Keller at Large
NEWS ITEM: Citing Dunkin’ Donuts, Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hints at a crackdown on sugary coffee drinks.
The hotly contested chase for the title of dumbest Trump administration official has a new leader in the clubhouse.
By dumping on Dunkin’ Donuts (and – blecch – Starbucks), Kennedy is not only taking aim at the two most popular US coffee chains, but also stepping firmly onto the third rail of American politics – nanny-state efforts to take away our sugary treats.
Or maybe it’s the brain worm talking.
Gov. Maura Healey was quick to capitalize on Kennedy’s blunder, posting a picture of a DD iced coffee over the words “COME AND TAKE IT.” She might have added – as some of the DD devotees we saw interviewed on TV about RFK Jr.’s gaffe did – the stern warning the late Charlton Heston used to defiantly holler as president of the National Rifle Association: “FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS.”
No wonder Healey understands the political toxicity of Kennedy’s rhetoric. It’s been over a year since the governor casually floated removing the sales-tax exemption from candy, an idea so unpopular she dropped it faster than a pinless hand grenade, never to be heard again.
But while Kennedy quickly shifted to damage-control mode, his Dunkin’ debacle should be understood in the broader context of the Trump regime’s war on Massachusetts.
This jihad is being waged on two fronts.
HAPPENING TODAY
10:30 | The joint Ways and Means Committee holds its first of several hearings around the state centered on a different part of Gov. Maura Healey’s $63.38 billion fiscal 2027 budget proposal. The hearing, chaired by Rep. Kip Diggs and Sen. Michael Brady, is focused on economic development, housing, labor and technology services spending. Representatives from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Executive Office of Economic Development, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, and Executive Office of Technology Services and Security are set to testify. | Barnstable Town Hall, 367 Main St., Hyannis | Livestream
10:30 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper make an announcement on the 2025 Boston Public Schools high school graduation rates. | Dearborn STEM Academy, 36 Winthrop Street, Roxbury
11:00 | Gov. Maura Healey meets with Treasurer Deb Goldberg. The meeting is closed press. | Treasurer’s Office, State House, Boston
1:00 | The Mass. Life Sciences Center partners with Johnson & Johnson to announce the eighth cohort of awardees from the Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative. Four entrepreneurs will receive awards of $100,000 per company, including in-kind services from MassNextGen sponsors. | Cambridge Innovation Center, 3rd Floor, Mosaic Conference Room, 245 Main Street, Cambridge
BUILDING TRADES BACK KOH
Dan Koh keeps building up his list of union endorsements as he makes his second run at a Congressional seat.
The Massachusetts Building Trades Unions, which have 75,000 members in the construction industry, say they’re backing Koh in the race to replace Seth Moulton, who is taking on U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in a Democratic primary.
“The members of our 62 union locals deserve a leader who will join our fight for better working conditions, accessible healthcare, and more affordable communities. Dan has spent his career advocating for us — we know he will be our fighter in Congress,” union chief Frank Callahan said in a statement.
The unions join North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and IBEW 103 on the list of endorsers of Koh, who worked for labor leader Marty Walsh in City Hall. – Gintautas Dumcius
FROM BEACON HILL
ENERGY BILL: The energy affordability bill approved by House lawmakers last week would have a limited impact if it becomes law, Speaker Ron Mariano said. “The completely honest answer is it’s not going to help much at all,” because the federal government has walked away from helping fund alternatives to fossil fuels, he added. – WCVB
MEDICAID PROBE: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led by Kentucky Republican Brett Guthrie, has sent Gov. Maura Healey and state health officials a letter demanding records on the state’s Medicaid program. The committee characterized it as a bid to “ensure program integrity” in Massachusetts and nine other states. – Eagle-Tribune
BALLOT BLOCKING EFFORT: Democrats from Newton and Cambridge are asking the Supreme Judicial Court to toss the proposed ballot question that would eliminate a partisan primary system and allow for an “all-party” primary. – CommonWealth Beacon
ICY REPLY: Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, an agency that has repeatedly ignored court orders, is now in high dudgeon over Gov. Maura Healey’s demands for information on arrests within Massachusetts. Lyons and U.S. Attorney Leah Foley issued a joint statement criticizing Healey’s demands Friday. – Boston Herald
NEWS NEXT DOOR
WORLD CUP WOES: The Kraft Group traded public statements with Foxborough officials, with the Gillette Stadium owner saying they are “deeply disappointed” they remain at odds with the town over security funding as the World Cup draws near. The town officials said, “While the total cost for such [security] services is a microscopic fraction of the revenue that the events will generate, the Town has been met, at every turn, with resistance from the Kraft Group and other event organizers.” – MassLive
SOUTHIE STREET: A reworked plan for the redevelopment of an area close to Boston’s Menino Convention Center calls for extending F Street. The extended street could also help expand the MBTA’s Silver Line bus. – Boston Business Journal
BROKEN WINDOWS: A family in Chelsea is suing the federal government after immigration agents shattered a car window and detained a family member. The Lawyers for Civil Rights is representing the family in the suit. – GBH News
MORE HEADLINES
Healey’s economic development chief on competitiveness and affordability