😎 A Wonderful Weather Wednesday. And the Phillies take game one.

PA Weather
☀️ Latrobe | Sunny, 82
☀️ Lebanon | Sunny, 83
☀️ Levittown | Sunny, 86

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (1-0) | Miami 4-1 | Wed-Thu vs. Miami
⚽ Union (14-9-8) | Wed vs. Atlanta

What We’re Hearing
If Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer move up to speaker and majority leader, there’ll be an opening at whip. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, the chief deputy whip, will have a big advantage here.

What’s Happening
Montgomery County commissioner debate, 8 a.m.; State House, 11 a.m.. Senate, 1 p.m.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Lt. Gov. Austin Davis.

The Best Political News In The State
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Top Story

1. House Makes History, Removes McCarthy As Speaker

“The House on Tuesday voted to remove Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker, a never-before-seen historic vote that leaves the lower chamber of Congress in chaos.

In the final 216-210 vote, seven Republicans joined Matt Gaetz to unseat McCarthy.

Immediately after the vote to remove McCarthy, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) was declared Speaker pro tempore. He said the House would go into recess so that Democrats and Republicans could meet separately to “discuss the path forward.” (The Hill)

Related

Here Is How Pennsylvania’s House Delegation Split Over The Vote To Oust McCarthy As House Speaker. “All eight Republicans voted against the motion to remove Kevin McCarthy while the state’s nine Democrats supported the move pushed by a handful of his GOP critics.” (PennLive)

• Meuser Opposed Ousting Mccarthy As Speaker, Had Strong Words For Gaetz. (Scranton Times-Tribune)

PA House Proposes April 2 For Presidential Primary, 2 Weeks Later Than Senate Wants. “An effort to move Pennsylvania’s presidential primary next year bred new disagreements in the Legislature on Tuesday, as members of a House committee rejected a bill favored by the Senate. (AP)

2024 Primary: House Wants April 2; Senate Wants March 19. “Potato. Pah-tah-toe. Tomato. Tah-mah-toe. The Pennsylvania General Assembly seems to be in agreement that the state’s 2024 presidential primary date should not be April 23. After that … not so much.” (PoliticsPA)

Expanded Voter ID Is Back On The Table In PA. “Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again considering expanding the state’s voter ID requirements, this time as part of a larger proposal to change the date of the 2024 presidential primary.” (Spotlight PA)

Automatic Voter Registration In PA Draws GOP Lawsuit Threats, But Little Action. “Republicans at the state and national level are still crying foul over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s announcement last month that the state had adopted automatic voter registration at motor vehicle offices.” (VoteBeat)

David McCormick Is Running Against Bob Casey — But Also A Little Bit John Fetterman. “The Republican preoccupation with Fetterman gives McCormick an opportunity to motivate his base against someone who isn’t running, but who evokes intense emotions.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. Pennsylvania Court Race Puts Abortion, Elections Center Stage

“Though the Nov. 7 election will not immediately threaten Democrats’ hold on the state Supreme Court, a Republican win could pave the way for the GOP to flip the high court in the years to come in a critical battleground state, which has been at the center of key issues such as the contestation of election results and Medicaid coverage of abortion.

Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Dan McCaffery are vying for an open seat on the state Supreme Court after Chief Justice Max Baer, a Democrat, died last year. With Baer on the bench, Democrats had a 5-2 majority, which his death slimmed to a 4-2 edge.” (The Hill)

Related

One Man’s Spending Is Dominating PA Judicial Races. Who Is He, And Why Is This Election Important? “Jeff Yass, Pennsylvania’s richest man, has contributed a third of all donations to statewide judicial candidates, more than $2 million of it going toward Republicans.” (Spotlight PA)

DLCC Making Six-Figure Investment In PA Supreme Court Race. “The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) announced Wednesday it plans to make a “six-figure investment” in Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court race, calling it an election that will have “long-term consequences, not just for the court, but for the state Legislature as well.”  (PA Capital-Star)

Women In The PA Senate Say Gov. Josh Shapiro Needs To Address Harassment Allegations Against A Former Top Official. “Six days after one of his cabinet members resigned without a stated reason, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s silence about months-old sexual harassment allegations against the official is fueling a deepening mistrust of his administration among women in the state Senate. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Senator Calls For More Transparency From Shapiro Over Sexual Harassment Claims Against Former Top Aide. “A state senator from York County said Gov. Josh Shapiro’s silence over the sexual harassment accusations against a former senior-level aide speaks volumes about the governor’s feelings toward the value of working women.” (PennLive)

PA House Passes Wide-Ranging Tax Code Bill. “Pennsylvania House Democrats passed a bill Tuesday night containing multiple hotly contested changes to the state tax code – including corporate tax cuts sought by Republicans as well as several tax benefits for lower-income workers championed by Democrats.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Innamorato, Rockey Clash On Crime, Abortion During Last ACE Debate

“The two candidates for Allegheny County executive agreed Tuesday that public safety is a major issue facing the county, but differed on how to address it — including the future of the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, the county jail, and policing outside Pittsburgh.

Democratic nominee Sara Innamorato and Republican rival Joe Rockey also clashed on property reassessments, abortion, and other issues during a televised debate Tuesday on WTAE. It was their second debate in less than a week and the last one scheduled before the Nov. 7 general election.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Innamorato, Rockey debate crime, property taxes in Allegheny County executive race. (WESA)

Related

PA-10: Former News Anchor Janelle Stelson Launches Bid For Congress. “Ending the political speculation and confirming the rumors, longtime midstate television anchor Janelle Stelson is running for Congress.” (PennLive)

PA-10: Forbes Joins Crowded Democratic Field. “In an ever-growing field of Democratic candidates for the U.S. Congress, add another name for the 10th Congressional District.” (PoliticsPA)

PA-08: Bresnahan Files For Candidacy. “Rob Bresnahan Jr., the Chief Executive Officer at Kuharchik Construction, has filed a statement of candidacy to seek the Republican nomination for the 8th District Congressional seat held by Democrat Matt Cartwright.” (PoliticsPA)

Sheriff, Lawyer, Donor: How Kilkenny Became One Of The Most Influential Democrats In The Philly Suburbs. “Sean Kilkenny helped build the Democratic Party in the suburbs and has carved out a niche as a go-to lawyer for local governments.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Erie County Executive Brenton Davis Includes ‘Modest’ Tax Hike In Proposed 2024 Budget. “Davis, who vowed to not raise taxes in his first term, said the tax hike will help fill budget gaps spurred by record high inflation and expenditures.” (Erie Times-News)

Callihan Selected as PDAA Director. “Former Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan was named executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association this week.” (Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• The Problem With Misinformation: People Want It. (Tyler Cowen)
• Shapiro Missed Chance To Meet Higher Standard On Sexual Harassment. (Tribune-Review)
• Shapiro’s Sex Pest. (David Galluch)
• Who Has The Power In Most States To Temporarily Or Permanently Replace Us Senators? (Gibbs Knotts)
• Even Our Drinking Water Is Not Immune To Inflation. (John Brutz)
• The House GOP Is a Failed State. (John F. Harris)
• The Coming Supreme Court Power Grab. (Aaron Tang)
• Dave McCormick: Filibuster … Buster? (Thomas Harvey and Thomas Koenig)

1 Thing

5. This Is A Test

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this afternoon.

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

All wireless phones should receive the message only once. (FEMA)

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