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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
SHE'S GOT A PLAN FOR THAT — Though Sen. Elizabeth Warren was on stage for only 60 minutes of last night's 5-hour, mega-marathon town hall event on CNN, her name and ideas were brought up perhaps more than any other candidate. Her recent policy rollouts drove the questions at the town halls, which revealed wide areas of agreement between the 2020 hopefuls.
Just 12 hours before taking the stage yesterday, the Massachusetts Democrat proposed a sweeping student loan cancellation policy that would eliminate $50,000 of student debt for households that earn under $100,000. The policy rollout came ahead of the Manchester, N.H. back-to-back town hall event, which was geared toward young voters and hosted by the Harvard Institute of Politics and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Time after time, town hall moderators asked fellow town hall candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg what they thought about Warren's student debt proposal. Hosts also asked the candidates to stake out their opinions on impeaching President Donald Trump, which Warren has been calling for since the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
"There is no political inconvenience exception to the United States Constitution," Warren said, referencing reluctance to begin impeachment proceedings among members of Congress. "They should have to take that vote and live with it for the rest of their lives."
And though Warren and fellow progressive Sanders differed on impeachment — he thinks it'll distract from Democratic issues like health care and benefit Trump — the Vermont lawmaker admitted he and Warren have some significant overlap in their political views. "I really haven't studied it," Sanders said when asked about Warren's student loan forgiveness plan. "But I think Elizabeth and I end up agreeing on a whole lot of issues. And what she understands and what I understand is we don't punish people for the crime of getting a higher education."
By releasing substantive proposals at strategic times, Warren has put herself in the driver's seat for much of the 2020 conversation on policy, despite polling below candidates like Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to announce a 2020 campaign later this week. It's also become part of her campaign's brand — Warren recently launched a "Warren has a plan for that" line on her campaign's online store.
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 attends the Greening the Gateway Cities 20,000th tree planting at North Quincy High School. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visits the Mountain View Apartments in Hadley. Sen. Bernie Sanders meets with organizers in Cambridge. Sen. Ed Markey holds a Green New Deal meeting with Lynn Mayor Tom McGee, state Sen. Brendan Crighton, state Rep. Dan Cahill, state Rep. Pete Capano and state Rep. Lori Ehrlich in Lynn. The Housedebates the fiscal 2020 budget.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigns in South Carolina. Rep. Seth Moulton campaigns in New Hampshire. Maryland Gov. Larry Hoganspeaks at Politics & Eggs in Manchester, N.H. The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture hears testimony. Rep. Jim McGovern speaks at UMass Amherst. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh presents his fiscal 2020 to 2024 "Imagine Boston Capital Plan." Rep. Stephen Lynch is a guest on "Boston Public Radio" and "Greater Boston."
Jane Doe Inc. presents Hema Sarang-Sieminski with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's 2019 Visionary Voice award. Reps. Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley discuss the Be HEARD in the Workplace Act in Boston. Markey holds a press conference to address robocalls. The Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change holds an oversight hearing. State Sen. Marc Pacheco holds an event titled "The Urgent Need for Climate Action" in Cambridge.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Massachusetts House to talk about raising revenue, but not as part of budget debate," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Massachusetts House is committed to talking about new ways to raise revenue - but not in the annual state budget debate, House leaders said Monday. "It's been made clear the time for debating revenue is during the revenue debate," said Rep. Mark Cusack, D-Braintree, House chair of the Revenue Committee. Debate started Monday in the House on the fiscal 2020 state budget. Lawmakers are expected to consider 1,370 amendments. But many of those amendments will be quietly withdrawn."
- "Auditor: Communication problems between departments add to concerns about foster children's education," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "Foster children often bounce from school to school, suffer chronic absenteeism, experience disciplinary problems, and drop out more frequently than their peers.Yet poor communication between state child welfare administrators and local schools and conflicting regulations create significant hurdles and educational delays for abused and neglected children as they are moved from foster home to foster home, according to a new state auditor's report."
- "Baker comes up with South Coast Rail financing," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "GOV. CHARLIE BAKER followed through on a first-term campaign promise on Monday by dedicating more than $1 billion in state bond funds to the South Coast Rail project, which is now expected to be completed after his second term ends. The funding commitment followed three cost and schedule reviews of the commuter rail project and the development of a consensus cost estimate of $1.047 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $935 million. The review also concluded that it would take a year longer to complete rail service between Boston and Fall River and New Bedford, moving the completion date from late 2022 to late 2023."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "How population numbers in Boston and Massachusetts changed over the past 8 years," by Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe:"Many areas in Massachusetts saw their populations increase from 2010 to 2018, with Greater Boston ranking as the 10th most populous in the nation — but three counties saw a net loss of residents, according to new Census estimates. The new data, which was released late last week, shows that the population in Suffolk County, which houses Boston, increased from 722,190 in 2010 to 807,252 in 2018. Worcester County also saw a sizeable jump, from 798,383 to 830,839, as did Essex County, from 743,081 to 790,638. And Middlesex County — the most populous in the state — saw its population rise from 1.503 million in 2010 to 1.614 million in 2018, data show."
- "The Next Mayor of Boston?" by Rachel Allen, The Atlantic: "In the past, no member of Boston City Council, long a rubber stamp for the mayor, had ever led such a crusade against the MBTA. But Wu embodies the kind of political change that's making waves in Washington, D.C., and cities across the country. Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib defy the status quo in Congress. Once considered a long shot, the presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has become a 2020 sensation, with his opposition to the Electoral College and fresh approach to Christianity and gay rights. This month, Lori Lightfoot was elected Chicago's first black female and openly gay mayor. As the Democratic Party rapidly diversifies, young, progressive women of color such as Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Wu—Pressley's former council colleague in Boston—have ignored calls to "wait your turn" and have run for office pushing bold new ideas."
- "Sober homes spark legal battles, calls for more oversight," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Sober homes are popping up in neighborhoods across the state, sometimes without any notice, triggering lawsuits and complaints despite a recent law designed to oversee the industry.In Dorchester's Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood, no one knew another sober home was coming until the mattresses were trucked in. In Methuen, a resident opened a sober home without a word to the city last year — sparking outcry from her neighbors and an ongoing legal battle that's prompted a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development fair housing investigation."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Customers videotaped at spa in Robert Kraft case sue authorities," by Terry Spencer, Associated Press: "Nearly three dozen men and women have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing Florida authorities of unlawfully videotaping them as they received legal massages at a parlor where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others allegedly paid for sex. The lawsuit by 31 John and Jane Does alleges that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, the Jupiter Police Department and the case's lead detective violated their rights to privacy when they were videotaped in January receiving massages at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa."
- "Stop & Shop employee says union members subjected him to homophobic slurs, threats and harassment," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "A Stop & Shop employee in western Massachusetts says he was subjected to homophobic slurs, threats and harassment from union members when he crossed the picket line, according to a federal complaint. The employee filed federal unfair labor practice charges last week against United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459 in Springfield. Among other charges, the employee claims that he was led to believe he would be fired from the Northampton store if he resigned from the union and went to work during the strike."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren's student loan plan targets 42M borrowers," by Michael Stratford, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren's opening shot on a higher education plan raises the bar for 2020 candidates, moving far beyond free college and calling for sweeping loan forgiveness for millions of Americans likely to vote in the Democratic primaries. Warren's proposal to cancel a large swath of the $1.5 trillion in outstanding student debt catapults an idea percolating on the edges of progressive politics since at least the Occupy Wall Street movement squarely into the mainstream of a Democratic presidential primary. The $640 billion student debt cancellation plan is the most ambitious higher education proposal yet from a 2020 presidential candidate."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Jeff Sessions to speak on Trump, Republican Party at Amherst College," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Jeff Sessions, the former U.S. attorney general and senator from Alabama, will speak on Wednesday at Amherst College. The event is being sponsored by the Amherst College Republicans and the conservative youth organization Young Americas Foundation. The talk is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Johnson Chapel and is open only to Amherst College students, staff and faculty."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Town hall marathon exposes not 'terribly many differences' in 2020 primary," by David Siders and Stephanie Murray, POLITICO:"Building up to its five-hour, back-to-back installment of presidential town halls on Monday night, CNN promised a new opportunity to compare Democratic primary contenders to one another. Wolf Blitzer deemed it a "major moment" in the evolving 2020 campaign. And when it was all over, what had the event delivered? A reminder, more than anything, of just how premature the Democratic primary campaign remains. Despite their proximity and the promise of cable television's reach, the five Democrats who filed onto a stage in New Hampshire largely sparred without partners."
- RELATED: "From impeachment to getting 'Hillary'd': 2020 Democrats face off in town halls," by Stephanie Murray, POLITICO. Link.
- "As Supreme Court Takes Up Census Citizenship Question, Mass. Officials Warn Of High Stakes," by Kimberly Atkins, WBUR:"The legal battle over adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. census, which lands before the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, could have a major impact on all Massachusetts citizens, state officials said. Attorney General Maura Healey, one of 18 state attorneys general challenging the Trump administration's decision to add the question, said it would diminish the voting power of all Massachusetts residents."
- "Lynch: Biden Has Best Chance Of Defeating Trump," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "On the same day that one of his Massachusetts colleagues threw his hat into the 2020 presidential campaign ring, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch tossed his support behind former Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to make his candidacy official. Lynch is the first member of the state's congressional delegation to endorse a presidential candidate other than the state's senior senator, Elizabeth Warren. On Boston Herald Radio, the South Boston Democrat said he will be with Biden if or when the former vice president officially announces he is running."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Moulton dings Dems right out the gate for single-payer health care push," by Caitlin Oprysko, POLITICO: "Newly declared presidential candidate Seth Moulton criticized his Democratic competitors Monday for pushing the idea of single-payer health care, citing what he called an imperfect experience at the Department of Veterans Affairs. "I think I'm the only candidate who actually gets single-payer health care," the Massachusetts congressman said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." He qualified his statement by adding that, like his 18 opponents in the 2020 primary, "I think health care is a right. I think every American should have access to good affordable health care." But the Iraq War veteran said his experience with single-payer health care made him hesitant to back any plan that would boot Americans off of their private insurance plans."
- "Newest Presidential Candidate Seth Moulton Says White People Need to 'Look Ourselves in the Mirror' When Dealing With Racism," by Terrell Jermaine Starr, The Root: "In an exclusive interview with The Root, U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) said that he supports a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and that white people need to "look themselves in the mirror" when confronting the impact that racism has on American society. "I think a lot of people in white America think, 'Oh, black America wants handouts.' No, that's not what I'm hearing. They want opportunities," Moulton said. "They want the same opportunities a white kid like myself had growing up in a middle-class town in Massachusetts. That shouldn't be too much to ask for every American citizen, no matter the color of your skin." Moulton said that community policing has failed, saying that police officers here wear more body armor than he did when he was a marine in Iraq."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Who cares if your MBTA train's on time if you reach your destination late?" by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "Subway riders, what matters more: whether your train picks you up on time, or whether you arrive at your destination on time? Most people would probably pick the latter. For years, though, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has leaned on the former to gauge its on-time performance. But measuring whether the next train arrives on time has many shortcomings, so the T is exploring new ways to more accurately reflect whether riders get to their destinations on time."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "Shoot to win," "SOBERING STATE," — Globe: "Union deflected most of grocer's demands," "Overhaul foster care reviews, say advocates," "RECOGNIZED, THE WORLD OVER." |
| NO PLACE LIKE THE CITY OF HOMES |
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- "Banned in Boston...& Now Springfield?" by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "After weeks and months of fits and starts, the City Council passed its ban on the free distribution of plastic bags. However, passage came at the expense of the fee on non-plastic bags provided at retail, intended to discourage consumer use of single-use bags regardless of material. But the apparent conclusion also entailed an admonition for the gratuitous complexity of the debate."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Moulton's run may put North Shore on the map," by Ethan Forman, Salem News: "Congressman Seth Moulton's White House bid could put the North Shore in the limelight. Moulton, 40, launched his presidential campaign Monday, joining a large field of Democrats. The announcement also makes him the third Massachusetts politician running for president in the 2020 primaries, following U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and former Gov. Bill Weld, a Republican who is challenging President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination."
REMEMBERING RICHARD TODD: from the Daily Hampshire Gazette: "It was Todd's ability to be at once astute and reassuring that made him not only a celebrated writer — penning the 2008 book "The Thing Itself: On the Search for Authenticity" and articles for publications such as the New York Times and the Atlantic Monthly — but also a beloved editor who guided the careers of writers including Kidder and Adrian Nicole LeBlanc." Link.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to 90 West founder and CEO Alex Goldstein;Terrence Clark, Nevada communications director at Warren for President; state Rep. Brian Ashe, former GOP candidate for Senate Geoff Diehl and former Massport director of Maritime Security and Police Chief Joe Lawless.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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