POLITICO NIGHTLY: Why the partisan Putin split persists

 

BY ELANA SCHOR Presented by AT&T With help from Renuka Rayasam A view of the U.S. Capitol at sunset. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images FROM RUSSIA WITH BITTERNESS— When geopolitical tensions flare, they sometimes spark unexpected moments of bipartisanship on the Hill. Lawmakers often, though not always, align broadly behind presidential displays of overseas power. That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen with U.S.-Russia policy this week, even after President Vladimir Putin’s government spent weeks moving troops near its border with Ukraine. The first reason is painfully simple: Five years of partisan scuffling over Russian interference in the 2016 election, to the benefit of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has hurt lawmakers’ ability to forge credible cooperation on U.S.-Russia policy . After Democrats blasted Trump for his moments of apparent coziness with Putin, they’re now facing an attempted role-reversal moment with a GOP that wants to get as tough as possible, pressing for strong Russia sanctions to take effect immediately. In a way, that’s just Washington: The party out of power always looks to turn the tables, rhetorically, on the one with control. But in this case, Dems are also trying not to lose the political upper hand on Russia after their rhetoric during the Trump years. About that dynamic: Senators may be able to agree on a package of strong Russia sanctions, but they’re currently mired in debate over whether to hinge that financial punishment on a Russian invasion of Ukraine (as Dems would prefer) or pursue it immediately (as the GOP wants to do). “Even if Congress can cobble together and pass a bipartisan sanctions deal, don’t expect Republicans to get behind Biden’s Russia strategy,” POLITICO’s Hill foreign policy specialist, Andrew Desiderio, told Nightly. “Democrats spent enormous political capital bludgeoning Donald Trump for his deferential posture toward Putin, and Republicans are turning the tables on Biden,” Andrew added. “Look no further than the near- party-line split over Sen. Ted Cruz’s Nord Stream 2 sanctions bill, and what Republicans see as Biden’s fatal error in refusing to immediately impose sanctions as a deterrent to an invasion.” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) put it this way to Andrew today: “President Biden has really subscribed to a doctrine of appeasement. And that doesn’t deter an autocrat or a dictator like Putin.” The second reason we shouldn’t expect Russian aggression toward Ukraine to prompt much cross-aisle unity is the political hangover from the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that Biden presided over in August. Just as they did after the fall of Kabul, Republicans are readying a message that tries to turn a foreign crisis into a political weak spot for a president who staked his campaign in part on his ability to rebuild America’s reputation abroad. “When Americans were rushing to evacuate the American embassy in Afghanistan, Biden was on vacation,” the Republican National Committee tweeted amid reports of evacuations of U.S. embassy employees’ family members in Ukraine. “This weekend, he’s on vacation again.” And the third reason Biden shouldn’t expect politics to end at the water’s edge with the GOP on his approach to Moscow is simply that the current situation in Ukraine doesn’t resemble the last two major occasions when presidents won support — albeit measured and short-lived support — for targeted actions overseas. When then-Presidents Trump and Obama pursued airstrikes in Syria, those were limited operations with a professed goal of punishing a regime that built a chemical weapons program and eventually used it against its citizens. Biden’s administration is facing a problem with a complex array of possible solutions. The sheer scope of his options, militarily and diplomatically, doesn’t lend itself easily to rifle-shot statements of congressional support for specific aspects of his Russia policy. Biden has made clear he won’t directly bring troops into Ukraine. Rather, his goal is to support and protect neighboring NATO powers. And just as top Democrats followed Trump’s Syria strikes with clear insistence on a comprehensive plan to follow through, so will Republicans seek a longer-term strategy from Biden — even as they look for potential failings in anything they hear from him. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at eschor@politico.com, on Twitter at @eschor.   A message from AT&T: Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. That’s why we’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.   ON THE ECONOMY Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images THE MARKET BETS ON REOPENING — The stock market ended the day up for the first time in a week. But the longer-term trend has been sharply negative for the stay-at-home stocks that thrived in 2020 — including Zoom, Netflix, Peloton and DocuSign. These quarantine favorites have all seen their share prices decline drastically in recent months. Investors seem to have soured on the companies that were once the darlings of the pandemic market. It’s a selloff within the broader selloff that has pushed markets into the sharpest drops in nearly a year. Stock market indices entered correction territory — a 10 percent drop from the highs they reached earlier in the year — today before recovering. Nightly’s Renuka Rayasam chatted with wealth manager Barry Ritholtz, who also writes a Bloomberg column, hosts its “Masters in Business” podcast and was one of the earliest finance bloggers, about whether the market is over the pandemic. This conversation has been edited. I keep hearing that the market trajectory is going to follow the pandemic trajectory. Is that still the case? That is backward. The market is telling you where we’re going to go. The market collapsed when we were pretty early in the pandemic process. Long before there was any confirmation vaccines would be widely available, the market began to recover. We passed the CARES Act, which was a $2 trillion dollar bill. The market said, “Oh this is going to go a long way to getting us towards a healthy recovery.” It’s very much a forward indicator and more often than not, it’s right. What does the collapse of the stay-at-home stocks tell us about how the market is thinking about the pandemic? This is the market’s way of telling us that we are much closer to the end of the pandemic, and a return to a more normal lifestyle, than we are to the beginning of it. These corrections started quite a while ago. Normally we’re about a 61 percent service, 39 percent goods economy. During the lockdown we probably moved closer to 45 percent/ 55 percent. Peloton or Netflix are both perfect examples of that. The market is seemingly telling you that the low-hanging fruit with both of these stocks have been picked off. Anybody who wanted a Peloton ordered it. With Netflix, there is now a whole lot more competition. Is the market anticipating a return to 2019, to a pre-pandemic “normal”? As things normalize and we’re no longer stuck at home, we’ll go back to that sort of 60/40 services to goods ratio. But I don’t think it’s going to quite go back to exactly how it was. We’re going to be in a new post-pandemic era, post-normal economy. I think that there is enough pandemic fatigue that people are now increasingly willing to go about their lives and assume a little more risk in being out in the world. That bodes better for movie theaters and weaker for Netflix. It bodes better for gyms and weaker for Pelotons.   JOIN NEXT FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE.     WHAT'D I MISS? — Capitol Police examines backgrounds, social media feeds of some who meet with lawmakers: After the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Capitol Police’s intelligence unit quietly started scrutinizing the backgrounds of people who meet with lawmakers, according to three people familiar with the matter. POLITICO also viewed written communications describing the new approach, part of a host of changes that the department implemented after the Capitol attack. Several Capitol Police intelligence analysts have already raised concerns about the practice to the department’s inspector general, according to one of the people who spoke for this story. — Supreme Court will take up Harvard, UNC affirmative action challenge:The Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases that could have broad ramifications for how colleges and universities consider race in their admissions process. In the lawsuit Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, SFFA asked the high court to overturn its ruling in a landmark affirmative action case — Grutter v. Bollinger — that has shaped college admissions policies for nearly two decades. SFFA, which represents about 20,000 students, alleges the Ivy League school intentionally discriminates against Asian American students in admissions. — California lawmaker proposes Covid vaccine mandate for all schoolchildren: A California state senator is proposing to require that all schoolchildren receive a Covid-19 vaccine starting in 2023, a law that would be the nation’s strictest student mandate if approved. As detailed by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), the bill would not be contingent on a vaccine receiving full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, nor would it allow for personal or religious exemptions. That would go beyond a previous order that Gov. Gavin Newsom issued in October. — Palin’s positive Covid test postpones libel case against New York Times: The start of Sarah Palin’s libel suit against the New York Times was postponed today after the former Alaska governor tested positive for Covid-19. Judge Jed Rakoff pushed back jury selection until at least Feb. 3, though he warned the delay could extend further. At the outset of the day’s hearing the judge said he was informed over the weekend that Palin, who the judge noted is unvaccinated, tested positive via two rapid, at-home tests. In December, Palin said at a conservative event that she would get vaccinated “over my dead body,” and previously tested positive for Covid-19 in March 2021.   A message from AT&T:     AROUND THE WORLD EU DIPLOMATS STAYING PUT IN KYIV — The EU does not plan to withdraw the families of diplomats from Ukraine , the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today. Speaking in Brussels ahead of talks with European foreign affairs ministers and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell told reporters that America’s top diplomat will “explain us the reasons” for Washington’s decision to pull out families of U.S. personnel from Ukraine, Lili Bayer and Louis Westendarp write. Washington has authorized the departure of some government employees and ordered the exit of all family members of government employees at its Kyiv embassy. The U.K. followed Washington’s lead today, saying it was withdrawing some “embassy staff and dependents” in response to the “growing threat from Russia.” Borrell, however, said that for now the EU is not following suit. “We are not going to do the same thing, because we don’t know any specific reasons,” Borrell said, adding that “negotiations are going on.”   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     NIGHTLY NUMBER About 8,500 The number of U.S. military personnel Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has placed on heightened alert to potentially deploy to Eastern Europe, the Pentagon announced today. The move comes as NATO weighs a possible activation of its response force to beat back a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the West fears is imminent. PARTING WORDS DEFENSIVE SHIFT — The nation’s top financial regulators will soon embark on a controversial, first-of-its-kind mission: forcing banks and other industry players to prepare for potential threats to the U.S. financial system from climate change, Victoria Guida writes. But they’re facing a maze of obstacles, including blowback from Republicans, before they’ve taken their first steps. All the leading agencies will be headed by progressive regulators who will seek to push the administration’s agenda forward even as Biden has failed to get broader climate-related legislation through Congress. Among other moves, regulators are likely to press banks to prepare for the fallout from a warming planet by stepping up scrutiny of fossil fuel financing. They will make the lenders undergo regular tests to measure how their investments could be threatened by flooding, wildfires and other growing risks. And they could rewrite the rules against the discriminatory practice known as redlining to push lenders to put money into disadvantaged communities most vulnerable to climate change. That will set up a clash with Republican lawmakers, who argue that the banks are capable of assessing their own risks and that the regulators are far overstepping their bounds. And banks themselves are nervously eyeing how aggressively the Democrat-controlled agencies will lean into measures that discourage investment in oil and gas.   A message from AT&T: Brooke Dryden’s daughter was diagnosed with learning disabilities at an early age. She requires an individualized education plan and weekly therapy with speech specialists. However, rural Colorado does not have the kind of specialists she needs. With the help of accessible and affordable broadband, Brooke is able to ensure that she receives regular virtual therapy and never falls behind. Brooke’s dream is to see her daughter not just survive but thrive in the world. That’s why AT&T is dedicated to helping close the digital divide with a $2 billion, 3-year commitment, so more low-income families like Brooke's can achieve their American Dream. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Jake Auchincloss’ coup

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY THE POWER OF PELOSI IN #MAPOLI — Two of the most powerful Democrats in Congress helped Rep. Jake Auchincloss kick off his new leadership PAC yesterday — a coup for a first-term congressman looking to shore up his defenses against a potential primary challenge next year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark joined Auchincloss in Newton to launch his MA 4 Dems PAC, which aims to help elect Democrats in vulnerable districts in 2022 and protect the party’s majority in the House. “What you are doing is very important because it helps ensure that Jake will serve in the majority … so he can make the difference that he came to Congress to do,” Pelosi said, according to an attendee who asked to remain anonymous to provide some first-in-Playbook details. Pelosi also lauded Auchincloss’s military service and “entrepreneurial spirit” as “the full package.” Clark, a surprise guest who wasn’t listed on invites sent out for the event, introduced Auchincloss and said she was honored to help him “make sure we keep that gavel in Nancy Pelosi’s hands come 2022.” Auchincloss has allied himself with leadership in his short time in Congress and it appears to have paid off so far, landing him two plum committee assignments and a helping hand from the House speaker. While yesterday’s event wasn’t a reelection endorsement — and while Pelosi-backed pols haven’t always had the best track record in Massachusetts — both Pelosi and Clark bring clout to Auchincloss’s new political operation, and could give him a boost with some voters in his district down the line. For what it’s worth, Pelosi said Democrats have “no intention” of losing the House in 2022 during a separate appearance in Worcester with Rep. Jim McGovern yesterday, in which the two toured a child-care center and met with striking St. Vincent nurses. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming… POLL POSITIONS — City Councilor Michelle Wu topped two more polls in the Boston mayor’s race yesterday, while both surveys showed a close race for second between Acting Mayor Kim Janey and City Councilors Andrea Campbell and Annissa Essaibi George. An Emerson College/7 News poll showed Wu with 30% support, followed by 18% for Essaibi George, 17% for Campbell and 16% for Janey — within the survey’s +/- 3.9% margin of error. Wu grew her support by 6 points from Emerson’s last poll just two weeks ago, and Campbell jumped up by 3. Essaibi George and Janey both held steady. No other candidate topped 2% in the poll of 600 likely voters, and 14% were still undecided. Wu also topped a Beacon Research poll obtained by POLITICO that was conducted for the Better Boston independent expenditure PAC supporting Campbell. The survey — which combined people who had already voted with people who had picked a candidate and leaners — showed Wu with 33% support, Campbell and Essaibi George tied at 19%, Janey at 15% and former city economic development chief John Barros at 3%. Among the 164 voters sampled who’d already cast their ballots, Wu was at 36%, Campbell at 20%, Essaibi George at 17%, Janey at 13% and Barros at 3%. Both surveys were conducted Monday through Wednesday. All five recent public surveys have shown Wu with a sizable lead over her competitors and what’s essentially a jump ball for second place between the three other women heading into Tuesday's preliminary election. That dynamic was on display at last night’s debate, where both Campbell and Essaibi George sparred with Janey, and the candidates were sharper in their criticism and more direct in their policy distinctions. Even Wu wasn’t immune to the attacks — she took heat from Barros over her support for rent control. The Boston Globe's Stephanie Ebbert and Danny McDonald and the Boston Herald's Sean Philip Cotter have your debate recaps. TODAY — State Sen. Eric Lesser holds a livestream discussion at noon with Col. Joseph Janik, commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, in honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Janey joins Latinx community leaders for a mystery endorsement at 3:30 p.m. in Jamaica Plain. The MassGOP hosts a veterans’ cookout at 5:30 p.m. at the Lyons Family Barn in Andover. THIS WEEKEND — Sen. Elizabeth Warren hosts a GOTV rally with Boston City Council at-large candidate Ruthzee Louijeune at noon at Jamaica Pond and with Wu at 5:30 p.m. at the Chinatown Gate. Warren hosts a meet-and-greet in Northampton at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The Dorchester Reporter’s Bill Forry and Gintautas Dumcius break down the Boston mayor’s race on WBZ’s “Keller at Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Barros is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com. THE RACE FOR CITY HALL – Essaibi George won the Marty Walsh’s mom endorsement in the Boston mayor's race yesterday. “She grew up down the street from me. ... She grew up with my kids,” the former mayor’s mom said after casting her ballot for Essaibi George, noting that she hadn’t spoken with her son about her vote and didn’t know if he’s voted yet. Mary Walsh was joined at her Dorchester polling location by Essaibi George and her mom. – “Essaibi George weighs in on super PAC led by former Boston police chief,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “City Councillor Annissa Essaibi George is distancing herself from one of the two super PACs supporting her mayoral candidacy, saying she’s ‘not happy’ about its ties to former President Donald Trump.” – “Mayoral candidates share visions for Boston’s economic future at forum,” by Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: “... the mayoral hopefuls offered their visions for addressing the racial wealth gap and promoting broad-based economic growth at the ‘Building Boston’s Economic Future for Everyone’ forum, hosted by the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and A Better City, a business group. … Acting Mayor Kim Janey initially accepted an invitation to the event but withdrew on Wednesday night, saying she needed to help oversee the first day for the city’s public schools, forum organizers said.” – Some FIRST IN PLAYBOOK endorsements: The Boston Teachers Union has endorsed David Halbert for Boston City Council at-large, per his campaign. The MBTA Management Union Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 453 has endorsed Alex Gray in the at-large race, per his campaign. FROM THE HUB – “Busing woes plague Boston’s first day of school,” by Felicia Gans, Naomi Martin and Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: “Valdir Monteiro and his 6-year-old son arrived at his bus stop in Dorchester at 6:30 a.m., 15 minutes early. The first-grader, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and jeans, was nervous about the first day and didn’t want to go, but his father kept assuring him everything would be OK. And then the two waited for two hours for a school bus that still hadn’t shown up." – “Boston hands out ‘Mayor Kim Janey’ pencils on first day of school,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Acting Mayor Kim Janey is drawing some criticism from the fact that city employees were out and about during the first day of school to hand out city-bought pencils and masks with her name on them.” THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ROUNDUP – Sen. Elizabeth Warren has endorsed Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer’s reelection bid, per her campaign. “Framingham can count on Mayor Spicer’s bold, persistent leadership to move the city forward and tackle our biggest challenges,” Warren said in a statement. The senator previously hosted a fundraiser with Spicer, according to Framingham Source. Spicer, the city’s first mayor, is facing challengers Charlie Sisitsky and Carlos Valadares in a Sept. 14 preliminary election. – “In Everett's Mayoral Race, Identity And Governing Style Are Both On The Ballot,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “As Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria seeks a sixth term, he’s comparing himself to a legend of Massachusetts politics. … But DeMaria’s re-election bid involves a hurdle [former Boston mayor Tom] Menino never had to clear: an ongoing, citywide reckoning with the politics of race.” – “Holyoke mayoral hopefuls lay out priorities at economic forum,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Seven candidates running to become Holyoke’s next mayor tried to separate themselves from the pack Thursday during the first and only debate before city voters decide which two will move on to the general election in November.” THE LATEST NUMBERS – “Massachusetts coronavirus cases spike 2,096 — the highest daily count in 5 months,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The more than 2,000 single-day infections is the highest Bay State tally since April 10, with its count of 2,107 cases. The last time the state reported more than 2,000 cases in one day was April 14.” – "Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts," by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe. VAX-ACHUSETTS – “Biden outlines sweeping vaccine requirements; Charlie Baker says no mandate in Massachusetts,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “As many as 100 million American workers will be mandated to get vaccines or undergo weekly coronavirus testing as part of a sweeping set of new federal vaccine conditions where President Biden also pressured governors to require vaccines for school teachers. … ‘Governor Baker recently directed all cities and towns to require all municipal employees, including their school employees, to be vaccinated and is committed to assist local officials to implement these measures,’ Press Secretary Terry MacCormack said..." – “Moderna developing combination coronavirus and flu booster vaccine,” by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald. DATELINE BEACON HILL – State Sen. Joe Boncore has turned in his resignation — effective just before midnight — and bid adieu to the Senate as he prepares to take on his new role as CEO of MassBio. Boncore thanked several of his colleagues in his farewell speech yesterday, including state Rep. Adrian Madaro, who’s expected to run in the yet-to-be-scheduled special election to replace the outgoing senator. “When we met we were political neophytes and it’s been wonderful to see you rise, Adrian, in the House,” Boncore said, adding, “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.” – “Hearing Shows Desire To Spend ARPA $$$ On Infrastructure,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service (paywall): “Three committees heard testimony from three Cabinet secretaries and host of mayors, lawmakers and advocates on the need to use money to mitigate the overflow of sewage into clean water supplies and ways to support small downtown businesses and the arts sector still recovering from the worst of the pandemic." – “Mass. Senate President Spilka Eyes Mental Health Parity Bill For Busy Fall Agenda,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “Senate President Karen Spilka wants the Legislature to put a mental health care parity bill on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk by Thanksgiving, adding a tricky piece of policy to Beacon Hill's fall agenda that's already crowded with legislation on federal spending, absentee voting and redrawing political districts.” – “Feds request 18 months behind bars for former state Rep. David Nangle in political corruption case,” by Alana Melanson, Lowell Sun: “Citing his ‘persistent and pernicious abuse of power,’ federal prosecutors will ask that [former state Rep. David] Nangle be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison at his sentencing hearing, set for Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. before Judge Rya W. Zobel.” BALLOT BATTLES – “Supreme Judicial Court grants injunction in newborn ballot question,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “The state’s highest court has granted a preliminary injunction allowing a ballot initiative petition to move forward that seeks to amend existing abortion laws to ensure babies born alive are given lifesaving medical care. … Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey tried to put the kibosh on the question, disqualifying the initiative petition outright last week, claiming the wording to be too ‘ambiguous.’” PELOSI'S PUSH – “Nancy Pelosi, Jim McGovern plug Joe Biden child tax credit during Worcester visit,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a pit stop in Worcester to meet children and families who have benefited from President Biden’s child tax credit and plug a bill that would expand access to affordable child care including free pre-K. ‘The child tax credit is our focus. It’s making a big difference,’ Pelosi said.” – Pelosi’s visit drew a handful of protesters, according to GBH News’ Craig LeMoult, some of whom balked at the $3.5 trillion price tag for the budget reconciliation bill currently working its way through Congress. FROM THE DELEGATION – “Anniversary of 9/11 Prompts Calls for Aviation Security Boost,” by Lillianna Byington, Bloomberg Government: “Democratic Sens. Edward Markey (Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) released a bill Thursday that would send additional funding to the Transportation Security Administration to bolster its security technology and pay salaries.” – “Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s red line on budget talks: ‘We must have a child care bill,’” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday she remains confident Democrats in Congress will soon reach agreement on a far-reaching budget bill despite significant disagreements, while making clear she has no higher priority than additional funding for child care.” FROM THE 413 – “Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi refusing to send inmates to Springfield courthouse for appearances, cites mold concerns,” by Stephanie Barry, MassLive.com: “Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi is the latest to boycott the ailing Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse over its extensive mold problem. Cocchi on Thursday announced he will temporarily suspend sending inmates to the building for court appearances even as it reopened today, following a mold assault that triggered an employee walkout and two-week shutdown by state officials.” – “Northampton School Committee to revise policy on hate symbols after ACLU advises it could chill free speech,” by Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “After receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union arguing that a proposed anti-bias and ‘symbols of hate’ policy for the schools could have a chilling effect on free speech, the School Committee has decided to make changes before putting the policy to a vote.” – “Gym owner: Alleged Jan 6 rioter not representative of 'Berkshire Nautilus, or the Berkshires',” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: “The January day that the nation watched an insurrection overwhelm the U.S. Capitol, Jim Ramondetta received a video on social media. It showed one of many melees that played out Jan. 6 at the seat of the country’s legislative branch. He watched the video. To his surprise, he spotted a white-haired man wearing a sweatshirt that bore the name of the health club Ramondetta owns, Berkshire Nautilus.” WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING – “Harvard commits to divesting from fossil fuels,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “After years of pressure from students, Harvard University will divest itself from holdings in fossil fuels, President Lawrence Bacow said Thursday.” – “Jobless claims edge up in Massachusetts, bucking national trend that saw new claims hit pandemic low,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “For the week ending Sept. 4, Massachusetts had 5,712 people file initial claims for unemployment insurance.” – “Massport Leader During 9/11 Reflects On 20th Anniversary Of The Terrorist Attacks," by Dan Guzman and Steve Brown, WBUR: "As CEO of the organization in charge of the airport during the terrorist attacks, [Virginia Buckingham] says it has taken her a long time to mentally recover from what happened and to rebuild her life in the aftermath." – "Report slams police for not finding dead vet on VA campus," by the Associated Press: "Confusion over proper procedures at a Veterans Affairs hospital allowed a dead veteran to go unnoticed in a stairwell for more than a month after he was reported missing, according to a federal report released Thursday." – “Town offers apology after Black couple wrongly accused of stealing apples,” by Julie Manganis, Salem News: “Town of Danvers officials apologized on Thursday to a Black Cambridge family after they were wrongly accused of trying to steal apples during a Labor Day visit to Connors Farm — then accused by a Danvers police officer of ‘playing the race card’ when they questioned why they were singled out to be searched.” – “Former mayor Jasiel Correia could owe over $566,000 in his fraud and extortion case,” by Dan Medeiros, Herald News: “On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion of forfeiture with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts requesting [former Fall River Mayor Jasiel] Correia repay $566,740 he illegally obtained from investors in his SnoOwl smartphone app and extorted from people looking to open marijuana businesses in Fall River.” MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE – “Gail Huff Brown files statement of candidacy for 1st Congressional District US House seat,” by John DiStaso, WMUR: “[Gail] Huff Brown, who called herself a proud supporter of former President Donald Trump's ‘America First’ agenda, said in an interview Thursday that she filed her statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in order to begin fundraising and to continue to gauge grassroots support. … She said that as much as she loves and admires her husband, ‘I’m not Scott. We are very different people with different ideas.’ She said she is ‘much more conservative’ than her husband.” SPOTTED – at Auchincloss’s PAC kickoff: Former interim Sen. Mo Cowan, former ambassador Alan Solomont, state Sen. Cindy Creem, state Reps. Claire Cronin, Ruth Balser, Kay Khan, Jim Hawkins, Carol Doherty, Alice Peirsch, Edward Philips, Adam Scanlon and Tommy Vitolo, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Newton City Councilors Alicia Bowman, Andreae Downs and Andrea Kelley, Dighton selectman Brett Zografos and state auditor candidate Chris Dempsey. Pic ... another pic ... and another HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Karissa Hand, the Boston Globe’s Martin Finucane, Meg Wheeler and Annika Jensen. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to gubernatorial candidate former state Sen. Ben Downing, Andrew Sagarin, POLITICO’s Joe Schatz and Matt Giancola, who celebrates Saturday; and to POLITICO’s Ben Schreckinger; former senator and U.S. ambassador Scott Brown, Waterville Consulting Principal Sean Curran and MassGIS’ Paul Nutting, who celebrate Sunday. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA