News & Brews September 5, 2024
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Harris to spend 5 days in Pa. prepping for debate
VP Kamala Harris is reportedly scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh today, where she’ll remain for the next five days prepping for the September 10 debate in Philly against former President Trump. The New York Post gives a bit of info on her debate prep folks, while adding that “Trump … has said he isn’t shaking up his method of debate prep and is engaging in policy discussions with some of his closest confidants, but has maintained that his experience speaking as a politician has prepared him for debates.”
Without Nippon sale, U.S. Steel may leave Pittsburgh
CBS News reports that without the sale to Nippon Steel, “U.S. Steel says it will ‘largely pivot away’ from its blast furnace facilities, putting thousands of union jobs at risk. U.S. Steel also says the lack of a deal with Nippon ‘raises serious questions’ about keeping its headquarters in Pennsylvania….” President Biden, VP Harris, and former President Trump have all come out against the sale.
Old (but valid) arrest warrant surfaces for Philly Dem
The Delaware Valley Journal reports that Democrat state Sen. Jimmy Dillon (Philadelphia) has an outstanding arrest warrant from New Jersey “for failure to pay his fines for traffic offenses and failure to appear in court.” The warrant is from 2004, but a court administrator in Jersey “verified that the warrant is valid and still outstanding.” Republicans are using the news to tell voters that Dillon “doesn’t play by the same rules we do.”
Republicans appeal latest mail-in ballot ruling
After the latest Commonwealth Court ruling ignoring the Pa. law requiring that mail-in ballots be properly dated in order to count, Republicans are appealing to the state Supreme Court. The Federalist reports that the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) appeal says, “The Commonwealth Court majority’s decision is unprecedented, rests on multiple reversible errors, and threatens to unleash chaos, uncertainty, and an erosion of public confidence in the imminent 2024 general election.” The story notes that the RNC also points out “that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court already upheld the date requirement in a different challenge.” Of course, the issue isn’t really the date; it’s whether the courts can simply rewrite duly passed laws at whim.
Commonwealth Foundation names new CEO
Our friends at the Commonwealth Foundation have announced that former Republican state Rep. Andrew Lewis will become the organization’s new president and CEO, effective September 19. Lewis succeeds Charles Mitchell, who has been leading the organization since 2016. (Prior to that, our president and CEO, Matt Brouillette, was at the helm.) Lewis said, “As I step into this role, I am both humbled and inspired by the opportunity to lead us into the next chapter of our mission—to transform free market ideas into actionable public policies that benefit the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”