POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden’s big decision on the opioid crisis

 

BY RENUKA RAYASAM Presented by A deposit box for used hypodermic needles stands in a park in the South Bronx in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images JUST SAY MAYBE — Last week New York City became home to the first two sites in the country where drug users can take illegal drugs under the supervision of staff trained to reverse overdoses. Rhode Island plans to open a similar site next year, under a two-year pilot program. And about a dozen localities are considering the controversial idea, which advocates say can lower overdose deaths but which critics say promotes illegal drug use. The Trump administration vocally opposed such supervised injections, saying they violated the “crack house statute” — legislation that Joe Biden crafted as a senator in the 1980s. So far, the Biden administration has remained silent on whether it would allow the sites to operate. But in the coming weeks, a lingering Trump administration case against a proposed Philadelphia injection site called Safehouse could force the Biden administration to decide whether it is willing to quietly condone the practice. The Department of Justice is supposed to file a brief stating its position in the case by Jan. 5 — the department refused to comment to Nightly on its plans. If the Biden administration drops its opposition to Safehouse in court, that would pave the way for more such sites to open up around the country. Supervised injection sites are just the newest example of how the ongoing overdose death crisis is fraying the bipartisan resolve that developed during the first wave of opioid deaths in the 1990s and 2000s. The sites are also testing the Biden administration’s willingness to dismantle “war on drugs” policies that often interfere with localities’ efforts to lower deaths from drug overdoses. The opioid crisis is worse than it has ever been, but as it has moved from a prescription drug crisis to a street drug one, it’s become far more complicated — and controversial — to solve. When the opioid overdose crisis was rooted in the realm of prescription drugs there was an easy, agreed-upon villain. Federal and state officials, Republicans and Democrats alike, wanted to crack down on the doctors and pharmacies running pill mills and to file lawsuits against pharma companies for flooding towns with addictive painkillers. The nation directed its ire — and investigative, award-winning stories, books and documentaries — at the Sackler family. Now, the problem has migrated from brand-name pain pills like Oxycontin to illicit street drugs like heroin and, now, mostly fentanyl. Opioid prescriptions plummeted 44.4 percent between 2011 and 2020, yet overdose deaths soared as people suffering from addiction migrated to deadlier alternative highs. Overdose deaths topped 100,000 between April 2020 and April 2021 — the highest level ever recorded. Deaths are surging among Black and Indigenous populations, in big cities across the country. Policies designed to stop the pharmaceutical drug crisis could now be backfiring, driving people to street drugs, addiction experts say. That approach of limiting access to powerful painkillers has also made medications used to treat opioid addiction, like methadone and buprenorphine, which are forms of opioids themselves, harder to get. “My patients have gotten arrested for buprenorphine that I have prescribed for them,” said Daliah Heller, director of drug use initiatives at Vital Strategies. Meanwhile fentanyl is cheap, powerful and ubiquitous, making it a more attractive alternative to someone in withdrawal. The supervised injection sites in New York and Rhode Island fall into a broad category of policy called harm reduction, which adopts the guiding philosophy of just keeping drug users alive so that they have a chance to seek addiction treatment before they die. Addiction experts say these sorts of policies — like supplying fresh needles for heroin addicts and strips that help users determine whether their narcotics are laced with fentanyl — are the country’s best shot of reducing deaths from overdoses. The bulk of the evidence is on their side, they say. “It works and it improves outcomes,” Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told Nightly about harm reduction broadly. Volkow was optimistic about safe injection sites but said they still needed to be studied. Even so, backlash to such policies is mounting. The Safehouse site in South Philadelphia is facing opposition in the neighborhood where it was planning to locate. The Biden administration is trying to tread cautiously, though it is the first administration to embrace harm reduction. Biden’s drug czar, Rahul Gupta, has been criticized for his role in shutting down the state’s largest syringe services program when he ran West Virginia’s health department. These are programs that often get their start underground, operating in legal gray areas first, making them politically problematic, said Leo Beletsky, a health law professor at Northeastern University School of Law. It’s one thing for policymakers to agree to crack down on overprescribing doctors or misleading pharma companies, but it’s far more politically risky for them to take steps that condone illegal drug use. “We’re not ambitious enough,” said Paul Joudrey, an assistant professor in the Yale School of Medicine who is a drug use, addiction, and HIV research scholar. “We don’t propose changes that match the scale of the epidemic.” Treating addiction is hard and complicated. The fundamental challenge is dealing with the things that drive people to take painkillers in the first place. People use drugs to cope with loneliness, lasting trauma and other psychological wounds. That is part of the reason why drug deaths soared during pandemic lockdowns, and why the numbers are likely to stay persistently high for years to come, Heller said. “I started my career during the AIDS epidemic,” said Judith Feinberg, professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at West Virginia University. “This is the same kind of tragedy. It’s worse really. It’s horrendous.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @RenuRayasam. A message from UnitedHealth Group: UnitedHealth Group recognizes the environment is a key part of what makes the communities in which we live and work sustainable, viable and healthy. We are doing our part by committing to achieve operational net zero emissions by 2035 and working towards a paperless consumer and provider experience in the next 2 to 3 years. Learn more.   WHAT'D I MISS? — McConnell secures GOP support for new debt strategy: Mitch McConnell believes he’s convinced a skeptical Senate Republican Conference to allow Democrats to more easily raise the debt ceiling , a critical development as the country faces a mid-December debt cliff. The Senate minority leader spent today selling his members on a convoluted strategy that would require at least 10 Republicans to approve legislation that would later allow Senate Democrats to raise the debt ceiling by a simple majority vote. After a leadership meeting and a Senate GOP lunch, McConnell said he’d done enough work to clinch the deal in a vote expected on Thursday. — Biden warns Putin on call against Ukraine invasion: Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin today that the United States and European allies would join together to impose “strong” economic penalties and other punitive actions on Russia should it mount an invasion of Ukraine . In a highly anticipated secure video call, Biden “voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,” according to a White House readout. — Biden bank cop nominee withdraws after pushback from moderate Dems: Biden’s choice for a key role policing the nation’s banks withdrew her nomination today after facing pushback from several moderate Democrats, a rare defeat for the president on one of his personnel choices. Saule Omarova’s nomination as comptroller of the currency also met with fierce resistance from Republicans and business groups over her advocacy for a dominant role for government in finance, views that didn’t sit well with some Democrats either.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     — Judge sets July 18 for Bannon ‘contempt of Congress’ trial: President Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon will go to trial July 18 on criminal charges that he defied a subpoena from the House committee exploring the causes of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Trump’s attempt to subvert the 2020 election, a judge ordered today. Judge Carl Nichols set the mid-summer schedule after Bannon’s lawyers and Justice Department attorneys wrangled over how quickly the contempt of Congress case should move. — Lawmakers rush to avert looming Medicare cuts: Congress reached a deal today to avert billions of dollars in impending Medicare cuts to hospitals, doctors and other providers that are set to take effect early next year. The Supporting Health Care Providers During the Covid-19 Pandemic Act, which has bipartisan support from leadership in the House and Senate, would blunt some of the cuts — but not all. The deal comes amid the uncertainty of the Omicron variant and a fresh wave of Covid infections that has put nearly 60,000 people in hospitals. — Suspect in Jamal Khashoggi murder arrested in Paris: French authorities have arrested one of the men suspected of involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to local media reports. Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi, a former member of the Saudi royal guard, was taken into custody this morning at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, where he was traveling under his own name on the way to Riyadh, the Saudi capital.   A message from UnitedHealth Group:     AROUND THE WORLD Olaf Scholz (C) of the German Social Democrats, Robert Habeck (L) of the Greens Party and Christian Lindner (R) of the German Free Democrats arrive to speak to the media following the official signing of the coalition agreement between the three parties in Berlin. | Carsten Koall/Getty Images SCHOLZ TALKS TOUGH ON RUSSIA — Incoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russia today to respect the “integrity” of Ukraine’s borders and stressed that “a threat to Ukraine” would be “unacceptable,” Hans von der Burchard writes. One day ahead of his formal election as chancellor, Scholz spoke at a press conference in Berlin during which he vowed to advance Europe’s interests and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine but shied away from bluntly criticizing China. Reacting to the Russian troop build-up at the Ukrainian border and concerns about a potentially imminent invasion, Scholz demanded that “the integrity and invulnerability of borders” must be ensured. “It’s very important that no one pores over history books to redraw borders,” he said, adding: “Of course, we in Germany, just like everyone else in Europe and the United States, are very concerned about the troop movements that we are seeing on the Ukrainian border. Therefore, it must be very clear that this would be an unacceptable situation if there were a threat to Ukraine.” One aspect of the tense situation is the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Kyiv warns could decrease Moscow’s barriers to invasion since Russia currently relies on transiting gas through Ukraine. Pressed on the matter, Scholz said he felt bound to outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s commitments on the near-ready pipeline, including her insistence that Germany could sanction Russia if it uses natural gas “as a geopolitical weapon” against Ukraine.   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 9:45 a.m. Thursday The arrival time for former Sen. Bob Dole’s body to the Capitol to lie in state, according to a schedule from Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at a congressional tribute ceremony Thursday morning. PARTING WORDS A Christmas tree stands illuminated outside number 10 Downing Street in London. | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images NO. 10 FOR THE HOLIDAYS — Boris Johnson’s staff joked about a Christmas party at Downing Street at the height of last year’s coronavirus lockdown in England, newly released video footage shows. It comes after the U.K. prime minister’s office spent days denying claims, first reported in the Mirror, that a party was held for staff last Christmas, Esther Webber writes. The film — published by ITV News today — shows senior No.10 employees taking part in a December 2020 rehearsal for a press briefing. Ed Oldfield, adviser to the prime minister, asks Johnson’s then-spokesperson Allegra Stratton: “I’ve just seen reports on Twitter that there was a Downing Street Christmas party on Friday night. Do you recognize those reports?” In the footage, Stratton replies “I went home,” before composing herself and telling colleagues to “hold on” as she appears to consider what her answer should be. Oldfield then asks: “Would the prime minister condone having a Christmas party?” Stratton laughs, looking down, before responding, “What’s the answer?” Staff then attempt to help the PM’s then-spokesperson formulate a response. “It wasn’t a party, it was cheese and wine,” suggests one. The Times carried a story today saying a party in No. 10 had been organized by civil servants and included a secret Santa. Press reports suggest 30 to 40 people were in attendance, at a time when social events including parties were strictly banned under England’s coronavirus restrictions. A message from UnitedHealth Group: The U.S. health care sector is responsible for 8.5% of U.S. emissions. Decarbonizing the health system can help limit the harmful effects of climate change and its impact on marginalized communities. UnitedHealth Group is partnering with the National Academy of Medicine to meaningfully reduce the carbon footprint of the U.S. health care system. See how we’re working to minimize our impact on the environment and help create more sustainable, viable and healthy communities.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu builds out her team

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY THE WU WHISPERERS — Michelle Wu unveiled her “Mass and Cass” team yesterday, fulfilling a campaign pledge and offering a first look at the experts and advocates who will have the new mayor’s ear when she’s sworn in on Tuesday. Monica Bharel, the former state Department of Public Health commissioner, will lead the city’s response to the public health and housing crises at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard as a Cabinet-level senior advisor. Wu is also making Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Bisola Ojikutu a Cabinet member and, in a widely applauded move, reappointing Sheila Dillon as the city’s housing chief. Wu’s rapid transition from candidate to mayor means she won’t have her full Cabinet in place next week. But her transition-team picks so far represent a mix of state and city government veterans, activists, union leaders and professors that in some ways emulate the teams of mayors before her and in other ways break the mold: THE POLITICIANS — One of Wu’s transition co-chairs, former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie, is a Menino administration alum who ran for mayor in 2013 and later served on then-mayor Marty Walsh’s transition team. Walsh tapped two other former mayoral rivals to help lead his transition. Wu named Acting Mayor Kim Janey as honorary chair of hers. THE ISSUE AREAS — Walsh had teams focused on specific issue areas ranging from arts and culture to economic development, education and public safety. Janey had subcommittees focused on public health, education, housing, justice, economic development, transportation and climate justice. Wu’s team doesn’t follow that structure — in no small part because she has a two-week transition instead of a two-month transition. Her picks reflect some of her priorities — there’s an urban and environmental policy and planning professor and a climate activist — but also show an effort to fulfill her pledge of “bringing City Hall to every block” by including a Fenway High School student, a Dorchester church pastor, and local Latino leader and WBUR radio host José Massó. THE LESS-TRADITIONAL PICKS — Walsh had restaurateur and Dropkick Murphys’ frontman Ken Casey on his economic development working group. Wu has tapped Ali Fong , a chef and co-founder of Bon Me, a food-truck and restaurant company that serves up Asian-inspired fare. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It's Veterans Day. Thank you to all who have served. TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and administration officials attend a Veterans Day ceremony at 10 a.m. at Faneuil Hall. Polito joins local officials for a noon ceremony at the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Worcester. State Sen. Eric Lesser hosts a special Veterans Day edition of his "Lunchtime Livestream" at noon. State Sen. John Velis delivers student letters to Holyoke Soldiers’ Home residents at 2:30 p.m. Rep. Seth Moulton hosts a virtual town hall for veterans at 7 p.m. Delegation members attend various Veterans' Day events. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT: Join POLITICO's Sustainability Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hear leading voices from Washington, state houses, city halls, civil society and corporate America discuss the most viable policy and political solutions that balance economic, environmental and social interests. REGISTER HERE.     THE LATEST NUMBERS – “Massachusetts booster shots near 700,000 mark as state reports 1,745 new COVID cases,” by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: “Nearly 700,000 Massachusetts residents have received a coronavirus booster shot, according to Wednesday data from state health officials, as cases increased by 1,745 with 20 new deaths.” DATELINE BEACON HILL – BILLS ON THE MOVE: The Senate late last night unanimously passed a $3.82 billion spending bill that draws on American Rescue Plan Act funds and fiscal year 2021 surplus money, teeing up negotiations on a final bill with the House. Senators’ amendments bumped the bottom line up from the $3.67 billion proposal laid out by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski has more (paywall). – “Nero’s Law” is en route to the House after the Senate unanimously approved the bill that allows emergency medical personnel to treat and transport injured police dogs. The bill from state Sen. Mark Montigny is named after Nero, the K-9 who was severely injured during a 2018 incident that left its human partner, Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon, dead. – “Baker refiles marijuana-impaired driving bill,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday announced that he is taking another run at passing a bill to stop people from driving while impaired by marijuana. Baker said the bill will enhance public safety ‘by equalizing alcohol and marijuana and giving law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.’ The bill is the same one Baker introduced in 2019, but this time he named it after Trooper Thomas Clardy, a Massachusetts state trooper who was fatally struck by a driver who had THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, in his blood.” – “Unemployment insurance deficit may have vanished,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The deficit in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, expected by some to run into billions of dollars eventually, has apparently vanished, according to a state senator and documents filed with the federal government. The state issued a report for May indicating the trust fund was running a deficit of nearly $1.8 billion. Strangely, no other monthly reports have been issued by the Baker administration since then. But documents compiled by the US Treasury indicate the fund’s financial situation has dramatically improved, hitting $2.9 billion earlier this month – enough to pay off nearly $2.3 billion in loans from the federal government and still have money left over.” – “Sen. DiZoglio Calls For Plan To Reopen State House To Public,” by CBS Boston: “State Senator Diana DiZoglio is calling on State House leaders to get the building completely reopened more quickly. … DiZoglio (D-Methuen) said it’s unacceptable that the public is not allowed in the building.” VAX-ACHUSETTS – “Dozens of inmates test positive for COVID-19 at Dartmouth Jail,” by Daniel Ackerman, GBH News: “Twenty-nine inmates at the Bristol Country House of Correction in Dartmouth have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks, according to Jonathan Darling, a spokesperson for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.” – “New COVID outbreak reported at Middleton Jail,” by Julie Manganis, Salem News: “There is a new COVID outbreak at the Middleton Jail, with 57 prisoners and eight employees testing positive for the virus in the past two days, a jail spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. … While 75% of Essex County residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, the percentage of vaccinated prisoners is lower, at 68%, according to the jail’s spokeswoman, Gretchen Grosky. Among the employees who tested positive, just three of the eight had reported being vaccinated. Grosky said at least 60% of the jail’s 700 employees have reported being vaccinated.” FROM THE HUB – “Acting Mayor Kim Janey marks historic term with farewell address,” by Jeremy C. Fox and Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: “[Kim] Janey used the address to reflect on the historic nature of her tenure and the challenges of confronting the coronavirus pandemic and longstanding racial inequality. … Her voice quavered with emotion as she thanked the city’s 18,000 employees, and public officials across Massachusetts. Janey received a standing ovation from the crowd as she paused to regain her composure.” – WHAT’S NEXT: After a whirlwind eight months in which she juggled running a city and campaigning for a full term, Janey plans to “get some rest.” She told reporters after her speech that she’s “going to do some reflection, some writing, do a bit of travel” but will still be here to “support the new administration to make sure that everything runs smoothly. I want to be a resource to support Mayor-elect Wu when she takes over, but also give her the space that she needs.” Janey’s serving as Wu’s honorary transition chair. “Should there be some sort of formal role? You know, we will see.” WU TRAIN – “Boston Mayor-elect Wu to name former DPH chief to clean up Mass. and Cass,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu announced Wednesday that she will appoint the former chief of the state's department of public health, Dr. Monica Bharel, to a new cabinet-level position charged with cleaning up the public health and safety crisis in and around Mass. and Cass, driven by substance use and homelessness. Bharel, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, appeared before the public regularly to report on progress and setbacks. She is considered politically savvy and medically top notch.” THE RACE FOR CITY HALL – “Holyoke Mayor-elect Joshua Garcia to take oath of office Monday; public invited to City Hall ceremony,” by Dennis Hohenberger, Springfield Republican: “Mayor-elect Joshua A. Garcia will take the oath of office Monday, Nov. 15, at 9:30 a.m. in the City Hall Auditorium. … Garcia will undergo a second swearing-in at City Hall on Jan. 3 . The Nov. 15 ceremony covers the remaining weeks left on former Mayor Alex B. Morse’s four-year term.” – “Incumbent Amherst councilor Ross getting recount of four-vote loss,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Town Councilor Evan Ross will get a recount of the unofficial results from the Nov. 2 town election that show him trailing Pamela Rooney by five votes for one of two seats in his district.” – “Springfield City Council candidate Jynai McDonald disputes loss to Ward 4 incumbent Malo Brown, alleging voter intimidation,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “Jynai McDonald, who lost by 101 votes to incumbent Ward 4 City Councilor Malo Brown on Election Day, is contesting the outcome and accusing Brown of voter intimidation. Brown denied the allegations on Wednesday … McDonald filed a notice of intent to contest Brown’s election with the city election office on Monday. She followed up with complaints to the state attorney general’s office Tuesday and the secretary of state’s office Wednesday.” FROM THE DELEGATION – WARREN TALKS WEED: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on President Joe Biden to “make good on his campaign platform that no one should be in jail for cannabis-related crimes by pardoning all non-violent federal cannabis offenders,” POLITICO cannabis reporter Natalie Fertig scooped. Warren sent a letter to the president asking him to use his pardon power to honor the campaign promise. “Our country’s cannabis policies must be completely overhauled, but you have the power to act now,” she wrote in the letter, which was also signed by Sen. Ed Markey and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). – HELP FOR HAITIANS: The entire congressional delegation signed onto a letter calling for more federal assistance for Haitian refugees arriving in Massachusetts. “We encourage you to do all you can to ensure that the process of resettling Haitians in Massachusetts proceeds smoothly,” the delegation wrote in the letter to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement asking for information on the number of Haitians expected to arrive in the state, a timeline for their arrival and clarification on whether they’re eligible for ORR benefits. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – “Could infrastructure bill put East-West rail on track?” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “The legislation includes $66 billion for Amtrak to fund upgrades to current routes and stations – chief among them the Boston to Washington Northeast corridor, by far the system’s busiest line – but also for building out new routes. That’s why [state Sen. Eric] Lesser, the lead champion of a East-West rail line connection between Boston and Springfield, is so excited. The infrastructure bill is ‘a game-changer,’ he said, creating an opportunity similar to the Big Dig to tap federal dollars for the bulk of a big transportation project in the state.” DAY IN COURT – “Truck driver’s trial delayed in crash that killed 7 bikers,” by Kathy McCormack, Associated Press: “Days before jury selection was scheduled to start for a truck driver charged with causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire in 2019, a judge on Wednesday granted a defense request to continue the trial to March over concerns about a crash reconstruction expert’s prior job history with the Massachusetts State Police. Coos County Superior Court Judge Peter Bornstein did not set a new date for the trial of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 25, of West Springfield, Massachusetts.” FROM THE 413 – “He was hired to probe a single complaint at Monterey Town Hall. He quit when he saw the true scale of the rancor,” by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: “A private investigator hired to probe a complaint by one town employee against another quit Tuesday, after the number of complaints lodged in Town Hall ballooned in recent days to 19.” THE LOCAL ANGLE – “Before Veterans Day, Boston’s own Tuskegee Airman reflects on long journey,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Enoch Woodhouse showed up to his Army assignment a day late and covered in soot, literally and figuratively held back by the color of his skin. But that’s just the start of his story, a long and rich one that’s led one of the few surviving Tuskegee Airmen through the Ivy League, a law practice and back to his hometown of Boston, where on Wednesday he got a hug from the first Black chief executive of the city, and on Thursday, Veterans Day, he’ll attend multiple ceremonies as an honored guest. Lt. Col. Woodhouse, first of the Army and then, when it was created, the Air Force, was part of the Airmen, the legendary all-Black combat unit in World War II, several years before the military integrated.” – “1,613 people have died in opioid overdoses in Mass. this year,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “Opioid overdoses continued to claim the lives of hundreds of Massachusetts residents in 2021. In the first nine months of this year 1,613 residents have died, a 1 percent increase over the same period in 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health. The semiannual report suggests the crisis may be stabilizing after a 5 percent spike in deaths in 2020, when the effects of the pandemic erased the state’s progress in combating illicit opioid use. The annual number of opioid-related deaths peaked at 2,110 in 2016, declined slightly over the next three years, and rose to 2,106 in 2020.” – “Only 5% of Mass. school superintendents are people of color, report finds,” by Stephannie Joseph, GBH News: “People of color are underrepresented in public school leadership across Massachusetts, holding just 5% of superintendent posts, according to a new report from the Eos Foundation and Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. … The report found that in 2020, Massachusetts districts employed 14 superintendents of color, eight women and six men.” – “Keith Hovan, Southcoast Health President-CEO, charged with domestic assault and battery,” by Frank Mulligan, Wicked Local: “Southcoast Health President and CEO Keith Hovan was arrested Saturday night at his Rochester home by Rochester Police on a charge of domestic assault and battery, and was arraigned on the charge in Wareham District Court Monday.” – “How this Fall River agency is using a grant from the AG to aid Latinx addiction recovery,” by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: “River to Recovery received a $44,000 grant from [state AG Maura] Healey’s office to fund a Spanish-speaking recovery coach. … ‘Any money that I recover from the drug makers, drug distributors, Purdue and the Sacklers, all of that is going directly to treatment and programming. I wanted to come down with my team to see a site in action,’ said Healey.” – “Worcester Regional Airport celebrates veterans, return of commercial service,” by Cyrus Moulton, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “Worcester Regional Airport celebrated the return of commercial service in a ceremony Wednesday and, in recognition of Veterans Day, announced charitable donations to local nonprofit Veterans Inc.” – “Framingham Mayor-elect Charlie Sisitsky recovered, directing transition work,” by Zane Razzaq, MetroWest Daily News: “Mayor-elect Charlie Sisitsky has recovered and is directing the government's transition, after a brief hospitalization last week.” SPOTTED – at Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s farewell address at Roxbury’s Hibernian Hall: Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Mayor-elect Michelle Wu, state Reps. Nika Elugardo, Liz Miranda and Jon Santiago; City Councilors Kenzie Bok, Ed Flynn, Ricardo Arroyo and Julia Mejia, councilors-elect Ruthzee Louijeune and Tania Fernandes Anderson; Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, former city councilor Tito Jackson, and BECMA President and CEO Segun Idowu. TRANSITIONS – Michael Falcone, most recently the chief of government affairs and advocacy at the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, is now senior director at MacDougall Advisors Inc. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Alec MacGillis, Will Boscow, Jesse Adams, Shelly Tsirulik and The New York Times’ Eric Athas, a UMass Amherst alum. Happy belated to YWCA Cambridge Executive Director Tania Del Rio, who celebrated Saturday. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: THE SENATE'S REVOLUTIONARY MENTAL HEALTH BILL — State Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro) joins hosts Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky to discuss the Senate's new bill treat mental health like physical health. Kashinsky breaks down the South Coast congressional redistricting schism. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. 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.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.       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  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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