Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend. Let’s finish May strong. Let the recount begin. Oz declares victory. McCormick’s day in court. Guns and the GOP. Electric bills on the rise. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather
Pittsburgh | Hot, 90
Harrisburg | Sunny, 90
Philadelphia | Sunny, 95

PA Sports
Phillies (21-28) | lost to San Francisco, 5-4 (10); TUE-WED vs. SF
Pirates (20-27) | d. LA Dodgers, 6-5; TUE-WED at LA Dodgers 
Union (6-1-7) | draw vs. New England, 1-1; June 18 vs. Cincinnati

News

Perry Balks at January 6 Committee Subpoena: CNN is reporting that Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) has formally objected to being subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding January 6.

The GOP, Democrats and the Advertising of Guns: According to media tracking firm AdImpact, over 100 television ads used by GOP candidates or PACs nationwide have used guns as talking points.

PA Senate Race: ‘Hearing set for Tuesday morning on undated ballots in Pa.’s GOP Senate primary’: PennLive reports that “U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, trying to draw as close to self-declared Republican primary winner Dr. Mehmet Oz prior to a recount, is asking state courts to adopt a new federal appeals court ruling for this election.”

• PennLive: Oz declares ‘presumptive win’ in Pa. GOP’s U.S. Senate primary
• NBC News: Mehmet Oz claims victory as Pennsylvania declares recount
• Inquirer: McCormick and Oz are fighting over tiny batches of votes in county after county. That’s how tight the Pa. GOP Senate primary is.
• Inquirer: John Fetterman got a defibrillator after his stroke. But doctors say the campaign’s story ‘doesn’t make sense.’ 
• NPR: How undated ballots could affect Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate race and voters’ rights
• CNN: Oz says he’s earned ‘presumptive Republican nomination,’ even as Pennsylvania Senate primary recount kicks off
• Fox News: Dr. Oz declares himself ‘presumptive’ GOP Senate nominee as Pennsylvania recount gets underway
• Fox News: Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman uses Texas school shooting to fundraise for Senate campaign
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star: What to know about the Pa. GOP U.S. Senate race recount
• AP: Recount begins in Pennsylvania’s GOP primary for Senate 

PA Governor Race: ‘AG Josh Shapiro kicks off campaign for governor in Johnstown’: WJAC reports that “Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro spent his Thursday evening in Downtown Johnstown kicking off his campaign for Governor.”

• AP: Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns
• National Journal: Against the Grain Episode 163: Silver Linings Playbook

‘Nick Miller claims victory in tight 14th Senate District Democratic primary’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “Nick Miller claimed victory Thursday in the tight 14th Senate District Democratic primary, but Tara Zrinski said “there are other ballots they did not count” and she was preparing to go to court.”

‘’It’s a lie’: Aument calls out, but supports push for recount in 36th Senate district primary’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “a far-right group that has falsely claimed the 2020 election was fraudulent is calling for a recount in Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument’s landslide primary victory, alleging without evidence that the contest was illegitimate.”

‘Representative Dave Zimmerman faces backlash for support of right-wing candidate in primary’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “a rural Lancaster County lawmaker lost most of his committee assignments in the House, including one that focuses on agricultural and farming issues crucial to his district, after openly supporting a right-wing candidate who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument in the primary.”

‘High-profile GOP primary losses could make passing Pa.’s next budget painful’: Spotlight PA reports that “the primary defeat of one of Harrisburg’s top budget negotiators and the potential loss of another could embolden a contingent of conservative state House Republicans to derail the annual process.”

‘With budget season approaching, Pennsylvania business leaders want a corporate tax cut’: City & State PA reports that “business leaders from all corners of the state are putting pressure on members of the General Assembly to pass a “significant reduction” to the state’s corporate tax rate roughly one month out from the state’s June 30 budget deadline.”

‘Pennsylvania lawmakers hear testimony on proposal to inform consumers on selling of their data’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “a legislative committee on Wednesday held a public hearing about a bill that would require large companies and personal information aggregators to share more information with consumers about their data that is gathered, tracked and sold.”

‘Gift ban advocates look to circumvent GOP leadership, pressure lawmakers’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “the executive director of MarchOnHarrisburg has walked thousands of miles in protest, staged demonstrations, and faced arrest for efforts to pressure lawmakers into passing a ban to prohibit legislators from accepting gifts from anyone looking to influence government policy.”

‘Gift ban, other good-government changes stall in Pa. despite promises from leadership’: Spotlight PA reports that “MarchOnHarrisburg, has been pushing lawmakers to enact a gift ban for six years.”

‘Exit Interviews Part 2: Tom Wolf, The Backstop’: City & State PA reports that “Wolf’s veto pen has often been the only thing stopping bills passed by the GOP-controlled state legislature.” 

‘Exit Interviews Part 3: Jake Corman, The Leader’: City & State PA reports that “after more than two decades in the state Senate, Jake Corman is calling it a career – at least as far as his time in the Senate is concerned. Corman has been a fixture in the chamber since 1999, when he succeeded his father, J. Doyle Corman Jr., in representing the state’s 34th Senate District after his father retired the previous year.”

‘Exit Interviews: City & State talks to some of the state’s highest-profile politicians leaving office in 2022’: City & State PA reports that “Pennsylvania’s midterm election cycle will undoubtedly reshape the state’s political landscape once the dust settles from the Nov. 8 general election.”

City & State PA’s Biggest Winners & Losers This Week: City & State PA highlights the three winners and losers in Pennsylvania politics last week.

‘Gov. Wolf joins CeaseFirePA at ‘Uvalde to Pennsylvania’ End Gun Violence Rally’: WJET reports that “Governor Tom Wolf, along with state and local officials, on Friday joined CeaseFirePA, advocates, and gun violence survivors at a rally in Philadelphia to end gun violence.”

‘Gov. Wolf sees ‘future of education’ at McDowell, calls for gun law changes’: The Erie Times-News reports that “the governor was at McDowell High School on Thursday to tour its student-run manufacturing company. He also advocated changes to end gun violence.”

‘Redistricting flipped the primary script for Republicans. Here’s how’: The Erie Times-News reports that “due to redistricting and intraparty strife, six Republicans have already lost re-election bids to the PA legislature. One more could follow.”

‘Green groups give mixed review of Pa. DEP head as he leaves agency’: StateImpactPA reports that “the head of the Department of Environmental Protection is drawing mixed reviews from environmental groups and industry as he plans his exit this summer.”

‘Influx of renewables has regional operator planning for future electric grid’: StateImpactPA reports that “the electric grid operator for the region that includes Pennsylvania is preparing for a shift in electricity generation.”

‘From defund to refund: Why Democrats are shifting their tone on policing two years after George Floyd’s murder’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “from municipal government to the statewide midterm elections, an increasing number of Democrats are backing proposals to provide more resources to police.”

‘Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, His Late Brother On Russia’s Ban List’: Levittown Now reports that “Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick is no longer welcomed in Russia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.”

‘Your electric bill will likely rise on June 1: Here’s why the state can’t do anything about it’: PennLive reports that “you will likely see an increase in the generation charge on your electric bill.”

‘Marino advocates spending pandemic relief money to secure schools in wake of Texas shooting’: The Williamsport Sun-Gazette reports that “former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino says an urgent need exists to use the state’s COVID-19 relief funds to make public and parochial schools more secure in the wake of the 19 children and two teachers killed in a Texas school shooting on Tuesday.”

Regional Spotlight: Central 
StateImpactPA: Harrisburg settles with ACLU over conditions for climate event
York Daily Record: Toomey may support gun reform following Buffalo, Uvalde mass shootings
York Daily Record: York County GOP chair quits after fight with Rep. Mike Jones
York Dispatch: Helfrich’s conflict of interest waiver conspicuously absent from agenda
LNP | LancasterOnline: Pennsylvania now offers in-person services for unemployment claims
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Lancaster Co. lawmakers, hopefuls prepare for renewed debate on gun violence reduction bills 
PennLive: ‘The Mayor of Maple Avenue’: Podcast details family’s struggle to rescue son from addiction he blamed on Sandusky
Carlisle Sentinel: Climate Control: Carlisle moves from a commission to committee
ABC27: This Week in Pennsylvania: John Jones

Opinion  
Joanna McClinton, Matt Bradford and Jordan Harris: Pennsylvania’s students deserve equity, and we can deliver
Paul Muschick: Why does Pennsylvania stink at holding elections?
Paul Muschick: One day after Texas school shooting, spineless Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers endorse assault weapons
Mark S. Singel: Enough is enough: We need stronger gun laws
Nathan Benefield: Inflation’s cause? It’s the spending, stupid.
Al Schmidt: Democracy hinges on counting every vote — again
Justin Riemer: Election Reform is Possible. Can PA Gov. Be Convinced?
Jenny DeHuff: It may be time to rethink the role of the independent voter in primary elections
Molly Parzen: Joining multistate initiative puts Pa. on greener path
Rev. Gregory Edwards: Racial injustice is on trial in Pennsylvania school funding case
Paul Muschick: Illegal dirt bikes one step closer to being crushed in Allentown
Alexandra Kozak: Pennsylvania’s lawmakers must invest more in outdoor recreation
Patrick Lavella: Lawmakers must ensure pharmacies can continue to provide vaccinations
John L. Micek: Pa. House bill would ban sale of body armor that aided Buffalo, Texas shooters | Thursday Coffee
John L. Micek: Advocates for Black, brown, LGBTQ, women call for ‘meaningful’ gun reform | Friday Morning Coffee
John L. Micek: A different America demands a different kind of Memorial Day | Monday Morning Coffee
Ernest Owens: What the Uvalde, Buffalo and Even Philly Shootings Have in Common
PennLive Editorial Board: We don’t want what happened in Uvalde to happen here
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: This year’s Pennsylvania gubernatorial election will be a clear litmus test of our willingness to protect democracy
Hope A. Comisky: We need Sens. Casey and Toomey to pass the domestic terrorism prevention act
Cliff A. Rieders: Government subsidies are pushing us into electric vehicles, but alternatives are worth considering
Robert J. Perkins an Kelvin L. Morris: Allegheny Co. DA Zappala’s decision to seek death penalty doesn’t serve justice
John Cole: A formula shortage? Yes. A pablum shortage? No | Editorial Cartoon
John Schmoyer: If the Constitution’s framers could only see us now
Lloyd E. Sheaffer: Ubuntu: What it is, and why we could use more of it in public life
Dick Polman: Here in arsenal America, everything old is new again
Dr. Anna Fitch Courie: First responders can struggle with mental health and wellness as they try to care for others
Naomi Davenport and Helena Johnson: Professional caring for people with disabilities need to earn a fair wage