October 6, 2023
It was an unprecedented week in Congress, as eight perpetually disgruntled members of the House GOP ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with the help of every House Democrat. The U.S House is currently being run by a guy who doesn’t want the job but is nonetheless punishing House Democrats by stripping them of their offices, even though the guy with the gas can and the Bic lighter is a Republican from Florida. Where are we right now? We refer you to the front page of the New York Post: The Gaetz of Hell.
The U.S. jobs report this morning once again soared past expectations, clocking in with 336,000 new jobs created in September. Wage growth also jumped by 4.7%, meaning that for the first time in a long time, growth outpaced inflation. Tune in to cable news later to hear why this news is a terrible blow to the Biden administration.
Whoops, seems like most Americans have already tuned in and don’t believe the picture is rosy. Our country’s collective view of the economic future is terribly bleak, which ain’t good news for Dark Brandon as he gears up for re-election.
Meanwhile, Team Biden is eating a rather sumptuous plate of crow over the news that they are green-lighting 500 miles of border wall. Biden – much like Al Gore, it would appear – was against border walls before he was for them. For his part, the POTUS contended that this money was already earmarked during the Trump years and could not be re-routed. Uh-huh. Spending money on things that were not the intended target NEVER happens in this country. Ok, maybe not NEVER…
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s unveiling of automatic voter registration in Pennsylvania has drawn the ire of the GOP, and particularly one guy who might just be in the running for speaker of the U.S. House: Donald John Trump. We have a suspicion that Shapiro isn’t exactly losing sleep over being attacked by Trump. Perhaps – and hear us out – this was the plan all along!
The first poll between U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Dave McCormick is out, and Casey has a 50%-44% edge. As one of our wiser GOP sages once told us, it is tough to make a career of beating someone named Casey in a statewide race.
The state House went back to its full complement of 203 members, with the House Democrats using their one-seat advantage to advance a slew of tax cuts for businesses and poor Pennsylvanians and a fiscal code bill larger than Rhode Island. The tax code passed along party lines and is filled with plenty of cuts that will probably keep Governor Shapiro’s budget secretary up at night.
The fiscal code vote was a much more bipartisan affair, and it included a rather… artful… way to fund Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln after a partisan stalemate locked up those funds for months. The Senate is now at the plate.
The House also voted to move next year’s primary election date, but only after summarily dispatching a big, fat, omnibus election code bill that no one liked. The plan garnered a scant 26 yes votes and was therefore relegated, at least for now, to the dustbin.
We pause to remind you that it is Breast Cancer Awareness month once again, and while taking a selfie in front of the pink fountain at the Capitol is fun, please do all you can to detect this insidious disease early.
The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is poised to receive a budget boost of $112 million to begin the process of completing an estimated $1.4 billion of maintenance our parks need. Our state parks and forests are a true jewel and economic driver that sorely need help, so kudos to the General Assembly and the governor on this one.
Climate activists in the state are not pleased at what they perceive as a lack of focus from our elected officials on climate change and alternative energy. This public voicing of displeasure comes on the heels of Governor Shapiro’s work group on the future of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative rolling snake eyes when it comes to the question of what comes next.
Residents can now snag an eastern hellbender license plate, as the state’s official amphibian gets its moment in the sun (which, as a salamander, probably means not too much sun.) If you wanna know the back story on how this all came to be, hit up our own Todd Brysiak, the modern father of the hellbender movement.
If anyone wants to buy a prison, the shuttered SCI-Pittsburgh is still on the block and is about to cost the state major loot to either keep it standing or demolish it. In short, it is a real buyers’ market for 20th Century prisons that look like a gulag.
If you are bored waiting for football on Sunday, catch our own Mike Manzo, who will be Dennis Owens’ guest on ABC-27’s “This Week in Pennsylvania.” It is not a call-in show, so you won’t be able to heckle him.
Over on the Triad socials, Brendan Schubert celebrates seven years as a Triadian, and Brandi Hunter-Davenport clocks in for her fourth anniversary. Thanks for doing all you do, Brendan and Brandi!
In our We Can’t Make This Up segment, we take you to New York City, where a British artist has opened up a shop that sells bagels made out of felt. She said she wants the place to have the look and feel of an authentic Jewish bagel shop. We are not sure how many Jewish folks she has ever met, but she is going to be really shocked at their collective reactions when they order a bagel and get a small, round piece of sparrow felt costing $250 instead.
That’s what passes for news around here as the General Assembly takes a week-long breather before starting the sprint to election day, 2023. If you have any news tips you feel are worthy of coverage, send them to an actual news outlet. We don’t do that kinda stuff around here. Until next week, from all of us at Team Triad, have a great weekend!