😀 Hi Tuesday

PA Weather
☔ Aliquippa | Showers, 63
☔ Belleville | Showers, 58
🌦️ Chester | Increasing Clouds, 64

PA Sports
🏀 Sixers (33-24) | Tue vs. Boston
🏒 Flyers (30-22-7) | Tue vs. Tampa Bay
🏒 Penguins (26-21-8) | Tue vs. Vancouver

What’s Happening
Senate Appropriations Committee hearings begin at 9:30 a.m., while the House sessions begin at 10 a.m.

What We’re Hearing
“I’m convinced it’s harmful to voter turnout when people are repeating that elections are rigged, what does it matter and all the rest. But I think there’s a great deal of responsibility I think we all bear to make sure we all tell the truth about elections.” – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt.

Pennsylvania Political News Sent Directly to You
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Top Story

1. Billboards Blaming Trump For Alabama’s IVF Ruling Are Going Up In Philadelphia

“Billboards slamming former President Donald Trump over a recent Alabama State Supreme Court ruling, which has threatened access to in-vitro fertilization, are going up in battleground states — including Pennsylvania.

The Democratic National Committee is paying for billboards in the Philadelphia area, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, as part of a national campaign that seeks to connect Trump’s role in the overturning of Roe v. Wade to the state court ruling last week that held that embryos have the same legal protections as children.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Gas Export Pause Could Scramble Biden’s Chances In Pennsylvania. “The gas industry has created a split in Pennsylvania, turning some economically depressed communities in the western and northern parts of the state into boomtowns.” (POLITICO)

Perry Wants House GOP to Cancel Biden’s State of The Union Address. “If it were up to Pa. Rep. Scott Perry, House Republicans would pull the invitation to President Joe Biden for the State of the Union address until the southern border is secured.” (PennLive)

Memo: McCormick Down to Casey But Far From Out. “A memo released by the Dave McCormick campaign on Monday has mixed messages for the candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.” (PoliticsPA)

Upcoming Lee Remarks at CAIR Fundraiser Draws Fire From Patel, McCormick. “Again showing that the Israel-Hamas conflict will be a major player in her race, Rep. Summer Lee (D-12) is drawing fire from opponents to her scheduled appearance for a leading Muslim advocacy group this weekend.” (PoliticsPA)

Q&A with Summer Lee: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for US House District 12. “One thing that impresses me about Summer Lee is how she remains connected to her core values while moving into new spaces with confidence.” (Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents)

State

2. Turnover In County Election Offices Concerning To PA’s Top Election Chief

“Pennsylvania’s top election official admits an issue that concerns him going into this year’s presidential election cycle is not a landslide victory for one candidate over another or whether it’s a close race.

For Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, what’s most concerning is having so many new county election administrators across the state “in an environment where any mistake no matter how innocent is so easily interpreted to be intentional, malicious and seeking to change the outcome of an election.”” (PennLive)

Related

Everything You Need To Know About Pennsylvania’s Voting Machines, How The State Keeps Them Secure, And More. “Political candidates have spread false claims about Pennsylvania’s voting machines to undermine trust. In reality, these machines undergo several layers of testing to ensure they produce accurate results.” (Votebeat)

Transparency and Accountability: PA Lawmakers Target Dark Money In Campaigns. “In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the floodgates for corporations and nonprofits to make unlimited hidden contributions to political causes. While Pennsylvania cannot override this federal decision, one state lawmaker believes it can make those entities be more transparent with their spending.” (WITF)

While Pay For PA Student Teachers Is Coming, Advocates Say Educator Shortage Needs More Attention. “PA officials touted the new program Monday and issued a “call to action” for continued efforts to attract more teachers.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Kenyatta Says Ring Video Recording Amounts To ‘Dirty Political Tricks’. “Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta responded Monday to criticism over a video in which he was recorded telling a voter that his Democratic primary opponent in the race for state auditor general, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, doesn’t “like black people.”” (Penn Capital-Star)

PA Lawmakers Want Beefed Up Protections Against AI Voice, Image Fakes: ‘Everybody Should Be On Guard’. “Pennsylvania lawmakers are proposing safeguards against deceptively accurate voice impersonations and “deepfake” visuals created with artificial intelligence, as the threat of AI-related scams increases.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State Rep Proposes Age-Limit Amendment To State Constitution. “Age will be a primary talking point for both major political parties as the country hurtles toward a presumptive 2020 presidential election rematch that will see both candidates in their 80s at the end of the upcoming term.” (Times Observer)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Tech Funding Trough or ‘War-Machine Pipeline’? At Carnegie Mellon, Defense Dollars Total Billions

“Nearly $30 million to explore how artificial intelligence could support national security and defense. More than $13 million to research threat recognition tools that could increase a soldier’s “lethality and survivability.” Almost $2 million for a drone corridor.

These are all contracts and grants that Carnegie Mellon University has received from the U.S. Department of Defense, which oversees the armed forces. The department funds a large portion of the university’s research, committing more than $2.8 billion in awards to CMU since the government’s 2008 fiscal year, federal data shows.

The funding has sparked protest among students who believe CMU’s acceptance of defense dollars makes the university complicit in war efforts they morally disagree with.” (Public Source)

Related

‘Give Taxpayers The Information They Need’: Allentown NIZ Finances To Be Examined By PA Legislative Committee. “The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee will produce performance audits of the NIZ and the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority as directed by legislation introduced by state Sen. Jarrett Coleman.” (Allentown Morning Call)

Mayor Cherelle Parker Wants To Diversify The City’s Workforce, And She Thinks Some Civil Service Rules Get In The Way. “Reforming the city’s civil service rules and personnel practices has been something of a passion project for Parker going back to her days as a member of City Council.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

CEO of PA Hospital Claims Former Model No Longer Sustainable, Leading To Acquisition. “Evangelical Community Hospital near Lewisburg has been an independent community hospital for nearly 100 years but its president and CEO says with an aging population and increased costs that model no longer is sustainable.” (PennLive)

Monroe State House Candidate Removed From Primary Election Ballot. “A Monroe County Democratic state representative won’t face opposition after all in the upcoming primary election.” (WVIA)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• NTSB Report Includes Urgent Lessons For Pittsburgh Bridges. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Want To Change The System? Run As An Independent. Here’s How. (Samuel Walker)
• What Is Christian Nationalism And How Dangerous Is It? (David French)
• A Biden Proposal To Lower The Cost Of Drugs Threatens To Upend Pennsylvania’s High-Tech Economy. (Ron Klink)
• There is No Silver Bullet to Beat Trump. (Keith Naughton)
• Will Forgiving College Debt Win Or Lose Votes? (Tom Purcell)

1 Thing

5. Household Headaches

“It’s not just you — large household appliances really do break all the time, and it really has gotten much harder to fix them.

Appliances just don’t hold up as well as they used to, The Wall Street Journal reports, in part because they’ve gotten much more complex, with touchscreens, new functions and more computerization.

Manufacturers have also shifted toward less durable materials, which are cheaper and more energy-efficient.” (Wall Street Journal)

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