News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WARREN moves to FINANCE COMMITTEE— Council to vote on SPECIAL ELECTION petition

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WARREN moves to FINANCE COMMITTEE— Council to vote on SPECIAL ELECTION petition — BAKER pitches vax to BUSINESSES

Feb 03, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

WARREN MOVING TO FINANCE COMMITTEE — This time last year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was pitching her wealth tax to voters on the presidential campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now, Warren plans to file the proposal in the Senate as a new member of a powerful committee.

Warren is joining the Senate Committee on Finance, she announced yesterday afternoon. The two-term Senator is also moving off the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over taxes and revenue, trade agreements and the national debt, along with Social Security and programs like Medicare and Medicaid. A role on the committee makes sense with Warren's background — previously a Harvard law professor and a top expert on bankruptcy, Warren proposed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

It's an interesting move for Warren , who made economic inequality a centerpiece of her presidential campaign, and is often at odds with Wall Street. Warren even sold campaign mugs emblazoned with the phrase "Billionaire Tears" during the primary.

Among Warren's best-known financial proposals: Student debt cancellation, which she has encouraged President Joe Biden to do through an executive order. Most recently, Warren has become a key lawmaker in the unfolding GameStop stock trading saga.

This year also marks a move out of the minority for the Massachusetts Democrat, now that Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Warren is a member of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's leadership team. A spot on the powerful Finance Committee also bolsters Massachusetts' congressional clout, with key players like Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark, House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal and House Rules Committee chair Jim McGovern holding top jobs in the opposite chamber.

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

TODAY — The Boston City Council votes on a home rule petition that would cancel a special election in the event that the mayor steps down before March 5.

HAPPENING TONIGHT: I'm moderating a Suffolk University talk on the first 100 days of the Biden administration, featuring Martha Kumar, Meena Bose, and Roger Fisk. Our conversation begins at 6 p.m., and is hosted by GBH's Forum Network. Register here.

TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

THE LATEST NUMBERS
– "Massachusetts reports 1,963 new COVID cases, 45 deaths on Tuesday as 7-day average of positive tests drops to 3.44%" by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "State health officials confirmed another 1,963 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the number of active cases statewide to 67,650. Health officials also announced another 45 COVID-related fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 14,362."

DATELINE BEACON HILL
– "State drags its feet on nursing home Medicaid terminations," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "On August 3, the Baker administration sent letters to three nursing homes informing them that a series of care violations had precipitated their ouster from the state's Medicaid program, the financial lifeline of nearly every nursing home in Massachusetts."

– "Should police be able to ask about your immigration status? Legislators refile bill that would prohibit it," by Steph Solis, Masslive.com: "A trio of Massachusetts lawmakers refiled a bill on Tuesday that would make it illegal for local court and police officials ask about a person's immigration status, as well as limit cooperation between police and federal immigration agents."

– "Glitch resolved for immigrants seeking unemployment insurance," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "The state's Department of Unemployment Assistance has cleared up a paperwork Catch-22 for immigrants with temporary protected status that was preventing them from receiving or extending their unemployment benefits."

– "'We got nearly half the Legislature': More than 80 lawmakers sign on to letter rapping Gov. Charlie Baker's plan for a scaled-back Holyoke Soldiers' Home," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Gov. Charlie Baker's administration continues to weather criticism over the state's current plan for a 'reimagined' Soldiers' Home in Holyoke — this time from a bipartisan group of state legislators. Led by state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, 81 state senators and representatives signed a letter urging Baker to reconsider the state's current plan for a new Soldiers' Home with 20% fewer beds."

– "Baker makes another push for opioid tax," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Opioid makers could be forced to pay millions of dollars in annual taxes to help cover the cost of state-funded drug treatment. Gov. Charlie Baker wants to slap a 15% tax on the overall sales of opioid manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma, as part of his preliminary budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1."

– "Poll: Students unhappy with remote and hybrid learning," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "A new poll released Tuesday confirmed what many students have been saying all along: High school students far prefer to be learning in person than to be in a remote or even a hybrid model. And in many cases, the students for whom remote learning is most challenging – low-income, black, and Hispanic students – are also those most likely to be learning fully remotely."

– "Massachusetts state pension fund sees record-breaking returns, reaches all-time high of $86.9 billion," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "Following market volatility and uncertainty at play through much of the first half of 2020, a strong second-half performance for the Massachusetts state pension fund -- the largest six-month return in its 37-year history -- helped drive the fund up to an all-time high of $86.9 billion by the end of 2020."

VAX-ACHUSETTS
– "Baker officials push businesses to vaccinate employees," by Greg Ryan and Gintautas Dumcius, Boston Business Journal: "The Baker administration has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to find Massachusetts businesses willing and able to administer Covid-19 vaccines to their employees, holding online briefings for interested employers and reaching out to executives directly."

– "Fragmented, decentralized health system plagues vaccine rollout across US, Massachusetts," by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: "The snakebitten COVID-19 vaccine launch, beset by supply shortages, unused doses, and vexing technical complexity, has brutally exposed the weaknesses in the fragmented US and Massachusetts health care delivery systems."

– "Burlington tech firm helps West Virginia become a vaccination leader," by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe: "Newly eligible residents in Massachusetts seeking COVID vaccine shots may face a bewildering trek through multiple websites littered with complex instructions. But in West Virginia, there's just one website to visit, or one toll-free number to call."

– "In vaccine rollout, cities find themselves on the front line," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "In all the finger-pointing over the state's shaky COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the criticism may have been aimed at Charlie Baker, but in Revere, the phone calls went to Brian Arrigo. Local government is where people often turn first for help, and Revere's mayor said they have looked to him and city government throughout the pandemic."

– "COVID-19 Vaccine Site To Open In Hard-Hit Chelsea," by Arun Rath and Amanda Beland, GBH News: "On Thursday, the city of Chelsea is set to open its own coronavirus vaccination center at the headquarters of the Chelsea Collaborative. The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will operate the new vaccination site."

FROM THE HUB
– "Marty Walsh filling Boston boards with appointees on way out," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin Walsh is filing unusually large numbers of board and committee appointments as he heads toward the door. The mayor filed 31 appointments for the city's sundry boards in advance of this week's City Council meeting — after filing eight and 15 for the other two meetings this year."

– "The Boston Archdiocese's list of priests accused of abuse does not include cases settled with alleged victims," by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has paid millions of dollars in recent years to resolve accusations of sexual abuse against priests working in local parishes. Yet, the names of many of those priests are missing from the archdiocese's public roster of clergy accused of sexually abusing children."

– "Uber to acquire Boston-based alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Uber Technologies announced on Tuesday that it will be acquiring Boston-based Drizly, an alcohol delivery service, for $1.1 billion in stock and cash. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Drizly had been growing at a rate of 300 percent year-over-year."

– "Despite COVID-19 Risks, Liberal Arts Colleges Welcome Students Back To Campus," by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: "As he was preparing to hit send on a carefully-crafted email in October inviting all students back to campus for the spring semester, the president of Holy Cross College in Worcester said he prayed — a lot. 'Before, during, after, every day, every midday,' the Rev. Philip Boroughs said, laughing."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
– "Boston city councilors are voting to nix a mayoral special election. Does it matter that some are also candidates?" by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "With more than a third of the council running or thinking about running for mayor, some disagreement has emerged on who should actually be voting."

– "Can Kim Janey pull a Menino when she takes over as acting Boston mayor?" by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald: "Boston Mayor-in-Waiting Kim Janey faces a make-it-or-break-it few months to establish herself and tackle the coronavirus crisis in order to pull off a Menino — ride the title of acting mayor to an election win."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
– "CDC joins state in 'no mask, no ride' public transit rule," by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a sweeping order last week, requiring masks be worn on all forms of public transportation, including airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, buses, ride-shares and taxis."

DAY IN COURT
– "Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Bryan Erickson accused of strangling girlfriend, fleeing from officers arrested at his home, relieved of duty," by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: "A Massachusetts State Police sergeant who is accused of strangling his girlfriend in New Hampshire as she tried to break up with him and fleeing from authorities afterward was taken into custody over the weekend and relieved of duty, authorities said."

– "Massachusetts Man Wanted In Carlos Ghosn's Escape Accuses U.S. Of 'Betrayal,'" by Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press: "A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran accused, along with his son, of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chair Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box is imploring U.S. officials to block their extradition."

WARREN REPORT
– "Exclusive: Elizabeth Warren wants answers on Robinhood's ties to large hedge funds," by Matt Egan, CNN Business: "Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from Robinhood co-CEO Vlad Tenev over potential conflicts of interest caused by the free trading app's relationship with large hedge funds and other financial players."

FROM THE DELEGATION
– "Rep. Lynch On Coronavirus Relief Bill, Trump's Second Impeachment," by Tiziana Dearing and Chris Citorik, WBUR. Link.

– "Ayanna Pressley slams unequal coronavirus vaccine distribution as 'vaccine redlining,'" by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is slamming the unequal distribution of coronavirus vaccines in communities of color as 'vaccine redlining.' Pressley said she 'saw this vaccine redlining' early on in communities already disproportionately hurt by the pandemic."

TRUMPACHUSETTS
– "Bill Weld, former GOP officials urge Senate Republicans to hold Trump 'accountable' in impeachment trial," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld joined two former Trump administration officials and nearly three dozen others in calling on Republican senators to 'adjudicate accountability' in former President Donald Trump's looming impeachment trial — or leave a 'permanent stain' on the GOP."

DATELINE D.C.
– "Democrats plow ahead with a party-line Covid relief package," by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett, POLITICO: "Senate Democrats are increasingly confident they will deliver a coronavirus relief package in the coming weeks, even if it means moving forward without Republican support. Democrats took the first step Tuesday toward passing a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill with a simple majority, holding a vote to start the so-called budget reconciliation process."

ABOVE THE FOLD
— Herald: "PLAYING FAVORITES," "DANGER," — Globe: "Fragmented health care slows push to inoculate," "In brief, Democrats pin mayhem on Trump."

FROM THE 413
– "Legal case against Lee PCB dump to be filed by March 5," by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: "The legal fight against a secretly negotiated Housatonic River cleanup, one that includes disposal of lower-level toxins in a Lee landfill, will be spelled out by early March, the start of what appears to be additional years of litigation."

– "As Springfield Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez resigns, the full council will accept candidates and select his replacement," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "The City Council starting next week will accept letters of interest from residents to fill a vacancy triggered by the resignation of Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez. Gomez, who began serving as state senator for the Hampden District in January, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from the council to devote more attention to his Senate duties."

– "Springfield city councilors call for U.S. Department of Justice to issue consent decree to force police department reforms," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "A group of current and former city councilors sent a letter Tuesday urging the U.S. Department of Justice to mandate reforms in the city's police department in the wake of a report by the agency alleging a pattern of excessive force and misconduct by narcotics officers."

THE LOCAL ANGLE
– "Worcester council committee OKs 'crime forecasting' report, further public airing of the technology," by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: "At a City Council subcommittee meeting Monday night, residents continued to voice concerns over the proposed purchase of 'crime forecasting' technology for the Police Department."

– "'Herd immunity' message confuses parents," by Madeline Hughes, Eagle-Tribune: "Andover Interim Superintendent Claudia Bach released a letter by email Monday telling parents the district's students would not fully return to in-school classes until 'we reach herd immunity via vaccinations.' Caught by surprise, parents took to social media and emailed school officials expressing confusion, frustration and even some outrage after receiving the correspondence."

– "Crocheting Bernie Sanders for charity in Chelmsford," by Aaron Curtis, The Lowell Sun: "In addition to bringing hilarity to the internet, the image is now raising piles of money for charities nationwide, including at a local level, thanks to the crocheting talents of Chelmsford business owner Eileen DeChaves."

MEDIA MATTERS
– "Stop the presses: Student editor's tale is one for the ages," by Thomas Farragher, Boston Globe: "Isa Grullon is 34 now. Born in Methuen and raised in Lawrence, she's a single mom whose life story is worthy of the kind of front-page feature stories on which she cut her teeth, and earned her stripes — the kind of deeply moving tales that helped propel her into the top job at the NECC Observer."

TRANSITIONS – Dan Toomey, a Cohasset native, joins Morning Brew as a creator. Toomey was previously a desk assistant at ABC News in Washington, D.C. Tweet.

REMEMBERING KAY BOURNE … via the Bay State Banner: "Kay Bourne, who served as the Banner's arts editor through the paper's first four decades, passed away Sunday, Jan. 31. She was 82. While writing for the Banner, Bourne took a keen interest in Boston's Black arts community, highlighting the contributions of local visual artists, playwrights, musicians and actors." Link.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Matt Rhoades, co-CEO of CGCN Group; Justine Turner, an Elizabeth Warren 2020 alum; Fred Hochberg, former Ex-Im Bank chairman, Billy Shore and WCVB's Haley Ryger.

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