Happening Today
‘Final farewell,’ Ice Bucket Challenge, and more
— Officials from Holyoke, Westfield and West Springfield will hold a press conference to announce revenues from the Tri-City Carbon Sequestration Program, with Sens. Donald Humason and James Welch and Reps. Aaron Vega, John Velis and Michael Finn among those expected to attend, Bear Hole Watershed, West Springfield, 10 a.m.
— Late Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter’s funeral procession passes City Hall at 10:30 a.m., with the public invited to say a ‘final farewell,’ afterwhich a private burial will be held, City Hall, School Street, Brockton, 10:30 a.m.,
— Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito participate in the ALS Association’s 5th Anniversary Celebration of the Ice Bucket Challenge, Copley Square (in front of Trinity Church), Boston, 11:30 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides, Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Leo Roy and staff from the Dillaway-Thomas House and the Boston NAACP gather to highlight the DCR Summer Nights Program, 183 Roxbury Street, Boston, 12:30 p.m.
— Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure takes up 38 bills on automobile regulations, alcohol and more, including legislation that would significantly increase the alcohol excise taxes that manufacturers and importers pay, Room A-2, 1 p.m.
— Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies to hear a number of bills related to gaming and economic development, among them legislation filed by lawmakers in the area of Plainridge Park Casino that would authorize gaming licenses in the area, Hearing Room B-2, 1:30 p.m.
For more calendar listings, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available) and MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below.
Today’s Stories
Beyond ugly: Reactions to Trump’s ‘go home’ comments to Pressley et gang
So how ugly were President Trump’s comments yesterday about how U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and three other female members of the “squad” should “go back” to their countries of origins (or whatever)? So ugly that even hyper-partisan and hyper-conservative columnist Adriana Cohen at the Herald is mildly rebuking the president for his “poorly worded tweet storm.”
Pressley thinks the president’s remarks about four women of color go a little beyond just “poorly worded.” From the Globe’s Gal Tziperman Lotan: “Ayanna Pressley hits back at Trump: ‘This is what racism looks like.’” From the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter: “Ayanna Pressley slams ‘racism’ of President Trump’s tweets.” From WGBH’s Saraya Wintersmith: “Rep. Pressley Says Racism On Display In Trump’s Tweets To Congresswomen.”
The irony, if that’s the right word, is that the political tide seemed to be turning against Pressley and her fellow squad members before the president’s tweet storm yesterday, as the Dem interparty skirmishing between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the “squad” showed signs of heating up again. NYT columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had “slimed the speaker” by bringing race into the Pelosi-Squad dispute. And then there was this from the NYT: “Top Ocasio-Cortez Aide Becomes a Symbol of Democratic Division.” And Pressley herself was pouring fuel on the fire, via the Washington Post: “House Democrats’ racially charged infighting escalates.”
But that was all before Trump’s jaw-dropping tweets yesterday – and the debate, rightly, shifted focus. We’ll end the debate for the day with this final (and appropriate) headline, via Universal Hub, of course: “White Nationalist in Chief demands Ayanna Pressley move back to Chicago.”
RMV mismanagement update: A ‘virtually nonexistent system’ to track dangerous interstate drivers
It wasn’t just a year of gross mismanagement – and it wasn’t just one area of gross mismanagement. From a three-reporter team at the Globe: “Hundreds more Massachusetts drivers had their licenses suspended this week amid a growing scandal at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, officials acknowledged Friday, while revealing that the agency had also failed for years to notify other states when their drivers ran afoul of local driving laws.”
SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall) has more on the deepening records scandal at RMV.
So whatever happened to all those immigration raids?
Was it simply more bluster from the White House? It sure looks like it. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration’s vow of massive weekend round-ups of undocumented immigrants never really materialized. We found this line interesting in Diamond Naga Siu’s Globe story: “The plan to fan out in unison across immigrant communities Sunday morning was changed at the last minute because of widespread publicity, according to several current and former Department of Homeland Security officials.”
Widespread publicity originally emanating from the White House, it should be noted.
DEP chief brushes aside senators, upholds compressor-station permit
From Jessica Trufant at the Patriot Ledger: “The state’s top environmental regulator affirmed approval of an air-quality permit for a proposed natural gas compressor station in the Fore River Basin on Friday, a day after more than three-quarters of the state’s senators urged its rejection.” SHNS’s Chris Lisinkski (pay wall) has more on the ruling, including the disappointed-but-not-surprised reaction of opponents.
Baker returns ‘Janus bill’ back to lawmakers, citing privacy concerns
Gov. Charlie Baker has returned the so-called “Janus bill” to the legislature with recommendations, saying the union-backed bill lacks privacy protections for those required to disclose personal information to unions trying to collect money from workers. Shira Schoenberg at MassLive has the details.
Like clockwork: Baker succumbs to second-term-itis
Speaking of the governor, you can add the Herald’s Howie Carr to the growing list of those thinking Gov. Charlie Baker is showing more than a few signs of second-term-itis – and Howie wonders when “lame duck” will start to be regularly used to describe Baker’s status. Which makes us wonder if Baker’s recent suggestion that he may seek a third-term is merely a way to fend off lame-duck analyses.
Meanwhile, CommonWealth magazine’s Andy Metzger has some advice for the governor: “Sometimes a Mr. Fix-it needs to get under the hood.”
Gerry Callahan out at WEEI: ‘The bad guys win’
We can only guess who he thinks the ‘bad guys’ are, but we do know that longtime morning sports/conservative-politics radio host Gerry Callahan has announced he’s leaving WEEI, after 20 years of broadcasting and generating controversies during the morning drive. Jonathan Ng at the Herald has more.
Boston professors give Globe an ‘F’ for Rollins coverage
Speaking of the media, a group of 19 Boston-area university and law school faculty members from Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University have sent an open letter to Globe editor Brian McGrory in response to what they call “misleading reporting” about Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins, according to CommonWealth magazine, which runs the letter in full.
Warren feels the love at NetRoots Nation
At least for the weekend, she owned the progressive lane. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the only major Democratic presidential candidate to turn out for the NetRoots Nation gathering of hard-core progressive activists –as other candidates sought to avoid the kind of gotcha moments that have marked the event in the past, Natasha Korecki and Holly Otterbein report at Politico.
Matt Szafranski at Western Massachusetts Politics & Insight have more on the lovefest at Netroots Nation.
Booker’s backdrop bust
If presidential hopeful Cory Booker was looking for big headlines, he got at least a few, via the Herald, though not necessarily of the type he wanted: “Bullet Points” (splashed across Saturday’s front page) and “Booker playing politics with Hub violence” (Joe Battenfeld column). In other words, Booker’s attempt to use the recent rash of city shootings to highlight his gun-control platform was a minor bust.
Speaking of the presidential race and the feisty city tabloid, political columnist Peter Lucas thinks it’s only a matter of time before we wave good-bye to Joe Biden on the campaign trail.
At end of week of mourning, Brockton told to get back to fighting for late mayor’s goals
The city of Champions ended a week of mourning and remembering late Mayor Bill Carpenter with a public funeral service at Brockton High School and the hundreds that turned out were told to pick up the fights that Carpenter waged, Josie Alberston-Grove reports in The Enterprise. The City Council is expected to name a temporary mayor to serve until the November election as soon as this evening. Fyi: Residents will have another chance this morning to say a “final farewell” to Carpenter. See our Happening Today schedule above.
Vineyard Wind appeals Edgartown panel’s rejection of transmission cables
Vineyard Wind is appealing to the state the Edgartown Conservation Commission’s rejection of its plans to lay transmission cables about a mile east of Edgartown, the AP reports at WBUR.
Meanwhile, WGBH’s Arun Rather and Sarah Mizes-Tan talk about Vineyard Wind’s recent regulatory setbacks to its proposed massive offshore wind farm south of Martha’s Vineyard – and Mizes-Tan believes fed regulators pose a far more serious challenge to the project than local opposition.
Is there movement to include all motorists, not just Pike and Tobin drivers, in future congestion-pricing plans?
At WGBH, Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, lists five policies to address the state’s transportation crisis. What caught our attention is how he advocates for “smarter tolling on all highways within Route 128, including I-93, I-90 and parts of Route 1, Route 1A and Route 2.” He apparently still favors a pilot program for Pike and Tobin motorists, currently the only commuters paying daily tolls of any kind, and we hope lawmakers reject such a gambit. It’s merely a trap to win partial congestion pricing and stick it to a minority of drivers – yet again.
Meanwhile, Christopher Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Tech Council, takes aim at revenue-raising measures in general to address the state’s transportation woes, writing at CommonWealth magazine that more public-private consultations/cooperation is needed.
Three Cape beaches closed due to shark sightings
Another summer weekend, more Cape beach closings due to Great White Shark sightings, reports Beth Treffeisen at the Cape Cod Times. Meanwhile, there was another large shark recently spotted off the Cape coast, but it wasn’t of the man-eating variety. The Globe has the details (and a video)
Btw: If you haven’t already, definitely check out the Globe Magazine piece by Neil Swidey on the Great White Shark invasion of Cape waters – and the efforts by one marine fisheries biologist to understand what the heck is happening off the coast of Cape Cod. It’s a long article, but worth the time to read.
Blast from the past: Three years later, City Hall extortion trial on deck
Here we go, at long last. Milton Valencia of the Globe sets the stage for the extortion trial of two City Hall aides that’s finally set to kick off, some three years after the federal indictments first rocked the Walsh administration.
Kraft makes $100K donation to kin of NH motorcyclists (and he has a new girlfriend too)
New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft made a surprise donation of $100,000 to the families of the seven motorcyclists killed in last month’s horrrendous crash in New Hampshire, reports CBS Boston. But what was one of the most-read stories yesterday in the Globe? That Kraft, still dealing with that pesky prostitution-solicitation charge in Florida, may have a new gal pal, as the Globe reports.
Lucky 13? Polar CEO becomes latest part-owner of PawSox
Speaking of sports-team owners, Ralph Crowley is going all in. The Polar Beverages CEO will become the 13th owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Cyrus Moulton at the Telegram reports. PawSox President Larry Lucchino announced the move at the team’s groundbreaking for Polar Park late last week.
CMO Breakfast with Massachusetts General Hospital
Register for a CMO Breakfast with Misty Hathaway, the Chief Marketing Officer of MGH.
RCV Lobby Day
Join us July 16 as we gather with other electoral reform advocates and meet at the State House with legislators and representatives from across the state, urging them to support RCV! Hear from our expert speakers, then meet with your own representatives and tell them that you want RCV in MA!
Evaluating Creative: How to Get the Best from Your Creative Team- Professional Development
This full day workshop will focus on best practices for evaluating creative; why, when and how to evaluate creative work (and how not to!), comparing work against your brief, asking the right questions, giving productive feedback, and understanding and valuing team members roles.
Masters of Scale Live Podcast Event
Join the first-ever live recording of the Masters of Scale podcast! Host Reid Hoffman will lead a captivating conversation with a legendary founder (and some special guests) in an evening full of illuminating stories, hard-won truths and high-level insight on growing a business.
CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon
Don’t miss your chance to meet & learn from Boston’s top CFOs at the 11th annual CFO of the Year Awards!
YoungDemsRead Book Club: The Fifth Risk
Join #YoungDemsRead in reading “The Fifth Risk” by Michael Lewis in July Meet new friends in Boston and discuss this spellbinding piece.
Greater Boston Young Democrats
Today’s Headlines
Metro
In search of a second city for New England startups – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Asbestos prevents Stoughton from sharing pieces of old high school – Brockton Enterprise
Springfield mayoral candidate Linda Matys O’Connell: ‘Winds of change are blowing’ – MassLive
Bourne permits use of public sidewalk for private sign – Cape Cod Times
Nation
EPA to allow use of pesticides beekeepers say decimate beneficial insects – CBS News
Epstein was a sex offender. The rich and powerful still embraced him – New York Times
How to Contact MASSterList
Send tips to Matt Murphy: Editor@MASSterList.com. For advertising inquiries and job board postings, please contact Dylan Rossiter: Publisher@MASSterList.com or (857) 370-1156. Follow @MASSterList on Twitter.