| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky | | | CHALLENGE NOT ACCEPTED — Gov. Maura Healey says she’s willing to “get her hands dirty” to fix the T. Just don’t expect her to hop onboard anytime soon. The governor sidestepped a challenge from a WBUR listener who texted into yesterday’s show from a “crowded, slow Red Line train” to ask Healey to ride the rails at rush hour “when she needs to be at a specific place at a specific time.” “I completely sympathize with riders,” Healey replied. “I talk to people every day who take the T, including many of the folks I work with regularly here in the office. So I’m really familiar with the plight of those who are riding the T.” But when it comes to taking the train herself, Healey said “what the public needs to see is a T that’s working” — not a governor who shares the pain of getting stuck in a slow zone. It would be pretty easy for Healey to take the T to work. She lives less than a quarter-mile away from the Porter Square stop on the Red Line, which would take her right to Park Street station. From there, it’s a short climb up the hill to the State House. Door-to-door, the entire trip would take her 31 minutes, according to the MBTA’s online trip planner. Her security needs could complicate things, but it’s still doable — and been done by governors past. Yet Healey is facing a lose-lose situation here: she either gets criticized for not riding the T — like former Gov. Charlie Baker was — or pilloried for pulling a publicity stunt if she does — like Baker was. Healey's already staged one photo-op on a train, when she traveled two stops on the Red Line last month with reporters and cameras in tow.
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Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, right, and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll take the Red Line from Park Street station to take a tour of a MBTA Operations Control Center, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Boston. (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via AP) | AP | Former Gov. Mike Dukakis has a solution. The Duke, who famously rode the Green Line to work when he was governor, said communicating directly with commuters “was an important part of my governorship." He encouraged Healey to make taking the T part of her routine. “There was some concern at the beginning of what was going to happen to me, but surprisingly nothing happened to me other than I became a better governor,” Dukakis told Playbook. “If you do it on a regular basis, it becomes very much a part of your life and your governorship, and I think you’re better off for it.” GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It’s 17 days past Healey's self-imposed deadline to hire a transportation safety chief. She's also yet to name her new MBTA general manager. Healey said an announcement would be coming within "days" more than two weeks ago. Yesterday, she told WBUR it would be "very soon." Hey, the T is used to delays. TODAY — Healey visits Hajjar Elementary in Billerica at 11:45 a.m. and Dwelling House of Hope food pantry in Lowell at 1 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the El Centro Adult Education Center ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in Jamaica Plain. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and colleagues reintroduce the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act at 1 p.m. in D.C. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll is also in D.C. Tips? Scoops? Think Healey should hop on the T? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.
| | A message from NextEra Energy: Seabrook Station has provided Massachusetts with low-cost, clean, reliable energy for over 30 years, reducing carbon emissions regionally by approximately 4 million tons per year. Nuclear energy is Massachusetts’ most cost-effective and essential tool to combat climate change. | | | |  | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: The CEO of TikTok will testify to a U.S. House panel today that banning the app would be bad for American business. But members of our congressional delegation aren’t pushing for full prohibition — yet. Instead, lawmakers are focusing on making the video-sharing service — and other social media platforms — safer for younger users while also addressing the national security concerns that drove Rep. Jake Auchincloss off the app last fall and stopped others from ever using it. But they’re not taking a ban off the table. Rep. Lori Trahan — who sits on the committee hearing CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony today, and who laid out her security concerns in a Boston Globe op-ed yesterday — is open to supporting a bipartisan Senate bill that would give the White House and Commerce Department authority to restrict and potentially ban technologies coming from China and other U.S. adversaries, like TikTok. Rep. Seth Moulton would also consider a ban in order to guarantee the app can’t influence or collect information on Americans, according to a spokesperson. And Sen. Ed Markey told GBH News that TikTok should be “banned from governmental institutions’ use.” He's also capitalizing on the commotion around the app to promote the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act he’s long fought to pass. The House and Senate have already banned TikTok on government devices. Out of the 11-member delegation, Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley appear to be the only two with active accounts.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Number of homeless and migrant families living in emergency hotels rises in Massachusetts,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “As of Tuesday, the number of families living in hotels reached 600 for the first time this year — a nearly 55 percent increase in three months, according to state numbers. The Department of Housing and Community Development, which oversees the state’s emergency assistance program, said the shelter system uses hotels ‘when there are no other available options for immediate placement needs.”’ — “Charitable donations could impact millionaires' tax,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “A long-delayed state tax deduction for charitable contributions could help soften the financial blow to wealthy households subject to the new millionaires' tax. Beginning this tax year, the state Department of Revenue will allow individuals for the first time to claim a state income tax deduction for such donations, which for decades have only been allowed for businesses and corporations.” — “State officials issue guidance to Mass. pharmacies: stock abortion pills,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “State officials on Wednesday reminded Massachusetts pharmacies that they must stock all reproductive health medications including mifepristone, a drug that can safely end a pregnancy in its early stages and whose availability is the subject of dueling lawsuits.” — “‘Really annoying’ sports betting ads are protected by 1st Amendment, lawmakers say,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “The fire hose of sports betting advertising in Massachusetts should slow down once March Madness finishes, and taking any action to restrict the commercials may raise questions around First Amendment rights, the two top state lawmakers focused on consumer protection said in interviews.”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Fired anti-vax Boston police officer followed Wu in a car after protesting at her house, documents say,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Former Boston police sergeant Shana Cottone failed to assign a protection detail for Mayor Michelle Wu, whose COVID-19 vaccine mandates Cottone railed against for months. On a number of occasions, the 15-year veteran of the department protested in front of the mayor’s home, yelling and screaming through a bullhorn, and on at least one occasion, followed Wu in a car.” — “Battle brewing in redistricting suit,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “According to the plaintiffs suing the Boston City Council over the redistricting map, the body violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by taking race into account in redrawing district lines. Lining up in support of the lawsuit are a Who’s Who of Irish American elected officials representing South Boston and Dorchester: Congressman Steve Lynch, state Sen. Nick Collins and the city’s four Irish American councilors. On the other side are the defendants — the City Council and the City of Boston — and a collection of civil rights organizations that have signed on to an amicus brief rejecting the plaintiffs’ assertions of rights violations.”
| | | | A message from NextEra Energy:   | | | | | WARREN REPORT | | — “Republican U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Democrat Warren unveil Fed oversight bill,” by David Morgan, Reuters: “A conservative Republican and a progressive Democrat in the U.S. Senate [introduced] legislation on Wednesday to replace the Federal Reserve's internal watchdog with one appointed by the president, aiming to tighten bank supervision following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.” — “After bank failures, Elizabeth Warren demands Fed crackdown on large regional banks,” by Matt Egan, CNN: “In a new letter shared exclusively with CNN, Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and ten other senators are calling for the Fed to crack down on large regional banks with assets between $100 billion and $250 billion.”
| | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — “Cannabis regulators putting out ‘a series of fires’ involving a Russian oligarch and data breach,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News: “Thousands of employees in the Massachusetts cannabis industry received an official email last week about a major data breach: the name, home and email address, phone number and date of birth of every cannabis worker in the state had been made public in an ‘inadvertent release of agency documents’ by the state’s own Cannabis Control Commission.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Springfield City Council backs resolution for a 50% subsidy for PVTA bus lines,” by Jonah Snowden, MassLive: “City Councilor and mayoral candidate Justin Hurst has pushed forward a resolution to benefit residents who take public transportation. The council on Monday voted to support a resolution that would approve a 50% subsidy for all of Springfield residents for the next two years. The end goal would be to make public transportation permanently subsidized for riders within those two years. The initiative would cost about $4 million over that time.” — “AG cites Great Barrington officials for holding closed sessions on short-term rental bylaw revisions,” by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: “The Select Board in 2022 violated the state’s open-meeting laws, the Massachusetts Attorney General Office has ruled, when two board members peeled away to privately hone the town’s proposed short-term rental bylaw before bringing it back to the entire board for a vote.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Lexington bans sale of new fur products in near-unanimous town meeting vote,” by Chris McLaughlin, MassLive: “Lexington is now the sixth municipality in Massachusetts to adopt such a ban, with the ordinance passing by a margin of 161 town meeting members in favor, to two against, according to MSPCA Advocacy.” — “Appeals Court upholds former Brookfield selectman violated conflict-of-interest law,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “The Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld a decision Tuesday finding Stephen J. Comtois II, a former Brookfield selectman, violated the state conflict-of-interest law when he acted as a selectman concerning a donation of land to the town that he was interested in purchasing.” — "With school transportation an 'equity' issue, mayor wants Home Rule petition to change law," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News.
| | A message from NextEra Energy: Affordable, carbon emissions-free, reliable, electricity from nuclear energy. Seabrook Station lowers consumer energy costs in Massachusetts and New England by providing a year-round, low-cost, baseload energy supply. And American-made nuclear energy supports hundreds of jobs across New England. | | | | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Sen. Paul Feeney. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: FIRE IN THE POLL — Hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith dig into the state of polling. Smith and host Lisa Kashinsky take a look at both sides of the debate over gig-workers’ rights. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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