Libertarians submit signatures for Senate and Governor, while President Trump is just days away from campaigning with Lou Barletta in PA. Happy Monday politicos, here is the Playbook!

July 27th Ups & Downs: Rep. Conor Lamb receives good news from a Monmouth Poll. Did Jay-Z get the best of Mayor Jim Kenney? The President and VP have their focus set on the Keystone state. Let’s look at the ups and downs for this week.

Libertarians Submit Signatures for Senate and Governor: Both races could be impacted; the Libertarian candidate earned more votes in 2016 than the margin for President and Senate.

A Group Chat for the Road to Harrisburg: 3 female millennial Democratic nominees, Elizabeth Fiedler, Sara Innamorato, and Summer Lee, joined the Van Jones show to discuss their candidacies for the state house and the changes they hope to see in the Democratic party. They also discussed with Jones starting a group chat with one another to discuss the biggest issues in the nation.

Harrisburg & DC
AP: Company agrees to block 3d downloadable guns in Pennsylvania
Citizens Voice: Rally with Trump comes at a crucial time for Barletta
Tribune Review: $5M federal grant to help Pennsylvania in addiction recovery find work
Tribune Review: Seminar to explore pardons for those in recovery
StateImpactPA: DEP reaches settlement with environmental groups over Mariner East 2 pipeline
StateImpactPA: Family’s fight with driller illustrates legal loophole that exposes Native American, historical sites
StateImpactPA: Ellen Gerhart, fighting pipeline on family’s land, jailed for allegedly violating court order
City and State PA: Winners and Losers for the week ending July 27
PLSReporter: Blunted in legislature, redistricting reformers wonder about referendums
WHYY: Casey ad aims at moderates; Barletta embraces Trump
WITF: Pa. GOP lawmaker cajoling colleagues to join ‘red flag’ bill
WITF: Pa. ACLU lays out legislative priorities for final session days
KYW Newsradio: 9 attorneys general urge FDA to ban flavors in tobacco products
Post-Gazette: National study takes hard look at Pa. school district consolidations
Post-Gazette: State review of voter registrations narrows list of potentially ineligible voters to 8,698
Times Leader: Auditor General eyeing pot tax windfall
AP: State Supreme Court: Probe found over 300 ‘predator priests’ in 6 dioceses

Philadelphia
Philadelphia Magazine: What Does Daryl Metcalfe Have Against Philadelphia?
AP: No more ‘Filthadelphia’? City tackles its litter problem
PLSReporter: Philadelphia responds to financial, sexual harassment audits
Inquirer: ICE protesters move locations after meeting city deadline to vacate encampment
Inquirer: Larry Krasner’s $160K-a-year senior adviser was also his creditor
Inquirer: Mayor Kenney won’t renew Philadelphia’s data-sharing contract with ICE
Inquirer: Is the war on poverty ‘a success,’ as the Trump administration proclaims?
Inquirer: Philadelphia overdose deaths dip in early 2018
Philadelphia Magazine: Comcast’s Latest Earnings Prove That We Should Stop Calling It a Cable Company
WHYY: Experts, Philly mayor want more color in the green rush
KYW Newsradio: Plastic straw ban could hurt those with physical disabilities, expert says

SEPA
Bucks Local News: Democrat Dennis Fisher appointed to fill vacancy on Newtown Board of Supervisors, replaces Jennifer Dix who resigned last month
Daily Local News: Veteran Town Hall set for Aug. 8
Daily Local News: Gun Sense Chester County discusses toll of gun violence

Pittsburgh
Tribune Review: Norwin junior gives Pa. Board of Education a student’s perspective
Tribune Review: Gateway looking to amp up safety in schools
Post-Gazette: Westmoreland Mall seeing mini-casino in soon-to-close Bon Ton anchor as a savior
Post-Gazette: Protesters march to protect and preserve the Panther Hollow and The Run neighborhoods
Post-Gazette: State DEP hires Pittsburgh native as new environmental justice director
Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh activists keeping an eye on social media accounts, looking for hatred, racism
Post-Gazette: Success of Superior Motors after one year ‘demonstrates Braddock is a destination’
Post-Gazette: Plum school board plans to have school police force
Post-Gazette: Antwon Rose II protesters confront city officials in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Business Times: Pipeline to boost production for natural gas producer

SWPA
Beaver County Times: Gov. Tom Wolf tours local union hall, training center
Observer-Reporter: Judge dismisses appeal of Mt. Pleasant well pad approval
Altoona Mirror: Marijuana dispensary all-cash businesses
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat: Langerholc picked to serve on state’s school safety board

NEPA
Times-Tribune: Blight Task Force Taking Shape in Lackawanna County
Citizens Voice: Revenue drops at local casinos
Times Leader: Luzerne County capital project roster still up in the air
Times Leader: County settles another big-ticket assessment challenge
Times Leader: Shapiro, Baker comment new law on disposal of prescription drugs
Times Leader: School district surpluses a mix of moderately healthy to dangerously low
Citizens Voice: Anti-Trump group plans to protest outside rally
Standard Speaker: City’s fire department must replace three vehicles at a cost of up to $2M

South Central
PennLive: Priest-abuse victims’ advocate: Interim report means justice denied ‘again’
PennLive: Sunbury mayor violated rules but did not engage in criminal conduct: investigator
York Daily Record: Dover officials failed to meet obligations
York Daily Record: You and naive rally ‘fights back’ at Wagner

Lehigh Valley
Morning Call: Lehigh County pay-to-play law crimps donations from political candidates’ own parties
Morning Call: Wake-up Call: Libertarians file for Pa. ballot, and vandalism in the Valley
Morning Call: Allentown mayor nominates candidate for development director role
Morning Call: Brian Fitzpatrick signs on to carbon tax legislation

North by Northwest
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Marino, state differ on Trump’s plan for vehicle efficiency standards
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Legislative Tally: US House OKs defense act
Erie Times-News: Schember: East Erie residents ‘need to see change’

Opinion
Citizens Voice Editorial Board: Shapiro should share evidence of cover-up in church abuse
John Baer: Gov. Wolf’s plan to drive Scott Wagner wild
Will Bunch: You probably won’t read this column about the biggest problem in the world right now
Inquirer Editorial Board: Opioid crisis demands strong medicine – and strong wills
Daniel Raymond: How lessons from HIV/AIDS crisis can apply to the opioid crisis
Inquirer Editorial Board: Philadelphia should step up recycling
Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie: Faith-based foster care should not be abandoned
Samantha Goldman: Why I helped organize the ‘Handmaids’ protest of Mike Pence
Kenneth Finkel: 100 years ago, South Philadelphia saw violent race riots
Christine Flowers: What the fairy godmothers gave me
Inquirer Editorial Board: Could this be the year of the Independent in Pennsylvania?
Esther Cepeda: Americans have a hard time separating facts from opinion
Phil Gianficaro: NJ radio co-hosts suspended for insulting state AG’s religious headdress
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Seeing and hearing Trump is believing
Donald J. Boudreaux: Minimum wages & technology
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: An empty gesture: Congress wastes time on resolution to support ICE