May 21: Reflections From The Border

Hello, Tuesday. Another day closer to the weekend.

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Oakwood | Decreasing Clouds, 87


Williamsport | Mostly Sunny, 87


Downingtown | Mostly Sunny, 82

PA Sports


Phillies (34-14) | Tue-Thu vs. Texas


Pirates (22-26) | Tue-Thu vs. San Francisco

What We’re Hearing. The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, a prominent pro-Israel super PAC, is endorsing Bob Casey in his Senate race and Janelle Stelson in PA-10. DMFI PAC does not announce its future spending plans, but has a record of notable investments in support of its endorsees.

What’s Happening Today. The State House is in session and will swear in its newest member – Jeff Olsommer (R-Wayne/Pike)

Daily Bruce. “All my elevens and sevens been comin’ up, Sixes and nines. But since I fell for you baby, Been comin’ on changin’ times.” – Roll of the Dice

Pennsylvania. The Ultimate Swing State. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. McCormick Reflects On Trip to Southern Border, Why Senate Bipartisan Border Bill is Flawed

“Fresh from a 24-hour trip to the southern border in Yuma, Ariz., Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick spoke with PoliticsPA about the experience, what he saw and what he learned, why Chuck Schumer‘s bipartisan Senate bill is flawed, and much more in a wide-ranging interview.

“It was just an unbelievable set of experiences and data points,” said McCormick. “The two big takeaways – this is an enormous leadership failure on the part of President (Joe) Biden and (Sen. Bob) Casey, who supports Biden every step of the way.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Vice President Kamala Harris Is Returning To Philly Today. Here’s What You Need To Know. “Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Philadelphia Tuesday to deliver the keynote address at a union convention in Center City.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Warning Signs For Biden And Trump In Latest Campaign Finance Reports. “Fundraising across Joe Biden’s political operation dropped in April, a potentially worrying sign for the incumbent president who is trailing in the polls and confronting enthusiasm challenges among his base supporters. And while former President Donald Trump’s side picked up steam after taking over the Republican National Committee, it continued to spend heavily on legal bills while only slightly building up campaign operations last month, according to new campaign finance reports filed late Monday.” (Politico)

Trump Pledges To ‘Roll Back’ Biden Gun Rules, Fire ATF Chief at NRA Rally. “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pledged to unravel gun regulations put in place by Democratic President Joe Biden during a lengthy speech to the National Rifle Association on Saturday, during which he accepted the influential group’s endorsement.” (Reuters)

State

2. New PA Tourism Slogan: Pennsylvania: The Great American Getaway

“Noting that tourism generates more than $75 billion in economic impact in the Commonwealth, Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a new state tourism brand and summer travel marketing campaign on Monday in Lackawanna County.

Pennsylvania: The Great American Getaway.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Nearly 16,000 Mail Ballots Were Rejected In Pennsylvania In April. That Could Be A Larger Number In November. “Voting rights groups are preparing voter education campaigns and encouraging local officials to minimize the number of ballots rejected in November after thousands of mail ballots couldn’t be counted last month.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

A Guide To Pennsylvania’s Auditor General Race. “November’s general election features several marquee matchups with statewide implications, and while most eyes are on the presidential and U.S. Senate races, the outcome of the commonwealth’s row office races could have a significant impact on the state in the near future. ” (City & State)

PA House Bill Would Make Mental Health Training Mandatory For High School Sports Coaches. “The bill would require the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Education to review mental health resources and create a curriculum for school officials.” (Penn Capital-Star)

The Left’s ‘Sue-Till-Green’ Strategy Comes to Pennsylvania. “When climate activists use the term “environmental justice,” they mean it literally. Rather than legislating and passing laws (as is customary in a constitutional republic), they’ve turned to the courts to fight their quixotic battles. Pennsylvania is no stranger to litigating climate-related policies.” (National Review)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How A Pennsylvania County Came To Embody The Country’s Immigration Divide

“Jaime Arroyo was surprised. The 35-year-old councilman from this small city less than two hours outside Philly hadn’t expected this kind of response to a municipal ordinance, of all things. But the backlash to the Lancaster City Council’s Trust Act, or “welcoming city” ordinance, came on quickly and intensely.

Lancaster’s on-the-books policy for refusing cooperation with ICE and the blowback from GOP officials, including the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate, reveals, on a local scale, just how central immigration has become to the nation’s politics — even in a landlocked mid-Atlantic state that’s about as far as you can get in the country from the Mexico border.” (HuffPost)

Related

Jamie Walsh Files Commonwealth Court Appeal Over Ballot Date Issue. “Both Republican candidates in the tight race for state representative in the 117th House District now have pending appeals in Commonwealth Court.” (Times Leader)

Swarthmore College Will Hold Commencement Off Campus For First Time Since Its Founding in 1864. “Swarthmore College for the first time since its founding in 1864 will hold commencement off campus, due to a pro-Palestinian encampment on Parrish Lawn where the ceremony was to be held.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

70 Years After Brown v Board Of Education, School Funding Is The New Frontier In Education Equity. “This month marks the 70th anniversary of what is perhaps the most consequential U.S. Supreme Court decision of the 20th century, Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed Jim Crow laws in 17 states that required Black and white children to be educated in separate schools. As the nation commemorates Brown, Philadelphians are reflecting on their own long and complicated history with school segregation.” (Chalkbeat Philadelphia)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Donald Trump Can’t And Won’t Ever Admit He’s Wrong. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• John Fetterman Should Be Careful Throwing Political Stones. (Tribune-Review)
• PA Needs More Mergers, Sharing Services in Local Government. (Uniontown Herald-Standard)
• Two Roads Diverge in Penn’s Woods. (Lowman Henry)
• Why Is Rural Broadband So Challenging? Government Red Tape, Mostly. (Elizabeth Stelle)
• It’s Time to Get Trans Athletes on the Field. (Rebekah Reaver)

1 Thing

5. Meet Max: The Doctor of ‘Litter-ature’

As Vermont State University Castleton graduates received their degrees last weekend, so too did a tabby cat. The cat, named Max, is getting an honorary degree as a “Doctor in Litter-ature.”

Once a feral kitten in the town of Fair Haven, Max has lived with his human mom, Ashley Dow, on Seminary Street in Castleton for the past five years. And for most of those years, he’s been venturing up to the university campus.

Up there, Dow says Max likes to ride around on students’ backpacks, to pose as a subject for the college photography class, and to generally provide campus emotional support. (Vermont Public)

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