🌻 Good Day, Tuesday

PA Weather
Erie | Increasing Clouds, Showers, 64
State College | Sunny, 72
Wilkes-Barre | Mostly Sunny, 77

PA Sports
Pirates (34-30) | Tu-Th vs. Chicago Cubs
Phillies (32-34) | Arizona 8-9 | Tu-Th vs. Arizona

What’s Happening
The House convenes at 11a.

What We’re Hearing
“Everything is a negotiation.” – Sen. Kim Ward

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Top Story

1. Everything You Need To Know About Trump’s Miami Court Appearance

“When Donald Trump steps into a Miami federal courtroom on Tuesday, he’ll be making history as the first former president to face criminal charges in a wide-reaching case centered on his handling of classified material.

A Miami-based federal grand jury returned a 37-count criminal indictment that alleges the former president arranged for a huge collection of highly classified material to be moved to Mar-a-Lago — and thwarted the Justice Department’s attempts to retrieve them.

Dozens of media outlets descended on south Florida ahead of Trump’s court appearance and demonstrations — pushed by Trump and his allies — are planned for Tuesday.” (POLITICO)

Related

Fetterman, Casey Introduce Bill To Stop Spread Of Spotted Lanternfly. “A bipartisan group of senators with an issue they can agree on. It’s a new bill that takes aim at the spotted lanternfly, the red-speckled insect threatening plants in the eastern U.S.” (POLITICO)

State

2. Shapiro Signs Emergency Disaster Declaration Over I-95 Collapse

“Earlier today, Governor Josh Shapiro issued a proclamation of disaster emergency for Philadelphia County in response to the I-95 fire and collapse in Northeast Philadelphia yesterday morning.

“To expedite the rebuilding of I-95 and cut through the red tape, this morning, I issued a disaster declaration, allowing the Commonwealth to immediately draw down federal funds and move quickly to begin the repair and reconstruction process,” said Shapiro.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

PA Lawmakers Are Already Trying To Extend The Emergency Declaration For The I-95 Collapse. “Governor-issued declarations expire in 21 days, but both sides of the I-95 corridor will need “significant repairs,” said State Rep. Ed Neilson, who chairs the House Transportation committee.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Repairing I-95: The Challenge Ahead. (PoliticsPA)

Why Some Lawmakers Think This Will Be The Year That PA Raises Its Minimum Wage. “After years of arguments and a near-deal in 2019, Democrats in the Pennsylvania legislature say it’s now just a matter of time before Republicans agree to vote in favor of raising the state’s minimum wage.” (Spotlight PA)

PA House Advances Bill Establishing State Earned Income Tax Credit To Aid Working Poor. “Working Pennsylvanians may be eligible for a state earned-income tax credit under a bill that passed the House on Monday.” (PennLive)

Gun Rights Rally Takes Aim At PA House Democrats New Majority. “Organizers warned at an annual gun rights rally at the Pennsylvania Capitol on Monday that with a slim Democratic majority in the House, there could be more attempts to pass gun control measures, weeks after Democrats narrowly advanced the first gun control legislation in years that Republicans criticized as attempts to “dwindle away at our Second Amendment rights.”” (AP)

• ‘Guns Are Not Inherently Violent:’ Owners Defend Rights At PA Capitol Rally. (PennLive)

The PA House Approved A Child-Care Tax Credit Expansion And Sara Innamorato’s Targeted Tax Relief Bill. “With lawmakers in stark disagreement on the wisdom of its finances and who it would help, the state House on Monday approved an expansion of a tax credit program to help offset parents’ child care costs.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

PA Senate GOP Leader Shares His Thoughts On Topics On The Budget Table. “With the state Senate not in session this week, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman took time on Monday to speak with reporters about a myriad of issues that are now competing for the attention of lawmakers, most notably the state budget as the June 30 end to the fiscal year approaches.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Montco GOP Candidates Seek To Prevail Over History, Voter Registration

“Joe Biden carried Montgomery County by 25 points over Donald Trump in 2020.

Liz Ferry and Tom DiBello believe they can turn it from blue back to red. Their plan? Winning the support of its 64,423 unaffiliated voters.” (DV Journal)

Related

Fitzgerald Vows To Help Innamorato In Race For Allegheny County Executive. “Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald pledged Saturday to support state Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, in her campaign to succeed him, WESA reported Monday.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

South Fayette Voters Turned Out Big And Ousted Incumbents After A Taxpayer-Funded Retreat Sparked Outrage. “You’d be forgiven for thinking it was a presidential election year in South Fayette — and it wasn’t a friendly one for incumbents.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

PA Average Gas Price Down 28 Percent From Record High Set 1 Year Ago. “One year ago today, drivers in Pennsylvania were paying about $1.42 per gallon more for gas than they are now.” (Tribune-Review)

As General Election Looms, Candidates Studying Up To Be Next Allegheny County Executive. “There’s 203 days until someone new takes over as the chief executive of Allegheny County for the first time in 12 years, and not a moment to lose.” (Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Government Must Show It Can Act Fast To Repair I-95 Collapse. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The PA Legislature Should Make Speed Cameras Permanent. (Rich Lazer)
• It’s The Culture, Stupid! (Jerry Shenk)
• Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Ruling Contains Hints For Affirmative Action. (Stephen L. Carter)
• Cutting Red Tape On PA’s Nurse Practitioners. (Abbey Haslam)
• PA Expands Documents For Proof Of Social Security Number For REAL ID. (Bill O’Boyle) 
• State House Republicans: As PA Crafts Its Budget, GOP Is Advocating For Taxpayers. (Cutler, Fee, Greiner, Mentzer, Miller, Zimmerman, Jones)
• Penn State Map Shows Reality Of Limited Broadband Access In PA. (Sascha Meinrath)

1 Swiftie Thing

5. ‘All Of Allegheny County Is Sold Out’

“If you want to stay in Pittsburgh this weekend, you might have to sleep outside.

That’s because Taylor Swift — pop megastar and global economic force — is set to storm the 68,000-seat Acrisure Stadium for two concerts, Friday and Saturday, bringing with her an onslaught of fans eager to catch a glimpse of one of the best-selling musicians of all time.

With the incoming deluge of Swifties, virtually every hotel in the city is sold out, and local restaurants are gearing up for an unprecedented uptick in diners.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

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