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By Matt Murphy with help from Keith Regan

Relitigating 2020

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Reach MASSterList and the State House News Service’s connected audience in the political and public policy worlds in Massachusetts. Have friends interested in one of these positions? Forward the newsletter to them! Contact Dylan RossiterPublisher@MASSterList.com


Legislative Liaison — NEW!, City of Somerville


Lead Executive Administrative Assistant — NEW!, City of Somerville


Deputy Director — NEW!, Science Club for Girls


Program Director for Global Security & International Affairs — NEW!, American Academy of Arts and Sciences


District Representative, Congressman Bill Keating


Director of Organizing, MASSCreative


Director of External Relations, MASSCreative


Public Affairs and Strategic Outreach Manager, Harvard University


Assistant Director, State and Intergovernmental Relations, Harvard University


Finance Manager, Retailers Association of Massachusetts


Communications and Development Specialist, Roca


Project Assistant, The Welcome Party


Director, Public Policy, United Way of Massachusetts Bay


Policy Analyst: Energy, Global Partners


Investigator: Representative Payee Program, Disability Law Center


Staff Attorney, Disability Law Center


Litigation/Construction Attorney, Preti Flaherty


Chief Fiscal Officer, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission


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Director of Communications, Office of Senator Jason Lewis


Grant Accounting Coordinator, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative


Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Counsel, Massachusetts Medical Society


Government Relations Advisor, Massachusetts Medical Society


Product Manager, Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission


Business Analyst, Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission


Technical Architect, Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission


Project Manager 2: Capital Planning, Mass School Building Authority


Project Manager 2: Construction Administration, Mass School Building Authority


Senior Web Application Developer, Mass School Building Authority


Assistant Project Manager, Mass School Building Authority


Project Manager 1: Construction Administration, Mass School Building Authority

Today's News

Good Monday morning.


A funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth II is underway in London, and Gov. Charlie Baker is in New York to take part in the Clinton Global Initiative 2022 meeting. He's back later today.


We're now seven weeks out from Election Day, and most people in Massachusetts will wake up on Nov. 9 confident in who will be the next governor of the commonwealth. That, apparently, does not include Republican nominee Geoff Diehl.


The Trump-backed candidate is making waves after his spokeswoman told the New York Times "no comment" when asked if Diehl would agree to the outcome of the November election for a story published Sunday.


The response put Diehl in the company of six GOP nominees for governor and U.S. Senate in states from Arizona to Ohio who declined to automatically accept the outcome of this year's elections, building on the mistrust of the election system that Trump began to sow in 2020 when he claimed the election was stolen from him.


“The choice in this election could not be more clear. Geoff Diehl is endorsed by Donald Trump and has fully embraced the Trump playbook of lies and division. He repeats Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and is already laying the groundwork to cast doubt on the results of our election because he knows that voters will reject his efforts to bring Trumpism to Massachusetts,” Healey campaign manager Jason Burrell said in response to the Times's reporting.


Diehl initially tried to steer clear of the voter fraud claims put forward by Trump, but has since leaned into the idea as he has looked to solidify support within the conservative Republican base. In an August interview on the Jeff Kuhner Report on WRKO, he said, "It definitely was an election that was stolen from Trump, and it was rigged in a way that should never happen again."


After that interview, the Democratic Governors Association packaged an audio clip of the interview and posted it to YouTube to disseminate with a statement criticizing Diehl for his position. 


YouTube last Tuesday notified the DGA that it was removing the audio clip from its platform because it violated the company's policies related to the spreading of election misinformation and claims that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen, according to an email shared with MASSterList.


“MAGA Republican Geoff Diehl is so fringe that his comments in a radio interview violate policies from YouTube designed to prevent the spread of dangerous misinformation that undermines American elections. This once again reaffirms that Diehl is a fringe conspiracy theorist and too dangerous for Massachusetts," said DGA deputy communications director Sam Newton.


While Diehl's adherence to the Trump line on the 2020 election might endear him to a certain set of Republican voters, it could ultimately hurt among the independents who were central to Gov. Charlie Baker's two wins in 2014 and 2018 and who Diehl will need to defeat Attorney General Maura Healey.


A Suffolk University poll released last week showed that nearly 67 percent of voters surveyed hold an unfavorable view of Trump, including 58 percent of undecided voters.


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Happening Today

6 a.m. | World leaders including President Joe Biden gather at Westminster Abbey in London for the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II. 


8:45 a.m. | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds a press availability after riding the Orange Line to work for the first time following the month-long shutdown of service.


10 a.m. | Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets for an update on casino operations and a discussion of and a possible vote on approval of certified independent testing labs for sports wagering.


10 a.m. | U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren addresses business leaders at the latest "Capitol Hill Report" breakfast hosted by the New England Council at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.


11 a.m. | Gov. Charlie Baker participates in a panel discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative's 2022 meeting in New York City on Massachusetts’ efforts to address climate change and achieve net zero emissions.

-- Investigations sought as migrants settle into JBCC


Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday moved a majority of the Venezuelan migrants voluntarily from Martha's Vineyard, where they were flown by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to dormitories at Joint Base Cape Cod where 125 activated members of the National Guard are helping to provide and coordinate food, shelter, medical care and other supports. The Globe's By Brian MacQuarrie and Jinitzail Hernández of the Texas Tribune report together that some who boarded DeSantis's flight to the Vineyard (and some who didn't) feel they were tricked and mislead by officials, fueling calls from elected leaders here like Rep. Dylan Fernandes for state and federal investigations. Meanwhile, DeSantis is threatening to send more migrants north, while WBSM-1420 reports that New Bedford Ward 3 City Councilor Hugh Dunn believes the city could step up to enroll the small number of children that arrived in public schools. Baker, for his part, still refuses to engage with or criticize DeSantis, blaming both parties in Washington for a broken immigration system, reports CommonWealth's Bruce Mohl.



The Boston Globe | Cape Cod Times | WBSM 1420 | CommonWealth Magazine

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-- Orange Line back on the tracks


It's back. After 30 days, the Orange Line screeched back into service this morning. No more shuttle buses...for now. While riders wait to see if the repair work makes their commute any faster, more comfortable or more reliable, MBTA officials are saying this may not be the last diversion to make repair work on parts of the system possible. Globe reporters were on hand this morning to talk with commuters as they went back on the trains.


The Boston Globe | GBH News

-- Campbell still not jumping up to debate McMahon


Democratic nominee for attorney general Andrea Campbell is still not jazzed about the idea of debating her Republican opponent. The Herald's Matthew Medsger reports that during her taped appearance Sunday on WCVB's "On the Record" Campbell continued to say, "We'll see," about debating Jay McMahon. One thing he was clear about? She won't be debating him seven times, which is what McMahon has asked for as he faces long odds of taking down Campbell. In the meantime, she encouraged voters to watch a candidate forum that took place during the primary with McMahon and other Democrats who sought the office.


Boston Herald

-- Baker intends to send tax refunds this November


The checks will be in the mail. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration said Friday it intends to make good on the 1986 revenue cap law by refunded nearly $3 billion in taxes to residents this fall. While the law calls for credits to be issued to taxpayers, Baker said he intends to send refunds checks (or direct deposit) to taxpayers beginning in November, and advised that people can expect to receive back approximately 13 percent of what they paid in state income taxes last year.


State House News Service

-- Local clerks baffled by 2020 election records requests


On the theme of election integrity, the Globe's Samantha J. Gross reports that local clerks have been inundated with public records demanding access to voting machine tapes and serial numbers, copies of digital ballots, and file names all related to the November 2020 presidential election. These requests have landed in cities and towns big and small, including many that are more analog than digital. Gross reports that the effort is being coordinated by supporters of Donald Trump who buy into the conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from the former president.


The Boston Globe

-- Elected officials, like their constituents, vote in a variety of ways


Mail-in voting was more popular among Democrats than Republicans, and adopted more readily in affluent suburbs than poorer urban centers. But among many elected officials who made voting-by-mail possible, the in-person voting booth experience and the chance to press the flesh with constituents still holds some allure. The Eagle-Tribune's Christian Wade canvassed elected officials from the Merrimack Valley to the North Shore about how they cast their ballots and why.


The Eagle-Tribune

-- Hayden turns heads with dismissal of juvenile unit chief


Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden won his primary over justice reformer Ricardo Arroyo, but it wasn't because he was able to win over skeptics concerned he would bring a more conservative approach to prosecutions. Hayden's decision to fire the head of his juvenile unit a week after the election is fueling more fear among advocates that he intends to abandon the juvenile justice diversion program that his predecessor helped grow, reports the Globe's Ivy Scott. The district attorney's office says that is not the case.


The Boston Globe

-- Hardwick receptive to being state horse-racing destination


Will the third town be the charm? The Globe’s Jon Chesto reports developer Richard Fields may have finally found a suitable host community for his dream of reviving live thoroughbred horse racing in the Bay State. After being turned away in Sturbridge and Great Barrington, Fields has received a warm welcome for an equestrian center in Hardwick, all while heavily lobbying state lawmakers to carve out room in sports betting legislation for such a facility.


The Boston Globe

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-- Not on board: Warren urges DOT to block JetBlue-Spirit merger 


U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to use his authority to block JetBlue’s planned $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines, saying the deal will likely hurt consumers and drive up fares. Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen reports Warren believes Buttigieg is better positioned to stop the acquisition than the Department of Justice, which would have to sue to stop it.


Bloomberg

-- Equity audit finds ‘racially toxic’ culture in Worcester City Hall 


The workplace culture in Worcester City Hall “does not support racial equity,” an outside audit found. It goes on to blame a lack of diversity among the city workforce on a lack of leadership on the issue. The Telegram’s Cyrus Moulton has the details on the inquiry that was launched back in 2021 after employee complaints.


Telegram & Gazette

-- Northampton council finds support for fossil-fuel-free construction 


Residents are urging the Northampton City Council to get the city on the list of communities hoping to join a state program that will allow cities and towns to limit the use of fossil fuels in new construction, Brian Steele of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.


Daily Hampshire Gazette

-- Koch suggests time has come for T to drop employee vax mandate 


Quincy Mayor and MBTA Director Thomas Koch wants the T to consider dropping its vaccine mandate for employees, saying it could help unlock additional talent for the worker-strapped agency. The Herald’s Gayla Cawley reports the T has a 94 percent compliance rate with its vaccine requirements.


Boston Herald

More Headlines

Metro


Counter protestors amass around anti-transgender rally at Boston Children’s Hospital - Boston Herald


Well-Being Among Young Adults is Declining, Harvard-led Study Finds - The Harvard Crimson



Massachusetts


Patriot Front focused white supremacist activity in Mass. this year; a look at the group and its leaders - Mass Live


Massachusetts job market slowed last month - The Boston Globe


Ballot spending on millionaire’s tax hits $20M - The Salem News


National


How Russian Trolls Helped Keep the Women’s March Out of Lock Step - The New York Times


Deal averting railroad strike has potential to fall apart - The Hill

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Send tips to Matt MurphyEditor@MASSterList.com. For advertising inquiries and job board postings, please contact Dylan RossiterPublisher@MASSterList.com. Follow @MASSterList on Twitter.

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