Days in court
Fifty-two days into President Doanld Trump's second term, Attorney General Andrea Campbell has already sued the federal government more than half a dozen times.
The latest lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, seeks to stop the Trump administration from shutting down the U.S. Education Department after massive layoffs earlier this week.
'Neither President Trump nor his secretary have the power to demolish a congressionally created department, and as attorney general but most importantly as a mom, I will continue to hold this administration accountable for illegal actions that harm our residents and economy,' Campbell said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
Add that to the long list of actions Democratic attorneys general have taken to try to stymie the White House's efforts to dramatically shrink the federal government and tamp down immigration.
So far, Campbell has sued to block a slew of actions from the federal government, from ending birthright citizenship to the federal funding freeze, the creation of the Department of Government of Efficiency, DOGE's access to private data, halting specific grants for education and medical research — a long list less than two months into Trump's second term.
And that's not counting the motions and amicus briefs as the cases move through the courts. Campbell appears to be on track to outpace her predecessor, now-Gov. Maura Healey, who sued Trump nearly 100 times during his first term in office.
The flurry of lawsuits flying from Democratic attorneys general offices is a key piece of Democrats' strategy as they struggle to find a way to push back on Trump's agenda, with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
And based on Senate Democrats' shutdown dilemma Thursday night, it might be the only one they can rely on.
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Auditor Diana DiZoglio at speaks at the Western Mass Area Labor Federation Breakfast at 8 a.m. and attends Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Paddy's Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends an Age Strong St. Patrick's Day celebration at 11:30 a.m. in Charlestown and speaks at Boston's annual Community Iftar at 6 p.m. in Roxbury.
THIS WEEKEND — State Sen. Nick Collins is on WBZ's 'Keller @ Large' at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. State Sen. Peter Durant 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? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— 'New commission to change controversial state seal already behind schedule,' by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: 'A renewed effort to come up with proposals for a new Massachusetts seal by July is already running months behind schedule. The advisory commission, focused on replacing the controversial emblem, must offer up three options for the state seal, as well as the flag and the state's motto. It must also seek public comment through at least three public hearings across the state, and submit its final recommendations to Gov. Maura Healey by July 29. But it plans to hold its first meeting on March 20, roughly eight months after it was created. The 10-member commission, which is getting $100,000 for the effort, is still missing some appointees.'
— 'Healey's $8B transportation plan relies on potentially unreliable federal funds,' by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: 'The fate of the Bay State's $8 billion plan to turn the MBTA around and shore up transportation infrastructure depends somewhat on the federal government choosing not to be 'foolish' or 'dumb' when it comes to allocating federal highway grants, according to the governor. Healey was in Somerville on Thursday to tour the MBTA Boston Engine Terminal as she continues on her 'Transforming Transportation Roadshow' when she made the remarks, which came in response to a question about the survival chances of her plan amidst a recalcitrant Trump Administration's efforts to bring the states in line with presidential policy via the government checkbook.'
FROM THE HUB
— 'Boston braces to consider ranked choice voting in local elections,' by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: 'Boston is inching closer to having ranked choice voting in local elections. The push, led by At-Large City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, comes nearly five years after voters across the commonwealth rejected the idea for state and federal elections.'
— 'Ahead of St. Patrick's Day parade, Southie leaders warn of 'zero tolerance' for public debauchery,' by Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe: 'It is an annual rite in the city: on a Sunday on or near St. Patrick's Day in March, a crowd of hundreds of thousands, many clad in green, descend onto South Boston's streets for an annual parade. And this year, Southie leaders are warning visitors to behave, saying there will be 'zero tolerance' for the 'out-of-control behavior' that was on display last year.'
— ''Uncharted waters': Boston finds itself in the Trump administration's crosshairs,' by Simón Rios, WBUR.
YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The American Federation of Teachers is endorsing Beverly City Councilor Hannah Bowen in the race to replace former state Rep. Jerry Parislla.
FROM THE DELEGATION
— 'Rep. Stephen Lynch says this government shutdown threat feels different,' by Robert Goulston, GBH News: 'Federal workers in Massachusetts are looking at the possibility of furloughs as a government shutdown looms. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, who represents Massachusetts' 8th District, says the situation only adds to the burden faced by federal employees, who have been dealing with major uncertainty amid layoffs and funding cuts. Lynch argues that with President Donald Trump in power, this go-around is different than previous shutdown battles.'
DATELINE D.C.
SCHUMER SHUTS DOWN THE SHUTDOWN — After days of debate over whether or not to try to leverage a government shutdown to advantage, Senate Democrats appear poised to back a stop-gap spending to keep the federal government from grinding to halt after tonight's deadline.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his plans to support the bill late Thursday night, warning that a shutdown would 'give Donald Trump the keys to the city, the state and the country.'
That's not sitting so well with the Democratic base, and with some Bay State politicians.
'Extremely disappointed,' Rep. Jim McGovern told POLITICO's Congress team after he heard the news. 'It gives them the ability, Elon Musk the ability, to go through and continue to do the shit he's doing.'More on Dems furry from Brakkton Booker, Lisa Kashinsky and Jordain Carney
FROM THE 413
— 'North Adams City Council votes with mayor, will no longer weigh in on appointments to Airport Commission,' by Sten Spinella, The Berkshire Eagle.
— 'Special commission gauges climate for Jews in region during visit to WMass,' by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'Members of the state's Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism held its fifth meeting this week in the western part of the commonwealth, hearing testimony from local experts and residents, including several from Northampton, on their experience dealing with antisemitism.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— 'UMass medical school suspends certain PhD admissions, citing 'funding uncertainty' under Trump,' by Sarah Betancourt and Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: 'A number of applicants offered spots at a biomedical sciences program at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester had those offers rescinded this week, the latest consequence of the Trump administration's cuts to federal funding. In response to questions from GBH News, the university's communications department tied the decision at the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to funding uncertainty for biomedical research.'
— 'Former Fall River city chief, Mayor Coogan explain resignation: 'Wish this never happened',' by Dan Medeiros, The Herald News: 'The abrupt resignation of former city administrator Seth Aitken came after officials raised concerns that Aitken helped file business incorporation papers for a city EMS official who had planned to start a business. Through a public records request, The Herald News obtained paperwork relative to an 'internal, unofficial investigation' of Aitken that took place recently. Included in the records were two incorporation documents from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office, dated April 9, 2024.'
— 'Lawrence schools to lose $14 million in federal funding with DOE demolition,' by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune.
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Taunton Mayor Shaunna O'Connell, former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford, Jackson Cote, Denise Lloyd, Kenzington 'Zing' Elechko, Miles Weber and Susan Slattery.
HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Leonardo Alcivar and Johanna Campbell Case, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Boston Globe alum Felicia Gans Sobey, Mark Eurich, Bobby Deren and Mary Deren
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Moreover, when you take a look at import prices, especially import prices ex petroleum, it tells the tale. We're going to see more inflation and a weaker dollar going forward. Does Trump want a strong dollar? I would think he does, and I think, well, I think like all politicians, he wants to have his cake and eat it, too. He doesn't want de-dollarization, clearly, but he wants a weaker dollar because A, it really tends to juice the tech sector, and B, it will provide relief to the beleaguered manufacturing sector that's been in an effective recession for the past couple of years. Is it too soon to say the kind of impact the softer dollars had during this earnings season, particularly what it's meant for the multinationals? It's way too early to jump on that bandwagon. I think we're really going to be talking in the fourth quarter earnings, and then next year. Moreover, a lot of those firms that he wants to help are actually having real problems with the tariff issue because, you know, 45% of everything we import goes into domestic manufacturing. So policies at a cross purposes, a good portion of the time this year, which is why that economy slowed to 1.2% growth in the first half of the year, and we think it's not going to do much better. Our forecast for this year is 1.1%. Can I ask you when we talk about these tariff policies? We've been talking about them all show. There's the near to intermediate impact, but how long do we have to wait to see what the long-term impact is? Meaning, do I have to wait till does it have to be August 2026, and Joe and Josh are back on set for me to really know, okay, it's really boosted manufacturing job. It's really opened up all these new markets for American business. It's really raised this much revenue. It's a little worse, actually. 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