First Read – July 26, 2024

WEATHER: Philadelphia: sunny, high of 86; Harrisburg: sunny, high of 85; Pittsburgh: sunny, high of 84.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* Citing Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for private school vouchers, a collection of public education advocacy organizations is urging Vice President Kamala Harris against selecting Shapiro as her running mate in this year’s presidential election – a move that is prompting renewed discussion about Shapiro’s record on public education. 

* In this week’s Winners & Losers, Gov. Shapiro has been floated as potential VP pick for presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, PASSHE will lose Chancellor Dan Greenstein this fall as he moves on to a new chapter, and more. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Former President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg next week, his first appearance in Pennsylvania since he was injured in a July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

* Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congress member who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district, took to the campaign trail in Pennsylvania yesterday for Vice President Kamala Harris, CBS17 reports.

*  A Pennsylvania commission oversees more than 150 water utilities statewide, most of which are privately owned, and the number of systems acquired by for-profit companies has risen in recent years, Spotlight PA reports.

* A law creating the Solar for Schools program directs the Department of Community and Economic Development to set up a grant program using federal climate money for schools that want to install solar panels, StateImpact Pennsylvania reports.

* The Trump administration’s Justice Department broke with longstanding norms during the 2020 election cycle by publicly commenting on an ongoing investigation into nine military mail-in ballots tossed into a dumpster in Luzerne County – with Trump then using the investigation to sow doubt into the election’s legitimacy, The Washington Post reports.

* A federal grand jury has indicted a Franklin County man for making threats against state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Pennsylvania Air National Guard sergeant and a county commissioner, PennLive reports.

* Members of the state board that oversees Philadelphia’s fiscal health said yesterday that they’re concerned the city doesn’t have a large enough financial cushion, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be eliminating toll plazas soon; here’s everything you need to know, Reading Eagle reports. 

* Lehigh Valley area congressional candidates Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie both are willing to debate each other on key issues ahead of the November election, but the exact time and place are unclear, The Morning Call reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed by Terri Clark, who writes that most older members of the LGBTQ+ community have experienced a lifetime of discrimination and stigma, including from healthcare providers – and they have unique needs that must be addressed.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay a nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment said yesterday he won’t step aside from the case, rebuffing concerns that the verdict was influenced, the Associated Press reports. 

* Vice President Kamala Harris implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to accept a ceasefire deal that would pause the fighting in Gaza and release hostages, as U.S. leaders say they are closer than ever to an agreement, the Washington Post reports.

* The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assessing what caused the former president’s wound during an assassination attempt. The question has turned political,  The New York Times reports.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: to state Rep. Peter Schweyer … to state Rep. Russ Diamond, VP, Bank of America … to Brittany Smalls, founder and principal, BSM Strategies LLC …  to Jeff Kegolis, vice president for the student experience, Marywood University …

And on Saturday… to U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson … and to Michael Newmuis, 2026 director, Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia … Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

KICKER: 

“We are overwhelmed with violence all across America from rural Pennsylvania to inner city neighborhoods like where we are today. We as voters can make a decision on having a more violent United States or safer communities.” – House Speaker Joanna McClinton via CBS17