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👂 What We’re Hearing. “The DCCC raised an eye-popping $22.3 million in August, leaving the House Democratic campaign arm with more than $87 million on hand in the final stretch of the election.”

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Sen. Katie Muth, Sen. Christine Tartaglione and Rep. Steve Samuelson (Sat.) and Rep. Rob Matzie (Sun.).

🗞️ You Asked for PA News. We Deliver. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Inflation, Greedflation, Shrinkflation: Casey, McCormick Duel on Key Election Topic

“Pennsylvania voters this election cycle are hearing about “greedflation” due to corporate price gouging.

They’re learning about “shrinkflation,” which is what happens when a bag of Doritos contains more air and fewer chips than it once did. They’re even being told about something called “Bobflation” on a website that highlights the soaring cost of grocery staples, Wawa hoagies and tickets to Hersheypark.

All these terms are meant to tap into the frustration Keystone State residents feel over the wince-inducing prices they’ve been paying for some goods and services.” (USA Today Network)

Elsewhere

Teamsters Locals in PA, Other Battleground States Endorse Harris After National Teamsters Snub Her. “Although the International Brotherhood of Teamsters won’t be endorsing in the presidential race, local Teamsters unions in several battleground states, including Pennsylvania, are backing Vice President Kamala Harris.” (PennLive)

Trump Warns Jewish Voters They’ll Be Partly To Blame If He Loses. “Former President Donald Trump said at an event in Washington aimed at fighting antisemitism on Thursday that if he loses in November, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.”” (POLITICO)

Five Takeaways From the Latest Flurry of Harris-Trump Polls. “More than 20 swing-state polls entirely conducted after the Sep. 10 debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump are now in the public domain.” (The Hill)

Deciphering the Latest Pennsylvania Polls: Harris’s Narrow Lead on Trump Within Margin of Error. “Public polls are astrology for armchair politicos: We’re most likely to believe them when they tell us what we want to hear, even though we know they’ve been wrong before. Yet we can’t stop looking at them.” (WESA Politics)

PoliticsPA Poll Tracker. “Here is the PoliticsPA Poll Tracker that compiles the latest polling numbers from reliable outlets that survey likely and registered voters in the Keystone State.” (PoliticsPA)

State

2. PA Supreme Court Tosses ACLU-Backed Mail-in Ballot Lawsuit

“The State Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by one of the country’s foremost civil rights organizations that sought to prevent ballots from being disqualified due to simple formatting errors.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Al Schmidt as well as Philadelphia and Allegheny counties in May that argued to end a requirement that voters handwrite a date on the envelope containing their ballot. Under the current law, ballots with incorrect or missing dates will not be counted.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

Voters Are Advised to Return Their Ballots Early Because of Mail Delay Concerns. “While the Postal Service says it is working on improvements and committed to making timely deliveries, it is also recommending mail-in voters take what Louis DeJoy has called “a common-sense measure” — return their paper voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications and completed ballots at least one week before their states’ respective deadlines.” (WQLN)

Time is Running Out For a Deal This Year on PA State Funding For Public Transportation. “Without legislative action this fall to increase state funding for Pennsylvania’s public transportation systems, SEPTA will have to slash its services, despite short-term aid, its own cost-cutting moves, and a proposed fare increase, board chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. warned Thursday.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA Begins Disbursing Millions to Student Teachers Through Stipend Program. “The proverbial check is in the mail for more than 2,000 future educators seeking support from Pennsylvania’s high-demand stipend program to support student teachers. The commonwealth allocated $30 million this year to fund the second go-round of the Student Teacher Support Program introduced by the Shapiro Administration. ” (CNHI News)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Lawsuits Are a Last Resort When Local Government Goes Wrong. Here’s Why One Pennsylvanian Is Suing

“A resident of a small Centre County borough marred by dysfunction is suing its council, claiming its members have unlawfully filled vacant elected positions and conducted borough business without proper public input.

Litigation like this is among the few ways that Pennsylvanians can force local governments to correct an erroneous action, but it’s often a costly and difficult process.” (Spotlight PA)

Elsewhere

Kamala Harris is Performing Better than Joe Biden With Philly Voters, But There Could Be Red Flags. “Harris has a commanding 63-point lead over Trump in Philadelphia, according to an Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll. But there is some nuance to her support within the city.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Bob Casey, David McCormick Raise Concerns About Charleroi Glass Plant Shutdown. “The planned closure of a Washington County glass factory and the announced loss of hundreds of jobs there has drawn the attention of both Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and his rival for office, Republican David McCormick.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Emhoff is Coming to Bucks County on Sunday to Energize Volunteers in the Purple Philly Suburb. “Donald Trump is no longer coming to Bucks County on Sunday, but Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, will be there to drive enthusiasm in the swing county.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

‘We Belong Here Like Everybody Else’: Philly Haitian Leaders Rally Against Hateful Rhetoric. “The Rev. Maurice Choizi, pastor of the Ebenezer Haitian Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, is a Haitian immigrant and cannot understand why the community he belongs to has been targeted.” (Philadelphia Tribune)

‘A Violation Against Free Speech’ | Penn State Removes Collegian Newspapers From Campus. “There were around 35 racks inside campus buildings, with three running a Kamala Harris advertisement and six running voter registration ads in poster space above the newspapers. All racks and newspapers have been removed and their location remains unknown, as noticed Thursday.” (Daily Collegian)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Voter Misinformation is a Big Problem. Election Officials Say It’s Getting Worse. (Chris Brennan)
• Anti-Immigrant Lies Won’t Save Charleroi, But Immigrants Might. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• I’m the Governor of Ohio. I Don’t Recognize the Springfield That Trump and Vance Describe. (Gov. Mike DeWine)
• Trump Repeals His Own Tax Reform. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Land of Opportunity Versus a Bumper Sticker Slogan. (Andy Bloom)
• Are We Overthinking Recreational Weed? (Malcolm Burnley)

1 Thing

5. 1 Hip Hippo

“Thailand’s hottest celebrity is Moo Deng, a 2-month-old pygmy hippo whose expressive face has made her an Internet sensation.

• Several professional sports teams in the U.S. have made memes with her, as has the official account for X, and any number of Thai businesses.

😎 She’s so popular IRL that her zoo has had to limit visitors to five minutes of cooing and snapping photos. (AP)

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