☕ Halfway Home For The Week. Also, say goodbye to July.

PA Weather
☀️ Kearsarge | Mostly Sunny, 85
☀️ Three Springs | Mostly Sunny, 93
☔ Mt. Pocono | Mostly Cloudy, showers, 80

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (65-42) | NY Yankees, 6-7 (12) | Wed vs. NY Yankees
⚾ Pirates (55-52) | Houston 6-2 | Wed vs. Houston

👂 What We’re Hearing. The Harris campaign is pressing Wall Street donors to cut checks as soon as possible, citing a financial rule that bars contributions to tickets featuring a sitting governor.

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Sen. Judy Schwank.

🗞️ Pennsylvania Headlines >> Your Inbox. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Trump Heads to Harrisburg for First Pennsylvania Post-Shooting Rally

“Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump returns to Pennsylvania Wednesday for his first event in the Commonwealth since the attempt on his life in Butler.

The former president, along with GOP Senate hopeful Dave McCormick, is set to speak to supporters at New Holland Arena in Harrisburg at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday. It’s his first rally in Pennsylvania since officially securing his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.” (Erie Times-News)

Related

Vice President Kamala Harris Will Campaign With Running Mate in Philadelphia Next Tuesday to Kick Off Swing State Tour. “The timing of the visit means Harris will likely make her much-anticipated running mate selection in the next six days and introduce the candidate on Pennsylvania turf.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Director Steps Down. “Paul Dans, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, has stepped down from his position with the conservative group.” (PoliticsPA)

RFK Jr. Has The Signatures to Qualify For PA Ballot, But He’s Not Yet On It. “The Kennedy campaign said the former Democrat has added his name to three state ballots and has submitted signatures to gain ballot access in nine more states, including Pennsylvania.” (PennLive)

Biden Administration to Notify 25 Million Student Loan Borrowers of Debt Relief Options. “The proposed rule has been in the works as a plan B ever since President Joe Biden’s initial effort to cancel some or all debt for 43 million people was overturned by the Supreme Court last summer.” (ABC News)

State

2. Josh Shapiro’s Rise Wasn’t Accidental. Just Ask Those Who Helped Him Get Here — Or Felt Betrayed Along the Way

“With a critical election looming, Democratic leaders worried that their aging incumbent was no longer in a position to win and were debating dumping him from the ticket.

Josh Shapiro stood ready to seize the opportunity.

The race? A 2011 campaign for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Who’s Afraid of Josh Shapiro? “A politician designed in a lab to help Democrats win pivotal Rust Belt swing states would probably look a lot like Josh Shapiro.” (The Atlantic)

Would Picking Josh Shapiro Actually Help Harris in Pennsylvania? “Given this math, it may seem like a no-brainer to pick the governor who boasts a 60 percent approval rating in the single most valuable battleground state.” (Vox)

Shapiro ‘Not Happy’ With Nippon Steel’s Pending Acquisition of U.S. Steel. “U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday declined to answer questions about the pending $14.9 billion sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Casey Bill Would Cut Copays For Mental, Behavioral Health Visits For Military Families. “Active-duty military members and veterans would see lower costs for mental and behavioral health treatment under legislation Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan plan on introducing Wednesday.” (PennLive)

PA Casinos Ask Court to Force State to Tax Skill Games Equally to Slots. “The owners of 12 Pennsylvania casinos have asked the state’s highest court to declare that a tax on slot machine revenue is unconstitutional because the state doesn’t impose it broadly on cash-paying electronic game terminals known as skill games that can be found in many bars and stores.” (AP)

Pennsylvania Will Have IRS Free File Program Available to Taxpayers For 2025 Tax Season. “U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced Pennsylvania is the latest state to join the Internal Revenue Service’s new free tax filing system.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How 9 Mistakenly Discarded Ballots in Luzerne Fueled Trump’s 2020 Lies About Elections

“New details about a 2020 case of accidentally discarded ballots in Luzerne County show how the Justice Department’s handling of an FBI investigation helped fuel then-President Donald Trump’s false narrative of a stolen election — despite department policies aimed at preventing such a situation.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

PA Supreme Court Declines To Hear Walsh Appeal Over Six Mail Ballots. “That leaves only one pending case before the state Supreme Court because it agreed to hear Walsh’s appeal over two provisional ballots.” (Times Leader)

‘Every Last Vote Counts’: Where Asian Voters Stand in the Presidential Election. “When Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race July 21, Democrats lost their home state advantage in Pennsylvania. But given Kamala Harris’ Indian heritage, Asian Americans might be the party’s key to unlocking the swing state’s 19 electoral votes in the election this fall.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Mansfield Politics Professor, Williamsport Attorney Weigh In On Rapid Developments in Election Politics. “The amount of news coming daily about the race for who will occupy the White House can be overwhelming and a daunting task to keep up on and get the latest accurate information.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)

Podcast: Catching Up With Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams. “Whether you’re retired in Scranton, a student in Philadelphia, out for your morning walk in Erie, sitting in traffic commuting into Pittsburgh or you are thousands of miles away and just curious about Pennsylvania politics, we welcome every listener to the kitchen table.” (Kitchen Table Politics)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Why the Left’s Knives Are Out for Shapiro. (Will Bunch)
• Mail-in Ballot Pre-Canvassing is a No-Brainer. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• To Vote or Not, That’s Trump Question? (Gene Collier)
• Harris’ Fracking Blunder: It Could Cost Her Pennsylvania. (Jeffrey Lord)
• Don’t Feed Antisemitism in Pittsburgh. (Tribune-Review)
• Kamala Harris As President Could Bring Numerous Benefits to the Country. (Bill Gindlesperger)
• Lancaster County Voters Should Not Buy The Falsehoods About Our Elections That Bad-Faith Actors Are Selling. (LNP | Lancaster Online)
• Pennsylvania’s Elections Are Safe, Secure, Accurate and Fair. Don’t Cast Doubt — And Vote. (Lauren Cristella and Jim Greenwood)

1 Thing

5. Catch a Wave … and An Iconic Photo

“When AFP photographer Jerome Brouillet set out to shoot the third day of the Olympic Games’ surfing competition in Tahiti on Monday, he couldn’t have predicted that he’d capture one of the most iconic moments of the Games so far.

Brazilian three-time world champion Gabriel Medina, who’s just soared out from the barrel of a treacherous wave, raises an arm toward the sky, index finger pointed upward. His surfboard, tethered to his ankle, is also careening through the air — and, in this millisecond captured by Brouillet, is perfectly parallel with Medina.” (NPR)

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