June 2, 2023
President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy laid down arms on Wednesday and put together a two-year debt ceiling deal that, as of this morning, cleared the Senate and is on its way to Biden’s desk. As usual, all the pearl-clutching, histrionics, Twitter meltdowns and name-calling that preceded the vote became much ado about NOTHING. The Republic stands, and everyone can go back to their everyday lives now.
While Biden and McCarthy celebrated (with both doing a pretty damned good job from where we sit), there was further good news for Biden, as the economy added a whopping 339,000 new jobs in May, blowing away expectations. The debt deal and jobs numbers, however, were completely overshadowed when Biden tripped and fell over a sandbag at a military ceremony yesterday, which is now all any one is talking about.
Meanwhile, a U.S. fighter jet had a way-too-close encounter with a Chinese fighter jet, causing a fevered call from the Pentagon to Pete Mitchell, aka Maverick. According to published reports, he mumbled something about the “need for speed.”
The 2024 election season has begun in earnest, with former auditor general and CrossFit maniac Eugene DePasquale throwing his hat into the attorney general’s race. If you don’t vote for him, he might just lump you up.
Former U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick is making noise about challenging Bob Casey Jr. next year, and in a wide-ranging interview, he said America needs to go to the gym. America responded by ordering a deep-dish pizza and a six-pack. You know, calling the voters fat might not be the right opening message.
America’s rookie governors (looking at you, Josh Shapiro) are getting incredibly high marks from voters thus far, despite the fact that American politics overall is quite cantankerous right now. Make hay while the sun shines, kids. Nothing lasts forever.
Business leaders in Pennsylvania are sounding the alarm over the severe shortage of childcare workers. This shortage, they say, is keeping mothers and fathers from the workforce. It is pretty amusing that everyone is paying rapt attention now that business leaders are sending out distress signals. Everyone must have thought the moms and dads were being dramatic when they were saying it for decades.
Is this the year Pennsylvania finally raises the minimum wage? Well, if bipartisanship is what’s required, it looks like the state Senate has something cooking, with a GOP and Democratic lawmaker teaming up to tackle the issue. With Governor Shapiro being a firm supporter, the time may have come.
Speaking of bipartisan action (this is fun, isn’t it?), lawmakers are also rallying around the idea of mandatory commitments and detox treatment for some extreme cases of addiction. The devil in these particular details will surely be… detain them where? The state isn’t exactly overflowing with facilities ready to handle this potential influx of new patients.
A movement is also afoot in a whole bevy of states to provide free school lunches for every child in school. We always found it a bit grotesque that you had to prove your kid was dirt poor before, you know, FEEDING THEM! Sorry, Timmy, your dad makes two thousand dollars a year too much. Kick rocks, kid.
Out in Pittsburgh, the trial of the Tree of Life shooter has begun, and our friends at City & State have a nice piece on what the future of the fight against antisemitism looks like. We are also happy to inform you that if you clicked on the City & State First Read this week, you would see that we were proud to help bring you that coverage this week. #triaddoes
Lawmakers will kick the tires on the simultaneously exciting and terrifying future of AI technology. We will say no more in this topic, lest our laptop gains sentience and kills us for joking around about it.
The City of Harrisburg finally got out from under its crushing debt load in March, and now folks are clamoring about spending some of the newfound largesse. Easy, kids. That’s how you get back into debt. Maybe plop the credit card in the Susquehanna and chill. At the very least, don’t do anymore incinerator deals that necessitate you selling off the parking concession for nine dollars and a bag of Skittles.
If you want to enjoy some Pennsylvania young mayors traveling about and exchanging ideas, we encourage you to follow Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk’s Twitter feed as he “vans” his way across the Commonwealth. His next stop is Pittsburgh, where he will be LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER with the honorable Ed Gainey!
Join us on the Triad socials where we kick off Pride Month in Pennsylvania! #LoveIsLove
Before we get to our next segment, we need to inform you that the Foo Fighters today released their 11th studio album. Hence, if you are looking for Triad Sr. VP Mike Manzo, we suggest trying again on Monday.
In our We Can’t Make This Up segment, we head up to Connecticut, where a black bear wandered into a pastry shop and ate 60 cupcakes. In addition to immediately getting Bear Diabetes, we have a pretty good idea of what that bear did when he got back to the woods, answering the age-old question. Yes. Yes, they do. That’s what passes for news around here on the first 90-degree day of the year in the Susquehanna Valley. You can actually taste the air outside. We will be back next week with yet another new Triad face to introduce you to, and all the news we feel like giving you. Until then, from Team Triad, have a great weekend!