News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: NEW DETAILS on VACCINE roll-out — BIDEN taps MGH’s Walensky to lead CDC — COVERUP benefitted BOSTON POLICE detective

Monday, December 7, 2020

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: NEW DETAILS on VACCINE roll-out — BIDEN taps MGH’s Walensky to lead CDC — COVERUP benefitted BOSTON POLICE detective

Dec 07, 2020

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday!

BAKER: VACCINE COULD BE AVAILABLE TO MANY IN MARCH — A coronavirus vaccine could be available to the public as early as March in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker said yesterday.

As the state weathers a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Baker administration is working with federal officials to prepare to distribute a vaccine for the virus. The state expects to receive 300,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine before the end of 2020, according to a plan filed with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.

Baker laid out a tentative plan for how the vaccine may be distributed during an interview on WCVB's " On the Record" which aired Sunday. Vaccinations in the short-term are expected to focus on health care workers and others who are particularly vulnerable to contracting the virus.

"Clearly, people are going to start with health care workers and older folks and longterm care folks, and folks who have preexisting conditions and comorbidities," Baker said. "But that process, if all goes according to plan, should be pretty far along and maybe even pretty close to done by the time you get to March."

"March forward, you could be in a situation where people who want to get vaccinated will be able to, because you'll have worked your way through the communities that people were most concerned about with respect to preserving life and and protecting our health care system," Baker continued.

If the vaccine does become more widely available in March, it would mark a full calendar year from when the virus upended life in Massachusetts. And more information on the vaccine could come as early as today, the governor told reporters on Friday.

But March is still months away, and Covid-19 cases are on the rise. Massachusetts reported 10,103 cases of coronavirus over the weekend — 5,356 cases on Saturday and another 4,747 cases on Sunday. And Baker is taking heat from public officials and health experts. The headline on today's Boston Globe reads "Pressure intensifies on Baker to act."

One more thing to keep an eye on: To relieve strained hospitals, the state recently opened a field hospital in Worcester. The Baker administration is setting up a second facility in Lowell, and is in talks to establish a third field hospital on the South Coast, Baker told WCVB yesterday. The governor said he is placing field hospitals where he sees an "immediate issue" with hospital capacity, and does not put Boston in that category.

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

TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh holds a press conference against proposed MBTA service cuts. Walsh joins Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone and Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle for an event titled "A Discussion About Municipal Government." Boston Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez is a guest on WBUR.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts health officials report 4,747 more COVID cases, 48 deaths on Sunday," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday reported another 4,747 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of active cases to about 57,304. Officials on Sunday also announced another 48 deaths linked to confirmed COVID-19 cases. Over the course of the pandemic, Massachusetts has seen at least 247,559 coronavirus cases and 10,763 deaths."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "With no new COVID-19 restrictions from the state, public health experts and some Boston-area mayors urge more action," by Shirley Leung, Tim Logan and John Hilliard, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker is facing growing pressure from public health experts and local mayors for a stronger response to Massachusetts' quickly rising wave of COVID-19 cases, with some municipal officials considering regional rollbacks of their own if the state doesn't act."

– "Initial 300,000 vaccine doses will be used as first shot," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "Gov. Charlie Baker filed a COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan with the federal government on Friday that calls for distributing the 300,000 doses expected to arrive this month as the first of a two-dose regime, with a second dose to be taken three weeks after the first. The initial recipients will be healthcare workers exposed to or treating people with COVID-19, including employees of hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and emergency medical service providers."

– "Walsh: Beacon Hill's Police Reform Won't Fundamentally Change Boston Police Practices," by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: "The Massachusetts Legislature's version of police reform — now on Gov. Baker's desk awaiting approval and amendment — would not fundamentally change how Boston Police operates, Mayor Marty Walsh said Friday. Walsh claimed that city has already enacted reforms the state has not yet finalized."

– "Facial recognition: What to know about the Massachusetts police reform bill's restrictions on the controversial tech," by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts may be poised to become the first state in the country to pass statewide limitations on law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology, a software civil rights advocates argue is plagued by false matches, racial bias and potential privacy violations."

– "Massachusetts may join the other 49 states in having interlock devices for some first-time drunken drivers," by Joe Difazio, The Patriot Ledger: "Massachusetts is the only state that doesn't require interlock devices for some or all first-time drunken drivers, but that may change if Gov. Charlie Baker accepts the Legislature's proposed $46.2 billion budget, which includes an interlock device rider. Every other state in the U.S. has a process for or requires drivers to get the equipment, called an ignition interlock device, installed after their first drunken-driving conviction."

– "Tran's campaign donates $5,000 to legal defense fund," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Three days after losing his bid for reelection, Sen. Dean Tran of Fitchburg transferred $5,000 from his campaign account to a separate legal defense fund account. Tran's legal defense fund raised $23,415 between the time it was organized on April 7 and the end of July, but then went dormant until November, according to campaign finance records."

– "Four people charged with stealing more than $170k in unemployment benefits," by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced charges against four Massachusetts residents who are alleged to have stolen more than $170,000 in unemployment benefits. They have been charged as a result of an investigation by the Department of Unemployment Assistance, according to the AG's office."

FROM THE HUB

– "The story behind a Boston police detective who benefited from two police coverups," by Evan Allen and Andrew Ryan, Boston Globe: "It seemed like a clear-cut case of drunken driving: The motorist almost hit an MBTA Transit Police car on Route 3 and sped away. When the transit cop caught him, the driver allegedly smelled of liquor, acted belligerently, and threatened to sue. But as the officer wrestled the suspect out of his car and cuffed him, a police badge fell out of the man's pocket. The handcuffs came off. Boston police Detective Robert Tully was going to get away with it."

– "In the year of COVID-19, Boston homicides and shootings spike. Why?" by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "This year, street violence has increased in Boston. Homicides in the city so far are up 54 percent from last year — at 54 for the year, up from 35 at this time in 2019. As of late November, there were 219 shooting incidents in the city, compared to 151 for the same time period last year. Total shooting victims have increased from 183 to 261. Likewise, gun-related arrests increased from 369 to 409."

– "DOC Revises Medical Parole Reporting After 2 Prisoner Deaths," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "After two prisoners died of COVID-19 related illnesses last month within a day of being granted medical parole, the Massachusetts Department of Correction says it will change how it reports when COVID-positive prisoners are granted medical parole. The DOC maintains that it is properly reporting prisoner COVID-19 deaths, but defense attorneys for the two men say medical parole was granted so the deaths would not be counted as prison COVID-related deaths."

– "Massachusetts Hospitals Begin Scaling Back Elective Procedures As COVID Strains Capacity," by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: "Massachusetts hospitals are beginning to scale back elective procedures in an effort to free up beds as coronavirus pushes hospitals towards capacity. Because of reduced capacity, hospitals in all but the western third of the state were moved this week into the second of four tiers in a plan for dealing with a surge COVID patients."

– "Boston coronavirus positive test rate crosses city's 'threshold for concern,'" by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Boston's coronavirus positive test rate has climbed back up over the 'threshold for concern' that city officials have laid out as virus data in the Hub remains troubling. The seven-day average positive test rate has hit 5.1%, just above the 5% threshold that the city says is worrisome, according to Boston's semi-weekly COVID-19 data report."

– "Prisoner in his 80s dies of COVID-19 at MCI-Norfolk," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "A ninth prisoner has died of coronavirus while in the custody of the Department of Correction. Prison staff were called in a medical emergency at around 8:15 pm on Friday night, and they immediately began life-saving efforts on the prisoner upon finding him. The inmate was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead an hour later."

– "Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone positioning to challenge Charlie Baker," by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald: "Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone has not-so-quietly escalated his criticism of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's handling of the coronavirus pandemic in what could be a prelude to a gubernatorial election matchup."

CABINET WATCH

– "Biden selects Rochelle Walensky to lead CDC," by Tyler Pager, POLITICO: "President-elect Joe Biden has selected Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to two people familiar with the decision."

– "'It's an unusual setup': Kerry's climate job scrambles Biden's org chart," by Natasha Bertrand and Nahal Toosi, POLITICO: "He's been a national figure since his days as a Vietnam vet protesting the war. He carried his party's banner in 2004. And as secretary of State, he negotiated a major nuclear deal involving the world's most powerful countries. Now John Kerry is reporting for duty as Joe Biden's climate envoy, and the exact parameters of his new role remain undefined, raising concerns that he might create confusion and complicate the Biden administration's diplomatic lines of effort."

AS SEEN ON TV

– Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the police reform bill passed by the Legislature, during an interview on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" which aired Sunday: "There is a reckoning – a reckoning on these issues, and it is incumbent upon us at every level of government to be responsive and to actively dismantle systems which have caused great hurt and harm. And so this bill is long overdue and I want to give credit where credit is due to the activists and the advocates and the impacted families, and the lawmakers in particular who led on pieces of this legislation to tackle these long overdue reforms. … That being said, this national reckoning on racial injustice, and specifically on police brutality, has everything to do with accountability. And we will not have accountability, without ending qualified immunity." Interview clip.

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DAY IN COURT

– "SJC Considers 'Jail Time Credit' For Drug Lab Defendants," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "When Braulio Caliz learned of the scandal at the state drug lab in Amherst, he was incarcerated on charges based on evidence tested at the lab. Two of his convictions were eventually dismissed because the drug evidence in his case was tested by disgraced chemist Sonja Farak. Now he's asking the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to reduce his sentence on another crime by giving him credit for the time he was incarcerated for the vacated convictions."

– "Court's DACA ruling welcome news, but immigration reform needed, advocates say," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: "Local immigrants and advocates Saturday hailed a federal judge's order for the Trump administration to restore a program designed to protect young undocumented people from deportation, but warned that legislative action was urgently needed to reform the nation's outmoded immigration system."

– "Massachusetts Courthouses To Stay Mostly Remote Until Next Year," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "Massachusetts courthouses will continue with limited in-person operations until next month, the Trial Court announced Friday. Most operations will be done remotely until Jan. 8 because of the spike in coronavirus cases in the state."

– "Texts remind defendants of court dates," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Defendants are being reminded of court dates by a new state texting service aimed at improving attendance and reducing a mountain of outstanding warrants for people who fail to show up."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want To Know How Badly The US Pandemic Response Failed People Of Color," by Venessa Wong, BuzzFeed News: "The US government needs to investigate whether Black, Latino, and Native American communities most impacted by the pandemic have received adequate coronavirus relief funds, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to the Government Accountability Office."

– "Ed Markey calls for national mask mandate as coronavirus cases surge," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Nine months into the coronavirus pandemic, 13 states have no statewide mask requirement. U.S. Sen. Edward Markey wants to change that. The recently re-elected Massachusetts senator has teamed up with his colleague Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal on the Encouraging Masks for All Act, which would provide financial incentives for states to tell their residents to mask up."

– "Congressman: 'Tim White deserved better from the country he served'" by Lowell Sun: "Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan slammed the VA Bedford Healthcare System Friday, saying that more than a month of shortcomings in the search for a hospital resident who was found dead in a stairwell has left investigators unable to tell the veteran's family how he died."

– "Moulton opponent fuels fraud claims," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "A Billerica Republican who lost a long-shot bid to unseat Congressman Seth Moulton is trying to drum up cash to cover campaign debts by making unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud. In an email blast to supporters, John Paul Moran rips the state's expansion of vote-by-mail and suggests, without evidence, the election was ripe with fraud."

– "Rep. Kennedy Reflects On His Time In The Mass. Congressional Delegation," by Bob Oakes, WBUR: "The Massachusetts congressional delegation remained largely intact in the 2020 election, with all but one incumbent lawmaker keeping their seat. The exception was Joe Kennedy III, who, after eight years representing Massachusetts' 4th District, will step aside in January. Kennedy mounted an unsuccessful bid to unseat Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey.

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "PATS SHOCK BOLTS," "UNDER FIRE," — Globe: "In a year of pain, murder rate soars," "Pressure intensifies on Baker to act," "A COLLECTIVE EMPTINESS," "MGH doctor to lead CDC."

FROM THE 413

– "Opposition to MCAS grows," by Bera Dunau and Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Opposition to MCAS tests amid the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming more visible in communities in western Massachusetts. 'It's an incredible cruelty to do to children,' said Meg Robbins. 'And an impossible task for teachers.' Robbins, a retired schoolteacher and grandparent of students in Northampton, was one of about a dozen people who gathered Friday in front of Northampton City Hall to protest the administration of the standardized tests this school year."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "In Lawrence, COVID-19 pandemic has been 'the perfect storm,'" by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "More than 800 Lawrence residents get tested each day for COVID-19, some waiting up to four hours. The public school system has conducted classes remotely all year. The city was a leader in issuing high fines to people who refused to wear a mask. But despite the aggressive measures, the pandemic made itself known quickly in Lawrence and has refused to relinquish its grip on the city, which has a positivity rate of nearly 15 percent and the full slate of inequities that fuel virus transmission."

– "Citing In-School Transmission, Framingham Returns To Remote Schooling," by Max Larkin, WBUR: "As coronavirus cases surge, Framingham Public Schools will return to fully-remote schooling. FPS Superintendent Robert Tremblay cited evidence of in-school transmission to challenge the argument — made by some federal and state officials — that in-person schooling is largely safe."

– "Nearly 900 families show up to get food in driving rain at Community College," by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times: "The rain was pelting down but the work of distributing food continued Saturday morning as 20 volunteers from the Cape Cod Military Support Foundation handed out boxes of food to 896 needy families at Cape Cod Community College."

– "Worcester's houses of worship immaculate to COVID-19 - so far," by Craig S. Semon, Telegram & Gazette: "An analysis by a team of epidemiologists tapped by the state Department of Public Health, found that houses of worship in Massachusetts have been the source of dozens of COVID-19 clusters, spinning out into hundreds of confirmed cases. But that doesn't seem to be the case in Worcester."

MEDIA MATTERS

– "Massachusetts lawmakers concerned that some Comcast subscribers could lose WCVB," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Could some Comcast subscribers in Massachusetts soon be forced to tune into a Rhode Island TV station for ABC programming? Four members of the state's federal delegation are worried it could happen. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Bill Keating and Joe Kennedy III expressed concern Thursday that subscribers to Comcast's Xfinity TV service in Bristol County could lose access to WCVB."

TRANSITIONS – Eddie Rupia, a Sen. Elizabeth Warren alum, is joining Rep. Ayanna Pressley's district office.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY – to Rep. Seth Moulton's campaign manager, Matt Chilliak, who celebrated Sunday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Candy Glazer, chair emeritus of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee and a longtime activist; Jerry Berger and Chris Moran.

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