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Garrett Quinn on politics, government, and culture.
Political news from Beacon Hill and beyond.
Features
GOVERNOR PATRICK'S TRAVELS
Full or partial days he has spent away from Massachusetts this year, as of May 11
Number of days
35
Current status: The governor is back in Massachusetts after concluding the first phase of his book tour
Campaign 2012
Campaign 2010
TIMELINE
Brown: 'No comment' on seeing real bin Laden photos
A spokesman for Senator Scott Brown refused to say if he will travel to the CIA to see photos of a dead Osama bin Laden, after the agency offered today to show them to members of a congressional committee upon which the Republican serves. The only other member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation who would qualify under the same offer, Democrat Niki Tsongas, will decline....Frank expects Obama to make recess appointment of new consumer agency director
Representative Barney Frank said today that he expects President Obama to bypass Congress and do a recess appointment to install the director of the new consumer protection agency for financial products....Democrat Tolman weighing challenge to Brown
Democrat Warren Tolman is considering a campaign to unseat Republican Senator Scott Brown next year. Tolman, a former state lawmaker from Watertown who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor and lieutenant governor, told the Globe this afternoon that "I've been encouraged to think about it by a lot of people."...UMass chief to become interim president of Edward Kennedy Institute
Jack M. Wilson, the outgoing president of the University of Massachusetts, has been appointed as interim president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, the institute announced today....DiMasi trial witness: 'I don't want to be here'
A key witness in the federal corruption trial of former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi took the witness stand today with a blunt confession: “I don’t want to be here.” Steven J. Topazio, a private attorney who shared office space and expenses with DiMasi, made the comment as he began undergoing questioning by the prosecution....Local politics: Latest news
Poll finds support for soda tax
In the past three years, Governor Deval Patrick has proposed applying the state sales tax to soda and candy, a measure aimed at raising revenue and curbing consumption of products that researchers tie to rising obesity rates among the state’s adults and children. Each time, lawmakers refused to go along. (Globe Staff, 12:52 a.m.)
WATERTOWN
Councilor wins race for Mass. House seat
Watertown councilor John Lawn, a Democrat, soundly beat his Republican opponent, Jim Dixon, in yesterday’s special election to fill the state representative seat left vacant when Peter Koutoujian was appointed Middlesex sheriff earlier this year. Lawn received 1,814 votes, while Dixon got 868 for the 10th Middlesex House seat, according to unofficial results from the city and town clerks. The ... (Boston Globe, 1:57 a.m.)
Durant breaks 6-month tie with Worcester seat victory
After six months, an improbable tie, and a court-ordered do-over in an election marked by charges of voter intimidation, the race for the Sixth Worcester District House seat was finally settled yesterday. (Globe Staff, 1:02 a.m.)
National politics: Latest news
Obama: Congress needs incentives for deficit cuts
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that lawmakers may have to rely on automatic spending cuts and tax hikes in order to reach a deal on deficit reduction. (AP, 6:50 p.m.)
Obama tells Dems to be flexible in budget talks
President Barack Obama told Senate Democrats on Wednesday not to adopt unyielding positions in budget talks with Republicans and to stay unified even as more painful spending cuts lie ahead before lawmakers and the White House can reach a deal on deficit reduction. (Associated Press, 7:50 p.m.)
Study: USDA still plagued by civil rights problems
Despite acknowledging a legacy of discrimination, the Agriculture Department is still plagued by civil rights problems that have in the past led to unequal treatment of minorities seeking loans and other help, according to a government-commissioned report Wednesday. (Associated Press, 5:40 p.m.)