May 31: Convicted

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What We’re Hearing. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people.” – Donald Trump

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Top Story

1. Convicted on All Counts

“Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts marks the end of the former president’s historic hush money trial, but the fight over the case is far from over.

Now comes the sentencing and the potential for a prison sentence. A lengthy appellate process. And all the while, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee still has to deal with three more criminal cases and a campaign that could see him return to the White House.” (AP)

Related

What Donald Trump’s Guilty Verdict Means For His Chances In November. “Polling has indicated a guilty verdict could erode some support for Trump, who can still run for president as a convicted felon, in his November rematch with President Joe Biden.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Trump Convicted on 34 Felony Counts. PA Lawmakers, Candidates Respond. “Pennsylvania speaks out on the felony conviction in Trump’s hush money case in New York.” (PoliticsPA)

Bidenworld Has Its Eyes On November After the Trump Verdict. “The campaign encouraged surrogates to focus on the ballot box and Donald Trump’s record, according to talking points obtained by NOTUS.” (NOTUS)

Pittsburgh-Area Republicans And Politicos Say Guilty Verdict Helps Trump’s Re-Election Chances. “Many Republicans feel the trial has been politicized and the charges are unjust. Even some who disagree say Trump benefits from free publicity.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State

2. Will Dem McClelland’s Opposition to School Choice Win Her Treasurer’s Job?

“Democratic state treasurer candidate Erin McClelland wants voters to know she’s “aggressively against school vouchers,” and she’s making her opposition to parental choice in education a centerpiece of her campaign.

“If vouchers are passed, it is the treasurer that writes the voucher. And I can assure you that if that goes through, we’re going to court, and we’re going to fight it on constitutional grounds, and I’ll write the voucher when the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania tells me I have no choice,” McClelland said in a recent interview with abc27.

The debate over how much control Pennsylvania parents should have over their children’s education has been part of the state’s politics for decades. But such adamant opposition is rare from a statewide candidate.” (DV Journal)

Related

How Is This Guy Getting MAGA Support? “A confluence of factors and unique political talents explains Governor Josh Shapiro’s astounding popularity in the polls — even among those with whom he disagrees.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

Red Tape To Green Light: Pennsylvania Leaders Seek Tax Reform For Startups. “Pennsylvania is gearing up to ditch its business “startup penalty” and roll out the welcome mat for new companies.” (Liv DeMarco)

Cook Political Report: Trump Maintains Slight Edge on Biden; Casey Leads McCormick, 49-41. “While President Joe Biden continues to have less-than-impressive poll numbers in Pennsylvania, Sen. Bob Casey is not suffering the same fate, according to “The Swing State Project,” a collaboration between The Cook Political Report and two pollsters, Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) and GS Strategy Group.” (PoliticsPA)

Pro-McCormick Super PAC Reserves $30M in Ad Time in State. “More money is pouring into the Pennsylvania Senate race and Republican Dave McCormick is the lucky recipient.” (PoliticsPA)

4 Things We Learned From Sen. John Fetterman’s Springtime Media Blitz. “Sen. John Fetterman is used to getting a ton of media coverage, but even by his standards, the past few weeks have felt like a lot.” (Inquirer Clout)

Forward Party Brushes Off Pennsylvania Endorsement Snub. “Despite the recent cancellation of a press conference to announce the Forward Party’s latest endorsement, officials remain optimistic about achieving their goals in Pennsylvania.” (The Center Square)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Trump Conviction Gives Some Republicans Pause In Key PA County

“Bronwen Brown, a registered Republican in a bellwether Pennsylvania county, was ready to vote for Donald Trump again in November despite long-held reservations about his character. His conviction by a New York jury has given her pause.

“He’s been found guilty on all 34 counts. Do I want to go with that? Probably not,” the 72-year-old former opera singer told Reuters minutes after Trump became the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime.” (Reuters)

Related

‘Speechless’: Swing State Voters React To Donald Trump’s Guilty Verdict. “Wisconsin resident Damon Anderson declared himself “speechless.” Nevada retiree Doug Goodman found the justice system worked as designed. Pennsylvania voter Charles Floray insisted he was unmoved by the trial.” (USA Today)

As the GOP Pushes Culture War Issues In The Election, The LGBTQ Community Is Bracing Itself. “Nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ respondents said they felt the current political discourse had undermined their emotional or mental well-being; nearly half said they could tie it to a personal experience of harassment or bullying.” (WESA Politics)

10 Republican ‘Hate Squad’ Lawmakers Targeted By Pro-LGBTQ+ Agenda PAC. “The list also includes Pennsylvania Republican State Reps. Valerie Gaydos and Joe Emrick. Gaydos sponsored a ban on trans girls in sports, and Emrick voted to ban transgender girls and women from participating in school sports.” (The Advocate)

Philly City Council Members Abandon Plan To Push For Wage Or Business Tax Cuts, Delivering Win to Mayor Parker. “Philadelphia’s next budget will not include cuts to the wage or business tax rates, providing a political victory for first-year Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and answering one of the more significant open questions as budget negotiations come down to the wire.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• As He Becomes A Convicted Felon, Yet Another Ignominious First For Donald Trump. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• I Was Outside The Courthouse For Trump’s Historic Verdict. Here Is What I Saw. (Jenice Armstrong)
• Donald Trump, Felon (New York Times)
• The Trump Jury Has Spoken. Next Up: The Voters. (Washington Post)
• A Guilty Verdict For Trump and Its Consequences for the Country. (Wall Street Journal)
• With A New Gun Investigations Unit, Could Larry Krasner Be Changing His Tune On Prosecutions? (Larry Miller)
• Personal Injury Attorneys Spend Millions To Influence Elections, Juries. (Curt Schroder)
• Justice Alito Should Have The Ethics Of A Journalist. (Peter Jensen)
• The Alito Scandal Is Worse Than It Seems. (Ankush Khardori)
• The Jewish-Muslim Connection. (Reps. Dan Frankel and Tarik Khan)

1 Thing

5. Floridian Wins Bee in ‘Spell-Off’

“The winner of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee has been crowned.

Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old from Florida, bested the competition Thursday with his spelling of “abseil,” a word used to describe descending a vertical surface area with a rope attached to one’s body.

Soma spelled 29 out of 30 words correctly in Scripps’ second-ever spell-off, in which competitors have 90 seconds to spell as many words given to them as possible.” (NPR)

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