JULY 24, 2025 | compiled by STEVE ULRICH

🍸  Good Thursday Morning. It’s National Tequila Day.

🎶  Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher. Jackie Wilson

PA Weather

☀️  New Kensington | Sunny, Hot, 94

☀️  Lewisburg | Mostly Sunny, 90

🌤️  Hazleton | Decreasing Clouds, 84

PA Sports

⚾  Phillies (58-44) | Boston 8-9 | Fri-Sun vs. NY Yankees

⚾  Pirates (42-61) | Detroit 6-1 | Fri-Sun vs. Arizona

⚽  Union (14-5-5) | Sat vs. Colorado

🗞️  The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

1. Pennsylvania's Congressional Vulnerability Rankings

“Election Day 2026 is still well over a year away, but it’s never too soon to start assembling our PoliticsPA congressional vulnerability rankings for the Pennsylvania delegation in the U.S. House.

We begin the 2026 cycle with four seats in the “Vulnerable” category, which is our second highest after “Highly vulnerable.” The No. 1 most vulnerable on our list is four-term Republican Rep. Scott Perry.” (PoliticsPA)

ELSEWHERE

U.S. House Subcommittee Backs Lee's Effort to Subpoena Epstein Files. “U.S. Rep. Summer Lee's call for the subpoena took place at a subcommittee hearing to look into the fate of immigrant children who crossed the border on their own during the Biden administration.” (WESA)

Mackenzie Calls For Release of Epstein Files, Hails Tax Cuts During Telephone Town Hall. “U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie addressed constituents' questions about the One Big Beautiful Bill and the Jeffrey Epstein investigation during a telephone town hall Wednesday night.” (LehighValleyNews)

Gisele Fetterman is Not Enthused About John Fetterman Ever Seeking Higher Office. “Gisele Fetterman, who runs the Free Store in Braddock and serves as a volunteer firefighter while raising three kids as the wife of Sen. John Fetterman, isn’t interested in taking on any new roles at the moment. That includes both elected office and serving as the country’s First Lady someday.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• STATE

2. As Philly Residents and Schools Brace For SEPTA Cuts and Late State Funds, There's No Budget Rush In Harrisburg

“Signs detailing upcoming service cuts to SEPTA are posted at Regional Rail and bus stops across the region. Local schools are figuring out how to start the school year without payments from the state and the transit some students rely on for their commutes.

But in the Pennsylvania Capitol building on Wednesday morning, where lawmakers continue to grapple behind closed doors over the state’s budget, three weeks behind their deadline, you could hear a pin drop — save for a few tourists’ shoes on the Moravian tile floor in the Capitol’s opulent and gold-accented Main Rotunda.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

ELSEWHERE

PA Has Just Over a Year to Lower Its SNAP Error Rate — Or Come Up With An Extra $660 Million. “Pennsylvania human service officials have a big job ahead of them, and the clock is ticking.” (WESA)

Shapiro Calls Supporters of Ban on Transgender Athletes ‘Extremist Legislators,’ Declines to Say If He’d Veto. “Gov. Josh Shapiro, making his first public statement about a bill in the Legislature that would prevent transgender girls and women from playing on publicly funded sports teams, said the legislation is the work of extremist politicians.” (WITF)

For Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, A Renewed Focus On Civics Instruction. “In time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year, both the Commonwealth and the school district are taking steps to make sure students graduate high school understanding how the government works and the responsibilities of active citizenship.” (Chalkbeat Pennsylvania)

‘He’s No Leader:’ PA’s Shapiro Slams Mamdani Over His Silence on Antisemitism. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called out socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over his refusal to denounce antisemitic rhetoric among his supporters, warning that moral clarity is a prerequisite for leadership at any level of government.” (DV Journal)

PA Electric Bills to Rise After Grid Manager Ups Payments to Power Plants. “Electric bills in Pennsylvania could climb as much as 5% as rising rates paid to power plants trickle down the system.” (TribLIVE)

• AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH

3. Pittsburgh Controller Warns City Spending Is 'Unsustainable'

“With spending rates reaching “unsustainable” levels and still outpacing revenues, Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler said Wednesday the city is in a “precarious” financial position.

Facing decreased revenue sources, the city has spent nearly $24 million more in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, and is bringing in less money.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

ELSEWHERE

Bucks County Delivered Trump’s Largest Mail Ballot Surge in PA. How Did Local GOP Do It? “Without mail ballots President Donald Trump may not have become the first Republican in 36 years to carry Bucks County.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pennsylvania Public Media Leaders Vow to Persist in Face of Rescinded Federal Funding. “‘We know what happens when local journalism dies. You see the loss of thriving local economies,’ said Terry O’Reilly of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation.” (Pennsylvania Independent)

Lewistown Receives Main Street Designation. “The future is bright for downtown Lewistown. That’s the message Gov. Josh Shapiro shared on Wednesday when announcing the area’s designation through Pennsylvania’s Main Street Matters program in front of a crowd of many dozens at East End Coffee Co.” (Lewistown Sentinel)

Pharmacies Are Disappearing Across Pennsylvania as Operators Blame a Broken Payment System. “Hundreds of pharmacies across Pennsylvania have gone out of business in recent years, data obtained by Spotlight PA show, and pharmacists say legislation passed last year to help isn’t doing enough to stave off more closures.” (Spotlight PA)

EDITORIAL

4. Speak Your Mind

• Southeastern Pennsylvania Can Reap the Economic Benefits If It Works Together. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The True Cost of Trump’s Budget: Empty Food Banks and Closed Hospitals. (PennLive)
• Lessons From Steelers Training Camp For Government. (TribLIVE)
• Old-School Manufacturing Is Gone and It's Not Coming Back. (Sheldon H. Jacobson)
• How Anti-Gerrymandering Activists Could Benefit PA Republicans and Vice Versa. (John Kromer) 
• Pennsylvania’s ‘Golden Age.’ (Emily Greene)
• Bucks Democratic Commissioners Hate Transparency and Accountability. (Jamie Walker)
• The Cursive Comeback. (James Peterson)
• Empowering Pennsylvania's Future. (Mark P. Compton)

• 1 PINBALL THING

5. Pittsburgh Has Taken Pinball From a Once-Scandalous Pastime to a Serious Competition

“To Dan Hosek, the more than 300 machines at his museum and arcade, Pinball Perfection, live and breathe. Dressed in a yellow T-shirt advertising his business, and a ponytail poking out of a hat, the 63-year-old tells Pittsburgh City Paper they’re like family. 

Pinball doesn’t have nearly the same cultural caché it did in decades past, but in some parts of the country, enthusiasts maintain thriving scenes. Nostalgia drives a lot of it, but Pittsburgh’s working-class roots and bar scene contributed to making it one of the nation’s top pinball hot spots.” (Pittsburgh City Paper)

Thanks for starting your Thursday with us.

We're almost to the weekend. See you tomorrow.