🏆 It’s a Terrific Tuesday. Congrats to the Hershey Bears – back-to-back Calder Cup champions!

PA Weather
☀️ Donora | Sunny, 88
☀️ Wellsboro | Sunny, 83
☀️ Palmerton | Sunny, 88

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (52-26) | Detroit 8-1 | Tue-Wed vs. Detroit
⚾ Pirates (37-41) | Cincinnati 5-11 | Tue-Wed vs. Cincinnati
🏒 Hershey (4-2) | Coachella Valley 5-4 (OT)

👂 What We’re Hearing. The PA-01 race between GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and challenger Ashley Ehasz is within the margin of error at 47-45%, according to Democratic polling from Upswing Research & Strategy.

🗓️ What’s Happening Today. The House convenes for a voting session at 11 AM, while the Senate convenes at 1 PM.

🗞️ Today’s 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. Supreme Court Enters Crunch Time For Term Loaded With Big Issues

“The Supreme Court has yet to issue opinions this term in about a dozen major cases that could rock the country’s politics and reshape the law on issues such as abortion, government regulation of speech online and the reach of the administrative state.

Those could all come this week, the court’s traditional last week before its summer break, when it often delivers decisions in the most closely watched cases. The next scheduled opinion days are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but the court on occasion has in the past issued rulings in July.

The issues still awaiting rulings by the conservative-controlled court include former President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution and whether states can ban abortion in emergency rooms.” (Roll Call)

Related

New Biden Ad in PA to Hit Trump on Economy. “Ahead of Thursday’s first presidential debate, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is launching a new ad that will air only in Pennsylvania and Georgia aimed at drawing contrast between him and former President Donald Trump on economic issues.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Casey: 2024 Election About ‘One Word’ — Rights. “As the 2024 general election nears — by next week, it will be four months away — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. isn’t equivocating about its importance, or Pennsylvania’s potential influence on that outcome.” (Sharon Herald)

Where Third-Party Candidates Could Spoil 2024. “Independent and third-party candidates are potential disruptors for Joe Biden and Donald Trump in a race expected to be decided by razor thin margins. But before these candidates become true threats, they have to first get on the ballot.” (POLITICO)

MacDonald Facing Questions About Charity’s Role In Defunct Congressional Bid. “A statewide anti-domestic violence nonprofit organization is questioning whether Laurie MacDonald’s campaign for Congress improperly drew on the resources of the Center for Victims, the charity she runs.” (WESA)

State

2. State Budget Deadline Looms

“After weeks of debate and posturing, the state legislature returns to the Capitol this week ahead of a June 30 deadline to pass a budget.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $48.3 billion budget proposal calls for many things — including more public education funding, skill game regulation and taxation and investments in human services to lower wait times for those needing help.” (WITF)

Related

PA Budget-Making is a Slow Grind As Deadline Nears. “Lawmakers are still an agreement away on a 2024-25 spending plan but the annual state budget dance is now fully underway.” (PennLive)

A Big Education Fight Stands In The Way Of A PA Budget Deal. “How much money to spend on Pennsylvania’s public education system has become a key barrier to a budget deal as lawmakers launch a barrage of talks ahead of the June 30 deadline.” (Spotlight PA)

Pennsylvania Abortions Increasing After Roe v. Wade Overturned. “Clinics provided roughly 37,900 abortions in Pennsylvania last year, per new data estimates from the Guttmacher Institute. That’s up more than 17% from 2020, two years before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.” (Axios Philadelphia)

PA House Passes Telemedicine Act Proposal, Bill Close To Becoming Law. “The legislation requires insurance companies to cover any medically necessary service administered remotely through telemedicine that patients would otherwise receive in person. Such coverage includes Medicaid and CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program.” (CNHI News)

PA House Puts Tax Forgiveness Expansion Back On Table As Budget Talks Continue. “As Pennsylvania’s budget deadline approaches, House Democrats moved a bill that would expand the state’s personal income tax forgiveness, part of a long-running battle for more progressive taxation.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Suburban Politics In Bucks County PA: GOP Women’s Influence And Biden’s Strategy

“In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, situated north of Philadelphia, the landscape blends suburban developments like Colonial Commons with historic stone houses and pastoral scenes along the Neshaminy Creek. Formerly rural outposts, towns like Doylestown and Newtown have evolved into vibrant commercial and cultural centers.

Politically, Bucks County has gained prominence as a bellwether, pivotal in Joe Biden’s success in flipping Pennsylvania from Republican to Democrat in 2020. His strategy focused on winning over suburban women, a demographic crucial to his victory.” (The Artistree)

Related

Kitchen Table Podcast: Dennis Powell. “Whether at the Jersey Shore, the Poconos, Laurel Highlands or Presque Isle, spend a weekend reading Leading from the Top: Presidential Lessons in Issues Management from this Pennsylvania author and expert.” (Broad + Liberty)

Mayor Cherelle Parker Called Out Her Detractors and Lobbied For Education Funding in a Visit to Harrisburg. “As Pennsylvania’s state budget deadline looms, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker visited the state Capitol to ask that lawmakers finally increase public education funding and raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour — and to challenge her political opponents for setting low expectations of the city.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Spotlight PA Plans To Launch Berks County Bureau After Residents Say Local Governments Need More Scrutiny. “Berks County residents are extremely frustrated with the diminished capacity of the local newspaper and they are concerned about a lack of access to trustworthy information in their community.” (Spotlight PA)

Forward Party Endorses First GOP Candidate in Pennsylvania. “As the November election nears, the Forward Party continues to make inroads in Pennsylvania with another affiliated candidate – the first Republican legislator and member of the House of Representatives to do so.” (The Center Square)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Mayor Parker, A Wounded Officer, And A Renewed Prayer For Our City. (Helen Ubiñas)
• Shapiro, Legislature Can Provide Long-Term Stability For Disability Care System. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Nuanced Politics of Summer Lee. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Secure Our Rights, Pass the Reproductive Freedom Act. (Rep. Kristine C. Howard)
• ‘What’s It to You?’: An Uncomplicated Path to Supreme Court Reform. (Kimberly Wehle)
• The Left’s Protest Culture. (Lowman Henry)
• The Democrats’ Oprah strategy. (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• Why Philly’s Minimum Wage Is … So Low. (Michael O’Bryan and Alicia Atkinson)
• What RFK Jr. Really Means To The Pennsylvania Ballot. (Tribune-Review)

1 Thing

5. A PennDOT Oops!

“Officials touted the permanent completion of repairs along I-95 last month, less than a year after a truck fire collapsed the busy interstate, but it seems like the roadway just keeps taking Ls after one of its vital signs was found to be out of whack recently.

Around the corner from Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Holmesburg, a newly-installed sign for the yet-to-be-opened on ramp to I-95 South on Cottman Avenue that should read “Central Phila / Chester” instead reads “Cenrtal Phila / Chester.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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