Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

About 3,000 Massachusetts Democrats gathered in Lowell this morning for their annual state convention.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

LOWELL — The six Democrats who so far have declared they want to unseat US Senator Scott Brown next year blasted the Republican and mocked his service in "the people's seat" as they rallied delegates today at their party's annual convention.

"Scott Brown didn't make a mark in the Massachusetts Legislature — and he isn't leaving any footprints in the United States Senate,'' said City Year co-founder Alan Khazei. ""We need a senator who leads."

Newton Mayor Setti Warren accused Brown of voting against the interests of Massachusetts men, women, and children.

"This is our senator, who even questions the science of global climate change," Warren said. "Is that someone who represents the values of our state?"

The crowd of roughly 3,000 delegates gathered at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell replied with a robust "no."

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Democrats are converging on Lowell this afternoon for the fun part of their annual convention: the convention-eve parties.

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray is throwing a bash, while Senate candidates such as Alan Khazei and Marisa DeFranco are holding smaller receptions. The host committee is also having a party organized by former Lowell City Councilor Curtis LeMay.

In addition, there's a Young Democrats bash at the Brewery Exchange.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Democrats plan to focus on Republican Scott Brown and the record he has compiled in the US Senate during their annual convention in Lowell on Saturday.

According to an agenda released this afternoon, the party will also focus on building upon its 2010 achievements, including repelling a national GOP tide by reelecting an all-Democratic congressional delegation, as well as President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

The convention gavels to order at 10 a.m. at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.

It will include remarks by Governor Deval Patrick and the state's other constitutional officers, as well as the four Democrats who have already declared their candidacy against Brown.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Bryan Snyder/Reuters

Caroline Kennedy (center) stands in front of a model of the newly-named USS John F. Kennedy with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus (third from left), daughters Rose and Tatiana (first and second from left), husband Edwin Schlossberg (second from right), and son Jack (far right), during a ceremony Sunday.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

While the dates of Kennedy deaths have been seared into the nation’s consciousness, the famed political family itself has a practice of focusing on birthdays.

It’s a more uplifting orientation, one that allows relatives to remember John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy, and other departed family members on the terms in which they entered and served the world — not the tragic events or illness that took them from it.

And so it was on Sunday, while many in the public were enjoying a round of golf, digging into a trashy beach novel, or breaking into provisions for the first barbeque of the summertime season.

JFK’s only daughter, Caroline, traveled to the presidential library named for her father to witness an announcement: The US Navy is going to name its next aircraft carrier in honor of the nation’s 35th president.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

In less than 140 characters, Newton Mayor Setti Warren made a big announcement.

Just after 1 p.m. today, the Democratic Senate candidate announced he and his wife had a son.

"My wife Tassy and I are proud & excited to welcome our son, John David Warren into the world," said the mayor.

The couple already has a daughter, Abigail.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Senator Scott Brown listens as General Peter Chiarelli speaks to the crowd before the May 22 "Run to Home Base" event for wounded veterans and families at Fenway Park.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Republican Scott Brown may be a US senator now, but that hasn't stopped him from rekindling his roots as a state senator as he tries to stoke support for his 2012 reelection campaign.

Twice in recent weeks, Brown has issued statements condemning local Democrats amid the ongoing federal corruption trial of former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi.

Yesterday, he did so after Governor Deval Patrick appeared on the witness stand, though Brown was careful not to single out the most powerful Democrat in the state by name.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Democrats and their counterparts in Washington are at odds over how best precisely to field a challenger to Republican Senator Scott Brown next year.

Governor Deval Patrick, who controls the Massachusetts Democratic Party, favors an organic process, with the candidate rising from a contested primary field.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is charged with ensuring President Obama has the party majority he needs to pass his legislative agenda, is pointed toward landing a big-name candidate who can clear the field and take on Brown with maximum resources and minimum infighting.

Some of them haven't forgotten that Massachusetts Democrats took the blame when Brown surprised the 2010 state nominee, Martha Coakley, and cost the national Democrats their filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate.

Washington colleague Mark Arsenault and I looked at the dispute for a story in today's Globe.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

This is a corrected version of an earlier post. A correction is embedded in the story text below.

WASHINGTON – Despite weeks of speculation and lobbying by consumer groups, there will be no recess appointment of former Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren to head the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

That's because, technically, there will be no recess.

Through parliamentary maneuvering this week, Republicans were able to prevent the Senate from officially shutting down during its Memorial Day vacation next week. During the so-called "pro-forma'' session during vacation, President Obama will not have the power to circumvent Senate confirmation proceedings and make appointments to key posts.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Democrats and some Republicans in the US House of Representatives sought to buck the White House today over the war in Afghanistan, illustrating growing impatience in Congress over the military’s role there since the death of Osama bin Laden earlier this month.

Representative James McGovern, a Worcester Democrat, spearheaded an effort with Republican co-sponsor Walter B. Jones of North Carolina to pass a measure that would require planning for a speedier withdrawal of troops from the nation where bin Laden plotted the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The amendment to the defense authorization bill failed 204-215, but it gained far more than the 162 votes that it received last year when Democrats controlled the House. Both of the chamber’s Democratic leaders, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland , supported it, along with 26 Republicans.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — National Democratic Party leaders are talking to “a number” of potential candidates about running against Republican Senator Scott Brown, and expect a frontline candidate to emerge soon, said the Democratic senator in change of recruitment.

“We believe that the state is one that we will win, and we expect to have a good strong candidate within weeks,” US Senator Patty Murray, Democrat from Washington, told reporters this morning in a briefing. Murray is head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the US Senate and to protect the party’s incumbents.

Brown, who won the Massachusetts seat in a special election in 2010, is a top political target of Democrats, who hold 53-47 advantage in the US Senate. Several Democratic seats could be in jeopardy next year, and the party hopes to defeat Brown to cushion losses elsewhere and maintain its majority.

Several Democrats have announced campaigns against Brown, though most of the state’s big names have passed on the race, such as Governor Deval Patrick. Democratic operatives worry about the ability of lesser-known candidates to compete against Brown, a national political figure with more than $8 million in his campaign account.

Murray declined to disclose names this morning, but speculation has been rampant about a possible campaign by Harvard professor and presidential advisor Elizabeth Warren, who has not ruled out a run.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown pushed a multi-pronged approach to job creation today in an op-ed column for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

The Massachusetts Republican called for congressional approval of trade agreements, boosting education, and promoting job re-training are all elements of the plan.

"This year, I have worked across the aisle on a targeted approach to boost our economy," Brown wrote. "As your senator, and a member of the Senate’s Manufacturing Task Force, I will continue to look for common sense economic policies that help create jobs. With the passage of these trade agreements, we can start to tear down some of the barriers holding us back."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Representative Barney Frank helped his then-companion land a job at mortgage giant Fannie Mae in the early 1990s at the same time Congress was writing legislation to improve oversight of the lender, according to New York Times reporter Gretchen Morgenson, who recently wrote a book examining the financial crises.

Frank was a member of the House Financial Services Committee in 1991 when he "actually called up the company and asked them to hire his companion, who had just gotten an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business," Morgenson said during a recent appearance on National Public Radio.

"Of course the company was happy to provide a job for his companion and rolled out the red carpet in a series of interviews with a variety of executives, and it ultimately did hire the man," she said. "And he stayed there for I believe seven years."

Stephan Savoia/AP

Vice President Joe Biden today marked the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's moon-shot speech by complaining that that the US has sometimes become 'too incremental' in its pursuits and needs similar big dreams.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Vice President Joe Biden today marked the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's speech about reaching the moon by complaining the United States has occasionally become "too incremental" instead of pursuing similarly big dreams.

The Democrat, speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, recalled being an 18-year student at a Catholic boys school when the newly inaugurated president addressed Congress and laid down a monumental challenge.

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth," Kennedy declared on May 25, 1961.

That goal was achieved in July 1969, nearly six years after Kennedy was assassinated, when the crew of Apollo 11 visited the moon and successfully returned home.

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

DERRY, N.H. — Representative Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare is causing controversy in Congress — and likely contributed to yesterday’s defeat of a Republican House candidate in New York’s special election.

But speaking at Derry Medical Center in New Hampshire today, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich delivered an entire speech about health care without mentioning the overhaul, and then declined to take press questions about it.

Gingrich had previously criticized Ryan’s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, but the former House speaker backtracked after taking flak from his fellow Republicans.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

When Senator John Kerry is in Washington or traveling the country and the world, his state director, Drew O'Brien, presides over his office back in Massachusetts.

O'Brien family

Edward L. O'Brien

Earlier today, Kerry had a chance to recognize his aide of nearly a decade, noting the passing of O'Brien's father — Edward L. O'Brien of Marshfield — earlier this month.

"Edward O'Brien was an extraordinary blessing to his family and to his friends, but also to the country he loved, when he served in the US Navy in World War II," Kerry said in remarks televised by C-SPAN.

He said Drew O'Brien perpetuated that example by "living the spirit of public service that his father instilled in him and all his family."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard professor and presidential adviser, but will she be a US Senate candidate, too?

Warren fever has ticked up a few degrees with this morning’s New York Times story reporting that Democratic Party officials are trying to persuade Warren to run against Republican US Senator Scott Brown next year. The law professor is currently working to set up a new federal regulatory agency to protect consumers, as called for in Wall Street reform laws.

In a brief interview yesterday, as she was rushing down a hallway after testifying on Capitol Hill, Warren offered the standard non-denial of interest in a Senate run: “I’m working on the consumer protection agency, that’s 14 hours a day, that’s what I’m working on,” she said.

A Political Intelligence entry on Sunday incorrectly attributed to Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown a statement about the House Republican budget that appeared on a left-leaning news and opinion website, Talking Points Memo. The entry inaccurately presented the Talking Points Memo statement as a direct quotation by the Republican senator, while the statement was actually Talking Points Memo's interpretation of the senator's position.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters today in Pakistan that "there is too much at stake" for the United States and Pakistan to abandon their alliance.

He said he and Pakistani officials have agreed on a series of steps that each side would take to improve relations, but declined to detail what those steps were.

"There are real differences between our two countries, but the bonds that tie us together in the fight against the threat of extremists is stronger than those differences," he said during a news conference in Islamabad.

Mian Khursheed/Reuters

Senator John Kerry meets today with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the prime minister's residence in Islamabad.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

There's never been a shortage of people willing to lampoon Senator John Kerry, or who have delighted in him being roasted.

Kerry has inflicted some of the damage himself, from trying to register a yacht in Rhode Island in an apparent Massachusetts tax dodge, to heading out windsurfing when presidential campaign advisers said it would underscore the elitist image they were trying to overcome.

Other damage has come from piling-on, all too easy with a person who can spend nearly as much time deciding what brand of beer to drink as it takes to down the first pint.

But those thoughts, emotions, or memories can seem petty when considering the duties he undertook today: representing the United States — and delivering its complaints — in the aftermath of the May 2 raid that found and killed Osama bin Laden while he hid amid a Pakistani military garrison.

Jane Flavell Collins

In this artist's rendering, former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, left, listens as a prosecutor addresses the jury in his federal corruption trial.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown said yesterday the federal corruption trial of former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi highlights the dangers of one-party dominance in Massachusetts and a "go-along-to-get-along" political culture.

Injecting politics into a normally celebratory moment, Brown said in remarks delivered at the Lasell College commencement ceremony: "I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, just as one political party can't be right 100 percent of the time, it shouldn't have 100 percent of the power. Unchallenged power grows arrogant over time. It is what has given us one case of graft after another."

The lone Republican in the Massachusetts congressional delegation, Brown is seeking reelection next year in what has historically been a Democratic state. Democrats have begun lining up to challenge him, and Brown opponents have already started pounding him with advertising campaigns.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Newton Mayor Setti Warren has outlined how far he is willing to go to become the next US senator from Massachusetts: He will shake hands — in the cold — outside Fenway Park, if need be.

“I love the Red Sox — they're doing pretty well," he told former Globe reporter Rick Klein when he appeared on "Top Line," the ABC News online program he now hosts each weekday. "I was at a game a few weeks ago. I’m gonna be out there, and across the state. We've been to cities and towns — that's the kind of campaign I'm going to run, and that's the kind of campaign that will win.”

The comment harks back to January 2010, when fellow Democrat Martha Coakley mocked her then-Republican rival, then-state Senator Scott Brown, for pressing the flesh outside the ballpark when it hosted the NHL's "Winter Classic" on a frigid New Year's Day.

Brown went on to win the campaign and replace the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Coakley went back to being attorney general.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

"Mitt Romney, Belmont, Mass." penned a Letter to the Editor that appeared in today's Wall Street Journal, responding to a scathing editorial on the newpaper's conservative editorial page the day before.

In it, Romney sought to address some criticisms of the universal health care law he signed while governor of Massachusetts, a measure the Journal had argued raised questions about his fitness to be president.

The 2006 Massachusetts law became the template for the federal universal health care law signed last year by President Obama, which the Journal and others deride as "ObamaCare."

"While I have had my disagreements with the Journal's editorial board, where we find common ground is on the need to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with reforms that empower states to craft their own solutions," Romney wrote. "A one-size-fits-all plan that raises taxes and ignores the very real differences between states is the wrong course for our nation."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives passed legislation today to expand offshore gas and oil exploration to New England coastal waters and other areas where drilling is now banned.

The measure, which passed 243-179, is unlikely to advance beyond the House and would garner a veto from President Obama regardless. But the legislation highlights how energy and fuel prices have become one of the biggest political battlegrounds in the sharply divided Congress.

The bill makes no bones about its intent. Entitled the “Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act,” the legislation countered a seven-year moratorium President Obama imposed last year on new offshore drilling. The bill would require the federal government to offer offshore leases in areas believed to have substantial oil and natural gas reserves.

“This legislation ensures that the Obama Administration can no longer withhold valuable energy resources necessary to increase American energy production here at home,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, said in a statement. Cantor was among nine House members who didn’t vote on the bill.

J.D. Pooley/Getty Images

Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney tries to address conservative concerns about his Massachusetts universal health care law with a speech and PowerPoint presentation today in his native Michigan.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mitt Romney this afternoon tried to rebut conservative criticisms of his Massachusetts health care law as he called for abolishing President Obama’s national plan and replacing it with a new, more state-based reform of the US health care system.

In his first — and perhaps most significant — policy speech of his budding presidential campaign, he gave the strongest defense to date of his signature Massachusetts health care plan.

“A lot of pundits around the nation are saying that I should just stand up and say this whole thing was a mistake, that it was a boneheaded idea and I should just admit it, it was a mistake, and walk away from it,” Romney said. “And I presume that a lot of folks would conclude that if I did that, that would be good for me politically. But there’s only one problem with that: it wouldn’t be honest. I, in fact, did what I believed was right for the people of my state.”

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a Democrat who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is drafting legislation that would allow the opposition in Libya to access about $180 million in funds that have been frozen in Moammar Khadafy's overseas bank accounts, according to Libyan opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril.

Kerry announced the legislation Wednesday after a meeting with Jibril, but did not give a dollar amount.

But Jibril, who is being referred to as prime minister of the self-appointed opposition government that has taken charge of the effort to bring down Khadafy, told an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington the amount of money Kerry is offering might be too little, too late.

He said the rebels need about $3 billion to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in cities besieged by Khadafy's forces and camps of fleeing refugees.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The topic: health care. The concern: It could undermine Mitt Romney's run for president. A key critic: The Wall Street Journal. The response: A speech and a PowerPoint presentation.

That was the tack the former Massachusetts governor took today as he tried to address a key vulnerability in his expected presidential campaign. But it's also the exact tack Romney took in 2006, while he still was governor, as he geared up for his first White House campaign.

In each instance, he tried to mollify conservative critics who argued universal health care cut against their free-market and libertarian beliefs.

The following article was published in The Boston Globe on April 26, 2006:

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

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.

“The congresswoman is convinced that Osama bin Laden was killed and will not be requesting to see the photos,” said spokesman John Noble.

Brown spokesman Colin Reed said, “No comment on this.”

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- 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.

The prediction follows a threat from Senate Republicans last week that they will block the confirmation of any director unless several measures to limit the agency's power are instituted.

Frank said such measures would allow Republicans to cripple the agency's power to protect consumers and possibly defund it altogether, eliminating one of the cornerstones of the financial regulation overhaul law passed last year. He said they were "acting like thugs" and forcing Obama to bypass the confirmation process.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Democrat Warren Tolman is considering a campaign to unseat Republican Senator Scott Brown next year.

Bill Brett for The Boston Globe

Warren Tolman

Tolman refused to say if those people are dissatisfied with the current field, which doesn't include any of the better-known politicians in Massachusetts. Those who have already declared include Newton Mayor Setti Warren, City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, former lieutenant governor candidate Bob Massie, and Salem immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator John F. Kerry in joining Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in seeking answers today about cable rate increases in the city.

Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski for a report on rate changes in Boston and other Massachusetts towns.

“I hope to ascertain whether rate hikes are specific to Boston or systemic, if the hikes are justified, and what the factors are that can effectively check those rate hikes,” the Massachusetts Democrat wrote.

Menino has petitioned the FCC for the right to regulate cable rates after a city-funded study found that monthly rates had gone up 60 percent in the last three years. The city lost its ability to set cable prices in 2002.

Comcast claims its rates are fair, and that satellite TV services, free broadcast TV, and the city’s second cable provider, RCN Telecom Services LLC, makes for a “highly competitive’’ market in Boston.

“We believe we continue to offer the most affordable options and best values for consumers,” the company has said in a statement.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator John Kerry today labeled Osama bin Laden's death "a potentially game-changing opportunity" for a political solution in war-torn Afghanistan.

Kicking off the third of six hearings on Afghanistan and Pakistan this month by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, Kerry said that could "bring greater stability to the region and bring our troops home." The Massachusetts Democrat serves as chairman of the committee.

"Let me be very clear: A precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a mistake and I, for one, would take that option off the table," Kerry said in his prepared remarks. "Instead, we should be working toward the smallest footprint necessary, a presence that puts Afghans in charge — and presses them to step up to that task — at the same time that it secures our interests and accomplishes our mission of destroying Al Qaeda and preventing Afghanistan from ever again becoming a terrorist sanctuary.

"But make no mistake, it is unsustainable to continue spending $10 billion a month on a massive military operation with no end in sight — and the good news is, we don’t have to. I am convinced that we can achieve our core goals at a more sustainable cost, in both lives and dollars," he added.

President Obama has pledged to begin removing some of the 130,000 US troops by July 31.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown, speaking in February at the induction ceremony for US District Court Judge Denise Jefferson Casper, is the focus of Democratic calculations as he heads toward his reelection campaign in 2012.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

(Editor's Note: This post contains math and, even more ominously, math performed by a journalist — with guidance from politicians.)

Newton Mayor Setti Warren was set this morning to personally declare what he stated yesterday in a slick movie: He is a candidate for US Senate next year.

With City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, Somerville activist Bob Massie, and Salem immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco already declared candidates, that all but guarantees a contested Democratic primary in September 2012, even with some dropouts.

Pat Greenhouse / Globe Staff

Mayor Setti Warren, right, marches last year in Newton's Memorial Day parade alongside its grand marshal, Senator Scott Brown, second from left. Warren announced today that he will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Brown for re-election next year.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Newton Mayor Setti Warren announced today that he will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Senator Scott Brown for re-election next year.

In a heavily produced video, complete with stirring music, the former Kerry and Clinton aide said: "Many of you don't know me; I'm probably about as well known as Scott Brown was at this point two years ago."

Nonetheless, Warren said the race should reduce to a debate about party values.

By Emma Stickgold, Globe Correspondent

Massachusetts Republican Party leaders today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the League of Women Voters, alleging the nonprofit organization failed to properly file paperwork after it launched a television ad campaign criticizing Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown.

"We are calling on the League to immediately reveal their secret donors as the law requires, and to live by the same standards of openness and transparency they have encouraged others to adopt," Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Nassour said in a written statement.

The ads criticized Brown as well as Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, for votes related to the Clean Air Act. Responding to the complaint, Elisabeth MacNamara, the organization's president, defended the ad, saying the ad targeted one particular issue, not the upcoming elections.

"Our ad will stand up to scrutiny because it is about Senator Scott Brown's vote to weaken the Clean Air Act and endanger public health," McNamara said in a statement issued Sunday. "It is not about an election that is 18 months away or a politician who may or may not be on the ballot in that election. The allegation to the FEC is simply a charade, designed to deflect attention away from Senator Brown's vote to block the Clean Air Act."

“Hello, I’m Scott Brown, and I have the honor of representing Massachusetts in the United States Senate.

“Last Sunday night, we heard President Obama deliver the message that Americans have been waiting for since September 11, 2001. It’s a very rare thing when so many people across the world observe the loss of life with something other than regret. But this man, the late Osama bin Laden, had chosen his fate long before in a life filled with cruelty. If he expected mercy when our forces found him that was asking much more than he was ever known to give.

“This was a man who rejoiced in the suffering and death of others, who set in motion all the horror and grief of 9/11 and considered it just a start. He was a teacher of evil, and now, for him, the lesson is over. It ends not in the fulfillment of some fanatical vision, but in the depths of the
Arabian Sea.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator Scott Brown will deliver the Republican response to President Obama’s weekly address this week, focusing on the killing of Osama bin Laden, American’s continued fight against terrorism and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Brown’s remarks will be released tomorrow morning, according to the senator’s office.

Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, is a 31-year member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard and currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. He had to backtrack earlier this week from comments he made in a TV interview, in which he claimed to have seen a photo of bin Laden’s corpse, which turned out to be a fake.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — The League of Women Voters has offered strong support in the past for disclosing who pays for political advertising, but the voter education group this morning would not name the donors funding its TV ads attacking Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown—at least not this year.

“We comply with the spirit and the letter of the law and report all contributions in our annual reports,” said Elisabeth MacNamara, national president of the League of Women Voters, in a phone interview.

The group’s annual report covering 2011 will be out early next year, she said.

US Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, will meet with constituents tomorrow, May 7, at a town hall meeting in Boston’s Faneuil Hall to discuss national security, job creation, and other key issues affecting Massachusetts and the nation, according to a statement from Kerry’s office.

Doors open at noon. Kerry will begin the meeting at 1 p.m.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Democratic Party issued a statement today saying Senator Scott Brown "owes" Massachusetts residents an explanation after the Republican asserted — and then retracted — that he had seen postmortem photos of Osama bin Laden.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Brown owes the people of Massachusetts more details as to what led him to believe that he was shown an authentic photo, and then what led him to feel comfortable enough to speak out publicly about the photo," party Chairman John Walsh said in a statement.

"He needs — right away, today — to provide answers to the following questions: who showed him the fake photo; who told him it was genuine when it wasn’t; and what are the procedures he uses to make sure he has reliable information before he gives voters that information?" Walsh added.

The chairman said the senator needs to “understand that his words matter, and his assertions are taken at face value because of his position."

Brown spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom replied: "With the Sal DiMasi corruption trial going on, I'm surprised that John Walsh has the time to criticize Republicans."

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are urging House appropriators not to support cuts to grants that pay for a range of community services for the poor, the disabled and the elderly.

Nine House members from Massachusetts are among 84 Democrats who sent a letter to the top members of the House Appropriations Committee saying that cuts to Community Service Block Grants would harm vulnerable citizens when the services are most needed. Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, provided the letter's first signature.

"Severe cuts to CSBGs – the source of funding for community action programs - would hinder, rather than help, our nation’s economic recovery while devastating critical support services for the poor, disabled, children and the elderly," the letter read.

The only Massachusetts member who did not sign was John Olver of Amherst. Olver is a member of House Appropriations and as a policy does not sign letters to the committee, according to a spokeswoman.


Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

UPDATED

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Having seen unreleased photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse, US Senator Scott Brown does not believe pictures of the dead terrorist leader should be made public, the Massachusetts Republican said in an interview on NECN.

“Let me assure you that he is dead, that bin Laden is dead — I have seen the photos,” Brown said hours before President Obama declared he would not release the images.

During an interview with "60 Minutes," the president told the CBS News program that "we don't trot out trophies."

Asked directly if the pictures, which have been described as bloody and gruesome, should be made available for everyone, Brown told NECN: “If it’s to sell newspapers or just have a news cycle story, no, I don’t think they should be released. We’re still dealing with the sensitivities of the Muslim and Arab world. And we still have men and women serving throughout the world.”

UPDATED

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a prospective candidate for US Senate, has booked the same American Legion Post where he announced his mayoral run for an unspecified event next Tuesday.

Aaron Goldman, who handles constituent services for the mayor, said Warren had reserved Post 440 in Newton for a “service breakfast,” but declined to elaborate.

"No comment," Warren told the Newton Tab, which first reported the booking, when the paper asked Warren if he planned to announce he is running against Republican Senator Scott Brown.

Deborah Shah, the mayor’s political director, said, “The mayor is hosting a service breakfast with people in his life who have done things for the community and he wants to honor them. I can’t say anything further at this time.”

Warren is a Navy veteran and a former aide to Senator John F. Kerry. City Year co-founder Alan Khazei and Somerville activist Bob Massie have already announced campaigns.

Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mlevenson.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Mary Beth Cahill, once Senator Edward M. Kennedy's chief of staff, has been named director of the United Auto Workers' Washington office, as well as director of its UAW Community Action Program.

Globe file photo

Mary Beth Cahill

In both jobs, she will oversee the UAW’s political program nationally. She will also serve as a senior adviser to UAW President Bob King.

Cahill formerly served as assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Liaison in the Clinton White House, as well as Kennedy's chief of staff and director of Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.

She also spent five years at EMILY’s List, a PAC that supports female candidates and supports abortion rights.

“We are thrilled to have Mary Beth join the UAW leadership team especially in light of the difficult challenges ahead for our union,” King said in a statement. "As we navigate the tough political environment in this era of attacks on American working families and the middle class, and head into national contract talks for the domestic automakers, I’m confident that she will help us elect officeholders who are allies in the battle to save the American middle class."

Cahill is a Massachusetts native and the daughter of a UAW autoworker. She graduated from Emmanuel College with a degree in English and political science, and held a fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2005.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is seeking to refocus the nation's focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan in the run-up to a scheduled withdrawal of some US forces from Afghanistan, set to begin in July.

On Tuesday morning, Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Princeton University Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, Ronald E. Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy will appear before the committee.

It has already conducted 14 oversight hearings on the war, including the first congressional hearings on reconciliation and the mission in Marja.

The latest hearing was planned before Sunday's surprise announcement about the killing Osama bin Laden.

“The killing of Osama bin Laden closes an important chapter in our war against extremists who kill innocent people around the world." Kerry said in a statement. "A single death does not end the threat from al Qaeda and its affiliated groups and highlights the need to thoroughly evaluate our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We need to make certain we are asking tough questions about the direction and effectiveness of our policy/"

Farah Stockman can be reached fstockman@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @fstockman.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown just issued a statement saying he requested his annual summer Massachusetts National Guard service period in Afghanistan.

“As a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, I have service obligations that I fulfill each year.

"Following in the tradition of other lawmakers who have completed their military service requirements overseas, this year I have requested to conduct my annual training in Afghanistan.

"Doing so will help me to better understand our ongoing mission in that country, and provide me first-hand experience for my duties on the Senate Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs committees," he said.

Brown has been in the Guard since 1979, but he has never been deployed to a war zone. His service this summer will come around the July set by President Obama for beginning to start removing some of the 132,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Typically such training periods last two weeks. It would not be considered a formal activation of his JAG unit.

The statement was issued about 90 minutes after Brown spoke with the Globe about heading to the war zone.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

UPDATED

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown issued a statement this morning saying he has requested to conduct his annual National Guard training in Afghanistan.

“As a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, I have service obligations that I fulfill each year.

"Following in the tradition of other lawmakers who have completed their military service requirements overseas, this year I have requested to conduct my annual training in Afghanistan.

"Doing so will help me to better understand our ongoing mission in that country, and provide me first-hand experience for my duties on the Senate Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs committees," he said.

Brown has been in the Guard since 1979, but he has never been deployed to a war zone. His service this summer will come around the July set by President Obama for beginning to start removing some of the 132,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Brown for Senate

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Brown

About 90 minutes before issuing his statement, Brown said in a telephone interview with the Globe, "I’m going to be going over at some point to do some missions.”

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

After President Obama told the nation last night about the death of Osama bin Laden, senior members of his administration held a conference call to brief reporters on the details of the mission.

Following is a transcript of that call, as provided by the White House, with all but one of the speakers identified as "senior administration officials."

It was led by Tommy Vietor, the chief spokesman for the National Security Council:

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Following are the full texts of statements issued last night by President Obama and Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown after the death of Osama bin Laden:

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Obama strides to the lectern to deliver news already coming into view on the TelePrompTer: Osama bin Laden has been killed.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

President Bush started the search for Osama bin Laden on Sept. 11, 2001, and President Obama ended it yesterday, and each man took special pride in the accomplishment.

Bush, in a statement posted on the Facebook page of his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, said: "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."

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"Justice has been done," the president said in remarks that began at 11:35 p.m.

Obama also went to lengths to detail the circumstances that led to bin Laden's death, as well as his leadership of it, starting with him saying he made it his top terrorism priority since shortly after taking office in 2009.

"Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice," said the president.

Then, in his crescendo, he added: "Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan."

Obama's backers will surely argue that the achievement validates his effort to shift the focus from the war on terror from insurgents and Saddam Hussein's loyalists in Iraq to the Taliban in Afghanistan, part of a campaign pledge he made to target bin Laden, the culprit of the 9/11 attacks.

As a senator, Obama declared he would authorize US forces to go into Pakistan to get bin Laden if that was where he sought refuge. In the end, that is what happened, with uncertain diplomatic repercussions for the country.

The president himself did not have to gloat, the facts potent enough to speak for themselves.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Scott Brown is hitting back at a voter education group that began running a critical television spot today, saying the ad "reeks of political demagoguery."

The League of Women Voters’ television spot features a young girl on a respirator, and accuses Brown of siding with polluters when he voted this month for a measure that would have stripped the EPA of its ability to regulate greenhouse gases. A similar ad aimed at Democrat Claire McCaskill is airing in her home state of Missouri.

"It is outrageous for an allegedly non-partisan group to use sick children to misrepresent a vote about jobs and government over-regulation. These type of over-the-top distortions have no place in our political discourse,” Brown, a Republican, said in a statement.

Brown and McCaskill's states are the only ones where the ads are playing; both are up for re-election in 2012. The spots have the appearance of issue ads that typically pop up during election seasons that point out how candidates voted on particular issues.

Before Brown's comments, League of Women Voters President Elisabeth MacNamara said the spots were not attack ads, and did not target Brown and McCaskill because of their upcoming elections. She said that “there is an accountability piece” to running them, but said it was not related to their elections. The votes of all 100 senators are available at an accompanying Web site.

“These are not intended to at all attack these particular senators. They are designed to draw attention to the votes that were made by these two particular senators," she said.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – A voting rights advocacy group is taking to the airwaves today with a campaign-style ad criticizing Senator Scott Brown for a vote to curb the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory power.

The League of Women Voters’ television spot accuses Brown, a Republican, of siding with polluters with his vote earlier this month that would have stripped EPA of its ability to regulate greenhouse gases. A similar ad aimed at Democrat Claire McCaskill will air in her home state of Missouri.

Brown and McCaskill are the only senators being targeted, and both are up for re-election in 2012. The spots have the appearance of issue ads that typically pop up during campaigns pointing out how candidates voted on particular issues. The ad buy is significant, costing over a million dollars, according to the company that produced it.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Michael Capuano took aim today at Senator Scott Brown's advocacy for a reconfigured Suffolk County voting district aimed at empowering minority voters, saying his current district already fits that criteria.

"Senator Brown is entitled to share his opinion on redistricting. But he is not entitled to his own facts and the facts could not be clearer," the Somerville Democrat wrote in an email newsletter to constituents and supporters.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

EXETER, N.H. – Members of Congress have talked about the hard choices that must be made to get the country’s debt under control. Now, they’re figuring out just how difficult those decisions are going to be – and the political price that could be paid for making them.

Representative Frank Guinta, a first-term Republican from Manchester, faced a feisty crowd tonight at a town hall meeting in a high school in this quiet town near the seacoast.

The crowd booed at some responses, hissed at others. Audience members yelled and pointed at the congressman, and they yelled and pointed at each other.

Guinta was swept into office last year with a wave of Tea Party-fueled anger – largely over the economy and health care – and, constituents seemed to remind him tonight, he could just as easily be swept out.

It was an indication of the unrest going on throughout the country, as House Republicans attempt to defend their votes to implement drastic budget cuts and curb long-cherished entitlement programs.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- President Obama’s nomination of Leon Panetta as his next secretary of defense and General David Petraeus as CIA director are getting high marks today from both Massachusetts senators.

John Kerry, a Democrat, and Scott P. Brown, a Republican, praised the two men on the day that the president announced the nominations in a reshuffling of his national security team.

“While the country will miss the service of Secretary (Robert) Gates, Leon Panetta and General Petraeus are first-rate public servants whose reputations and records transcend party, and I expect broad approval and swift confirmations,” Kerry, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.

Petraeus and Panetta have both served "admirably," Brown said of the two men. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he will participate in Panetta's hearing and vote on his nomination it goes to the full senate for confirmation.

"I look forward to learning more about their views and goals for the future during their confirmation hearings," Brown said in a statement.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

President Obama came to Boston on Oct. 16 to campaign for his personal friend and political ally Governor Deval Patrick.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick, a close personal and political friend of President Obama, today said questions about the authenticity of his birth certificate — and thus his legitimacy as the country's leader — represent "a new low in American politics."

“I hope and I believe that the American people are bigger and better than this," the Democrat said during his monthly appearance on WTKK-FM, his most free-wheeling regular public engagement.

Asked whether he felt race was motivating questions not only about Obama's birthplace but also his academic record, Patrick — like Obama the first African-American to hold his job — said: “I have no idea, but whatever is motivating it, it feels like a new low in American politics, particularly when you consider the extraordinary challenges facing this country and this president, that we would spend our time on stuff like that and attempts to marginalize our president.”

Jim Wilson/Globe Staff

Paul Tsongas acknowledges the crowd as he announces his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination during an April 30, 1991, speech in Lowell's Boarding House Park.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Listening to Donald Trump yesterday, speaking caustically and bombastically against the backdrop of a gleaming helicopter emblazoned with the name "Trump," I was struck by the contrast between him and the late Senator Paul Tsongas.

The Massachusetts Democrat announced his candidacy for the presidency 20 years ago Saturday, on April 30, 1991, and the approaching anniversary had prompted me to reminisce in recent weeks about the first White House campaign I covered.

The difference between Tsongas and Trump could not be more pronounced.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Senator Scott Brown is throwing himself into the redistricting fight in Massachusetts, urging the creation of a voting district in Boston that could help a non-white candidate be elected to Congress.

Brown, a Republican, wrote today to state Senator Stanley Rosenberg and Representative Mike Moran, the co-chairs of the legislature’s Special Committee on Redistricting, in support of a Suffolk County Congressional district that is majority non-white, which are known as majority-minority districts.

“It is my hope that any redistricting for congressional or state legislative seats will result in districts that avoid diluting the voting strength of citizens based on the color of their skin,” he wrote.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Caroline Kennedy will open a new wing next week at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

The daughter of the slain president will join Director Tom Putnam for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. on May 4.

In 2001 the National Archives conducted a program review of the library that concluded that "storage problems seen at the Kennedy Library are the worst in the entire presidential library system.”

Congress approved the funding to design and build a 30,000-square-foot addition to the library building on Columbia Point to ensure the appropriate preservation and security of President Kennedy’s papers and historical artifacts.

JFK was born 94 years ago on May 29.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Alan Khazei today officially declared he is running for the Democratic nomination for the seat currently held by Republican US Senator Scott Brown.

Alan Khazei

"It's official,'' he wrote. “I’m in.''

A two-and-a-half minute announcement video posted on his website offered a more detailed look at his campaign themes.

“As I’ve traveled across our state, I’ve heard from many people who are concerned that opportunity is drying up, that the American dream is in trouble and the system is failing too many Americans,” Khazei says in the video. “It’s stacked in favor of powerful special interests and designed for a time long gone by.”

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Veteran Democratic political strategist Joe Trippi has signed on with Somerville activist Bob Massie in his campaign against US Senator Scott Brown.

Massie has already declared his candidacy for next year's Democratic nomination. City Year co-founder Alan Khazei also announced today that he was running.

In a statement, Trippi noted he began his career on the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign. The strategist also was instrumental in Howard Dean's surprise showing in the 2004 Democratic presidential primary campaign.

“Bob Massie has a remarkable story in which he has demonstrated insight, courage, and tenacity," Trippi said in a statement. "He will defend the American Dream, excite the Democratic base, draw in independents, and take the seat back from Scott Brown, who simply does not represent the values of Massachusetts."

Massie campaign manager Matt Wilson said: “Joe Trippi’s history motivating and engaging the grassroots is second to none. His experience in local, national, and international politics complements Bob’s vision of a better life for all.”

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Live by the op-ed, die by the op-ed.

Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney learned that today, when he made an apparent gaffe in what has become the favored form of communication in his carefully choreographed pre-campaign run-up: the newspaper op-ed column.

The former Massachusetts governor found that when you virtually limit your media exposure to written columns, as opposed to unrestricted media questions, you can control your message — but you also leave no one else to blame when there's trouble.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

President Obama didn't exactly blame the American people for missing the point last night as his poll numbers have plunged, but he did state they have been so focused on their daily lives they haven't focused deeply enough on the broader, more thematic underpinnings of the great recent congressional debates.

Addressing a star-studded fundraiser audience at the Tavern restaurant in Los Angeles that included actors Tom Hanks and George Clooney, Obama said he expected the majority of voters to end up siding with him when they focus their attention on the candidates, the policies they propose, and their personal values during next year's campaign.

Massachusetts listeners can't but hear the echoes of the "values" focus that Governor Deval Patrick offered during his successful reelection campaign last fall, and which he has continued amid his recent book tour.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Those of us who covered the Kerry for President campaign in 2004 felt a special horror in yesterday's news about the two photographers who were killed in Libya.

Getty Images

Chris Hondros

The more closely known to the campaign travelers, though, was Chris Hondros of Getty Images. He rode the Kerry plane often and brought his combat photography skills to the political arena.

Senator John Kerry just issued a statement in which the Massachusetts Democrat recounts many of Hondros's traits and campaign moments:

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

Congressman Edward Markey, a Malden Democrat, and a group of “seniors, working families, and health care providers” will rally in Brighton today against a US House Republican plan to dramatically change Medicare, the health care program for the elderly, and Medicaid, which provides health care to low income people. The rally is 1 p.m. at the Veronica Smith Senior Center.

“Republicans in the House of Representatives are advocating dangerous cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that do nothing to address skyrocketing health care costs or the real causes of federal deficits,” according to a notice for the event sent out by organizers. “Their proposal will cut benefits for seniors, increase premiums and end guaranteed coverage.”

The GOP budget plan would replace the current Medicare system with a program to provide seniors money to buy their own private health insurance, and would transform Medicaid into a Block Grant program for states.

Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick, pressed about his aspirations for higher
office during an appearance on national television today, said he would
not run against US Senator Scott Brown, even if President Obama urged
him to do so.

"That conversation is not going to happen, and I've been very clear I
do not want to serve in the United States Senate," Patrick said during
a five-minute interview with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show.

Patrick was appearing on the show to promote his memoir, and Lauer,
who introduced the governor as a "rising star," asked several times
whether the book was a precursor to a run for national office. Patrick
insisted it was not.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown, who has been sharply criticized by environmentalists for a recent vote on air pollution control, wants to reduce energy costs, wean the nation off foreign oil and increase domestic energy production.

With gas prices soaring and families preparing to fill their tanks for summer vacations, the Massachusetts Republican plans to introduce bipartisan legislation in coming weeks intended to decrease gas use, increase efficiency and require energy audits of federal projects.

A video press release from Brown accompanied the announcement, in which Brown said “the status quo is not acceptable when it comes to our energy policy.”

“We must start to develop more of the domestic sources of energy here at home in an environmentally-friendly manner. We need to take an all-of-the-above approach, and this includes wind, solar, hydro, geo-thermal, clean coal, natural as, biofuels, conservation, R & D tax credits -- everything must be on the table,” he said.

He did not mention drilling, which was included in the prepared script of the video.

The raft of three bills will include legislation giving tax-credits to businesses that retrofit their vehicles with hybrid technology; another bill would provide more disclosure of home energy use; and a third would require energy audits of federally funded projects.

Environmental groups criticized Brown after he voted earlier this month in favor of a budget amendment that would have stripped the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases. In addition, Brown was recently caught on camera asking for a campaign donation from billionaire David Koch, whom critics accuse of bankrolling opposition to greenhouse gas regulation. Brown later received a $2,500 donation from Koch Industries’ political action committee.

Asked about the timing of Brown’s legislative announcement, a spokesman said in an email that “Senator Brown believes these proposals are positive first steps toward addressing skyrocketing energy costs.”

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown says people demanding he name the former counselor who allegedly sexually abused him when he attended a Cape Cod summer camp as a 10-year-old "have no clue" about working through such an episode.

The Massachusetts Republican made the allegation in mid-February when released his new book, "Against All Odds." But since then, he has refused to name the camp where the alleged abuse occurred, the counselor he says abused him, or provide authorities with information for a possible prosecution.

The senator has explained that he wants to move on with his life, even as critics suggest remaining silent has allowed an abuser to go unpunished and possibly victimized others.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

U.S. Representative John Tierney wants an end to government tax breaks and loopholes that he says cost the government billions of dollars a year, and is hoping that fiscal conservatives will join him in the effort.

The Salem Democrat plans to file legislation in coming weeks called the Tax Equity and Middle Class Fairness Act of 2011 which would end over two dozen so-called “tax expenditures” which divert revenues out of treasury coffers.

Those expenditures include subsidies, tax credits, exclusions and exemptions for individuals and corporations that are difficult to root out of the tax code.

While Tierney calculates that there are some 250 such expenditures in all, the bill targets only about 30 of them; the General Accounting Office would review the rest and report to Congress.

“We found what we though were some obvious ones that we could address in the short term,” he said.

The legislation, which is still being finalized and does not yet have co-sponsors, would eliminate tax breaks for oil, gas and coal companies; write-offs for corporate meals and entertainment; and agribusiness and timber subsidies.

Tierney said that he hopes deficit hawks among House Republicans will join him in the effort, although he doesn’t have any commitments yet.

“I would hope that we’ve get some support on the fiscally conservative side, because it certainly is as fiscally conservative a measure as anything that’s going to be proposed on that,” he said.

Columbia University economics professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, a former chief economist for the World Bank who joined Tierney on a conference call about the legislation, said that the current debate the proposal is timely amid ongoing debate over spending and the deficit.

“Now that the budget issue has come to the fore, this is precisely a good time to address this long-standing problem in our whole fiscal situation,” he said.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator Scott Brown took some ribbing after a liberal blog last month posted video of the Massachusetts Republican asking conservative billionaire David Koch for support in his next campaign—but Brown’s request apparently worked.

Shortly after his conversation with Koch, Brown received a $2,500 donation to his campaign fund from Koch Industries through its political action committee, according to campaign finance reports made public yesterday.

The blog, Think Progress, shot the video of Brown and Koch at a March 4 event at the David H. Koch Integrative Cancer Institute at MIT. In the video, Brown is seen telling Koch, “Your support during the election, it meant a ton. It made a difference and I can certainly use it again.”

The video was posted March 7. Brown’s campaign reported it received Koch’s contribution on March 11.

Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown threw out the first pitch before the Patriots Day game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.

Then he headed to the NESN broadcast booth and described the jealousy some fellow members of Congress feel over the success of his hometown teams.

"People don't realize when you're in a state where they have no chance of ever winning anything, the amount of jealousy amongst the senators and the congressmen, 'Oh, my gosh, you're from Boston? The Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins,' everyone's always in the playoffs, always in the hunt," Brown to play-by-play man Don Orsillo and color commentator Jerry Remy.

"If you're down in Washington or Baltimore, they're not quite there," said the senator, who was dressed in a Red Sox warm-up jacket for the occasion.

Nonetheless, Brown said he has attended some Washington Nationals games with his family and staff, to relax with the former and work on team-building with the latter.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown is taking a tour tomorrow of XL Hybrids, a Somerville-based company that converts standard gasoline engines into hybrids.

The tour will occur from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Afterward, Brown will hold a press conference to discuss his proposed legislation for reducing energy costs.

The Republican is up for re-election. He is back in Massachusetts during the congressional recess.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Potential US Senate candidate Alan Khazei has announced the first event for his campaign exploratory committee.

In a Facebook posting, the Democrat said he would meet with supporters at 6 p.m. on April 26 at the Old South Meeting House in Boston.

"I would love the opportunity to share with you my thoughts on how to get our country back on the right track and also hear your ideas and thoughts," said Khazei. "I look forward to meeting and listening to the voters of the commonwealth to hear their concerns and ideas about the challenges and opportunities facing our state and country."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

President Obama's deficit-reduction speech wasn't just about numbers but what kind of country America will become, Governor Deval Patrick said this morning during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" news program.

While Republicans have criticized the partisan nature of last week's address, in which Obama proposed cutting $4 trillion over 12 years, Patrick said the critics glossed over its overarching theme.

“It’s a fiscally responsible but also mutually responsible kind of community, and I support that," the governor told host Christiane Amanpour.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Amid rancorous debate in Congress over spending and taxes, the White House flipped the switch today on an online system for calculating where tax revenues are being spent.

The White House launched its “Federal Taxpayer Receipt” site on what is typically the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns, although this year taxes are due on April 18. The administration said the site was an effort to increase government openness and transparency.

“Today, we’re hopeful that with this tool for regular Americans, everyday Americans, they can actually see these dollars flowing as easily as one can click a mouse,” said Aneesh Chopra, the White House chief technology officer.

By plugging in the amounts of federal taxes deducted from paychecks, taxpayers can see how much of their taxes go to different parts of the federal government, such as defense, health care and veterans services.

President Obama had called for such a system in his State of the Union speech this year. Senator Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, co-sponsored legislation last month with Democrat Bill Nelson of Florida that would require the IRS to send a receipt to every person who files a tax return.

"I believe that providing Americans with an itemized receipt of how the government is spending their money will help improve transparency and accountability as we work to rein in federal spending and deal with our record debt,” Brown said.

Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, a free-market group that seeks lower taxes, said the site could be helpful in showing how the federal tax system is what he called "one big transfer payment."

"Yes, they'll see considerable amounts for the military and smaller ones for things like highways but many folks will likely see for the first time that much of the money coming out of their paychecks is winding up in someone else's check," he said.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey accused the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today of concealing inspection results at U.S. nuclear power plants and limiting the scope and length of reactor inspections.

In a letter to commission Chairman Greg Jaczko, the Malden Democrat protested what he said were limits on inspectors checking U.S. nuclear reactors in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that badly damaged the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.

“We should stand prepared to learn from the catastrophe in Japan and plan ahead to address what was unforeseen but occurred anyway, rather than attempting to hide our vulnerabilities from public view,” he wrote.

Commission spokeswoman Prema Chandrathil said the ongoing review of safety at U.S. plants goes "far beyond" physical inspections at plants, and is looking for problems other than just design flaws. Moreover, she said, a report on safety at U.S. plants will be made public at the end of a lengthy review process.

While some findings at plants are generally not made public because of post-Sept. 11 security measures, she said the commission always takes action when warranted.

“In response to the events in Japan, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will take any regulatory action deemed necessary, she said.

After last month’s disaster, the commission announced increased inspections of all U.S. nuclear plants to ensure their safety. It has also sent inspectors to aid Japanese authorities.

Markey alleged that the commission’s review of domestic plants is inadequate, and conceals vital information from the public. Inspectors are limited to 40 hours for single-reactor plants and 50-60 hours for multi-reactor plants, according to Markey, which is not enough to full inspect plants.

In addition, inspectors were initially not allowed to look for safety vulnerabilities to unanticipated catastrophic events, he claimed. An outcry from inspectors allowed them to do so, but they were not permitted to note them in writing, putting them instead in a secret database and shielding them from public scrutiny, he said.

“The fact that they plan to keep the most serious vulnerabilities secret raises questions about whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is more interested in public relations than public safety,” Markey said.

Markey, who has held his seat since 1976, cast his 20,000 vote yesterday on the House floor.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Both Massachusetts senators voted against a budget amendment today that would have banned federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood, a measure that was part of a bargain struck last week to avoid a government shutdown.

Scott Brown, a Republican, and John Kerry, a Democrat, were among those voting against the Planned Parenthood resolution, which was defeated 58-42. Both senators went on to vote for the six-month budget measure funding the government through September.

"As I've said before, I believe this particular cut goes too far," Brown said in a brief statement.

Brown’s vote earned praise from Dianne Luby, president of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, who said the amendment would have cut off federal funds for a range of women’s health services, from breast cancer screening to HIV testing.

“Clearly, Senator Brown was listening to his constituents when he cast his vote to protect women’s health,” Luby said in a statement. “He understands that Planned Parenthood is an essential community provider and that cutting off access to critical preventive health services is not smart public health or fiscal policy.”

The vote was included in a pact that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and President Obama reached late last week just before a midnight deadline to fund the government.

During the tense budget talks, House Republicans had sought to ban the use of federal funds for Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortions, although federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for most abortions. The issue became a major obstacle to a budget deal long after spending reductions and disagreement over other social issues had been decided.

The Planned Parenthood amendment allowed the measure to receive a debate and a vote in the Senate, where the Democrats have a majority, and its defeat was expected.

Theo Emery can be reached at temery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @temery.

The United Nations confirmed today that last week’s Iraqi army raid of Camp Ashraf resulted in the deaths of 34 Iranian exiles. Camp Ashraf is home to many members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, a group in opposition to Iran’s clerical leaders that had found refuge in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime. The Iraqi government has announced an investigation into the incident.

"The current situation at the camp is untenable,” Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said in a statement that condemned the Iraqi military’s “massacre.” Kerry also called on the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, to help all parties find "a peaceful and durable solution," and permanent homes for the Camp Ashraf residents.

Read Kerry’s full statement below.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Representative James McGovern, a Worcester Democrat, joined a bipartisan effort to link the escalating budget deficit with the on-going costs of the Afghan war.

"This week we are debating a budget that purports to represent new fiscal restraint, yet continues to borrow tens of billions of dollars for the war in Afghanistan," McGovern said Thursday at an event on Capitol Hill organized by Brave New Foundation, a California-based social justice organization. "I'm tired of being told that we don't have enough money for education or infrastructure or medical research, but we can afford to spend billions of dollars propping up a corrupt regime in Kabul."

McGovern has been working with Representative Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, to introduce legislation as early as May that would require exit strategy from Afghanistan.

"President Obama has said that we will begin to withdraw our troops in July of this year. We must hold him to that promise," McGovern said. "Rather than nation-building in Afghanistan, we need to do some more nation-building right here at home."

The event was part of a Brave New Foundation's Rethink Afghanistan campaign, which seeks to highlight the costs of the war by building a web site that calculates how much an American citizen has contributed to the war's cost.

Farah Stockman can be reached at fstockman@globe.com.

Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, guided by New Hampshire Republican operative Michael Dennehy, walks through Riley's Gun Shop in Hooksett on the second day of his visit to the lead primary state as a prospective presidential candidate.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

HOOKSETT, N.H. – With a 22-person media contingent outside, and only a handful of prospective voters inside, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour wasn't trying to conceal the message he was sending to New Hampshire voters as he wound down his first visit of the year as a prospective presidential contender.

I'm one of you, he said with deeds as much as words nonetheless spoken with a Southern drawl.

Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

Prospective Republican presidential contender Haley Barbour talked guns, the Boston Red Sox, and political issues during a visit this morning to the Chez Vachon restaurant in Manchester, N.H.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Who knew?

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour claimed a New England connection this morning as he confessed to being a Boston Red Sox fan on the strength of his longtime friendship with a former team catcher.

Stopping by a frequent political haunt, the Chez Vachon on the west side of Manchester, Barbour told a table that included Mayor Ted Gatsas that he played on a two-time state high school championship team with future Red Sox player Jerry Moses.

Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour works with room last night as he stopped by the Bow home of Jayne and Shawn Millerick during his first visit to New Hampshire this year as a prospective presidential candidate.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

BOW, N.H. – Southern charm collided with Yankee skepticism last night as Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour made his first visit of the year to New Hampshire as a prospective presidential candidate.

With his trademark drawl and affable demeanor, Barbour worked a crowd of about 30 people at the home of former New Hampshire Republican Party chairwoman Jayne Millerick, introducing himself by saying simply, "Hi, I'm Haley."

(See my earlier post here.)

Then he was peppered with questions about everything from his views on spending cuts and entitlement reform to US intervention in Libya, as voters in the lead presidential primary state upheld their tradition as vetters-in-chief of would-be commanders-in-chief.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Women who are sexually assaulted while serving in the armed services would receive greater legal rights and protections under legislation that US Representative Niki Tsongas introduced today.

Tsongas, a Lowell Democrat, introduced the legislation with Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, to address a problem that as many as one in three women report experiencing while serving in the military. The number could be higher, as only about 13 percent of sexual assaults in the military are reported, according to the Pentagon.

"We ask our men and women in uniform who serve in the military to put their lives on the line for our country, and they shouldn't fear or experience harm from their fellow soldiers," said Tsongas, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

The legislation would guarantee assault victims the right to a military lawyer, a transfer to another base, and a right to confidentiality when speaking with victim advocates and counselors.

The legislation would also provide more training to prevent and respond to sexual assault in the armed services. The legislation also creates new record-keeping requirements around sexual assault.

Sexual assault in the military has become a subject of litigation in recent years. The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut and the Service Women's Action Network filed a lawsuit late last year seeing data on sexual assault cases within the military judicial system. In addition, more than a dozen women and two men have filed suit against the military in February.

Tsongas has a track record of advocating on behalf of sexual abuse victims in the military. In 2010, she was successful in adding language to a defense spending bill that forced the military to adopt a new reporting and documentation system for sexual assault, among other measures.

Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Senator John Kerry gestures while Senator John McCain listens on Capitol Hill yesterday as the two introduced legislation aimed at protecting consumer information during commercial transactions.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Senator John Kerry thought so highly of Senator John McCain that the Democratic presidential nominee broached the idea of joining forces with the Arizona Republican on a bipartisan White House ticket.

McCain politely declined, swallowed his pride, and made up that year with George W. Bush, who had savaged him during the 2000 GOP South Carolina primary en route to the presidency.

Bush ended up beating Kerry for a second term.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Congress begins a new scramble today to pass a budget bill cutting billions of dollars in spending this year, resetting the clock on the next deadline to keep the federal government running.

Early this morning, aides completed work on an appropriations bill that cuts nearly $40 billion in spending. The committee staff have been working around the clock on the bill since House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the White House shook hands on a deal that averted a government shutdown last Friday at midnight.

The bargain makes about $27 billion in new cuts on top of roughly $12 billion that have been previously agreed to. While the Obama administration and others have described the broad outlines of the agreement, details only emerged with the release of the bill this morning.

David L. Ryan, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney shares a laugh with House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and other Democrats as the Republican signs the state's universal health care law at Faneuil Hall on April 12, 2006.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Northeast Democrats will be at their most creative today and tomorrow, as they aim to tweak Republican Mitt Romney in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of the Massachusetts universal health care law.

New Hampshire Democrats are sending out an email at 9 a.m. today, urging their supporters to flood Romney's official Twitter handle, @MittRomney, with thanks and congratulations for a piece of legislation that is anathema to many of his fellow conservatives across the country.

The 2006 Massachusetts law, signed while Romney was governor of the state, became the model for the 2010 federal universal health care law signed by President Obama, the Democrat he hopes to face in next year's presidential race.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick's planned appearance Monday on NBC-TV's "Today" show is being postponed until later this week.

The date still has yet to be set, but spokesman Steve Crawford said the Democrat fell prey to the crush of recent news, including the near-government shutdown that finally was resolved just before midnight Friday.

Instead, the governor will spend Monday in Boston.

This week is the launch of the book tour for the governor's memoir, "A Reason to Believe."

Patrick is still slated to head to New York on Tuesday for a series of stops, including Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick embarks on his booktour Monday, with a pretty good first stop: A time slot in the 7 a.m. hour on NBC-TV's "Today" show.

It's shown locally on WHDH-TV (Channel 7).

It's still unclear who will interview him, but the governor is expected to talk about his memoir, "A Reason to Believe."

As a friend and political ally of President Obama, he could also expect questions about any government shutdown, the fifth anniversary of the Massachusetts health care law (on Tuesday), and his dust-up with Senator Scott Brown at today's groundbreaking for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

The governor is coming back to Massachusetts after the show, but heading back to New York on Tuesday for a series of stops, including Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Several readers have written in the aftermath of my recent post about the wonderful annual spring White House Garden Tour being offered this weekend.

Maybe.

They have asked whether the tours would be affected by a federal government shutdown, and the answer is yes.

A White House official told me that all tours of the president's home would be cancelled during a shutdown, including garden tours.

President Obama and his family were supposed to vacate the premises this weekend and visit Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, but that trip has been scotched as the administration tries to avert a shutdown at midnight.

If one were avoided, the silver lining for anyone on a garden tour is that they would apparently gain a chance to see the president.

The White House also offers garden tours each fall, typically in October — assuming any shutdown doesn't last that long.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Senator John Kerry today lamented the inability of Washington politicians to reach a compromise on the federal budget and avert a shutdown, invoking the spirit of a great compromiser, the late Edward M. Kennedy.

He said he had planned to be in Boston to attend today's groundbreaking for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate but was unable to leave the Capitol because of the ongoing negotiations.

Kerry called the budget showdown and threat of a government shutdown an "embarrassing moment" for the Senate.

"Generations of young Americans will come to the Kennedy Institute to understand what the United States Senate was intended to be," Kerry said on the Senate floor today. "But 100 Senators don’t need to wait that long. We can do what Ted Kennedy and so many other Senators of both parties used to know how to do – which is find common ground and insist on common sense.”

The full text of Kerry's prepared remarks is below.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce President Thomas Donohue told a group of reporters at a breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor on Friday that the brinksmanship over a tiny slice of the federal budget -- 1.7 percent of total federal outlays -- will press Congress to reluctantly grapple with the bigger issues of entitlements.

"It will be ugly, it will take time, but we will do some good amount of the things on the table for our survival," he said.

The Chamber of Commerce has been urging members of Congress to avoid a government shut down, arguing that it could damage the economy if it lasts more than a few days by delaying the pay checks of federal employees. Donohue said a short shutdown may ultimately not have a negative effect.

"I think we've had shutdowns starting in 1975, about 15 or 20 times to this point. Most of them were very short. One of them was 21 days, but most of them were a day and a half, two days, three days, five days. So, no, I don't think it upsets economic growth that much," said Donohue. "It certainly upsets the people that have to run our government."

The Chamber of Commerce, under R. Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President For Government Affairs, is putting together a coalition to raise the debt limit, but with conditions attached that would reign in federal spending in other ways.

"We have been telling people 'Work it out. Get it done,'" Josten said. "We appreciate the theatrics [of the threatened shut-down]. . .Eventually we are going to get there."

Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

Vicki Kennedy tosses dirt for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Joining her are, from left, Senate President Therese Murray, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Governor Deval Patrick, and Treasurer Steve Grossman.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The words and spirit of Senator Edward M. Kennedy were evoked this morning at the groundbreaking ceremony for the educational institute that will bear the late Democrat’s name.

Under glorious skies, hundreds of former staffers, local and national political figures, as well as average citizens, flocked to the groundbreaking for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. It will be built, starting later this summer, on Columbia Point next to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Among those in attendance were the senator’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy; children, Edward Jr., Kara, and Patrick; as well as relatives Caroline Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

Glen Johnson/Globe Staff

Architect Rafael Vinoly, left, laughs as he shows a mockup of his design for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate to some of the attendees at today's groundbreaking ceremony.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

12:09 p.m. - Speechmaking over, the family is now heading outside to toss dirt.

Thanks for reading.

---

12:04 p.m. - Vicki Kennedy asked the whole family to join her on stage, and standing right in front, in brilliant red, is the senator's first wife, Joan.

Vicki Kennedy said she wants the center to be exciting and dynamic, and cutting-edge, because her late husband was all three.

Among the two dozen family members is Amy Petigout, who recently became engaged to former Representative Patrick Kennedy, the senator's youngest child.

She leaned against her fiance.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is delivering the inaugural Alan D. Solomont Lecture at Tufts University today.

The California Democrat, who served as the first female speaker of the House, planned to reflect on her career and the importance of public service during a 2 p.m. address in the school's Cohen Auditorium.

This lecture is part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff

Vicki Kennedy looks out over UMass-Boston and the site of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The groundbreaking is this morning, and she hopes the center named for her late husband will teach about civic engagement in general and his beloved Senate in particular.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Before Boston sports fans tune into the Red Sox-Yankees Opening Day game this afternoon, Boston political fans will gather this morning for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

While much of the pre-ceremony attention has focused on Victoria Reggie Kennedy's efforts to preserve her late husband's legacy, she is far from the only member of the famous political family who will be on hand.

The senator's three children — Edward Jr., Kara, and Patrick — will attend, as will their aunt, Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy, and his two stepchildren, Curran and Caroline Raclin.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

After Senator Edward M. Kennedy died in August 2009, one of the most wrenching tasks for his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, was dismantling his office on Capitol Hill.

Related

Photos: A look at the Kennedy Institute

• Photos Friends, family attend
  Kennedy Institute gala
• Kennedy Institute to host
  ceremonial groundbreaking
• Obituary: Senator Edward
  Kennedy, 1932-2009
• Special section: Ted Kennedy

One by one, Vicki Kennedy packed up each item and tucked away the memories attached to it.

Within the next three years, she plans to hang that letter up again — this time in a replica of her husband’s office that will be part of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

“It was such a special thing, to go into that office and see that history on the wall and to just feel, really the magic of that, and so we are going to recreate that,” she said during an interview Wednesday.

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Caroline Kennedy on Tuesday in New York City for the signing of, "She Walks in Beauty," a poetry collection she edited. She will be doing the same tomorrow at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Caroline Kennedy will promote a book containing a collection of poems she edited tomorrow afternoon at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

The daughter of President Kennedy will deliver an introduction before poets Naomi Shibab Nye and Elizabeth Alexander read from her collection, "She Walks in Beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems."

Afterward, Kennedy will be signing copies of the book.

Public seating for the readings is now closed, but the book-signing will be available to all.

The forum will be webcast live at www.jfklibrary.org/webcast.

The event will run from 4-5 p.m. in the Stephen Smith Hall.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, held a second hearing on Libya today, this time with skeptics of the intervention.

After prodding by ranking member Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, Kerry called on Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who told the committee: "We cannot be confident in the agenda of the Libyan opposition."

Today's hearing follows a hearing last week with Under Secretary of State James Steinberg, who painted an upbeat picture of the intervention.

But today, Haass portrayed the intervention as ill-advised. He told the committee that the only sure way to replace the regime of Moammar Khadafy is to introduce ground troops and do nation-building, but that US interests in Libya do not warrant such an investment.

Haass said in his testimony that his views were his own, and not those of the Council on Foreign Relations.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is giving $45,000 to GOP election committees in the aftermath of President Obama announcing his re-election campaign.

Romney's Free and Strong America PAC is giving $15,000 apiece to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The latter two are charged with electing Republicans to the US Senate and US House, respectively. The RNC, meanwhile, is ultimately charged with helping elect a Republican president.

The former Massachusetts governor said in a statement this afternoon: “President Obama and his big spending allies in Congress have confused priorities for our nation. Instead of focusing on putting unemployed Americans back to work, they have raised taxes, expanded the size and scope of government, and prolonged the recession. I believe that by electing Republicans, we will make America strong and prosperous again.”

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown plans to report over $8.3 million cash on hand for his 2012 re-election campaign when he files a federal finance report on April 15, an aide said today.

The tally includes $1.7 million raised during the first quarter of the year.

By some estimates, Brown may spend up to $25 million on his campaign, in which he is seeking his first full term after replacing the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy in February 2010.

"Finally, Senator Brown, like other senators from Massachusetts and elsewhere, is registering a political action committee, 'ScottPAC,' which will allow him to respond to requests for financial support from other candidates," said spokeswoman Gail Gitcho.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, an expected candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, has the "Free and Strong America PAC,'' while former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, another potential candidate next year, has the similarly named "SarahPAC."

Such so-called leadership committees allow politicians to travel the country and build their national political base, while also developing chits by sprinkling donations on like-minded candidates.

Earlier today, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll announced she would not seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Brown, citing her current job and young family.

But all the potential challengers have cited the money they have to raise as a potentially decisive factor in their ultimate decision to run.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll worked in her City Hall office on Feb. 9, 2010. She announced today she would not run for the US Senate next year, citing her work in the city and her young family.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll released a statement this morning saying she will not seek the Democrats' 2012 US Senate nomination in Massachusetts.

She had explored a run against the Republican incumbent, Senator Scott Brown, but also been upfront about her concerns over running while leading a city and raising three young children.

Driscoll had been the most prominent woman to publicly express interest in a campaign.

"Plain and simple, I do think the seat is winnable, but there is a time and place for everything," she said in her statement.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Former US Representative William Delahunt has joined the Boston office of a Pittsburgh-based law firm as special counsel.

Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott LLC announced Monday the Quincy Democrat started Friday and will "provide strategic counsel to firm clients on complex regulatory issues such as healthcare, financial services, and energy and environmental matters."

"After serving in the House for 14 years, Bill Delahunt brings to Eckert Seamans incomparable insight and connections at the busy intersection of business and politics, as well as insight, experience, and seasoned judgment to our clients and their business affairs," Timothy P. Ryan, the firm's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Last month, the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe announced Delahunt will represent the group and its interests — including its ongoing efforts to host casino gambling — at the state and federal level.

Delahunt stepped down in January as 10th District congressman. Previously, he served as Norfolk district attorney.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Michael Bailey, Globe staff

For at least one leader of the Tea Party movement, when it comes to Scott Brown, the party’s long over.

“Brown is a politician, and that is meant in the worst sense of the word,’’ Judson Phillips, leader of Tea Party Nation, writes on a blog today. “He knows self-preservation and self-promotion. He has aligned himself with the [Republicans in name only] crowd, which has no beliefs, other than getting reelected and appeasing whatever base he thinks will help him get reelected.”

The source of Phillips’ anger? Brown delivered a speech yesterday from the floor of the Senate in which he worried aloud about how steep budget cuts could hurt programs for elderly and poor Massachusetts residents. He also wrote in a letter to GOP leaders that the poor and elderly could bear the brunt of the $61 billion in cuts they’re seeking.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown has a pair of public events in Massachusetts this weekend.

Tonight, he's joining Governor Deval Patrick and other local politicians for the annual “Banned in Boston” benefit for Urban Improv. It describes itself as "an interactive program for young people that uses improvisational theater workshops to teach violence prevention, conflict resolution, and decision-making."

The show starts at 7:45 p.m. at the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street.

Tomorrow, the Republican is the keynote speaker at the annual Pioneer Valley USO fundraiser dinner.

It takes place at 8:15 p.m. at Delaney House in Holyoke.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Between representing Massachusetts in Congress, serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and acting as a semi-official diplomatic envoy of the Obama administration, Senator John Kerry has an additional duty.

In his new capacity as senior US senator from the state, he helps shape the vetting and recommendation process for any new federal judges nominated by the president to serve in Massachusetts.

It is a role held for decades by his former colleague, the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and it helped him shape not only the local federal bench, but also who served as US attorney and US marshal for Massachusetts.

In a statement yesterday, Kerry announced that the selection committee that will formally recommend candidates for the two upcoming judicial vacancies at the US District Courts in Springfield and Worcester is now accepting applications.

The committee leader is traditionally appointed by the senior senator, and last month Kerry announced he had selected Boston attorney Joan Lukey to serve as chairwoman. He pledged the panel "will reflect the broader geography of Massachusetts."

Kerry added in his statement: “Joan is already at work beginning a thorough search that will identify the best and brightest legal minds in Massachusetts which will be the basis for a recommendation to President Obama."

He urged citizens across the state to provide input "to make this non-partisan process succeed."

Interested candidates should contact Lukey at Joan.Lukey@ropesgray.com.

All applications must be completed by May 16.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Can the $30 billion Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy has squirreled away in foreign bank accounts be used to reimburse the very nations making war on him right now?

That was a question that came up repeatedly today at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as members from both parties seized on the idea of using Khadafy's nest egg to finance the no-fly zone over his country imposed by the United States and an international coalition.

Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, started it all by asking Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg about the costs of the military operation in Libya.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today presided over a congressional hearing focused on future steps in Libya.

The North African nation has been under assault by an international coalition after its leader, Moammar Khadafy, began using military force against protestors opposed to his authoritarian regime.

Kerry called for institution a no-fly zone, which President Obama initiated.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator John Kerry misspoke yesterday in saying that the Internet giant Google was on-board with the senator’s efforts to craft an Internet privacy bill, his office said this morning.

The Massachusetts Democrat has discussed the bill with Google officials but those talks are still ongoing, according to Kerry’s office.

Kerry’s Internet privacy bill has been in the works for months. The official language has not been released, but the goal of the bill is to give consumers more say in how their on-line browsing habits are recorded and used by advertising companies.

Companies on-board with the legislation include eBay, Intel, Microsoft, and HP, Kerry’s office said this morning. Talks with Facebook are also ongoing.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment today.

Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

"Or, as I like to call it, the 'People's Library,'" the Republican quipped at the South Boston St. Patrick's Day political roast.

Senator Scott Brown

Brown argued he wasn't filling Kennedy's seat, but "the people's seat."

He will discuss his new memoir, "Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances," with NECN correspondent Alison King.

This forum will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are no longer available to the public.

The forum will also be webcast live at www.jfklibrary.org/webcast.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

A Harvard University poll released this morning found President Obama's approval rating rising among the so-called "Millennials" or "Generation Y" that spans from 18 to 29 years old.

The president had an approval rating of 55 percent, up 6 percentage points from a similar survey last fall. Both were conducted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics, which is part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Among students at four-year college campuses, Obama's approval rating rose even more, from 51 percent last fall to 69 percent now.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

In a final warning to Congress, the outgoing watchdog for the Troubled Asset Relief Program said today the financial reform legislation that Barney Frank helped shepherd to passage has not ended the threat that banks could require future bailouts.

Neil M. Barofsky, the TARP’s special inspector general, spoke about the Dodd-Frank bill to a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on his last day in the position. He cautioned lawmakers that the nation’s largest banks are “bigger and more concentrated and even more dangerous to the system” than before the 2008 crisis.

“The big ticket question that we’re talking about today, does it solve ‘too big to fail?’” Barofsky said of Dodd-Frank. “The answer is certainly not yet, and by all indications… I’m not entirely optimistic that it will.”

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown is joining forces with a liberal colleague from Minnesota to form a new U.S. Senate caucus focused on medical technology and device makers, a powerful industry in Massachusetts.

Brown, a Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, will co-chair the bipartisan Senate Medical Technology Caucus to focus legislative attention on the medical technology sector, which in Massachusetts includes over 200 medical devices companies and many more biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

“It is critical that we provide a business environment for them to innovate, grow and thrive," Brown said.

Like Massachusetts, Minnesota also has a large medical technology industry -- some 400 medical device companies that support over 50,000 jobs in the state.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine shakes President Obama's hand last night after introducing him at a party fundraiser at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

President Obama has once again borrowed from Governor Deval Patrick, this time when it comes to nudging along prospective US Senate candidates.

Patrick created a stir in February when he bluntly told a National Journal reporter that City Year cofounder Alan Khazei, Somerville activist Bob Massie, and Newton Mayor Setti Warren were "in, for sure" for next year's US Senate race against Republican Scott Brown.

That left Khazei and Warren scrambling to clarify that they had not made any final decision. Massie had already declared his candidacy.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

The eleven Democrats in the Massachusetts delegation are urging congressional leaders to leave intact rental housing programs for the elderly and disabled, poor families, and veterans.

The letter this week urged leaders in both chambers to spare the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, saying that proposed House cuts would result in current tenants becoming homeless, halt needed renovations, and deny housing to homeless veterans.

“We request your support of full funding of these vital HUD programs to house the most vulnerable Americans and urge you to pursue alternative strategies to reduce the deficit and to avoid inflicting disproportionate costs on the backs of the poor,” the letter read.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

U.S. Representative Barney Frank revived a signature piece of legislation today that bars workplace discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people, but acknowledged that the bill has little chance of passing this session.

The Newton Democrat has introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act every session for decades. Today’s announcement was subdued, given the bill’s near certainty of failure.

“I will acknowledge at the outset that the likelihood of the Republican Congress adopting it in the House is small, but it is still very important to have it introduced,” he said.

The bill seemed to see its best chance for passage last session when Democrats controlled both chambers, but Democratic leaders made repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy a priority, along with a hate crimes bill that included penalties for violence against people who identify with the opposite sex. But last November’s election doomed the workplace bill to at least two more years of limbo.

In recent years, Frank has insisted that the workplace bill retain language protecting transgender workers along with gay and lesbian workers, a provision that caused some more conservative lawmakers to drop their support.

"We have reduced the resistance on the trangender issue, but that's still in play," he said.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Politico has an interesting story this morning looking at the recent wave of political book authors, with a special focus on US Senator Scott Brown.

The story reports that Brown’s book, "Against All Odds," had sold 15,534 copies as of last week, according to Nielsen BookScan. It tracks bookstore sales but not bulk purchases that can be made by politicians and their campaign committees, as Brown and fellow Republican Mitt Romney have done.

The story notes that President Obama seemed to start the wave, selling the rights to "Audacity of Hope" just 46 days after being elected to the Senate.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

One of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy's top aides is thinking about challenging Republican Scott Brown for re-election.

Gerry Kavanaugh worked for Kennedy from 1993 to 2001, the bulk of the time as his chief of staff. He has since worked for the Democratic National Committee, Senator John Edwards and his presidential campaign, and, most recently, as the owner of two software companies and the co-founder of a nonprofit.

In an interview with the Globe for a story today, Kavanaugh cited the high cost of a campaign as one of the key factors for any of the possible Democratic challengers.

He'd also have to work on name recognition, with a campaign being his first run for elective office.

Kavanaugh would have something of a built-in field operation: The Dartmouth native and New Bedford resident has five of six siblings still living in Massachusetts.

Read the full story here.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Kennedy family

Former US Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island and his fiancee, New Jersey school teacher Amy Petitgout.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Longtime bachelor Patrick Kennedy, the former Rhode Island
congressman, is engaged to marry Amy Petitgout, a New Jersey public school
teacher he has been dating for some two years, Kennedy confirmed today.

Kennedy, 43, the youngest child of the late Massachusetts Senator Edward M.
Kennedy, did not run for re-election last fall after representing Rhode
Island in the US House for 16 years.

He asked Petitgout to marry him over the weekend in Rhode Island, according
to Sean Richardson, a former aide who is one of Patrick Kennedy’s
closest friends.

"My father spoke about his 'True Compass,' guiding him through his journey of
life,” Kennedy said in a brief statement, referring to the title of his
father’s book. “I have found mine with Amy. She has helped me navigate the
uncharted waters of life beyond politics and given me the reason to look
forward to a personal life with family and friends.”

Petitgout, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Harper, from a previous marriage,
said in a statement that Kennedy “has become part of my family and loves my
daughter as his own.”

The couple originally met in New Jersey at a political event, said
Richardson.

Kennedy said in a text message that a Cape Cod wedding is planned. No date
has been revealed.

Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the committee's top Republican member, Richard Lugar of Indiana, have a long history of agreement on how to approach international issues. But Lugar is fuming about how President Obama went into Libya without congressional approval, an intervention that Kerry has championed.

Lugar, who is up for re-election, wrote a letter to his colleague demanding prompt hearings on Libya in their committee.

"I believe hearings not only would provide some important answers to senators and to the American people," he wrote, "they would induce the Obama administration to conduct in-depth contingency planning that does not seem to have occurred."

Kerry spokesman Frederick Jones said in response: "Senator Kerry understands the importance and complexity of our role in protecting the people of Libya and the committee will hold public hearings in the near future. He has been traveling in the region over recess to get information firsthand from our allies."

He noted Kerry and other senior congressional leaders from both parties have been briefed by the Obama administration during the past two weeks.

Jones also said the conflict in Libya was explored on March 17 when Undersecretary of State Bill Burns testified in public for more than two hours about the uprisings in Libya and elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East.

Here is the full text of Lugar's letter:

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Delays to the Pentagon's new state-of-the-art fighter jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, may have given a boost to General Electric Aviation, which has been on the losing end of a battle over an engine for the new jet.

The U.S. Navy announced this week that it would buy 68 engines from GE for new F-18 Hornets. The Pentagon announced the $246 million addition to the GE engine contract on Tuesday; almost half of the work will be done at GE's Lynn plant.

The engine buy is part of the Pentagon's expected yearly aircraft procurement, as the armed services must regularly replace aging aircraft. But GE Aviation spokesman Rick Kennedy said the Navy procurement is larger than usual because of the delays to the Joint Strike Fighter, which is also known as the Lightning II.

Though Kennedy didn't know how many of the engines were ordered due to delays in the F-35 program, he said delays to the Joint Strike Fighter program "have benefited the Lynn plant, no question." A Navy spokeswoman could not immediately confirm that the F-35 delays resulted in a bigger order of the F-18 engines.

"To continue to fill up the fleets, the Navy have ordered additional Hornets because they weren't getting the Joint Strike Fighter," Kennedy said.

Some 45 percent of the F-18 engine work is done at GE Aviation's Lynn plant, with the rest done in Kentucky, Ohio, New Hampshire, Vermont and other states. The contract modification doesn't mean new jobs, because the contracts are already in place.

“I’m glad to see the United States Navy continue to depend on the skilled, dedicated work force in Lynn," Senator John Kerry said in a statement.

The engine contract came on top of another GE Aviation contract the Pentagon announced the same day worth up to $453 million for repairs to existing aircraft engines being used across the armed services, including those used by the Apache and Blackhawk helicopters.

The new F-18 engines represent a silver lining of sorts to GE travails over the F-35. Since the 1990s, the Pentagon has paid GE to develop an alternate engine for F-35, but both the Bush and Obama administrations soured on the alternate engine program, calling it a waste and urging Congress to defund it.

Budget-conscious GOP freshman -- some from districts with ties to GE's competitors -- bolstered the ranks of the engine's opponents, and House members bucked their leaders by stripping $450 million for the engine from this year's budget.

The Senate didn't include the engine in its version either, but senators voted down both versions, leaving the GE engine program in limbo. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said he will continue to fund it in deference to Congress despite his opposition.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Mitt Romney shakes Scott Brown's hand after he won the Massachusetts US Senate special election on Jan. 19, 2010.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

As Senator Scott Brown skewered leading Massachusetts Democrats with a joke-filled routine during a St. Patrick's Day political roast over the weekend, one of his top advisers delighted in a moment he helped script.

"Scott Brown at St. Patty's Day breakfast says he doesn't think John Kerry is an elitist ... and 'neither do his butlers,'" communications consultant Eric Fehrnstrom said via Twitter.

"Ha! Scott Brown says Southie parade only one where (House) speaker rides in a car for which previous speaker made the license plate," Fehrnstrom said in another of his series of tweets.

Yet as the crowd roared when Brown displayed a bipartisan flair, telling another joke that tweaked fellow Republican Mitt Romney for owning not one but three houses, Fehrnstrom's Twitter feed went silent.

No re-tweet of that dig at Fehrnstrom's original, and ongoing, boss. No basking in the glory enjoyed by his subsequent, and continued, boss.

The decision illustrates the challenge confronting Romney and Brown — and some of the key men and women who have helped both reach their high stations in national politics.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Peter Flaherty, Scott Brown, Eric Fehrnstrom

Fehrnstrom and business partners Peter Flaherty and Beth Myers not only served Romney as governor of Massachusetts; they were top staffers for his unsuccessful campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

They then branched out on their own, formed the Massachusetts-based Shawmut Group, and directed Brown's upset win in the 2010 Massachusetts US Senate special election.

Now, the trio is assisting Romney as he plots a second presidential campaign and Brown as he seeks re-election to his first full Senate term.

The men's political fates could be decided the same day, Nov. 6, 2012, but the candidates and their advisers will face a challenge until then working in such close proximity to each other.

Romney was extraordinarily popular in Massachusetts when, in 2002, he returned from his successful leadership of the Olympic Winter Games and was elected governor. His star dimmed, though, as he began laying the groundwork for his presidential campaign with a move to the right, jokes before conservative audiences about his liberal homestate, and heavy out-of-state travel.

Such was his station that he was a virtual no-show for his running mate, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, as she ran to succeed him in the 2006 gubernatorial race.

Healey was happy to have it that way.

Romney also dropped out of sight during Brown's 2010 campaign, only to take the stage on election night — after voters had already cast their ballots.

Brown was happy to have it that way, too.

Today, both men are complimentary but not necessarily complementary toward each other.

Brown declared early and often that Romney has his endorsement in the race for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination. Romney has reciprocated, highlighting Brown's success as proof a strong Republican message can penetrate even the bluest of Democratic states.

Yet there is potential for future tensions.

First of all, there is time and focus for their mutual advisers. Romney will face a hydra-headed challenge for the nomination, confronted simultaneously by rivals such as Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich. Or Sarah Palin.

That will occur this fall and next spring, well before Brown's re-election campaign begins (he almost assuredly won't face a Republican challenger for the GOP's Senate nomination). So far, so good.

But if Romney wins the nomination, and Democrats succeed in their effort to recruit a challenger to Brown, both of their campaigns will reach their peaks the following fall.

Who gets the Shawmut Group's best effort? Best commercial ideas? Debate prep? Political roast jokes?

Secondly, as Romney veers rightward nationally to win the nomination, while Brown moves to the center to win re-election in Massachusetts, conflicting views are inevitable. Each is his own man, but it's only natural for two people with similar political pedigrees to face questions about the other's policy views.

After all, if Romney and Brown were to win their campaigns, Brown would have to vote on Romney administration programs.

Currently, both men express similar views about Libya: They say US air strikes were justified because Moammar Khadafy was slaughtering his own countrymen.

Recently, though, they differed on the New START Treaty: Romney vehemently opposed the pact President Obama signed with Russia, while Brown voted for its ratification.

Both will also have to stage an artful dance as they call for repealing Obama's universal health care program, which was modeled after a 2006 Massachusetts bill that then-state Senator Brown voted for and then-Governor Romney signed into law.

Advisers argue that despite their shared party, geographical roots, and team of advisers, Romney and Brown are individual candidates with their own views. On some points they agree; on others, they don't.

You can also argue that Brown will benefit if Romney is at the top of the Massachusetts ballot come the fall of 2012, or, perhaps more likely, that Romney will benefit from being on the same ballot as a senator consistently polling as the most popular politician in Massachusetts.

And should Romney run, Fehrnstrom, Myers, and Flaherty are not expected to be paid staff members again but consultants. Fehrnstrom, for example, doesn't plan to be on Romney's plane again as traveling press secretary; rather, he intends to work from the home office and focus on message development and television commercials.

In Massachusetts, a relatively shallow Republican talent pool also doesn't give Brown many other options with Shawmut's breadth of local experience or national contacts.

Finally, Fehrnstrom and the other advisers note that they are hardly the only political consultants with more than one client. Their roster includes other politicians and businesses they prefer not to name.

"Our consulting business is not unlike other firms that have more than one client," said Fehrnstrom, readying himself for another Democratic tweak. "In this economy, we’re just thankful to have any clients at all."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Former Governor Mitt Romney is marking the first anniversary of President Obama's universal health care law by vowing to dismantle it state-by-state.

"If I were president, on Day One I would issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers to all 50 states," the would-be Republican presidential candidate said Tuesday night in a blog post for the "National Review."

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who announced Monday he was forming a presidential exploratory committee, released his own statement this morning saying he would support the law's repeal. While governor last year, he joined a lawsuit seeking to do just that.

"The law infringes on individuals' and states' rights by forcing individuals to purchase a good or service," he said. "If courts do not do so first, as president, I would support the immediate repeal of 'Obamacare' and replace it with market-based health care reforms."

Romney's statement used his most aggressive language yet regarding a potential presidential campaign. He insists publicly he has yet to decide whether to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, yet nearly all of his actions for the past two years have been geared that way.

A formal kickoff is expected later this spring.

Romney presided over Massachusetts when, in 2006, it enacted the nation's first universal health care law. Now over 98 percent of state residents have private, government, or government-subsidized private coverage.

Last year, Obama signed a federal law modeled on the same principles, including a mandate that all residents obtain whatever coverage they can afford, as well as penalties for not doing so.

Romney said in his blog post that his executive order would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services and all relevant federal officials "to return the maximum possible authority to the states to innovate and design health-care solutions that work best for them."

The former governor argues states should be free to enact what Democrats have countered is "Romneycare."

He said in his statement: "As I have stated time and again, a one-size-fits-all national plan that raises taxes is simply not the answer. Under our federalist system, the states are 'laboratories of democracy.'"

Romney said his ultimate goal is to repeal the Obama program "and replace it with free-market reforms that promote competition and lower health-care costs."

Acknowledging such a repeal would take time, "an executive order is the first step in returning power to the states," he said.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — The abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America today praised US Senator Scott Brown for pledging to oppose a House Republican effort to eliminate federal grants and contracts that benefit the women’s health services provider Planned Parenthood.

“Today’s report that Senator Scott Brown has said he will oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and other family-planning centers is a positive first step, and we look forward to seeing his name appear in the ‘no’ column when this vote comes to the Senate floor,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and Andrea Miller, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, in a joint statement. “We also call on Senator Brown to stand up for the Commonwealth’s women and oppose other far-reaching and intrusive anti-choice policies as they move from the House to the Senate.”

Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, issued a statement this morning in support of family planning services, and said that an effort by House Republicans to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood goes too far. Brown voted for the House budget plan earlier this month, though he said at the time he did not support all of the proposed cuts. The plan failed to pass the Senate.

By Globe Staff

The Menino administration is disputing US Census figures released today by Secretary of State William F. Galvin that purported to show that Boston lost population during the past decade.

Galvin released the figures this morning at a widely attended State House news conference, where the figures were immediately broadcast by reporters from a number of media outlets.

Moments later, Menino's office reached out to reporters, saying Galvin was mistaken about the Census numbers and that Boston had actually gained population, growing to 617,594 from 589,141, a 4.8 percent increase.

"We are confident that our population continues to grow," said Dot Joyce, a Menino spokeswoman. "Boston is a growing, vibrant city." Joyce said city officials are reviewing the new figures.

The official Census figures are due to be released this afternoon.

The data will be used to determine the shape of legislative districts, as well as to remap the congressional districts in Massachusetts.

Earlier figures already showed that the state would lose one of its 10 congressional districts.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator Scott Brown opposes a House Republican plan to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the womens' health service provider, and today urged budget negotiators to reach a compromise.

“I support family planning and health services for women,” Brown, a Bay State Republican, said in a statement. “Given our severe budget problems, I don't believe any area of the budget is completely immune from cuts. However, the proposal to eliminate all funding for family planning goes too far. As we continue with our budget negotiations, I hope we can find a compromise that is reasonable and appropriate.”

House Republicans have sought to eliminate all federal grants and contracts with Planned Parenthood, some $300 million, because the agency provides abortion services. By law, none of the federal money can be used to pay for abortions, but abortion-rights opponents have argued that any financial support for Planned Parenthood frees up other money that could be used for abortions.

The argument comes as part of an ongoing budget fight: Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have been unable to agree on a budget to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year; Congress has recently passed two short-term stopgaps to allow more time to reach a long-term deal.

Earlier this month, Brown voted in favor the House GOP proposal that would have made the cuts, though he said at the time that he “would have had different priorities” in cutting spending. The Senate defeated the House plan, and a Democratic alternative, in a set of votes orchestrated by Senate leaders to force both sides back into negotiations.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Republicans are branding Newton Mayor Setti Warren as "not ready for primetime" after the potential US Senate candidate incorrectly labeled a potential colleague as dead.

During a weekend broadcast of WCVB-TV's "On the Record," Warren was asked to name the San Francisco mayor assassinated in 1978 along with city supervisor Harvey Milk.

"Dianne Feinstein," Warren said after a brief pause, providing the name of the future mayor.

Making the mistake all the worse is that Feinstein is a fellow Democrat who has served alongside Warren's former boss, John Kerry, in the US Senate since 1992.

Co-host Ed Harding laughed at the reply, prompting Warren to backtrack.

"Dianne Feinstein became mayor after, and then became US senator, after Harvey Milk was assassinated," Warren replied.

For the record, the mayor who was assassinated was George Moscone.

Even as it tweaked Warren in a press release, the Massachusetts Republican Party raised questions about its own readiness for the spotlight.

Both times the release incorrectly spelled Moscone's name as "Mascone."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Vice President Joseph Biden is visiting the Hancock tower in Boston this evening for a pair of events, including one that Governor Deval Patrick says is a "friend-raiser" ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

One of the two meetings is taking place in the personal offices of Jack Connors, the local advertising executive who has been spearheading the fundraising effort for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, according to a Connors assistant and a top local Democrat who saw the invitation.

"Massachusetts has been good to the Obama-Biden ticket, and was the last time around, and the administration has been good to Massachusetts, and the vice president is here to refresh those relationships and rally some of the organizers for the coming election," Patrick told reporters at the State House.

The trip is coming almost exactly two weeks after President Obama visited the city for a fundraiser on behalf of the committee charged with helping elect Democrats to the US House of Representatives.

The back-to-back visits underscore the party's emphasis on strengthening itself in the aftermath of the mid-term election, when the Democrats lost their House majority. Obama and Biden also are gearing up for what The Washington Post projected in December could be the first $1 billion presidential campaign.

Obama himself met last week with top donors in Washington, although he did not directly solicit contributions at that time.

Instead, the president told the group: "As 2012 unfolds, I expect that we’re going to have a lot of questions and there are going to be vigorous debates, but I don’t want us to lose sight of the huge opportunities we have to seize the moment and make sure that America is not just changed, but is changed for the better."

He added: "And my hope is that the same spirit that helped change this country in 2008, that that spirit is still in each and every one of you.”

Massachusetts was one of former President Bill Clinton's most reliable fund-raising states, but two area Democrats who helped him raise money — Steve Grossman and Alan Solomont — are now in different roles.

Grossman was elected state treasurer in November and just started his term in January; Solomont is serving as US ambassador to Spain and Andorra after an appointment from Obama himself.

"My understanding is it's a 'friend-raising' meeting getting ready for the 2012 elections," said Patrick.

Earlier in the day, Biden joined US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Delaware Governor Jack Markell, US Senator Chris Coons, and other officials from his home state of Delaware to tour the Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington.

According to a pool report, "they visited a classroom of students who were learning about physical science."

Biden told reporters he is hopeful that Howard High School's turnaround plan will help students, saying that "part of it is believing in them and setting the bar high," the report said.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who previously served as the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives, will deliver the inaugural Alan D. Solomont Lecture at Tufts University on April 8.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Nancy Pelosi

The California Democrat will reflect on her career and the importance of public service during a 2 p.m. address in the school's Cohen Auditorium, according to a university statement.

This lecture is part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

It is intended to serve as a catalyst for active citizenship at Tufts and is the only university-wide program of its kind. Serving undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students, the goal is to prepare young people to be lifelong active citizens.

Pelosi's speech will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Alan D. Solomont, for whom the lectureship is named.

A prominent Democratic fundraiser and activist from Massachusetts, the former nursing home executive now serves as US ambassador to Spain and Andorra. He also is a member of Tufts' Class of 1970.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick told a few jokes before singing a song yesterday for those attending the annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast and political roast in South Boston.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The South Boston St. Patrick's Day political roast has long had the reputation as the preeminent place to hear political wit, but lately it's also veered toward a cross between "American Idol" and a politicians' gag slide show.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo showed yesterday — and last week in an expletive-filled appearance in Salem — he's among those who still get the drill. And so did Senator Scott Brown.

In a joked-filled routine, the Republican skewered both Democrats and the GOP alike, as well as himself.

Read my full story here.

In the first of two moments that triggered laughs but actually were full of meaning, Brown mentioned the state's traveling governor, Deval Patrick, and said of the Democrat: "Honestly, really, I’m so glad that the governor is here, because if he wasn’t here, he'd actually be out trying to recruit another candidate to run against me.”

At another point, as the crowd laughed at some of his tart criticism, Brown alluded to his coming re-election campaign as he said with a laugh himself: "I figured I might as well start. I’m going to get the you-know-what kicked out of me soon, so hey, why not?”

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy explode Sunday after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah.

By Globe Staff

The 12-member Massachusetts congressional delegation, all Democrats except for Republican Senator Scott Brown, offered an array of positions today in reaction to the launch of US air strikes on Libya over the weekend.

Here are the comments they or their spokesperson made to the Globe or, in Kerry's case, as well as on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Senator John Kerry, Democrat:

"Well, the goal of this mission ... is not to get rid of (Libyan leader Moammar) Khadafy, and that's not what the United Nations licensed. And I would not call it going to war. This is a very limited operation that is geared to save lives, and it was specifically targeted on a humanitarian basis. It is not geared to try to get rid of Khadafy. He has not been targeted. That is not what is happening here. So, in my judgment, we have to see where we go from here."

In an interview with the Globe, Kerry added: "I believe very, very deeply that America's strategic interests and our values require us to support people's aspirations. ...I think you have to have some faith in what the possibilities of diversity and pluralism can produce."

Senator Scott Brown, Republican:

"I support the administration's involvement at this point. Obviously, it gets to a point where you have to draw a line in the sand, and when innocent civilians are being killed, it's important for the world community to step forward, and we're doing it in a coalition manner, and I'm supportive of that."

Representative John Olver, Democrat, 1st District:

A spokeswoman said "he supports the steps the president, the UN, our European allies, and the Arab League are taking."

Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat, 2nd District:

"I welcome the passage this week of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 implementing a no-fly zone over parts of Libya. I also support the establishment of an international coalition, working together with the Arab League, to prevent further atrocities from happening in flashpoints like Benghazi. It is clear that Colonel Khadafy and his regime were not going to stop the campaign of terror and violence against their own people. For the safety of innocent civilians, and to encourage the pro-democracy movements across the Middle East, I support the actions of the international coalition."

Representative James McGovern, Democrat, 3rd District:

"I just have this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. . . None of us know who is really calling the shots in terms of the opposition. It's very dicey and very dangerous. I am hoping and praying for success. I am deeply worried."

Representative Barney Frank, Democrat, 4th District:

"If our role is limited to Tomahawk missiles from the ships, and the airplanes are French and British, I will support it. ...Our opposition is for America picking up the entire tab. The fact that you have such a multinational, multicultural support for this, I hope it is a new paradigm. "

Representative Niki Tsongas, Democrat, 5th District:

"I am concerned that our military action in Libya lacks a clear objective. It is critically important that our commitment there not extend beyond the scope of UN Resolution 1973 and under no circumstances should American ground troops be inserted into that country."

Representative John Tierney, Democrat, 6th District:

"These are the lingering questions: Why Libya? Why now? There are certainly other dictators acting badly toward the own citizens. And who is the opposition? If you're picking sides in a civil war you better know who you're siding with."

Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat, 7th District:

“The current government of Libya has lost all legitimacy. Left unchecked, Khadafy will commit unspeakable brutalities against his own people. ...The more nations involved in this multilateral effort, the more the people of Libya will know that the movement for democracy that is spreading throughout the Middle East has global support. We are watching a watershed moment not only in Libya but throughout the Middle East. History is on the side of these 21st century young, educated people who are calling for the end to this 20th century oil-fueled dictatorship. Seventy percent of Libya is young people, but they represent 100 percent of the future of the country. The message to Colonel Khadafy is clear: the entire world community is united in protecting the Libyan people. Libyans must be able to chart their own future, free from violence and intimidation.”

Representative Michael Capuano, Democrat, 8th District:

"So far, the only stated goal is to protect civilians, the civilian population, which is a laudable goal, but if that's the new measure of when military power's going to be put in play, well then I suspect we'll be going to the Congo and Sudan, Ivory Coast, Yemen, maybe Bahrain, very very soon, if that's the measure."

Representative Stephen Lynch, Democrat, 9th District:

"I was very troubled by the decision to use US forces and to do so without consulting with Congress. I don't believe that Libya presents a direct threat to the United States. Lacking those circumstances, I think it was incumbent upon the president to talk to Congress. We have got two wars going on right now. We are tremendously over-extended."

Representative William Keating, Democrat, 10th District:

"Since the humanitarian issues surrounding the non-engaged Libyan civilians have not been fully vetted to Congress, I'm forced to view this on a step-by-step basis. I feel strongly, however, that our involvement should not expand beyond that purpose."

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown said this morning he supports the unfolding wave of U.S. air strikes on Libya, saying they are necessary to stop the killing of innocent civilians.

The Massachusetts Republican, confronting the first military action launched since he took office a year ago, said, "I support the administration's involvement at this point. Obviously, it gets to a point where you have to draw a line in the sand, and when innocent civilians are being killed, it's important for the world community to step forward, and we're doing it in a coalition manner, and I'm supportive of that."

Brown, who also is a JAG officer in the Massachusetts National Guard, refused to say if he would support the additional use of ground troops. President Obama has repeatedly said the action will be limited to air support in the form of an opening wave of cruise missiles attacks, as well as an overnight B-2 bombing run and the possibility of combat air patrols to enforce a UN-backed no-fly zone.

"That's a hypothetical I'm not really ready to comment on," Brown told a pair of reporters as he arrived at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for the annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day breakfast and political roast.

"But I think that we're going to follow the lead and work together with other countries to determine what the obstacles are and where it goes from here," he added. "I think it's a mission in progress and we'll know more in a day or two."

Brown also refused to say if he would support strikes on Yemen and Bahrain, two other Middle Eastern countries where pro-democracy forces have clashed with authoritarian regimes.

"You're starting to get into hypotheticals, but in this instance, it's clear that (Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy) was using his own forces to kill innocent civilians, and that's where I draw the line," Brown said.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Updated, 12:29 p.m. -- US Senator Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, is urging President Obama and congressional leaders from both parties in a letter to reconsider spending priorities at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Brown wrote that homelessness in the Bay State and across the nation is up due to the foreclosure crisis, and noted that families with children are the fastest-growing segment of new homeless.

“HUD Programs provide rental assistance for low income citizens and other homelessness programs,” Brown wrote. “These rental programs are vital to Massachusetts and should be protected at a time when the Massachusetts unemployment rate is about eight percent.”

But HUD continues to "waste taxpayer dollars by pushing a failed policy that seeks to subsidize and maximize home ownership opportunities,” Brown wrote. “For example, HUD’S HOME Investment Partnership program continues to spend taxpayer dollars promoting home ownership, even though rental programs have proven to be more effective in promoting stability in low income neighborhoods….

“As part of the effort to get our fiscal house in order, we should reform our housing policies and direct agencies to provide maximum protection for low income rental assistance recipients while also saving money by eliminating programs that we know do not work and in fact do harm.”

By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – A financial vestige of US efforts to encourage peace in Northern Ireland has disappeared after a quarter century, leaving disagreements that echo on both sides of the Atlantic and have divided two of the Bay State’s congressmen.

Congress recently eliminated nearly $20 million in an earmark for the International Fund for Ireland. The economic aid had been extended by the United States every year since the 1980s to help smooth the turbulence of the island’s deep conflicts. Once supported by Senator Edward M. Kennedy as an important element of the peace process, the accumulated payments reached a total of $450 million.

The debate over the money continues. Irish officials in Washington this week are asking members of Congress to restore the funds. And the Obama administration is seeking to put the money back into a future budget.

They have an ally in Representative Richard Neal of Springfield. In a statement emailed to the Globe, Neal spokesman William Tranghese said this week that Neal supports a move by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to restore aid to the International Fund for Ireland in the 2012 State Department budget.

"Mr. Neal supports continued funding for the IFI because he feels it is not the time to be sending a message to the people on the island of Ireland that the United States is no longer interested in their journey towards peace and reconciliation,’’ Tranghese said. "He hopes to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore our contribution to the fund.’’

Yet the spending cut has its backers, including Representative Stephen Lynch. Steeped in South Boston politics, you would think aid for Northern Ireland would automatically win his support. But Lynch thinks the money could be better spent on scholarships, not on economic aid.

In a letter to House budget leaders, he is calling for $5 million a year, for four years starting in 2012, to be directed to an existing scholarship in the name of George Mitchell, the former US Senate majority leader and envoy who negotiated the lasting Northern Ireland peace in the 1990s. Lynch says using the money for scholarships instead of on aid for the International Fund for Ireland amounts to "building a future relationship based on contemporary realities rather than nostalgia.’’

The Mitchell scholarship is administered by the US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit foundation that is headed by Trina Vargo, a former foreign policy advisory to Ted Kennedy. Vargo could not be immediately reached by phone this afternoon. But she has said that the US financial assistance to the International Fund for Ireland has created a dependency that Ireland needs to end, according to press accounts.

Writing in the Irish Echo last year, she said: "While the Fund did many good things in those early years, it became one of those taps that was never turned off. While I was still working with Senator Kennedy, he stopped requesting funding for the IFI. That was more than a decade ago. We had simply come to the conclusion that the IFI had served its purpose.’’

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — In a column published this week in the gay-issue newspaper Bay Windows, US Senator John Kerry called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and its replacement with legislation to make same sex couples eligible for federal benefits that would include family and medical leave, Social Security spousal and survivors’ benefits, and the ability to file joint federal tax returns.

The 1996 law, typically abbreviated DOMA, defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and says that no US state has to recognize same sex marriages performed in another state.

In his op-ed, Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the law is unconstitutional—a conclusion recently reached by the Obama administration, which has announced it would no longer defend challenges to DOMA in federal court.

“My vote against [DOMA] -- which some predicted would cost me reelection in 1996 -- is among my proudest votes as a United States Senator,” Kerry wrote. “But my job in 2011 isn’t to feel good about my vote -- or to boast that fifteen years later, I’m vindicated when at last an American president now agrees that DOMA is unconstitutional.

“No, my job -- and our job together," Kerry wrote, " is to work to undo the damage that DOMA has done in treating loving, committed couples like second class citizens."

Kerry said he is committed to repealing DOMA “as quickly as possible.” He has signed on to legislation seeking to repeal the law, though such a bill would have a difficult time winning approval this session in the Republican-controlled US House.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — It’s the speculation US Senator John Kerry just can’t shake: Is he seeking to be the next secretary of state?

The conjecture grows more intense as the Massachusetts Democrat and chair of the Foreign Relations Committee has taken highly-public role in shaping US policy toward the political upheaval in the Middle East.

With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledging in a CNN interview that she would not serve another term if President Obama is reelected in 2012, could the stage be set for Kerry to take over? With his lengthy foreign policy experience, Kerry has long been considered by pundits a potential cabinet pick for Obama, whom Kerry strongly supported early in his presidential candidacy.

But does Kerry want to be secretary of state?

“No,” said the senator’s spokesperson, Whitney Smith, in a one-word answer by email.

Somehow that doesn't sound like the final word on the subject.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator John Kerry is urging the Obama administration to back a no-fly zone over Libya, calling for the United Nations to quickly approve a resolution to ground Libyan leader Moammar Kahdafi’s warplanes.

Kahdafi is using his air force to pound the rebels trying to overthrow him.

“The international community cannot simply watch from the sidelines as this quest for democracy is met with raw violence,” said Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in a lengthy policy speech today.

The Massachusetts Democrat said the Arab League’s endorsement this weekend of a no-fly zone over Libya is unprecedented.

“The Security Council should act now, in my judgment, to heed the Arab League’s call” and to avert a humanitarian disaster, said Kerry, in remarks to a room packed with foreign journalists at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.

Kerry’s call for action on a no-fly zone marks an evolution in his view on the subject. He did not start out calling for immediate imposition of a no-fly zone; rather, he urged diplomatic and logistical preparation for the zone.

His call also puts him at odds with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has said attacking Libya's planes and air defenses would be an act of war.

The speech is the latest of Kerry’s high-profile efforts to guide US policy through the chain of popular uprisings in the Middle East. He urged preparations for a no-fly zone on the CBS News program “Face the Nation” two weekends ago.

Also, at the height of the unrest in Egypt last month, the senator penned a New York Times column encouraging embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s to give up power.

President Obama has not endorsed a no-fly zone, though he has “not taken any options off the table,” the president said on Friday.

Another option under consideration is for the US to give some $32 billion in frozen Libyan government assets to the rebels, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Tuesday.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey is comparing the federal government’s loan guarantee program for new nuclear power plants to the much-aligned federal bailout program that bought up bad loans after the 2008 financial collapse.

The Malden Democrat, speaking today at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, warned that the loans will put taxpayers on the hook much as the Troubled Asset Relief Program took over defaulted loans after the financial collapse of 2008.

“They’re just like a toxic asset,” Markey said

Energy Secretary Steven Chu was present to testify at the hearing on the department’s 2012 budget, as well as that of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. Much of the discussion centered on the disaster in Japan, and specifically on the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

The president has asked for $36 billion for 2012 to provide loan guarantees, which Chu said would fund six to eight new projects. The administration has already made about $8 billion in loan guarantees available, which will help build a new plant in Georgia.

Committee member Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, asked Chu if the administration still supported nuclear power.

Chu hedged, saying: “The present budget is what it is. We’re asking for loan guarantees, and for small modular reactors.”

“So that’s a yes?” Barton said. “That’s a yes,” Chu responded.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The process to redraw the state's legislative and congressional districts reaches the public arena today, when the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting holds its first meeting.

Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg of Amherst and Representative Michael J. Moran of Boston, the committee co-chairmen, will preside over the panel's first organizational meeting at 1 p.m.

The session will take place in Gardner Auditorium at the State House.

Afterward, the chairmen will unveil a redistricting website, as well as a schedule for their proposed public hearings.

The release of the US Census each decade triggers redistricting, since both legislative and congressional districts much reflect population apportionment.

Massachusetts lost residents during the past decade, so it is losing one congressional seat, going from 10 seats in the US House to nine. Those remaining districts much be expanded to accommodate.

Districts for both the state House and Senate must also be adjusted to accommodate population and demographic shifts.

The new districts must be establish for the 2012 elections.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.
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By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Representative William R. Keating scored a minority leadership post on a homeland security subcommittee, a position he plans to use to further investigate airport security breeches that allowed a North Carolina teen to stow away on a passenger jet before falling to his death last year in Massachusetts.

Keating's office announced today that the freshman Democrat has been appointed ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management, part of the House Homeland Security Committee.

"I relish the opportunity to delve deeper into the many issues plaguing our national security and believe this position is a natural transition from my background as a prosecutor," Keating said in a statement.

Keating served as Norfolk District Attorney before winning a seat in Congress last November. It was in that position that he oversaw the death investigation of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale, who fell from the wheel well of a Boeing 737 that was traveling from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston last Nov. 19.

"I know his experience as a District Attorney will be invaluable in his new capacity and I look forward to working with him on the issues that affect the Department of Homeland Security,” said Representative Bennie G. Thompson, ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, according to the statement from Keating's office.

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @DonovanSlack.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas proposed legislation today that would create a new infrastructure bank to help finance roads, bridges and other projects, an idea that has percolated for years but has never gained widespread support.

"Reliable, modern infrastructure isn't a luxury -- it's the lifeblood of our economy, the key to connecting our markets, moving people, products, information and energy, and the key to generating and sustaining millions of jobs for American workers," he said.

The legislation would provide loans and loan guarantees for bridges, rails, roads and other infrastructure projects through an independent entity called the American Infrastructure Financing Authority, which would be similar to the Export-Import Bank.

The concept is hardly new. Almost 20 years ago, a Congressional commission recommended a similar concept; the chairman of that panel sat in the front row, holding a worn copy of the commission's 1993 report. Lawmakers have pushed similar infrastructure funds over the years, and President Obama promoted it during the 2008 presidential campaign.

But the new proposal is different, Kerry said. With only loans and guarantees, and no grants, the bank will not be a drain on the treasury beyond the original investment. It would also be far smaller than other proposals, reflecting the political reality of the day, he said.

"We have been supersensitive to all of the kinds of hurdles that traditionally this kind of an effort would have to get over," he said. "It will not be appropriated money, because we don't have that money today, because of the debt and deficit we have and the other priortities."

The authority would initially be financed with $10 billion from the federal government but would become self-sustaining, leveraging as much as $640 billion in private funds over 10 years. It would not be allowed to finance more than 50 percent of the costs of projects.

Kerry announced his plans to propose the infrastructure bank last fall, telling the Senate Banking, House and Urban Affairs Committee that "well functioning infrastructure is not a luxury." He reiterated that call in January at a speech at the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, saying that growth was tied to infrastructure.

Illustrating the breadth of political support for such a plan, the noon press conference include two men who are often adversaries, but occasional allies: U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue and Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation.

Donohue lamented the nation's decaying transportation infrastructure and its effect on the economy.

"We have a system that’s got to be updated, we’ve got a way to do it, and we came up here today to support the idea of the bank," he said.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senate Republicans are threatening to hold up White House nominations unless the Senate passes trade deals with Columbia and Panama, but GOP moderates from New England aren’t of the same mind on the matter.

Forty-four Republicans signed a letter today telling Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada that they would block the administration’s nominees for commerce secretary and other positions until the Senate takes up the trade pacts.

Scott Brown of Massachusetts was among those signing the letter, but Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the two Senators from Maine who have increasingly voted with Brown in a moderate GOP bloc in the Senate, did not sign. The third GOP abstainer was Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Spokespeople for Snowe and Collins did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The letter accused the president of “an apparent lack of interest in seeking approval of these free trade agreements.” Approval of the pacts would be beneficial to American workers, they wrote, and further delay is “unnecessary and inexcusable.”

“So important are these deals to our economy and our relations with these key allies in Latin America that, until the President submits both agreements to Congress for approval and commits to signing implementing legislation into law, we will use all the tools at our disposal to force action, including withholding support for any nominee for Commerce Secretary and any trade-related nominees,” the letter read.

Last week, Obama nominated Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to replace Jon Huntsman as ambassador to China, leaving the commerce chief position vacant and creating the opportunity for another high-profile nomination fight in the Senate.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

The disaster in Japan and the rising threat of nuclear meltdown from damaged reactors should trigger a “long overdue discussion of energy security” but does not raise new safety concerns about nuclear power, Senator John Kerry said today.

“A lot of folks took a new hard look at nuclear because it’s low carbon energy, but the safety questions about meltdowns and waste were always part of the discussion,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement.

Kerry’s comments on nuclear energy came in response to the rising threat posed by the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, where worries of nuclear meltdown have been rising since last week’s massive quake and tsunami.

“We should absolutely know who is in charge in the United States if our existing nuclear plants are endangered by a natural disaster, and we should be looking hard at the siting issues, but again these aren’t new questions,” he said.

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a long-time supporter of nuclear energy who co-authored a climate change bill with Kerry lest year, called over the weekend for the United States to “put the brakes on” nuclear power until events unfolding in Japan are understood.

Kerry’s statement did not call for any kind of change in policy with respect to nuclear energy, but did provide a reminder of sorts for why skeptics came to support nuclear power as a flawed but necessary part of a national clean energy policy.

“In recent years, environmentalists and policy makers in both parties started taking a fresh look at nuclear power because none of our current energy options are without a downside,” he said.

“It’s up to all of us to make sure it’s a productive policy discussion that recognizes we have to get our energy from somewhere, and right now none of our options are entirely attractive.”

U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey, a Democrat from Malden, called on the Obama administration to distribute potassium iodide, which is ingested to protect the thyroid gland from radiation, to residents within 20 miles of nuclear plants.

Congress approved the requirement in legislation in 2002, but the federal government never instituted the policy proposed by Markey, who is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

“We should not wait for a catastrophic accident at or a terrorist attack on a nuclear reactor in this country to occur to implement this common-sense emergency preparedness measure,” Markey wrote in the letter to John Holdren, the director of the Office of Science & Technology Policy.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Democrats weighing a US Senate campaign next year against Republican Scott Brown are still acting coy publicly, but they're betraying themselves electronically.

Over the weekend, word broke about an e-mail showing a supporter of Newton Mayor Setti Warren was trying to stockpile talent for a campaign starting in late April.

Today, an e-mail surfaced showing local communications strategist Dorie Clark seeking a campaign press secretary.

"A Democratic US Senate campaign seeks a press secretary," Clark wrote in an e-mail dated March 11, dropping any question about whether her candidate would run. "The ideal candidate will have on-the-record experience with a federal or statewide campaign. The position in based in Boston, Mass."

She asked that resumes be sent to her company e-mail address.

The request is also being circulated on the "JobsthatareLEFT" Google chat group, which seeks positions for liberal Democratic workers moving between campaigns.

When Clark was contacted by the Globe, she refused to explain for whom she was working.

"No comment at this point, I'm afraid," she wrote.

Clark is based in Somerville, the same hometown as Representative Michael Capuano, a prospective candidate. When he ran in the primary preceding last year's US Senate special election, he relied on his own congressional staff — namely spokeswoman Alison Mills — for his campaign needs.

Meanwhile, Robert Massie of Somerville has also announced he's running for the Democratic nomination. His campaign manager sent out a press release today touting Massie's showing in a weekend straw conducted by the North Andover Democratic Town Committee.

Massie was first, with 30 of 74 votes, or about 41 percent. Driscoll, who joined Massie in attending the meeting, was second with 18. Capuano had 14; Representative Stephen Lynch had 4; City Year co-founder Alan Khazei and Representative Edward J. Markey had 3 apiece; and Warren and finance executive Robert Pozen each received no votes.

Massie's campaign manager, Matt Wilson, said the ad was not for their campaign.

Khazei supporters took the none-too-subtle step last week of filing papers with the IRS to create a Senate exploratory committee.

While he said the press secretary ad isn't his, another posting on "JobsthatareLEFT" sought campaign finance workers for his exploratory committee.

"Responsibilities include: traveling and working directly with the candidate, organizing and coordinating events, organizing and working directly with donors, compiling and analyzing data, and developing and implementing strategic finance plans," the post says.

It adds: "Applicants must have a strong desire to work in the intense environment of a political campaign."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

Essdras M. Suarez/ Globe Staff

Setti Warren embraces Governor Deval Patrick (back to camera) after being sworn in as mayor of Newton on Jan. 1, 2010.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Somerville resident Robert Massie has already said he's going to seek the Democratic nomination to run against Senator Scott Brown next year, and this past week, backers of City Year co-founder Alan Khazei filed papers with the IRS to form a campaign exploratory committee on his behalf.

Meanwhile, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll continues to weigh the balance between work and family, questioning whether she can make the commitment to a campaign while both leading a city and serving as mother to three young children.

And then there is Newton Mayor Setti Warren, who is impersonating his former boss, Senator John Kerry, by preparing to campaign while saying he is not.

Back in 2001 and early 2002, Kerry said his only focus was on getting re-elected during the fall of 2002. That he made the comment during visits to Iowa, New Hampshire, and other early presidential-voting states prompted questions about the sincerity of the statement.

The senator ended up with a free pass in the 2002 election, propelling him into a 2004 presidential campaign that resulted in him becoming the Democratic presidential nominee but losing the election to the Republican incumbent, President George W. Bush.

Throughout that effort, Warren served as Kerry's trip director. He was in charge of keeping the trains running on time and making sure Kerry got to where he needed to be. After the campaign, Warren did a stint in Kerry's Boston office before heading overseas on a military deployment. In 2009, he won his his first campaign for elective office.

Now, after little more than a year as mayor of Newton, Warren is weighing a challenge to one of the hottest commodities in the US Senate, Brown himself.

Brown's surprise win the January 2010 special election to replace the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy has heartened longshots everywhere. That the lowest-ranking member of the minority party of the Massachusetts state Senate could suddenly become the make-or-break vote in the upper chamber of the US Congress is already the stuff of political legend.

Brown went from nobody to everyman in less than three weeks, riding a post-New Year's poll showing him running strong all the way to a victory on Jan. 19, 2010.

Guided by savvy advisers, he also stopped blowing money when he had ample advertising and it became clear he was going to win, seeding a warchest for the true test: winning re-election to a full term in 2012. Brown now has over $7 million in the bank, and the book tour to promote his new autobiography, "Against All Odds," is being used to introduce him to potential Republican backers across the country.

The recent video showing him hitting up billionaire David Koch for a donation belied Brown's claims that he won't be politicking until next year. As he told Koch on the hidden-camera video, "I'm in cycle right now. We're already banging away."

By some estimates, Brown may spend $25 million on his campaign.

Last month, Governor Deval Patrick revealed Warren was more than considering a race, saying the mayor was "in, for sure," along with Khazei.

That forced Warren to at least acknowledge he was considering a race, but also to temper any actual commitment to running. Last week, the dance continued, as he showed up for President Obama's speech at TechBoston Academy, only to bob-and-weave afterward about whether Obama had asked him to challenge Brown.

He ultimately said they discussed a race, but the president did not ask him to run. Then, two days later, Warren renewed speculation by using his very public Twitter account to criticize one of Brown's Senate votes.

Over the weekend, Gintautas Dumcius of the Dorchester Reporter had an intriguing story saying a political consultant had sent an e-mail saying she may be staffing a Warren campaign by the end of April.

On one level, it's hard to envision Warren having much of a shot against the Brown juggernaut. Warren is barely 40 and has only one year in office to his credit. Brown is over 50 and served in Wrentham town government before working his way up to the state House of Representatives and state Senate.

While members of the Tea Party lament Brown's move to the middle, there are plenty of Republicans nationally who love the idea that their party holds Ted Kennedy's former seat. They show their affection with donations to Brown.

A poll just released by Western New England College found 52 percent of respondents felt Brown should be re-elected. It also showed him leading Warren head-to-head by a margin of 51 percent to 34 percent, as well as over another potential challenger, Representative Michael Capuano, by 51 percent to 38 percent.

(The telephone survey of 472 registered voters, conducted March 6-10, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.)

Yet on another level, Warren's backers see a potent challenger.

Warren has proven an adept campaigner at multiple levels, winning election as class president at Newton North High School as well as his alma mater, Boston College. He has worked in federal office as both a Senate staffer and the New England director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

While Brown touts his service as a JAG officer in the Massachusetts National Guard, Warren can match it with his tenure an an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserve. And when it comes to deployments, Warren can do one better: He did a year deployment in Iraq, a US combat zone, while Brown has not.

And though they don't publicly state it, Kerry, Patrick, and other Warren supporters make note of a simple fact: Warren is an African-American.

There currently are none in the US Senate. It's an omission they believe Massachusetts Democrats may want to address.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown has been named the top Republican on a subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee

Working alongside Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, Brown will be his party's top representative on the Subcommittee on AirLand. He replaces John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who no longer serves on the committee.

Brown is one of three freshman Senators made ranking members of subcommittees, despite the fact that long-time senators serve on the committee. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire is ranking member of the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, and Rob Portman of Ohio is ranking member of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee

Brown's panel oversees Army and Air Force programs; Navy and Marine Corps tactical aviation programs; National Guard and Reserve equipment; and Army and Air Force research and development.

“As a 31-year member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, I’m honored to be named ranking member of the Subcommittee on AirLand,” Brown said in a statement. “During my time on the Armed Services Committee, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible service and sacrifice our men and women in uniform make for our country. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the security challenges facing the United States as well as our friends and allies around the world.”

In addition to the Armed Services Committee, Senator Brown serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

While other potential Republican presidential candidates tried to grab the spotlight this week with a series of insider announcements about new staff hires, Mitt Romney claimed substantive ground for himself with a wave of campaign donations and a potent Florida endorsement.

In a statement yesterday, Romney's Free and Strong America PAC announced he had sent out another wave of contributions to 45 Republicans in Congress.

All told, they received $93,000. That follows the $208,000 that Romney’s PAC has given to 90 US Senate and House Republicans since the start of the year.

“There are many important issues facing Congress and the nation," the former Massachusetts governor said in the statement. "By showing our support for Republican candidates who are fighting for conservative principles in Washington, we hope to influence the national debate on jobs, taxes, the economy, and the budget."

The statement came amid a week in which Romney visited Texas to meet with key financial and campaign backers, and then aimed to visit Florida to meet with Republican Governor Rick Scott. Romney had campaigned for him last fall.

Their meeting ended up cancelled because of flight delays for Romney, but he nonetheless received the endorsement of state Senator John Thrasher. The St. Augustine Republican is a former House speaker who most recently served as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

“If Governor Romney decides to run for president in 2012, I will absolutely be supporting him and helping him in Florida,” Thrasher said an e-mail to Abel Harding, a columnist for The Florida Times-Union. “He would be a great GOP nominee.”

Due to population shifts, Florida will pick up two congressional seats — and two Electoral College votes — in the 2012 election. The state will also host the Republican National Convention, which is being held in Tampa.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Debate over a bill that would strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gases turned into a rhetorical throwdown today over an issue that has become one of the fiercest political battlegrounds in Congress.

The meeting of the House Energy and Power Subcommittee was expected to be another angry confrontation between supporters of greenhouse gas regulations and climate change skeptics on the committee, and the members delivered.

Representative Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, opened his comments by saying that he wouldn’t stand to deliver his comments “because I’m worried that the Republicans will overturn the law of gravity, sending us floating about the room.”

“Arbitrary rejection of scientific fact will not cause us to rise from our seats today. But with this bill, pollution levels will rise. Oil imports will rise. Temperatures will rise,” he said.

He closed with the procedural conclusion of yielding back his unused time, then added: “That is, unless a rejection of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity is somewhere in the chair’s amendment pile.”

Republicans on the committee who support the bill, the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, employed their own rhetorical flourishes in their condemnation of the EPA, which announced its plans to regulate greenhouse gases last year following a finding that the gases endanger the public.

“Today we take the first step to reassert legislative authority over EPA and to stop EPA’s effort to issue global warming regulations that would increase our electricity costs, our gasoline prices, send more jobs to china, and make America less competitive in the global marketplace,” said Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican.

Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, called the legislation “the logical response to environmental overkill.”

“The EPA has been on a mission of political correctness and is trying to regulate something that shouldn’t be regulated,” he said.

Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, called the bill “extreme,” and said Republicans’ assertions that greenhouse gas regulation will inflate fuel prices “laughable.”

“History will not judge this committee kindly if we become the last bastion of the polluter and science denier when carbon emissions rise to record levels and our weather system goes hay-wire, the American people will ask why we acted so irresponsibly,” he said.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Six US senators, including Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, today introduced legislation to revamp procedures for holding suspected terrorists, and to reaffirm the president’s constitutional authority to detain and prosecute suspects being held at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to a statement from Brown.

Brown will co-sponsor the Military Detainee Procedures Improvement Act of 2011 with Republican senators John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

The legislation would require that captured members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban or affiliated terror groups be held in military custody, unless the secretary of defense orders the prisoners transferred to civilian custody. It would prohibit the appropriation of money for an alternative prison to Guantanamo on US soil. The measure would also require the secretary of defense to scrutinize the transfer of detainees to other countries, and would establish as the position of the Congress that alleged members of al-Qaeda and affiliated groups should be tried by military commissions.

“Terrorists should be detained at Guantanamo Bay, and tried according to the laws of military justice,” Brown said in a statement. “Terrorists should not be allowed to enjoy the rights and privileges protected by the U.S. Constitution. These are not common street criminals, they are terrorists who have one stated purpose: to kill Americans and our allies.”

Brown, a lieutenant colonel and 31 year member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, will visit Guantanamo Bay for a briefing on the detainee facilities later this month, according to his office.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe today announced that former US Representative William Delahunt will represent the group and its interests — including its ongoing efforts to host casino gambling — at the state and federal level.

Delahunt stepped down in January as 10th District congressman. Previously, the Quincy Democrat served as Norfolk district attorney.

He has had a long history of working with the Wampanoags and advocating on their behalf.

The tribe had long pushed for authority to build a casino on land in Middleborough. When that plan stalled, it pushed for legislation to build in Fall River. That subsequently stalled, too, and the tribe has been seeking alternate venues.

In a statement, Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said hiring Delahunt was "a natural extension" of his advocacy.

“Our tribe was fortunate to have him as our congressman, and we are excited to have his voice and continued advocacy on our behalf,"Cromwell said.

Delahunt said: “The history of this tribe’s dealings with our government is replete with bureaucracy, impasse, inertia, and sometimes outright hostility. The tribe has rights as a sovereign nation, and more importantly, treating them with respect and helping them achieve self-sufficiency is simply the right thing to do. I am proud to represent them.”

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

Senators John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, and Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican, today introduced legislation to help small brewers, by seeking to reduce beer excise taxes, Kerry’s office said in a statement.

The Brewer’s Employment and Excise Relief (BEER) Act will help create jobs at more than 1,600 small breweries nationwide, which collectively employ nearly 100,000 people, said Kerry. Massachusetts is home to approximately 38 small breweries, including Northampton Brewery, Haverhill Brewery, and Sam Adams, the country’s largest small brewery.

“The craft beer revolution started right here in Massachusetts and they’ve been going toe to toe with multi-national beer companies ever since,” said Kerry, in a statement. “This bill will help ensure that these small businesses keep people on the payroll and create jobs even during tight economic times.”

Currently, a small brewer that produces less than two million barrels of beer per year is eligible to pay $7.00 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels produced each year. The legislation would reduce this rate to $3.50 per barrel, giving our nation's smallest brewers approximately $19.9 million per year to expand and generate jobs. This change helps approximately 1,525 breweries nationwide.

Under current law, once production exceeds 60,000 barrels, a small brewer must pay the same $18 per barrel excise tax rate that the largest brewer pays while producing more than 100 million barrels. The legislation would lower the tax rate to $16 per barrel on beer production above 60,000 barrels, up to two million barrels, providing small brewers with an additional $27.1 million per year, according to Kerry.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

We used this live blog and tweets @globeglen to provide up-to-the-minute updates about President Obama's visit to TechBoston Academy in Dorchester.

4:06 p.m. - The president just wrapped up. No real rising close, no real oomph. But the kids are still thrilled he came.

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4:04 p.m. - This has to be the most pastoral presidential event I have ever covered. Very sober atmosphere, very respectful crowd, very solemn president, despite his jokes.

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4:02 p.m. - Obama concedes it will "cost money" to make changes he's proposed, but he immediately segues to budget cuts he has offered as means to support the education programs for which he wants to pay.

"We cannot cut back on job-creating investments, like education," he said. "There's nothing responsible about cutting back in our investment in these young people."

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3:57 p.m. - Instead of pouring money "into a broken system," president says, Arne Duncan has launched "Race to the Top," which draws applause. Says if states show good programs, "we'll show you the money."

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3:55 p.m. - Students answer with slow "y-e-e-s-s-s" when Obama asks if they come from tough neighborhoods. But then he notes their high achievement rates.

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3:53 p.m. - Obama notes each student here gets laptop upon enrolling. They then have to take care of it, and use it to take core math and other classes, including forensic science. President jokes he's not even sure what that is.

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3:50 p.m. - President laments USA falling to ninth in nations in terms of proportion with college degree. It used to be first.

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3:47 p.m. - Cheer as president explains he came to TechBoston because "you are model of how it's done" for rest of country.

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3:45 p.m. - Obama recalls time at Harvard Law and how Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. Then he started a "modest" computer software company. When kids didn't laugh, president reminded them it was a joke. They laughed at that.

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3:43 p.m. - Shriek from students as Obama takes stage.

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3:39 p.m. - Melinda Gates says she and "Bill," as in Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, are happy they invested in school nearly a decade ago.

She is recalling excitement among students they just meant at knowing where they are going: to college.

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3:37 p.m. - Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Melinda Gates are announced to stage. She is speaking first.

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3:34 p.m. - They just announced "the event will begin momentarily."

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3:28 p.m. - The president is running more than 15 minutes behind schedule, allowing the Boston city councilors in the room to work the crowd for votes.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a potential US Senate candidate, is also in the audience.

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3:05 p.m. - Rotor noises above from a State Police helicopter signal the motorcade's arrival at TechBoston. The president was touring a classroom and meeting some students before speaking in the gym.

Former Boston newswoman Rehema Ellis is on-hand to live shots for MSNBC.

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2:46 p.m. - There's a lull in the activities as the president tours the school and the audience waits in the gynmasium. It's a relatively small crowd in here, very controlled, unlike more rambunctious campaign events. Still, all the guests appear excited.

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2:36 p.m. - HE must almost be here... presidential seal attached to "blue goose" armored presidential lectern.

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2:34 p.m. - Two students just led Pledge of Allegiance and did heartfelt rendition of national anthem that left their classmates cheering. Then they hugged each other with ear-to-ear smiles. Nice start.

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2:30 p.m. - TechBoston Academy JROTC color guard bringing in American flag.

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2:23 p.m. - Inside TechBoston Academy, people being asked to take their seats. Behind podium, banner reads, "Winning the Future," the president's forward-looking slogan since State of the Union. Presidential seal, always a last-minute addition, still not affixed to podium.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

President Obama is getting an unruly reception as he heads for an education event and party fundraiser in Boston today — from his fellow Democrats.

Former Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II, along with current Representatives Edward J. Markey, Michael Capuano, and James McGovern, have called a news conference to protest the administration's proposed cut in the LIHEAP program.

It provides assistance to people who cannot afford their heating bills.

To add drama to the event, it will be held at the East Boston home Joe and Katherine Oliveri, who saw their federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program benefit drop by 30 percent this year.

Their current allotment would be cut in half under the White House budget proposal. LIHEAP currently receives $5.1 billion under the federal budget; the president has proposed cutting it by $2.5 billion.

"Energy prices have now gone down but the cost of the program has stayed the same," the president said last month. "Let's go back to a more sustainable level."

The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., less that four hours before Air Force One touches down at Logan International Airport.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

The liberal blog Think Progress has posted exclusive video of US Senator Scott Brown thanking conservative billionaire David Koch for supporting Brown’s campaign last year — and asking him for help in his re-election.

“Your support during the election, it meant a ton,” the Massachusetts Republican is shown telling Koch. “It made a difference and I can certainly use it again.”

Koch and his brother, Charles, are known for multi-million dollar contributions to conservative and libertarian political causes. In what has become a well-publicized example of the power of the Koch brothers, a prankster calling the office of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was recently able to get the embattled governor on the phone by pretending he was David Koch.

According to Think Progress: “David Koch directly gave the National Republican Senatorial Committee $30,400 in November 2009, [two months before Brown was elected] and the Koch Industries PAC threw in $15,000 to NRSC plus $5,000 more directly to Brown right before Brown’s special election.”

The video of Brown was shot on Friday by Think Progress blogger Brad Johnson, using a small Flip camera at the dedication of the David H. Koch Integrative Cancer Institute at MIT, Johnson said today by telephone.

An online biography says Johnson is the climate editor at American Progress. He graduated from both Amherst College and Massachusetts Institute for Technology. Before joining Think Progress, the bio says, the former Boston resident was a developer for Saatchi & Saatchi, Lextranet, and the Democratic National Committee.

The video also captures Brown appearing to contradict himself on the subject of politics.

In public appearances, the senator says that he's not interested in politicking right now, that there will be time for it in 2012 — his re-election year.

Yet in the video, Brown tells Koch he's politicking right now.

“I’m in the cycle right now,” Brown tells Koch. “We’re already banging away."

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator John Kerry is asking his alma mater, Yale University, to follow Harvard's lead and allow military recruiters on campus once again following the repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell' ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the armed services.

In a letter today to Yale President Richard C. Levin, Kerry invoked the university's history of civil rights activism as a reason to bring ROTC back to campus. Banning recruitment to protest one injustice, he said, "simply created another in its place."

"ROTC's presence again at Yale would remind all that we also have a stake in defending our nation and bring the Yale community closer to the price of decisions regarding war and peace," he wrote.

A Yale media spokesperson said this afternoon that, at Levin's direction, the college had already begun discussions with the military about returning to campus, though there is no timeline for a final decision. Levin has responded privately to Kerry's letter, according to Yale.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

After successful surgery to replace both hips, Senator John Kerry is suiting up for the 3rd Annual Congressional Hockey Challenge.

“It’s hard to believe that more than 40 years have passed since I took my first real cuts on Turkey Pond playing in high school,” Kerry said in a statement today, referring to his attendance at the hockey-crazed St. Paul's School in Concord, NH.

“I’m grateful to the doctors at Mass. General for the new hips that got me back on the ice, and I’m looking forward to the chance to do my Bruins proud and raise some money for a great cause," he said.

The game will be played next Thursday, March 10, at the Verizon Center in Washington.

Also participating in the event will be NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Hall of Fame hockey player Pat LaFontaine, former player Kevin Weekes, and Willie O’Ree, a former member of the Boston Bruins and the first African American player in the NHL.

The next day, Bettman will be accompanying the Chicago Blackhawks to the White House so President Obama, a former Chicago resident, can celebrate their Stanley Cup championship last season.

And afterward, first lady Michelle Obama will oversee a street hockey workout and clinic on a rink set up on the South Lawn, as part of her "Let's Move!" anti-obesity initiative.

Proceeds from the congressional event will benefit the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, a developmental program that provides inner-city youth in Washington the chance to participate in an organized ice hockey program.

Kerry played in the first game, held in 2009, but missed last year because of his surgeries.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senator Scott Brown can add “best-selling author” to his resume: the Massachusetts Republican’s autobiography, Against All Odds, will appear at No. 4 on the New York Times’ best-seller list on March 13, Brown’s staff confirmed today.

Brown’s book, released last month by HarperCollins, has received wide publicity in part due to its revelations from Brown’s troubled and violent youth, including instances of physical abuse by stepfathers and one instance of sexual abuse by a summer camp counselor.

Brown has promoted the book with a media blitz and nationwide book tour, which included a book-signing in the gift shop at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Most Senate Republicans are asking President Obama to withdraw the nomination of the man central to implementing the sweeping national health care law passed last year, but Senator Scott Brown is not among them.

Forty-two GOP senators sent a letter to the White House today complaining of Donald M. Berwick’s past statements and lack of experience, and saying the president should start again with a candidate to head Medicare that Republicans could support and confirm.

“Withdrawing Dr. Berwick’s nomination would be a positive first step in rebuilding the trust of the American people,” the letter read.

Brown, who was elected in large part because of his opposition to the health care law, did not sign, and nor did the two moderate Republicans from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. The other two absent Republicans are Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rob Portman of Ohio.

Brown spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said the Massachusetts Republican “has always been troubled” by Berwick’s recess appointment. Senators should have the chance to question the candidate, she said, and Brown would make up his mind about Berwick after doing so.

“The president can nominate the person he thinks is best for the job and Senator Brown looks forward to reviewing Dr. Berwick's credentials," she said in a statement.

The president temporarily appointed Berwick, a former Harvard professor, when the Senate was on recess, but he has never been confirmed. The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a key role in implementing the overhaul that Congress passed last year.

In response to the letter, the White House said that Berwick is “far and away the best person for the job.”

“He's already doing stellar work at CMS: saving taxpayer dollars by cracking down on fraud, and implementing delivery system reforms that will save billions in excess costs and save millions of lives. We won't be withdrawing the nomination,” the statement said.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – A top congressional Republican this morning tweaked Mitt Romney for his health care plan in Massachusetts, further illustrating the primary challenge Romney faces in his expected presidential bid.

Representative Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the House Budget Committee, criticized the Massachusetts health care plan by comparing it to President Obama’s national plan.

“It’s not that dissimilar to ObamaCare,” he reportedly said at a breakfast this morning. “And you probably know I’m not a big fan of ObamaCare.”

Ryan's comments were first reported by the American Spectator, which helped organize the breakfast along with Americans for Tax Reform.

Ryan, who has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick, could be an influential voice in the Republican presidential campaign. He is the latest to bring up the challenges Romney faces in explaining his health care plan at a time when many Republicans are focused on repealing President Obama’s plan.

Several potential Republican primary rivals have also been criticizing Romney over health care.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee panned the Massachusetts plan – and Romney’s role in approving it – in his new book. And yesterday, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, in testimony before a congressional committee, said he didn’t want any plan similar to the Bay State’s in his own state.

“Massachusetts has a state health insurance program that they’re obviously happy with. We think that’s their right,’’ Barbour said. “We don’t want that. That’s not good for us.’’

Romney has largely defended the plan in Massachusetts, while still criticizing the federal plan passed by Democrats. His chief argument has been that states should experiment with different approaches to health care, but that Obama’s national plan infringes on states’ rights and should be repealed.

“Mitt Romney is proud of what he accomplished for Massachusetts in getting everyone covered,” Romney’s spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, said last week in response to Huckabee’s criticism. “What's important now is to return to the states the power to determine their own healthcare solutions by repealing Obamacare. A one-size-fits-all plan for the entire nation just doesn't work.”

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Hudak is back.

Bill Hudak, the Tea Party-backed Republican candidate in the Sixth Congressional District who lost to incumbent Democrat John F. Tierney in the fall, is going make another run at the seat in 2012, he said today.

“After conversations with numerous advisors and campaign volunteers throughout the district, it is clear that my support remains widespread and deep,” Hudak said in a statement. “In fact, since last November I have received hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from supporters urging me to continue the fight.”

Hudak's decision was not a surprise. In a sense, he had never stopped running.

Just days after the November election in which he garnered 41.4 percent of the vote to 54.7 percent for Tierney, Hudak sent a fund-raising letter to supporters, seeking contributions so he can "continue to stand" because, while he "lost the battle," the "war of 2012 is not over."

He signed the missive, "Future Congressman, 6th MA District.”

Hudak, a Boxboro lawyer, campaigned as a self-described "Reagan Republican" committed to a traditional platform of lower taxes and less spending. He was endorsed by US Senator Scott Brown, former Governor Mitt Romney, and and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.

But he struggled to overcome controversy dating to the presidential election of 2008, when he placed a sign in his lawn that compared Barack Obama to Osama Bin Laden. He also fought accusations that he was sympathetic to the so-called birther movement, after he urged a reporter to look into allegations that Obama was born in Kenya.

Tierney, who has not said whether he will seek a ninth term in 2012, also battled controversy during the campaign.

Just weeks before Election Day, Tierney’s wife, Patrice, pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns for her brother, a federal fugitive who has been indicted on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Senator John Kerry today unveiled plans to offer financial assistance to promote democracy and reforms in the Arab world.

Although he did not put a dollar figure on the amount he is seeking, the Massachusetts Democrat called for "significant financial commitment" of new money to be earmarked for economists, election experts, and aid to people in the Arab world who are pushing for a historic transformation of their region.

“Events this powerful demand a response of equal power," Kerry said in remarks prepared for delivery in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Our commitment now to the ordinary people who are risking their lives to win human rights and democracy will be remembered for generations in the Arab world. We have to get this moment right. We are working here in the Senate with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create a package of financial assistance to help turn the new Arab awakening into a lasting rebirth."

Kerry was speaking at a hearing about the State Department's budget at a time when Republicans have vowed to cut foreign aid funding. But he said the aid package has bipartisan support.

"We have not worked out the numbers or the details yet, but I am convinced a significant financial commitment by the US to assist in this monumental and uplifting transformation is key to its long-term outcome and our relationship to it," he said. “I understand that we face a budget crisis in our own country. But we can either pay now to help brave people build a better, democratic future for themselves or we will certainly pay later with increased threats to our own national security."

But Kerry did not say how the new fund would relate to programs that are already in the State Department budget for promoting democracy and reform in the Middle East, such as the Middle East Partnership Initiative and contributions to the National Endowment for Democracy.

It is unclear what impact US aid will have at this stage on people who have already toppled governments of Tunisia and Egypt, and appear to be on the verge of driving Libya's Muammar Qaddafi from power.

Kerry spoke before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the State Department's 2011 budget request.

Kerry also urged consideration of a no-fly zone over Libya, where Qaddafi has attacked protesters with militias backed by helicopters and warplanes.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Senators Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, today introduced the “Taxpayer Receipt Act of 2011,” which would provide every taxpayer an itemized receipt, similar to a grocery store receipt, from the IRS that lists where their payroll and income taxes are spent.

The bill is among several proposals Brown briefly outlined yesterday.

The taxpayer receipt would list federal spending in key categories, such as the interest on the national debt, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, national defense, education, veterans’ benefits, environmental protection, foreign aid, and the Congress. Taxpayers also would be directed to a website where they could get more detailed information.

Additionally, the receipt would provide taxpayers with the amount of debt per American – which currently is more than $45,000, according to Brown’s office.

“During this tough economy, American taxpayers deserve to know exactly how the government is spending their hard-earned dollars,” Brown said today in a statement.

“Our bipartisan legislation will help give Americans the tools they need to better understand federal spending. As we work together to rein in our spending and tackle our national debt, it is important that we provide transparency and accountability to the process to help us determine what spending we need and what we can live without.”

The bill will be reviewed by the Finance Committee, of which Nelson is a member.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Scott Brown outlined this morning several initiatives he said would reduce government spending, increase transparency and reduce waste.

Brown’s plans include:

• The bipartisan Taxpayer Receipt Act, to be filed with US Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat. The bill would provide an itemized taxpayer receipt showing taxpayers where all of the money paid to the Federal government is getting spent, and how much new debt "we’ve put on the national credit card," said Brown's office in a statement. The receipt would arrive when a taxpayer files their tax returns, on or before April 15th of each year.


• The bipartisan 48 Hour Spending Transparency Resolution, which Brown said he will file to increase transparency on spending bills. Under current law, the Senate has to wait 48 hours before considering a bill that includes a committee report, after a bill is reported out of committee. Brown’s bill would apply that 48 hour threshold before any consideration of a legislative matter by a subcommittee or committee, or on the floor of the Senate.


• To tackle the debt, Brown said he believes that “we should change the way we budget and spend – putting a system in place that helps the federal government prioritize what we really need, while eliminating what we can live without and balancing the budget.” On February 1st, Brown sent a letter to the Budget Committee calling for “responsible budget reform.” The letter asked Budget Committee leaders to ensure that priorities are established before the Senate holds any vote to increase the nation’s debt limit.


• Brown is a co-sponsor of the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act to give the president additional tools, such as a constitutional line-item veto procedure, “to eliminate the kind of reckless spending that sticks taxpayers with the bill for congressional pork,” he said.


• Also in this Congress, Brown will introduce the Federal Acquisition Reform Act – comprehensive legislation that he says will potentially save billions by streamlining the way the federal government purchases goods and services. And as the new ranking member of the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, Brown will hold hearings on the Social Security Program, the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, and federal agencies “to root out the problems within these programs and ensure they are operating efficiently.”

Brown also said he opposes to earmarks, which the Republican-controlled US House has pledged to eliminate.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick wrapped up a long weekend in Washington this morning with testimony about the Massachusetts health care plan before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

In a shortened version of prepared remarks, the Democrat noted the history of the Massachusetts legislation, highlighted it was passed in 2006 thanks to cooperation between then-Republican Governor Mitt Romney and the Democratic Legislature, and said it has achieved nearly universal care while only adding 1 percent to the state budget.

Following up, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a potential Romney rival in the 2012 White House campaign, said bluntly, "We don't want that."

Globe Staff

Governor Patrick and his
committee host, Representative
Edward Markey, today in
Washington D.C.

Setting a political dagger, he reiterated the Massachusetts plan was developed by Romney and the leading Democrat that Republicans used to hate, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Patrick has unique perspective on the Obama plan as governor of the state with a universal health care law that served as model for the federal program. But aides expected him to be challenged by committee Republicans seeking to repeal the national law.

The debate could be a proxy battle for an expected element of the 2012 presidential race, as Barbour indicated.

Nonetheless, Patrick was generally treated respectfully, as Democrats used their questions to coax answers supporting Obama's program, while Republicans tried to attack it.

On several occasions, the governor tried to build support for the president by noting that Massachusetts is already a way down the road the nation is set to travel.

"This is not so scary to us," he said.

His committee host, Representative Edward Markey, D-Mass., also got the governor to underscore that Massachusetts has a balanced budget, 98 percent insured, and unemployment below the national average — even with its universal health law.

The dean of the congressional delegation told the governor he was doing "a great job."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick seems more anxious to kick off next year's US Senate race in Massachusetts than some of the potential candidates, catching most off-guard yesterday when they found he had rattled off their names during an interview at the National Governors Association meetings in Washington.

Patrick told Jim O'Sullivan of the National Journal, a former reporter for the State House News Service in Boston, that four candidates had already chatted with him about a potential run, and he had traded calls with a fifth.

Then, breaching all manner of political protocol, he identified them: City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, who made a failed attempt for the Democratic nomination in last year's Senate special election; Newton Mayor Setti Warren, little more than a year in office; veteran Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll; and Democratic activist Robert Massie, a 1994 candidate for lieutenant governor.

Patrick also said Robert Pozen, a former executive at Fidelity Investments and MFS Investment Management, had reached out to him but they had failed to connect.

“My sense is that (Brown) is struggling a little bit to decide whether he’s going to work for the people of the commonwealth or work for the hard right,” Patrick said, previewing the Democrats' most likely line of attack against the man who left them thunderstruck when he won the seat held for nearly a half-century by a party icon, the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

In the aftermath of that race, the Democrats regrouped, helped Patrick win re-election last fall (albeit with less than 50 percent of the vote in what for all practical purposes was a three-way race), and repelled the GOP tide that swept the rest of the nation in the mid-term elections.

All 10 Massachusetts seats in the US House remained in Democratic hands, and local Democrats are feeling even more optimistic as they head toward 2012, when President Obama will be atop the ballot and Patrick is free to pile on against Brown and a potential GOP presidential nominee, former Governor Mitt Romney.

Brown himself is aware of the peril. He has already banked over $7 million in campaign cash and may spend up to $25 million to retain what initially proved to be a pivotal seat for his party: the 41st Senate vote to uphold a Republican filibuster, or the 60th vote the Democrats needed to ensure passage of any of their initiatives. Republicans gained Senate seats in the mid-terms but still remain a minority.

The senator has calibrated his votes with an eye toward maintaining hometown support and national viability, and he has been careful to cultivate national Republicans during his mid-term campaign appearances, as well as during the book tour to promote his autobiography, "Against All Odds." It took him as far away as Florida and the Reagan presidential library in California.

Against that backdrop, Massie has already announced a campaign, and Khazei, Warren, Driscoll, Pozen, and several sitting House members have been weighing challenges to Brown. That group includes Representatives Michael Capuano of Somerville and Stephen Lynch of South Boston.

Yet each has carefully demurred when asked about a campaign, including Lynch, who was repeatedly peppered on the point over the weekend at the outset of an interview with WCVB-TV's "OTR."

"I think that's just too far away at this point," Lynch said.

The program aired Sunday shortly before Patrick sat down with O'Sullivan and upended the conversation. When previously asked about potential Senate candidates, the governor had made two points: he would not be among them, but he would not reveal the names of those who had sought his counsel about a possible campaign.

That didn't stop him from lauding certain potential candidates, but he never spoke publicly for them. Now, whether he's floating trial balloons or trying to push fence-sitters, Patrick has changed tacks.

“Kim is not in; she has not made up her mind, but I know she’s thinking about it seriously. But Alan and Bob and Setti are in, for sure,” the governor told the National Journal.

As for Pozen, “I haven’t talked to Bob. We’ve traded phone calls, but I haven’t talked to him."

Warren upset a sitting state representative, Ruth Balser, to win the Newton mayor's race in November 2009. He was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2010, and has worked since then to cultivate the image of an engaged chief executive.

Asked earlier this month about Patrick including him in a list of potential Senate candidates, Warren told the Globe: "I consider the governor a friend, and I'm honored he thinks highly of me. But as I said before, I'm remaining focused on the issues that effect Newton."

Just two weeks later, after Patrick branded him a surefire candidate in a national publication, Warren was handed a live grenade.

“I am considering a run against Senator Brown,” the mayor said in a statement yesterday. "I have been disappointed by many of his votes, which I believe have hurt many cities and towns in Massachusetts, including my own community of Newton."

He said he had yet to make a final decision, "but in the final analysis, if I believe I can do a better job for Massachusetts, I’ll put my name on the ballot.”

Driscoll was similarly left scrambling.

She was out on the hustings last night, attending a fundraiser in Worcester and a women's event in Easthampton. Those are far from the Witch City, underscoring her possible interest in a Senate race, but Driscoll is also a deliberative politician and confessed she was not ready to commit to a race — at least publicly.

“I’m looking at it. I’m trying to understand all the twists and turns. I’m trying to understand the potential impact on my family," she said in a phone call from the road.

Khazei was out at dinner and unavailable for comment.

Pozen was not immediately reachable.

Of the group, Khazei may have the broadest name recognition, thanks to his 2009 primary campaign. He also is an unabashed liberal who would almost certainly run from the left and be able to tap a national fundraising base.

Warren also represents a liberal city, but he has a conservative calling card: He served a year of duty in Iraq as an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserve. Brown is a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, but he has never been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Like Patrick the first African American to hold his job, Warren previously served as an aide to the state's senior senator, John Kerry. He would have unimpeded access to the dossier Kerry and his staff are surely compiling against Brown.

Driscoll, meanwhile, is a second-term mayor who is experienced in community development. She also has been a leading voice for greater budgetary latitude from the state, particularly when it comes to reconfiguring public employee health insurance plans.

She is the first woman elected mayor of Salem, and could benefit in a statewide campaign as a lone female candidate. Yet as the mother of three, Driscoll expressed concern about how a campaign would affect her family.

"I have three young children, and I'm also trying to understand if I can run while also running a city," she said.

Pozen would offer his experience from the finance world, which includes a stint working for President George W. Bush on an aborted Social Security overhaul. He also worked in 2003 as Romney's secretary of economic affairs.

Massie is an Episcopal priest with a doctorate from Harvard Business School. Despite battling serious health problems for years, the Somerville resident announced his Senate candidacy in January.

Patrick has now pushed along the rest of the field.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — President Obama said Monday he now supports a plan by
Republican Senator Scott Brown that allows states to opt out of the health care overhaul’s key requirements early, a concession that positions the president as willing to compromise on his signature accomplishment.

Obama's shift was announced in an address to the nation’s governors, many of whom have sued the White House to prevent implementation of the health care law. While boosting the prospects of the Massachusetts senator’s bipartisan bill in the Senate, the new position is unlikely to placate the health care law’s detractors or gain approval in the GOP-controlled House. And such an endorsement will not win back support for Brown from Tea Party conservatives, who ferociously denounce the law as an overreach of federal power.

The senator has previously called for the repeal of the health care overhaul, but has shown a willingness to work within the existing rules to change the law for the benefit of Massachusetts residents.

Brown and Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon filed the bill earlier this year. The legislation would enable states to request permission to withdraw from the law’s mandates in 2014 rather than in 2017. To receive the exemption, the states must demonstrate that they could find other ways to cover as many people as the original law would — something Massachusetts has already accomplished — and do so without adding costs. The earlier date is when many of the act’s central provisions take effect.

The legislation is unlikely to significantly affect Massachusetts, which already has implemented many of the core elements of the national plan, but it would allow other states to forge their own plans.

The president said such a change would allow states to tailor the law to their own needs.

"Alabama is not going to have exactly the same needs of Massachusetts or California or North Dakota," Obama said in making the announcement. "We believe in that flexibility."

Brown said that he was pleased with the president's support but reiterated his opposition to the overall law. "(Senator Brown) strongly opposes the federal health care law, and believes states should have the ability to implement their own plans that provide quality care for all their citizens," his office said in a statement.

Tom Miller, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that the legislation probably won’t earn Brown any additional support from conservatives; rather, he’s trying to earn support from moderates.

"People who think this bill is fundamentally flawed and the approach is the wrong one to begin with should not take much solace in saying that if you can come up with a slightly different approach to the basic system," he said.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator John Kerry hopes that Florida’s decision to put the brakes on a high-speed rail project will be just the ticket for passenger rail in Massachusetts and other northeastern states.

The Massachusetts Democrat and nine other senators from northeastern states asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood late last week to steer $2.4 billion that Florida Governor Rick Scott rejected in mid-February to the heavily traveled northeast corridor instead.

“At a time when numerous states have rejected federal funding from the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program to date, we note that high-speed rail’s potential on the Northeast Corridor is proven,” they wrote.

Scott rejected the money on Feb. 16, calling the Tampa-to-Orlando high-speed rail line a “boondoggle” would cost more than expected and would stick Florida with an extra $3 billion bill. In addition, he felt that estimates of its use were inflated, and that the project overall was a waste of money.

The announcement received a mixed reaction. Rail advocates pounced on Scott, accusing him of making a short-sighted decision, state senators wrote to LaHood asking him to send the money anyway, and the White House called the decision “unfortunate.”

But if history proves to be an example, it could be a boon for Massachusetts and its neighbors along the high-use rail corridor, where the nation's only high-speed train, the Acela Express, operates. In December, after Wisconsin and Ohio rejected $1.2 billion, the Obama administration divvied it up between Massachusetts and 11 other states.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey is calling for swift action from the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that a drilling process for extracting natural gas from deep under the earth is not polluting groundwater.

The Malden Democrat fired off a letter over the weekend to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson shortly after The New York Times published a lengthy piece about the process known as “hydrofracking.”

The process involves pounding underground rock with high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals to release trapped natural gas. A single well can produce over a million gallons of waste water that contains salts, carcinogens and radioactive elements, according to the Times. The number of hyrdofracking wells has almost doubled since 2000, to almost a half-million in 2009.

Markey, who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, warned that the process could turn “our rivers and streams into this generation’s ‘Love Canals,’” a reference to the toxic waste disaster near Niagara Falls, New York in the late 1970s.

“I do not believe that the price for energy extracted from deep beneath the earth’s surface should include a risk to the health of those who live above it,” Markey wrote in his letter to Jackson.

Companies that drill for natural gas say that the process is safe and environmentally sound, but a vocal protest movement has arisen around the drilling process.

Actor Mark Ruffalo recently testified on Capitol Hill against the process, and was expected to wear a protest pin to the Academy Awards on Sunday night. Gasland, a documentary about hydrofracking, was nominated for an Oscar.

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

UMass-Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan is sending Governor Deval Patrick a none-too-subtle message after his fellow Democrat quashed the former congressman's bid to become president of the entire University of Massachusetts system.

Meehan is planning to give an honorary degree this spring to Robert Manning, who quit as chairman of the UMass board of trustees late last year amid what he saw as meddling by Patrick in the presidential search.

The award was confirmed by a high-level university official; a UMass-Lowell spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

Manning is a UMass-Lowell grad who has gone on to run one of the country's biggest financial services firms, Boston-based MFS Investment Management.

While he and his wife have no children, they have contributed and been devoted to the UMass system in general and UMass-Lowell in particular, leading to Manning's role atop the system's governing board of trustees.

Manning also was working with fellow Trustee James Karam to oversee the search to replace UMass President Jack Wilson. That search was trending toward Meehan, who members of the search committee made the strongest presentation among a group of semifinalists, before the governor and his top aides began to weigh in.

Patrick spoke generally of the need for diversity among the field of candidates, to conduct a search that not only looks but is open, and that would result in a pick with "broad wings" academically.

Meehan got the message, withdrew from the search after his name leaked, and went back to Lowell, where he has run his own alma mater since resigning from Congress in 2007.

Manning announced his board resignation a week later.

The university ended up hiring Robert Caret, president of Towson University in Maryland.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is heading north of the Mason-Dixon Line tonight to visit the liberal environs of Harvard University and outline a conservative economic vision.

(AP)

Eric Cantor

One echoes the image of protests that swept Europe last year and continue in some places today, as members of the public and government workers rebelled against cuts in pension and other entitlement programs.

The other is the image of town hall meetings that played out across America in 2009, propelling the anti-government Tea Party revolution and helping the GOP reclaim the House majority this past November.

Cantor said one view is of a future dependent on government financing; the other is rooted in personal entrepreneurship.

“If you think about it, these were very young people worried about their retirement benefits before they’ve worked their career," Cantor told the Globe in reference to some of the participants in Greece, France, and other European nations.

The town hall participants, by contrast, "choose a future based on individual actions, opportunity not created by the government but by the private sector," he said.

Cantor, the top deputy to House Speaker John Boehner, insists his is not a partisan analysis, only a philosophical one. But his comments echoed a partisan opinion piece he recently wrote for Politico, in which he criticized President Obama's budget proposal and said "kicking the can down the road is no substitute for real leadership. Just ask Greece."

In the same column, he urged action to avoid "a European-style debt crisis."

Cantor said an relying too heavily on government support forces increased spending. That triggers tax increases that, in turn, sap capital from the private marketplace. Reducing business taxes and reducing government regulation, he argues, will help keep capital in the private sector.

As to why he's taking his message to an Ivy League institution oft-derided by conservatives, Cantor said: "Harvard is one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the world. We’ve been successful in America because we’ve been able to educate our population to think critically. It’s allowed America to become the crucible of innovation.’’

His deputy chief of staff, John Murray, said the visit is the leader's ongoing campaign to speak "beyond the base," including reaching out to young people, minorities, and university audiences.

Cantor has already spoken at William & Mary and had a speech at the University of Michigan snowed out. He's headed next for Stanford University.

The goal is to make "more of a vision statement than a political statement.”

Murray added: "We have a very systematic strategy to ensure that the work we are doing here inside the Beltway is being transmitted and translated in good venues," he said.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown joined other Republicans today in denouncing a decision by President Obama to drop all attempts to defend a law prohibiting the federal government from recognizing same sex marriages.

Brown did not indicate his position on gay marriage but rather lashed out at Obama, who announced today that he has concluded the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstititional.

"We can't have presidents deciding what laws are constitutional and what laws are not," Brown said in a statement. "That is a function of the judicial branch, not the executive."

The Bay State's other senator, meanwhile, hailed Obama's decision.

“DOMA was unconstitutional in 1996, and it’s unconstitutional today, and the Obama Administration made the right call to no longer defend it in the courts,” Kerry said. “The Defense of Marriage Act has never been about defending marriage. It’s been nothing more than an unconstitutional effort to deny same-sex couples basic rights and protections.”

The Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, prohibits the federal government from granting benefits the same benefits to same-sex married couples as it does to opposite-sex couples, including social security and estate tax breaks. Until today, the Obama administration has defended the law's constitutionality in court cases around the country, including two in Massachusetts.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Attorney General Martha Coakley, who filed a 2009 lawsuit that helped persuade a federal judge in Boston to declare the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional in July, said she was “very pleased” with the president’s decision to no longer defend the law.

“Today’s decision…is another very important victory for the civil rights of same-couples and their families,” Coakley said at a press conference in her Boston office. “We think the reasoning, as expressed by General Holder is, in some ways, dependent on the extensive discovery and arguments that occurred in Massachusetts."

In a statement released by his office, Governor Deval Patrick threw his support behind the Obama administration.

“I am tremendously heartened today by President Obama’s decision to turn away from this divisive and unfair law,.'' he said. "In Massachusetts, we believe that every person ought to be able to marry whomever they love, and we believe the rest of the country is moving forward in that direction, too."

Coakley told reporters that the law has now been declared discriminatory and unconstitutional by the judge in Boston, Joseph L. Tauro, and by the Obama administration.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

US Representative Michael E. Capuano, who decried violent political rhetoric after last month’s fatal shooting rampage in Tucson, said today he regrets urging union workers at a rally in Boston yesterday to “get a little bloody.”

2009 Globe photo

US Rep. Michael Capuano

"I strongly believe in standing up for worker rights and my passion for preserving those rights may have gotten the best of me yesterday in an unscripted speech,” the Somerville Democrat said in a statement. “I wish I had used different language to express my passion and I regret my choice of words."

Capuano was referring to remarks he made at a raucous rally of about 1,000 union workers who were outside the State House, protesting Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and his plan to limit public employees' collective bargaining rights.

"I'm proud to be with people who understand that it's more than just sending an e-mail that gets you going," Capuano had declared. "Every once in a while you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary."

The union crowd greeted Capuano's exhortation with cheers, whistles, and applause.

But his remark raised eyebrows elsewhere because Capuano was among the lawmakers who were calling for cooler political rhetoric after his Democratic colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the Tucson rampage that killed six other people last month.

At the time, Capuano had said the shooting was probably inevitable because of the nation's increasingly heated political rhetoric.

“Many of us were afraid for a long time that something like this would happen, with the level or the tone of the discourse over the last several years," Capuano told WGBH on Jan. 22. "It's gotten violent and personal.”

Capuano echoed that sentiment in a Jan. 9 interview with the Globe.

“Everybody knows the last couple of years there’s been an intentional increase in the degree of heat in political discourse,” he said. “If nothing else good comes out of this, I’m hoping it causes people to reconsider how they deal with things."

Capuano ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2009, and is considering a run against Republican Scott Brown in 2012.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

South Dakota Senator John Thune released a statement today saying he will not seek the presidency in 2012.

"There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now. So at this time, I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate,'' the Republican said in a statement.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The multitude of revelations in Senator Scott Brown's new book "Against All Odds" and his "60 Minutes" interview last night underscore the degree to which he was largely unknown to Massachusetts voters when they nonetheless elected him to replace the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

More than a year later, some are only coming to learn that "Downtown Scotty Brown," as he was known on the basketball court, is a left-hander, or that he can chop mushrooms with the speed and precision of a professional chef, or that he shoplifted far more than just record albums during his wayward days as a teen-ager.

Beyond that, the book and the interview added fresh detail to the well-known story of his tough childhood, where, as the son of parents each married multiple times, he endured the beatings of some stepfathers and found refuge in schoolboy and college athletics.

Furthermore, they included a bombshell even to Brown's own family: his claim that he was sexually abused, as a 10-year-old, by a counselor at a Cape Cod summer camp.

The revelation prompted plaudits for Brown from both Governor Deval Patrick and Brown's senior colleague, Senator John Kerry, two Democrats who crossed party lines to laud the Republican for opening up about such a traumatic event. They said they hoped it would encourage other victims not feel ashamed or ostracized, and possibly take the same step themselves.

Brown himself is tough on his alleged tormentor, telling "60 Minutes" that "fortunately, nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak, but it was certainly, back then, very traumatic.”

When interviewer Lesley Stahl noted the alleged abuser kept trying to get alone with Brown after the first incident, the senator added: “Yup, as predators do. He said, ‘If you tell anybody, you know, I’ll kill you.' You know, 'I will make sure that no one believes you,' and that’s the biggest thing, when people find people like me, at that young, vulnerable age, who are, basically, lost, the thing that they have over you is they make you believe that no one will believe you.’’

In Brown's case, though, the comments have another context: They reverberate through his decision last year to endorse a fellow Republican, state Representative Jeffrey Perry, in his bid to replace Democratic Representative William Delahunt in Congress.

The general election battle was defined by sharp and repeated exchanges between Perry and his Democratic challenger, then-Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, over what, if any, solace Perry had provided to a fellow police officer who later pleaded guilty to charges surrounding the illegal strip searches to two young girls while the men served on the Wareham Police Department in the 1990s.

One victim, who allowed herself to be identified by her maiden name, Lisa Allen, said in a late-October statement opposing Perry's election that the then-Wareham sergeant "had to hear me screaming and crying" as Officer Scott Flanagan put his hand down the 14-year-old's pants and ordered her to lift her bra after he, Perry, and another officer came upon a group of teens suspected of using drugs near a cranberry bog in 1991.

Arguing Perry lacked the character to serve in such high office, Allen said: "Perry did not care about protecting teen-aged girls in Wareham from police officer Flanagan. Jeff Perry cared only about protecting police officer Flanagan."

During the campaign, Brown didn't offer the kind of personal perspective on sexual abuse he has as he kicks off his book tour; rather, he condemned Keating for what he viewed as the politicization of a past incident.

Brown said "it's horrible" what Allen went through. He also noted that Perry's fellow officer "was tried and convicted."

The senator went on to argue that Perry had run an issues-based campaign, while accusing Keating of fear-mongering.

"It's to the point: 'Bill, stop with the dirty politics,'" Brown said last October.

In a radio ad released at the same time, the senator said Keating "has decided to focus almost entirely on negative attacks concerning an incident that took place almost two decades ago and which didn't directly involve Jeff."

The senator has since said the two situations are not analogous, but juxtapose Brown's comments last night with Lisa Allen's complaints about her treatment, as a 14-year-old, at the hands of a uniformed police officer — all while his supervisor allegedly stood by mute.

“Yup, as predators do," Brown said of his alleged attacker. "He said, ‘If you tell anybody, you know, I’ll kill you.' You know, 'I will make sure that no one believes you,' and that’s the biggest thing, when people find people like me, at that young, vulnerable age, who are, basically, lost, the thing that they have over you is they make you believe that no one will believe you.’’

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Representative Barney Frank mounted a spirited defense in the House today of the Dodd-Frank Act, the financial reform legislation that bears his name, but fell short in his attempts to block cuts to financial oversight bodies.

Frank sought an amendment to plug a $131 million cut in funding to the Securities and Exchange Commission, but the amendment was voted down 270-160. Another amendment which would have transferred $63 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Frank’s bill created, also failed, 265-163.

The amendments came up amid a whirlwind of short votes as lawmakers wrangled over the Republicans’ $1.2 trillion spending measure to fund the federal government through the rest of this year. GOP leaders want to cut $61 billion from the budget this year.

Frank, never one to shy from a fight, mixed it up with Republican adversaries on the floor today over the amendments. In his typically caustic manner, the Newton Democrat derided a Republican amendment to scrap several oversight positions that Republicans derisively call “czars.”

One was for the special master of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, whose job is to make sure that beneficiaries of bailout money don’t receive exorbitant bonuses or salaries.

“Why our colleagues decided that that position should be abolished and a high level person charged with that responsibility should not be there is baffling to me,” Frank said.

At one point during the exchange, a GOP lawmaker declared: “To the Czars, I say, Nyet!” To which Frank responded: “I will leave it to the gentleman to work out his Lenin fantasy.”

Despite Frank’s efforts, the amendment passed 179-249. A second, similar amendment cutting even more positions – including the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren – had not gotten a vote by about 7 p.m.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

Freshman Congressman William Keating, a Quincy Democrat, is jumping into the fray of foreign affairs. He is in the process of drafting a bill to prevent American technology companies from selling software that could allow authoritarian governments to monitor their citizens.

“It makes no sense at all that we would allow American companies to sell technology to governments that are using it for the very purposes that our country is constantly condemning. That is simply not what American innovation is all about,” said Keating, Massachusetts' newest member of Congress in a statement Wednesday. “I believe we are only on the cusp of seeing the negative effects when social media is misused by repressive governments. As we have seen in countries like Bahrain and Iran, these protests are growing and thus, this issue will only continue to be magnified.”

Keating's statement said that a California company recently sold Egypt "deep packet inspection" technology that could allow it to filter and monitor Internet users. His proposal of requiring "end-use agreements" for such technology comes as the United States government, including the Pentagon, is paying companies to develop technology that allows activists abroad to avoid such detection.

Keating, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg at a hearing last week about how the government is working with companies selling social media technology abroad.

Keating expects to file legislation on the issue in the coming weeks.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

The House rejected funding for a second engine for the armed forces’ new jet fighter on Wednesday, dealing a potentially lethal blow to a multi-billion dollar military program that employs hundreds of people in Massachusetts.

By a 233 to 199 vote, the House approved a budget amendment stripping funds for the F-35’s backup engine. The vote does not mean that the measure is dead; after the House votes on hundreds of other amendments, the temporary spending measure for this year goes to the Senate. That body rejected the funding last year, but the funding was restored in a compromise budget measure.

Still, the vote threw into sharp relief the power of the new GOP freshman in the House, many of whom were elected with Tea Party support on promises to end earmarks and cut spending. Many also saw the vote as a test of their willingness to reduce military spending.

Some of those freshman have aligned with opponents of the extra engine, which include President Obama and the Pentagon, in decrying the engine as a waste of taxpayer money. On Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Gates reiterated his opposition to the House Armed Services Committee, calling it an “unnecessary and extravagant expense.”

Several of the GOP freshman have been actively wrangling opposition, circulating a letter to the White House praising the administration for urging rejection of the engine. A bipartisan group of lawmakers also announced their opposition, including several that have Pratt & Whitney operations in their districts.

Supporters of the program argue that competition will lower costs for the overbudget primary engine, which Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney is building for the jet’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, and ensure that technical problems with the main engine won’t ground the entire air fleet.

Speculation over the engine’s fate has been increasingly intense in recent weeks as a lobbying war re-ignited on Capitol Hill, with the two contractors fighting ferociously for the votes of the freshman lawmakers, 87 of which were Republicans.

Congress first budgeted seed money for General Electric’s engine in 1996, and that funding continue even after Lockheed Martin won the contract in 2001 to build some 2,500 planes for the Air Force, Navy and Marines, and sell to foreign buyers.

The Pentagon continued to support the backup engine until President George W. Bush and the Pentagon soured on the backup. But Congress has continued to provide hundreds of million of dollars every year, totaling about $3 billion so far.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

The bipartisan legislation, which is cosponsored by Democrat Kay Hagan of North Carolina, gives tax credits to businesses that put returning veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserves on their payroll.

“Our veterans sacrifice so much for us and ask for little in return. This bipartisan legislation will help put our heroes back to work, and I am proud to be introducing it along with my colleagues,” said Brown, a Republican.

Some 20 percent of Guard members are unemployed, and economic stress is a prime reason for suicide – which is on the rise -- among those that return, according to Brown.

The legislation also has a House companion bill, which has a sponsor in Representative Lynn Jenkins, a Kansas Republican.

The cost of the legislation has not yet been determined, according to a Brown spokesman.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON— Two New England Republican senators, Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, this week introduced legislation to make it easier for U.S. contracting officials to void contracts with companies that funnel American tax dollars to Afghan warlords and strongmen, including the Taliban, in exchange for protection and other services, according to a statement from Brown’s office.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that our hard-earned tax dollars are being used by the enemy to harm our soldiers and undermine our efforts in Afghanistan,” said Brown, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “While members of our military are risking their lives, we need to do everything possible to support their mission and protect their safety.”

Ayotte added in a statement: “Unfortunately, because of insufficient oversight, a significant portion of our contracting dollars in Afghanistan have ended up in the hands of powerbrokers and insurgents who undermine our interests and attack our brave troops…the U.S. is at war in Afghanistan, and our contracting laws and regulations need to reflect that reality.”

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Local Democrats and political insiders are holding a fundraiser for Governor Deval Patrick next month — and seeking up to $5,500 per person — despite the Democrat’s assertion he will not seek a third term in 2014 or challenge Republican Senator Scott Brown next year.

A spokesman said the event is to help retire campaign debts while simultaneously boosting the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

The first $500 of each donation would go to Patrick, the maximum allowable annual contribution for individuals under state law. The remainder of any contribution would go to the party, which can accept up to $5,000 annually from individuals.

The party spent over $2.5 million on Patrick’s behalf last year during his re-election campaign, primarily for mailings and television ads.

It spent another $712,000 on Patrick during the first three years he was in office. During his 2006 campaign, his first as a political candidate, the party spent $2.4 million helping Patrick get elected.

The party is led by John Walsh, who managed Patrick’s 2006 campaign.

The fundraiser is being organized by three members of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, a South Carolina law firm that has a Boston office and is active in government lobbying.

The invitation for the March 7 gathering at the office lists the co-hosts as Peter Haley, a partner specializing in commercial law; Robert Crowe, a Democratic fundraiser who is co-chairman of the firm’s Government Relations practice, and; Christopher Greeley, who is managing director of the firm’s public strategies group.

Greeley is a registered state lobbyist whose clients include the Boston Beer Co., maker of Sam Adams ale, and Bristol Community College, a public entity. He was in the public spotlight when he managed Senator John Kerry’s 1996 epic re-election campaign against Republican William F. Weld.

Greeley said today: "Bob, Peter, and I are longtime supporters of Governor Patrick, both when he ran in his first term and when he ran for re-election, and are happy to continue our support."

Greeley acknowledged he lobbies state government, as disclosed in annual filings with the secretary of state. But he said he had no idea if Patrick had any aspirations beyond eliminating his campaign debt.

"That's a question for the governor," he said.

Patrick would have to establish a federal fundraising account to run for the Senate, but the state party could help him whether he ran for state or federal office.

Patrick has ruled out seeking re-election or filling the Democratic void in what has the potential to be a high-profile Senate race.

Brown shocked the party in a special election last year and claimed the seat held for nearly a half-century by a liberal party icon, Edward M. Kennedy. Many political strategists say only Patrick or Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, has the stature to knock him out of the Senate.

A Patrick spokesman said the governor has over $200,000 in debts he is trying to repay and the fundraiser is for that purpose. The governor’s year-end campaign finance report showed a cash balance of $20,000 and nearly $88,000 in debts, including $20,000 to Doug Rubin, Patrick’s chief political strategist.

Strategists often delay fully billing a campaign until after an election, to preserve donations for campaign work and to avoid disclosing their fee while it could be problematic for a candidate.

Patrick’s campaign “left the re-election committee with a small debt,’’ spokesman Steve Crawford said in a statement. “The Massachusetts Democratic Party needs additional resources to meet its goal of continuing the strong neighbor-to-neighbor effort it undertook in the last election."

Despite Patrick’s public assertions, he has only heightened interest in his political intentions with his recent activities and travels.

He went to Washington last week to have dinner with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine. He is charged with recruiting surrogate speakers for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Patrick could be a particularly effective counter-puncher if his immediate predecessor as governor, Mitt Romney, wins the GOP’s presidential nomination.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Patrick made an overnight trip to Chicago to meet with political strategist David Axelrod, who previously served as a Patrick political adviser and left the Obama administration last month to prepare for a re-election role.

Patrick was slated to see Obama himself today during a ceremony at the White House, but he cancelled his trip after falling ill.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

US Representative Edward Markey, a Malden Democrat, will offer an amendment on the House floor to restore proposed cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the congressmen said in a call with reporters today.

“Cutting off funds for this program now means that millions of families could have their heating cut off,” said Markey. “These families would be forced to decide once again between heating and eating.”

A draft of the House Republicans’ yearly spending bill proposed cutting $400 million from LIHEAP emergency funds that help low-income families meet home heating costs, according to Markey. More reductions could come now that Tea Party-backed Republicans have called for even deeper budget cuts. The White House is also expected to propose cutting the program back to 2008 levels, from $5 billion to about $2.6 billion, in their budget proposal set to be released Monday. “Targeting the poor is the wrong direction and I think President Obama is making a huge mistake in singling out the poor,” said Markey.

Markey said he is circulating a letter among his colleagues urging that the program be fully funded next year.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe staff

Scott Brown has a fishing partner, and she knows the waters.

Senator Olympia J. Snowe, ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, agreed to cosponsor Brown's bill requiring that analyses of fishing stocks be done annually and independently. Currently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration files an analysis only when a new fisheries management plan is adopted or amended.

Fishing communities have struggled to adapt to stricter fishing regulations in recent months. Brown's bill, the Fishing Impact Statement Honesty (FISH) Act, would require updated justification for such rules.

“I could not be more pleased to support Senator Scott Brown’s legislation to strengthen the socioeconomic impact process and require an independent third party chosen by the GAO to handle the statement analysis,” said Snowe, a three-term senator, in a statement. “Fishermen in Maine and across the nation have already sacrificed a portion of their livelihood during these challenging economic times so it is critically important that we have clear and accurate data when imposing new or amended fisheries management measures on this vital community.”

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe staff

Republican Senator Scott Brown has joined his Democratic counterpart John F. Kerry in opposing plans to cut by half home fuel aid to struggling Americans next winter.

In his budget proposal for the next fiscal year, President Obama is reportedly calling for a $2.5 billion cut in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which has helped nearly a quarter million households in Massachusetts this year.

Such a cut is unconscionable, Brown said.

"I can point to countless items in the president's budget that should be cut before LIHEAP funding. With Massachusetts residents getting pounded by brutal winter storms, cutting LIHEAP funding is a non-starter for me,"’ Brown said in a statement today to the Statehouse News Service.

Yesterday, Kerry wrote a letter to the president, calling on him to keep funding at its current level of $5.1 billion.

"I’ve always supported serious efforts to restore fiscal sanity, but in the middle of a brutal, even historic, New England winter, home heating assistance is more critical than ever to the health and welfare of millions of Americans, especially senior citizens,"’ Kerry wrote.

Representative Edward Markey, Democrat of Malden, called on the House Appropriations Committee to resist paring the program.

"Cutting funding for LIHEAP so dramatically would have a devastating impact on millions of American families already suffering from the economic downturn," he said in a letter today.

Markey has been battling House Republicans who are considering immediate cuts to the program this winter, as part of their effort to slice $100 billion from President Obama's spending requests.

"It takes a frigid heart for Republicans to continue to defend tax breaks for oil and gas companies, while putting heating fuel assistance for America’s neediest on the chopping block," Markey said.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the US House Committee on Ways and Means this morning pounded Donald Berwick, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on the effects of the new health care law on seniors, and Berwick’s past statements in praise of the publicly-funded British health care system.

Republicans argued throughout the hearing that cuts in Medicare called for by President Obama’s health care overhaul are leading to doctors dropping patients with Medicare, and denying seniors choices in their health care.

In more than two hours of testimony, Berwick staunchly defended the health care law, known as the Affordable Care Act, saying repeatedly that the law will control rising medical costs, reduce waste and abuse and provide security to seniors, and expand preventative care that will head off many expensive medical problems and save money.

Under pointed questioning, Berwick was unflappable and sounded enthusiastic, even while frustrating Republicans by refusing to offer a “yes” or “no” answer to many questions.

In one exchange, Committee Chairman Dave Camp, a Michigan Republican, pressed Berwick repeatedly on Berwick’s past praise for the British health care system.

“Is the British health care system a good model?” Camp asked.

“The American health care system needs an American solution,” Berwick replied.

Camp persisted, asking: Do you still think a government-run single payer system is the best option?

“I believe the Affordable Care Act is the right solution for America,” said Berwick.

“If I could have a simple yes or no answer?” said Camp.

He didn’t get one.

Before President Obama selected Berwick for his current post, Berwick was a professor at Harvard Medical School.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Representative William Keating, a Quincy Democrat, questioned Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about airport security on Wednesday, saying that the death of a teenage stowaway raised “enormous questions" about tarmac security.
 
Keating, in his inaugural appearance on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he was concerned about how the 16-year-old boy hid in the wheel well of a Boston-bound jetliner, then tumbled to his death as the plane passed over Milton, Mass.
 
“If it wasn’t this young man that just stowed himself for his own reasons, if that had been a person with more nefarious motivation, think of what would have happened with that 747 commercial airliner, or any of the other airliners that were there at that time,” he said.
 
Napolitano acknowledged that the teenager’s death represented a breach of security, and promised Keating the results of any review of the incident.
 
“Clearly, if somebody -- a 16-year-old -- is able to circumvent those standards and requirements and get into the wheelwell of a plane, there has been a breakdown,” she said.
 
Michael E. Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said security officials have long-standing concerns about tarmac access, and promised to work with Napolitano to address any issues about perimeter security at airports.
 
Keating was Norfolk County District Attorney last November when the body of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale was found in Milton.
 
Initially thought to be a homicide, investigators eventually determined that Tisdale had hidden away in a wheelwell of a Boeing 747 that flew from Charlotte, N.C. to Boston, and tumbled to the earth when the plane’s landing gear lowered.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown today e-mailed a newsletter detailing his Senate goals.

The Massachusetts Republican included a video in which he outlines his agenda, a method becoming a favored means of communicating — especially within the media blackout preceding the release of his new book in two weeks.

Brown's list includes a job-creation bill called the "Innovate America Act." He also favors legislation repealing a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices, as well as a bill repealing a 3 percent withholding tax on government contracts.

Noting he has now been in office a year, Brown writes: "Whether I’m speaking in person with constituents, via posts to my Facebook page or Twitter, or via letters, phone calls, and emails, the voters have asked me to do something about unemployment in Massachusetts (and rightfully so). I listened, and I have come up with several targeted ideas to boost Bay State jobs that I’m introducing at the start of this 112th Congress."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Supporters of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont are holding a fundraiser for him Sunday before he delivers a public speech in Jamaica Plain.

The independent, who caucuses with the Democrats, "is facing a tough race in the next election due to the GOP machine," said an e-mail encouraging attendance. "Therefore, he's coming to ask similar-minded folks for support."

Another e-mail said, "Here's a great opportunity to hear an important progressive voice in the US Senate and for us to develop ties and think about New England as a region."

The fundraiser will be held at 1:30 p.m. at First Church Parish Hall on Eliot Street in Jamaica Plain. It's not a big-donor affair: The suggested contribution is $100.

Sanders is speaking publicly in the church sanctuary at 3 p.m.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.

By Michael J. Bailey Globe staff

Senator John F. Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain are calling on embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to immediately begin a peaceful transition to a new democratic government.

The two former presidential candidates, Kerry in 2004 and McCain in 2008, have been among the leading voices of their parties on international affairs in general and the violent unraveling of Egypt's power structure specifically. The two co-wrote a resolution, passed by the Senate on a voice vote tonight, that calls on Mubarak to hand over power to a caretaker government.

The resolution, which is nonbinding, also calls on all political parties to avoid violence, support the rule of law, and work toward free and open elections. It specifically mentions the Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed Islamist group that has a significant power base, as a group that espouses "extremist ideology." Some Middle East watchers fear a power vacuum in Egypt would be filled by militants who would have no interest in enacting democratic reforms.

Protests against Mubarak have become increasingly violent as progovernment forces have tried to end the rallies and remove demonstrators from squares around Cairo.

“Stop the bloodletting,’’ McCain, a Republican from Arizona, said on the Senate floor. “Let's start a peaceful transition to a free and open society and a government that can regain and hold the trust of the people of Egypt.’’

In a statement after the vote, Kerry said: “Tonight, the United States Senate stands unanimously with the Egyptian people and speaks with a bipartisan voice in condemning the violence. ... The Egyptian people are demanding a new political structure and President Mubarak has a responsibility to respond with actions that will bring an end to the brutality on the streets of Cairo and elsewhere and put his country on a path to genuine political, economic and social reforms.”

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch, a South Boston Democrat, is on his way back from a Congressional trip to Pakistan, in which Lynch and other members personally lobbied Pakistani officials on the behalf of a US State Department employee who was arrested and held after shooting two alleged robbers on January 27.

The employee, Raymond Davis, a staff person at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, apparently thought he was about to be carjacked when approached by armed men on motorcycles, said Lynch, speaking by phone this morning from an airport in Madrid. Davis “shot through his own windshield” and killed two alleged attackers, said Lynch. US authorities say Davis has diplomatic immunity, but that claim is being contested.

Lynch said the incident has received inflammatory press coverage in Pakistan that has heightened tensions. “Politically, it’s a difficult situation,” he said.

Lynch and five other members of Congress urged Davis’ release in meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief of Staff, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. “At each of these meetings, each of us hit this issue pretty hard,” said Lynch.

The Congressional delegation visited Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. A planned stop in Egypt was canceled due to civil unrest there.

Pakistani authorities are continuing to review Davis' case, said Lynch.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

UPDATED, 5: 02 p.m. More than 100 military contractors providing everything from aircraft to wrist cuffs for gloves committed civil or criminal fraud between 2007 and 2009, according to a report from the Department of Defense, yet many continued to receive funds from the department – including some barred from contracting.

The Pentagon report found that 30 contractors had been convicted of fraud between 2007 and 2009, and 91 had been the subject of civil judgments over fraud claims; some companies appeared on both lists. In addition, 120 companies had reached settlements over claims. Forty-three companies were suspended, and 164 were debarred from contracting.

The information is not typically compiled in one place, but Senator Bernard Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, requested the information through a defense spending bill last year. Covering three of the 10 years worth of data requested, the report lists many cases that are already public, including some that have received widespread news coverage, and includes no details of the cases. Still, the report provides a window into contractor fraud, which Sanders said should be paramount as Congress wrestles cutting the federal deficit.

“The people of this country want to make sure that when they spend a dollar on defense, it’s going for defense, it’s not going to companies committing fraud,” said Sanders.

Billions of dollars continued to flow to contractors even after they were found to have committed fraud, and about a dozen had been barred from contracting altogether. Still, the report concluded that “existing remedies with respect to contractor wrongdoing are sufficient. Sanders bridles at that finding, saying “the DOD has got to be a lot more vigorous in terms of its investigations, and a lot more vigorous in prosecuting those people who have committed fraud.”

One of the companies named in the report is Raytheon Co.’s Integrated Defense Systems, which is based in Tewksbury. But the company said it was included in error; it had agreed to pay about $213,000 to settle a dispute over a Patriot missile component, but had not been the subject of a 2009 civil fraud judgment, as the report said.

"The Raytheon settlement referenced in the report did not relate to fraud and did not involve a civil judgment. It was a fair and amicable resolution of a dispute over contractual requirements for component testing," the company said in a statement.

Starting in mid-April, information about contractor fraud in all federal agencies will be publicly available through a database known as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System. The system was not intended to be public, but Sanders included a provision in another war spending bill making the information public.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — In a ceremony at the White House today, President Obama signed the final ratification documents for the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia. The United States and Russia are expected to exchange ratification documents this weekend, thereby bringing the treaty into force, according to Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Kerry was Obama’s point man in winning Senate ratification for the treaty.

“The new treaty represents an important milestone in arms control agreements between the United States and Russia,” said Kerry, in a statement issued after the signing ceremony.

“Anytime we reduce the number of nuclear weapons deployed by these two countries, we make the world a safer place for everyone. The agreement signed today by President Obama, which was ratified in a bipartisan Senate vote in December, means that American inspectors will once again be visiting Russian nuclear installations and the number of nuclear weapons deployed by both countries will be reduced. When the treaty enters into force this weekend, it will signal to other nations that the United States and Russia are working together to reduce their arsenals and stop the spread of nuclear weapons technology to other countries.”

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, responded to Egyptian President Mubarak’s announcement today that he would not seek reelection by urging Mubarak to “work with the military and civil society to establish an interim caretaker government.”

“It remains to be seen whether this is enough to satisfy the demands of the Egyptian people for change,” said Kerry, in a statement. “We arrived at this point because millions of Egyptians spoke with one voice and exercised fundamental rights we Americans hold dear. They made it clear the future they want is one of greater democracy and greater economic opportunity. Now, that future belongs to them to shape. The Egyptian people are writing the next chapter of Egyptian history.

“Much work remains to be done to turn this auspicious moment into lasting peace and prosperity,” said Kerry. “Egyptians must now prepare for elections and achieve a peaceful transition of power. The military must continue to show the restraint it has so admirably exercised these past days. And opposition leaders must come together to develop a process that will ensure that all of Egypt’s voices are heard.

“As friends of the Egyptian people, there is much that the United States can do as well. Egypt has been a close ally of the United States for many years, and it is my fervent hope that our relationship can grow stronger as the Egyptian people take control of their destiny.”

Kerry had urged Mubarak to step aside in a New York Times column published this morning.

By Mark Arsenault

WASHINGTON — US Representative Bill Keating, the newest member of the Bay State’s House delegation, has been named to three House committees: Small Business, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, according to a statement from Keating’s office.

“Our top priority must be creating jobs,” said Keating, in touting his appointment to the Small Business Committee. “For the 15 years prior to the start of our current recession, small businesses created approximately sixty-four percent of the new jobs in this country. We need to recreate an environment where that is once again possible, and we can do that by creating tax incentives and making smart investments in areas such as clean energy. The local businesses on Massachusetts’ South Shore and Cape are an integral part of the fabric of our community, and I will fight on the Small Business Committee to make sure they are flourishing once again.”

The House Small Business Committee has jurisdiction over small business regulation and federal funding, and oversees the Small Business Administration, which provides loans, counseling and other assistance to small business owners throughout the country, said Keating.

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

Senator Scott Brown laid out his most ambitious legislative agenda yet on Monday, proposing a package of six bills – one of which already has a Democratic cosponsor – that address policy ranging from technology innovation to fishery regulation.

Brown, whose role last year as an occasional GOP ally of Democrats irked conservatives who helped elect him, admitted that it won’t be easy to pass the measures aimed at increasing jobs and encouraging innovation in Massachusetts.

But “bipartisanship is a two-way street,” he told the North Suburban Chamber of Commerce in Woburn, pledging to support good ideas regardless of sponsors’ political affiliation.

Speaking later in the day to the Globe, he said that “there’s plenty of time for partisanship,” but said that the parties must work together to solve the nation’s economic woes.

“Our country’s hurting, and we need to create jobs,” he said. “The way to do it is to work together… The people are demanding it.”

As of Monday evening, only one of the bills had been introduced, the Innovate America Act, which Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, is cosponsoring. That bill would expand tax credits for university-funded technology, fund 100 new high schools that focus on science, technology and math, and lift regulator barriers for high-export industries.

The five other bills address a panoply of other measures that Brown said will create jobs in Massachusetts. One bill, the Medical Device Tax Relief Act, makes good on Brown’s promise to seek the repeal of a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers opposed by device makers.

The Expediting Lifesaving Medicines Act would streamline the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for new medications, creating priority reviews for diseases that are rare or affect children – a bill that would also prove greatly beneficial to the state’s enormous biotech industry.

A bill overhauling how fishery analyses are conducted would make the reviews annual and independent – a proposal aimed at coastal fishing communities that have long chaffed under federal fishery regulations. Still another would expand tax credits for business that hire veterans.

Klobuchar is so far the only cosponsor of any of the bills; Brown will be seeking cosponsors from both parties for the other legislation, he said.

The financial implications of the legislation are unclear, as the bills have not been analyzed by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, but they will neither raise taxes nor add to the deficit, according to a Brown spokeswoman.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, called on the Egyptian government to use restraint in dealing with a wave of protests across the country.

“The events unfolding across Egypt are cause for grave concern," Kerry said in a statement. "Egypt is an important American ally which took brave and bold steps to make peace with Israel, and we will never forget that President Sadat paid for that act of courage with his life. It was in that time of turmoil and challenge that Hosni Mubarak became President.
The remainder of Kerry's statement:

“Now, President Mubarak faces a different kind of challenge. I call on the Egyptian government and security forces to exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and to respect the human rights of its citizens to seek greater participation in their own government. The Egyptian government also should immediately restore communications and access to social networking sites. I hope the people of Egypt will continue to remember the lessons and legacy of peaceful protesters from Gandhi to Dr. King and to exercise their right to be heard in that tradition, which will rally peaceful people everywhere in solidarity.

“We know that repression will not remedy the problems that leave people in Egypt and across the Middle East feeling hopeless and frustrated. In the final analysis, it is not with rubber bullets and water cannons that order will be restored.

“The time has come for governments in the region to urgently improve governance and transparency, open the field to true opposition and new political identities, create real avenues for listening to and considering the wants and needs of their citizens, and demonstrate to younger generations that they will have better opportunities tomorrow than they do today. In the case of Egypt, President Mubarak has the opportunity to quell the unrest by guaranteeing that a free and open democratic process will be in place when the time comes to choose the country’s next leader later this year.”

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, has been named to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

“Small businesses are the engines that drive our economy, and I look forward to fighting for policies that will help them grow,” Brown said in a statement. “During these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we implement commonsense initiatives to give entrepreneurs the confidence to expand and hire more workers. I am excited to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to spur economic growth and put people back to work.”

The Small Business Committee reviews all proposed legislation and issues relating to the Small Business Administration, a federal agency charged with helping small companies.

Brown also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Former Governor Mitt Romney today criticized President Obama’s State of the Union address, saying he lacked leadership and a clear direction to steer the country out of the economic downturn.

“President Obama knows where he wants to go, but he has no idea how to get there,” Romney wrote in a blog post on his website. “Under President Obama's economic leadership, more Americans have lost their jobs than any time in modern history.”

“The on-the-job economic education of the President has cost American families almost a trillion dollars in failed stimulus schemes and, unfortunately, he's still failing the course,” he added. “Rhetoric, however soaring, does not put pay checks in pay envelopes at the end of the week."

Romney also took a jab at one of Obama's proposals, to build more high speed rail projects as a way to put people to work.

"You can't build a high speed rail system fast enough to outrun the President's misguided regulations, higher taxes or lack of focus on jobs," Romney wrote. "Hopefully he is learning. American families are depending on him."

Romney has been weighing a second run for the Republican presidential nomination.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe Staff

Representative Edward Markey's BPA-bottle battle begins anew.

The Malden Democrat today introduced a bill that would prohibit use of BPA -- bisphenol-A -- in food and drink containers. The chemical, which is used to harden plastics, has been at the center of a contentious scientific debate on whether its overuse threatens the health of Americans, particularly children.

Studies in laboratory animals suggest the chemical might increase the risk of developmental problems in some fetuses and young children; other researchers say the evidence is too scant to draw assumptions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 90 percent of Americans have traces of the chemical in their urine.

Markey's bill would ban BPA in all reusable containers and in the plastic lining of canned food and other disposable containers. It would also require the Food and Drug Administration to review other substances in food and drink containers and limit their use if the agency determines they may pose health risks.

“Feeding time for babies should be laced with love not laced with chemicals. Parents have enough to worry about without wondering if the bottles they use to feed their children are safe or if the can of formula they have warmed up is harmful to their health,” Markey said in a statement. “This legislation will help keep BPA out of our bodies while also ensuring that all food and beverage containers are free from dangerous chemicals.”

In the last congressional session, the House passed a food safety bill that contained Markey's provision directing the FDA to study BPA, but the Senate stripped that provision from the bill.

Canada, France, and Denmark prohibit the use of BPA in baby bottles. Massachusetts is one of several states that limit its use.

A trade group rejected the need for a law restricting BPA.

“Regulatory agencies around the world, including FDA, have evaluated the science and support the safety of BPA in materials for food contact products, including products intended for use by children,'' said Steve Hentges in a statement. Hentges is with the American Chemistry Council's Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Senator Scott Brown is seeking to leverage his upcoming book for maximum political gain, asking federal regulators whether he can co-mingle the activities related to his book tour with some of his reelection efforts.

Daniel B. Winslow, a lawyer for Brown’s campaign committee and a state representative from Norfolk, is asking the Federal Election Commission whether the Brown can tap his campaign account to buy thousands of copies of his soon-to-be-released book and distribute them to friends and political supporters.

"The committee proposes to use campaign funds to purchase up to several thousand copies of the book to be used solely in campaign related activities, such as distributing signed and unsigned copies to financial contributors and other 'political supporters' as 'thank you' gift," Winslow writes.

The campaign would either forgo royalties from the sales of the campaign-related purchases, or would donate the money to charity, Winslow wrote. That would allow Brown to avoid violating laws that prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for personal financial benefits.

Brown’s book – Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks and Second Chances -- is slated to be published Feb. 20 by Harper Collins, and the Massachusetts Republican is planning to launch a national book tour during the Senate’s February recess. The book contract has already been approved by the US Senate’s select committee on ethics.

Brown’s office declined to comment on the FEC request, but campaign finance watchdogs said it appeared to be fairly standard.

“It’s clear from the paperwork filed with the FEC that Senator Brown’s lawyers are taking this seriously and doing everything to stay on the right side of the law,” said Paul S. Ryan, an attorney at the Campaign Legal Center, which closely monitors campaign finance issues. “There’s some close calls here in terms of the nitty-gritty fine lines [of campaign finance law], but there are no major red flags here.”

Brown is also asking the FEC whether Brown can hold fundraisers in cities during his publisher-sponsored national book tour – and, if not, whether Brown could reimburse the publisher for certain portions of the trip that involved political fundraisers.

He also wants his campaign to be able to collect information during book events, and would like to use his campaign website, Facebook page, and Twitter account to promote the book. Brown’s campaign committee also has 8,000 phone numbers from supporters that it could send text messages to, the letter said.

“The Committee would like to maximize the political benefits of promoting Senator Brown's book by leveraging these social media sites,” Winslow wrote to the commission.

Using memoirs to advance a politician’s career is nothing new – President Obama’s books became best sellers and brought him financial and political fortunes -- nor are ethical requirements around them.

When Joseph Lieberman sought to give away copies of his memoir, In Praise of Public Life, in 2004, he declined to take royalties from books that were purchased through his campaign.

Sarah Palin also used her political action committee to buy thousands of copies of her book, “Going Rogue.” She then mailed copies to her donors. Her campaign spent more than $63,000 for “books for fundraising donor fulfillment,” according to ABC News.

Because she was not a candidate for office, and because she was using a leadership PAC for the funding, the legal requirements for her would have been looser, according to Ryan.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Representative Barney Frank lashed out today at Republican efforts to cut federal spending to 2008 levels, saying the move would deal a crippling blow to regulators' ability to oversee financial markets and implement the overhaul of financial regulations passed last year.

Frank warned that not only does funding need to be maintained at current levels, it needs to be increased so the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading can hire hundreds of employees to issue and enforce a slew of regulations under the new law.

"I had hoped it wouldn’t be this way," Frank said today at a press conference on Capitol Hill.

Republican Representative Scott Garrett of New Jersey, chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, responded in a statement that "a dramatic spending increase to fund the SEC and CFTC, as envisioned by the authors of the Dodd-Frank legislation, would further the mindset that our nation’s problems can be solved with more spending, not more efficiency."

“During our country’s current debt crisis, all branches of government – including Congress – have to tighten their belts and find ways to make their money go further," said Garrett who also chairs the budget task force of House conservative caucus Republican Study Committee. "Government agencies must learn to operate effectively within their budgets like American families and businesses do every day as we work to get our fiscal house in order.”

Frank, who co-authored the financial overhaul law that bears his name, said the amount of money needed to fund the overhaul is minuscule compared to the federal budget. And he pointed to a caveat in the rollback of spending levels that exempts security spending.

"We're arguing the security of the average American was far more endangered by the financial crisis than by a lot of other things that our military does," Frank said.

Frank, the ranking minority member on the Financial Services Committee, said this afternoon that Garrett's position "reinforces my fear that Republicans are attempting to cripple regulation by failing to fund it.

"The budgets he wants them to operate within are budgets which pre-date financial regulation, pre-date regulation of derivatives, and pre-date investor protection," he said.

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- It is the political equivalent of a heavyweight boxing match: a round of military base closures that determines which military facilities around the country should be shuttered or consolidated and which ones should stay open.

And even though the next round is not slated to begin for another four years, Bay State pols are already huddling with fellow New England lawmakers and industry leaders to plot strategy on how to protect Hanscom Air Force Base, Natick Soldier Systems Center and other defense installations such as shipyards that are critical to the region's economy.

Tomorrow, Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown will host a meeting in Washington for a variety of New England's elected officials and industry leaders to begin coordinating their efforts to make New England's case in the face of powerful political blocs across the country who will be sharpening their arguments for why their bases are more important.

"We believe this is a valuable opportunity to sit down with interested parties in the technology industry to help formulate the regional strategy and to discuss specific and measurable actions that could provide greater [Department of Defense] access to, and visibility for, a growing innovation technology economy across New England," Brown, a Republican, and Kerry, a Democrat, wrote last week in inviting organizations like the Massachusetts High Technology Council to attend a briefing in Washington.

The last time Congress set up a bipartisan Base Realignment and Closure Commission, in 2005, Massachusetts fared quite well, ultimately seeing Hanscom and Natick's missions expanded. But that was only after a fierce struggle, including millions of dollars in lobbying expenses and consulting fees to make the right arguments to the panel.

And the next BRAC round, expected in 2015, is not likely to be any easier.

"The work in this sector in our respective states is not just critical to the future of our economy, but it is also critical to our national security," the senators wrote.

By Matt Viser and Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown will sit with Delaware Democrat Tom Carper at tomorrow’s State of the Union speech, one of many across-the-aisle pairings planned by lawmakers to show civility and bipartisanship in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings earlier this month.

Brown and Carper bonded last year during a congressional trip to overseas war zones, shortly after Brown was elected last January. During the trip, the two senators worked out in military gyms and had a late-night dinner at a Marriott in Islamabad, where they discussed their own military service, how they met their spouses, and their children (Brown has two daughters, Carper two sons).

“One of the things that missed around here is lack of trust,” Carper said in an interview last May. “The ability to spend personal time and get to know each other a bit” helps build more bipartisan trust. The trip, which Carper led, included several other congressional members.

Brown’s office confirmed he would sit with Carper for the speech, but declined to elaborate this morning.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders today paused to pay tribute to President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address that motivated a nation 50 years ago.

In the rotunda of the US Capitol, congressional officials, aides, and Kennedy family members listened in silence to the 14-minute, 1,355-word speech that Kennedy delivered on a blustery day in 1961.

Top congressional leaders – including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – attended the event.

“Sadly, this is the first congress to convene without a Kennedy since the Truman administration,” Boehner said, before looking over at the president’s daughter. “Caroline, there’s still time.”

Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, both delivered remarks.

“It took President Kennedy just 1,355 words to summon a new generation and set in motion generations of service and sacrifice – to reignite the fires of idealism and patriotism in millions of Americans,” Kerry said.

Several Republians attended -- including Boehner and Representative David Dreier, a California Republican -- but Senator Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican, was not among them. Brown had used President Kennedy's image during an ad in his special election campaign last year. In the ad, grainy footage of Kennedy delivering a 1962 speech on using tax breaks to spur the economy then morphed into Brown. Democrats panned the ad, but Brown advisers said it marked a key moment that helped his campaign catch fire.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – The House late this afternoon voted to repeal President Obama’s signature health care plan, the first major action of the Republican-controlled chamber but one that is almost certain to be stifled in the Senate.

“When I think of the 2,000-page bill, I think of a block of cheese out there, pretty tempting looking,” said Representative Billy Long, a newly elected Republican from Missouri. “Well the Americans I hear from, they don’t want that cheese. They want out of the trap of government-run health care.”

Three Democrats joined all 242 Republicans in voting for the repeal. The three Democrats who voted for the repeal were Mike McIntyre, of North Carolina; Dan Boren, of Oklahoma; and Mike Ross, of Arkansas.

The 10 members of the all-Democratic Massachusetts delegation voted against the repeal measure.

“Some may call it political catharsis, others may chalk it up to theater, pure and simple,” said Representative John Tierney, a Salem Democrat. “Let’s be clear: the positive impact that the existing health care reform law is having on millions of residents and families in all our districts is very real.”

Representative Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, spoke out against the repeal plan and held up a giant posterboard of two Lexington, Mass., parents holding a newborn baby. The woman, Markey said, had been denied coverage while she was pregnant because her husband switched jobs and the new plan said her pregnancy was a “preexisting condition.”

“It is just plain wrong,” Markey said. “New parents expect sleepless nights, not their insurance companies denying them coverage. New parents should worry about the baby, and not the medical bills.”

Several times during the debate, Democrats invoked the name of former Governor Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts Republican who helped pass the Bay State's landmark 2006 health care law. Romney’s advocacy of the Massachusetts law is seen as one of his chief hurdles in his expected presidential bid.

“This legislation is modeled after a modest, market-driven proposal offered by that left-winger, Mitt Romney,” said Representative Richard E. Neal, a Springfield Democrat. “But what do we hear? The usual scare tactics.”

Still, the debate through much of the day had few of the fireworks that have guided much of the debate over health care. There were no protesters outside the Capitol this morning, as there were last March when Democrats initially passed the legislation.

Both Republicans and Democrats appeared to tamp down their rhetoric in the wake of the shooting in Arizona. Republicans rarely referred to any “job killing” legislation, opting instead for terms like “job destroying”

Even Representative Joe Wilson -- the Republican from South Carolina who received national attention when shouting “You Lie” during President Obama’s address to Congress on health care – was subdued in his remarks.

“The takeover will cripple small businesses,” he said, without raising his voice. “The liberal health care takeover destroys jobs, limits freedoms, and expands big government.”

The passage of the repeal is largely symbolic, because the Senate, still controlled by Democrats, is highly unlikely to consider or pass the measure. President Obama would also veto any legislation, were it to reach his desk.

Senator John Kerry released a statement tonight saying the bill had no chance of passing the Senate.

"If the House bill became law, it would cost Massachusetts billions of dollars, erode Medicare for one million Bay State seniors, and effectively cripple the largest sector of the Massachusetts economy," Kerry said. "...The Senate now becomes the last line of defense for good public policy.”

But Republicans are hoping to keep the health care debate alive over the next election cycle, hoping it will lead to the ouster of President Obama and a majority in the Senate.

In the meantime, Republicans have started looking for an alternative course, scheduling hearings to grapple with reforming the medical malpractice insurance system and trying to repeal some specific provisions, such as a new tax on medical devices.

Democrats appear willing to make changes – but remained opposed to a wholesale repeal.

“If there is a problem with the bill, we should tweak it and change it, not repeal it,” said Representative Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York. “This is political theater, it’s a charade, it isn’t going anywhere. Let’s put our heads together and see what makes sense…I’m willing to change the bill.”

Republicans are also laying plans to eliminate or reduce funding for certain agencies that will be in charge of enacting the new law, with one of the first targets being billions that the Internal Revenue Service will need to ramp up enforcement efforts.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts, under a deal finalized today with the federal government, is slated to receive upwards of $150 million in additional Medicaid funding that will help shore up hospitals that treat many of the state's low-income patients, including Boston Medical Center and Cambridge Health Alliance.

The funding comes on top of roughly $300 million that the federal government already agreed to pay for the purpose last fall. Senator John F. Kerry helped lobby the Obama administration for the additional funding.

"It was really key that we do this, it was critical," Kerry said in an interview this afternoon. "We've got safety net hospitals that are on the brink. The lack of this (funding) would have been devastating to our hospitals."

The state's so-called safety net hospitals have been struggling since 2006, when the state's ground-breaking health insurance law phased out special payments to BMC and Cambridge Hospital for treating the poor. These payments are now being used to subsidize health coverage for thousands of newly insured residents.

According to the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, 98.1 percent of Massachusetts residents now have health insurance, including 99.8 percent of children. The new federal health care law will provide additional Medicaid funding for hospitals like Boston Medical Center, but not until 2014. The infusions of federal funding are intended to bolster those institutions in the meantime.

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- US Representative Barney Frank and Newton Mayor Setti Warren are sounding alarm bells about possible cuts to federal community development block grant programs as Republican budget hawks begin looking for ways to trim federal spending.

The block grant program provided $4.4 billion to cities and towns across the nation last year for various programs targeted at low-income communities, including purchases of foreclosed homes, foreclosure counseling, job training and day care. Massachusetts communities received $36 million of that.

Frank and Warren, at a press conference on Capitol Hill today, said losing the funding would further cripple cities and towns that already are facing fiscal crises as they try to recover from the largest economic downturn since the Great Depression.

"This is what we are worried about," said Frank, who was flanked by congressmen and mayors from Rhode Island, New York, California, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Republicans, who have promised to cut $100 billion from the federal budget, so far have not publicly targeted the block grant program for reduction, but Frank said expects they will because GOP leaders have tried to cut the program before.

A spokesman for House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan did not immediately return messages left seeking comment.

In Massachusetts last year, the program gave $21 million to Boston, $4.9 million to Worcester and $4.4 million to Springfield. The funds are earmarked for community development, and can be used in a variety of ways, including small business assistance and job retention programs.

"It's a critical resource," said Warren, whose city of Newton received a little more than $2 million last year. "This gives mayors the ability to focus funds where they are most needed."

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe staff

Buffeted and buried by another potent noreaster, New Englanders are probably not expending much energy thinking about global warming. They should be, say a couple of lawmakers who had unsuccessfully spearheaded climate legislation last year.

Figures released today on the global climate are disturbing, say Senator John F. Kerry and Representative Edward Markey. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last year tied 2005 for the hottest year since scientists started tallying global temperatures in 1880. And government figures show it was the wettest year ever.

The data should prod action on Capitol Hill, Kerry and Markey say.

“How many times do we have to be smacked in the face with factual evidence before we address global climate change?,'' Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement. "Report after report keep confirming it’s getting worse every year. Will we find common ground and adult leadership or keep piling the science on a shelf to collect dust?”

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON _ The Pentagon's top investigator is vowing an "all-out pursuit" of any employees who may have downloaded child pornography after his agency acknowledged that 1,700 potential suspects who were referred to military investigators four years ago were never screened.

Gordon S. Heddell, the Department of Defense's Inspector General, said in a statement to the Globe today that his office, which oversees the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, is working aggressively to correct the mishandling of the cases and pursue any remaining suspects.

"I can assure those with questions that my office is conducting an aggressive pursuit of anyone implicated in Operation Flicker and that it is a key investigative priority," Heddell said in his first public statement on the matter.

"The sexual exploitation of any child is a tragedy," he added. "We are reviewing each and every Operation Flicker referral DCIS has received so as to ensure action is taken regarding allegations involving individuals with connections to the Department of Defense."

The Pentagon agency has come under fierce criticism in recent months for its role in the child pornography investigation that was spearheaded by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has jurisdiction for such federal crimes under its customs mandate.

The Globe reported earlier this week the Pentagon checked only 3,500 out of 5,200 individuals who were suspected of downloading child pornography.

The partial screening, which was conducted in 2007, identified 302 individuals who were either military personnel, civilian employees, or private contractors. Some of those held high-level security clearances and worked at sensitive intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on enemy communications. Several also accessed the images on their work computers, a separate violation.

Out of the 302 cases, 70 were eventually pursued, while only a handful resulted in prosecutions. The agency said that many cases were dropped for lack of evidence, but also acknowledged that child pornography was not treated as one of the agency's investigative priorities at the time, when it was under different leadership.

"However," Heddell said today, "our re-investigative efforts are focused on determining the exact number" of Pentagon workers who may have been involved.

Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and senior member of the Judiciary Committee, has disparaged the agency's approach to the matter since the cases were first reported by the Globe last summer. In addition to the potential exploitation of minors, Grassley has also expressed concern that individuals with access to secret information could be blackmailed or otherwise compromised by American enemies if they are in possession of child pornography, a crime that could bring up to 20 years imprisonment.

"We want a change in behavior in the Defense Department where things of this criminal nature are a top priority, even more than government employees at other agencies because of the national security connections," Grassley told the Globe in an interview earlier this week.

It was in response to Grassley's inquiries that officials reported late last year that the Pentagon had never followed up on all the individuals referred to the agency in the first place.

A spokesman for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service could not predict how many of the remaining names might have military connections, nor when the review would be complete.

Heddell said his office is working with ICE, along with investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Army's Criminal Investigative Division, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Grassley said that the statute of limitations has probably expired for criminal charges to be brought against any violators but said he would press for administrative punishment for anyone who is implicated.

Bender can be reached at bender@globe.com.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Senator Scott Brown this afternoon said he would support legislation designed to help first responders who became sick from working at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Brown joined Republicans earlier in helping block the legislation, but there has since been a major campaign to get the bill approved. Several changes have also been made to win Republican support, including lowering the cost.

“The first responders on September 11th unselfishly risked their lives when our nation needed them the most,” Brown said this afternoon in a statement. “Their heroic efforts should never be forgotten. I am pleased that we were able to come together and agree upon a workable solution that provides care to these brave Americans. After many months of working on this effort, I am proud to vote for this bill."

Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, also supports the bill and voted in favor of it earlier this month when it was blocked by Republicans.

The legislation would aid first-responders whose illnesses are linked to the attacks, providing $4.2 billion for a fund to compensate those who became ill after being exposed to toxic chemicals at the World Trade Center site.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this afternoon, followed by the House.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – A large defense contract that could provide up to 400 jobs in Lynn made it into a spending bill that the Senate approved today, allowing a project on a controversial jet engine to continue for the next few months.

Although the legislation does not include a specific provision for a backup engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a key interpretation from the Office of Management and Budget indicates that the project will continue to be funded. The budget office sent a letter today to several senators, including Senator John Kerry, saying that the legislation would allow funding for the project to continue.

The legislation, which is part of a temporary budget bill that keeps the federal government running until March 4, also includes a provision that allows the Navy to award 10 new Navy coastal ships. The combat ships would be built by a consortium including General Dynamics, which said it would add 500 jobs to an electronics plant in Pittsfield if the project is approved. The Pentagon has backed the move to increase the order of new ships from 10 to 20.

“When jobs come and go it can hollow out a community and we all worked our tails off to make sure that didn’t happen,” Kerry said in a statement. “We’ve been on pins and needles to see if we were successful and it ended up better than we could have hoped.”

“Bottom line, this means hundreds of good jobs in our state when every single one counts, and I’m proud that we fought every inch of the way,” he added. “This is the great part of being a Senator when you can get on the phone and advocate just like a good Mayor.”

The bill was approved today by the Senate, and the House is expected to follow later tonight.

That alternate engine, which would be built by General Electric and would result in 400 jobs in Lynn, has been criticized by taxpayer watchdogs for several years as a waste of defense dollars. The Pentagon has said it needs only one engine for the new fighter, and the Obama administration opposes the project.

Funding for the jet engine was set to run out Thursday, and GE officials had been desperately trying to get further authorization for it included in a stopgap budget bill.

Still, the funding will only continue for several months. Supporters of the project will then have to find a longer-term solution.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHIGNTON -- After a bitter fight that threatened to upend a history of bipartisanship on arms control, the Senate has voted overwhelmingly to take up the the nuclear arms pact with Russia, marking a key victory for President Obama's agenda to reduce nuclear proliferation and a hard-won achievement for Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, who is shepherding the treaty over fierce opposition from Republican leaders.

By a vote of 67 to 28 -- including 11 Republicans -- the Senate moved to a full vote on the New START Treaty with the support of enough senators to reach a two-thirds majority that is required for treaty ratifiction.

The so-called "cloture" vote paves the way for the Senate to vote on the full treaty in the coming hours.

Kerry released the following statement on the occasion.

“Today’s bipartisan vote clears a significant hurdle in the Senate. We are on the brink of writing the next chapter in the 40-year history of wrestling with the threat of nuclear weapons. We’ve spent months building toward this moment. In these final hours of debate, Senator Lugar and I are joined by so many senators who understand the significance of this moment. Together, we will do our very best to convince those who remain undecided that ratifying New START is the right step for our national security.

“For nearly a week, we’ve been engaged in a healthy exchange of views. Those who are skeptical have voiced their concerns and we have listened carefully. They’ve made significant contributions to the dialogue. They are motivated by the same concern for our national security as those of us who see this agreement as vital to our national security. All eyes will be on the Senate in these last hours of debate and all will see a victory for common sense and the Senate act in its best traditions.”

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Momentum is building in the US Senate toward the ratification of the New START arms control treaty with Russia, with the decision this morning of Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to back the treaty.

“I am convinced that Americans are safer and more secure with the New START treaty than without it,” Alexander announced in a floor speech this morning.

The treaty would reduce strategic warheads by about a third on each side, to 1,550, and set up protocols for inspections of each nation’s warheads.

The treaty needs 67 votes to be ratified. The entire Democratic caucus is expected to support it, meaning it needs at least nine Republican votes to be ratified. A rough count based on the public statements of Republican senators puts the treaty on the cusp of having enough votes to pass.

Massachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown announced last evening that he will support New START.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – A large defense contract that could provide up to 500 jobs in Pittsfield is included in a spending bill that Congress is expected to vote on tomorrow, but a separate contract that could mean 400 jobs in Lynn is still in limbo.

The legislation, which is part of a temporary budget bill that the House and Senate will vote on tomorrow, includes a provision that allows the Navy to award 10 new Navy coastal ships. The combat ships would be built by a consortium including General Dynamics, which said it would add 500 jobs to an electronics plant in Pittsfield if the project is approved. The Pentagon has backed the move to increase the order of new ships from 10 to 20.

But the bill does not include any specific provision for another major defense contract with impacts on Massachusetts – a backup engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

That project, which would be built by General Electric and would result in 400 jobs in Lynn, has been criticized by taxpayer watchdogs for several years as a waste of defense dollars. The Pentagon has said it needs only one engine for the new fighter, and the Obama administration opposes the project.

Funding for the jet engine will run out Thursday, and GE officials had been desperately trying to get $450 million authorized in a stopgap budget bill.

A spokesman for GE warned that the decision to not specifically include the project in the temporary budget bill might not mean the end of the project. The spokesman, Rick Kennedy, said it could come down to an interpretation of the law by the Office of Management and Budget.

Because the temporary budget bill continues funding at fiscal 2010 levels -- when the alternate engine was funded -- GE officials assume the project will continue to be funded.

The bill the House and Senate plan to vote on tomorrow would keep government running at previous levels through March 4.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe staff

Senator John Kerry today won approval in the Senate of a bill that toughens regulations banning the removal of fins from sharks caught in US waters.

The bill, sponsored by the Massachusetts Democrat, closes a key loophole that allowed fishermen to remove the fin as long as it was done on land.

Shark fins are considered a delicacy in Far East cuisine and are sold for hundreds of dollars a pound. Overhunting of the sharks for their fins has decimated their population, with about 78 million sharks killed a year, according to the Pew Environment Group. About 30 percent of the world's species is close to the threat of extinction, said the group, which lauded Kerry's bill.

The United States is considered a major exporter of sharks.

"Some populations, such as scalloped hammerheads and dusky sharks along the Eastern US coast, have plummeted by as much as 80 percent since the 1970s,'' said Matt Rand, director of the Pew Environment Group’s Global Shark Conservation Campaign, in a written statement.

Often fishermen will remove the fins, then return the shark to the ocean for a slow death.

 “Shark finning has fueled massive population declines and irreversible disruption of our oceans,” Kerry said.  “Finally we’ve come through with a tough approach to tackle this serious threat to our marine life.”

The House passed a similar bill last year but will need to take it up again before the lame duck session ends because of changes made in the Senate version.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
and the Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Gays and lesbians will soon be able to serve openly in the United States military, after a US Senate vote today to end the "don't ask, don't tell" law that has led to the discharge of some 14,000 gay service members since its establishment during the Clinton administration.

US Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts was among six Republicans who broke ranks to help Democrats overcome a procedural hurdle put up by the GOP. The vote this morning against the Republican filibuster was 63-33; at least 60 votes were needed to move the measure ahead. Final passage came in a second vote this afternoon, which passed 65-31, with eight Republicans in favor.

The House had passed an identical version of the bill, 250-175, on Wednesday. The Senate vote gives President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill a campaign promise and repeal the 17-year policy. Obama was expected to sign it next week, although the change wouldn't take immediate effect. The legislation says the president and his top military advisers must certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' fighting ability. After that, there's a 60-day waiting period for the military.

A recent Pentagon study concluded the ban could be lifted without hurting the ability of troops to fight.

Repeal would mean that, for the first time in American history, gays would be openly accepted by the military and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out.

"I just posted on my Facebook: if you could only see the tears of joy in my eyes," said Travis Hengen of Weymouth, a 37-year-old former Army counterintelligence officer discharged under the "don’t ask" policy in 2003, minutes after the Senate took action.

"It is time to close this chapter in our history," President Obama said in a statement. "It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor, and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed."

But the vote also outraged some Christian conservatives. "Today is a tragic day for our armed forces," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobbying group, in a statement. "The American military exists for only one purpose -- to fight and win wars. Yet it has now been hijacked and turned into a tool for imposing on the country a radical social agenda."

Rounding up a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate was a historic victory for Obama, who made repeal a campaign promise in 2008. It also was a political triumph for congressional Democrats who struggled in the final hours of the post-election session to overcome GOP objections on several legislative priorities before Republicans regain control of the House in January.

"As Barry Goldwater said, 'You don't have to be straight to shoot straight,' " said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to the late GOP senator from Arizona.

Sen. John McCain, Obama's GOP rival in 2008, led the opposition. The Arizona Republican acknowledged he didn't have the votes to stop the bill, and he blamed elite liberals with no military experience for pushing their social agenda on troops during wartime.

"They will do what is asked of them," McCain said of service members. "But don't think there won't be a great cost."

Advocacy groups who lobbied hard for repeal hailed the vote as a significant step forward in gay rights. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network called the issue the "defining civil rights initiative of this decade."

Supporters of repeal filled the visitor seats overlooking the Senate floor, ready to protest had the bill failed.

"This has been a long fought battle, but this failed and discriminatory law will now be history," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

The Pentagon study found that two-thirds of service members didn't think changing the law would have much of an effect. But of those who did predict negative consequences, a majority were assigned to combat arms units. Nearly 60 percent of the Marine Corps and Army combat units, such as infantry and special operations, said in the survey they thought repealing the law would hurt their units' ability to fight.

The Pentagon's uniformed chiefs are divided on whether this resistance might pose serious problems.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos has said he thinks lifting the ban during wartime could cost lives.

"I don't want to lose any Marines to the distraction," he told reporters this week. "I don't want to have any Marines that I'm visiting at Bethesda (Naval Medical Center) with no legs be the result of any type of distraction."

Admiral Mike Mullen and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, respectively, have said the fear of disruption is overblown. They note the Pentagon's finding that 92 percent of troops who believe they have served with a gay person saw no effect on their units' morale or effectiveness. Among Marines in combat roles who said they have served alongside a gay person, 84 percent said there was no impact.

WASHINGTON – Senator Scott Brown this morning said he would oppose a $1.1 trillion bill that includes at least $213 million for 174 earmarked projects for Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Republican criticized the plan in large part because it includes earmarks, which are provisions added by a legislator to a bill that directs money to a specific project, instead of going through normal funding channels that typically are reviewed by government agencies.

"It is outrageous and inappropriate to jam a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill full of thousands of earmarks through a lame-duck Congress with almost no time to debate,” Brown said this morning in a statement. “Curbing out-of-control federal spending requires us to re-examine and re-evaluate our spending priorities and restore transparency and openness to the process by allowing full, fair and open debate on amendments. Unfortunately, this omnibus does neither and represents more of the business-as-usual mentality that was rejected by the American people last month.”

Brown also said he hopes President Obama, who has also been opposed to earmarks, would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

Brown’s stance is in stark contrast to the other members in the Massachusetts delegation, who have long described themselves as proud backers of earmarks.

Brown is the only member of the delegation who did not submit any requests, although his name was erroneously included on the earmark list as a backer of an $8.7 million earmark that would benefit whaling and other museums, including ones in Salem and New Bedford.

His name is being formally removed today, according to an aide for the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Globe reported this morning that the latest Senate budget bill, released earlier this week, includes $213 million for projects in Massachusetts.

The bill includes $400,000 for the Paul Revere House in Boston’s North End, $8 million for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, and dozens of other earmarks that would be peppered throughout the Bay State.

But in addition to projects that congress considers earmarks, there are several other components in the bill that could impact the Massachusetts economy.

The bill includes $450 million for a program that is developing a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite objections from the Pentagon and a veto threat from the Obama administration. That funding, considered wasteful by the White House, is supported by most of the Massachusetts congressional delegation – including Brown -- because it would help preserve jobs at a General Electric plant in Lynn.

The legislation also includes funding for the Navy to double an order of coastal combat ships — from 10 to 20 ships — that would dramatically expand the program and would bring 500 new jobs to a General Dynamics computer manufacturing plant in Pittsfield.

The House voted last week to continue federal spending at current levels through the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The Senate is instead trying to lump together several spending packages, with earmarks included. If backers succeed — which is far from certain, given that time is running out in the lame duck session — it would still need to be approved in the House. If they don’t, the Senate would probably follow the House and attempt to continue funding the federal government at current levels.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon launched into a vociferous defense of congressional earmarks, branding Republicans “hypocrites” and pushing back against President Obama.

At one point, the soft-spoken Nevada Democrat pulled a copy of the Constitution out of his suit jacket and waived it in the air.

“The little Constitution that we have doesn’t have a lot of information in it, but what is in it is what runs this country,” he said. “And I am convinced that I do not want to give up more power to the White House, whether it’s George Bush or Barack Obama. And I’m going to fight as hard as I can against President Obama on these earmarks -- and my Republican colleagues who hate to vote for them but love to get them.”

Earmarks are provisions added by a legislator to a bill that directs money to a specific project, instead of going through normal funding channels that typically are reviewed by government agencies. President Obama and Republicans have criticized the funding practice in recent months.

Reid is pushing for a large spending bill to be approved before Saturday night -- one that includes more than $8 billion in earmarks -- when current funding authorizations expire. If Reid’s effort fails, the Senate would probably continue funding the federal government at current levels.

“People are saying, ‘Why should we vote for this, it’s got congressional directed spending in it?’” Reid said. “That’s our job. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

He also took aim at Republicans who have criticized the bill, even after they had previously requested earmarks that are included in it. For example, Mitch McConnell, Senate minority leader, has said he would fight to kill the bill, even as he sponsored earmarks worth at least $112 million in the measure, according to the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.

“Some of the people who speak out against congressionally directed spending, or earmarks, are people who have more earmarks than others,” Reid said. “They’re hoping, of course, it will pass and they can go home and do the press…saying, ‘Here I am, cut the ribbon, look what I did.’ You can’t have it both ways.”

“You can all look it up in the dictionary yourself,” he added. “But I bet if you went to H in the dictionary and found hypocrite, under that would be people who ask for earmarks but then vote against them.”

In the next breath, he said, “I would hope that we would cut down the mean-spirited talk about this, and just do our jobs.”

When asked later whether his own comment branding Republicans as hypocrites was a little mean-spirited, he said, “It could be.”

Reid also threatened to keep the Senate in session until early next year, when the next Congress officially begins, as a way to ensure votes on several other issues. Republicans have threatened to employ several delay tactics -- and they've criticized Reid for pushing to meet over the holidays.

“I hope that’s not necessary, but that’s the clock that my Republican colleagues have to run out,” Reid said. “It’s a long clock. I don’t want to be here. I’ve got a big family in Nevada, and I’d love to go back and visit with them. And I’m going to do that, but I’m not going to let the country’s work not be completed as a result of that. I get paid whether I’m here in Washington or in Nevada.”

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Representative Edward J. Markey this morning was chosen to be the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, providing the Malden Democrat with a key role that he says will allow him to block the Republican agenda.

The committee deals with issues involving the environment, energy, and public land.

“In the next Congress, Republicans will attempt to short-circuit the laws that keep our water clean, our air clear and our public lands pristine, while giving short shrift to emerging clean energy technologies that can create jobs and clean up our environment,” Markey said this morning in a statement. “With my fellow Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee, I believe we can chart a course that will continue the progress we’ve made on creating energy jobs here in America, without sacrificing our nation’s natural heritage.”

Markey, one of the most senior members in the House, has been chairing a select committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. That committee is being eliminated when Republicans take control of the House next month, and Democrats are going through a reshuffling in leadership roles.

The current chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Nick Rahall of West Virginia, is leaving to become the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Markey has served on the Natural Resources Committee since 1976.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe staff

Republican Senator Olympia Snowe declared today she would support repeal of
the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell'' policy against openly gay members
serving in the armed services.

“After careful analysis of the comprehensive report compiled by the
Department of Defense and thorough consideration of the testimony provided
by the secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
the service chiefs, I support repeal of the 'don’t ask, don’t tell' law,”
Snowe said in a statement to the Portland Press-Herald.

Snowe is known as a champion of veteran's issues and has served on the
Senate Armed Services Committee, where she was the first female senator to
chair the Subcommittee on Seapower, which oversees the Navy and Marine
Corps.

She joins her Republican counterpart from Maine, Susan Collins, in the
effort to repeal the policy. Collins and Joseph Lieberman, independent of
Connecticut, have filed a stand-alone bill in the Senate to end "don't ask"
after the Senate failed to pass the repeal as part of a larger defense
policy bill.

Her decision helps Collins build momentum for the repeal, although time is
short and demands for action on other bills are high as the Senate's
lame-duck session winds down. With Collins and Snowe, Republicans Lisa
Murkowski of Alaska, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, and John Ensign of
Nevada have signaled they would vote for repeal. All the senators who caucus with
the Democrats back repeal, except West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.

The push toward repeal gained a boost today when the House voted 250 to 175
to end the policy, potentially setting the stage for a Senate vote on the
Collins-Lieberman bill.

Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Newton and one of the House's few
openly gay members, was allowed to gavel the vote to a close. In a floor
speech, he said it was ‘‘bigoted nonsense [that] ‘‘the presence of someone
like me will so destabilize our brave young men and women that they will be
unable to do their duty.’’
Frank’s nine colleagues from Massachusetts, all Democrats, joined him
in voting for repeal.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – US Senator Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, was among nine GOP senators to vote in favor of moving forward to debate on the ratification of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia, one of President Obama’s top priorities for the remainder of the lame-duck session of Congress.

“Senator Brown believes there are still flaws in the treaty, such as the modernization of our own existing weapons, verification and missile defense, and is hopeful these issues will be worked out in a full, fair, and open debate and amendment process,” Brown’s office said in a statement after the vote.

The White House and senior Democrats have expressed confidence that they have the 67 votes needed for ratification -- two-thirds of the Senate -- and Obama has said he is prepared to delay a planned holiday vacation until the treaty is completed.

"We believe we should stay here as long as it takes to get this treaty ratified, and we are prepared to do so," said Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat.

The treaty would cut warheads on both sides and set up procedures for inspections
Several Republicans have argued that the limited time available in the lame-duck session makes it difficult to give the treaty the consideration it deserved.

With material from the Associated Press.

By Michael J. Bailey, Globe Staff

Calling new regulations an economic disaster for New England fishermen, Massachusetts congressmen are urging the House and the Senate to withhold funds from marine fisheries officials unless they boost catch limits.

For two months, members of the Massachusetts delegation and Governor Deval Patrick have been pushing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce to issue an emergency order to help the industry. The lack of action on the part of the agency is devastating to the industry and frustrating to state leaders, they say.

"Repeatedly, these discussions appear to have led to little more than speeches and broken promises,'' according to a letter from the lawmakers. "Because we feel serious consideration of all available options has not occurred, it is imperative that Congress assert itself in order to protect the livelihood of fishing communities across the country."

The letter, addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, was signed by Democratic Representatives John Tierney of Salem, Barney Frank of Newton, and William Delahunt of Quincy. They were joined by Democratic Senator John F. Kerry and his counterpart, Republican Senator Scott Brown.

The focus of their effort is the government's new way to determine quotas for some waning stocks of fish. In May, the federal government shifted strategies, pushing fishermen to form cooperatives that would share annual quotas for each imperiled species of fish within a sector.

Under this program -- dubbed catch share -- once a group exceeds its limit on a particular kind of fish, all members must cease all fishing.

In their letter, the lawmakers cited research from the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth that detailed the deleterious effects of the changes on Bay State fishermen. The research contends the changes made a handful of fishermen richer while hurting the bottom line on the vast majority plying the ocean. It also says the rules had idled two-thirds of the state's fleet chasing groundfish in the first five months of the season and half of the fleet seeking finfish.

The direct cost to the industry is $21 million, the letter says.

In response, the congressmen are asking Pelosi and Reid to withhold fiscal year 2011 funding for implementation of the catch share program until emergency relief is provided to the fishermen.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat, will vote against the tax compromise deal that cleared the US Senate this afternoon, unless there are major changes, Frank told the Globe today.

The legislation, the result of a compromise hammered out by President Obama and Senate Republicans, would extend all of the Bush-era income tax cuts for two years, renew a federal program to extend unemployment benefits for the longtime jobless, cut the payroll tax, and retain or create a series of other tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Many Democrats object to extending the tax cuts to family income above $250,000 per year, and have criticized Obama for yielding to Republican demands that the cuts be extended to all income.

Frank said he is not wedded to the $250,000 figure, but does not believe the cuts should be extended to all income. He also objects to the deal’s more generous treatment of the estate tax, which he regards as a “pure giveaway” to the wealthy, and wants assurances Social Security would be made whole, by replacing money lost due to the proposed cut in payroll taxes.

Frank said it is likely the House will hold a vote on imposing a stricter estate tax in the deal, but said he could not handicap the amendment’s chances for passage.

Republicans have warned that the deal will fall apart if major changes are made.

“I don’t accept the notion that if I vote against this [deal] it would be scuttled,” said Frank, who argued that the Senate may accept “a more reasonable package.”

Frank said a House vote on the tax deal could come later today or tomorrow.

By Mark Arsenault and Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – The US Senate this afternoon gave its final approval to a sweeping tax and stimulus package that would extend tax cuts for all Americans and attempt to jolt the economy into revival.

The Senate voted 81-to-19 in favor of the deal, with broad bipartisan support. The legislation still needs the approval of the House, something that could come as soon as late today, despite continued angst from liberal Democrats.

The compromise united in opposition two odd bedfellows on opposite sides of the political spectrum: Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist, and Republican Senator Jim DeMint, a Tea Party conservative from South Carolina. Each tried unsuccessfully to amend the package today, though with contradictory goals. Sanders wanted to strip temporary tax breaks from the wealthy from the deal, while DeMint wanted to make all the tax cuts permanent. Both proposals were knocked down, as proponents of the deal understood that any major changes probably would scuttle it. Both senators voted against the final deal.

The senators from Massachusetts, Democrat John Kerry and Republican Scott Brown, supported the compromise.

The focus of the debate now swings to the US House of Representatives. House Democrats held a closed-door caucus last night to discuss the proposal. Last week, the caucus objected – to chants of “Just say no!” – to scheduling a vote on the tax bill without major changes. But the objection came in a non-binding voice vote in the heat of emotion, and by this week House leaders began predicting that the compromise would ultimately pass.

"I think, frankly, that ultimately we will pass legislation," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters yesterday. "The vote in the Senate indicates an urgency that is felt by a broad spectrum that the middle income taxes not be increased come Jan. 1. In order to affect that, you've got to pass the bill.”

House Republican Leader John Boehner believes his members “are generally supportive, and will not insist on amendments,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said today.

The legislation, the result of a compromise hammered out by President Obama and Senate Republicans, would extend all of the Bush-era income tax cuts for two years, renew a federal program to extend unemployment benefits for the longtime jobless, cut the payroll tax, and retain a series of other tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Many Democrats object to extending the tax cuts to family income above $250,000 per year, and have criticized Obama for yielding to Republican demands that the cuts be extended to all income.

House Democrats have lately focused their ire on the estate tax, saying the deal’s proposed rate of 35 percent is too low and the thresholds of protected assets -- $5 million for individuals – are too high. Many Democrats prefer returning to 2009 rates: a 45-percent tax on assets above $3.5 million.

One option for House Democrats would be to vote on an amendment that would impose a higher estate tax, although Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has warned that the agreement will fall apart if major changes are made.
All told, the tax and stimulus package would cost about $855 billion, according to preliminary projections by the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The parties had an incentive to work together to reach the deal, with a deadline approaching that could have dire political consequences: if Congress does not pass a bill before Dec. 31, taxes will rise for most Americans.

President Obama today urged Democrats and Republican to look past what they don’t like about the deal. “That’s the nature of compromise,” Obama said. “But we worked hard to negotiate an agreement that’s a win for middle-class families and a win for our economy, and we can’t afford to let it fall victim to either delay or defeat.”

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats today released a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes a host of earmark projects, including $8 million that would go toward the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

The so-called omnibus bill, clocking in a 1,924 pages, knits together multiple appropriations bills that have not passed this year. Top Republicans vowed today to block Democrats from passing the massive spending bill, but Democrats would only need a handful of Republicans to gain a filibuster-proof 60 votes. House Republicans have also said they would eliminate earmark requests next year when they take the majority, so this would be one of the last opportunities to approve any earmarks, which are provisions that are added to a bill to direct money to a specific project.

The Kennedy Institute earmark is just one of a long list that is included in the bill. It was submitted by Representative Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, and Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat.

It would help fund an institute named for the late senator that is scheduled to open in Boston, next to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The institute, which is also being funded through private donations, has so far received $38.3 million in funds through federal earmarks.

The omnibus bill also includes $450 million for a program that is developing a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite objections from the Pentagon and a veto threat from the Obama administration. That funding, considered wasteful by the Obama administration, is supported by most of the Massachusetts congressional delegation because it would help preserve jobs at a General Electric plant in Lynn.

It also includes funding for the Navy to double an order of coastal combat ships -- from 10 ships to 20 -- that would dramatically expand the program and would bring 500 new jobs to a General Dynamics computer manufacturing plant in Pittsfield.

Senate Democrats are hoping to pass the bill by the end of the week, when the latest continuing resolution – which has kept federal spending going at last year’s levels – expires. The House passed a slightly less expensive spending bill last week.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — US Representative William Delahunt, a Quincy Democrat, will support the tax compromise deal negotiated by President Obama and congressional Republicans, Delahunt said in an interview today.

He is the first member of the Massachusetts House delegation to embrace the deal, which would extend all the Bush-era income tax cuts for two years, renew a federal program to extend unemployment benefits for the longtime jobless, cut the payroll tax and establish or retain other tax cuts for businesses and individuals.

“I’m going to support it,” Delahunt said today. “We don’t have a choice, really.” The outgoing representative, who did not run for reelection this year, said that 2 million unemployed Americans would be financially devastated if their unemployment benefits were allowed to run out. “We can’t let that happen.”

The compromise, heavily criticized by liberals and some conservatives, cleared a key procedural vote in the Senate yesterday by an overwhelming 83-15 vote. The Bay State’s senators, Democrat John Kerry and Republican Scott Brown, voted in favor. Final Senate approval is expected as early as today, before the measure moves to the House.

Delahunt said he does not like extending tax breaks to wealthy Americans, but noted that the compromise extends the breaks for only two years. “I would encourage my colleagues to support it, with the understanding that in two years they have an opportunity to review what it has meant to the economy,” he said.

Other members of the delegation have received the compromise coolly. US representatives Stephen Lynch and James McGovern said yesterday that they intend to vote no on the package, absent major revisions.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Opponents of the ban on openly gay soldiers in the US military are making one final push to repeal the policy during this lame-duck session of Congress.

The US House of Representatives today will introduce a stand-alone bill to repeal the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. The bill will be identical to “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal legislation being pushed in the US Senate by senators Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, and Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, among others.

The House bill will be introduced by US Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat of Pennsylvania and an Iraq war veteran, said Hoyer. The House has not yet scheduled a vote.

A proposed repeal of the policy contained within a large defense spending bill failed last week to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Former Governor Mitt Romney this morning criticized the tax compromise that President Obama struck with congressional Republicans, saying his party’s legislative leaders were bargaining away too much.

“Given the unambiguous message that the American people sent to Washington in November, it is difficult to understand how our political leaders could have reached such a disappointing agreement,” Romney wrote in an op-ed in USA Today. “The new, more conservative Congress should reach a better solution.”

Romney joins a growing chorus of conservative criticism over the deal, which could become a major issue during the 2012 presidential race – both in the Republican primary, and in the general election. Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and popular conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh have also criticized the plan.

The agreement would extend the tax cuts at all income levels for two years, though most Democrats, including the president, had wanted the cuts to extend only to families with incomes less than $250,000 a year.

Only five Senate Republicans voted nay yesterday in a key procedural vote. Senator John Thune, a Republican for South Dakota who is mulling a presidential run, was among those who voted for it.

Romney points out several aspects of the deal that he likes, including the reduction of payroll taxes, extending unemployment benefits, and keeping the current tax rates intact.

But he argues that the tax cuts should have been extended permanently for all brackets, saying such an approach would add more certainty to businesses making longer-term investment decisions.

Romney also criticized the package for adding to the deficit, although his approach – extending the tax cuts permanently – would add about $4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years.

“What some are calling a grand compromise is not grand at all, except in its price tag,” he added. “The total package will cost nearly $1 trillion, resulting in substantial new borrowing at a time when we are already drowning in red ink.”

“President Obama has reason to celebrate,” Romney added. “The deal delivers short-term economic stimulus, and it does so at the very time he wants it most, before the 2012 elections. But the long term health of our great engine of prosperity will remain very much in doubt.”

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The Navy said today that Lockheed Martin and shipbuilder Austal have agreed to extend a deadline for new bids on the next batch of Littoral Combat Ships, giving Sen. John F. Kerry more time to win Senate approval to expand construction of the new fleet of fast-attack boats to a second manufacturing team -- a move that could bring hundreds of new engineering jobs to a defense plant in Pittsfield.

"The extension provides time to process the LCS contract award if Congress provides authorization for the dual block buy," said Lt. Courtney L. Hillson, a Navy spokeswoman.

The vessels, called littoral combat ships, are designed for operations close to shore, including hunting submarines, sweeping for mines, and defeating terrorists and pirates in small boats.
The fleet is currently being built by a team led by Lockheed Martin, but the Navy -- with prodding by Kerry and others -- is pushing a last-minute proposal to award some of the work to a second team, which would likely benefit General Dynamics' Advanced Information Systems in Pittsfield.

Kerry has taken a leading role and hopes to get congressional approval before the congressional session ends at the end of the month.

The extension approved by Lockheed Martin and Austal will give them until the end of the month to pass the new plan, according to the Navy. "This extension does not allow the Navy to continue to work for the dual block buy authorization beyond Dec. 30, 2010," Hillson said.

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

Despite misgivings, US Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, will vote today in favor of the tax and spending compromise negotiated by President Obama and congressional Republicans, Kerry said this afternoon in a statement.

The deal extends the Bush-era tax cuts for two years, though many Democrats have long opposed extending the lower rates on family income about $250,000 per year. Republicans insist that Congress shouldn't raise taxes on anyone in a weak economy.

“I oppose extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and have voted against them since day one, every time in between, and opposed them when I ran for president," said Kerry, who was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004. "But the unavoidable reality remains that week after week, vote after vote, Senate Republicans marched in lockstep to hold middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance hostage to bonus tax cuts only for the wealthiest Americans."
The tax deal also provides for an extension of federal unemployment benefits for people who have exhausted their state benefits.

"I’m not going to stand by and see laid-off workers cut off from their lifeline or see working people take home less and less in their paychecks come January," said Kerry. "This isn’t the choice we should have to make, but it is the choice we do have to make, and governing is always about choices."

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON-- U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican, will support President Obama's tax deal with Republicans, which will come to the Senate floor for a critical procedure vote this afternoon, Brown said in a statement.

The full text of Brown's statement:

“I support the tax compromise because it will help get our economy back on track by allowing people to keep more of the money they earn. It is good for American families, for small businesses and for individuals in Massachusetts and across the country. Unemployment is still too high, and reports of ongoing job losses leave me very concerned.  Creating a climate that is good for job growth remains my number one priority, and I will continue working with the administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle until there are more jobs for Americans.”

By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON — Senator John Kerry claimed today there is a “growing bipartisan momentum” toward the ratification of the New START arms treaty with Russia, which Kerry has been pushing for months as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Every single day there’s a new, respected, Republican voice urging the Senate to ratify New START, and every day that goes by without action is one more day without our inspectors on the ground in Russia,” said Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, in a statement. “We’re working across the aisle in good faith to ensure it happens before the end of the year, and we’ll keep pressing so the treaty can be fully debated on Senate floor in the coming days.”

Three Republican senators spoke out positively for the treaty today:

US Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both from Maine, issued statements supporting the treaty. And Arizona Republican John McCain said in a speech at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies that the Senate is “very close” to an agreement on START, according to a report by Politico.

An aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today that Reid intends to bring the treaty to the floor for a ratification vote before the end of the year.

The office of US Senator Scott Brown, Republican from Massachusetts, said yesterday that Brown’s position on START is unchanged, and that Brown wants the Senate to deal with tax and spending issues before taking up other matters. The senator “continues to review START and is hopeful that before the vote on START happens, several flaws are worked out, including the modernization of our own existing weapons and assurances that it will not affect our missile defense,” according to a statement from Brown’s office.