WARREN gets praise from FOX host — HOUSE passes JANUS bill — SPOTTED at BIDEN fundraiser

Jun 06, 2019

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

WARREN GETS PRAISE FROM FOX — A commentator on the cable network Sen. Elizabeth Warren has called a "hate for profit racket" gave a nod to her presidential campaign's economic populist message last night. It was a surprising move that came just a few weeks after Warren's high-profile refusal to appear on a Fox News town hall.

Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson compared Warren to President Donald Trump — in a good way — last night. His comments came during a monologue that praised her newly-released " economic patriotism" plan.

"It's just pure, old-fashioned economics. How to preserve good-paying American jobs," Carlson said. "Even more remarkable, many of Warren's policy prescriptions make obvious sense."

Less than a month ago, Warren rejected an invitation from Fox News to do a hour-long, televised town hall on the network. She slammed Fox, calling it an "outlet that profits from racism and hate," and pushed back on criticism that she was alienating people who watch Fox News by turning down a town hall, unlike some 2020 Democrats.

And though Warren wasn't on Fox herself last night, her campaign's message certainly was. Carlson praised the lack of "identity politics" in Warren's latest plan, and listed off her proposals including more workplace apprenticeship programs, and encouraging the government to buy American products when it can.

"She sounds like Donald Trump at his best," Carlson said.

But don't expect a wholesale change in Carlson's attitude toward Warren. While he had high praise for her economic patriotism message, he still has issues with the social policy aspects of Warren's platform — in the same broadcast, Carlson referred to her as a "race-hustling, gun-grabbing, abortion-extremist."

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 a legislative affairs breakfast hosted by the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, then attends the Small Town Administrators of Massachusetts Annual Meeting in Princeton. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visits Danvers High School, attends a ribbon cutting in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and speaks in a roundtable discussion about the RESPECTfully campaign in Beverly. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends a federal immigration forum, then speaks at a Boston Fire Department graduation ceremony. Rep. Katherine Clark is honored at the MIRA Coalition's Give Liberty A Hand Gala. The Senate meets in formal session. The House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets holds a hearing.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "Convicted of corruption, DiMasi now wants to be a lobbyist. The state has other ideas," by Matt Stout and Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "State officials have barred former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi from registering as a lobbyist, opening a potentially precedent-setting fight with the convicted felon over what he says is his "constitutional right" to peddle influence on Beacon Hill. Secretary of State William F. Galvin's office rejected DiMasi's application in late March, just days after the 73-year-old registered to lobby both the Legislature and executive branch, according to documents the Globe obtained through a public records request. DiMasi has since appealed and is due to appear before an administrative hearing officer June 13 in a public session."

- "National group launches ad campaign supporting Baker's plan to rein in drug prices," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: "A national political group is wading into the contentious debate over Governor Charlie Baker's proposal to control prescription drug costs, pledging to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to sway lawmakers to support the measure. Baker, in his state budget proposal in January, included a plan to tackle drug costs in the state Medicaid program by giving the state more power to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers, and subjecting expensive drugs to more oversight. The Washington-based group Patients for Affordable Drugs Now launched an ad campaign Wednesday to support Baker's effort — which drug companies oppose."

- "Massachusetts House passes bill expanding union rights in public workplaces," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a bill that would let public sector unions charge non-members fees for representing them in grievances. "It prevents hard-working, dues-paying members from footing the bill for an employee who does not share in the obligation to meet those costs by paying any money into the union," said Rep. Paul Brodeur, D-Melrose, chairman of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. "It stands for the fundamental premise that you can't get something for nothing." The bill, H.3854, passed 155-1. It would also give unions other rights aimed at strengthening their presence in the workplace."

- BLACK MIRROR: "Should gamblers see athletes' heart rates during games?" by Andy Rosen, Boston Globe: "Imagine you're watching a football game. The kicker's about to attempt a field goal. You check your sports-betting app, which tells you how fast his pulse is racing. Looks like he's nervous — so you bet $5 he'll miss. As hockey players line up for a mid-game face-off, your smartphone buzzes with a proposition: Predict who will score the next goal, and win a prize. For a small fee, you can see real-time information about the hydration and muscle fatigue of each skater. As Massachusetts lawmakers consider whether to legalize sports betting, professional athletes fear that their biometric data, increasingly collected and analyzed in training, could become a commodity in this new form of gambling."

- "Report: Metric that influences charter expansion is flawed," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Days after a compromise charter school expansion plan in New Bedford collapsed amid legislative delays, a new Pioneer Institute report is raising concerns with the method used to decide which school districts are eligible for an increase in the charter school cap. The report, from Pioneer senior fellow Cara Stillings Candal, focuses on a metric known as the student growth percentile, one measure used, along with MCAS scores, in determining which school districts are ranked in the bottom 10 percent and therefore are eligible for a higher cap in charter tuition payments."

- "HOPES DIM FOR PAID LEAVE LAW DELAY," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "The payroll taxes that will pay for the state's new paid family and medical leave program are likely to take effect as scheduled on July 1, according to House Speaker Robert DeLeo who all but ruled out a delay in the law on Wednesday after being given a deadline by Gov. Charlie Baker. DeLeo, when asked if the House this week would take up a three-month delay in the implementation of the paid family and medical leave, told reporters, after a Democratic caucus, that it was unlikely. "I don't think we will be," DeLeo said."

- Environmental justice at forefront of Beacon Hill push," by Kaitlyn Budion, State House News Service: "Environmental policy cannot move forward without addressing the social injustices absorbed by communities that have traditionally hosted major industrial operations, advocates said Wednesday. "We know that when pollution is allowed in the poorest, most diverse, and least politically represented neighborhoods that it affects us all," said Vick Mohanka, from the Mass Power Forward Coalition. "We cannot live in a society that treats some people differently than others because we know that next time it's our turn." Environmental justice advocates are galvanizing around legislation (H 761/S 464 and H 826/S 453) that was aired during a Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agricultural public hearing. The bills emphasize constitutional rights to clean air and water and encourage stronger enforcement of state laws."

- "After 'temporary' performance slip, medical examiner's office to keep accreditation," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts medical examiner's office will keep its newly won accreditation despite struggling to quickly turn around autopsies, sparing the agency a potentially embarrassing demotion. Describing the agency's slipping performance as "temporary," the National Association of Medical Examiners decided against stripping the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the full accreditation status it earned less than a year ago. Leaders at the association, known as NAME, disclosed the development last week in response to questions from the Globe."

- "'Straight pride' parade mocks LGBT celebration, says Mass. Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com:"The possibility of a "straight pride" parade coming to Boston was quickly met with criticism from residents, politicians and celebrities. Among those critics is the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus. Co-Chair Arline Isaacson said the parade mocks the civil rights history that's celebrated at the LGBT Pride parade. "The LGBTQ PRIDE parade has historic and meaningful value. It began decades ago at a time when LGBTQ people suffered severe forms of discrimination," Isaacson said."

FROM THE HUB

- "Gross, Tompkins speak at People of Color in Criminal Justice Conference," by Andrew Stanton, Boston Globe: "Boston Police Commissioner William Gross and Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins spoke at the 3rd Annual People of Color in Criminal Justice Conference in Framingham on Wednesday, officials said. "In their remarks Commissioner Gross and Sheriff Tompkins spoke passionately and powerfully about not only those who served as their mentors, but to the importance of developing the next generation of mentors in our organizations and communities," Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian said in a statement. Tompkins provided morning remarks, while Gross gave the keynote address, Koutoujian said."

- "Work Stops At Construction Sites As Industry Calls Attention To Drug Addiction Among Its Workers," by Philip Marcelo, Associated Press: "Massachusetts construction companies and labor unions held work stoppages at project sites across the state on Wednesday as their industry attempts to confront a high rate of fatal opioid overdoses among its ranks. Robert Petrucelli, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, a trade group that organized brief, opioid-focused talks at some 50 work sites from Boston to Springfield, said the local industry wasn't aware of the extent of the problem until recent studies revealed sobering statistics."

- "Boston City Council pushes big MBTA projects," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Boston's City Council is encouraging the state to chug forward with two major long-discussed MBTA infrastructure projects: The North-South Rail Link and the Red-Blue connector.The council will hold hearings about the rail link, a large project that would create a tunnel under downtown to fill the gap between Commuter Rail and Amtrak lines between South Station and North Station. At-Large City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George introduced the resolution to hold the hearing, saying the lack of ability for people from the north and south sides of the Boston area to travel straight through holds the state back economically."

- "Businesses exiting. Talk of mall-ification. Empty stores. Some fear what's next for Harvard Square," by Deanna Pan, Boston Globe: "Last call at John Harvard's arrived 20 minutes before midnight. By then, the post-commencement crowd had petered out. The music — a low, thudding bass — faded. On every TV, the Toronto Raptors trounced the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA finals. The stalwarts lifted their pints and cried "Last call!" in raucous unison as a barkeep clanged an iron bell. John Harvard's Brewery & Alehouse celebrated its last hurrah May 30 before shutting its doors for good, ending a 27-year run on Dunster Street in Harvard Square. It was just the latest in a wave of closings in the square that has some business owners and residents on edge, fearing what it portends for the bustling district."

- "LGBTQ students in Mass. are self-harming at a much higher rate, study says," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe:"Massachusetts students who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or unsure of their sexuality had a much higher rate of self-injury than heterosexual students, according to Brown University researchers who looked at thousands of survey responses collected over a 13-year period. In 2017, 38.04 percent of sexual minority youth reported non-suicidal self-injury, or harming themselves without wanting to die, in the past 12 months. The number for heterosexual students was 10.79 percent. A similar trend could be seen among students who reported having a same-sex partner in their lifetime. More than 40 percent of those students reported self-harming, compared with 15.27 percent of other students."

- "A Boston Church Is Stamping $20 Bills with Harriet Tubman's Face," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Congregants at Boston's Hope Central Church were frustrated with waiting to see Harriet Tubman's face on the $20 bill. So for the past month, they've been doing it themselves. According to the Religion News Service, the progressive protestant church in Jamaica Plain has been gathering up all the twenties it receives in collections at services, and using stamps to blot out the face of President Andrew Jackson, replacing it with the iconic abolitionist famous for guiding escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad."

ON THE STUMP

- "Joe Biden drums up support in Boston, but not from Mayor Walsh," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Former Vice President Joe Biden came to Boston Wednesday to drum up support for his presidential bid — but the Democratic front-runner left without a formal endorsement from his longtime friend, Mayor Martin Walsh. Biden joined Walsh shortly after noon for a tour of Martin's Park — the nearly completed Seaport waterfront park dedicated to Boston Marathon bombing victim Martin Richard. Biden spoke with Richard's family while walking the park's path, and discussed Boston's climate resiliency plans with Walsh. But Walsh said he's not throwing his support behind Biden — or any Democratic presidential hopeful — just yet."

- "Mayor Curtatone: Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg called me for advice," by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: "Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone on Wednesday said that of the 24 Democratic presidential candidates, "there better be a woman on the ticket," but while he's a "big fan" of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Pete Buttigieg called him for advice when he became mayor of South Bend, Ind., in 2012 and left a lasting impression. "He's pretty impressive, as well," Curtatone said in an interview on Boston Herald Radio. "He was a new mayor, really bright, a really curious person and looking at what he saw as best practices ... around fiscal management, community planning, civic engagement. I think we shared a lot of those with him." While he has never met Buttigieg, he said, he has spoken to him on the phone a couple of times."

DAY IN COURT

- "Pensions for Mass. State Police troopers sentenced in OT scandal expected to go under review soon; One trooper already had pension suspended," by Scott J. Croteau, Springfield Republican: "The pensions of former Massachusetts State Police Lt. David Wilson and former Trooper Heath McAuliffe, who were both sentenced in the state police overtime investigation in federal court Tuesday, will be reviewed by the state later this month. Wilson, of Charlton, has been receiving pension payouts since he retired amid the overtime scandal in March 2018. It is a different story for McAuliffe. He isn't eligible for a monthly benefit, but interest on money he put into the system can be reviewed by the Massachusetts State Retirement Board."

WARREN REPORT

- "Warren vs. Buttigieg: Battle of the eggheads," by Daniel Strauss, POLITICO: "A battle of the brains is underway in the Democratic 2020 primary. Former Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren and Harvard grad Pete Buttigieg are front-runners for the affection of well-educated liberals — an influential slice of the Democratic electorate with the capacity to provide a big boost in a crowded field. Warren and Buttigieg have thrived in the early months of the race by running as candidates of the thinking person vying to take out an anti-intellectual president. And their targeted audience has taken notice: Polls show disproportionate numbers of Warren and Buttigieg supporters are college-educated Democrats."

- "Warren and Sanders: Two Liberals Aiming for the Same Target," by Astead W. Herndon and Sydney Ember, New York Times: "When Elizabeth Warren took the stage at a rally Tuesday evening, she brought with her the kind of populist economic message that had roused working-class voters here during the presidential race three years ago. "For years, America's basic economic policy has been to help the big corporations do whatever they want to do," Ms. Warren told a crowd of about 1,700 supporters. "But these corporations are not loyal to America, or to American workers; they're loyal to one thing — their bottom line and their shareholders." If her economic ideas brought cheers, they also sounded very much like those of another candidate: Bernie Sanders, who rode the same themes to a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary in 2016."

FROM THE DELEGATION

- "Bill in Congress Would Ban Gay, Trans 'Panic' Defenses," by Trudy Ring, The Advocate: "A bill was reintroduced today in Congress to ban the use of the "gay panic" and "trans panic" defenses in cases of murder, assault, and other violent crimes. Rep. Joe Kennedy III introduced the legislation in the U.S. House and Sen. Ed Markey in the Senate. Both are Democrats from Massachusetts. These defenses "seek to excuse crimes such as murder and assault by arguing that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity provoked the defendant's violent reaction, blaming victims for the violence committed against them," notes a press release from Kennedy's office. For instance, defendants may claim they acted violently because a gay person made a sexual overture or because they discovered someone was transgender."

- "Legislation filed on keyless ignitions after death of UMass, MIT academics," by Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: "After the death of two local high-powered academics in Florida last month, a pair of local congressmen have introduced a measure to address safety concerns in vehicles with keyless ignition. The legislation, introduced by Democratic Massachusetts congressmen Joe Kennedy III of Newton and Seth Moulton of Salem, comes after the deaths of Sherry H. Penney, 81, the former interim president of the University of Massachusetts, and James Livingston, 88, a retired Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. The married couple were in their Sarasota, Fla., home in early May when their 2017 Toyota Avalon, which had a keyless ignition system, apparently was a ccidentally left running in the garage, filling the home with carbon monoxide, according to family."

TRUMPACHUSETTS

- "Report: Trump's immigration policies a local threat," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "The Trump administration's ever-tightening immigration rules are putting the lives and livelihoods of thousands of local residents in danger and threatening the social cohesion and economic well-being of local communities, according to a new report by the Boston Foundation and the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund. More than 12,000 Massachusetts residents with Temporary Protected Status could be forced to leave the country because of President Trump's policies, breaking apart families and depriving towns of homeowners and taxpayers, said the 32-page report, "The Growing Wave of Federal Immigration Restrictions: What's at Stake for Massachusetts?" set for release Thursday."

MOULTON MATTERS

- VICE News Tonight spent 48 hours with Rep. Seth Moulton Link.

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "STORMING THE BEACH," — Globe: "A clue in the dirt could be key to 30-year-old case," "A threat, and then 9 shots."

FROM THE 413

- "Prison labor at Amherst High? Student journalists reveal corrections contract," by Greta Jochem, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "This past winter, a senior at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School heard a rumor: The district was using prison labor to reupholster seats in the school auditorium. "I was shocked," said that student, Spencer Cliche, who graduates this week and is soon headed to Vassar College. At the time, Cliche was taking a high school journalism class with English teacher Sara Barber-Just, and they felt it was worth looking into for a potential story in the school newspaper, The Graphic, which is staffed by journalism students. While Cliche took the lead in reporting, he was aided by student editors as well as Barber-Just and two University of Massachusetts journalism professors, Kathy Roberts Forde and Razvan Sibii. And after some preliminary digging, the team discovered that the rumor was, in fact, true."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Peabody rally calls out anti-Semitism," by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: "Peabody called out hate and anti-Semitism Wednesday afternoon with a City Hall rally that drew more than 350 people from across the North Shore. The crowd from various cities, towns and faiths chairs set on the lawn and spilled onto the sidewalk along Lowell Street. On the steps, Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders stood shoulder to shoulder with city councilors, school committee members, and school officials such as Superintendent Cara Murtagh. The crowd was there to stand in solidarity with two rabbis who were verbally accosted with anti-Semitic insults by the lead driver in a row of three or four pickups as they were out for a stroll on Lowell Street, on the Saturday before Memorial Day."

- "Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia's pretrial conference set for June 25," by Jo C. Goode, Fall River Herald: "The federal government's criminal prosecution against Jasiel Correia II received a fifth continuance last week and the case is now in the hands of a Massachusetts District Court judge who will likely proceed over the mayor's trial. A new date for a pretrial conference before a district judge has been set for June 25 at 2 p.m. Correia is facing 13 federal counts of wire and tax fraud connected to SnoOwl, the Smartphone app he developed before he was elected mayor in 2015. Correia was due back in a Boston federal courtroom June 3. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabel received a joint motion filed by the mayor's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, and Assistant U. S. Attorneys Zachary Hafer and David Tobin."

MEDIA MATTERS

- "The Boston Globe's move into Rhode Island is a bet that the last newspapers standing will have a bigger footprint," by Christine Schmidt, Nieman Lab: "The Boston Globe, the first local newspaper to have more digital subscribers than print, is now investing in more local coverage. In Rhode Island. After past investments in covering marijuana, the Catholic Church, and health and life sciences (and spinning off the latter two), the Globe's newest vertical can be found about 50 miles down I-95. Three Providence journalists with more than four decades' combined experience reporting on Little Rhody news are now officially a remote part of the Globe's newsroom, writing for residents of the state and not just Bostonians. The Globe is making a bet that the Ocean State is fertile new ground for new subscribers (and they don't have to worry about printing and distributing newspapers for them)."

- Tonya Mosley is the new co-host of NPR's "Here & Now" weekday news and talk program. Mosley starts August 5 and will be based in Los Angeles.

TRANSITIONS - John Milligan joins MassGOP as political director.Tweet.

- Jon Hillman joins Rivera Consultants. Tweet.

SPOTTED: At the Park Plaza hotel in Boston last night for a Joe Biden fundraiser ... Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman, General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of Firefighters Edward Kelly, state Rep. Claire Cronin, Rep. Dan Cahill, Rep. Gerry Cassidy, Rep. Ed Coppinger, Rep. Mark Cusack, Rep. Josh Cutler, Rep. Michael Day, Rep. Paul Donato, Rep. William Driscoll, Rep. Carole Fiola, Rep. Chris Hendricks, Rep. Dan Hunt, Rep. Lou Kafka, Rep. John Lawn, Rep. Dave Nangle, Rep. Tom Stanley, state Sen. Marc Pacheco, New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, former Sen. Paul Kirk.

SPOTTED: Mike Barnicle and David Ignatius on Wednesday walking between the headstones of Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. "They appeared to be speaking with tour guides and walked out to the sea wall above the cliff. Ignatius appeared to be taking notes on a notepad," per our tipster. Pic.

ALSO SPOTTED: In Normandy ... Former Sen. John Kerry commemorating D-Day. Tweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Grace Ross of the Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending, EY's Jen Hemmerdinger, and Christopher Rowland, Washington Post reporter and former Boston Globe Washington bureau chief.

DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Red Sox beat the Royals 8-0.

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