Middleboro Review et al

02/01/2018 07:21 AM EDT By Lauren Dezenski  ( ldezenski@politico.com ; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths ( bgriffiths@politico.com ; @BrentGriffiths) GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. LOOKING AHEAD IN THE HOUSE -  As the state legislature gears up for an action-packed close of the legislative year, per tradition, look for the body to take up health care reform, financial support for the life sciences sector, and - in response to the current national political climate - a bill stressing the importance of civics education. House Speaker  Robert DeLeo  outlined these goals in his agenda-setting address to members yesterday, and highlighted his path forward in the House until the session wraps up at the end of July. The House's push to take up health care reform is an interesting contrast to Gov.  Charlie Baker , embroiled in issues over proposed changes to state employee health plans with the Group Insurance Commission, but otherwise stayed away from...

Keeping up with politics is easy now By Amber Phillips President Trump's first State of the Union will probably be remembered for being forgettable. He did little to try to win over Democrats, beyond a perfunctory call to “unity,” and he didn't really move the needle on raging debates about immigration and the spending bill. Trump's first State of the Union address, in 3 minutes But what happened in the crowd Tuesday night was arguably more memorable — and, just being honest here, much more fun to talk about than economic policy. Here are four water cooler moments from the State of the Union. 1. Women in black falls flat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) during the State of the Union. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) They chose to wear black to make a statement but ended up blending in. Democrats, mostly women, wore black to signal support ...