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Headlines. Fetterman’s Ultimatum Giving Some Democrats Anxiety He’ll Switch Parties.  Lawmakers Up Transparency For Data Centers, Leave $2B Tax Exemption Untouched In PA Budget. The Campaign to Push Pittsburgh’s Image in DC. How Much Coffee Is Too Much?

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PA Sports 
⚾  Phillies (56-45, 3 GB) | LA Dodgers 10-7 | Tue vs. LA Dodgers
⚾  Pirates (52-49, 11.5 GB, – GB WC) | NY Yankees 5-8 | Tue at NY Yankees
⚽  Union (1W, 3D, 11L) | July 22 vs. Red Bulls

What We’re Hearing. “We have battleground races in Pennsylvania that we are trying to flip, and now we’ve got John Fetterman helping the Republicans to raise money to beat Democrats.” – Rep. Chris Deluzio

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.   Fetterman’s Ultimatum Giving Some Democrats Anxiety He’ll Switch Parties

“Sen. John Fetterman’s increasingly independent political moves are raising eyebrows among his Senate colleagues and giving fodder to his progressive critics, fueling speculation about whether he might leave the Democratic Party.

Fetterman said last week he would formally switch his affiliation if Democrats make opposition to Israel part of their official platform. It’s the first time the Pennsylvania senator has laid out a scenario in which he would jump ship.” | NOTUS

Elsewhere

In Rare Move, 40-Plus Labor Unions Back GOP’s Fitzpatrick. “Both the Bucks and Montgomery County Central Labor Councils have announced their recommendation for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks, to continue representing Pennsylvania’s first congressional district.” | Bucks County Courier Times

Democrats Create Momentum In PA Voter Registration Ahead of 2026 Midterms. “Since January, Democrats have added nearly 25,500 voters to their ranks, while Republican registrations have declined by more than 4,500, according to voter registration data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of State.” | PennLive

House Republicans Outraise Democrats in June. “The House Republicans’ campaign arm brought in $17.6 million in June, leaving them with $92.7 million in cash on hand. That brought the NRCC’s cash on hand to $92.7 million, versus $79 million for the DCCC. Yes, but: The DCCC outraised the NRCC in the full second quarter of 2026, bringing in $37.4 million, compared to $35.4 million for NRCC.” | Axios

State

2.   Lawmakers Up Transparency For Data Centers, Leave $2B Tax Exemption Untouched In PA Budget

“Despite a flurry of proposals to regulate data centers in the months leading up to this year’s state budget deadline, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed only one related measure as part of the $50.8 billion deal.

It mandates that data centers using more than 10 MW of electricity annually disclose their energy and water usage. Environmental advocates said the change, which covers most of the new data centers planned for the state, is positive but not especially meaningful.” | Spotlight PA

Elsewhere

PA Rape Crisis Centers Win First State Funding Increase In Years. “The additional $12 million will enable these centers to train more employees, staff their crisis hotlines around the clock and provide more therapy to survivors, officials say.” | USA Today Network

New PHRC Commissioners Lay Out Priorities After Years of Vacancies and Recent Scrutiny. “Since Governor Shapiro took office, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has not operated in compliance with state law. Now, after a wave of resignations left the eleven member board with just three commissioners, Governor Josh Shapiro has finally begun filling the vacancies.” | Broad + Liberty

Pennsylvania Bill Would Rein in Statehouse IT Spending. “The bill would cut unnecessary information technology spending across the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s four legislative caucuses by requiring state House and Senate Democrats — and House and Senate Republicans — to work with the same information technology providers, saving money and streamlining cybersecurity in Pennsylvania’s Capitol.” | GovTech

Around The Commonwealth

3.   Inside the Campaign to Push Pittsburgh’s Image in the Nation’s Capital

“In a bustling transit station in the heart of the nation’s capital, images were splashed across the walls, the columns, and the floors showcasing Pittsburgh’s most celebrated landmarks.

Inside the Metro Center station that connects thousands of people each day to their destinations in Washington, VisitPittsburgh carried out a sweeping ad campaign to entice people to visit a city that has struggled in the past to bring in new tourists.

“The people that come to Pittsburgh fall in love with Pittsburgh,” said Emily Hatfield, the vice president of marketing and communications at VisitPittsburgh.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Elsewhere

Two Philly Prosecutors Accused DA Larry Krasner of Telling Them to ‘Protect the Office’ In A Controversial Appellate Case. “In a court document filed late Monday, Assistant District Attorneys Katherine Ernst and Steven J. Wildberger wrote that Krasner’s directive came after they’d been seeking to persuade him to allow the state attorney general’s office to take over the appeal of Dennis Johnson, who is seeking to have his murder conviction overturned.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Can AI Streamline Government In Pittsburgh’s Smaller Suburbs? “AI is increasingly a tool of local government — but uptake may be slow across Allegheny County suburbs as local officials try to determine how this evolving technology might streamline the task of governance.” | Public Source

Neighbors Push Back on Allentown Data Center Plan, Developer to Refile. “Quantm Group’s data center at 2401 W. Emmaus Ave. would bring fewer than two dozen employees per shift to a site the city has designated a major employment hub.” | Lehigh Valley Public Media

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• The Curious Case of John Fetterman | Brandon McGinley 
• Reigniting the American Dream: A Massive Manufacturing Push in Pennsylvania | Salena Zito
• How the White House Turned a Pennsylvania Trooper’s Death Into An Immigration Scare Story | Luis F. Carrasco
• As 6abc’s Broadcast License Is Threatened, It Is Urgent to Protect the Freedom of the Press | Lance Haver
• How America’s Newspapers Lost Their Voice | Ken Paulson
• What Are Trump Accounts For? | Jay L. Zagorsky
• Pittsburgh Wants to Tax Skill Games – But the Real Question Is Whether to Limit Them | Jonathan Caulkins
• Come Meet the Democratic Socialists of America | Stu Bykofsky
• The Trump Economy Is Doing Better Than the Media Want to Admit | Liz Peek
• PA’s Proposed False Claims Act Bad For Businesses and Taxpayers | Peter N. Calcara

1 Thing

5.   How Much Coffee Is Safe To Drink? 

“Drinking up to five small cups of coffee a day generally does not negatively impact one’s health, a new study from the American Heart Association shows.

Most adults can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine — about five, 8-ounce cups — per day without increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers found. But the findings are limited to black coffee, because additives like sugar, milk and flavored syrups can have adverse health effects. And though coffee is the main source of caffeine for many adults, caffeine consumed through tea, soda and chocolate contributes toward that 400-milligram mark.” | Philly Voice

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