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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy April, and godspeed to those of us who are easily tricked by April Fool's jokes.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO DCCC! MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES THAT YOU SUPPORT, VOLUNTEER, MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS, KNOCK ON SOME DOORS AND GET YOUR CANDIDATE ELECTED. GET INVOLVED.
PRESSLEY'S PRIMARY POINT — Rep. Ayanna Pressley pushed back over the weekend against a new Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee policy that freezes out vendors who work with primary campaigns like the one she ran last year. Pressley said the party should not create "litmus tests or roadblocks" that could create a chilling effect on new candidates from diverse backgrounds.
The DCCC says its mission is to elect House Democrats , which includes "supporting and protecting incumbents." To that end, the organization says it will not conduct business with, or recommend, any consultant working with an opponent to a sitting House member. The move has drawn criticism from a cast of progressive lawmakers.
"If the DCCC enacts this policy to blacklist vendors who work with challengers, we risk undermining an entire universe of potential candidates and vendors — especially women and people of color — whose ideas, energy, and innovation need a place in our party," Pressley said in a tweet on Saturday, one in a long thread about the subject.
Pressley unseated longtime Rep. Michael Capuano in September's Democratic primary, despite the institutional support and fundraising muscle that comes with congressional incumbency.
"I believe fiercely in the potential of our party, but we cannot credibly lay claim to prioritizing diversity & inclusion when institutions like the DCCC implement policies that threaten to silence new voices and historically marginalized communities," she added.
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, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, state Senate President Karen Spilka and state House Speaker Robert DeLeohold a weekly leadership meeting, then gather for a ceremonial bill signing. Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attend the groundbreaking for the TRACK at New Balance. Walsh attends a 2020 Census kickoff.
Sen. Ed Markey holds a roundtable on local access TV in Boston. The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight hears testimony. Secretary of State William Galvin marks a year until the 2020 census in Framingham with Mayor Yvonne Spicer.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Charlie Baker, a veteran of the health insurance industry, dives into a policy fight," by Matt Stout and Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: "After closed-door talks crumbled last summer, Beacon Hill is hitting reset on its pursuit of sweeping health care legislation, with one major difference: This time, Governor Charlie Baker, a former health insurance executive, will push his own plan. His proposal, expected to be unveiled this spring, would come almost a year after the House and Senate couldn't reconcile controversial and drastically different versions of legislation designed to buttress community hospitals and rein in medical spending statewide."
- "Maura Healey: Obamacare Will Be The Central Issue In 2020," by Tori Bedford, WGBH News: "Attorney General Maura Healey and a coalition of other attorneys general saw a victory this week in their fight against the Trump administration's attempts to shut down the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A lawsuit by twelve state attorneys general led by Healey in Massachusetts and New York's Attorney General Letitia James challenged a rule from the U.S. Dept. of Labor that would block consumer protection measures in the Affordable Care Act. In an interview with Boston Public Radio Friday, Healey said protecting the ACA is a major priority for her office."
- "Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members gather at State House," by Alejandro Serrano, Boston Globe: "African-American women from across Massachusetts celebrated "AKA Day" at the State House on Friday. Members from 11 state chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the nation's oldest sorority for African-American women, went to Beacon Hill for a special day of meeting and talking with legislators. The members discussed issues of concern to the sorority and lawmakers, the group said in a statement."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Mass. has a message for Roxbury Prep: Lower your suspension rate," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, long known for strict discipline, has been ordered by the state to lower its suspension rates, an unusual move aimed at keeping more students in class. The charter school has the second highest out-of-school suspension rate in the state, with 21.1 percent of students receiving that punishment during the last school year. That's far higher than the state average of 2.9 percent."
- "200 electric scooters to hit Brookline streets Monday morning; Is Massachusetts ready for them?" by Kristin LaFratta, MassLive.com: "When Scott Mullen worked as general manager of the Hubway bike system, now known as Boston's Bluebikes, there were little more than four stations in Brookline. "They didn't really serve everywhere. They were only convenient if you were near a station," said Mullen, who now works as Lime's northeast director of expansion. As Brookline launches the first electric scooter pilot in Massachusetts on Monday, Mullen says the way people move around the town will become much simpler."
- "Council to tackle lack of full-time nurses at schools," by Taylor Pettaway, Boston Herald: "For Henderson Elementary parent Gretchen Lahey, a full-time nurse is a necessity at her son's school — he suffers from a life-threatening milk allergy and asthma — but from noon to 3 p.m., there isn't anyone there to give a child an inhaler or medical help if needed. "It's frightening at times," Lahey said. "I want what's best for my child and the other children, they need to be taken care of every day." The need for school nurses will be front and center at a hearing Monday called by At-Large Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Key questions remain unanswered in Kraft's case," by Bob Hohler, Boston Globe: "This much is not in dispute: The man wearing a blue shirt and cap who stepped out of a white Bentley at 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 and strode into the Orchids of Asia Day Spa was Patriots owner Robert Kraft. It also seems beyond doubt that the woman who was recorded greeting Kraft at the front counter was the 45-year-old manager, Lei Wang, known to customers as "Lulu.'' But much else about the case remains subject to scrutiny as Kraft's lawyers defend him against misdemeanor charges that he twice solicited prostitution at the massage parlor."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Elizabeth Warren Loses Finance Director as She Struggles in Early Fund-raising," by Astead W. Herndon and Jonathan Martin, New York Times: "On a Sunday afternoon earlier this month, Senator Elizabeth Warren began a swing through the South by proclaiming that she was running "a different type of campaign" — one that did not include high-dollar fund-raisers but was entirely reliant on grass-roots contributions. "If you think that's a good idea, go to ElizabethWarren.com," she told about 500 people at a town hall-style event in Memphis, adding: "Pitch in five bucks, do whatever you can." The next morning she woke up to some news about a surge in small-dollar contributions, but it wasn't for her: Former Representative Beto O'Rourke had raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his candidacy."
- "In Iowa, presidential candidates weigh in on whether Joe Biden should run after accusations of inappropriate behavior," by Brianne Pfannenstiel and Kevin Hardy, Des Moines Register:"Democrats running for president weighed in on allegations that former vice president Joe Biden inappropriately touched a woman in 2014, saying Saturday at a candidate event in Storm Lake, Iowa that they believe the woman. "I believe Lucy Flores," said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "And Joe Biden needs to give an answer." Flores, a former Nevada state assemblywoman, published an essay in New York Magazine's The Cut this week. She described a moment in 2014 when she was 35 and the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Nevada."
IF THE KOCHS ARE ATTACKING THE IDEA, IT MUST BE GOOD FOR AMERICANS! THE DIRTY ENERGY KOCH BROTHERS DON'T STAND FOR AMERICANS!
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Watchdog group calls for investigation of US Rep. Lori Trahan's campaign funds," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "An election watchdog group has called on federal regulators to open an investigation into US Representative Lori Trahan's 2018 campaign spending, saying she may have used illegal donations to make large loans to her campaign during a heated 10-way primary race. The Campaign Legal Center said Trahan changed her campaign and personal finance reports at least seven times after the election to try to show that she had sufficient personal funds to make $371,000 in loans to her campaign."
- "Democrats Might Not Get Their Hands On Trump's Taxes Before November 2020," by Arthur Delaney, Huffington Post:"Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) can ask for copies of Donald Trump's federal tax returns whenever he wants, but Neal is in no hurry and seemingly doesn't care if Democrats don't get the documents before the next election. Though the law is clear that the treasury secretary is supposed to hand over any returns requested by the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has all but said he'll disobey the law ― meaning there will be a court fight."
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "Bill Weld Is Taking On The Trump Monster Because Some Republican Has To," by S.V. Date, Huffington Post: " Bill Weld says he knows all about lousy odds. In his first run for Massachusetts governor in 1990, he got trounced in the spring Republican state convention, 53-36. The margin was so big that the state party, under its rules, gave the winner its full endorsement heading into the primary. Weld says he made up for his poor showing by outworking the frontrunner, hitting every single meeting of Republicans in the Bay State he could find. "I had nothing to do but go to events all summer long," he recalls. "I would have gone to the opening of an envelope if an envelope were being opened." He wound up winning the September primary, and then, two months later, the governorship."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Massport taking on Uber, Lyft," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "MASSPORT IS TRYING to make public transit to the airport more competitive with the ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft, but will free be good enough? The proposal Massport unveiled last week is a combination of carrot and stick, stick in the form of higher fees and less convenient pickups and drop-offs for the ride-hailing apps and carrot in the form of lower fares, or in some cases no fare at all, for expanded transit services and airport perks."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Moulton to decide on presidential bid in 'next few weeks,'" by Martin Matishak, POLITICO: "Rep. Seth Moulton will decide "in the next few weeks" if he will run for president in 2020, he said Sunday. "Liz and I, my wife, are talking about this. It's a family decision. It's something that we have to commit to together," the Massachusetts Democrat said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Ultimately, Liz and I are going to are going to talk about this. We're going to decide in the next few weeks." Moulton, who just wrapped up a trip to Iowa, said he's 'been talking to a lot of veterans especially, starting with veterans and students, and trying to understand what they want to see in the next commander in chief.'"
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "TOUCHY JOE," — Globe: "For families, 'Fortnite' is a battleground," "This year, Baker to push own health care bill," "ELECTION IN UKRAINE." |
| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "In pot chase, social equity meets economic reality," by Ted Seifer, CommonWealth Magazine: "A cornerstone of Massachusetts's marijuana legalization law is its commitment to righting the wrongs of the war on drugs, specifically the prohibition on marijuana, which fell heavily on communities of color in the form of arrests, incarceration, and lifelong criminal records. Under the social equity provisions of the law, economic empowerment applicants are to get priority license review and technical assistance aimed at giving them a leg up in the legal cannabis industry. So far, however, social equity looks a lot more impressive on paper than it does in reality."
- P.S. If you use medical marijuana or CBD (or if you're a health professional who has worked with it), we want to hear from you. Tell us your story and a reporter might reach out.
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "MassMutual expanding view of 'family': New benefits offer 18 weeks parental leave, mental health treatment, gender-affirming procedures," by Michelle Williams, MassLive.com: "What is the true meaning of family? One of the largest employers in Massachusetts seeks to address that question in their benefits to employees. MassMutual is setting aside past policies that prescribe allotted time off for employees to grieve or care for loved ones based on relationships, instead allowing workers to define who a "loved one" is. In a newly introduced policy, MassMutual employees can take up to two weeks paid leave to care for a loved one suffering from a serious health condition."
- "Regional transit authorities in crisis: Western Mass. copes with inadequate funding," by Lillian Ilsley-Greene, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Each year, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority serves over 600,000 people. Tory Dixon, an advocate at Stavros Options Counselors in Amherst, which assists people with disabilities and the elderly, is one of them. Dixon uses crutches and recently started using an electric scooter. In the past year, as she stopped driving and relied more heavily on her scooter, she has depended on PVTA paratransit vans to get to and from work, home and medical appointments. Dixon says the burden of making the system work falls on the customer."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Tribal leaders to testify on Long Island at Quincy council Monday," by Erin Tiernan, Patriot Ledger: "Leaders from Native American tribes with ties to Long Island and what they say is a legacy of genocide perpetrated there, will testify before Quincy city councilors on Monday as the city continues its fight against Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's plan to rebuild a bridge to the harbor island. Members of the Muhheconneuk Intertribal Committee and the North American Indian Center, along with others, will talk about efforts to preserve sacred burial grounds on Long Island and how the interests of the city and the tribes might align."
- "Aging system dumped 800M gallons of sewage in Merrimack River in 2018," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "More than 800 million gallons of raw or partially treated sewage spewed into the Merrimack River last year from aging pipes that were supposed to be sealed up years ago. The sewage came from about 50 overflow pipes that are part of decades-old sewer and stormwater systems designed to overflow when they are inundated, usually because of heavy rain. Last year, five sewage systems along the 117-mile Merrimack River reported hundreds of discharges amounting to more than double the 400 million gallons of sewage dumped into the river in 2017, according to data compiled by environmental activists and regulators."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- Darius Dixon joins the POLITICO States team as an associate editor.
- Alexi Iafrato joins the Boston Herald as a digital and multimedia strategist. Tweet.
REMEMBERING MARY ELLEN WELCH: from the Boston Globe: "Among Boston's legendary activists, Ms. Welch, who was 77 when she died March 7, stood out both for the breadth of her accomplishments and the way she went about achieving so many goals." Link.
MAZEL! to Mass. Playbook consultant on all things zen Darlene Murray, who graduated from the Yoga Alliance Teacher Training program on Sunday.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to former Rep. Barney Frank, who turned 79; Mikko Zager and Mike Christopher, who celebrated Sunday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Greenfield Recorder photog Dan Little, Dan Lothian, founder of Little Park Media and a CNN alum, and Jacob Spiering.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No and no! The Mariners beat the Red Sox 10-8. The Red Wings beat the Bruins 6-3.
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