July 15 Playbook: President Comes to Carlisle
☀️ Hello, Wednesday. President Trump comes to Carlisle today.
Headlines. Trump To Address Defense Technology Gathering. Judge Says PA Legislature Ignored Money-Saving Reforms. Accounting Tricks That Balanced PA’s Budget. Twitter Launched 20 Years Ago.
🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Peace Frog. The Doors
PA Weather
☀️ Evans City | Mostly Sunny, 96
☀️ Carlisle | Sunny, 99
☀️ Tobyhanna | Mostly Sunny, Smoky, 90
PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (54-43, 2 GB) | All-Star Break
⚾ Pirates (50-47, 9.5 GB, 2 GB WC) | All-Star Break
What’s Happening Today. The Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick, concludes its two-day run at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle. President Donald Trump will speak at 3:15.
Voices of Reason. In this episode of Voices of Reason, host Steve Ulrich and his guests discuss Democratic Socialism. What are democratic socialists? What does the term mean? What does it mean for the Democratic Party establishment? What is its impact on the 2026 election? Pennsylvania State Rep Chris Rabb, a self proclaimed democratic socialist and nominee in the 3rd Congressional District, and Associate Professor of Political Science at Dickinson College, Sarah Niebler answer these questions and more.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to [email protected].
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here.
Top Story
1. Trump To Address Defense Technology Gathering As the Iran War Has Reduced US Weapon Stocks
“President Donald Trump is headlining a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College on Wednesday, planning to tout major investments in battlefield technology at a time when the war in Iran has reduced the U.S. supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot and THAAD interceptors.
The gathering in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is organized by Republican Sen. David McCormick.
Trump carried Pennsylvania in 2016 and 2024, and McCormick is not up for reelection this cycle, but Republicans are increasingly concerned about the war and persistently high cost of living as well as the president’s low approval ratings as they look to maintain control of Congress during November’s midterm elections.” | AP
Elsewhere
Summit Highlights Pennsylvania’s Vital Role in Nation’s Defense Industrial Base. “During Tuesday’s opening day of the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit in Carlisle, Sen. Dave McCormick made it a point to underscore the importance of the Commonwealth in the nation’s defense industrial base.” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania Republicans Won On Lowering Costs. Then Came the Iran War. “Tow Republicans who unseated House Democrats in 2024 after promising to lower the cost of living are fighting to keep their seats amid rising prices.” | Washington Post
The Race to Become the Democratic Left’s Next Power Firm. “Behind a string of recent leftist victories in Democratic primaries across the country is a growing ecosystem of progressive media consulting firms and strategists positioning themselves ahead of a wide-open 2028 presidential cycle. One of those firms, Middle Seat, has quietly racked up a string of victories by working with what have turned out to be some of the highest-profile names to come out of this year’s primaries.” | NOTUS
House Backs Making Daylight-Saving Time Permanent. “The House Tuesday passed legislation supported by President Trump to make daylight-saving time permanent year-round, advancing a longstanding effort to end the twice-a-year time switch nationwide.” | Wall Street Journal
State
2. ‘Screw You, Taxpayers’: Judge Says PA Legislature Ignored Money-Saving Reforms
“After one of the biggest corruption scandals in Pennsylvania broke out in the late 2000s, a grand jury interviewed more than 100 Capitol staffers and lawmakers. Then it released a scathing report.
The most damning observation? The Pennsylvania General Assembly will “meddle with, obfuscate, ignore or kill every recommendation,” and if the Legislature were “left to its own devices, is utterly incapable of reforming itself.”
The grand jury wasn’t wrong.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
Inside the PA Legislature’s Unusual Spending: Portraits, Flowers and a Speeding Ticket. “A staffer’s $75 speeding ticket. Flowers for lawmakers’ family members and friends. A “portrait fund” for paintings of leaders. Those are some of the more unusual expenses from the Pennsylvania Legislature paid by taxpayers.” | PennLive
DeSantis Tests Political Strength In Shapiro’s Backyard With Fundraiser For Stacy Garrity. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Philadelphia on Tuesday to campaign with Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity, bringing one of the nation’s highest-profile Republican governors into the political backyard of Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat widely viewed as a 2028 presidential contender.” | Washington Examiner
PA Budget Gives 60,000 State Retirees First Pension Boost Since 2001. “It’s been more than two decades since some of the longest retired teachers and other public servants, including some firefighters and police officers, have received an increase in their pension, even as inflation has cut their buying power in half.” | Erie Times-News
PA Human Relations Commission Welcomes 7 New Members, Including Former State Rep. “The commission can determine whether an act of hate violates the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and enforce state laws that prohibit discrimination and promote equal opportunity. Commissioners act as public liaisons, establish policies, and resolve some cases that are not settled voluntarily.” | abc27
Around The Commonwealth
3. The Accounting Tricks That Balanced PA’s Budget — But Only On Paper
“When Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a state budget on Sunday, leaders praised it for being a fiscally responsible $50.8 billion product that doesn’t dip into the state’s rainy day fund.
That’s a misleading picture. To reach that number, they had to employ some accounting tricks.” | Spotlight PA
Elsewhere
County Council Abandons Its Plan To Ask Voters To Lift Its Spending Cap. “In a swift reaction to community blowback, Allegheny County Council repealed legislation it approved just weeks ago that would have asked voters to eliminate its own spending limit.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Allegheny County Executive Innamorato Announces Pregnancy, Pushes For Paid Parental Leave. “Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Tuesday announced that she is pregnant, and in doing so renewed her push for paid parental leave.” | WESA
Route 15 North of Williamsport Is Getting a New Name on July 30: PennDOT. “A 62-mile section of Route 15 north between Interstate 180 in Williamsport and the New York State line will be designated Interstate 99 beginning July 30.” | PennLive
The End of School Property Taxes? Proposed Pennsylvania Bill Would Rewrite Education Funding. “Pennsylvania’s elected school boards may soon lose their authority to levy property taxes. Senate Bill 962, introduced by Senator Dawn Keefer (R-York/Cumberland), would eliminate school property taxes and replace them with higher state income and sales taxes to fund public education.” | Broad + Liberty
Lackawanna Democrats Elect Valonis As First Female County Party Chairperson. “Larissa Cleary Valonis, a school counselor with years of experience in political campaigns, was elected Tuesday as the new Lackawanna County Democratic Party chairperson.” | WVIA
Editorial
4. What Do You Think?
- Can Democrats Harness the Data Center Backlash? | David Wallace-Wells, Robinson Meyer and Jillian Weinberger
- Lindsey Graham Exits Stage Right | Dick Polman
- The Dems Have Been Here Before | David M. Stone
- Driving Home the Whole Cost of College | Tribune-Review
1 Thing
5. This Day in History: Twitter Launches
“On July 15, 2006, the San Francisco-based podcasting company Odeo officially releases Twttr—later changed to Twitter—its short messaging service (SMS) for groups, to the public.
Born as a side project apart from Odeo’s main podcasting platform, the free application allowed users to share short status updates with groups of friends by sending one text message to a single number (“40404”). Over the next few years, as Twttr became Twitter, the simple “microblogging” service would explode in popularity, becoming one of the world’s leading social networking platforms.” | History.com
Thank you for starting your Wednesday with us.
Stay cool. See you tomorrow.
