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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!
KERRY BACK ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — Even though two elected officials from his home state are in the race, John Kerry is officially backing Joe Biden for president. And he's hitting the campaign trail right away — Kerry will campaign with Biden in Iowa today and then in Nashua, N.H. on Sunday. He knows a little something about both states, having won them both in 2004 en route to the Democratic nomination.
In backing Biden over home-state candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Gov. Deval Patrick, Kerry pointed to his decades-long service with Biden in the Senate and Biden's work as vice president. Kerry, who stepped down from his Senate seat to become secretary of state, is the fourth Obama Cabinet member to endorse Biden.
The move was something of a snub to Warren, especially since the news came on the same day she appeared at a high-profile fundraiser in Boston.
"John Kerry and Joe Biden have been friends for well over 20 years and once this primary is over we're all gonna be back in the same place and helping each other," Warren said at the DNC gala last night, which was hosted at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel.
Kerry's endorsement quiets any remaining suspicion that he may be mounting a presidential campaign of his own. The former senator openly flirted with the idea of running for president in November 2018, saying he was "not taking anything off the table" in regards to 2020.
"Am I going to think about it? Yeah, I'm going to think about it," he said at the time.
As recently as October, Kerry's name was floated in a New York Times story about candidates the Democratic establishment thought could get in the race late. Sure, a Kerry campaign was a long shot. But the other Massachusetts pol named in that story was former Gov. Deval Patrick, and we all know how that turned out.
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 and Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch make a MassWorks announcement in Quincy. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh hosts the first day of the "Enchanted Trolley Tour" in Mattapan, Hyde Park and West Roxbury.
Sen. Ed Markey attends a climate strike in Copley Square, and later is endorsed by 32BJ SEIU. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Boston's Age Strong Commission and AT&T host a "Holiday Connections" event at City Hall to help older adults call family and friends anywhere in the world. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is a guest on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio."
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Is Massachusetts Gearing up For a #MassExit?" by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "From Beacon Hill to city halls, local politicians are inching ever closer to launching the state's first safe injection facilities (SIFs)—and in doing so, igniting a major showdown with the feds. Worn down by the mounting death toll of the opioid crisis, progressive pols and public health experts insist that giving people clean, medically supervised places to shoot up is about saving lives. Still, there are plenty of people in the state who think this is a terrible idea that will promote drugs and crime, including our governor, Charlie Baker, and U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, who has said that any attempts to open these facilities will be met with the full force of federal law."
- "Michlewitz Fundraiser Going Against Big DNC Gala," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Several Beacon Hill figures, along with one member of Congress and Boston city councilors, were billed as special guests at a holiday fundraiser for House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz Thursday evening. The North End Democrat's 11th annual holiday celebration was scheduled to run 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Boston bar Wink & Nod. The listed "special guests" included U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Attorney General Maura Healey, Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Sens. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Joseph Boncore, Rep. Jon Santiago and city councilors Michelle Wu and Ed Flynn, and City Councilor-elect Kenzie Bok."
- "Hikes to gas taxes, fees among possible revenue sources," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Potholes, crumbling bridges and a problem-plagued mass transit system are among the state's transportation woes, and advocates say new money is needed for repairs. To that aim, lawmakers are mulling plans for gas tax hikes, new fees and other ways to plug an estimated $50 billion gap in transportation funding over the next two decades. On Thursday, members of the Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee heard from transit advocates, lawmakers and others who want the state to look at tolls to generate more funding. One proposal, filed by state Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn, would require the Department of Transportation to study adding toll roads."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Airbnb Purges More Than Half of Its Boston Listings," by Paris Martineau, Wired: "Airbnb deactivated thousands of listings in Boston on Sunday to comply with a new city law, significantly shrinking its footprint in the area. Most of the listings advertised on the platform in Boston the week before violated local rules, which require, among other things, that short-term rental hosts register with the city before appearing on sites like Airbnb. Earlier this year, Airbnb boasted more than 6,000 listings in Boston, yet local officials said the city had only approved registration for 737 short-term rentals for the time being. Airbnb would not say how many listings it removed, only that the company did what it was legally required to do— but even the most conservative estimates put the total between 3,000 and 5,000."
- "Tufts to remove Sackler name from buildings, programs," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "Tufts University announced Thursday that it will strip the Sackler name from the buildings and programs on its medical campus, after a report censured the school for its relationship with the family behind OxyContin, an opioid blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths nationwide. The Sackler family gave Tufts $15 million over more than 30 years and got its name prominently displayed throughout the university's Boston health sciences campus — on the graduate school of biomedical sciences, on the center for medical education, and on laboratories and research funds."
- "Walsh signals possible support for transfer tax on real estate sale," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "The Walsh administration signaled Thursday that it would be open to a tax on real estate sales in Boston that could raise millions of dollars a year for affordable housing. But many questions remain, and time is drawing short to push such a proposal forward before the City Council breaks for the year. Emme Handy, Boston's chief financial officer, told a panel of city councilors that Mayor Martin J. Walsh "would like to support" a bill that would allow the city to levy a tax on the sale of office and apartment buildings and, potentially, homes."
- "She's a 'Star' Latina Professor. But Not Good Enough for Tenure at Harvard." by Jack Stripling, Chronicle of Higher Education: "Harvard University's decision to deny tenure to a highly regarded Latina/o-studies professor sparked outrage this week among scholars and students, and has thrust the university into a broader national discussion about whether faculty of color are held to unfair standards in promotion decisions. It has also invited skepticism about whether the old guard of the Ivy League undervalues emerging scholarship on matters of race and ethnicity. Lorgia García-Peña, an associate professor of romance languages and literatures, was officially informed by phone on Friday that she would not be granted tenure at Harvard, according to one of her mentors, who spoke to The Chronicle."
- "Herb Chambers LLC pays $18m for One Dalton condo," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY with ties to car dealership czar Herb Chambers purchased a 5,453-square-foot condominium on the 59th floor of One Dalton Place for nearly $18 million, the latest bold face name connected to the explosion of ultra high-end residential towers in Boston. One Dalton, a 61-floor hotel and condo tower located in the Back Bay, is the latest step upward in high-rise luxury in Boston. It's the tallest residential building in the city, and its 165 condos come with equally stratospheric price tags, with units on the top floor reportedly costing as much as $40 million."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- "Galvin Stance on Election Timing Draws Fire from Lyons," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "The head of the Massachusetts Republican Party on Thursday targeted the Democratic secretary of state in an expansion of the Senate's ongoing debate about timing a special election. One day after Secretary William Galvin said Republican opposition to holding a Senate special election alongside the March 3 presidential primary amounted to "voter suppression," MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons issued a statement calling the secretary a "self-appointed political kingmaker" and accusing him of participating in a "naked partisan effort to dictate the outcome" of next year's Senate contest."
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Here's the reason for the 'unusual noise' that took the new Orange Line trains out of service," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "The two new Orange Line trains have been off the tracks for two-and-a-half weeks, after MBTA engineers detected an "unusual noise." And now the agency knows where it was coming from. Steve Poftak, the MBTA's general manager, told reporters Wednesday that the noise was coming from a "wear pad" between the car's body and its undercarriage, or "truck," which holds the wheels in place. Poftak explained that the wear pads, which rub back and forth as the truck rotates, were "wearing irregularly."
- "MBTA's Automatic Fare Collection 2.0 — Where Did It Go?" by Robin Washington, WGBH News: "Two years ago, T riders were told to get ready for the future — and an overhaul of the entire fare system for buses, subways, trolleys and the commuter rail. Cash would no longer be accepted aboard any of the vehicles, and riders would have to buy tickets or recharge a new type of Charlie Card at kiosks slated to be installed at stations and near bus stops. Riders would also be able to pay with credit cards or smartphones. The goal, the MBTA said, was to make boarding go faster — by pre-paying for tickets, riders could board through both the front and back doors of trolleys and buses."
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| THE OPINION PAGES |
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- "Time for action in Boston Public Schools," by Andrea J. Campbell, Bay State Banner: "Like any parent, when my son Alexander is not feeling well, I take his temperature. I get the information I need and then I take action to make him well. Could you imagine if your child was feeling sick and all we did was keep checking their temperature again and again, never providing the remedies we know work to get them on the road to recovery? Sadly, this is an analogy that too closely resembles what is happening in the Boston Public Schools."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Feds say Latin Kings cooked cocaine and planned killings within 1,000 feet of a school in Massachusetts," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Blocks away from a New Bedford charter school, Latin Kings members cooked crack cocaine, collected guns, shot at rivals and shot music videos where they boasted about their criminal activity, court documents allege. Latin Kings members rented apartment buildings on Tallman Street, North Front Street and Sawyer Street, paying their landlord, an alleged associate named Robert Avitabile, in drug money and prostitutes. All three buildings are within 1,000 feet of the Global Learning Charter Public School, which serves about 500 students."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren and Biden lose ground, Sanders moves ahead in California's shifting 2020 Democratic race," by Janet Hook, Los Angeles Times: "The Democratic presidential contest in California remains extremely fluid — but not enough, at least so far, to provide an opening for Michael Bloomberg, who entered the race two weeks ago and was banking on winning big in the delegate-rich state, a new poll for the Los Angeles Times has found. The survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that both Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — the commanding front-runner in a September California poll — and former Vice President Joe Biden have lost ground among the state's likely Democratic primary voters over the last two months."
- NEWS YOU CAN USE: "Tinder users love including Elizabeth Warren in their bios more than any other presidential candidate," by James de Villiers, Insider: "Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the politician most-mentioned in Tinder bios this year, according to data newly revealed from the dating app. Tinder's report, titled "The Year in Swipe - What 2019 Taught Us About the Future," released on Thursday, showed Warren was the sole politician on the list of most-mentioned topics in tinder bios, which also included singer Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Captain Marvel."
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| THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
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- "Ayanna Pressley wants answers about what happened to the FDA's plans to ban menthol cigarettes," by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: "Over a year ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would seek to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes — an initiative to combat youth smoking. But much like a proposed ban on most flavored e-cigarettes touted only months ago by President Donald Trump, that plan has apparently stalled. Ayanna Pressley wants to know: why?"
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Six with lung illness linked to regulated marijuana vapes, state says," by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: "Six Massachusetts patients with probable — but not confirmed — cases of vaping-related lung illnesses reported using regulated products from state-licensed marijuana companies, state health officials revealed Thursday night. The patients represent a small fraction of the 90 probable and confirmed cases of vaping-related lung illnesses flagged so far by the state Department of Public Health, but mark the first time state authorities have explicitly linked the lung illnesses to cannabis vapes purchased at legal stores and dispensaries."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "TEAM BIDEN," "ROYAL FLUSH," — Globe: "ORANGE CRUSHED," "Democrats will draft articles to impeach." |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "New England Council president shares thoughts on 2020 race," by Ethan Forman, Gloucester Daily Times: "The president and CEO of the nonpartisan New England Council said a few of the region's presidential candidates have a good shot at the White House, or at least a win in the New Hampshire primary. "This election is going to be very close again," said Jim Brett, who gave his observations on the 2020 race at a North Shore Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum at the Ipswich Country Club Wednesday morning that was attended by more than 70 business people."
- "Tyngsboro Media Director fired following public hearing," by Luke O'Roark, The Lowell Sun: "The Board of Selectmen fired Town Media Director Steve Brogan Wednesday night during a public disciplinary hearing at a crowded Town Hall community room. The termination comes after a months-long disagreement between Brogan and Town Administrator Matt Hanson on how to properly do Brogan's media job and increasing disciplinary actions Hanson has taken toward Brogan during the previous four months. The board, which received an 80-page document from Hanson regarding Brogan's previous insubordination, unanimously agreed to terminate Brogan's employment with the town."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- "Nonprofit grants for journalism are on the rise. So are potential conflicts of interest." by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "Funding from charitable foundations has been a godsend for journalism outlets that are increasingly struggling to do more with smaller budgets. But recipients are also finding that such revenue can bring a raft of potential conflicts of interest and concerns about journalistic independence. Nationally, journalism-focused philanthropy has nearly quadrupled since 2009 to $255 million in 2017, according to a report this year by Media Impact Funders, which tracks media funding. Locally, examples can be seen at two of the area's largest local news sources: WBUR and The Boston Globe."
TRANSITIONS - Former Gov. Jane Swift joins the The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy as the Jerome Lyle Rappaport visiting professor in law and public policy for the 2020 spring term. Link.
MAZEL! to Chai Karve, who finishes as constituent and digital outreach coordinator to Rep. Katherine Clark today. Karve is headed to the speechwriting firm West Wing Writers for an internship.
SPOTTED: at the DNC's IWillVote Gala at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel last night ... Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Attorney General Maura Healey, DNC chair Tom Perez, Mass Dems chair Gus Bickford, Shanti Fry, Rachael Dubinsky, Jordan Meehan, Micaela Clark, Anika Van Eaton, Enes Kanter, Brandon Richards, Kate Donaghue, Barbara Lee, Chelsie Ouellette.
ALSO SPOTTED: In the pool report of former Vice President Joe Biden's 'virtual fundraiser' from his "No Malarkey" bus in Waterloo, Iowa, last night ... state Rep. John Rogers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to state Rep. Peter Durant, Rep. Seth Moulton's communications director Tim Biba, Adam Hogue, and Hanna Switlekowski, legislative director in Sen. Paul Feeney's office and a member of the Sharon Select Board.
HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND - to the legendary Candy Glazer, chair emeritus of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee, and Boston University State House journalism program's Jerry Berger, who both celebrate Saturday. And to Liberty Square Group founder Scott Ferson, who celebrates Sunday.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Blackhawks beat the Bruins 4-3.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: THE FOURTH AWAKENS - On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray discuss the ongoing spat between Senate candidates Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Joe Kennedy III and Shannon Liss Rior-dan over taking a People's Pledge. Candidate for congress Jesse Mermell talks about why she is running to replace Kennedy, her time as president of the Alliance for Business Leadership and her role in former Gov. Deval Patrick's administration. Another congressional candidate, Ihssane Leckey, talks about her vision for the 4th Congressional District, her time as a Wall Street regulator and whether the district is ready for a Democratic socialist as a representative. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
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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