????  Sliding Into Wednesday.  

????  Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Whip It. Seems appropriate today.

PA Weather
☀️  Glenshaw | Sunny, 85
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PA Sports
⚾  Phillies (50-35) | San Diego ppd | Wed vs. San Diego (2)
⚾  Pirates (37-50) | St. Louis 1-0 | Wed vs. St. Louis
⚽  USMNT | Wed vs. Guatemala (Gold Cup Semifinal)

PA Money | Futures (as of 7:37 a.m.)
????  Dow +100.00 |  NASDAQ +1.75 |  S&P +8.00

????  What’s Happening Today. The House convenes at 11 a.m.

????️  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.   Senate Passes Trump’s Megabill

“Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote as Senate Republicans delivered a victory to President Donald Trump, passing his One Big Beautiful Bill on Tuesday by a 51-50 vote.

Pennsylvania’s Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, whose victory over Bob Casey last fall continues to pay dividends for Republicans, expressed pride in his support of the bill, saying Americans avoided the largest tax increase in American history.

Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, who voted against the bill, called the bill “a disaster.”” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Boyle to Fetterman: “If You Don’t Want To Be Here, Leave.” “Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-02) left no stone unturned about his feelings about Pennsylvania’s Democratic Sen. John Fetterman‘s “vacation” comments during an interview with The Bulwark on Tuesday.” (PoliticsPA)

Senate Passes Trump’s Medicaid Cuts, As Critics Fear Thousands in Pittsburgh Could Lose Coverage. “In Allegheny County, 1 in 5 residents rely on Medicaid for health coverage. County officials estimated that the cuts would cost nearly 26,000 people their health insurance.” (WESA)

Another Pennsylvania Hospital Closes Its Doors. “Heritage Valley Health System’s Kennedy Hospital, just outside Pittsburgh, closed Monday. The health system announced the plans to close the hospital earlier this year.” (Chief Healthcare Executive)

‘I Believe His Account 100 Percent’: Former Colleagues Vouch for DOJ Whistleblower. “When dealing with a potentially career-threatening political scandal, there is a standard playbook: Issue a broad denial. Attack the accuser. Then declare the controversy over and tell everyone to move on. That’s what Emil Bove — Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer-turned-senior Justice Department official — is going for as he tries to secure a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.” (Politico)

State

2.  Some Good News About Political Polarization: It Can Change

“Voters in one of the most divided states in the country moved closer together on immigration, climate change and voter ID requirements after spending just a few days together.

A diverse set of nearly 200 Pennsylvanians from the state’s big cities, far-flung towns and upscale suburbs found common ground on those and a number of other hot-button topics after meeting in a hotel in downtown Philadelphia last month as part of an audacious experiment: If people got offline and actually talked face-to-face, would they become less polarized?” (Politico)

Elsewhere

State Sen. Sharif Street Launches Campaign For Congress, Vying to Replace Retiring Dwight Evans. “Street, the state party chairman, debuted a campaign website and “Sharif Street for Congress” social media account just a day after Evans announced his retirement.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas’ Records Revoked in UPenn Deal With Trump Admin. “The University of Pennsylvania will retroactively strip transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of her records and titles as part of a deal with the Education Department to abide by bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports.” (Axios)

PA House Passes Bill to Ban Sale, Use of Firefighting Foam With ‘Forever Chemicals’. “Pennsylvania would ban the sale of firefighting foam containing so-called forever chemicals that have polluted groundwater in dozens of sites across the state, under legislation passed unanimously Tuesday in the state House.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Shapiro, Lawmakers Push USDA to Restore $13M Food Purchasing Program Agreement. “After walking through the pig and goat stalls at Destiny Dairy Bar on Monday, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Agriculture Committee lawmakers renewed their criticisms of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancellation of federal funding toward a program that pays farmers who sell products to food banks.” (LNP)

Around The Commonwealth

3.  Slashed Tires, Open Fire Hydrants, Picket Line Dust-Ups: Tensions Rise on First Day of Philly’s City Worker Strike

“The incidents highlighted the tensions of the first day of Philadelphia’s first major city workers strike since 1986, with union members attempting to grind the city to a halt in a bid for better wages while the Parker administration took emergency measures to preserve municipal services.

Residential trash pickup has stopped entirely, some city pools are closed, recreation center hours have been limited, and the 911 call center is operating but strained, officials said.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

County Council Delays Vote on Bill Putting Term Limits Question on Fall Ballot For Many County Elected Officials. “Allegheny County Council members have another week before deciding whether county voters should have a chance to vote on whether term limits should be imposed on elected county offices outside of the chief executive.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Norco Executive Candidates Giovanni, Zrinski Start Fall Campaign With Roughly Same Amount of Cash. “Republican Tom Giovanni has a slight edge in cash over his Democratic opponent, Tara Zrinski, $4,929 to $4,327, as of June 16, the end of the post-primary reporting period.” (Armchair Lehigh Valley)

Cyber School Facing Wrongful Death Suit Says It’s ‘Unreasonable’ For Teachers to See Students Weekly. “The law, passed as part of last year’s budget, says cyber charter schools must weekly “ensure that each enrolled student is able to be visibly seen and communicated with in real time.”” (Spotlight PA)

Editorial

4.  Speak Your Mind

• The Disaster That Just Passed The Senate. (Ezra Klein)
• The Meh Tax Bill That Has to Pass. (Wall Street Journal)
• John Fetterman’s Popular in PA, But Not With His Own Voters. (Jim Lee)
• McCormick, Bresnahan, and Meuser Bow to ‘King Trump.’ (Chris Kelly)
• Allegheny County’s Shifts Against Death Penalty Are Good Sign For Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• No More Blank Checks For Broken Systems. (Andrew Lewis) 
• First Rule of Getting Out of a Hole: Stop Digging. (Carl Marrara)
• Majority of Philly Area School Districts Are Out of Step With Title IX. (Beth Ann Rosica)

1 Thing

5.   Meet Tugger

“The Philadelphia Phillies have a new service pup-in-training.

His name is Tugger, named after Phillies legend and Marine reservist Tug McGraw.

Tugger, a 10-week-old yellow lab, will embark on a mission to support a veteran with a disability, thanks to Conshohocken-based Team Foster and Warrior Canine Connection.” (6abc)

Thanks for starting your Wednesday with us.
Make it a great day and we’ll see you again tomorrow.