Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit to block a GOP-backed subpoena as they seek voter records and personal information of registered voters in the state for a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 presidential election. Here is the Playbook. 

News

‘Pennsylvania prosecutor sues to block GOP election subpoena’: The Associated Press reports that “Pennsylvania’s attorney general sued Thursday to block a Republican-approved subpoena to state election officials in what Republicans call a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election, spurred on by former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that he was cheated out of victory.”

‘Pa. Senate Democrats ask for courts to push back subpoena deadline, block hiring of vendor for GOP election review’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “building on a challenge they filed last week, Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have asked a state appellate court to extend the deadline for Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to answer to 17 subpoenas requesting identifying information on all 9 million registered Pennsylvania voters.”

‘As Harrisburg Republicans craft fall agenda, their allies are asking for more’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “abortion opponents, gun rights advocates, and spending hawks all are pushing for their proposals to be front-and-center.”

‘Wolf urges community groups to apply for anti-violence grants’: WHYY reports that “the state of Pennsylvania has $30 million dollars to distribute in an effort to decrease violence. Governor Tom Wolf traveled to a YMCA in West Philadelphia, where he joined officials to talk about state funding available to address community violence.”

‘Texas-like abortion restriction law seen as ‘terrible sign of things to come’ or ‘necessary to save lives’ in Pennsylvania’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “in the wake of a recent state law restricting abortion access in Texas, advocates and healthcare providers in Pennsylvania are warning residents about similar bills working their way through the commonwealth’s legislature.”

‘Smoking with kids in the car could get you fined in Pa’: PennLive reports that “a Pennsylvania state lawmaker wants to discourage drivers from smoking in a vehicle while transporting a child, and the measure is gaining some support.”

‘Unemployment refunds going out to those Pa. overcharged five years after issue discovered’: Spotlight PA reports that “five years after discovering it had overcharged thousands of Pennsylvanians millions of dollars in interest, the state Department of Labor and Industry has started paying them back.”

‘Pennsylvania educators testify about mask-order confusion; ‘Young children do not know how to read eyes’’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “a statewide school masking order has sparked resentment and chaos among some people while others see it as the best bet to keep kids in schools, testifiers and lawmakers said during a public hearing Thursday.”

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

‘Could an ugly Senate primary hamper Pennsylvania Republicans?’: National Journal reports that “after a sleepy start, the GOP contest has taken a nasty turn.”

‘Casey pushes bill to have banks, businesses aid seniors in detecting scams’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “in a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Mr. Casey, the chairman, said seniors have been especially vulnerable to scams since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic because many have isolated, been cut off from family and friends and have longed for human contact — making it harder to turn away from potential scammers.”

‘Guy For Gov? Chesco Chamber’s Guy Ciarrocchi on Why He Jumped Into the Race’: Guy Ciarrocchi talks with The Delaware Valley Journal about his bid for Governor. 

‘400K immigrants in Pa., N.J. and Del. are up for citizenship under Dem plan, imperiled by setback in Congress’: WHYY reports that “after a procedural decision dealt a blow to Democrats’ immigration agenda, local immigrants and their supporters have stepped up demands to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions already living and working in the U.S.”

‘The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip’: CNN ranks Pennsylvania as the most likely Senate seat to flip in 2022 in their latest ratings. 

‘Pa. Health Dept: 5,489 new COVID cases; more than 2,500 hospitalized’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “the Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 5,489 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to more than 1.39 million since the start of the pandemic. That’s up from Wednesday’s tally of 4,394 new cases.”

‘COVID-19 cases remain high in these Pennsylvania ZIP codes’: PennLive reports that “central Pennsylvania communities continue to lead in the number of new COVID-19 cases by ZIP code.”

‘Philadelphia to explore ranked-choice voting’: KYW Newsradio reports that “Philadelphia City Council will explore ranked-choice voting for the city. Council passed a resolution to hold hearings on the system, in which voters select candidates in order of preference: First choice, second choice, third choice and so on.”

‘Councilmember’s son dies; had to fight for hospital bed because of COVID-19 patients’: KYW Newsradio reports that “the consequences of COVID-19 vaccine refusal became a very personal issue for Philadelphia City Councilmember Curtis Jones, who lost his son last week.”

‘High court rules comfort dogs may be allowed in courtrooms in case that arose from Chester County trial’: The Daily Local News reports that “the Pennsylvania Supreme Court this week ruled that canines may be allowed in the courtroom, in a case that arose from a 2018 murder trial in Chester County where Melody, a comfort dog, was allowed to sit next to a child witness during testimony.”

‘Operators of contentious PennEast shale gas pipeline declare a retreat’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the PennEast natural gas pipeline won a big U.S. Supreme Court victory in June. But the project is now in retreat, facing big legal and regulatory hurdles.”

‘Tempers flare at Montgomery County commissioners’ meeting’: Montgomery Media reports that “the trio of Montgomery County commissioners engaged in a war of words Thursday as tempers flared during their board meeting.”

‘Pa. court opens path for Chester city to sell regional water utility to Aqua Pa. to get the city out of hock’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the contested sale of one of the region’s largest public water systems got a big lift after a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled that the financially strapped City of Chester is the sole owner of the Chester Water Authority (CWA), and can entertain sale offers for the utility despite objections from suburban interests that represent the vast majority of customers.”

‘Manager of PAC with ties to Democratic mayoral nominee facing criminal charge’: WTAE reports that “the manager of a political action committee with ties to Democratic mayoral nominee Ed Gainey is facing criminal charges following an Action News investigation.”

‘Hyperloop terminal, aerial trams and new bridges: Pittsburgh unveils ambitious long-term transportation blueprint’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports “picture Pittsburgh 50 years from now with these transportation changes: a terminal in a central location to handle a hyperloop system, vehicles for vertical takeoffs and landings, and high-speed trains; aerial trams linking neighborhoods; and new bridges crossing the Monongahela River at Hazelwood for motorized vehicles and at the former Wabash rail bridge piers for bikes and pedestrians.”

‘Emergency Community Meeting Held To Create Plan To Stop Gun Violence In Pittsburgh Area’: KDKA reports that “community activists, politicians and residents attended an emergency community meeting in Homewood to start creating a plan of action to curtail gun violence.”

‘Thomas still Somerset DA after arrest; county prosecutor faces allegations of rape, assault’: The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reports that “Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas is not legally required to resign or temporarily step aside from his position after being arrested and arraigned Wednesday on rape and other charges.”

‘‘Tyrants don’t stop.’ State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, BEA parents urge district to defy mask mandate’: The Centre Daily Times reports that “a large crowd of people piled into the Bald Eagle Area High School auditorium Wednesday evening to discuss the statewide mask mandate in schools, with many – including a state lawmaker – asking the district to defy the controversial order.” 

Opinion  
Tom Wolf: Republicans’ election lies are tearing our commonwealth apart
John Baer: Pa. Legislature’s back in session, which means less money for you and more for the lawyers 
Paul Muschick: No exceptions: Penn State did right thing by suspending 117 students for not getting COVID-19 tests
Ben Sanchez: Constitutional amendments are better determined during high voter turnout elections
Morgan Cephas: We Are So Close To Closing The Digital Divide 
Jerry T. Jordan: Philly schools are headed toward a dangerous precipice 
Maureen May: ‘I see someone quit every day’: Nurses, in their own words | Expert Opinion
John L. Micek: How states like Pa. are using Hurricane Ida to push infrastructure bill | Friday Morning Coffee
John L. Micek: Report flags corporate donors to GOP lawmakers tied to Pa. election probe | Thursday Morning Coffee
Joseph Otis Minott: Without action on climate change, Hurricane Ida is just the beginning
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Despite #MeToo concerns, Pennsylvania Legislature has failed to adequately address sexual harassment and assault in their ranks
Inquirer Editorial Board: Gov. Tom Wolf’s opioid disaster declaration is over, but Pennsylvania’s overdose crisis is not
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Delta Air Lines will charge unvaccinated workers more for health care
Nadeem Demian: The missing piece in the response to climate change: carbon pricing 
Nate Goodson: How climate change unfairly impacts communities of color
Paul Muschick: Why I applaud Lehigh Valley parents throwing dances when schools cancel
Joyce A. Ravinskas: Urge Gov. Wolf and all state legislators to support the Lead-Free Promise Project
Will Bunch: Stop calling America’s murder crisis a ‘crime’ issue. It’s something far worse. 
Tony Norman: They herd Haitians, don’t they?
Trudy Rubin: Kudos to Biden for efforts to combat COVID-19 globally, but the fight begins at home