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????️ Headlines. SCOTUS Appeared Poised to Limit Mail-In Voting Deadlines. Pennsylvania Republicans Want SAVE Act Of Their Own. Local Government Academy Teaches New Officials The Job. ‘Corporate BS’ and Your Job Performance.

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Top Story

1.  Supreme Court Appears Poised to Limit Mail-In Voting Deadlines

“The Supreme Court showed an openness to blocking Mississippi’s law allowing mail-in ballots to be received and counted after Election Day — a ruling that could upend mail-in voting nationwide ahead of the midterms.

During Monday’s oral arguments for Watson v. the Republican National Committee, the conservative majority signaled concern about Mississippi’s law should it be permitted to stand, questioning ways the law could delay and muddle election results.” | NOTUS

Elsewhere

Smucker Draws Challenger In Quest To Become House GOP Budget Chair. “The race is on to be the U.S. House Budget Committee’s next GOP leader. And right in the middle of it is Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-11).” | PoliticsPA

What is the Sharia Free America Caucus, and Who From PA Joined? “Since its formation late last year, more than 50 House Republicans have joined the Sharia-Free America Caucus, which its founders say was created to “save Western Civilization and fight back against the threat of Sharia.” It’s been denounced as an “anti-Muslim, extremist organization” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Among its members are two Pennsylvania lawmakers, Republican U.S. Reps. Scott Perry and Mike Kelly.” | Erie Times-News

‘Completely Lawless’: Why This Congresswoman Wants Pam Bondi Impeached. “Rep. Summer Lee’s impeachment measure, drafted with the help of anti-corruption nonprofit group Free Speech for People, points to investigations and prosecutions that she says demonstrate the Justice Department is being politicized.” | USA Today

2028 Dems Reject AIPAC. “Democrats eyeing White House runs in 2028 are preemptively breaking up with AIPAC. A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he has “never taken money or solicited support from AIPAC.”” | POLITICO

State

2.   ‘Tear The Whole System Down’: Pennsylvania Republicans Want SAVE Act Of Their Own

“Republicans in Harrisburg have their own version of voter ID. It’s not as strict, and it’s not getting as much attention, either. But State Rep. Chris Gebhard said voters want to see some sort of change.

“I’ve been on record to say, I think we need to tear the whole system down and rebuild it,” Gebhard said. “I think it is flawed.”” | abc27

Elsewhere

How Many Voters Could Be Affected By Earlier Mail Ballot Deadlines? We Ran The Numbers. “Since the 2024 election, four states — all Republican-controlled — have changed their election laws so that they no longer accept mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. And while 14 states and Washington, D.C., still do so as long as those ballots are postmarked by Election Day, more of those ballots could be rejected in future elections due to recent changes to U.S. Postal Service procedures. To top it all off, a pending U.S. Supreme Court case could make it illegal for any jurisdiction to count ballots that arrive after Election Day, period.” | PoliticsPA

PA-08: Cognetti, Bresnahan Address Data Centers and How to Approach Concerns. “Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti this week said if a company wants to call Lackawanna County home, residents should see the benefit, not just the corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley. “Rob Bresnahan has been consistent that if data centers are built, those decisions should be made by local elected officials, and local labor must be used on those projects.”” | Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

Lawmakers Advance Bill To Give State Additional Oversight Of New Data Center Water Use. “State lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would require data center developers to submit reports on expected water use to the commonwealth  before beginning operation. It’s one of several efforts to create more oversight of the rapidly-growing sector powering the nation’s artificial intelligence boom.” | Penn Capital-Star

Around The Commonwealth

3.   From Ethics to Zoning, Local Government Academy Teaches New Officials the Job In Southwestern PA

“Welcome to the Newly Elected Officials Course, a local program that teaches officials the basics of municipal government through more than 40 hours of classes covering everything from the state’s ethics rules to budgeting and finance, to land use and development, to public safety and infrastructure.

Officials who participate in this course learn “the key tenet is establishing trust and transparency in all that they do,” said Joy Ruff, executive director of Local Government Academy.” | WESA

Elsewhere

Allegheny County Eyes Mandatory Property Reassessments. “More than 15 years after the state’s highest court ruled that Allegheny County’s property assessment system was illegal, local officials intend to propose a major change.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HD-30: Venkat Has Clear Path To Reelection After Court Removes GOP Rival Akkary. “State Rep. Arvind Venkat appears to have a clear path to reelection this fall, after a judge ruled that potential Republican challenger Ehab Akkary did not meet the residency requirements to hold office as a state legislator.” | WESA

Gettysburg Borough Council Appoints New Mayor Following Abrupt Resignation. “Gettysburg Borough Council appointed Alison Lintal as the borough’s new mayor Monday night, filling the leadership vacancy left by former Mayor Chad-Alan Carr just two weeks after opening applications for the position.” | Fox43

Buchtan’s Campaign Sends ‘Cease And Desist’ To Stop GOP’s Mailers. “GOP state Senate candidate Al Buchtan’s campaign sent a cease and desist letter Monday to the Republican Party of Pennsylvania demanding it stop sending inaccurate mailers about his time on the Carmichaels Area School Board and requesting the party offer a formal retraction.” | Washington Observer-Reporter

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Courts Must Stop Taking The President At His Word | Noah Feldman
• The SAVE Act Is Not About Protecting The Vote | Adriana E. Ramírez
• Why Are So Many Democratic Politicians So Far Out of Touch? | Thomas B. Edsall
• Pennsylvania’s Energy Success Story Is Worth Protecting, Not Reversing | Glen Thomas
• Lists of Jews Never Lead To Anything Good | Dennis Roddy
• Right-Wing Media Use the SAVE America Act to Undermine the Upcoming Midterm Elections | Gideon Taaffe and Sage Hodil
• Why Controlling Methane In PA Matters to Energy Consumers | John Walliser

1 Thing

5.   Workers Who Fall For ‘Corporate Bullshit’ May Be Worse At Their Jobs, Study Finds

“Ever sat in a meeting where someone declares that your company is “growth-hacking” and “working at the intersection of cross-collateralization and blue-sky thinking” and called bullshit? Turns out you were right.

A new study out of Cornell University published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found workers most excited and impressed by corporate speak may be the least equipped to make effective, practical business decisions, and it can leave companies with dysfunctional leaders.” | The Guardian

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