Gubernatorial candidates face off after Healey declares an energy emergency

The week began with an energy emergency, morphed into a battle over President Trump, and ended with a looming nurse strike — all while Beacon Hill and its 12 Democrat-controlled negotiating committees laid largely dormant.

With the first gubernatorial debate on her near-term calendar and no energy affordability legislative breakthrough in sight, Gov. Maura Healey took matters into her own hands.

Heating up her campaign talking points, Healey declared a "state of energy emergency" Monday in a bid to insulate Bay Staters from price gouging. She signed an executive order that creates a one-time home heating assistance benefit for middle-class households that rely on oil, expands assistance for low-income households, and temporarily removes clean energy charges from residential electric bills. It's unclear how much the initiatives will cost and how they're being funded.

"Families are seeing the impact of the war in Iran every time they fill up their gas tank, place an order for heating oil or open their electric bill," Healey said, adding the state will "use every tool we have to get people relief."

Debate day on Thursday brought Healey on stage with challenger Mike Minogue for their first live television showdown. The governor name-dropped President Donald Trump more than 30 times. Healey ripped his tariffs, wars and federal funding cuts for "driving up the cost of everything" and rebuked Minogue for writing Trump a "million-dollar check."

Minogue knocked Healey's record on job growth and spending, and egged her on by urging her to opt Massachusetts into a federal scholarship tax credit, asking the governor, "Why would you not take the free money? Is it because it's coming from D.C.?" Healey said she's still reviewing the "education freedom" credit baked into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The Massachusetts Council of Nonprofits is pushing for "strong support," with director Jim Klocke framing the credit as a "great mechanism for expanding educational services" and bringing new federal funding to the state. Jessica Tang, president of the Massachusetts branch of the American Federation of Teachers, thinks nonprofits might have been "misled" about the credit's impact, which she maintains will overwhelmingly benefit private schools.

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On WBZ-TV, Minogue and Healey also tussled over federal immigration enforcement, the Springfield courthouse redevelopment project, municipal finances and Proposition 2 ½. The former medical device executive said he wants to stop government overspending, reduce taxes and double the state auditor's budget.

Auditor Diana DiZoglio, whose quest to probe the Legislature under a 2024 voter law is tied up in court, says she'd "absolutely" consider pursuing legal action if Beacon Hill passes a law that infringes on a public records ballot question. Should Question 1 pass and lawmakers proceed with the narrower public records framework they are considering, DiZoglio said Massachusetts could face a "constitutional crisis." The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is also eyeing litigation.

Danielle Allen, of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy that's behind the all-party primaries ballot measure, was asked in a debate Tuesday why voters should even support Question 3. GBH co-host Jim Braude said lawmakers could "undo" the question they dislike but is now endorsed by former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick.

Allen replied by invoking the Declaration of Independence and the list of grievances against King George III, saying, "There will be a riotous cry of outrage if the Legislature chooses to overturn the will of the voters."

A different kind of demonstration is planned at Brigham and Women's Hospital next week. Nearly 4,000 nurses are poised to go on strike indefinitely in pursuit of wage and insurance goals and limits on the use of temporary travel nurses. Mass General Brigham and nurses returned to the bargaining table Thursday but did not reach an agreement, the parties said. Another negotiation session is scheduled for Saturday morning, MGB spokesperson Jessica Pastore said.

During the potential strike, Pastore has the hospital "will remain open and ready to provide safe, high-quality care to every patient who depends on us."

Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester went on strike for 301 days, before voting on a new contract in January 2022 that included staffing improvements, workplace safety protections and wage increases.

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The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents the Brigham nurses, said MGB "stopped making meaningful movement and ultimately refused to continue discussions, leaving a deal out of reach despite nurses' substantial compromises." Katie Nicoloro, a NICU nurse and union rep, warned that MGB is thrusting Boston into a "healthcare crisis" as she questioned how patients will be able to access care amid the disruptions.

"It's something that I think government officials really need to be looking at very, very closely," Nicoloro told the News Service.

Pam Linzer, the Brigham's associate chief nursing officer, said the hospital plans to use the playbook it developed from the July work stoppage to ensure continuity of care for patients. The hospital is expected to bring in around 1,600 to 2,000 temporary nurses, many of whom filled in this summer.

"We've got this," Linzer said during a virtual briefing Friday afternoon. "I have no concern for the public, if you're watching this or hearing this. We will take the best care of you, like we do every single day."

Explosive healthcare spending continues to be a focal point for state officials. A new study based on claims data from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts zeroes in on key drivers — heightened use of services and more intense coding patterns affected by artificial intelligence — while taking away the onus on price growth, which historically was to blame.

"The data we looked at suggests that the way hospitals record and label patient care - a process now often guided by AI and new technology - is a material driver of these rising costs," said Michael Guerriere, study co-author and Blue Cross Blue Shield chief actuary.

Michael Chernew, another co-author and Harvard Medical School professor, said AI has the potential to yield healthcare savings depending on how the technology is harnessed for incentives. At a MASSterList/State House News Service event Thursday, Chernew said an AI diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease management did not save money because it drove up the use of imaging.

THE SUNDAY SHOWS

KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller recaps Thursday’s gubernatorial debate with The Boston Globe’s Samantha Gross and MASSterList editor Katie Lannan.

@ ISSUE: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard’s guest is Republican candidate for governor Mike Minogue.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. NewsCenter 5’s Sharman Sacchetti and Ben Simmoneau sit down with Micah Jones, Republican candidate in the Sixth Congressional District. Democratic political analyst Mary Anne Marsh and Republican political analyst Rob Gray join for a roundtable discussion.