Good morning. It's smoky, it's hazy, and if you're heading underground on the Red Line next week, it's about to get a lot more complicated. Let's get into it.

The fallout from Monday's fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford, Maine, has metastasized into something bigger than one tragic traffic stop — it's now a full-blown crisis of trust between federal immigration enforcement and just about everyone else, including the politicians who are supposed to have some sway over it.

Start with the whiplash policy reversal: On Tuesday, ICE reportedly agreed to pause non-urgent traffic stops after Senator Susan Collins personally lobbied DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. By Wednesday morning, President Trump had blown that up on Truth Social, declaring the traffic stop "one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools" and vowing not to give it up "on my watch." A White House official later confirmed the pause was overturned entirely — all within about 24 hours, while a memorial for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the 26-year-old Colombian father shot dead by an agent, was still gathering flowers on a Biddeford street corner.

That whiplash has consequences far beyond Maine. Collins, already the most endangered Senate Republican in the country, had staked some of her reelection credibility on brokering exactly this kind of de-escalation — and Trump undercut her without even saying her name. Meanwhile, Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain is demanding body cameras become mandatory for agents and wants the traffic-stop ban made permanent, not "a temporary public relations move." And Governor Janet Mills, who has called for ICE to be abolished if it won't reform, got chased away from the memorial site Wednesday by protesters who accused her of failing to protect residents in the first place — proof that even sympathetic elected officials are catching blame for a federal agency they don't control. Expect this story to keep bleeding into Massachusetts politics too, especially as Beacon Hill Democrats watch how a swing-state Republican senator navigates an issue that isn't going away. Full story at Boston Globe →

Healey wants $100 million more for schools — days after signing the budget. Governor Maura Healey filed a supplemental budget Wednesday that would send an extra $112 per student to every district in the state, funded by millionaires tax revenue, as communities across Massachusetts grapple with teacher layoffs and program cuts from this year's tight budget cycle. It now heads to the House, where education advocates are pushing for fast action. GBH News →

The Red Line goes dark north of Park Street starting Tuesday. The MBTA is shutting down service to Alewife for 10 days of "critical" infrastructure work, with shuttle buses that could take 70 minutes to cover the route. There's an express shuttle between Harvard Square and South Station via the Pike, but if you commute through Cambridge, plan on a rough back half of July — and mark your calendar, because a similar Orange Line shutdown is coming in late August. Boston Globe →

Boston City Hall still won't say much about the crash that killed transit planner Louisa Gag. A week after the cyclist and former Wu intern was struck and killed by a construction truck, the city hasn't released the driver's name, the vehicle's owner, or how the crash actually happened. Advocates who knew Gag are furious, pointing to the administration's recent removal of protective bike lane barriers as evidence City Hall isn't serious about street safety. Boston Globe →

Massachusetts is getting stiffed on disaster aid, and it's not random. A new AP analysis finds Trump has denied disaster declaration requests at a higher rate than any president since 1989 — and the denials disproportionately hit states that didn't vote for him. Massachusetts is among four Democratic states, along with New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, still waiting on federal help for February's snowstorm. WBUR →

The House passed a pet welfare bill, minus the pet shop ban. Lawmakers voted 151-1 for legislation that creates a new protocol for seizing neglected animals and removes barriers to public housing for pet owners — but stripped out the Senate's provision banning pet store sales of cats, dogs, and rabbits. That fight now heads to a conference committee. WBUR →

Moulton wants Markey's medical records. Congressman Seth Moulton is calling on all sitting senators and Senate candidates to release health disclosures, a not-so-subtle jab at 80-year-old incumbent Senator Ed Markey as the two square off in next year's Democratic primary. The two met for their first debate Wednesday night. GBH News →

Full budget details →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Fraylin Angelina (Republican) — Senate, 1st Essex — Filed: 7/13/2026

PACs

• Results for Norfolk County Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/15/2026
• Better Future for Massachusetts Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/13/2026
• Citizens for an Affordable Massachusetts Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/13/2026

OCPF →

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