09/19/2017 06:42 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) and Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Expect fog and patchy showers all day, with a high in the upper 60s.
FIGHTIN' ON THE SAME SIDE - Two of the biggest figures in Massachusetts politics are on the same side of the fight to defend the Affordable Care Act from the latest attempt to dismantle the law in Washington. Last night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a call to arms on her social media platforms urging Americans to reach out to their elected officials to save Obamacare.
Gov. Charlie Baker has been doing just that. While in Chicago for a Republican Governors Association meeting this week, Baker has been "discussing his opposition with other governors and members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation in hopes the legislation can be defeated," according to his office.
Baker played another role too. Senate Democrats, including Warren, took to the Senate floor Monday night to speak out against the latest health care bid. A video posted on social media on Monday included Baker's Senate hearing testimony as proof of Republican governors opposed to the Graham-Cassidy bill. Specifically, it was his exchange with Minnesota Sen. Al Franken: "The proposal would dramatically negatively effect the commonwealth of Mass.," Baker said on Sept. 7. "We're talking billions and billions of dollars over the course of the next four or five years."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
** A message from PhRMA: Are middlemen really holding down the cost of medicines? Biopharmaceutical companies set the list prices for their medicines, but it's your insurer that decides how much you pay out of pocket. More than one-third of the list price is rebated back to middlemen, but these savings aren't always shared with patients. http://onphr.ma/2uiAQVk **
TODAY - Acting Gov. Karyn Polito visits the Big E with Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux. Gov. Charlie Baker is expected to return from the RGA meeting in Chicago later today - The special primary to replace state Sen. James Timilty is held in the Bristol and Norfolk district - Supporters for a $15 minimum wage including Raise Up Massachusetts plan to hold a press conference at the State House ahead of a hearing on joint House and Senate bills that would gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next four years. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Massie plans to testify at the hearing, as well as another on energy.
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Walsh and MBTA are already talking about winter - and it's still September," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "It's arguably a worse offense than jamming pumpkin-spiced products of all kinds onto store shelves well before the first leaf falls from a tree: Talking about the scourge of winter in mid-September, when people are still donning T-shirts. But that's what city and state officials were doing Monday, one day after the region enjoyed a summer-like afternoon during an otherwise pleasant weekend."
- "New MBTA chief: Contrary to public opinion 'we care,'" by Colin A. Young, State House News: "In his first weeks in Boston, new MBTA General Manager Luis Ramírez spent his time riding the transit system he now oversees and meeting the people who rely on that system to get around the region. He came away with a better understanding of how riders view the T."
- "One on One: Deborah B. Goldberg, Massachusetts state treasurer," by Worcester Telegram: "Deborah B. Goldberg is responsible for safeguarding the state's money, but she likes to call herself a grocer. That's because Ms. Goldberg, a former Brookline selectman, hails from the family that built the Stop & Shop Supermarkets chain. She says her background makes her acutely aware that the state's employers need qualified workers and financially literate consumers, so she runs programs aimed at promoting workforce training, saving for college, and financial literacy."
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
-- "Katahdin, marine monument may get less protection under Trump," by David Abel, Boston Globe: "US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that President Trump make significant changes to 10 national monuments, including proposals to allow commercial fishing in a protected expanse off Cape Cod and to open woodlands in Northern Maine to 'active timber management.'"
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "Trump's team gunning for potential 2020 reelection rivals," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "Allies of Donald Trump have begun plotting to take down or weaken potential Democratic challengers in 2020, including several who will be on the ballot in next year's midterms. The 2018-focused work ranges from a major donor-funded super PAC designed to blemish Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's image, to a full-scale effort to defeat Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown outright before he gets the chance to take on Trump."
- "Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are testing Democrats' left turn," by Jonathan Martin, Boston Globe: "The liberal senators are often linked, spoken of in the same breath as if there is scarcely any difference between them. But as [Elizabeth] Warren and [Bernie] Sanders work to expand their constituencies ahead of possible runs in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, the differences between them are becoming more marked. How their overlapping audiences sort themselves out could prove revealing about the party they seek to lead."
- "Senate sidesteps controversy, passes mammoth defense bill," by POLITICO's Conor O'Brien: "The Senate sidestepped controversy Monday and overwhelmingly passed a sweeping $692 billion defense policy bill for the new fiscal year. Scrapped without votes were a handful of contentious proposals to prevent transgender troops from being kicked out of the military, eliminate across-the-board budget cuts, bar indefinite detention of U.S. citizens and launch a new round of military base realignments and closures."
ON THE STUMP -
'CLOWN' IN THE LITERAL SENSE - "'Payaso' turns run into political circus," by Hillary Chabot, Matt Stout, and Dan Atkinson, Boston Herald: "The mysterious clown running for City Council has been unmasked as former mayoral candidate and Hub developer Kevin McCrea - and he's loaned his campaign $1 million of his own money to bankroll his candidacy. ... McCrea legally changed his name to Pat Payaso - 'payaso' is Spanish for 'clown' - at a New Orleans district court in February, according to documents filed with Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin."
- "Can Tito Jackson Reassemble Mel King's 1983 Coalition?" by David S. Bernstein, WGBH: "Bostonians will awaken on Wednesday, September 27 to two faces on the front page of their newspapers and at the top of their news broadcasts: the winners of the preliminary election to serve as mayor for the next four years. It will be, incredibly, only the second time ever that both of those faces are not white."
- "The Root 100: 84: Tito Jackson," by The Root: "Tito H. Jackson isn't interested in taking the easy route. The Boston City Council member could easily be re-elected for a fifth time in November, but instead he's running against incumbent Marty Walsh to become the next mayor of Boston. If elected, Jackson would become the first black mayor of the city."
- "Election Special: The sweet smell of incumbency," by Zack Huffman, Dig Boston: "Four years ago, longtime Dorchester state representative Marty Walsh weathered a 12-way race to win the open mayor's seat. This time around, he's an incumbent, with thousands of city employees to enlist as campaign operatives and way more money than all three of his challengers combined."
- "All eyes on District 9," by Patrick Cochran, Dig Boston: "For the first time in a decade, there's a City Council race in Allston-Brighton worth paying attention to."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "'PUFF' THE MAGIC WAGON," "ROCK & ROLL!" - Globe: "Trump shifts Global tone, engagement," "Local teams unite to confront racism," "US takes aim at protected sites," "A GLANCING BUT POTENT BLOW," "Leaders of VA hospital criticized," "'Stronger' succeeds in its intimate moments."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Mayor Walsh On Amazon, Hurricane Preparedness," by CBS Boston: "Mayor Marty Walsh joined WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben and Liam Martin to discuss the potential of Amazon moving into Boston and how the city is planning to stop floods from hurricanes."
- "Cape and Islands prepare for Jose," by Cape Cod Times: "As Hurricane Jose continues to head north toward New England, where it is expected to take a swipe at the Cape and Islands as a tropical storm starting later Tuesday before gyrating offshore through the weekend, residents and officials across the region battened down the hatches in preparation. Boaters removed their vessels from the water, ferry and airlines warned of cancellations starting today, and public safety officials continued to monitor the potential for flooding, erosion and high winds."
- "Attorney General Healey talks toll of opioid epidemic with Berkshire leaders," by Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle: "Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey pulled together a group of a dozen community stakeholders on Monday morning, for 'a candid conversation' about the opioid epidemic and substance addiction in the region to learn about 'where you can use more resources and support.' The summation of the subsequent hour-long discussion that took place in North Adams City Hall was 'everywhere.'"
- "Tewksbury to Beacon Hill, Miceli still passionate about the work," by Kori Tuitt, Lowell Sun: "Go to any community event or hearing regarding Tewksbury or Wilmington - even when it's not in his district - and you'll likely see Miceli there. ... It's been that way for 40 years and Miceli said he has no plans to slow down."
- "There are no (D)s or (R)s after storm names," by John F. Kerry, Boston Globe: "At Yale University on Monday, I am convening a conference on climate change that includes CEOs like General Electric's Jeff Immelt; business leaders, including Bank of America's Anne Finucane; energy pioneers from Houston; former Republican secretaries of state and the Treasury; scientists, including former energy secretary Ernie Moniz; and Republican senators who all attest that on climate change the 'felt needs' are piling up at a digital pace - and bipartisan pressure is 'ripening' to push Washington to finally meet them. The felt needs of the business community are overwhelming. Rather than regulators and legislators dragging business to the table, businesses are leading the way - and are ahead of Washington. They see a marketplace full of opportunity."
- "Cow replicas milking the spotlight," by Arianna MacNeill, Salem News: "No, the Kaminski Auction house on Cabot Street is not becoming a refuge for life-sized farm animal sculptures, but the two resin cows next to it are set to hit the auction block in a few weeks. ... But as the two await their fate, Kaminski has received multiple inquiries about them and people have stopped to take pictures. Dogs even start barking when they and their owners walk past, he said."
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to former Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Rachel McNeill, Wounded Warrior Program fellow for Rep. Kennedy.
DID THE HOME TEAMS WIN? Yes! - The Red Sox beat the Orioles 10-8.
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** A message from PhRMA: Are middlemen really holding down the cost of medicines? Ever wonder who decides what you pay for your medicines? It's not who you might think. Biopharmaceutical companies set the list prices for their medicines, but it's your insurer that ultimately determines how much you pay out of pocket. More than one-third of the list price of a medicine is rebated back to middlemen, like insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). These rebates and discounts create savings of more than $100 billion, but these savings aren't always shared directly with patients. Patients share the costs. They should share the savings. http://onphr.ma/2uiAQVk **
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