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Sports PA
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✅ Reader SurveyOur readers say that Vice President Kamala Harris will choose Senator Mark Kelly (Ariz.) as her vice presidential candidate. He received 43 percent of the vote in our survey, while Governor Josh Shapiro came second with 34%. Thank you for participating.
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for Representative Malcolm Kenyatta.
🗞️ Pennsylvania Headlines >> Your Inbox. Where can you find the latest on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll bring you all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8am. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and sign up now.
The best story
1. Biden unveils Supreme Court shake-up plan as public confidence in his decisions wanes
“President Joe Biden unveils a long-awaited proposal to overhaul the U.S. Supreme Court, calling on Congress to establish term limits and a code of ethics for the court’s nine justices. It also presses lawmakers to ratify a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity.
The White House on Monday detailed the outline of Biden’s court proposal, which appears to have little chance of being approved by a closely divided Congress just 99 days before Election Day.AP)
Related
Casey beats McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate race, but GOP thinks Kamala Harris will drag Casey down“Despite some turnover at the top of the ticket, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. maintained a significant lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick in the latest polls in Pennsylvania’s statewide Senate race.” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Trump plans to return to Pennsylvania for a rally in Harrisburg on Wednesday“Less than three weeks after the assassination attempt on his life in Butler County, former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Pennsylvania for a rally Wednesday night at the State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Text messages show SWAT officers tagged shooter at Trump rally long before attack“Local officers spotted Crooks nearly two hours before he opened fire — but did not confront him until the final minutes.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Three Pennsylvania representatives named to bipartisan task force to investigate attempted bombing. “Rep. Mike Kelly (R-16), who represents Butler, the district where the shooting occurred, introduced the resolution and will serve as chairman. Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-04) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-06) are the other Keystone State legislators on the committee.” (PoliticsPA)
Country
2. How the sexual harassment scandal involving Shapiro’s assistant could affect the Pennsylvania governor’s chances for vice president
“WITH Governor Josh Shapiro emerging as a potential favorite to become Vice President Kamala Harrisvice presidential candidate, one of the few scandals to occur in his two decades of political career in Pennsylvania, has resurfaced.
The Shapiro administration has largely avoided discussion of his top aide, Mike Vereb, throughout the year, describing his departure as a private personnel matter while maintaining that it “takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously.” His silence has drawn criticism from female state legislators in both parties, who have called for a more clear accounting of what Shapiro knew about his aide’s behavior and when.”(“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Related
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is ready if his boss gets a novel job. “If Gov. Josh Shapiro becomes vice president, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis would become the youngest and first black governor of Pennsylvania in history.” (Penn Capital-Star)
Commonwealth Foundation: Harris 47, Trump 46; Casey 51, McCormick 40“The latest Commonwealth Foundation poll of ‘swing states’ in Pennsylvania finds the presidential race in the state ‘too close to call,’ while the racial gap in the U.S. Senate widens.” (PoliticsPA)
Pirates, Phillies Economic Impact Reports Tell Future Public Stadium Funding“With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies’ leases coming to an end within the next seven years, the political scramble has already begun to figure out how the state will handle the costs associated with a new stadium.” (Central Square)
NRCC names Mackenzie, Bresnahan, Mercuri on ‘Young Guns’ list“The National Republican Congressional Committee has announced its initial slate of 26 candidates for the 2024 Young Guns program, including three GOP challengers in Pennsylvania — state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and state Rep. Rob Mercuri.” (PoliticsPA)
Around the Commonwealth of Nations
3. Shapiro and Whitmer endorse Harris during Montgomery County visit
“Governor Josh Shapiro returned to his home county of Montgomery on Monday with the intention of: campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris.
He wasn’t alone. A Democratic Party colleague, Michigan, on the national stage, Governor Gretchen Whitmerjoined him at the Lower Gywnedd Township school less than a month before the Democratic National Convention and 99 days before the 2024 general election.”Lansdale Reporter)
Related
We went to Pennsylvania to ask voters how they feel. Here’s what we learned“The Morning Edition team traveled to Pittsburgh and some of its suburbs to hear from Pennsylvania voters about their thoughts on the revamped race. We knocked on doors, visited local parks and attractions, and even sat down with a family for dinner.” (NPR)
Shapiro, the winner of the battle against the MAGA candidate endorsed by Trump: Why it matters“As Democrats consider a successor in the 2024 presidential election, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s victory over a far-right state senator two years ago could show he is a battle-tested vice presidential candidate.” (Bucks County Courier Times)
Shapiro was ready to endorse Harris for president in 2019. Will she want him on her list now?? “When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president last week, it wasn’t the first time.” (PennLive)
- Josh Shapiro announces his vice presidential candidacy—straight to the point. (known)
- How Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Might Undermine a Central Issue of Her Campaign (Slate)
- Shapiro could support Harris win in Pennsylvania, but hurt her elsewhere. (Washington Examiner)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Josh Shapiro is a seasoned politician who should be Harris’ running mate. (Mary Ellen Class)
- Governor Shapiro’s promises are not worth the paper they are printed on. (His. Kristin Phillips-Hill)
- Why Kamala Harris should choose a Republican as her vice presidential candidate. (Jonathan Zimmerman)
- Democrats may have a real chance to reform the Supreme Court. (Ankush Khardori)
- When it comes to choosing vice president, it’s time for Trump to take a mulligan. (Press bill)
- Harris is giving voters a new chance to move forward — instead of reliving Trump’s years of chaos. (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
- Have the fundamentals for 2024 changed? (Stuart Rothenberg)
- There is a remarkable loophole in Pennsylvania’s firearms laws that needs to be closed. (Dana Bazelon)
- Public transportation in Pennsylvania requires a separate funding stream from the state. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
- Election security is national security—Congress should treat it as such. (Charles Aichelle)
- PA needs state-level review of Trump assassination attempt. (Representative Bryan Cutler)
- Ensuring the future of Social Security and Medicare in Northeastern Pennsylvania.Rob Bresnahan)
1 Olympic thing
5. Penn State’s Nedoroscik waited his whole life for one routine—and he did it
“Sam Mikulak drawn Stephen Nedorosciuk closed himself in and set the American pommel horse specialist an impossible task.
With the U.S. men’s gymnastics team’s first Olympic medal in 16 years just one routine away, Mikulak told the pommel horse expert that he didn’t have to push himself. That 80 percent would be enough, even though Mikulak knew full well that Nedoroscik never did anything—from sports to solving a Rubik’s Cube—at 80 percent.
As Nedoroscik approached to dismount, he knew his task was over. The celebration had begun before his feet touched the mat.” (AP)
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