😀 Good Day, Thursday. Our hearts go out to those in Maine affected by the senseless shooting.

PA Weather
⛅ Greensburg | Partly Sunny, 74
⛅ Williamsport | Partly Sunny, 75
☀️ Scranton | Mostly Sunny, 76

PA Sports
🏒 Flyers (3-2-1) | Vegas 2-3 | Thu vs. Minnesota
🏒 Penguins (2-4-0) | Dallas 1-4 | Thu vs. Colorado
🏀 Sixers (0-0) | Thu vs. Milwaukee

What We’re Hearing
EMILYs List has endorsed Cherelle Parker for mayor of Philadelphia.

What’s Happening
Philadelphia mayoral debate, 8 a.m.; Armstrong County commissioner forum, 7 p.m.; Centre County candidates forum, 7 p.m.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Sen. Vincent J. Hughes

Start Your Day Smart
Subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook. It’s free and gives you all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read format. All by 8 AM.

Top Story

1. F&M Poll: Strong Numbers For Shapiro, Casey and Trump

“Despite recent negative news, more people continue to have favorable opinions of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and former President Donald Trump in a poll conducted of registered Keystone State voters by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College.

The news of a settlement of sexual harassment allegations against a top aide did not affect the first-term governor, as Shapiro’s favorability rating rose from 56 to 57 percent.

News of guilty pleas and possible immunity deals from those indicted along with the former president in the Georgia election case seemed to help Trump, whose favorability rose seven points from 34 to 41%.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

How Abortion Is Playing In The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Race. “It might sound like a sleepy contest: Pennsylvania voters will choose a new state Supreme Court justice in a November election that won’t alter the ideological tilt of the court. But the race has emerged as yet another test case for abortion rights. ” (Washington Post)

The New House Speaker Led The Push For The Supreme Court To Throw Out Pennsylvania’s 2020 Election Results. “Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson led the effort, joined by 126 other House Republicans, to file a brief supporting the lawsuit brought by the state of Texas against Pennsylvania and other battleground states whose voters backed Mr. Biden over then-President Donald Trump.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

‘I’ve Prayed For Each Of You’: How Mike Johnson Led A Campaign Of Election Denial. “The new speaker, an unsung enabler of Trump’s last-ditch effort, privately urged his colleagues to oppose the election results the day before the attack on the Capitol.” (POLITICO)

Rep. Scott Perry “Central To Planning Of Jan. 6,” Says Former Trump White House Aide. During an episode of WITF’s The Spark on Wednesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told host Scott Lamar that Perry was “central to the planning of Jan. 6,” referring to Trump’s plan to stay in office – despite losing the 2020 Election. She also reiterated that Perry asked Trump for a pardon following the attack on the U.S. Capitol.“” (WITF)

Pennsylvania’s Election Code Is Badly Outdated. That Could Have Serious Consequences In 2024. “Entire sections of the code are no longer in use, including directions on operating obsolete lever voting machines and language regulating the use of lanterns to light polling places.” (Spotlight PA)

State

2. Henry Joins Federal Lawsuit Against Meta Over Content For Young Users

“Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry joined a multi-state coalition in a federal lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., claiming the company’s social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, violate consumer protection laws by subjecting young users to a wave of harmful, manipulative, and addictive content.

The lawsuit alleges that Meta knowingly designs and deploys features harmful to children on its platforms, while at the same time, falsely assuring the public that those features are suitable for children.” (PoliticsPA)

• What the Meta Mental Health Lawsuit Is About. (Semafor)

Related

Spicher Confirmed As Secretary of Banking and Securities. “The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously approved Wendy Spicher to lead the Department of Banking and Securities (DOBS) on Wednesday.” (PoliticsPA)

Butkovitz Announces He Is Candidate For State Treasurer. “Former Philadelphia City Controller and state representative Alan Butkovitz has announced his candidacy for state treasurer in the 2024 Democratic primary.” (PoliticsPA)

Pennsylvania Voters’ Personal Info Was Not Shared With Election Research Group, State Officials Say. “Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt told a state Senate panel on Wednesday that motorists’ and voters’ personal information is safe with the multi-state voter information clearinghouse that helps counties maintain their voter rolls.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Pitt Funding Remains Frozen By Harrisburg Infighting. Ripple Effects Have Blocked $57M In Agriculture Assistance. “Increasingly bitter squabbles in Harrisburg that have stalled funding for the University of Pittsburgh and other state-related universities also have frozen more than $57 million intended to help farmers, 4-H clubs, and other agriculture-related endeavors across Pennsylvania.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

PA University Chiefs Urge Lawmakers ‘In Strongest Possible Terms’ To End Funding Stalemate. “The leaders of Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln universities sent a letter to the four legislative leaders calling on them to release the $642 million that is caught in a political dispute within the House Republican Caucus mainly over tuition rates and transparency concerns.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Pennsylvania’s Complicated Court System Affects Daily Life — And It’s On The Ballot In November

“Like many things in Pennsylvania government, our court system is complicated. Whether your legal issue is simple — say, a speeding ticket — or something more complicated, the state’s multi-tiered court system offers differing levels of access and differing forms of redress.

At the top, as with most U.S. states, is the Supreme Court. But while the state Supreme Court is arguably the most prominent court in the commonwealth — and the one appearing first on voters’ ballots — it’s unlikely that anyone reading this will have a case heard there. Most locals’ legal journeys would begin instead in magisterial district courts.” (Public Source)

Related

North Allegheny School District Approves Armed Police Officers In District Buildings. “A measure to bolster police presence in the district from two school resource officers to 12 armed police officers in all district buildings was unanimously approved Wednesday during a school board meeting.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Luzerne County Election Board Meeting Sees Heated Exchange. “Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo did not hold back Wednesday night when county Election Board member Alyssa Fusaro asked the county’s election director and deputy director which worker was responsible for handling data that did not correctly synchronize. ‘“I will not allow anyone — anyone — to cross examine and abuse my staff.’” (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader)

York County Commissioner Candidates Face Questions: From Political Strife To Elections. “One of the questions posed to the candidates for York County Commissioner at the Rotary Club of York’s forum Wednesday was about how the relationship among the commissioners has sometimes been “contentious” and that reflected “negatively on the community.” (York Daily Record)

Greenwald Out As Luzerne County Chief Public Defender. “Luzerne County’s chief public defender, Steven M. Greenwald, has been removed from his position, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told county council in an email Wednesday morning. The brief message did not offer a reason for the ouster.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

PA Nurses Lobby For The Patient Safety Act In Harrisburg. “It’s been well over 100 days since the Pennsylvania House passed the Patient Safety Act and sent House Bill 106 to the Senate for approval, and yet, the Senate has yet to hold a hearing on the bill. That inaction prompted nurses from across Pennsylvania to gather in Harrisburg on Tuesday for a rally and lobby day for the bill.” (The Keystone)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Voters Should Support Democrats For Montco And Bucks County Board Of Commissioners. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Get The Info You Need To Make Good Voting Choices. (Tribune-Review)
• Cancel Culture Comes Full Circle. (Michelle Goldberg)
• Politics In Harrisburg And Washington Are In A Double-Time Race To The Bottom. (John Baer)
• The Politics of Aging, 2024 Edition. (Ray Landis)
• Dispelling Myths Of Cyber Charter School Funding In Pennsylvania. (Brian Hayden)
• What’s at Stake in Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court Election. (Danitra Sherman)

1 Thing

5. The Lament of the Philadelphia Sports Fan

“So close. So close. The Phillies came so close to giving their season a storybook finish with a return to the World Series. But they didn’t, failing to bring home the hits in Game 7 and turning over the NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The dashed hopes leave a familiar feeling lingering in the air.

Yes, this is what it feels like to be a Philly sports fan.

It’s happened a lot lately. In just the past year, the Eagles blew a halftime lead in the Super Bowl. The Sixers coughed up a 3-2 advantage to lose the Eastern Conference Finals.” (Billy Penn)

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