⏱️  Thursday. It’s day 122 of the state budget impasse. Oh, and day 30 of the federal government shutdown.

????️  In Today’s Playbook. Partisan Tensions Flare in Supreme Court Retention Election. Garrity Says Loan Could Help Food-Stamp Enrollees.  How Shutdown Impacts 19,000 Federal Workers in Pittsburgh Area. ‘6-7’ Is the Word of the Year.

????  Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Let It Rain. Eric Clapton

PA Weather
????️  Meadville | Rain, 51
☂️  Williamsport | Rain, 60
☔  Pottstown | Rain, 64

PA Sports
????  Penguins (7-2-2) | Thu at Minnesota
????  Flyers (5-3-1) | Thu vs. Nashville
????  Sixers (4-0) | Fri vs. Boston

????  What We’re Hearing. “One of the biggest problems I think the Democratic Party has had nationally, as well as here in Pennsylvania, is coming across as a party of scolds, where you’re lecturing people, telling people, because in a previous election, you made the wrong choice, that you are somehow stupid or ill-informed. And when you do that to a voter, they’re less inclined to like you, and if they don’t like you, they’re not going to vote for you.” – Mike Mikus

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

Top Story

1.   Partisan Tensions Flare in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Retention Election

“State supreme court elections used to be quiet affairs. A Supreme Court justice hasn’t lost retention in the commonwealth since Russell Nigro in 2005, and political analysts widely regard his removal as attributable to voter anger over a pay raise passed by the General Assembly earlier that year.

But as donors and activists realize just how many decisions state supreme court justices make on issues from education and voting access to abortion and labor law, these races have grown louder.” (WITF)

Elsewhere

The PA Supreme Court Race Has Drawn National Attention. Here’s What You Need to Know. “The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with civil liberties organizations, legal experts, and scholars to understand the long-term implications of the race.” (Daily Pennsylvanian)

Wecht Makes His Case Before PA Supreme Court Retention Vote: ‘It’s Just Our Job to Apply the Law’. “Even in these partisan times, judicial races are supposed to be different. Judicial retention races doubly so — if only because no one is supposed to pay attention. That has not been the case this year.” (WESA)

SNAP Benefits Are Due to Lapse Nov. 1. What Pennsylvania Leaders Are Doing About It. “This would be the first lapse in food assistance in the program’s six-decade history. Keystone State officials say they are working on several fronts to keep assistance flowing to the families who depend on it.” (USA Today Network)

Republicans Dub Fetterman ‘Voice of Reason’ After He Accuses His Own Party of ‘Playing Chicken’. “Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., earned praise from Republicans for calling out his own party as food stamp assistance is on the line amid a partial government shutdown.” (Fox News)

State

2.  PA Treasurer Garrity Says Loan Could Help Food-Stamp Enrollees; Shapiro Calls Idea Unworkable

“Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity says she wants to loan the state money to help it cover November food-stamp benefits for nearly 2 million residents, who expect to lose the support during the federal government shutdown. But Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office says the proposal would be unworkable, thanks to Trump administration policy.

The proposal would require Shapiro — who Garrity is likely to compete against in next year’s gubernatorial election — to accept the loan from her office, at a time when Democrats and Republicans are at odds at the state and federal level. But Garrity maintains that such partisan considerations shouldn’t be a factor.” (WESA)

Elsewhere

Gov. Shapiro Joins CHOP in Fight to Stop Trump Officials From Obtaining Medical Records of Transgender Youth. “In a new court filing, Shapiro argues that states — not the federal government — are legally empowered to regulate the practice of medicine, and that Trump’s Department of Justice is trying to usurp state laws that license and oversee doctors.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Bill to Protect Vaccine Access Passes PA House in Response to Federal Changes. “The measure, H.B. 1828, would require private insurers to cover vaccines that have been recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The bill passed in a 104-99 vote.” (PennLive)

Mike Tyson, Now With His Own Marijuana Brand, Lobbies For Legalization in Harrisburg. “Boxing legend Mike Tyson visited Harrisburg Wednesday to lobby for marijuana legalization, hoping to help break the gridlock on the issue in the state legislature.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3.   How the Government Shutdown Impacts the 19,000 Federal Workers in the Pittsburgh Area

“They provide medical care for veterans and assistance to seniors on Social Security. They operate dams in local waterways and research some of the country’s most vexing energy problems. They screen passengers at the airport and deliver the mail. 

And as lawmakers squabble in Washington, their paychecks may be showing up blank.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

Top Lawmakers Move to Shut Down U.S. Naval Reserve Centers — Including Key Pittsburgh Facility. “The action by the lawmakers on Oct. 9, which includes the closing of the center west of Pittsburgh and others in Erie, Harrisburg, and Avoca (near Pittston), is detailed in a plan to dismantle the network that extends into every corner of the country.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Next Year of Elections May Determine If Abortion Remains Legal in Pennsylvania — Or How It Is Banned. “Is abortion access at risk in Pennsylvania? That depends on how the elections go, but here is the road map that could be used to make that happen and the obstacles those efforts would face.” (WHYY)

Bucks County Continues Purple Trend in Voter Rolls. Why It Matters. “Roughly 2,790 (36%) of current voters who registered this year have not chosen the Democrats (35%) or Republicans (29%) and third parties or unaffiliated has been the second most popular choice among voters who have changed parties, according to the state data.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

Bondi Appoints New U.S. Attorney For Middle District of PA. “Brian D. Miller, former Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, has been appointed U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pa., effective Oct. 27. Miller was appointed by order of U.S. Attorney General Pamela “Pam” Bondi. The interim appointment is for 120 days, or until a Presidential appointment is made, whichever occurs first.” (NorthCentralPA)

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• How Pennsylvania Democrats Learned to Stop Obsessing About Trump | Salena Zito 
• It Didn’t Take a Reichstag Fire to Burn Down Congress | Will Bunch 
• How Far Will Trump Go to Leave His Glitzy Brand on Washington? | John Baer
• SNAP Payment Delays Will Starve PA’s Food Economy | Alex Baloga
• PA Cities Can’t Get Smarter Without Natural Gas | Michael A. Nutter
• Pennsylvania Residents Shouldn’t Pay the Price For Data Center-Spiked Electricity Rates | LNP
• A Turning Point in the Government Shutdown | Washington Post

1 Thing

5.  Dictionary.com Names ‘6-7’ As 2025 Word of the Year

Dictionary.com has announced its 2025 Word of the Year, and if you’re not up to speed on this year’s slang, you may be puzzled by the outcome.

The online dictionary announced on Oct. 29 that its Word of the Year is “6-7” (also “six-seven” and “67”), a slang phrase popularly used by Gen Alpha. While some interpret the phrase to mean “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that,” it is also used as an exclamation, according to a Dictionary.com news release.

“It’s part inside joke, part social signal and part performance,” Steve Johnson, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning said in a news release. “When people say it, they’re not just repeating a meme; they’re shouting a feeling.” (USA Today)

Thanks for starting your day with us.
Two days left in October. We’ll see you tomorrow for the last one.