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THE MASS BRIEF
Monday, May 4, 2026
Smart, straight talk about what’s happening in Massachusetts — every morning.
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The Lead
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Biden Jumps Into the 6th District Race — and Tests His Own Relevance
Former President Joe Biden is officially back in campaign mode, and Massachusetts is his first real proving ground. Biden endorsed Dan Koh — who served in his administration for nearly the full four years — in the crowded seven-way Democratic primary to replace Representative Seth Moulton in the Sixth Congressional District. The endorsement came via a video of what appeared to be a phone call between the two, in which Biden praised Koh as “one heck of a congressman” in waiting and even offered to come stump for him in person.
The big question here isn’t really about Koh — it’s about Biden. After a bruising 2024 exit and a Democratic Party still sorting out what went wrong, his former allies have been quietly distancing themselves while charting their own political futures. By contrast, Koh is leaning in hard, betting that North Shore Democratic primary voters still feel warmth toward the 46th president. That’s an open empirical question, and this race will start to answer it.
The Sixth District field is packed, the primary is months away, and every other candidate is now on notice that Koh has a prominent backer willing to show up. Whether that’s an asset or something more complicated in the current Democratic mood — well, that’s exactly what we’re all about to find out.
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What Else You Should Know
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Barney Frank, in Hospice, Has a Few Things to Say
The former Massachusetts congressman and longtime liberal lion is in hospice care for heart failure, but his mind is fully engaged. In a Sunday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper from his Maine home, the 86-year-old Frank warned Democrats against making the most divisive pieces of their agenda into political litmus tests — pointing to transgender rights as a recent example. He remains hopeful, citing the history of the gay rights movement as proof that the system can work. He’s also still finishing a book due out in September.
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Boston’s New Climate Plan: Congestion Pricing Is the Flashpoint
Mayor Michelle Wu last week released a 217-page, five-year climate action plan targeting a 50% emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. The proposal getting the most attention — and pushback — is a study of congestion pricing, which would charge drivers fees for entering busy parts of Boston at peak times. The plan is light on specifics right now, but in a city already wrestling with affordability, the mere mention of new driving fees is enough to start a fight.
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Baystate Health Moving to Acquire Mercy Medical in Springfield
In a significant reshaping of western Massachusetts healthcare, Baystate Health announced it will acquire Mercy Medical Center from Trinity Health of New England, with the transition targeted for November 1 — pending regulatory approval. The deal is meant to keep patients from having to leave the region for care, but it will dramatically consolidate the medical landscape in Springfield. State regulators and the Massachusetts Nurses Association will both be watching closely.
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Hull Residents Head to Town Meeting Tonight With a $7M Surprise
Hull’s Annual Town Meeting kicks off tonight at Hull High School, and voters are facing a significantly bigger bill than expected for the relocation of Town Hall. What started as a $3 million project approved in 2024 has ballooned to $7.14 million, with officials asking for an additional $4 million. Town Manager Jennifer Constable argues it’s still a bargain compared to building from scratch — but taxpayers will have to decide if they agree.
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Plymouth Town Manager Pulls Services from Airport in Escalating Feud
The ongoing power struggle between Plymouth Town Manager Derek Brindisi and the town’s Airport Commission took a remarkable turn last week, when Brindisi ordered a halt to most municipal services at Plymouth Municipal Airport — including IT support, public records handling, vehicle insurance, and financial services. This came after a Superior Court judge told him to stop interfering in airport operations. Airport Commission lawyers are now pursuing a contempt finding. The word “horrified” was used.
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New Bedford Fighting a Cop’s PTSD Disability Retirement
Three state-appointed physicians unanimously agreed that New Bedford police officer Jacob Oliveira, 38, has permanent PTSD from 14 years on the job — witnessing suicides, decomposing bodies, and being shot at. The city is appealing anyway, based on a city-paid doctor’s opinion that treatment could return him to full duty. It’s a story about how hard it can be for first responders to get out, even when the evidence is on their side.
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Worth Your Attention
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Hull Annual Town Meeting is tonight at Hull High School — voters will weigh in on the $7.14 million Town Hall relocation and a contested restructuring of the Municipal Light Plant’s governance. South Shore News →
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Stefon Diggs assault trial begins jury selection today at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, where the former Patriots wide receiver faces felony strangulation charges after an alleged altercation with his private chef last December. WCVB →
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Amherst police are actively investigating racist letters left on residents’ vehicles last week, targeting the Black and African American community and signed by an unknown group calling itself the “Advancement of American Civilization” — which no hate-group tracking organization has been able to identify. Boston.com →
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💰 Money Watch
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Big Spending This Week
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, May 04, 9:00 AM Joint Committee on Revenue (10 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files II Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Monday, May 04, 9:00 AM Senate Committee on the Census Topic: Privacy Protection, Data Sharing, and Governance of the Census Location: A-1 , Boston Monday, May 04, 1:00 PM None Topic: Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration Meeting Location: 428 , Boston Tuesday, May 05, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Education (2 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous Location: A-1 , Boston
Wednesday, May 06, 12:00 PM None Topic: Special Legislative Commission to Study the Future of Payments and Sales Transactions by Credit Card and the Impacts for Small Businesses Location: Gardner Auditorium , Boston Thursday, May 07, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses (2 bills) Topic: Community Development Location: A-2 , Boston
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Candidates
Ballot Question Committees
Change of Purposes
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One More Thing
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A man driving a front-end loader led Millbury police on what may be the most Massachusetts chase of the year — topping out at a blistering 10 to 15 miles per hour, swerving toward utility poles, and ultimately being boxed in by a cruiser on a residential street. It took a firetruck-sized metaphor for law enforcement to finally bring things to a stop. Boston Globe →
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