomi Martin and James Pindell, Boston Globe: "When it comes to marijuana, Elizabeth Warren of 2012 would probably not recognize Elizabeth Warren of 2019. Seven years ago, Warren opposed legalization. In 2015, the US senator from Massachusetts said she was "open" to it. In 2016, she said, she voted for it privately at the ballot box. Now she's one of marijuana's top cheerleaders on Capitol Hill, championing a measure to protect the pot industry in states where it's legal. Warren's evolution is not unique — in fact, 2020 will see the first US presidential race in which every candidate, at least so far, favors some path to legalization ."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "SETH MOULTON MAY FACE A PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM BARBARA L'ITALIEN," by Thomas Grillo, Daily Item: "As U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton mulls a race for the presidency, former state Sen. Barbara L'Italien is considering challenging the three-term congressman. The Andover Democrat forfeited her spot in the Legislature to seek the congressional office vacated by U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas last year. She finished third behind winner Lori Trahan. "Seth is vulnerable because of the stupidity he engaged in over the Nancy Pelosi fight," said L'Italien. "You don't go to such lengths to challenge leadership when you don't even have a candidate, and that has set his standing back in Congress." Moulton declined a request for an interview. A spokesman said the congressman was elected to Congress in a primary, was overwhelmingly re-elected last November, and isn't afraid of the democratic process he risked his life to defend."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "RAT POISON," — Globe: "Former fixer turns on Trump." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Rep. Richard Neal to Trump trade rep: Exempt Springfield's CRRC from tariff hike to grow jobs, keep fares low," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Richard Neal on Wednesday urged the Trump administration's top trade representative to spare CRRC-MA the 25 percent tariff imposed this summer on rail car components imported from China to CRRC's Springfield factory. "The imposition of these new tariffs will significantly increase CRRC-MA's cost to manufacture rail cars, unfairly burden our public transit agencies, and raise fares for millions of Americans who depend upon public transportation each day," Neal, D-Springfield, wrote in a letter he hand-delivered to Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Remembering the Bold Thinking of Hampshire College," by Ellen Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic: "The current historical moment forms a backdrop to Hampshire's challenges just as another one did when the college was created. What wasn't as clear then as it is now was the degree to which Hampshire's founding era informed the willingness—on the college's part and on our own—to engage risk and opportunity. Hampshire's gifted founders, Franklin Patterson and Charles R. Longsworth, observed in their 1966 treatise, The Making of a College: Plans for a New Departure in Higher Education, "No major departure, no new and consequential venture, is made without a context and a vision." The vision of the college was obvious enough. What was less obvious were decisive elements of the context that shaped the college's origins and that illuminate its present troubles."
- "Residents spotlight bike-ped safety at Kelley Square redesign hearing," by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: "Moving ahead with its "peanut" modified roundabout design for Kelley Square, the state Department of Transportation held a public hearing Wednesday night to provide more details and solicit more community feedback. Most of the audience at Worcester Technical High School seemed receptive to the latest proposed redesign of the famously complicated series of intersections that make up Kelley Square, but still had concerns about traffic and parking along with pedestrian and bicycle safety."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Li-Dor David.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Trail Blazers beat the Celtics 97-92.
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