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| Good morning. Grab your coffee — we've got an abortion law reshaping the national conversation, a DA candidate with a signature problem, and a shirtless Minuteman reenactor who briefly locked down a Lexington church. Let's get into it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Governor Maura Healey signed legislation Monday that eliminates gestational limits on abortion in Massachusetts, making the state one of just 10 nationwide with no statutory cutoff. The new law scraps the old rule that only allowed abortions after 24 weeks in narrow circumstances — mainly to save the patient's life — and replaces it with a simpler standard: the "professional judgment of the physician." Healey signed it flanked by lawmakers, physicians, and advocates who described patients who'd been forced to leave the state, and pay thousands out of pocket, even though Massachusetts has long branded itself an abortion-access haven. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The politics here are impossible to separate from the substance. This bill moved fast — it cleared House Ways and Means on July 22 and got pushed through both chambers within days, landing on Healey's desk in the final hours of the Legislature's last formal session. That's warp speed for Beacon Hill, and it's happening months before Healey faces voters in a reelection campaign where she's explicitly framing herself as a bulwark against "Donald Trump or Republicans in Congress or the Supreme Court." It also puts her two Republican rivals, Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve, in an awkward spot: Shortsleeve supports abortion rights, Minogue doesn't, and neither wants this to be the defining issue of a September 1 primary they're fighting over with independent voters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What happens next: the law takes effect in 90 days. Expect national attention — Massachusetts joining a small club of states with no gestational limit is the kind of thing that gets cited in Congress and in other states' legislatures for years. Watch also for how Republican gubernatorial candidates handle it heading into the fall, and whether it becomes a wedge issue or gets absorbed into the broader "Healey vs. Trump" framing she's clearly aiming for. Full story at Boston Globe → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rachael Rollins has a signature problem. At least four elected Chelsea officials say their names appear on Rollins's nomination papers for Suffolk DA — papers they never actually signed. Two others say their names show up twice despite signing only once. Rollins brushed it off on social media, saying "the community gathered my signatures," but this is the kind of story that tends to follow a campaign. Boston Globe → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Worcester wants the T to hurry up. A coalition of city leaders and rail advocates released a report Monday pushing for more express trains and upgraded cars that could shave a half hour off round-trip commutes between Worcester and Boston. Mayor Joseph Petty framed it as an economic imperative — connecting Central Mass talent to Boston's job market. The MBTA said thanks but didn't commit to much yet. GBH News → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The feds walked away from the Worcester PD investigation. The Trump administration closed a Biden-era civil rights probe that had accused Worcester police of misconduct with sex workers and excessive force against people in mental health crises — closing it "without sustaining any allegations." City Manager Eric Batista thanked the DOJ; critics will note this fits a broader pattern of this administration backing off police accountability probes nationally. Boston Globe → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AG Campbell goes to bat for the Springfield courthouse deal. Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a brief calling a legal challenge to the controversial Springfield courthouse procurement "a fever dream of imagined malfeasance." The suit came from losing bidders after it emerged the winning developer included Conan Harris, husband of U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and John Barros, who has since divested. WBUR → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ICE is getting body cameras — with an asterisk. Officers nationwide will be equipped by the end of September, but agency policy only requires releasing footage of shootings or serious-injury encounters when it's in ICE's "best interests" to do so. Translation: don't expect transparency by default, especially as fatal shootings during immigration enforcement have drawn more scrutiny. WBUR → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Downtown Boston is getting more police patrols. After a summer of high-profile violent incidents — a stabbing near Park Street station, a fatal assault near Boylston and Tremont, a shooting in the Theater District — the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association convened 77 attendees from 48 agencies to push for a coordinated response. Increased patrols are the first visible result. Boston.com → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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End-of-Session Tracker
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⏳ Formal sessions ended July 31. Conferees were appointed in time, so talks run until the term ends Jan 5 — 147 days
Energy Affordability & Clean Power (H5175) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Economic Development (H5576) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (S2619) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Climate Resilience for Communities (S3064) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Student Learning & Mental Health (phone ban) (S2581) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention (H4767) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Ballot Question Campaign Finance Reporting (S2916) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Public Records & Government Transparency (H5469) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Primary Care (S3141) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Higher-Ed Infrastructure (BRIGHT Act) (H4769) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Pet Equity, Treatment & Safety (S3028) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned |
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
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, August 17, 4:00 PM None Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER Location: Virtual Hearing, 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
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