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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
$87 MILLION FOR 800 JOBS = $108,750 FOR EACH JOB
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: LESSER'S 'GE' BILL — Following news that General Electric will return $87 million in state incentives and scale down its plans for a new headquarters that would have brought some 800 jobs to Boston, state Sen. Eric Lesser introduced a bill on Friday to redirect that money to the state's vocational schools.
Under Lesser's bill, grants over $20 million that were issued to incentivize corporations to relocate to Massachusetts — but were rescinded — would be directed to vocational schools and the districts that host them.
The bill, which Lesser plans to announce later today, is called "An Act to invest more in middle class jobs and less in the relocation of out-of-state corporations." Lesser voiced his plan to file legislation aimed at the GE flap last week. The corporation will remain in Boston but plans to hire some 250 workers, a nearly 69 percent decrease from the expected 800 jobs.
"We have thousands of available positions in high-paying fields in every corner of our state that are going unfilled because of the backlog at our career and technical training centers. Instead of giving massive tax breaks and incentives to corporations, which will likely park those payments on Wall Street, let's invest that money in our local workforce," Lesser said in a statement.
NOT-MY-PRESIDENT'S DAY — President's Day is typically a holiday designed to celebrate American leaders of centuries past. But this year, state leaders spent the long weekend ripping the current commander-in-chief.
In Cambridge yesterday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley led protesters in cries against President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration, rallying against what she called Trump's "constitutional vandalism" at a rally organized by Cambridge Area Stronger Together.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was courting voters in Nevada and California as part of her bid to replace Trump, but fired off several fundraising emails against Trump's "fake national emergency" and "fear-mongering." She even dubbed Monday "Elect-a-New-President Day" in an email to supporters.
But the Bay State pol who Trump may have to answer to sooner than later is former Gov. Bill Weld. Here's how GOP strategist Rob Gray put it: "He relishes the opportunity to be on that stage debating Trump." Gray was Weld's press secretary during his time as governor.
The Republican-turned Libertarian-turned Republican is looking at a 2020 primary run against the president. Weld, known as a thick-skinned fiscal conservative and social liberal, laid out his vision of rejoining the "party of Lincoln" when he announced his exploratory committee in New Hampshire on Friday.
"As a primary candidate, there will be official debate invitations that wouldn't have come if he was running as a Libertarian," Gray told me. "If Trump doesn't debate him he's gonna look scared, so I think that's one of the reasons that Weld is in this thing — to have hundreds of cameras and millions of TV viewers watching Weld's vision for the Republican party and the country going straight up against Trump's vision."
Weld's vision has its critics, even in his home state where he was the leading Republican official. Shortly after he announced his plans, MassGOP chairman Jim Lyons said he's sure Weld's "self-seeking ploy to divide Republicans will fail." Weld was the running mate for New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson's 2016 campaign as a Libertarian, though he vouched for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the days leading up to the 2016 election.
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 honors Iwo Jima Day at the State House. Sen. Cory Booker is a guest on WGBH's Morning Edition. Rep. Lori Trahan visits New Balance in Lawrence. Rep. Ayanna Pressley speaks at the Harvard Kennedy School. Sen. Kamala Harrisspeaks at Politics & Eggs in Manchester, N.H.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Economic development, health care costs, top DeLeo's agenda," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "House Speaker Robert DeLeo pledged Friday to work to expand economic development, lower health care costs, better prepare cities and towns for impacts of climate change and reform the state's education funding formula, as part of his agenda for the Legislature's new two-year session. Speaking to a gathering of business leaders, lawmakers and local officials at Salem State University, DeLeo also touted the accomplishments of the past session, including passage of stricter gun control and measures addressing opioid addiction and climate change."
- "SENATOR: JUNE PRIMARY WOULD BENEFIT MASS. VOTERS," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "Last year's Sept. 4 primary election was about two weeks earlier than is typical for Massachusetts, moved up so that it would not conflict with Jewish holidays. But despite the alteration, it was still the sixth-latest primary election in the United States. Sen. Becca Rausch wants to change that."
- "State reps Lindsay Sabadosa, Paul Mark file bill to give unemployment benefits to workers in future lockouts," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, and Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, have introduced a bill that would avoid similar scrambles in the future, by guaranteeing unemployment benefits for workers who are locked out during a labor dispute. Sabadosa said the bill was inspired by the National Grid dispute. It is a way of ensuring that lawmakers do not have to pass another one-time solution if a similar labor dispute arises in the future."
- "Gas companies could face hefty fines for service loss," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Gas companies could be fined to up $5 million a day for failing to restore service to customers in a timely manner, under the latest legislative proposal in response to the gas fires and explosions that ripped through the Merrimack Valley five months ago. The bipartisan proposal, filed by state Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, and backed by a dozen lawmakers, would allow the state Department of Public Utilities to set a reasonable date for restoring service following an interruption, and gas companies could be fined up to $2 million per day if they miss that deadline."
- "Lawmakers file bills to make controversial court hearings less secret," by Todd Wallack, Boston Globe: "Ten state lawmakers have sponsored legislation to lift the veil of secrecy over criminal hearings run by court clerks in district and municipal courts in Massachusetts. At issue is the current controversial practice in which clerk magistrates and their assistants routinely decide behind closed doors whether to approve charges before suspects are publicly arraigned before a judge. Companion bills filed in both the House and Senate would require that the hearings generally be open, unless a clerk or judge makes an exception."
- "Lawmakers: Make film tax credits permanent," by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport News: "Supporters of the state's controversial film tax credit program, which doles out tens of millions of dollars worth of credits to movie production studios each year, want to make the subsidy permanent. On Beacon Hill, a bipartisan proposal backed by more than 100 state lawmakers would eliminate an expiration date of Jan. 1, 2023, on the program, which is more than a decade old and provides tax credits valued at roughly 25 percent of expenses for qualifying movies, TV shows, documentaries and commercials filmed in the state."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Groups: ICE detainees in Boston jail go on hunger strike," Associated Press: Dozens of people detained by federal immigration officials are on a hunger strike at a Boston jail. Rhode Island-based community groups Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance and the FANG Collective say they've been in contact with about 70 detainees at the Suffolk County House of Correction who are participating in a hunger strike that began Friday. The organizations say the men are protesting abuse by jail officials and 'inhumane conditions' such as bad food and broken bathroom fixtures. They also challenge the jail's authority to detain people on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ."
- "Marty Walsh: MBTA needs better service before rate hike," by Brooks Sutherland, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh is calling on the MBTA to hear what "customers have to say," as it weighs a "tough" proposed fare hike on people who are already frustrated with the service they receive. 'I think it can be a very difficult increase,' Walsh told the Herald on Sunday. 'People need to know that the service is getting better. I think the MBTA owes a little bit to the customers about what's coming in the future here.'"
- "Cambridge wanted a big drop in car ownership by 2020. That hasn't exactly happened," Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "With six subway stations, multiple bus lines and bike lanes, and compact neighborhoods everywhere, Cambridge offers plenty of ways to get around without a car. And increasingly, many of its residents are. Yet even Cambridge — which took up the anticar cause decades ago to oppose a proposed interstate highway through the heart of Central Square — can't get more residents to give up their vehicles."
- "Unions: Poor conditions plague fire stations throughout the state," by Brooks Sutherland and Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Citing rats, broken plumbing, leaky ceilings, poor ventilation and run-down equipment, firefighter unions across the state are sounding the alarm about station houses they say receive little attention, saying poor conditions raise safety fears and hurt morale. A state law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last year that enforces standards created in the Occupational Safety and Health Act for all state and local government workers, took affect Feb. 1, forcing municipalities to address the issues, according to MacKinnon. Some stations, where firefighters both live and work, have real safety concerns, he said ."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Spurned recruit asks judge to force State Police to accept him," by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "A federal jury last year gave Orlando Riley the vindication he was seeking, ruling that the State Police had barred the veteran New Bedford officer from its academy because he is black. Riley had aced the entrance exam and passed his health screenings, but when it came to his background interview, Riley said he was treated like a criminal suspect by a white trooper. Now, with the fresh $130,000 civil verdict in his favor, Riley is waging another challenge to the state's top law enforcement agency: asking a judge to order the department to take him on as a recruit."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Elizabeth Warren, other women candidates emphasize experiences as mothers," by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Sure, she's a Harvard professor emerita and US senator, but Elizabeth Warren wants voters to know something else about her: Back when she was a young mother, she potty trained her 2-year-old in five days to score a spot in day care. As the 2020 Democratic primary shapes up, its leading women candidates — accomplished stateswomen, all — are drawing attention to another role they play: Mom."
- "Elizabeth Warren's Native American Ancestry Draws a Shrug From These Voters," Astead W. Herndon "Anna Stein, 44, doesn't have a preferred presidential candidate yet for the 2020 Democratic nomination. But one thing is certain, she says: Elizabeth Warren's handling of her Native American ancestry claims will not factor into her decision. A.J. McConnell, 70, suspects he'll vote for Kamala Harris, the California senator, for president. But he thinks the criticism over Ms. Warren describing herself as Native American for years is unfair, because he also had family members who once identified as Native Americans."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "MIT study: Climate change could mean more stagnant air in summers, thunderstorms," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe:"Climate change could both boost the power of thunderstorms and bring more stretches of hot, still days, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, a new MIT study suggests. With temperatures rising globally, and particularly in the Arctic, the energy in the atmosphere is being redistributed. The result is that more energy will be available to fuel thunderstorms, while less energy will go toward summertime extratropical cyclones, researchers said in a statement."
- "Mass. at forefront of national climate change forum," by Brianna McKinley, MetroWest Daily News: "As proposals for global warming legislation gain traction on a national level, several Massachusetts officials have emerged as key players in the conversation. Sen. Edward Markey has joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in announcing the Green New Deal, a sweeping policy bill that aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions in multiple sectors of the economy while also creating clean energy jobs. Markey, who has made environmental issues a signature component of his career while representing Massachusetts in the U.S. House and Senate, called climate change 'the most important issue facing this country' at recent a p ress conference in Washington."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Ayanna Pressley joins protesters blasting Trump over emergency declaration," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe:"Days after a controversial national emergency declaration from President Trump, hundreds of demonstrators weathered the snow and cold Monday afternoon in Harvard Square to protest policies of his administration. US Representative Ayanna Pressley was among those to dismiss Trump's recent declaration of a national emergency as 'fake.' Pressley rattled off a series of problems she considered to be real emergencies: a dearth of affordable housing, soaring drug prices, gun violence, voter suppression, and climate change, among others. She called Trump's declaration 'constitutional vandalism' and an ' abuse of power.'"
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "In N.H., Kamala Harris says, 'I intend to compete' in the state," by Liz Goodwin, Boston Globe: "Kamala Harris touted Medicare for all, an assault weapons ban and the Green New Deal on her first visit to New Hampshire as a presidential candidate Monday. But the message she emphasized the most to Granite State voters was a simpler one: I'll be back. 'I just want to get this out of the way,' the freshman senator from California said to open up her packed town hall Monday evening in Portsmouth's South Church. 'I intend to compete in New Hampshire. I intend to spend time here. I intend to shake every hand that I possibly can.'"
- "Voters in N.H. thank Klobuchar for her composure during Kavanaugh hearings," Annmarie Timmins, Boston Globe: "As New Hampshire voters are trying to learn about the huge field of 2020 presidential candidates, some are giving US Senator Amy Klobuchar high marks for the way she handled a tense exchange with Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing. At her first New Hampshire event since announcing her presidential bid, Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, fielded questions and comments Monday afternoon from numerous voters eager to talk about the Kavanaugh episode, in which the judicial nominee turned the tables on the senator and twice asked if she had ever drunk too much to recall what she'd done."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "HUNGER GAMES," — Globe: "Boston's tourism de force," "Students in Metco outperform city peers," " |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Lakeville Rep. Norman Orrall continues family legacy of public service," by Susannah Sudborough, Standard-Times: "For Norman Orrall, the new Massachusetts state representative for the 12th Bristol District, public service is more than just a calling, it is a family tradition. A fifth-generation Lakeville resident, Orrall said that for generations, everyone in his family has served the town or region in some capacity. Before Orrall was elected a state representative, he served as the Lakeville town moderator, on the finance committee, on the town planning and master plan committee, and worked on public sector engineering projects for over 20 years."
- "Northampton protesters decry Trump border wall: 'This isn't a national emergency,'" by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican:"President Donald Trump's push for a border wall — and his willingness to declare a national emergency to get it funded — is merely a distraction he's undertaken as Special Counsel Robert Mueller probe closes in, according to protesters gathered Monday at Northampton's City Hall. 'This is not a national emergency," said organizer Debby Pastrich-Klemer of Indivisible Northampton. 'The only emergency is to his own presidency.'"
- "Nesi's Notes: Feb. 16," by Ted Nesi, WPRI: "Providence faces financial peril over pensions. Fall River's indicted mayor may soon be recalled. But in New Bedford, the region's second-largest city, there are signs of progress under four-term Mayor Jon Mitchell. 'We see New Bedford as the commercial center of Southeastern Massachusetts,' Mitchell, who was the lead federal prosecutor on the Whitey Bulger fugitive team, said on this week's Newsmakers. 'What we're trying to do is to make New Bedford as economically competitive as it can be, and we've made a lot of strides in that way.'"
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Auditor Suzanne Bump, and Joe Caiazzo, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse campaign manager and Bernie Sanders alum, who celebrated Monday.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Bruins beat the Sharks 4-3.
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