Changing the subject

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Hi honey! You’re home earlier than I expected! The woman in bed with me? What woman? Hey, look out the window – a UFO!

In politics, as with infidelity, the art of changing the subject is a key to survival.

Our current president regularly puts on a master class. If the media is sniffing too intently at a problematic smell, no one is better at setting off multiple alternative stink bombs. Got a Jeffrey Epstein problem? Hey, look out the window - Obama!

But for Massachusetts Republicans, gaslighting your way past bad optics is a bit more difficult, as seen in state GOP Chair Amy Carnevale’s tortured rebuttals to Democratic attack points spelled out last week by Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Fifth District).

“Republicans are running away,” said Clark of the abrupt early recess allegedly called to spare members from Epstein-scandal votes. “All to cover up for pedophiles.”

Disgust for pedophiles and their enablers seems to be one of our nation’s few remaining unifying principles, which puts the pressure on party figures to come up with a good answer. Says Carnevale: “That's ridiculous, Republicans have called for the release of additional files and the president has supported the release of additional files.”

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8:00 | MASSterList and State House News Service host “Civil Rights and Liberties in the New Trump Era,” a conversation with advocates and policy experts on the outlook for civil rights in Massachusetts. Boston Globe columnist Marcela Garcia will moderate a conversation with Tatum Pritchard, director of litigation at the Disability Law Center; Jeff Thielman, president and CEO of the International Institute of New England; Joshua Rovenger, legal director of GLAD Law; and Gladys Vega, president and CEO of La Colaborativa | MCLE Conference Center, 10 Winter Place, Boston | Register

11:00 | U.S. Rep. Richard Neal celebrates the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Medicare and Medicaid Act into law. Johnson signed the law on July 30, 1965 to create Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for low-income individuals and families. President Donald Trump signed a law that makes major federal cuts to Medicaid | Life Care Center of Wilbraham, 2399 Boston Road, Wilbraham

2:00 | Gov. Maura Healey meets privately with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano. A press availability will follow in Room 350 | Speaker's Office, State House, Boston

BRIDGING THE GAP: MBTA officials say they expect to keep federal funds for the $1.2 billion North Station drawbridge project. – WBUR

SIGNS OF LIFE: An effort to redevelop empty city-owned lots in Boston is showing some progress. – Banker and Tradesman

DAY JOB LOST: Springfield’s Ward 1 City Councilor Maria Perez lost her day job at a prominent social service agency in her ward amid allegations of misuse of funds. – Western Mass. Politics & Insight

E-BIKE BRAKES: Lynnfield officials are raising concerns about e-bikes and regulating their usages in town. – The Item

IN MEMORIAM: Tom Lehrer, a sharp satirist who worked at Harvard and MIT but gained renown for “pitch-black” songs like "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” and "Wernher Von Braun,” has died. Found at his home in Cambridge, he was 97. – Variety

CHECKING IN ON CAMELOT: A long read about Joe Kennedy III, headlined “A Kennedy Toils in Mississippi, Tracing His Grandfather’s Path,” will likely stir another round of speculation about what’s next for the former prosecutor who lost a Democratic primary to Ed Markey in 2020. – New York Times

MEDIA, RANKED: In a review of online traffic numbers, Advance Publications, which owns MassLive and the Springfield Republican here in Massachusetts, is putting up impressive stats in other parts of the country. – Nieman Lab

CLIMBING THE LADDER: Amol Kohli, a former Friendly’s busser who is now the owner and manager of 30 Friendly’s locations along the East Coast, has acquired the restaurant chain’s Dallas-based parent company. – Forbes

NARRATIVE WATCH: A messaging focus on affordability in expensive cities is boosting New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who is up for reelection, Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos says. – New York Times

TAX FRAUD: Cedric Cromwell, the former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoags, pleaded guilty to tax fraud after prosecutors accused him of failing to report $177,00 on federal tax returns a decade ago. – Boston Herald

LAWSUIT REVIVED: A U.S. appeals court revived a civil rights suit against the Boston Police Department and the state Department of Children and Families filed by two victims of a child rapist and former union leader, Patrick Rose. – Universal Hub

Mediation date set in Market Basket CEO brawl

Markey, Pressley re-up fare-free MBTA push

In Quincy, activists seek to place mayor's 79% salary boost on ballot

Nahant celebrates first female sergeant

A $35 million 1870s home for sale near Harvard is priciest listing in Boston area

Child care workers would see expanded background checks under Sen. Tarr bill

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Senior Planner, City of Malden

Employee Relations Manager, City of Cambridge

Senior Director of Program Operations, St. Francis House

Director of Operations, St. Anthony Shrine

Learning and Development Director, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General

General Counsel, Massachusetts Gaming Commission

Senior Manager, Harborwalk, Resilience, and Access, Boston Harbor Now

Vice President for Legal and Government Affairs / General Counsel, Framingham State University

Major Gifts Coordinator, Conservation Law Foundation

Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Regional Assistant, Senator Ed Markey

Assistant Town Attorney- Land Use and Litigation, Town of Barnstable

Director of Human Services, City of Newton

Manager of Police Information Technology, City of Newton

MTF Mid-Career Fellow, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation

Regional Director, Greater Boston, Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren

Policy and Strategy Specialist, Boston Public Health Commission

Digital Communications Associate, Conservation Law Foundation

Senior Government Relations Specialist – City/Civic Relations, Boston Children’s Hospital