Northeast
Dem governor and top Biden surrogate urges president to 'carefully evaluate' his path forward
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts, a top surrogate for President Biden as he seeks a second term in the White House, is urging the president to “carefully evaluate” his path forward in the wake of his disastrous debate performance last week.
Healey, in a statement Friday, didn’t call on the president to end his re-election bid, as other Democrats have done. But her statement was far from a forceful defense of the embattled Democratic Party standard-bearer.
“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years. I am deeply grateful for his leadership. And I know he agrees this is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Healey wrote.
PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER
Gov. Maura Healey, D-Mass., publicly urged President Biden to consider dropping out of the presidential race, suggesting the president listen to the American people and considering if he is the best person to beat former President Donald Trump. (Photographer: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And the governor of the reliably blue New England state said that “the best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make. Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.”
“Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump,” the governor emphasized.
BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN
Healey traveled to the nation’s capital on Wednesday to attend a White House meeting with the president. She was one of roughly two-dozen Democratic governors who huddled with the president.
Sources with knowledge of the meeting say Biden faced questions about his health, stamina, and political viability going forward.
Wes Moore, governor of Maryland, from left, Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, and Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, speak to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Speaking with reporters following the meeting, Democratic Governors Association chair and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Maryland Gov Wes Moore boosted Biden with supportive comments.
But Moore also noted that “we always believe that when you when you love someone, you tell them the truth. And I think we came in, and we were honest about the feedback that we were getting. We were honest about the concerns that we are hearing from people.”
WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE
Healey did not speak to reporters at the White House after the meeting and Friday’s statement is her first since the gathering with Biden.
As first reported by the New York Times, Healey told her fellow governors and the president’s top staff that his political position is “irretrievable” following his dismal debate performance.
President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Biden’s halting delivery and stumbling answers during the debate with Trump sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer.
This week, three House Democrats publicly called on Biden to step aside from his re-election bid, while more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress and governors publicly raised serious concerns about whether Biden could continue as the party’s standard-bearer.
As he frantically fights to salvage his campaign following last week’s debate, the next couple of days may determine if Biden can survive or fall victim to a rising tide of calls from within his own party to end his re-election bid.
The 81-year-old Biden, the oldest president in the nation’s history, will need to show Americans that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world — and prove to Democrats that he has the energy and fortitude to defeat Trump.
At a rally on Friday afternoon in battleground Wisconsin, Biden reiterated that he’s staying in the race.
“You probably heard that I had a little debate last week. Can’t say it is my best performance, but ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? What’s he going to do? Well, here’s my answer. I am running and gonna win again,” Biden told cheering supporters in Madison, Wisconsin’s capital city.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Boston, MA
Massachusetts Senate to finally debate Boston Mayor Wu’s contentious tax shift bill
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s stalled tax shift bill will be taken up by the state Senate Thursday for the first time since it was killed there more than a year ago, but this time as an amendment filed for an alternate Senate-led tax relief proposal.
State Sen. Michael Rush, a Boston Democrat, filed an amendment to state Sen. William Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill that mirrors the language included in a home rule petition the mayor has been pushing for nearly two years that would shift more of the city’s tax burden from the residential to commercial sector.
“Property tax relief is a pressing issue for my constituents — and residents throughout the state,” Rush said Monday in a statement to the Herald. “On behalf of the people of Boston, I have filed the home rule petition passed by the Boston City Council to provide property tax relief for Boston residents.
“As the Senate considers several worthy proposals designed to address affordability in the Commonwealth, I am glad this proposal will be part of the discussion,” Rush said.
Wu’s office told the Herald Saturday that the mayor had requested the amendment.
“Every senator has the opportunity to submit amendments related to these bills by Monday, and we have asked Boston’s senators to offer an amendment with our residential tax relief language that has been vetted thoroughly and never received a vote,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement. “We are following closely and hope the final bills will include this needed relief for residents.”
Wu has said her legislation is aimed at lowering the 13% tax hike the average single-family homeowner is projected to face this year. Third-quarter tax bills went out to homeowners earlier this month.
The mayor’s bill seeks to shift more of the city’s tax burden onto commercial property owners, beyond the 175% state limit, for a three-year period.
It is set to be debated, along with several other amendments that have been filed by senators for Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill, at Thursday’s session.
“All amendments filed by members of the Senate will be considered by the full body during our session on Thursday,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka’s office said Monday in a statement to the Herald.
A vote is expected on the bill and underlying amendments on the same day, according to state Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat whose alternative tax relief bill and amendments will also be considered.
Collins, who opposes the tax shift element of the mayor’s home rule petition and helped lead the push to kill it on the Senate floor in late 2024, has put forward a bill and amendments that include other elements of what Wu has proposed.
He’s pushing for tax rebates for low- and middle-income homeowners who already receive the residential tax exemption by using surplus funds, along with senior, veterans and small business tax relief provisions.
“I think that the relief measures are positive in terms of the amendments that I and others have filed that are relief in nature or relief options, but I think anything that involves a tax increase is going to be difficult,” Collins told the Herald Monday when asked about the chances for the mayor’s proposal.
“Especially when the city is sitting on $552 million of what they consider to be free cash, it’s hard to make the case that tax increase is necessary,” Collins added.
In a statement issued by his office, Collins added that the city’s decision to hike residential property taxes by double-digits “with so much in the City of Boston’s surplus fund” was “unnecessary, unfair and clearly inequitable.”
“To cancel out that tax increase, my legislation would authorize the city to issue direct rebates to homeowners,” Collins said.
He pointed to a similar approach that he said was taken at the state level in 2022, when the governor and legislature issued rebates after tax revenues exceeded the cap established under voter-approved state law, Chapter 62F, which limits the growth of state tax collections.
In terms of Rush’s amendment, Collins said he’s also concerned that the senator’s language would make the mayor’s tax shift bill applicable statewide, rather than just in Boston.
Collins said he has also filed an amendment that would allow for an extension of the abatement process to April 1, to allow homeowners and commercial property owners a longer period of time to challenge city property assessments that have an impact on how much they pay in property taxes.
The mayor added tax rebates to her home rule petition at the beginning of last year as a fall-back option, and renewed her push for the Senate to approve the bill last month.
Collins is a co-sponsor of Brownsberger’s bill, which seeks to shield homeowners from double-digit tax bills, by phasing in increases or offering targeted tax credits in years when property tax hikes are projected to exceed 10%.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, co-sponsored both the Collins- and Brownsberger-led bills that will be debated on Thursday.
If the bills, and any related amendments, are approved, they will move onto the House of Representatives for consideration.
Pittsburg, PA
Game Preview: 01.13.26 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins return home for a three-game homestand as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena. Doors opens at 6 PM and the puck drops at 7 PM.
Tonight, the Penguins are proud to partner with UPMC to host Healthcare Heroes Night to honor healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to keep our cities and communities safe. Game presented by UPMC.
It’s also Dollar Dogs Night. Smith’s hot dogs will be just $1 at participating concession stands. Limit 4 hot dogs per person, per transaction. Offer available while supplies last and cannot be combined with other discounts.
This game will be available to watch on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can listen to the game on 105.9 The X and on the Penguins app.
Team Records: PIT (21-14-9), TBL (28-13-3)
Pittsburgh has points in eight of its last 11 games against Tampa Bay (7-3-1). Going back further, the Penguins have points in nine of their last 13 games against the Lightning (8-4-1). Pittsburgh is 3-1-1 in its last five home games against Tampa Bay, and are 7-3-2 in their last 12 home games versus them. The Penguins have wins in four of their last five home games (4-1-0).
Connecticut
The cheese stands alone: Exploring the world of CT cheese
The U.S. produces over a billion pounds of cheese monthly, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Connecticut is a small, but mighty, part of that. Today, we’ll hear about all steps of the cheesemaking process from nationally-recognized experts producing Connecticut cheese.
They’ll share the stories behind their products and what keeps customers coming back to that special Connecticut cheese.
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