By Globe Staff

Jack M. Wilson, the outgoing president of the University of Massachusetts, has been appointed as interim president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, the institute announced today.

Wilson will step down as president of the university on June 30 and become interim president and chief executive of the institute on July 1, the institute said.

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

A key witness in the federal corruption trial of former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi took the stand today with a blunt confession: “I don’t want to be here.”

Steven J. Topazio, a private attorney who shared office space and expenses with DiMasi, made the comment as he began undergoing questioning by the prosecution.

Court records say that at DiMasi’s urging, Topazio was paid $5,000 a month to be a local counsel for Cognos, a Burlington software company seeking state contracts, even though he did not perform any work. Topazio allegedly paid DiMasi $4,000 from each check.

"'It's about time we started getting business like this,'" Topazio testified DiMasi told him. "He was excited by it, and I was excited by it."

Yet he added: "I was concerned, because Cognos hadn't sent me any work to do."

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney is planning a major address on Thursday to discuss health care, in what could become a defining moment of his emerging presidential bid as he gives a prominent answer to one of his biggest perceived shortcomings.

Romney is planning to outline his plan to repeal President Obama’s health care plan and replace it with something else. The address will be given in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the University of Michigan’s Cardiovascular Center.

It will be Romney’s first major policy speech, and comes amid increasing activity in his campaign. Over the next few weeks, he is also planning to travel to Las Vegas to raise money, as well as to two early primary states, Iowa and South Carolina.

Health care has been the primary problem for Romney’s early campaign, and even his supporters have said they wanted him to address it in a prominent way. His speech on Thursday will be aimed at both winning over his critics and bolstering his supporters.

The health care plan that Romney signed as governor of Massachusetts has provided a template for the national plan signed by President Obama last year. With Republicans focused on attacking Obama’s plan, many have raised questions over whether Romney would be the right advocate for their party.

Romney has defended the Bay State plan, while saying he would repeal Obama’s national overhaul, saying it unfairly mandates a one-size-fits-all system on each state.

His campaign today provided a brief outline of his health care approach, including:

• Restore to the states the responsibility and resources to care for their poor, uninsured, and chronically ill.
• Give a tax deduction to those who buy their own health insurance, just like those who buy it through their employers.
• Streamline the federal regulation of healthcare.
• Reduce the influence of lawsuits on medical practice and costs.
• Make healthcare more like a consumer market and less like a government program.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mviser.

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.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney is planning to make a show of force next week in Las Vegas, expecting to bring in around 800 supporters to place calls around the country and display one of the most important attributes for his emerging campaign: raising money.

The supporters will start making calls next Monday around 5:30 a.m. (or 8:30 a.m. on the East Coast), according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the Globe. There will be an opening ceremony at 8 a.m.

The National Call Day will be similar to a daylong fundraising event Romney held in Boston during his last campaign, which drew 600 to 800 people and raised more than $1 million.

That event, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, was meant to highlight his home state, with the Fenway Park anthem “Dirty Water” blaring from the loudspeakers after he spoke.

This time, the event is behind held 2,700 miles away, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The invitation offered group rates at two of the strip’s most luxurious hotels – The Encore by Wynn, and the Venetian (although the group rates don’t seem to offer that steep a discount: A two-night stay in a luxury suite at the Venetian costs $174 through Romney, or $189 through the hotel website).

Regardless, the volunteers should come prepared. There is one reminder at the bottom of the invitation: "Please bring with you: cell phone, cell phone charger, iPad and/or laptop.”

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mviser.

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."

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Newt Gingrich is planning to formally announce this week that he’s running for president, one of a series of upcoming events that could put the slow-moving Republican presidential field into sharper focus.

The announcement from the former House speaker, who said two months ago that he was exploring to run for president, has been widely expected. He is planning to make the official announcement Wednesday on Facebook and Twitter, although that seems sure to be anticlimactic given that his staff is forecasting the news nearly 48 hours in advance.

Gingrich will also give an interview to Fox News that night, and is planning his first speech as a presidential candidate on Friday at a Republican convention in his home state of Georgia, according to spokesman Rick Tyler. He’ll also head to Eureka, Ill. – which happens to be Ronald Reagan’s hometown -- on Saturday to deliver the commencement address at Eureka College.

Tom Rettig / Worcester Telegram & Gazette

An aide to Scott Brown and a State Police trooper await the Republican senator and Governor Deval Patrick, respectively, before they attended Saturday's funeral in Auburn for Air Force Major David L. Brodeur. The 34-year-old was one of eight American service members shot and killed by an Afghan military officer in Afghanistan on April 27.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

On Saturday morning, Scott Brown joined his Senate colleague, John Kerry, as well as Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray in Auburn for the funeral of an Air Force officer killed by a rampaging gunman in Afghanistan.

In so doing, the officeholders conferred the weight and stature of their respective offices on the event, signaling to the public in deed if not in word that this was a moment worthy of pause amid the motion of daily life.

It’s because of the esteem the public holds for such high office that people also stopped and listened last week when Brown went on television and weighed in on the debate about whether to release photos showing Osama bin Laden after he had been shot to death by US troops in Pakistan.

“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 Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist

A warning to the good people of Massachusetts: The story that will unfold in the United States District Court in Boston over the next month will be harmful to your psyche. It will confirm every possible fear of how state government works.

To see the three defendants sitting at their separate tables in Courtroom 10 yesterday was to witness pretty much everything bad about Beacon Hill – shameless cronyism, power for the sake of personal enrichment, a hilarious arrogance that they were smarter than everyone else.

Poor Sal DiMasi. He's walking around the courthouse during the too-frequent recesses clutching people's shoulders in that clichéd political way, acting like he's still the House speaker. In reality, he's nothing more than an indigent defendant who piled up $50,000 in credit card debt and three mortgages trying to keep up with the Joneses – or, in this case, the Cashmans. This was the guy presiding over our state budget.

David L. Ryan / Globe Staff

Former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, accompanied, left, by his stepdaughter, Ashley, and, right, his wife, Debbie, arrives this morning for opening arguments in his federal corruption trial.

By Milton J. Valencia and Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

The federal corruption trial of former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi began today with a prosecutor declaring "this man found a way to cash in on that office."

Yet a defense attorney took aim at a key government witness, saying, "He's not just a gambler; he's a degenerate gambler."

Addressing a jury of eight men and eight women, Assistant US Attorney S. Theodore Merritt attacked DiMasi after posting a chart outlining the alleged conspiracy — with the former House leader at the top.

Within an hour, one of DiMasi's attorneys, William Cintolo, began the defense case, his voice booming through the courtroom very theatrically. He argued that DiMasi, in the deals under scrutiny, simply advocated for software the state needed, not in a conspiracy to receive bribes.

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 Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney continues to dominate in early polls in New Hampshire, holding onto a sizable lead in a state that is crucial for his presidential bid.

The former Massachusetts governor is favored by 35 percent of those polled, giving him a lead of more than 27 points, according to a poll released tonight by WHDH-TV.

None of the other 17 potential candidates included in the poll, which was conducted by Suffolk University, are in the double-digits.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

US Senator Scott Brown said in several televised interviews today that he had seen perhaps the most controversial and closely guarded photos in the world: those showing Osama bin Laden’s dead body.

Brown, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggested he had viewed them as part of an official briefing, and he argued that they were too graphic to be released to the public and could enflame terrorists.

Oops.

Brown later acknowledged that he had fallen victim to a hoax, apparently the same doctored images that were making the rounds on the Internet.

‘‘The photo that I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic,’’ the senator said in a one-sentence statement issued hours after the interviews aired.