Axios Boston

May 07, 2025
It's going to be a wet Wednesday. How wild it gets will be up to you.
🌧️ Showers, 71°/55°
Situational awareness: The Celtics take on the Knicks in game 2 of their playoff series tonight at 7pm.
Today's newsletter is 929 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Dems split over broker fees, MBTA spending
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
As top lawmakers craft the state's spending plans for the next fiscal year, lines aren't being drawn between parties, but among the Democrats that lead the one-party state.
Why it matters: The true political conflict in Massachusetts is House Democrats vs. Senate Democrats.
- They rarely disagree on what to do. How to do it and how much to spend are the tricky parts.
- And there's a lot riding on which chamber's priorities win out when it comes to funding for the MBTA and how much renters have to pay to move into an apartment.
Zoom in: There's a big divide on how much funding to give to the T as it posts big wins on repairs and customer satisfaction but struggles to keep its spending under control.
- The Senate proposes $370 million for the T. That's $420 million less than what the House approved.
- The difference is because the Senate wants to split revenues from the new 4% income surtax evenly between transportation and education investments.
- The House favors pouring more into the MBTA as the agency's finances spiral.
Another issue where Democrats agree but still need to nail down the details is in eliminating real estate broker fees, the additional up-front month's rent paid at the start of a lease.
- Gov. Maura Healey and Democratic leaders generally support shifting fees from renters to landlords, but the devil is in the details.
- The Senate wants the fees to be paid by whoever hires the broker. The House laid out a plan where whoever contacts a broker first is on the hook.
- The differences between "hiring" and "contacting" could look like splitting hairs, but some housing advocates are worried renters could still get slammed by fees if they respond to a broker's listing.
The big picture: Lawmakers got a bit of breathing room Monday when April tax collections came in more than $1 billion over expectations.
Yes, but: Since most of the bonus money came from the extra 4% on incomes over $1 million, it's restricted to education or transportation spending.
- The state couldn't use it to bail out the MassHealth system if there are cuts to federal Medicaid, for instance.
Go deeper: How they'll hash out compromises — or not.
2. 🪪 Real ID Day is here

Nearly half the country may need Real IDs to board domestic flights starting today.
Why it matters: After years of delays, the Real ID deadline looks set to be finally, actually happening — and it could cause chaos at airports this week even after tons of warnings from the government, airlines, etc.
By the numbers: West Virginia (79.3%), Mississippi (77.9%) and Alabama (72.3%) have the greatest shares of citizens lacking a passport.
- New Jersey (20.1%), California (28.2%) and Massachusetts (28.8%) have the smallest.
- Nearly 47% of Americans lack a valid passport as of fiscal 2024, per estimates from the Center for American Progress, a think tank.
The big picture: Congress passed the Real ID Act back in 2005 to beef up aviation security post-9/11, but the deadline for actually requiring compliant ID cards has been repeatedly delayed.
- Now that it's happening, Americans without a passport or a handful of other acceptable documents will need a Real ID to board domestic flights.
3. 🔙 Back that Mass. Up: Liberty incident
🚻 A couple was asked to leave The Liberty Hotel after a security guard allegedly confronted one woman in the bathroom and requested ID to verify her gender. (CBS Boston)
- The Liberty Hotel suspended the security guard and announced staff re-training on "inclusive practices."
⚖️ Former Cambridge city councilor Nadeem Mazen faces kidnapping and intimidation charges after an alleged incident at a Holiday Inn Express. (Boston Globe)
- Police responded to reports that Mazen locked a woman in a bathroom and prevented her from leaving, charges Mazen denies.
🏛️ ICYMI: The Trump administration halted new federal grant funding for Harvard University, escalating tensions after freezing $2.2 billion in previous funds. (Axios)
4. 🤤 New at No. 9
Restaurateur Allan Rodriguez is taking over the former No. 9 Park space on Beacon Hill.
Why it matters: The landmark space was home to Barbara Lynch's famous No. 9 Park for 26 years before closing in late 2024 amid workplace controversies and lawsuits.
Driving the news: Rodriguez is turning it into a French-European spot with Boston's first dedicated gin bar.
- Named "Nine" for the address on Park Street, it's set to open later this month.
Zoom in: Chef de cuisine Andrew Simonich, a Lynch protege from No. 9 Park and Menton, leads the kitchen with seasonal tasting menus and more approachable a la carte options.
What we're watching: Rodriguez envisions a "gin palace" with a different kinds of tonics alongside a French wine list.
5. 🏗️ Going up: Development in and around Boston
🏢 AI defense contractor Anduril Industries is leasing 162,000 square feet in Waltham, quadrupling its local presence.
- The company has raised over $4 billion since its founding in 2017.
- The Route 128 office market has been struggling with record-high vacancy.
🏨 A permitted site for a 72-room hotel across from the BCEC has hit the market for $6.5 million.
- A recent study estimated that the area around the convention center needs 800-1,000 more hotel rooms before the BCEC could expand.
📚 Mayor Wu broke ground on the new $30.9 million Fields Corner Branch library in Dorchester.
- It'll be the first BPL branch built under Boston's "Fossil Fuel Free" standard.
🏝️ Blue Heron Farm, the 7,000-square-foot, five-bedroom Martha's Vineyard estate favored by President Obama when he was in office, is hitting the market for $39 million.
- It's nearly 30 acres in Chilmark and sold for $22.4 million in 2011.
Deehan didn't bring an umbrella.
Steph can't believe their grumpy cat is now 18.
This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.
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