Republicans Sign Up With Shapiro. Bognet Calls Out Cartwright. Pitt Funding Goes Through House. Budget Watch. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather

Pittsburgh | Partly Sunny, 87
State College | Partly Sunny, 79
Yardley | Chance Showers, 81

PA Sports

Phillies (43-39, 8.0 GB) | lost to Washington, 3-2, THU vs. Washington, 4:05
Pirates (33-48, 12.5 GB) | lost to NY Yankees, 16-0; THU vs. Cincinnati, 2:10

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News

Nine GOP Leaders Endorse Shapiro. A group of nine Republicans from across the Commonwealth broke ranks today and offered their endorsement of Josh Shapiro for governor of Pennsylvania.

Were Johnny Doc’s Rights Violated by FBI Recording? Witness tampering or a violation of rights? That’s just one of the questions in the case against Philadelphia labor leader John J. “Johnny Doc” Dougherty.

PA-08: Bognet Challenges Cartwright Ad Claims. They are off and running in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District with Republican challenger Jim Bognet calling out Democratic incumbent Matt Cartwright on his recent ad.

PA Senate Race

John Fetterman Signals He Should Be ‘On the Campaign Trail Soon.’ As it nears two months since he suffered a stroke, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee in one of the country’s most important U.S. Senate races, is signaling that a return to the campaign trail may not be too far away. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Fetterman Calls for Ban on ‘Military-Grade Assault Weapons’ After Parade Massacre (PennLive)

PA Governor Race

‘Uphill Slog’ For the GOP as Republicans Start Fleeing Mastriano for Shapiro in PA. Marc Caputo writes When Doug Mastriano bested Pennsylvania’s GOP establishment to win the nomination for governor, top Republicans feared he was too extreme to win independent and mainstream party support in the general election. Now those predictions are starting to look prescient. (NBC News)

• Democrat Josh Shapiro Boasts Republican Jewish Support in Close Race for Pennsylvania Governor (Forward)
• Group of PA Republican Leaders Bucking Party to Endorse Democrat Josh Shapiro (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Democrat Josh Shapiro Picks Up Republican Endorsements In Race For Governor (TribLive)

Top Five Gubernatorial Races to Watch Heading Into Midterm Elections. As the issue of abortion reinvigorates conversations about Democrats’ chances of keeping their congressional majorities, it is also throwing a spotlight on the state-level elections that will determine the future of abortion law. (Washington Examiner)

Around the Commonwealth

Here’s What We Know So Far About Pennsylvania’s State Budget. Pennsylvania’s new fiscal year began last Friday, but state lawmakers and the Wolf Administration have yet to agree to a new spending plan. Both Republicans and Democrats appear hopeful a deal will be finalized this week. (90.5 WESA)

• PA Has Just Missed Its Budget Deadline. Here’s How You Could Be Impacted. (Ellwood City Ledger)
• Some PA Lawmakers Take A Pay Holiday Until Budget Gets Done (PennLive)

After Months of Tension Over Fetal Tissue Research, Pitt Funding Clears Hurdle in State House. What had been shaping up as a crisis for the University of Pittsburgh — and the state’s already late budget — may well have been averted Wednesday night, as Harrisburg Republicans sidelined a legislative effort to force Pitt to abandon fetal tissue research. The House passed a measure to provide nearly $155 million in funding to Pitt, bypassing an effort by anti-abortion conservatives to force Pitt to abandon the research if it wanted taxpayer dollars. (90.5 WESA)

• PA House Passes Bill Tying Funding For Pitt, State-Related Universities to Fetal Tissue Research (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

‘I’m Not a Robot’: Philly Mayor Says He Was Frustrated and Emotional When He Said He’ll ‘Be Happy’ To Not Be Mayor. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney on Wednesday said he regretted comments he made in the aftermath of a chaotic July 4 shooting, saying he was frustrated and emotional when he said he looked forward to not being mayor anymore. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Abortion Views Are Dividing Families and Friend Groups in the Wake of Roe v. Wade Being Overturned. People across the political spectrum say they have become accustomed to avoiding such topics with loved ones over the last few years — and they have doubled down in the last two weeks since the landmark abortion-rights case was overturned and now leaves it up to the states to determine whether people have the right to an abortion. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA Senate Passes Bill to Require Drivers to Clear Snow and Ice From Trucks, Cars Within 24 Hours. The Pennsylvania Senate gave unanimous final approval to a measure that would require motorists to make “reasonable efforts” to remove accumulated snow and ice from a vehicle within 24 hours of the end of a storm, and let police pull over vehicles that have a dangerous build-up. (The Morning Call)

Regional Spotlight: NEPA

The Morning Call: Why Republican Charlie Dent Says He’s Endorsing Democrat Josh Shapiro Against ‘Extremist’ Doug Mastriano for PA Governor.

The Morning Call: Needy PA School Districts Eye Extra Money as Legislature Prepares for Budget Action: ‘We Just Cannot Keep Up’

Standard-Speaker: 8 of 12 Schuylkill County School Districts Have Raised Taxes

Times-Tribune: Lackawanna County Veterans Affairs Director Elected to State Post

Times Leader: Wilkes-Barre Mayor Brown: Pending PA Fireworks Law a Dud

Times Leader: Mastriano to Visit Dallas on Saturday

Citizens’ Voice: DA Releases Stats on County-Wide Operation Trigger Lock

Opinion  

Denny Bonavita. American Politics, Small-Town Style (Courier-Express)

John Baer. The PA Budget Process Serves Politics More Than People (PennLive)

Claire Kovach, Stephen Herzenberg. Earth to the PA Legislature: Raise the Minimum Wage (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Paul Muschick. How PA Medical Marijuana Users Can End Up in Big Trouble Under State’s DUI Law (The Morning Call)

Addison Del Mastro. Can Lancaster County Preserve Its Distinct Identity? (RealClear Pennsylvania)