🥵 Good Morning and Happy Monday. It’s going to be a hot one this week.

PA Weather
☀️ Wexford | Mostly Sunny, 92
☀️ Lock Haven | Sunny, 92
☀️ Wayne | Mostly Sunny, 88

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (47-24) | Baltimore 3-8 | Mon-Wed vs. San Diego
⚾ Pirates (34-37) | Colorado 8-2 | Mon-Wed vs. Cincinnati
🏒 Hershey (1-1) | Coachella Valley 5-2 | Tue at Coachella Valley
⚽ Union (4-8-5) | Inter Miami 1-2 | Wed vs. Cincinnati

👂 What We’re Hearing. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Gov. Josh Shapiro will be in Pittsburgh on Sunday for the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Tree of Life synagogue, six years after the shooting there.

🗞️ Pennsylvania. The Ultimate Swing State. 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. ‘They See Strength’: The Black Sports Icons Shaping Donald Trump’s Take On Race, Politics, and Masculinity

“The road to understanding Donald Trump’s appeal to a segment of Black America — and his hopes of winning back the presidency by pulling a few precious votes away from Democrats — runs through Trump’s Black friends, a loose set of iconic sports figures from the 1980s.

These men, now aged 57 to 92, would make unlikely spokespeople for almost any other candidate and they mostly aren’t known for their politics. But they do have a lot in common with Trump.” (Semafor)

Related

Key Takeaways From a New Poll of Black Voters in PA. “The president has suffered significant losses among Black voters who supported him in 2020. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed in each state said they voted for Biden four years ago. Now, his support has fallen 20 percentage points in Pennsylvania (to 56%) and 22 points in Michigan (to 54%).” (USA Today)

Mike Johnson’s Intelligence Committee Choices Anger Some GOP Lawmakers. “One call Johnson received was from former speaker Kevin McCarthy, who felt it imperative to understand the new speaker’s rationale for appointing Rep. Scott Perry to the critical panel.” (Washington Post)

Trump To Return To Philadelphia For Rally On Temple’s Campus. “Former President Donald Trump will be returning to the Keystone State for the first time in two months at a rally in Philadelphia on June 22 on Temple University’s campus.” (Penn Capital-Star)

State

2. Partisan Gridlock Prevents Fixes To Pennsylvania’s Voting Laws As Presidential Election Looms

“Pennsylvania is seeing lots of action targeting gaps in its vote-by-mail laws. The problem is that it’s in the courtroom and not the legislature.

That could make the most populous presidential swing state a hotbed of challenges and conspiracy theories if the November election is close, as expected.” (AP)

Related

Court Upholds PA Law Taking Jurisdiction Over Mass Transit Crimes From Philly’s District Attorney. “The elected prosecutor in Philadelphia lost a court decision Friday in his lawsuit seeking to halt a law that directed a special prosecutor be appointed by the attorney general’s office to handle crimes on the city’s mass transit system.” (PennLive)

What Does Supreme Court Ruling On Bump Stocks Mean For PA? “The ruling, which now makes the sale of the devices legal in Pennsylvania, as well as at least 32 other states, drew an immediate five-word response from Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePa: “The Supreme Court endangered Pennsylvanians’ lives.”” (PennLive)

Drug Testing, Philly Parks, and Other Opioid Money Decisions Await Final Approval in Pennsylvania. “County officials across Pennsylvania are waiting to hear if a state oversight board will approve how they decided to spend tens of millions of dollars from opioid settlements.” (Spotlight PA)

Do the Democrats Have An Erin McClelland Problem? “After her unexpected win. the perennial candidate has to answer for some odd choices and legal lapses in her campaign.” (Broad + Liberty)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Why These Philly Parents Chose To Send Their Kid To Private School

“Lawmakers in Harrisburg all seem to have an opinion about what Philadelphia parents and students want.

And the debate over education is heightened this year, as legislators again fight over a potential school voucher program to send students to private schools using taxpayer dollars and attempt to design a new school funding system.

While the fight over a new voucher system heats up, with school choice supporters, public education advocates, teachers unions, and even Jay-Z pouring money into the fight, there is already a school choice program operating in the state.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

PA’s Fair Funding Champion. “Whether it’s asbestos in classrooms, teacher shortages, or high dropout rates, the headlines haven’t been kind to Philadelphia public schools since the pandemic. But then again, they weren’t kind beforehand either, especially when it came to news of policymakers’ repeated failures to find solutions for improving the education system.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

Sen. Laughlin, Erie Reader Are Suing Each Other. What They Claim. “In deposition in her husband’s libel suit, Peggy Laughlin says she and the state senator drove around and collected a total of “hundreds” of copies of Erie Reader that included a column critical of him.” (Erie Times-News)

Sunday Shows

• This Week in Pennsylvania (abc27.com)
• Pennsylvania Newsmakers (WGAL)
• Inside Story (6abc.com)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• I’m An Online Gambler. Pennsylvania Lawmakers Are Right To Ban The Use Of Credit Cards To Fund Bets. (Gary Rotstein)
• How a National Network Of SEIU-Connected Companies Is Bleeding Pittsburgh Dry. (Brandon McGinley)
• A New Poll Shows Many Republican Voters Are Misinformed And Willfully Blind To The Truth. (Mark S. Singel)
• Remember When Voting By Mail Was Not Controversial? (Scranton Times-Tribune)
• America’s Return to the Dark Ages. (Robert Wyatt)
• Note to Biden on Inflation: It’s the Big Macs, Stupid. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
• Dave McCormick and the Elephant in the Room. (Chris Kelly)

1 Thing

5. Record Heat Wave

A heat dome that’s building in intensity in the Midwest is expected to unleash extreme temperatures from Iowa to Virginia and Maine this week.

It could peak at record intensity in New England on Wednesday and Thursday.

Why it matters: Extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S. Human-caused climate change is making heat waves more likely, longer lasting and more intense.

⚠️ Even northern Maine, which typically is just emerging into warmer conditions at this time of year, is likely to see temperatures soar into the upper 90s this week. (Axios)

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