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⚾ Phillies (68-57) | San Francisco 10-4 | Tue-Wed vs. San Francisco
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What We’re Hearing
EMILYs List is endorsing Lindsay Powell in the HD21 special election.

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Top Story

1. Shapiro To Headline New Hampshire Democrats’ Convention

“The New Hampshire Democratic Party announced Tuesday that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will headline its convention next month, marking the first-term governor’s initial visit to an early nominating state.

Shapiro plans to tout his support for President Joe Biden’s re-election while talking up electoral wins in his state, including last year’s landslide victory over Republican Doug Mastriano in the governor’s race.

The visit also is the first to New Hampshire for Shapiro, a former state attorney general, who is likely to play a key role in Democrats’ 2024 efforts and is considered by some to be among the party’s top contenders for its presidential nomination in 2028.” (NBC News)

Related

Shapiro To Address N.H. Democrats, But Not As a Presidential Hopeful. “Gov. Josh Shapiro will address a gathering of New Hampshire Democrats next month, which will “kick off” a heated 2024 governor’s race there and likely get tongues wagging in Pennsylvania about his own national political aspirations.” (PennLive)

Perry Among Those To Watch In Battle Over Government Funding. “As a September 30 deadline looms over Washington over government funding, Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) has emerged as one of the five lawmakers to watch according to The Hill.” (PoliticsPA)

Reader Poll: The GOP Presidential Debate: Who Do You Want To Hear From? “The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 season is slated for Wednesday night in Milwaukee and will be broadcast by Fox News. With GOP front-runner Donald Trump planning to skip the event, we want to know who you want to hear from the most during the debate?” (PoliticsPA)

Bob Casey And John Fetterman Are Urging Norfolk Southern To Join Feds’ Close Call Reporting System. “The Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System allows employees to report near-misses or close calls on railroads and protects them from discipline for reporting such incidents.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Hispanic Republicans Look to Oust Democrats In Diverse Districts. “Maria Montero remembers her Peruvian grandfather, a Democrat and loyal member of the carpenters union, yelling at President Ronald Reagan on television when she was growing up in a predominantly Hispanic part of Allentown, Pa. Reagan had a different effect on Montero, however, giving her inspiration “that life was full of opportunity.” (Roll Call)

The GOP’s Favorite Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Has an Achilles Heel. “Democrats are rolling out the same playbook against businessman Dave McCormick that they used against Doctor Mehmet Oz in 2022.” (New York Sun)

Former GOP FCC Chair Alfred Sikes Backs Fox License Hearing. “The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), citing Fox’s settlement of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit over election misinformation, in July challenged the renewal of Fox-owned WTXF Philadelphia, and by extension Fox’s character qualifications for holding any TV station licenses at all.” (Broadcasting & Cable)

State

2. PA Senate To Return On August 30

“The state Senate is returning to Harrisburg Aug. 30 ahead of its previously scheduled return of Sept. 18.

The surprise return announcement came Monday afternoon from Senate Republican Caucus spokesperson Kate Flessner.

“Our work to complete the necessary budgetary implementation legislation continues at this time and the Senate will reconvene on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. to finalize the 2023-2024 state budget,” Flessner said.” (WESA)

Related

PA Senate To Hold Rare August Session To Deal With Unfinished Pieces of State Budget. “State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward on Monday said the chamber will hold an unusual August voting session next week to deal with unfinished pieces of the fiscal 2024 state budget.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Shapiro Talks About Finding Common Ground With Lawmakers On State Budget. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sat down with News 8’s Tom Lehman for a one-on-one interview earlier this month. They discussed a variety of topics, including the state budget.” (WGAL)

Commonwealth Partners Launches $10M+ Campaign To Elect School Choice Candidates. “The fight over school choice in Pennsylvania just had the stakes raised by eight figures. Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs announced that its connected political action committees (PACs) will launch an 8-figure-plus campaign to elect Pennsylvania senators and representatives committed to rescuing kids trapped in failing schools and giving them the opportunity to access an excellent education.” (PoliticsPA)

Big Money, Labor Central to Broadband Buildout in PA. “Expanding broadband internet access across the rural reaches of Pennsylvania requires billions of dollars and thousands of workers.” (CNHI News)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Judy Woodruff Visits Lehigh Valley To Explore PA’s Political Divides

“A pioneer broadcast journalist made a stop in the Lehigh Valley on Thursday to learn about political divides for a national program featuring Pennsylvania voters.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Related

More Labor Groups Back Innamorato. “It’s endorsement time in the labor world and Sara Innamorato seems to be getting the lion’s share in her quest to become Allegheny County Executive.” (PoliticsPA)

Capitol Riot Defendant Is a Big Name In Central PA Business, Political Circles. “Lowell Gates made headlines earlier this month when he was arrested on federal assault charges in the ongoing probe of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald J. Trump. But the case was all the more eye-popping in the Harrisburg area because of Gates’ leading position in the midstate commercial real estate market, his on-again, off-again forays into local Republican politics, and an earlier embarrassing brush with the law.” (PennLive)

Cherelle Parker Is Declining to Debate David Oh. That’s Not The Norm. “As a nominee for Philadelphia mayor, debating your opponent has been a routine practice between non-incumbents for at least two decades. It’s unclear if that will happen this year.” (Billy Penn)

‘It’s A Small Number Of People Who Are Very Loud’: Local Libraries Grapple With Book Challenges, Bans. “Over the past few years, Librarian Sharon Coronado has been tested by select patrons who oppose the presence of certain voices in books at Ligonier Valley Library, particularly the voices of people of color and LGBTQ individuals.” (Murrysville Star)

Opposition Gathering Planned Before Luzerne County Council Meeting. “Four advocacy groups announced they will be gathering outside the Luzerne County Courthouse before council’s Tuesday meeting to oppose a Nov. 7 general election ballot referendum that would reconstitute the county’s five-citizen election board.” (Times Leader)

Allentown HR Director Says He Was Wrongfully Fired Two Months Into The Job and Threatens Legal Action; City Says He Resigned. “Nadeem Eli Shahzad, who was unanimously confirmed as HR director by City Council in late June, said he believes he was fired “without valid cause” and wrote that he intends to pursue “legal action in both Federal and State Courts.” (Morning Call)

Julia Rater Sworn In As Centre County Judge. “Centre County’s newest Court of Common Pleas judge has joined the bench” (StateCollege.com)

State Trooper Charged With Causing Deadly Crash On Way To Work. “Attorney General Michelle Henry announced charges against a Pennsylvania State Trooper who was off-duty when he allegedly caused a fiery crash in Tioga County that killed a woman.” (Wellsboro Gazette)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Two Conservative Scholars Say The Constitution Says Trump Can’t Be President Again. (Jackie Calmes)
• Summer Lee Must Talk to Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. (Bruce Ledewitz)
• Refusing To Forget Is A Form Of Protest: What The March On Washington Means 6 Decades Later. (Chad Dion Lassiter)
• Permitting Reform Critical In Cementing PA’s Energy Leadership. (Jon Anzur)
• Does PA’s System Of Local Government Work? (Seth Higgins)
• State Regulation Means An End to Illegal Games. (Rick Goodling)
• Threats By Trump Supporters Should Not Go Unpunished. (Joseph Sabino Mistick)
• Lawmakers Undervalue Higher Ed. (Scranton Times-Tribune Editorial Board)
• My Bill Would Protect PA Child Social Media Influencers From Exploitive Parents. (Rep. Torren Ecker)
• End LGBTQ Discrimination, Pass The Fairness Act In The PA Senate. (Members of Aging With Pride, Erie)

1 Job Thing

5. Record Demands

“The amount of money most workers want now to accept a job reached a record high this year, a sign that inflation is alive and well at least in the labor market.

According to the latest New York Federal Reserve employment survey released Monday, the average “reservation wage,” or the minimum acceptable salary offer to switch jobs, rose to $78,645 during the second quarter of 2023.

Employers have been trying to keep pace with the wage demands, pushing the average full-time offer up to $69,475, a 14% surge in the past year. The actual expected annual salary rose to $67,416, a gain of more than $7,000 from a year ago and also a new high.” (CNBC)

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