News: Risks and rewards

Monday, September 30, 2024

Risks and rewards

Sep 30, 2024

Presented by Mass General Brigham

NOT NOT SAYING I TOLD YOU SO — Seth Moulton doesn’t have regrets about his role in pushing his party to pick a new nominee.

The Salem Democrat was the third member of Congress to urge Joe Biden to call off his reelection campaign after the president’s calamitous debate performance — before the cascade that led to Biden’s announcement in July.

Now Vice President Kamala Harris has gained ground in some key states where Biden was trailing, and her campaign’s record fundraising is paying off for down-ballot Democrats.

It’s not all about vindication, Moulton insisted: “I just did what I thought was right. I spoke my mind,” Moulton said during an interview on NBC10 Boston’s “At Issue” Sunday. “The bottom line is that Joe Biden was going to lose to Donald Trump, and that's not an acceptable result. Kamala Harris is doing extraordinarily well,” he added, before noting that the race is still neck and neck.

It may have come at a cost. Moulton acknowledged that he and Biden haven’t spoken since he pushed the president to step aside, in part through a Boston Globe op-ed detailing an interaction where, in Moulton’s telling, Biden didn’t recognize him.

“I haven't heard from him, and so maybe that means there's some damage done [to our relationship]. But at the end of the day, I think President Biden knows that he did the right thing for the country,” Moulton said.

And the benefits may outweigh whatever rift the move caused in the interim. Between boosted fundraising and a bump to voters’ eagerness to head to the polls with Harris atop the ticket, congressional Democratic candidates now stand a better chance of achieving Moulton’s goal of a Democratic House majority.

He’s not the only one whose early call for Biden to step aside has aged well. Gov. Maura Healey was the first Democratic governor to nudge Biden to the exit, and an early endorser of Harris when she stepped up.

The president bristled at reports that Healey called his post-debate position “irretrievable,” publicly urging him to “carefully evaluate” whether or not to stay in the race (after he already said he was sticking it out).

But Healey has since earned a primetime speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, and become a regular surrogate on the Sunday show circuit and the campaign trail.

We’ll have to wait and see if it pays off in November. Even if Harris wins, former President Donald Trump has used the switch-up to claim the election is rigged against him.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Keep: St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Brighton, which Healey announced the state had seized by eminent domain Friday.

Toss: Steward Health CEO Ralph de la Torre, who has “amicably separated” from the company “on mutually agreeable terms,” the company told local news outlets over the weekend. De la Torre is still facing possible prison time after ignoring a congressional subpoena.

Now, almost two months after Healey said “good riddance, and goodbye” to Steward Health Care, the state has reached its deadline to close the deal on a proposal that would extricate the company from Massachusetts.

Massachusetts already shelled out tens of millions of dollars to keep the six existing Steward facilities running, but that funding is set to run out by the end of the day today. The state expects to pay hundreds of millions more over the next three years to help the hospitals transition to new leadership.

Lawyers were still debating the details during a rare Sunday hearing yesterday. More on that from the Boston Herald.

Meanwhile, questions remain about what will happen to the facility that until recently was Dorchester’s Carney Hospital. Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune emphasized Sunday on WCVB’s “On the Record” that the community there depended on the since-shuttered local hospital for care.

“We need to make sure that we have a healthcare facility there,” she said.

TODAY — Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Rep. Jim McGovern visit the Joe Czajkowski Farm at 11:30 a.m. in Hadley. Attorney General Andrea Campbell receives an award for public leadership from MASSCOSH in an awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Boston.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Groups continue to spar over wealth flight claims,” by Christian M. Wade, The Newburyport Daily News: “Supporters and opponents of the so-called ‘millionaires tax’ are still sparring over whether the 2-year-old law is driving businesses and wealthy households out of the state. A recent report by the left-leaning policy group Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center says IRS data from July 2022 to July 2023 shows that Massachusetts has a lower rate of outmigration among high-income households earning $200,000 or more a year than that of low- and middle-income households.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Retired Boston employees want an increase to their pension checks. The mayor’s office says no,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “The Boston City Council presented a united front at a meeting last week, calling for the city to increase retired municipal employees’ pensions. The symbolic vote came a week after a cost of living increase was rejected by the Boston Retirement Board and won’t have an effect on retirees’ pension checks.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Red Line to resume Quincy, Braintree service, following long closure for repairs,” by Maddie Khaw, The Boston Globe.

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

MA-01 WATCH — The New York Times dug into the story behind independent Nadia Milleron’s longshot bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Richard Neal.

ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Sen. Ed Markey has endorsed former Methuen City Councilor Eunice Zeigler for Governor’s Council in District 5.

— “'Ensures our governor didn't become a king': Retired Stoughton judge runs for Guv's Council,” Alisha Saint-Ciel, The Brockton Enterprise: “Francis T. Crimmins Jr. is the Republican candidate for the Governor's Council Second District seat — which represents dozens of communities including Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Randolph, Stoughton and West Bridgewater. The retired judge and lifelong Stoughton resident said he hopes to win the election to preserve what the ‘founding fathers’ created.”

— “In 4th Hampden House Contest, the Challenger is Winning the Money Race,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: “[T]he commonwealth’s western end has few competitive general election contests. Some contests do not even feature candidates from both major parties. One exception is the 4th Hampden House district, where the Democratic challenger has quietly outraised the GOP incumbent. Democrat Bridget Matthews-Kane, the Westfield City Councilor for Ward 3, had entered the race with an unusual asset for a challenge to a sitting state rep: money.”

WATCH — “‘The difference could not be more stark’: Massachusetts governor previews VP debate,” via MSNBC.

ON THE BORDER — Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans late last week to take President Joe Biden’s controversial asylum policies even further if elected.

That’s just fine with Gov. Maura Healey, who backed Biden executive actions earlier this year that didn’t land well among some of the state’s top Democrats: “Vice President Harris is putting forward the solutions we need at the border — pledging to work across the aisle to strengthen border security, increase border agents and combat the flow of fentanyl,” Healey said in a statement. “Meanwhile, Donald Trump failed to address border concerns as President and continues to block a bipartisan border security bill purely for his own political gain.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

ESCALATING TENSIONS — Israeli blasts in Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah Friday, after weeks of Israeli strikes that Lebanese officials say have killed more than 1,000 in Lebanon.

The U.S. is bolstering its military presence in the Middle East as it braces for a potential wider war between Israel, Iran and others in the region. Al Jezeera has an explainer on where the conflict stands.

Rep. Seth Moulton didn’t say what the U.S.’s “red line” should be when it comes to supporting Israel’s actions against Hezbollah, but warned Sunday on NBC10 Boston that “Hezbollah is about 10 times as strong as Hamas in Gaza.”

“I'm not sure it's in Israel's interest to have an all out war with Hezbollah, and we've already seen some disturbing numbers about civilian casualties in Beirut and surrounding areas,” Moulton said.

MORE — “Local families fear for loved ones displaced in Lebanon,” by Magdiela Matta, GBH News.

A message from Mass General Brigham:

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Markey's Amazon bill wins rare bipartisan support,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Sen. Ed Markey is touting rare bipartisan support for a proposal to set federal restrictions on the use of productivity quotas by warehouse employers such as Amazon, which labor unions and other critics say puts workers at higher risk of injury. The Warehouse Worker Protection Act, filed by Markey and several other Democrats, would require employers to be more transparent about workplace quotas and potential disciplinary consequences.”

ON CAMPUS

‘SORRY, HARVARD’ — Football, cheaper tuition, warm weather and #Rushtok: the Wall Street Journal’s Douglas Belkin and Andrea Fuller break down why more northerners are ditching New England for colleges in the South.

ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR

HELENE’S PATH OF DESTRUCTION — At least 90 people have died across South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia after Hurricane Helene swept the southeast late last week. Hundreds of thousands were still without power as of Sunday evening, and FEMA has dispatched search and rescue teams and Starlink satellites to the impacted areas.

Eversource and National Grid crews from Massachusetts headed south to help get power back up over the weekend. More from the Asheville Citizen Times, the Knoxville News Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.

LOCAL ANGLE — Two top aides to embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams were married on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend, per the New York Times, amid the federal investigation that’s engulfed Adams’ City Hall. The wedding of New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who had their home searched by federal authorities earlier this month, is fueling speculation that the pair is hoping to seek spousal privilege in potential federal criminal proceedings, POLITICO’s Madina Touré reports.

FROM THE 413

— “Vape detectors at Westfield schools may be tamping down on e-cigarette use,” by Tyler Lederer, MassLive.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “In poignant ghost bike ceremony, John Corcoran remembered by cyclists and loved ones in Cambridge,” by Shannon Larson, The Boston Globe.

— “Mayor says Brockton schools need 'radical changes' to budget process. What does that mean?,” by Christopher Butler, The Brockton Enterprise: “

— “Hundreds pay their last respects to Methuen Mayor Neil Perry,” by Teddy Tauscher, The Eagle-Tribune: “Hundreds of residents, city employees and dignitaries, including Gov. Maura Healey, paid their last respects to Mayor Neil Perry during a public memorial service Sunday afternoon. Perry, 66, died Sept. 21 at Lawrence General Hospital while surrounded by his family. He will be laid to rest Monday. The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. at St. Monica Parish, 212 Lawrence St., with interment to follow at Elmwood Cemetery, 130 N. Lowell Street.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Ollie Stephenson is joining FAS as Associate Director of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Policy. He previously worked for Sen. Ed Markey.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Tom Mahoney, Joe Rull, SVP at Benchmark Strategies; Greg Mecher, Arielle Picheny Dufour, Phillip Martin, Paul Guercio, Michael T. Giordano and former state Rep. Liz Malia

A message from Mass General Brigham:

At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually.

The vision for Mass General Brigham is to build a world-class center of cancer care, with the patients at the center of everything we do. New collaborations, new treatments, and innovative approaches. Leading to new hope and possibilities. At Mass General Brigham, we’re one against cancer. Learn more.

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