Family tie$ that bind

Politico

19-02-2025

SHORTENING THE DISTANCE — Josh Kraft made an effort early on in his campaign to distance himself from his dad.
But a few weeks in, he seems ready to leverage his position as the son of the billionaire New England Patriots owner to help draw deep-pocketed donors to his campaign.
Robert Kraft is set to speak at the 'inaugural' meeting of Josh's campaign's finance committee, per an invitation obtained by Playbook. The invitation doesn't offer many specifics. 'The meeting will include remarks by Robert Kraft,' it reads.
It's a risky move, given the older Kraft's ties to President Donald Trump — a connection that could be a liability for the candidate Kraft if he isn't able to convince voters who largely loathe president that he isn't his father.
'While Josh may disagree with his father on some things, he is grateful for his unconditional love and support in all things, including this campaign,' a Kraft spokesperson said in a statement.
Josh Kraft has built his own name in Boston's philanthropic world over the past three decades (You can even find it emblazoned on a youth center in Mattapan.). But outrunning his father's legacy won't be so easy.
Kraft acknowledged as much during his campaign kickoff. 'I'm asking the city of Boston to set aside any ideas they may have about me based on my last name and let me tell you about the path of service I've forged,' he told the crowd who gathered in Dorchester earlier this month.
And Trump, a longtime former(ish) friend of Robert Kraft, isn't making it any easier.
Robert Kraft himself tried to separate himself from the president during the election, saying on an episode of The Breakfast Club podcast that he and Trump hadn't spoken since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
That once frosty relationship seems to have thawed. Trump recently appointed the elder Kraft's wife, Dana Blumberg, to serve on the board of trustees at the Kennedy Center.
'I've never voted for Donald Trump, nor have I given him a cent,' the younger Kraft said at his campaign kickoff. 'I think he's unfit to be president due to his character and lack of emotional control. That being said, I love my dad, we agree on a lot of things,' he told reporters.
'Donald Trump, we disagree on,' he added.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. We're already almost halfway through the week.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll stop at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4 site as part of their 'Transforming Transportation Roadshow' at 10:30 a.m. in Medway. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks to students at Merrimack College at 12:30 p.m. in North Andover.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: [e-mail].
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— 'Massachusetts' budget is projected to grow 50 percent from just seven years ago. How did that happen?' by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: 'Under Governor Maura Healey's $62 billion state budget proposal, there would be more taxpayer money for the MBTA and local schools, major cuts to some health and social service programs, and higher prices on candy bars. Beyond the individual line items, however, Healey's plan represents a notable milestone for the state: If adopted, Massachusetts would spend nearly 50 percent more than it did just seven years ago. Massachusetts' state spending has boomed since the onset of the COVID pandemic, a Globe review of budget data found, far outpacing previous eras due to what state officials, budget watchers, and others described as a stew of factors, some of them unprecedented.'
— 'Hostility' toward natural gas driving up prices, critic says,' by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald.
FROM THE HUB
— ''We have no voice or vote:' Amid BPS's struggles, a renewed call for an elected Boston School Committee,' by John Hilliard, The Boston Globe.
DOGE HITS HOME — The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum closed abruptly Tuesday afternoon amid a flurry of mass firings at federal agencies across the government.
'The sudden dismissal of federal employees at the JFK Library forced the museum to close today,' the JFK Library Foundation said in a statement Tuesday evening. 'As the foundation that supports the JFK Library, we are devastated by this news and will continue to support our colleagues and the library.'
The five employees affected by the layoffs 'were the ones that were responsible for greeting visitors, the visitor experience … education, outreach, some of the rental activities and such that are revenue generating,' former Rep. Joe Kennedy III said during an interview on WBZ.
'But it also meant that today, for all the visitors that were there, they had to dismiss people inside the library today and close effective immediately and until further notice, because that's the staff that is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the library.' More from GBH News.
MEANWHILE — 'Judge denies states' bid to curtail DOGE's powers,' by Daniel Barnes and Dareh Gregorian, NBC News.
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
VISITORS' SECTIONS — Boston's mayoral race narrowly avoided a stadium split screen this morning, as the debate over construction of two new soccer stadiums in and around Boston rages on.
Josh Kraft released a statement Tuesday morning, urging the city to halt the demolition of White Stadium, which is set to become the new home for women's pro soccer team once a rebuild is complete.
'I am calling on Mayor Wu to listen to the concerns of the community and pledge today to stop any planned demolition work at White Stadium until the legal process is resolved,' Kraft said in a statement, alluding to the lawsuit filed by some community members seeking to pause the project. 'There are legitimate legal matters before the courts that deserve to be heard and adjudicated before any trees are removed and any demolition of the current structure occurs.'
Kraft is on tap to speak at an event this morning just outside the stadium, alongside advocates who oppose the project. Meanwhile, the mayor was scheduled to visit the site where the Kraft Group plans to build a stadium in Everett this morning, but the stop was removed from her public schedule last night.
DAY IN COURT
— 'In a Boston courtroom, ICE and local prosecutors in a tug of war over man accused of rape,' by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: 'Maynor Francisco Hernandez Rodas is charged with the rape of a child and faces a lengthy sentence in a Massachusetts prison, possibly life, if convicted. A Guatemalan national, Hernandez Rodas is also in the US illegally and faces deportation once federal immigration officers have him in custody. Now that tug of war between local and federal officials, unfolding in a Boston courtroom, could set the tone for how similar cases play out under the new Trump administration.'
TRUMPACHUSETTS
— 'IRS in turmoil over taxpayer information sharing, staff cuts,' by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.
— 'Amid confusing Trump executive orders, local state reps believe information is power,' by Abigail Pritchard, The New Bedford Light.
— 'As blue states battle Trump's NIH funding cuts, red states benefit too,' by Anna Rubenstein, WBUR: 'Though the 22 attorneys general — all Democrats — sought relief for their own states, the restraining order was implemented across the country, protecting institutions even in states that didn't sue. Speaking to reporters on Feb. 10, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Republican AGs have been notably missing from the court actions to stop President Trump's executive orders.'
— ''It makes no logical sense': A Mass. immigration judge is among more than 20 fired by Trump administration,' by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, The Boston Globe: 'In December, the Biden administration appointed Kerry Doyle to serve as a judge on Massachusetts' newest immigration court, which opened last year in Chelmsford to help ease the state's growing backlog of cases. Doyle, who had spent decades working in immigration law as a lawyer and as the principal legal adviser for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immersed herself in the grueling training and prepared for her swearing-in. On Feb. 14, however, she received a startling notice by email from Sirce Owen, the acting director, Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Department of Justice agency that administers federal immigration laws. Without warning or explanation, the Trump administration had fired her.'
— ''This is the stuff that keeps me up at night',' by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: 'While the country waits for a final say on the validity of President Donald Trump's attempted federal funding freeze, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan held a roundtable discussion Tuesday with local and nonprofit leaders to discuss the impact of the potential freeze on local food assistance programs. Trahan was joined by officials from agencies like Community Teamwork and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, who all expressed concerns over what a loss in federal funding would do to their organizations and the food assistance they offer.'
FROM THE 413
— 'Winter isn't over yet, but fuel assistance is running out for some Berkshire households,' by Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle: 'Winter has yet to loosen its grip on the Berkshires, but over a thousand households have already exhausted their fuel assistance for the year. When fuel assistance programs opened in November, Berkshire residents were looking at the lowest funding allocation in at least seven years. Since then the state has raised households' allocations by $200 to $450, depending on the households' size and income.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— 'Mass League CEO warns funding cuts could impact health access,' by Hannah Loss, GBH News: 'With uncertainty and fear clouding future federal funding of equity-focused programs and Medicaid, one health leader says community health centers should be loudly advocating for their own value.'
— 'Police Chief Paul Oliveira will retire in May,' by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light: 'Police Chief Paul Oliveira is retiring from the police department in May after 32 years on the city's force, including as deputy chief and a narcotics detective. His retirement, announced Tuesday, comes more than two years before his latest contract, which took effect last summer, is set to expire in 2027.'
— 'Not everyone on board with Worcester's changed approach to student discipline,' by Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette.
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Jess Wysocky will be the director of health policy at National Association of Manufacturers. She was legislative director for Rep. Jake Auchincloss.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Emma Huggard.