⚽ Good morning. Team USA will play their final group stage match tonight. Do you have USMNT fever?
Headlines. Why lawmakers may need to tap into PA’s rainy day reserves The House approves bills allowing data center moratoriums and limiting tax breaks. What does the mayor of Pittsburgh do all day? How to spread butter on corn on the cob?
🎶 Your morning, pick me up. Taxpayer. The Beatles
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌂 City of Grove | Afternoon showers, 79
🌤️ Bellefonte | Partly clear, 84
☀️ Pottsville | Mostly clear, 83
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (44-36) | Washington 5-4 | Thu in Washington
⚾ Pirates (40-40) | Seattle 11-1 | Thu vs. Seattle
⚽ USMNT (2-0) | Thu vs. Türkiye
What’s happening today. Both the State House and Senate meet at 9:30 a.m.
What we hear. President Donald Trump he lunged at Senator Dave McCormick for missing Tuesday’s vote on war powers – despite the fact that McCormick was absent because he was in Macungie with Trump.
What we also hear. The Keystone Affiliate Fund was established to bring together joint fundraisers for Brian Fitzpatrick reps AND Rob Bresnahan.
And one more. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee appointed today Mark Pinsley as a Target Race candidate for Pennsylvania’s 16th Senate District.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s leading source of unbiased political news and analysis. Tips and press releases can be submitted [email protected].
PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here.
The most significant story
1. Why lawmakers may need to utilize AP’s rainy day reserves to balance this year’s budget
“A rainy day looms over the State Capitol.
As Pennsylvania lawmakers approach their June 30 budget deadline, they are grappling with rising costs for responsibilities like health care and education. There is also a multi-billion dollar gap between what the state expects to spend and what it expects to get, even taking into account recent revenue options such as taxing skill games that will soon become illegal.’ | PA reflector
Elsewhere
PA lawmakers want feds not to show up at polling places in November. “President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to crowded airports to reduce wait times raised the specter that he could send federal agents to polling places on Election Day.” | USA Today Network
PA-10: Stelson criticizes Perry for his recent vote against the bipartisan Housing Affordability Act. “U.S. Rep. Scott Perry once again voted against the bipartisan Housing Affordability Act, and his Democratic rival Janelle Stelson wasted no time attacking him for it.” | PennLive
Fetterman says ‘Democratic Party expects Israel to grovel’. “Senator John Fetterman, a pro-Israel Democrat, said Wednesday that the ‘Democratic Party expects Israel to tank’ a day after Israel-skeptical candidates swept the congressional primary in New York.” | Washington Examiner
The Trump 250 Gala takes a humiliating recent turn as more states withdraw. “Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told TNR exclusively that his state will not participate in Trump’s 250th anniversary celebration. This is the important point that Shapiro’s action demonstrates.” | New Republic
Country
2. AP House approves bills allowing data center moratoriums and limiting tax breaks as opposition grows
“On Wednesday, on largely bipartisan votes, the state House passed a pair of bills that would condition tax credits for data centers and allow municipalities to impose a six-month moratorium on recent data center development.
Additionally, the House is expected to pass a bill on Thursday that would completely eliminate tax breaks for data centers; the bill was defeated in the Appropriations Committee Wednesday evening.
The votes represent a relatively rapid paradigm shift in Harrisburg. Until recently, the prevailing view was that Republican lawmakers would be friendlier to data centers, seeing them as engines of economic growth and not wanting to disrupt the free market by over-regulating them.’ | PennLive
Elsewhere
Mail-in voting will be suspended in states that don’t comply with Trump’s order, says postmaster general. “If the rule goes into effect and Democratic-led states refuse to comply, the requirements will effectively limit mail-in voting to Republican-led states.” | Penn Capital Star
‘Basic freedom’: Shapiro defends abortion rights in Pennsylvania on anniversary of Dobbs decision. “Governor Josh Shapiro marked the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision invalidating a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion by renewing his defense of access to reproductive care in Pennsylvania.” | PennLive
Democrats’ withdrawal from the 46th Senate race clears the way for independents. “A Democrat running against State Sen. Camera Bartolotta in the 46th Senate District has withdrawn from the race, clearing the way for an independent candidate to take his place on the ballot as the only challenger to a three-term incumbent.” | Uniontown Herald-Standard
Around the Republic of Poland
3. What does the mayor of Pittsburgh do all day? His public schedules provide some insight
“Seventeen ribbon cuttings. Seventeen NFL draft events. Ten visits to senior centers. Two Lenten fish fries. And 21 rounds of phone calls with business owners.
These and more than 500 other public events paint a partial picture of Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor first five months in office.
Unlike the previous administration, O’Connor’s office publishes a schedule at the beginning of each workday that includes select meetings, press conferences and community events the mayor plans to attend. | Public source
Elsewhere
The AP Attorney General’s Office is seeking to intervene in a murder case that Philadelphia prosecutors helped overturn last month. “The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday it is appealing and seeking to intervene in a murder case that Philadelphia prosecutors helped overturn last month, the first application of a recent state Supreme Court ruling that gave state prosecutors greater oversight over their city counterparts in appellate cases.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
1 in 4 Philadelphians say preserving historic sites is the city’s most significant “responsibility to the nation,” poll finds. “The survey appears in the latest chapter in the legal dispute between the city of Philadelphia and the Trump administration over the presidential seat at Independence National Historical Park.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
The city council imposes a tax on gaming terminals, but questions remain about whether they can charge fees. “The Pittsburgh City Council passed a new tax Wednesday that officials say could bring in millions of dollars in much-needed revenue, but it’s unclear whether they’ll actually be able to collect it next year.” | Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Why Archie Bunker Voters Are Disappointed with US Politics | Alex Rosado
- Shapiro’s $5.6 Billion Deficit Threatens Pennsylvania Families with Huge Tax Hikes | Megan Martin
- Shapiro’s policies put the PA economy back on track | Pat Browne
- An Iraqi veteran’s righteous anger at Iran should resonate with every American Joyce M. Davis
- There is one clear reason why Americans are gloomy about artificial intelligence | Paweł Kedroski
- Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Just Voted to End Education Option | Andrew Lewis
- Catholic Schools: Pennsylvania’s Biggest Bargain | Frank Ryan
- Ask the cops what they think of Larry Krasner | Paul Davis
1 item
5. The proper way to butter corn cobs
“The answers ranged from the practical to the highly detailed. There were pastry brushes, butter baths, Mason jars, dedicated gadgets and techniques that seem to have survived generations of family meals. Many readers swore by rolling a hot ear of corn directly onto a stick of butter. But one method came up so often it was impossible to ignore. And as it turns out, the method has a surprisingly famous following.” | A taste of home
