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Presented by JUUL Labs
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
NEW: BUTTIGIEG IS COMING BACK TO BOSTON — Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will return to Boston next month for a fundraiser that aims to raise at least $1 million for his campaign, which hosts say will "make a statement about how important this candidacy is to the future of the United States."
The fundraiser is hosted by philanthropist Jack Connors, the Democrat who chaired Gov. Charlie Baker's 2018 campaign, Sharon McNally, president of Camp Harbor View and chief of staff in the Connors Family Office, and event planner Bryan Rafanelli, a longtime Clinton supporter.
Tickets are listed at $2,800 per guest and $5,600 per couple for the June 20 event, according to the fundraiser invitation.
"We all know that this country is on the wrong track. The rich are getting richer, which is okay - but the poor are getting poorer, and that's not. Healthcare, education, infrastructure, voting rights, immigration policy and relationships with the rest of the world are all in disarray," the hosts wrote in an invitation email.
"We believe that Mayor Pete Buttigieg just might be the right person to turn the ship around. He is the first to say that his candidacy is 'improbable' but there is something about him that inspires courage, hope and optimism," they wrote. Buttigieg was last in Boston at the end of April for fundraisers.
EXCLUSIVE: MASS DEMS PUSH BAKER — The Massachusetts Democratic Party is launching an online petition today with the aim of pushing GOP Gov. Charlie Baker to "clarify his stance" on LGBTQ rights in light of a recent statement from the Massachusetts Republican Party.
The petition comes as Congress prepares to take up the Equality Act, which would grant federal non-discrimination protections for members of the LGBTQ community. And the petition is in response to the Massachusetts Republican Party, which recently shared a video on Twitter that was critical of transgender athletes choosing to compete in sports in which they gender identify.
"A must-watch. Imagine if this was your daughter, denied a shot at glory because the Radical Left decided their quest for social justice points are more important than her hard work on the track," the MassGOP wrote on Twitter when sharing the video.
The state Democratic Party is calling on the governor to stand up to the "hateful and bigoted rhetoric" coming from the MassGOP. "Governor Charlie Baker refuses to stand up to the chair of his own party," said Massachusetts Democrats chair Gus Bickford. A Baker aide didn't return a request for comment.
With a new leader at the helm of the MassGOP , Baker has faced questions about his party's new messaging style under chair Jim Lyons. "Jim and I, while we absolutely share similar views on a number of issues, including things like the opioid epidemic, there are plenty of issues we disagree on," Baker said during an appearance on "Keller @ Large" on Sunday.
Baker has a record of supporting the LGBTQ community . The governor signed a transgender anti-discrimination bill into law in 2016, and wrote an op-ed reiterating support for it last fall, when a 2018 ballot initiative asked Massachusetts voters whether the state should repeal that law. "The commonwealth will not tolerate discrimination against our fellow citizens who are transgender," Baker wrote at that time.
SCOOP: WILL REP. NEAL GET A PRIMARY? — Two Western Mass Democrats — Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and author David Daley — met in Northampton several weeks ago to discuss waging primary challenges against Rep. Richard Neal, according to political consultant Matt Barron, a friend and informal adviser to Daley.
If both men run against Neal, they run the risk of splitting the vote and giving Neal an advantage. And Neal easily defeated his last primary opponent, Springfield attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, with 70.8 percent of the vote last year, even as older, white incumbent lawmakers were toppled by progressive women of color in other districts.
Morse confirmed he met with Daley via a text, but said they discussed "issues of the district" and that he's focused on his job as mayor and hasn't made any decisions. He declined a phone call. Daley declined to comment.
Daley has ramped up criticism of Neal's fundraising practices in a series of newspaper op-eds over the last month. That spat came to a boil when Neal responded to Daley's Boston Globe op-ed, which accused Neal of auctioning his political positions "to the nation's business elite." Daley, of Williamsburg, is the former editor of Salon.com and author of the book "Ratf**ked," which explores gerrymandering.
Neal slammed Daley's criticism as a "cheap shot" on Monday and suggested Daley was laying the groundwork for a primary challenge. And that is likely the case: Daley told WBUR that he's considering running against Neal in 2020.
Neal ascended to chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee after Democrats took back the House in the 2018 midterm. The longtime Springfield lawmaker is leading Democrats in a battle with the Trump administration for the president's tax returns. Last month, Morse met with billionaire Tom Steyer over lunch in Springfield, sparking speculation that he's considering a congressional run. Steyer had spent around $250,000 to bring his Need to Impeach campaign to the 1st District, with the goal of pushing Neal to request Trump's taxes.
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 and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speak to reporters at Logan Airport before they set off on their trip to Washington, D.C. Acting Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council, chairs an Economic Development Planning Council engagement session at Salem State University, and speaks at the Greater Boston chamber of Commerce annual meeting.
State Rep. Jennifer Benson, state Rep. Liz Malia and state Sen. Cynthia Creem host a legislative briefing on election day voter registration with Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap at the State House. The House meets in formal session. New England Patriots players Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty and Duron Harmon hold a press conference to advocate for the Education PROMISE Act at the State House. Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian participates in a legislative briefing with the Congressional Mental Health Caucus in Washington, D.C.
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A message from JUUL Labs:
Youth vaping is a problem. We're taking action. No youth or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL products. We've taken a series of actions to greatly reduce youth use of tobacco products, including our own. Learn more about our youth prevention efforts: JUUL.com/youth-prevention
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Legislators to vote on hands-free cellphone bill," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts House is slated to vote Wednesday on a bill that would ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving and add new language to traffic tickets that could allow officials to track the race of all motorists issued a citation or warning, according to copy of the legislation. The bill and long-awaited vote mark a significant step for an issue that's languished on Beacon Hill for years but has gained steam in recent months, moving Massachusetts closer to joining 16 other states, including each of its immediate neighbors, that have passed similar proposals."
- "Beacon Hill housing debate centers around local control," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: " THE LATEST BATTLE over state housing laws and what can be built where is a familiar one, pitting those who prize local control against those who think more top-down requirements are needed to create homes that people can afford. Gov. Charlie Baker has aligned himself with mayors, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, developers, and some housing advocates in favor of lessening the statutory hurdles for zoning changes while leaving those decisions to city councils and town meetings. Supporters of that approach say it would free communities from the current law that empowers a minority in local government to block new development, and they say it will still leave room for additional legislative housing efforts down the road."
- "TUESDAYS BECOMING TOO MUCH TO TAKE IN ON BEACON HILL," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: " Ten minutes after the Joint Committee on Housing hearing was supposed to start Tuesday morning, a court officer approached Rep. William Crocker and asked the legislator, with three empty seats between him and his nearest colleague, "Feeling lonely?" It wasn't that Crocker's colleagues hadn't reported for work Tuesday, but rather that there was so much going on in the State House that lawmakers, lobbyists, activists, reporters and staffers found themselves trying to be in several places at once, an increasingly familiar feeling on Tuesdays at the State House."
- "Gov. Baker And Social Worker Union Announce Reforms For Child Welfare Agency," by Jerome Campbell, WBUR: "The Baker administration and leaders of the social workers union on Tuesday announced reforms to improve the foster care process and increase staffing in the state's overburdened child welfare system. Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters that his office has been working with SEIU Local 509 since 2015 to address what he called a history of neglect at the Department of Children and Families, including a story of a child under DCF supervision who was found dead in 2013."
- "AG's office fining three Saugus families nearly $450,000 for underpaying domestic help," by Katie Johnston, Boston Globe:"The attorney general is fining three Saugus families nearly $450,000 for underpaying live-in domestic workers who cooked, cleaned, and took care of their children, sometimes wiring money to the workers' families in the Philippines instead of paying them directly. Attorney General Maura Healey is set to announce citations in three separate cases involving four workers on Wednesday. The employers, who are all originally from the United Arab Emirates and lived in the same building in Saugus, failed to pay minimum wage and overtime to the workers, Healey's office found, in violation of state wage and hour laws and the Massachusetts Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which guarantees nannies and housekeepers basic labor protections."
- "TUITION FREEZE LANGUAGE IS "MAJOR CONCERN," MEEHAN SAYS," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service:"After accusing Senate leaders of blindsiding university officials with a budget proposal to freeze tuition and fees next year, UMass President Marty Meehan met with Senate President Karen Spilka in her office Tuesday to discuss how the two sides can move forward. Meehan and Spilka met in the afternoon in her third floor office suite days ahead of the start of the Senate's multi-day debate over the fiscal 2020 budget. That debate formally begins next Tuesday."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "In prison letters, James 'Whitey' Bulger writes of determination to stay alive," by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "A batch of Bulger's prison letters, made available to the Globe, offers fresh insight into his state of mind — by turns, wry, emotional, and bitter — as he neared the end. They also offer a chronicle of how his health was deteriorating in solitary confinement at a penitentiary in Florida, an account that, if accurate, contradicts the authorities who claimed his condition had dramatically improved, making him eligible for a transfer to the prison in West Virginia where he was murdered."
- "Harvard Lampoon apologizes following condemnation of Anne Frank imagery as anti-Semitic, misogynistic," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "The Harvard Lampoon, the student-run humor magazine at the Ivy League university, has apologized after imagery featured in the latest issue was condemned as anti-Semitic and misogynistic. A recent edition included an image of Anne Frank's face placed atop the body of a bikini-clad woman. Above was the text, "Gone Before Her Time: Virtual Aging Technology Shows Us What Anne Frank Would Have Looked Like if She Hadn't Died." Below the image: "Add this to your list of reasons the Holocaust sucked." "They crossed the line from humor into anti-Semitism," said Robert Trestan, the director of Anti-Defamation League's New England regional office, during a Tuesday phone interview."
- "Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley seeks more restrictions on e-cigarettes," by Brooks Sutherland, Boston Herald: "Calling the increased use of vapes and e-cigarettes among young kids a "public health crisis," City Councilor Matt O'Malley is asking his colleagues and city officials to engage in a "tough conversation" about potentially banning flavored tobacco that studies show is being used by around 20 percent of high-schoolers, and rapidly making its way towards middle-schoolers."
- "As Everett casino hires many, other businesses feel a pinch," by Katie Johnston, Boston Globe: "The Encore Boston Harbor, recently cleared to open in late June, is rushing to finish filling 5,500 positions — luring employees from hotels and restaurants, from the airport and convention centers and hospitals, in what is surely one of the biggest hiring sprees in the history of Greater Boston. The hiring rush is causing anxiety among managers across the region, as they lose star players to a shiny new employer offering higher pay and better benefits in a historically tight labor market. At a recent Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce meeting, one manager at a major hotel joked that so many of his employees were being courted by Encore that he was considering ringing his property with barbed wire, according to several attendees."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "'A hate-for-profit racket': Warren refuses Fox town hall invite," by Alex Thompson, POLITICO: "Elizabeth Warren turned down a Fox News invitation Tuesday for a televised town hall and denounced the cable network as a "hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists." The network has been inviting Democratic presidential candidates to participate in town halls moderated by its news reporters. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar already done the events, while Pete Buttigieg and Kirsten Gillibrand are scheduled to. All of them have criticized the network's coverage of the Trump administration but defended going on the network as a means to reach voters."
- "43% Of Mass. Adults View Sen. Warren Favorably, WBUR Poll Finds," WBUR: "About just as many Massachusetts adults view U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren favorably — 43% — as view her unfavorably — 42% — according to a new WBUR poll (topline results, crosstabs). The Democratic presidential candidate is viewed very unfavorably by the state's Republicans, but 78% of Massachusetts Democrats have a favorable opinion of her. Adults in the state are split on impeachment of President Trump: 47% say Trump should be impeached, while 46% say he should not."
- "A Dark Money Group Is Running Stunningly Racist Elizabeth Warren Ads in Order to Kill a Casino," by Jackie Kucinich and Lachlan Markay, The Daily Beast: "A racist ad targeting Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and an obscure bill to allow a Native American tribe to open a casino in Massachusetts is connected to a longtime conservative, dark money operative, The Daily Beast has learned. The Coalition to Restore American Values has been running ads since November 2018 that, among other things, feature Warren in an Indian headdress and warn against her "casino plan." The group is registered to David R. Langdon, a long time culture warrior, in July 2018, according to Ohio state records."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "'NET ZERO' PROPONENTS SAY SCIENCE SUPPORTS NEW GOAL," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "With scientists warning that the challenge of preparing for and slowing climate change will get more difficult every year, legislators and climate activists pleaded with leaders on Beacon Hill Tuesday not to wait to accelerate the state's 11-year-old carbon emission reduction goals. Sen. Marc Pacheco, who has long been outspoken about aggressive approaches to climate change, and Rep. Joan Meschino have both filed legislation that would ramp up the state's emission reduction targets."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Bay State pols took $40G in donations from pharma companies sued by AG," by Hillary Chabot, Boston Herald: "The Bay State congressional delegation pocketed more than $40,000 in donations from pharmaceutical companies that have been accused of fixing generic drug prices in a scheme that allegedly bilked needy consumers suffering from conditions like diabetes, epilepsy and cancer. Teva Pharmaceuticals, Mylan NV and Novartis' generic drug division Sandoz — key drug manufacturers named in a multi-state price fixing lawsuit filed Friday — gave political donations to U.S. Reps. Richard Neal, Joseph P. Kennedy III and Seth Moulton as drug prices soared, a Herald review found."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Baker says a marijuana lounge pilot program would 'make a lot of sense,'" by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker appeared this week to be open-minded to the possibility of a pilot program for marijuana social consumption lounges, ahead of a meeting where cannabis regulators are expected to discuss potential policies for the venues. Baker said decisions about consumption sites are "up to the [Cannabis Control Commission]" but said on Monday that a pilot program would be a good way to determine the "positives and negatives" of the potential addition to the industry. "It's not up to me," Baker told reporters at the State House."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "BIG PHARMA BIG MONEY," "KANGAROO COURT," — Globe: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, I'M TOO MEAN TO DIE," "Workers hold cards as casino fills jobs." |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Is sea rise wrecking coastal home values? Maybe," by Philip Marcelo, Associated Press: "For sale: waterfront property with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. Waves erode beach regularly. Flooding gets worse every year. Saltwater damage to lawn. Asking price: anyone's guess. Some research suggests rising sea levels and flooding brought by global warming are harming coastal property values. But other climate scientists note shortcomings in the studies, and real estate experts say they simply haven't seen any ebb in demand for coastal homes. So how much homeowners and communities should worry — and how much they should invest in remedies — remains an open question."
- "Worcester school policy changes would back away from zero tolerance on banned substances," by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: "A new proposal before the School Committee would back away from zero tolerance language in the district policy handbook for students found with drugs or tobacco on school grounds. The district's school safety director, Robert Pezzella, however, said that in practice schools already are employing more proactive approaches, rather than automatic punishment, to dealing with students caught with banned substances. Paige Tobin, the district's lawyer, said the submitted policy manual updates, which will go before the School Committee at its meeting Thursday night, include the removal of a reference to alcohol possession potentially leading to expulsion — a consequence not permitted under the state's Chapter 222 student discipline law that went into effect in 2014."
- "Massachusetts workers pay more for health insurance, but coverage lacking," by Eli Sherman, WickedLocal: "During the last 20 years, Mitchell Paine has watched his health insurance costs increase more than five times to $644 per month. Meanwhile, he has noticed the quality of his coverage -- paid in part by different employers over the years -- has gotten worse. "It's not only the cost increase, it's what you get for it," said Paine, who has a family of five. "A family almost has to set aside $6,000 just in case some major event occurs." Since Massachusetts health care reform in 2006 and the passage of the Affordable Care Act two years later, divisive public debate has raged around issues related to the two laws, including Medicaid and the health-insurance market for individuals."
- "Vaping is a generational health threat, critics say," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: " Lawmakers, health officials, student advocates, school officials and the state's top law enforcement official have one thing to say to the vaping industry: Your days are numbered. In a panel discussion hosted by The Patriot Ledger on Monday, local and state officials said they are rallying together to take steps against what they see as a generational epidemic of e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction. With the number of teenagers who regularly ingest nicotine through vape pens, e-cigarettes and other devices skyrocketing over the last five years, experts say they're seeing echoes of their fight against cigarette use decades ago."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- Jazmine Ulloa joins the Boston Globe's Washington, D.C. bureau. Ulloa comes to the Globe from the Los Angeles Times. Tweet.
TRANSITIONS - former Sen. Mo Cowan replaces Ann Klee as operations exec at General Electric Co. Link.
MAZEL! to State Rep. Maria Robinson, who announced she finalized the adoption of her daughter, Marissa Robinson, yesterday. Tweet.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to MuckRock executive editor J. Patrick Brown.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Bruins beat the Hurricanes 2-1. The Rockies beat the Red Sox 5-4.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: The Fund Our Future campaign State House lobby day and rally on the Boston Common is set for Thursday, not yesterday. Hopefully they get better weather!
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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A message from JUUL Labs:
We're combating the problem of underage vaping by: Advocating for raising the legal age to purchase our products to 21+ nationwide. Stopping the sale of non-tobacco and non-menthol based flavored JUULpods to traditional retail stores. Enhancing our online age verification process. Strengthening our retail compliance program with over 2,000 secret shopper visits per month. Shutting down our Facebook and Instagram accounts and working to remove inappropriate social media content generated by others on those platforms. And investing in new technologies to further prevent youth use. JUUL.com/youth-prevention |
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