Happening Today
Governor in California
Gov. Charlie Baker continues his trip to California, attending a TechNet Roundtable this morning hosted at Cisco, San Jose, Calif.
Gaming Commission
Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets to possibly vote on gaming service employee registration and on a fiscal 2018 budget, 101 Federal St. – 12th floor, Boston, 10 a.m.
Cariddi funeral
A funeral will be held for the late Rep. Gailanne Cariddi at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, 70 Marshall St., North Adams, 11 a.m.
‘David Ortiz Drive’
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, for Red Sox star David Ortiz, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and others unveil the new ‘David Ortiz Drive,’ formerly known as Yawkey Way Extension, between Brookline Avenue and Yawkey Station, Fenway, Boston, 12:30 p.m.
Senate marijuana vote
Senate meets in full session to take up its version of an omnibus marijuana bill, Gardner Auditorium, 1 p.m.
Auditor’s health-care cost council
Auditor Suzanne Bump hosts a meeting of the advisory council assessing the impacts of the 2012 health-care cost containment law, One Ashburton Place, 10th floor, 1 p.m.
Today’s Stories
Next up: Marijuana showdown
As expected, the House last night approved its expansive rewrite of the Question 4 marijuana-legalization initiative, reports Joshua Miller at the Globe. With the Senate expected to vote today on a less restrictive bill that more closely hews to stipulations within Question 4, the issue is expected to head to a conference-committee showdown, reports the Herald’s Matt Stout and O’Ryan Johnson. SHNS’s Andy Metzger and Colin Young (pay wall) have more on last night’s vote and today’s expected vote.
Baker files contingency budget amid reports shortfall could hit $900M
Gov. Charlie Baker has filed a temporary $5 billion budget to keep state government running through July in case lawmakers fail to craft a permanent budget before the next fiscal year starts in eight days, reports SHNS’s Katie Lannan. The governor’s move indicates he doesn’t think a budget deal is likely by June 30 – and it comes as the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed group, is estimating that revenue estimates for next year may be off by as much as $900 million, forcing lawmakers in the House and Senate to further revise and cut the budgets they’ve already approved.
So what’s Moulton’s hidden message behind calls for a new message?
As noted previously, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton will never escape a NYT report earlier this year that he has his eye on the White House. Though Moulton has denied he’s angling for a presidential run, the Globe’s James Pindell brings the subject up again this morning in a piece about what’s behind Moulton’s post-Georgia tweet storm and endorsement of Dem candidates. Pindell outlines three possible scenarios: Moulton is angling for a House leadership post; a future run for U.S. Senate against Ed Markey; or a future presidential bid. The Ed Markey scenario sounds pretty far-fetched, but not the other two.
The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld isn’t dwelling on Moulton’s future, but he does say Democrats should be listening more to Moulton and U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III’s calls for a better party message.
Don’t forget Katherine Clark. She’s not happy either
Amid all the attention Seth Moulton is receiving post-Georgia election, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark is also expressing her disappointment over the Georgia outcome, but, unlike Moulton, she isn’t calling for a single new party message. Instead, she’s advocating that each Democrat find his or her own voice in races, reports James Pindell at the Globe.
The knives are out for Nancy Pelosi — again
Still on the post-Georgia fallout: We’d be curious to hear in coming days exactly what Seth Moulton, Stephen Lynch, Michael Capuano and other members of the state’s Congressional delegation think about the latest talk of ousting Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, post-Georgia disaster. The knife sharpening, as reported by the NYT, probably won’t amount to much. Why? Because she’s very good at one thing: M-O-N-E-Y. As is in raising lots of it.
Polarization over Lowell’s $340M high school
How do you get people’s minds off of last year’s polarizing presidential election? Propose a polarizing $340 million new high school. That’ll do the trick. The Herald’s Kathleen McKiernan has more on Lowell’s plan to build one of the most expensive high schools in the nation.
MGM suit comes up craps – again
MGM has lost another legal round in its bid to block a third Connecticut casino. Saying any competitive threat is “purely abstract,” a federal appeals court backed up a lower court ruling that MGM did not have standing to try to block a deal paving the way for a tribal casino near where MGM Springfield is under construction, MassLive reports.
Dookham ordered to pay $2M to wrongly convicted man
A million dollars for every year he wrongly spent in prison sounds reasonable to us. The Globe’s Sean Musgrave and an AP report at the Herald have the latest on the harm Annie Dookhan, the disgraced former state chemist, has inflicted on others.
House members remember Gailanne Cariddi
Amid the debate over marijuana regulations and other issues, House members took time out yesterday to remember late Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, who passed away over the weekend and whose funeral will be held today in North Adams. State Reps. Paul Mark and William ‘Smitty’ Pignatelli gave particularly moving tributes. SHNS has the story and video.
Fidelity was one of five investors pushing Uber CEO’s ouster
Boston’s Fidelity Investments, the giant mutual fund company, usually shies away from social, political and management controversies at corporations. But the NYT is reporting that Fidelity was one of five major investors who simply couldn’t take Uber CEO Travis Kalanick anymore and pressed for his ouster. Greg Ryan at the BBJ has more on Fidelity’s action.
Hey, the American flag doesn’t belong to Trump. Got it?
The Globe’s Joan Vennochi, no fan of President Trump, recently found herself explaining to an anti-Trump activist who knocked on her door that the American flag hanging outside her home didn’t mean she was a Trump supporter. She basically asks: Have we really come to this? It’s a good column. Read it.
Islamophobia on the Orange Line, the N-word in the Back Bay
First, Simón Rios’s jaw dropped after he heard a guy screaming the n-word at an African American in Boston’s tony Back Bay, as he recounts at WBUR, and now a 34-year-old is facing charges of rampant Islamophobia on the Orange Line, as also reported at WBUR. Hopefully, comedian Michael Che isn’t paying attention to the latest coming out of our fair city.
State’s toll-taker buyout taking a toll
From the Herald’s Matt Stout: “State transportation officials are shelling out nearly $12 million to cover hundreds of incentive-laden packages they gave ex-toll collectors, completing the pricey deal the state cut to eliminate their jobs in the shift to all-electronic tolling.”
Post-millionaires tax: Will they stay or will they go?
With apologies to the Clash, the big question over the millionaire’s tax is whether millionaires will stay or go if it’s ever passed. The Globe’s Michael Levenson takes a look at all the studies floating out there on the issue. It’s not as clear-cut as proponents and opponents argue, but basically the consensus answer is: Some will leave, most will stay, revenue collections will increase but become more volatile, and charities may take a big hit. Fyi: Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, has an opinion piece in the BBJ blasting the proposed millionaire’s tax.
Markey’s warning: Bay State’s opioid crisis a mere ‘preview of coming attractions’ elsewhere
From Shannon Young at MassLive: “Pointing to the high number of overdose deaths in Massachusetts in recent years, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey contended Wednesday that his state offers a ‘preview of coming attractions’ to those that have yet to be as hard hit by the opioid-epidemic.” Markey is urging his colleagues to support more federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
New Bedford tackles opioids with a ‘diversion’ plan
The city of New Bedford will launch new initiatives aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic, moves the police chief hope will put the community in a leadership role statewide. Michael Bonner of the Standard-Times reports the city will launch a diversion program to steer addicts away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The city is also opening a drop-in center for addicts seeking services.
Homeland Security confirms Russians trying to hack into state election systems
A top official at the Department of Homeland Security is generally confirming a recent Bloomberg News report that people connected to the Russian government have tried to hack into election-related computer systems in a number of states, reports the Washington Post. Officials are declining to say which 21 states were targeted.
MIT’s big plans for Kendall Square’s Volpe Center
The Globe’s Tim Logan has the details on what MIT is planning to do with the sprawling Volpe Center in the heart of Cambridge’s Kendall Square. If they can really build new offices, labs and residential units and still preserve 3.5 acres of open and community space, it’s a plan worthy of consideration. Maintaining the current park-like design is key.
Telegram challenges judge’s order on SWAT case
The Telegram & Gazette is legally challenging a federal judge’s decision to issue a blanket ban on media access to pretrial documents in a lawsuit filed by a Worcester family against the city over an errant SWAT raid in 2015, Brad Petrishen of the Telegram reports. The city has argued that much of what it is producing in the trial needs to be shielded from public disclosure for security reasons.
Retirements set back BPD diversity
A surge of retirements is hampering the Boston Police Department’s efforts to become more diverse, Delores Handy of WBUR reports. Many of the officers now retiring were hired under a consent decree requiring more diversity in hiring— a ruling that was overturned in 2004.
29th Annual Charitable Golf Tournament benefiting Heading Home
Since it began in 1988, the NAIOP Massachusetts Annual Golf Tournament has raised a total of $2,500,000 for Heading Home. These annual donations have helped fund the successful combination of permanent housing, plus comprehensive services for Greater Boston’s homeless. Join us this year at a new venue – The International!
Author Talk and Book Signing with Joshua Kendall
Author talk and book signing with Joshua Kendall, author of First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama.
State Library of Massachusetts
Frontiers of Democracy Conference 2017 in Boston
In 2017, the frontiers of democracy are threatened around the world. Leaders and movements that have popular support—yet are charged with being undemocratic, xenophobic, and illiberal—are influential or dominant throughout the world. Please join us for a discussion of what we must do to defend and expand the frontiers of democracy.
Boston Summerfest
The Fletcher School will host Boston Summerfest, an annual forum for prospective students interested in graduate programs in international affairs. Alumni, current students and staff representing five top schools will be available to answer questions. We hope you will join us to learn more about our institutions and take advantage of this opportunity to network with professionals!
The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Today’s Headlines
Metro
MIT plans massive project for Kendall Square – Boston Globe
As more officers reach retirement age, Boston’s police force is becoming less diverse – WBUR
Massachusetts
T&G challenges federal order in Worcester SWAT raid lawsuit – Telegram & Gazette
Judge orders Dookhan to pay $2m to wrongly convicted man – Boston Globe
First Lady Lauren Baker finds her calling with the Wonderfund – Gloucester Times
15-story Quincy Center apartment tower gets green light – Patriot Ledger
Captain, pilot of ferry in Hyannisport crash placed on leave – Cape Cod Times
New Bedford police chief Cordeiro seeking new ways to fight opioid crisis – Standard-Times
Brockton mayor traveling to ritzy Miami hotel for conference – Brockton Enterprise
Nation
White House shows no signs of reopening Paris talks – Politico
Wall Street Journal fires Jay Solomon over involvement with arms dealer – Politico
Democrats take stock: ‘Our brand is worse than Trump’ – New York Times
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