News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: FBI investigates BALLOT drop box FIRE — TRUMP makes final pitch in NEW HAMPSHIRE

Monday, October 26, 2020

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: FBI investigates BALLOT drop box FIRE — TRUMP makes final pitch in NEW HAMPSHIRE — Daily COVID cases top 1,000

Oct 26, 2020

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday!

FIRE INSIDE BOSTON BALLOT BOX — Election officials found a fire in a ballot drop box early Sunday morning, and now Secretary of State Bill Galvin is calling on officials around the state to use guards and video surveillance to prevent future incidents.

The fire was set inside a Copley Square drop box near the Boston Public Library, and Galvin called it a "deliberate attack." Now the FBI is investigating the incident, U.S. Andrew Lelling and FBI Special Agent Joseph Bonavolonta said Sunday.

The fire comes just days ahead of the Nov. 3 election, at a time when President Donald Trump has sought to undermine the credibility of mail-in voting. The story garnered some national attention — it was picked up by Fox News, CNN and the New York Post on Sunday.

"What happened in the early hours of this morning to the ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime," Galvin and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. "We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act, and remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election."

There were 122 ballots in the drop box, and 35 were destroyed. The Boston Elections Department was able to process 87 ballots, and the city will allow affected voters to mail a replacement ballot or vote in person.

Along with guarding boxes, officials should empty them frequently, Galvin said. Some cities and towns are already taking further measures to protect ballots, including using chemical fire suppressants inside dropboxes, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said on Twitter.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

ELECTIONLAND: POLITICO is partnering with Electionland , a ProPublica project that works with newsrooms to track voting issues around the country. The Electionland project covers problems that prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots during the 2020 elections. We're part of a coalition of newsrooms around the country that are investigating issues related to voter registration, pandemic-related changes to voting, the shift to vote-by-mail, cybersecurity, voter education, misinformation, and more. Tell us here if you're having trouble voting.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "COVID cases in Massachusetts top 1,000 for second day in a row as cases spike across country," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday reported another 1,097 new cases of COVID-19, the second day in a row with more than 1,000 cases as the pandemic continues to see spikes across the nation and overseas. Until Saturday and Sunday, the state had not reported 1,000 new cases in a single day since May. New COVID-19 case counts in Massachusetts on both Thursday and Friday were in the 900s."

– "High risk for three weeks, 13 communities in Massachusetts are back to Phase 1," by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: "Thirteen communities in Massachusetts will roll back to Phase 1 of the state's reopening plan Monday after being designated high-risk for COVID-19 for three straight weeks. For many businesses in those cities and towns, that means scaling back -- or worse, closing their doors altogether."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Source of infections unknown in half of Mass. COVID-19 cases, state says," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: "As the number of new coronavirus cases in Massachusetts climbed past 1,000 for the second day in a row Sunday, the state acknowledged it has not been able to determine the source of infection in about half of COVID-19 cases, an information gap that epidemiologists say could limit the ability to respond to outbreaks and control transmission of the disease."

– "State officials fire commissioner for the deaf who had ties to controversial fraternity," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The Baker administration fired its chief advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing, months after it said it was investigating allegations he admitted to wearing robes resembling Ku Klux Klan garb and made apparent Nazi salutes while in a college fraternity three decades ago. Steven A. Florio was issued a letter of termination, effective Monday, Oct. 19, state officials told the Globe."

– "Massachusetts makes gains in diversifying state government, but gaps persist in some agencies," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Before the pandemic, Massachusetts Rep. Russell Holmes would travel from his majority-black neighborhood in Mattapan every day to a majority-white State House. Most of the lawmakers in the House chamber are white, their staffers are mostly white and the lobbyists who try to curry favor with the Legislature are white. The Boston Democrat, a member of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, is often reminded that the rooms he walks into don't reflect the people he and his colleagues serve across Massachusetts."

– "Women in red cloaks march on State House, advocate for reproductive freedom," by Lucas Phillips, Boston Globe: "More than a dozen cloaked figures slowly marched toward the State House Sunday morning with a simple message: 'Ruth sent us.' With proceedings to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underway and a bill that would ease access to abortion in Massachusetts before the Legislature, advocates rallied at the steps for abortion rights."

FROM THE HUB

– "Drug company insiders are profiting handsomely from the world's desperate hope for a COVID-19 vaccine," by Todd Wallack, Boston Globe: "They are, in many ways, the hope of humanity as the global death toll from one of the worst infectious disease outbreaks in history climbs past 1.1 million, with cases surging in many countries around the world. But insiders at companies developing experimental vaccines and treatments to ward off COVID-19 aren't waiting until they finish the job to collect their reward."

– "Dunkin' Brands Is in Talks to Sell Itself and Go Private," by Lauren Hirsch, The New York Times: "Dunkin' Brands, the parent company of the Dunkin' and Baskin Robbins chains, is in talks to sell itself to a private equity-backed company, Inspire Brands. The deal being discussed, which could be announced as soon as Monday, would take Dunkin' Brands private at a price of $106.50 a share, said two people with knowledge of the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential."

– "Lynn Immigrant Sees Path To Citizenship After Landlord's Alleged Threat To Call ICE," by Simón Rios, WBUR: "Robelio Gonzalez alleges his landlord threatened to call immigration after he started withholding rent over a series of code violations in his apartment. Earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Gonzalez — a laborer from Guatemala who says his only crime was to stand up for his rights."

– "Figure skaters say Mass. rink closures are unfair to them," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "Emma L'Esperance and Mika Amdour had planned to spend Friday evening at The Skating Club of Boston, performing a free dance they will present next month at a key competition in Fort Wayne, Ind. Instead, the teenage ice dancing partners were at Esperance's Winchester home doing homework and watching 'Dawn of the Dead.' That evening's performance had been canceled under a state order that closed indoor ice rinks."

– "Why are we not talking more about the drought?" by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: "Andrea Donlon is one of four river stewards charged with overseeing the Connecticut River Conservancy, a 60-plus-year-old organization that monitors New England's longest river. The task is a big one, as the Connecticut River cuts through four states, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as a tiny sliver of Oxford County, Maine. In total, the watershed covers 410 miles of land, flowing from just near the Canada-U.S. border all the way to the Long Island Sound."

– "COVID testing to be offered in some Massachusetts schools, with priority given for in-person learning," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts education officials are looking to start the first phase of coronavirus tests in schools with some form of in-person learning, planning to distribute test kits at no cost to a selection of schools and districts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense have announced an initiative to deliver 150 million Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid tests to schools and other environments."

– "Historic homes struggle to reopen in COVID-compliant way," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "The year 2020 was shaping up to be a banner year for the Orchard House in Concord, the home where Louisa May Alcott lived and wrote the classic book Little Women. On Christmas 2019, the Greta Gerwig film adaptation of Little Women was released, set in a replica of Orchard House. By February, visits to the Orchard House were up 350 percent from the prior year and staff were hiring and training new guides and buying extra store merchandise. Then in March, COVID-19 hit."

– "Palpable Anxiety For Health Care Workers As COVID-19 Cases Rise In Massachusetts," by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "After the COVID-19 spring surge, nurse Jennifer Williams started taking a blood pressure medication and seeing a therapist. Her stress level dropped this summer, but now, as her COVID-19 unit at Sturdy Memorial Hospital fills again, Williams says she feels the panic rising. Some days, after work, she sits in her car and cries."

AS SEEN ON TV

– Sen. Elizabeth Warren on whether she'd join a future Biden administration on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" — "It's not only that we've got to take the White House. It's that we've also got to flip the Senate. That becomes so clear as I'm here in Washington, watching Mitch McConnell try to steal a second Supreme Court seat. I want to expand our lead in the House and I'm trying to help with some folks at the state level because we need Democrats to win up and down the ticket. So I've got 11 days, I'm going to stay focused on this like a laser. … And then I'm going to find the best way I can to keep working." Link.

– House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal talks about the future of a coronavirus stimulus package on WCVB's "On the Record" — "I'm gonna put on my speculation hat … Here's the answer: I think Joe Biden wins, the number will be closer to $3 trillion. And I think that at that stage, good sense will overcome all of us, and we'll proceed to the bigger package, understanding there's a rent crisis coming as well. People can't make their rents, that means the landlord can't make the mortgage payments, it means the community banker or the credit union, which overwhelmingly are the originators of mortgages, they start to have contagion. Link.

BALLOT WARS

– "Who are the out-of-state billionaires backing ranked-choice voting in Massachusetts?" by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Through their Action Now Initiative, the Arnolds have committed nearly $3.4 million in support of the Massachusetts ballot proposal, known as Question 2. Kathryn Murdoch, the daughter-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, has personally given $2.5 million since early September. The Denver-based nonpartisan group Unite America, which she co-chairs and has seeded with millions toward supporting democratic reforms, has contributed $445,000."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Long before pandemic, problems mounted for new Red and Orange line cars," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "Long before the pandemic upended nearly every aspect of business life, the Springfield factory building hundreds of new Red and Orange line cars was having a bad year, with issues from the seemingly mundane to the confounding. Supplies for Red Line cars went missing for weeks; parts were mistakenly sent off-site; materials to finish seats were late to arrive; unfinished Orange Line cars stalled on the assembly line."

– "East-west Rail: Massachusetts Department of Transportation angers public after recommending further studies weeks before final report," by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: "The long-awaited east-west rail draft report was released on Monday but has many listening to the public presentation on Thursday evening, 'shocked' at the lack of clarity and misleading data in the report. 'I think the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is the department of too many studies or department of studying studies or something like that,' said Massachusetts resident John Garrett."

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WARREN REPORT

– "Progressives push for Warren as treasury secretary, signaling bigger ideological battle if Biden wins," by Alex Seitz-Wald, NBC News: " Progressives are pushing hard to see Elizabeth Warren leading the Treasury Department in an opening salvo of a coming ideological struggle for control of key government posts if Joe Biden wins the presidency. Donors, activists and leaders on the left want Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, as treasury secretary, more than a half-dozen of them said. And people Warren has spoken to are under the impression that she wants the job if she is offered it."

NOVEMBER IS COMING

– "With fears of a contested election growing, more Americans stock up to ride out the discord," by David Abel, Boston Globe: "With President Trump repeatedly stoking right-wing rage and suggesting he won't accept the results of the election if he loses, many Americans fear the country could be bound for strife and have been taking steps to protect themselves. A nationwide tracking poll this month found that 58 percent of those surveyed said they're stocking up on essential goods, up six points from the same poll last month."

THE PRESSLEY PARTY

– "Rep. Pressley Joins More Than 30% Of Mass. Voters Who Cast Early Ballots, Encourages Others To Vote," by Quincy Walters and Sharon Brody, WBUR: "Nine-year-old Zion Rodriguez went to accompany his nana to vote in Roxbury on Saturday. And he was not prepared to bump into Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley who was also out voting at the Shelburne Community Center. 'It felt good to meet her,' Rodriguez said, wearing a Black Lives Matter face covering, who earlier asked Pressley to look into school start times being so early."

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

– "Trump appears at rally in Londonderry, N.H., riffing on 'fake ballots,' 2016, and Air Force One," by James Pindell and Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "President Trump rallied supporters in New Hampshire, vowing that he would win the state on Nov. 3, despite the fact he hasn't led a poll in the state all year. 'This was our first victory, remember that beautiful primary that we had?' Trump told a sea of red-hatted supporters, referring to his 2016 GOP primary win."

TRUMPACHUSETTS

– "Massachusetts Republicans fight uphill battles for federal office with 'common sense' messages," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Bay State Republicans running for federal office are pitching similar messages of economic security and public safety as they look to achieve already-difficult victories in ever-blue Massachusetts made doubly challenging this year by a hyper-partisan political environment and an election that's calcified as a referendum on President Trump from the top of the ballot on down."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "SUPERTRUMP," — Globe: "Missteps, pandemic ensured lated trains," "New outbreak roils campaign," "Trump rallies N.H. backers with mish-mash of anecdotes, bombast."

FROM THE 413

– "'It does us no good to hold a grudge': Springfield Police Department, FBI work to repair relationship after years at odds over police corruption investigations," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "As the song goes, breaking up is hard to do. But sometimes, making up can be rough, too. Case in point: through gritted teeth, Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood confirmed she is working with the new head of the local FBI office to repair bitter relations with the feds. The department has come under fire from the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice over the past four years in connection with a number of police corruption investigations."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Marblehead High shifts to full remote learning after house party," by Cheryl Richardson, The Salem News: "Marblehead High School will return to full remote learning effective immediately after officials say more than 50 students attended a house party Friday night, Superintendent John Buckey announced Sunday. Athletics and extracurricular activities are also postponed until Saturday, Nov. 7, Buckey wrote in a letter announcing the decision."

– "5th Barnstable District: Xiarhos, Dever vie for state representative seat," by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: "The race for state representative in the 5th Barnstable District blew open last year when Rep. Randy Hunt, R-Sandwich, announced he would not be running for re-election in what would have been his sixth term. The seat, which represents Sandwich and parts of Barnstable, Bourne and Plymouth, is up for grabs in a race between Democrat James Dever, a lawyer from Sandwich, and former Yarmouth deputy police chief Steven Xiarhos, who is running as a Republican."

– "Social media post triggers backlash," by Mike LaBella, Eagle-Tribune: "What police say was a misinterpreted accident at a rally in support of Democratic candidates triggered a storm of controversy on social media Friday and Saturday after state Rep. Tram Nguyen posted that a driver had intentionally driven into a group of people holding campaign signs."

– "Voting for Irene: Line of North Attleboro women uphold the legacy of their aunt, born the year women got the right to vote," by Kayla Canne, Sun Chronicle: "In November of 2016, Irene Vandal voted from a hospital bed. At 96, there were few, if any, elections in which the Plainville woman didn't exercise her right to vote. And despite her old age and a short illness that left her hospital-bound, that election was one she didn't want to miss. She called upon her niece Donna Dunn to bring her an absentee ballot."

WORTH THE CLICK: "Massachusetts: Images of the Bay State," by Alan Taylor, The Atlantic. Link.

WEEKEND WEDDING – Billy Pitman and Jess Jeffrey got married this weekend at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich. Pitman is chief of staff at the RMV and Jeffrey is an attorney at Nelson Mullins.

NEW EPISODE: ELECTION DAZE – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray discuss the expiration of the state's eviction moratorium, and break down early voting data with MassINC's Rich Parr. And just in time for Halloween, we ask you: Is candy corn good or gross? Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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