Keller: A matter of principle

Mass General Brigham’s commitment to improving community health beyond hospital walls continues as we address food insecurity. Through our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, we’re expanding access to nutritious food across the communities we serve.

Like a tourist visiting Jurassic Park, Mitt Romney returned to Massachusetts last week to revisit a political dinosaur - bipartisanship. Romney was showered with Democratic praise for his role in creating the blueprint for near-universal health coverage. “You proved what’s possible when we look past partisanship and instead set our eyes on the common good,” said Gov. Maura Healey.

How quaint! As he ran for president in 2008 and 2012, Romney found himself vilified by the right over Romneycare. After his vote to convict President Trump for inciting the January 6 2021 Capitol riot, he was forced to spend $5,000 a day on personal security due to an avalanche of death threats, a flourishing tactic during the MAGA era. In an exclusive interview during his visit here, he forecast more of the same. “The current course would say that J.D. Vance will be the Republican nominee in 2028,” he told us. “I like what Winston Churchill said: ‘You can trust the American people to get things right, after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.’”

But is the concept of political principle anything more than a fossil? Cynics would call it an oxymoron, and Romney-haters paint him as the poster boy. After all, didn’t he Jerry-rig a dance away from his pro-choice positions during his 2002 run for governor here when faced with a decidedly anti-choice GOP presidential primary election later on? Wasn’t it his campaign aide who suggested Romney would pivot towards the center once he won the 2012 Republican nomination “like an Etch A Sketch”?

AARP Massachusetts is calling for a statewide ban on cryptocurrency ATMs. These machines are a preferred tool for scammers. They operate without meaningful consumer protections. Millions have been stolen from residents across the Commonwealth. Lawmakers should act now and pass the SCAM Act (SB3048) to eliminate devices that fuel fraud. Join AARP in fighting crypto kiosk fraud and protecting older Americans’ life savings: aarp.org/ma

9:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivers remarks at the Boston Fire Academy graduation ceremony. | Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, Boston

9:30 | The Gaming Commission holds a public hearing on proposed regulatory changes dealing with placement on the self-exclusion list and a new reference to a "player health resource and information center." | More Info and Access

10:00 | Sixth Congressional candidate John Beccia is joined by local health care leaders, providers, and community members for a roundtable to discuss health care matters. | Incubate, 614 Washington St., Floor 2, Lynn

11:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a press conference announcing the latest details for the FIFA Fan Festival. | 1 City Hall Square, Boston | Livestream

11:30 | The Massachusetts TPS Committee, led by immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, holds a press conference to discuss the Supreme Court hearing on Haitian and Syrian TPS. Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune and Rt. Rev. Julia Whitworth are set to speak, among others. | Boston City Hall Plaza

1:00 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attends the unveiling of a memorial painting meant to pay tribute to the birth of the U.S. Coast Guard in Massachusetts. | Great Hall, State House, Boston

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OVERRIDE ANALYSIS: As property tax overrides are on tap for Dennis, Hingham and Lunenburg in May, a WCVB analysis showed that 58% of all Prop 2 ½ overrides have failed since the 1980s. The successful overrides created more than $922 million in tax boosts, with overrides for health and human services budgets considered most likely to pass. Overrides for school budgets passed 48% of the time. – WCVB

DARK MONEY FOR MOULTON: A dark money group calling itself MA Progress Action, led by a donor to Seth Moulton, has an ad campaign underway that takes aim at Sen. Ed Markey, saying he has “Chronic Reelection Disorder.” – Boston Globe

BROOKLINE SHOWDOWN: Brookline Democrat Ihssane Leckey may have dropped her second attempt at running for the Massachusetts 4th Congressional seat, but incumbent Jake Auchincloss could still face two progressives and a Brookline Republican attempting to unseat him. – Brookline.News

FALL RIVER PAC: A political action committee is seeking to recall Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, citing the handling of snow removal during the February 2026 blizzard and blocking police oversight efforts. – MassLive

On May 4, Massachusetts REALTORS® unite as one powerful voice at the annual Margaret C. Carlson REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill. This year, REALTORS® are fighting to increase housing access by advancing zoning reform, housing production, fair housing education, funding for crumbling concrete foundations, and pre-service board & commission training—and opposing real estate transfer taxes and rent control.

AGENCIES FLOUT REGS: State agencies remain out of compliance with a regulation dating back to the Baker administration that calls for them to track and report carbon emissions from their vehicles. The regulation hasn’t been followed since it took effect in 2019, with reports due March 1 every year. – CommonWealth Beacon

HEALEY OKS CANNABIS OVERHAUL: On the eve of 4/20, a high holiday in the marijuana sector, Gov. Maura Healey signed a law overhauling regulations and dissolving the Cannabis Control Commission. Under the new law, the commission now has three members instead of five, a downsizing that comes after years of strife at the agency. A search for new commissioners is underway. – State House News Service

SOCIAL MEDIA LEGISLATION: Critics of legislation restricting children’s social media use say proponents are stumbling into constitutional and privacy challenges that come with the bills. “It does not appear to us that they know what they’re doing,” Act on Mass’s Scotia Hille said of Beacon Hill leaders.  – Boston Globe

OFFICER-INVOLVED SCANDALS: The POST Commission, the police oversight panel, recently decertified a State Police trooper who pleaded guilty last year to motor vehicle homicide, a trooper who was hit with disciplinary charges over conduct, and a campus police officer accused of negligence. – MassLive

AIR WAR IN PLYMOUTH: A Superior Court judge said Plymouth’s town manager should not be meddling in the municipal airport, writing in a ruling that the “public interest in having a properly functioning airport is self evident and rises above the town manager’s desire to control issues at the airport that are beyond his authority.” – Plymouth Independent

Join legislators and thought leaders for a timely forum on the AI revolution in Massachusetts. Explore the challenges and opportunities of AI policy on Thursday, May 7, at the MCLE (Boston). RSVP!

Here’s a recap of 130th Boston Marathon

Sen. Warren rallies for Graham Platner in Maine

Delaware court upholds firing of Artie T. from Market Basket

The story of father versus daughter at Fidelity

Hampshire College closure means layoffs for more than 200 people

The return of the townhouse?

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Senior Litigation Paralegal – Strategic Litigation, Conservation Law Foundation

Systems Advocacy Fellow, Jane Doe Inc

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good, American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Information Management Counsel & Records Access Officer, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission

Deputy Chief Planner, City of Newton

Director of Operations, St. Anthony Shrine

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