May 3: Trust the Process

And Down The Stretch We Come. Thanks for reading and supporting PoliticsPA.

PA Weather




Lower Burrell | Increasing clouds, chance of showers, 86




Grantville | Partly Sunny, 75




Horsham | Partly Sunny, 67

PA Sports




Sixers (2-4) | New York 115-118




Pirates (14-17) | Fri-Sun vs. Colorado




Phillies (21-11) | Fri-Sun vs. San Francisco




Union (3-4-2) | Sat vs. D.C. United

What We’re Hearing. “I think it’s an albatross in the sense of, if he leans more into the climate side of the party he’s going to lose people in these industries … [but] if he leans the other way, he runs the risk of isolating the environmental side.” – Samuel Chen

Daily Bruce. “So when you look at me, you better look hard and look twice. Is that me baby or just a brilliant disguise?” – Brilliant Disguise

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Top Story

1. AIPAC Halts Campaign Fundraising for Perry, Other GOP Members Who Voted Against Israel Aid

“The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has pulled funding for the reelection campaign of Rep. Scott Perry as well as 14 other Republican lawmakers over their vote against $14 billion in emergency military assistance to Israel.

The powerful and divisive Israel-U.S. lobby group is fighting back against these GOP legislators who promote themselves and frequently sound off against those who criticize the Jewish state.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Biden’s Natural Gas Pause Could Complicate Pennsylvania Strategy. “The Biden administration’s pause on natural gas exports is putting the president in a tricky political spot in Pennsylvania, one of the key swing states in November.” (The Hill)

Senate GOP Zeros In On 4 Top Races in 2024. “Senate Republicans are laser-focused on four states they see as their key to the majority: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.” (Axios)

Election Fact-Check: McCormick On PA Fentanyl Deaths And Mexican Drug Cartels. “As part of PennLive’s election year coverage, we will provide occasional fact checks on candidates’s statements.” (PennLive)

Nouri Blasts Kelly For ‘Personally Profiting From Taxpayer Dollars’ With Grant. “As former NFL head coach Bill Parcells once said, “You are what your record says you are.” Preston Nouri agrees and wants to see Rep. Mike Kelly (R-16) stand by his record. And return $314,000.” (PoliticsPA)

State

2. Group That Doesn’t Disclose Its Donors Paid $12K For Shapiro To Attend Phillies Games, Other Sporting Events

“A nonprofit that does not publicly disclose its donors paid more than $12,000 last year for Gov. Josh Shapiro to attend sporting events. The secrecy leaves taxpayers in the dark about who underwrites the outings and what interests they may have in state government policy.

The money also raises questions anew about whether the Democrat is violating his ban on accepting gifts.

Shapiro reported receiving $12,194.62 from Team PA for “transportation, lodging or hospitality” on his newly filed statement of financial interest. The Harrisburg-based nonprofit bills itself as a public-private partnership to bolster Pennsylvania’s economic development; its “investors” include a cross-section of the state’s top business industries, according to an annual report.” (Spotlight PA)

Related

Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Limit Student Cellphone Use in Schools. “More than three-quarters of U.S. K-12 public schools prohibit non-academic cellphone use, according to a report from the 2021-22 school year. And two Pennsylvania legislators want to take charge and put laws in place to ban phones during classes.” (PoliticsPA)

State Collects $5.7B in Revenue in April, Exceeding Expectations by 7%. “Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Pat Browne announced that the Commonwealth collected $5.7 billion in General Fund revenue in April. That figure is $373.3 million or 7.0 percent more than was originally anticipated for the month.” (PoliticsPA)

PA Senate Committee Advances Bill To Defang PUC Amid Broader Deregulatory Push. “The Pennsylvania Senate advanced a bill Thursday that could sharply limit the Public Utility Commission’s regulatory powers in the interest of saving rate payers money. It was one of several bills that moved in the chamber this week intended to deregulate utilities and the energy producers that supply them.” (Penn Capital-Star)

PA House Committee Advances Bucks County Lawmaker’s Bill To Ban Live Pigeon Shoots. “Currently, pigeon shoots, where birds are raised in captivity only to be shot in competition, remain a legal but controversial practice in the state.” (Levittown Now)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Pennsylvania State House Advances Bill To Give Counties More Time To Count Mail Ballots

“Pennsylvania House Democrats are again pushing to allow counties time to process mail ballots before the day of the election. But the effort appears doomed because of the Senate GOP majority’s insistence on pairing the measure with an expanded voter ID law.

The extra time for the process, known as pre-canvassing, has been a priority for Democratic lawmakers this session and has drawn bipartisan support at the county level. But efforts to cut a deal with Republicans have repeatedly fallen apart, an outcome that seems likely to repeat, even though this year’s bill is much more narrowly tailored than previous measures.” (Votebeat Pennsylvania)

Related

Just Another Roll Of The Dice: PA Kicks Off Election Audit The Hard Way. “The Pennsylvania Department of State has kicked off another post-election audit by rolling the dice – specifically, several decahedronal dice – on Thursday to determine the seed number needed for a risk-limiting audit of the state’s April 23 Democratic primary election for state treasurer.” (City & State)

As Congress Clamps Down On Campus Protests, Democrats Bob Casey and Summer Lee Are On Opposing Sides. “Since the Israeli government responded to the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas with an invasion of Gaza, there have been mounting concerns about the threat of antisemitism in the United States.” (WESA Politics)

What a Fight Over School Board Nominees Told Us About The Parker-Johnson Era In City Hall. “The first major dispute between Mayor Cherelle Parker and Council President Kenyatta Johnson spilled out into public last week, less than four months into their tenures.” (Inquirer Clout)

Area Students Get a ‘Fun, Interactive’ Inside Look at Political Process. “Almost a hundred students from 11 school districts in Pennsylvania’s 35th Senate District got to experience what it’s like to be a state legislator Thursday – at least for a few hours.” (Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• The Peculiar Persistence of Trump-stalgia. (Paul Krugman)
• Time to Tune Out Biden’s Media Criticism. (Jack Shafer)
• How the Federal Government Is Helping Reindustrialize Pittsburgh. (Alan Berube and Mark Muro)
• Ghosts, Guns and Quakers: The PA Legislature’s Second Amendment Gamble. (Jerry Dickinson)
• Israel & Hamas Are Not Morally Equivalent. (Colin Hanna)
• The Problem In Question Is The EITC. (Coleman Poses)
• College Administrators Falling Into Tried And True Trap Laid By The Right. (Lauren Lassabe Shepherd)
• Shapiro’s Blueprint Would Help Us Pursue Our Dreams. (Brenna Chernich)
• Head of Right-Wing, Christian Law Firm Told Leaders To Be ‘Clever As Serpents.’ That’s What They Did. (York Dispatch)

1 Thing

5. Horse Racing Werth It For Former Phillie

“Jayson Werth got to Churchill Downs in the middle of Kentucky Derby week and was overcome by a familiar feeling.

“It has some fragrance of the World Series,” he said. “Things are totally different now. We’re at the barns, roads are blocked off, there’s security everywhere. It’s definitely heightened, and you get the sense, ‘This is it, this is the highest level of the sport.’”

The retired outfielder has shares of more than a dozen thoroughbreds, and on Saturday has the chance to become a Kentucky Derby-winning owner with Dornoch running in the 150th running of the famous race.” (AP)

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