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FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: IS SOMERVILLE READY FOR A SOCIALIST TAKEOVER? A group of Democratic socialists is betting that the Somerville City Council is ready for a socialist takeover this fall.

The Boston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is rolling out a slate of endorsements today, first reported in Playbook, for city council races in Somerville and Boston. If all of the endorsed candidates win, Somerville would have perhaps the only majority-socialist city council in the country.

The group is endorsing Somerville City Councilor JT Scott, along with new candidates Tessa Bridge, Willie Burnley, Jr., Charlotte Kelly, Becca Miller and Eve Seitchik. (WickedLocal has a rundown of all candidates running in Somerville so far). And in Boston, endorsed candidates are Kendra Hicks and Joel Richards.

"Our goal is to take over Somerville and to start implementing a Green New Deal for Somerville, free transit, defunding the police, creating affordable housing, bringing back rent control," said Seth Gordon, spokesperson for the Boston DSA. "But we also want the Somerville election to be a lesson to those who don't pay attention to constituents."

The endorsements are a signal that the Boston Democratic Socialists of America is flexing some new political power, and eyeing a move toward the mainstream. The group has more than 3,000 members, hundreds of whom live in Somerville, and plans to make phone calls, knock on doors and donate to endorsed candidates. And in Boston, organizers are well aware that landing a socialist or two on the council in a major U.S. city could have a ripple effect.

"We are not afraid of the socialist label. We're not running away from it. Our candidates certainly aren't," Gordon said. "We hope that this also just sends a message that we are a real political force to be reckoned with."

The rise of Democratic socialism is easy to spot on the national stage. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez come to mind. And socialists are getting elected in other cities. Chicago has six socialists on its 50-member council. Seattle has one.

In Massachusetts, the political left has seen some recent setbacks. Progressive Democratic challengers came up short in state legislative primary races last fall. In Winthrop and Revere, an anti-abortion Democrat who supported Donald Trump in 2016 won a special House primary just a few weeks ago. And the DSA endorsed the Democratic socialist running to fill former Rep. Joe Kennedy IIIs seat last year, though the endorsement was called off after allegations of staff mistreatment surfaced. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a self-proclaimed Obama-Baker voter won the seat.

But if any citys going to elect a socialist city council, it would probably be Somerville. Voters there gave President Joe Biden his second-largest margin against former President Donald Trump in November of any Massachusetts city. And Somerville just sent a Democratic socialist to the State House last fall first-term Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven.

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TODAY Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey joins the Transit is Essential Coalition for a press conference. Sen. Ed Markey holds a virtual press conference for the Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy (THRIVE) Agenda," visits a vaccine site in Brockton with Mayor Bob Sullivan and tours the Shawmut Corporation facility in West Bridgewater with Rep. Stephen Lynch. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is a guest on WBUR.

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Massachusetts reports 1,817 new COVID cases, 29 more deaths Sunday; active case total rises again, by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: Massachusetts public health officials reported 1,817 new cases of COVID-19 and 29 more deaths on Sunday. There are 30,772 active coronavirus cases, as of Sunday, another figure thats increased slightly over the last few days, according to the state Department of Public Health. For several days last week, the number of active cases was around 25,000. On Saturday, the state reported 29,806 active cases.

Statehouse remains closed as Mass. reopens, by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: City and town halls, schools and businesses are reopening as public health metrics improve, but the halls of state government remain shuttered. The Massachusetts Statehouse, shut down a year ago to prevent spread of the coronavirus, remains closed to the public with no plans to reopen anytime soon.

What You Need To Know About The New Mass. Climate Law, by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: Gov. Charlie Baker signed a sweeping climate bill into law on Friday, signaling a new era in Massachusetts plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, build a greener economy and prioritize equity and environmental justice.

Massachusetts is spending $130 million to identify people exposed to COVID-19, but some question if money is well spent, by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: Few states invested more effort tracking down people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 than Massachusetts. More than 4,500 workers have been hired to do the labor-intensive job, costing the state $130.4 million by the end of this June."

Parents rally outside State House to denounce lack of input in school reopening plan, by Caroline Enos and Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: About 30 educators, union representatives, and families from communities of color rallied outside the State House on Saturday to protest the states full return to in-person learning at many schools this spring a decision they say was made without their input.

Film tax credit backers say they have the votes, by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: Supporters of the states film tax credit, which came under fire this week from a commission examining Massachusetts tax breaks, say they have the votes to pass legislation that would make the tax credit permanent."

Mass. residents work around the clock to score vaccination slots for people theyve never met, by Beth Teitell, Boston Globe: The states vaccine rollout has been so frustrating that it infamously left people trying to book appointments in tears, dented Governor Charlie Bakers popularity, and birthed an army of vaccine angels people so upset by what they are witnessing that they are working around the clock to score slots for people theyve never met.

56,228 people received COVID vaccines at Fenway Park; video celebrates last person vaccinated at home of Boston Red Sox, by Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: As Fenway Parks role as a Massachusetts COVID vaccination site came to a close, the vendor running the location posted a video celebrating the last person to receive a shot at the Boston stadium.

'199 years is long enough': Kim Janey becomes Boston's first Black and first female mayor, by Sarah Betancourt, The Guardian: Earlier this week, Kim Janey, the first woman and Black person to lead the city of Boston, became acting mayor. She was sworn in by the first Black woman to lead Massachusetts highest court, Kimberly Budd, and the first Black Massachusetts congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley.

What number Boston mayor is Kim Janey, actually? by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: Which number mayor is she, anyway? Newly minted acting Mayor Kim Janeys administration blasted out multiple emails this week celebrating her ascension to becoming Bostons 55th mayor. Press releases celebrating her ceremonial swearing-in did as much, along with a Dear Boston letter the mayors office shot out via email.

After-school programs suffer school reopening whiplash, by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: Six months after scrambling to rent gyms and church basements to care for children whose schools didnt open, community groups are again dashing to accommodate the whiplash changes to school schedules as districts shift back to in-person learning.

At Mass General Brigham, a sweeping effort to unify hospitals and shed old rivalries, by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey and Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: They promised to become partners but never truly did. Now, more than 25 years after Massachusetts General and Brigham and Womens hospitals joined forces to boost their clout with penny-pinching HMOs, trustees and executives are making their most sweeping attempt yet to set aside old rivalries and work as a unified health care system.

Boston coronavirus cases rising among people under 30, Kim Janey says, by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: The coronavirus is again spreading rapidly among young people, acting Mayor Kim Janey said as the city prepares a campaign aimed at cutting transmission rates among the youths.

Boston hotels, among hardest hit in the country, could take years to recover, by Katie Johnston, Boston Globe: Normally at this time of year at the Omni Parker House, anticipation is in the air. Wedding banquets are being planned, graduation dinners are being booked, and tourists are snapping up rooms at the elegant property, a fixture in downtown Boston since 1855. This year, however, is anything but normal.

New chairman of Mass. Competitive Partnership aims to use its power to reshape local economy, by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: Jeff Leiden knows this state still has a long way to go to recapture the jobs that have been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the new chairman of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, Leiden is in an unusual position to help restore the local economy to glory.

State officials are investigating senator, wife for potential campaign finance violations, by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: A politically powerful Massachusetts couple is asking a judge to temporarily stop the states top campaign finance regulator from referring an investigation into them to state prosecutors, marking an extraordinary turn in what had been a private state probe.

DA Ryan Asks State's Highest Court To Review Cases Tied To Hinton Drug Lab, by Deborah Becker, WBUR: Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan filed a petition with the state's Supreme Judicial Court on Friday asking it to review all criminal drug convictions based on evidence tested at the now-closed Hinton Drug Laboratory during the years in which two disgraced state chemists worked there.

After several state cases were dropped against 2020 Black Lives Matters protesters in Worcester, the one man federally charged intends to plead guilty, records show, by Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: While the state charges against several people arrested in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Worcester were dropped, it appears the one person charged in federal court plans to plead guilty, records show.

Not Prosecuting Low Level Crimes Leads To Less Crime In Suffolk County, Research Finds, by Ally Jarmanning, WBUR: New research looking at Suffolk County criminal cases finds that declining to prosecute some low-level offenses can actually lead to less crime.

Amazon started a Twitter war because Jeff Bezos was pissed, by Jason Del Rey, Vox: Amazon has long been at odds with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren over their criticisms of the companys labor and business practices. But the discord reached a new height last week when Amazon aggressively went after both on Twitter in an unusual attack for a large corporation.

Sens. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren join push for permanent $3,000-plus Child Tax Credit as White House preps massive infrastructure, recovery plans, by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: The temporary $3,000-plus Child Tax Credit approved in President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill should remain permanent, Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and more than three dozen Democratic senators recently argued.

Can landlords really ban marijuana edibles? Usually not, but that hasnt stopped them from trying, by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: Five years after Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana, the states apartment renters are increasingly being pressured to give up their ability to use or even possess the drug in their own homes. A Globe sampling of leases from around the state found that a growing number of landlords are revising the annual contracts to replace generic anti-drug provisions with new restrictions on cannabis and not just on smoking it.

Herald: CLIMBING CONCERN," "DESPERATE DEMS, Globe: Building a bridge toward a Green New Deal," "COVID cases tick back up across US.

Gov. Charlie Baker on potentially facing a Republican primary if he seeks a third term, on WBZ's "Keller @ Large," which aired Sunday: "I'm not really spending a lot of time thinking about this stuff. Once the lieutenant governor and I get around to figuring out exactly what we want to do, we'll plan accordingly. But I've been incredibly blessed to have this chance to serve, and the people in Massachusetts have been overwhelmingly kind and gracious to both me and the lieutenant governor over the past five years. These are extraordinary times and they create tremendous opportunity, along with tremendous challenges. I think anybody who is interested in serving in public life needs to recognize and understand that the challenges that we face are significant, but the challenges that our citizens face, our residents face, go way beyond the challenges that we face. And, you know, again, bringing a little bit of that humility to these roles, I think, would make everybody a lot better off." Link.

State Rep. Tram Nguyen on the rise in anti-Asian violence, and hate crime legislation, on WCVB's "On the Record," which aired Sunday: "The goal of this, the hate crime bill, is to make sure that it serves its intended purpose of holding perpetrators accountable, especially those who target people based on a protected class. Right now, Massachusetts has one of the weakest laws because our laws, we have two statutes, are vague and partially overlapping. What this bill seeks to do is to combine these two statutes into one, and to further clarify that certain behaviors, such as violent, threatening, destructive behavior, is not protected under the First Amendment." Link

Springfield officials ask Massachusetts State Police to add patrols to help quell violence that has left 2 dead, 6 injured, by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: City officials are asking the Massachusetts State Police to help turn up the heat after an uptick in gun violence has left two dead in less than two weeks and six others wounded over six days. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood have asked Maj. Michael Habel, commander of Troop B located in Western Massachusetts, to provide extra patrols in areas determined to be hot spots.

What if you called 911 and someone other than the police showed up? Northampton explores creating new unarmed response department, by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: The Northampton Policing Review Commission released its final report this week, a 58-page document with the potential to change the face of emergency responders in the Pioneer Valley city.

Finegold speaks with Duxbury High football players about Jewish faith after anti-Semitic incident, by Abigail Feldman, Boston Globe: State Senator Barry Finegold spoke about the Jewish faith with members of the Duxbury High School football team Saturday, nearly a week after school officials fired the teams longtime head coach during an investigation into the teams use of anti-Semitic language during games.

Duxbury controversy shines light on South Shore's history with anti-Semitism, lack of education, by Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Patriot Ledger: The use of anti-Semitic terms by Duxbury's high school football team is reverberating nationally, but local Jewish leaders and civil rights advocates are quick to point out that, on the South Shore, anti-Semitism is not a new problem.

State data shows vaccine rate disparities, by Madeline Hughes, Eagle Tribune: While about 30% of people in Essex County have had their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data, in Lawrence only 18% of residents have had their first jab. The city is lagging in vaccination rates, and this week's state numbers show only a 2.5% increase over the past week, while the rest of the county has seen about a 5% increase.

Worcester dealing with bus driver shortage day before start of hybrid learning, by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: Ahead of the return of thousands of students to schools, the administration said Friday there is a shortage of bus drivers at the districts transportation provider. According to a memo sent by Superintendent Maureen Binienda, a combination of vacancies, medical leaves and other absences has left only 58 drivers at Durham School Services available to bus kids when hybrid in-person learning starts Monday.

Could a ship get stuck sideways in the Cape Cod Canal? It's unlikely, but yes. by Jeannette Hinkle, Cape Cod Times: The Ever Given, one of the worlds largest cargo vessels at roughly 1,300-feet long and 200-feet wide, has been blocking the Suez since Tuesday, delaying global shipping. Egyptian officials said Friday the massive boat could be dislodged within the next few days, but others involved in the operation estimate the effort could take weeks. Could a ship passing through the Cape Cod Canal ever find itself in the same predicament, bow on one bank, stern on the other?

TRANSITIONS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Alex Gray, an at-large candidate for Boston City Council, hired Francy Wade as communications director, Sam Miller as campaign manager, Dakota Fenn as deputy campaign manager and Annie Schreiber as finance director.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Data Protocol CEO Peter Cherukuri, Harvard Kennedy Schools David King, Ned Gandevani, Sanjay Misra, and Richard Lewontin.

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SOCIALISTS plan SOMERVILLE TAKEOVER Inside AMAZON'S TWITTER WAR against ELIZABETH WARREN Could a SHIP get STUCK in the CAPE COD CANAL? - Politico