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What We’re Hearing
“I do believe that the president and the speaker legitimately respect each other. I believe they legitimately do want to come to a conclusion here. And I think it’s important that they physically be in the same room together to make that happen.” – Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick

What’s Happening Today
The House convenes at noon.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Jim Gregory.

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Top Story

1. Back In Hoodies And Gym Shorts, Fetterman Tackles Senate Life After Depression Treatment

“Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to the hospital for clinical depression in February, he walked the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits. These days, he’s back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator.

Male senators are expected to wear a jacket and tie on the Senate floor, but Fetterman has a workaround. He votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his “yay” or “nay” is recorded before ducking back out. In between votes this past week, Fetterman’s hoodie stayed on for a news conference with four Democratic colleagues in suits, the 6-foot-8 Fetterman towering over his colleagues” (AP)

Related

Republicans Have Given Up On Cities. “After Republicans lost mayoral elections in Jacksonville and Colorado Springs on Tuesday, only two of the 32 largest US cities, and 14 of the 70 largest, will have GOP mayors.” (Washington Post)

Doug Mastriano Says He’ll Announce This Week Whether He’ll Run For U.S. Senate, Teasing ‘Crazy Good News’ “Mastriano (R-Franklin), an ultra-conservative who lost his 2022 gubernatorial bid to Democrat Josh Shapiro by 15 percentage points and 800,000 votes, said Saturday at a Lebanon County event that he will disclose his decision about entering the 2024 primary on Facebook Live.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Harrisburg

2. Inside Josh Shapiro’s 2022 Landslide – And What It Means For 2024

“In one of the most closely watched campaigns in America, Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro recorded one of the most impressive victories of the entire 2022 midterm cycle.

The Capital-Star set out to examine just how he did it and what this all means for the future of Pennsylvania politics. While last year’s Gubernatorial contest was thoroughly covered at the time, I feel that the most comprehensive review can only be done in retrospect.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related

PA Supreme Court Primary: Where The Race Was Won. “Where were the candidates most successful in the Commonwealth’s 67 counties? Let’s take a look.” (PoliticsPA)

Primary Maps Show Suburbs Are Split – And Will Sway Allegheny County Politics. “Voter turnout in Tuesday’s primary elections in Allegheny County was about 26%, well above the 16% turnout in 2019, the last time the county executive was on the ballot.” (Public Source)

Primary Results Foreshadow Hyper-Partisan, Competitive PA School Board Races In November. “The results of school board races in Tuesday’s primary election signal this much: The general election in November is poised to be a hyper-partisan contest featuring deep-pocketed groups, some local, some steered by national interests.” (PennLive)

Are Government Workers’ Social Media Posts Public Records? “A recent court decision raised the bar for when a government official’s personal social media posts are public records, and will likely make it more burdensome and costly for Pennsylvanians to get their hands on this information.” (Spotlight PA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Cherelle Parker Spent 10 Years In Harrisburg. That Could Pay Off For Philly

“Cherelle Parker helped pass a 1% sales tax for Philadelphia to fund public schools. She became allies with a top Republican. And she joined a 2007 walkout of the state House to push for gun reforms.

She’s now poised to bring to the mayor’s office those experiences in Harrisburg, where she spent 10 years as a state legislator.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Nina Ahmad Is Poised To Become City Council’s First South Asian Lawmaker – And First Immigrant In Decades. “Ahmad ran two failed bids for statewide office. This time, she built her own coalition of labor unions, Democratic officials, and social justice groups.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Why Nearly 200 Provisional Votes In Bucks County Weren’t Counted In November. “Corey Boland’s vote in last November’s election should have counted. But it was one of 176 that were disqualified in Bucks County because of a poll worker mistake. ” (Bucks County Courier-Times)

The Montgomery County Commissioners Race Upended ‘Party Politics As Usual’ For Democrats. “The Montgomery County Democratic machine isn’t broken. But it may need some maintenance work.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Resource-Starved Smaller PA Counties Losing Out On Federal Broadband Aid. “At least $26 million is needed to bring internet access to every corner of rural Fayette County — equivalent to 60% of the county’s annual budget — after the discovery that far more places are without broadband connections than the federal government has identified.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Less Than A Quarter Of Lehigh Valley Democrats, Republicans Voted In 2023 Primary. “Just over 86,000 people across the Lehigh Valley voted in the 2023 primary election, according to unofficial Lehigh and Northampton counties election results.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

Editorial

• Ban Handheld Devices While Driving. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Next Allegheny County Executive Should Make Transit A Top Priority. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Opinion

• We Need Poll Workers. And They Need Protection. (Trey Grayson)
• The New Politics Nothing Like The Old. (Joseph Sabino Mistick)
• The Key To Cherelle Parker’s Success? Rejecting The Democrats’ Progressive Wing. (Jennifer Stefano)
• How The Democratic Establishment Gave Way To A New Generation Of Progressives. (Salena Zito)
• Primary Results Suggest GOP Extreme Rhetoric Has Put Dems On Solid (Middle) Ground. (Mark S. Singel)
• Want More PA Black Voters To Vote Progressive? Here’s How. (Michael Coard)
• Tuesday’s Turnout Shows Apathy Of County Voters. (Pete Sirianni)
• Gun Violence, White Supremacy And The Economy. What Black Voters Want Democrats To Fix. (John T. Bennett)
• Innamorato Needs Big Action For An Allegheny County That Has Been Thinking Small. (Yarone Zober)

1 Thing

5. Hot Summer Ahead

A broad swath of the U.S. is likely to see a hotter than average summer.

Driving the news: The latest NOAA outlook shows the highest probability of above average temperatures lies across the Southwestern U.S.

• It’s centered over New Mexico and Arizona, where there is a 60%-70% chance of a warmer than average summer.
• The odds are slightly lower for warmer than average temperatures from Texas to New England.
• Wetter conditions are projected for the mid-and-lower Mississippi, Ohio Valley, and much of the East and Gulf Coasts.

The intrigue: Worldwide, with ocean temperatures running at or near record highs globally, heat waves on land are even more likely. (Axios)

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