June 29 Playbook: Trump, Power and SCOTUS

June 29, 2026 | 8:14 AM EDT

Steve Ulrich

😎 Monday. Welcome to a short holiday week.

Headlines. Supreme Court’s Blockbuster Week. Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Pennsylvania Voters’ Private Information. Data Center $10,000-Per-Household Idea Called ‘Bribe.’ Vote for Top HS Football Stadium in PA.

🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave. Martha and the Vandellas

PA Weather
☀️ Linesville | Mostly Sunny, 88
🌤️ Saxton | Partly Sunny, 87
☀️ Birdsboro | Mostly Sunny, 87

What’s Happening Today. The Supreme Court will release opinions at 10 AM. The House convenes at noon, while the Senate begins at 3 PM.

What We’re Hearing. “Conservative groups are preparing to urge the Federal Communications Commission to revoke Disney’s broadcast television licenses, including Philadelphia’s WPVI (6abc).”

What We’re Watching. In this episode of Voices of Reason, AI Data Centers are the hottest topic in the commonwealth. Should we rush to win the AI race against China or slow down the efforts? PoliticsPA’s Steve Ulrich speaks with Pennsylvania State Senator Rosemary Brown and Michael Helbing, Director of Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy.

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. Supreme Court’s Blockbuster Week Will Put Trump’s Power to the Test

“The Supreme Court’s final week of the term is shaping up to be a blockbuster, with several remaining cases carrying major implications regarding the scope of President Trump’s power.

Three of the eight cases awaiting ruling hinge on what Trump — and future presidents — can or can’t do in office, including determining who gets to be an American and what checks there are for a president’s ability to fire federal officials.

Perhaps the biggest decision remaining before the court is Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.” | Axios

Elsewhere

Trump’s Standing With PA Voters Improves Slightly But Still Lags. “Pennsylvania voters remain deeply unhappy with President Donald Trump while giving Gov. Josh Shapiro a commanding lead in the governor’s race, a new survey shows.” | PennLive

Fetterman, McCormick Sidestep Shapiro on Pennsylvania’s ‘Great American State Fair’ Booth. “Sen. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick stepped in to organize Pennsylvania’s presence in “The Great American State Fair” in Washington, D.C. after Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said state officials could not find a business to sponsor the booth.” | The Hill

Perry Joins Push to Revoke 17th Amendment, Strip Voters of Electing Senators. “Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry earlier this week supported a resolution that would repeal the 17th Amendment and strip American voters of their right to elect U.S. Senators.” | PennLive

Three Years Ago, The School Choice Debate Shut Down Harrisburg. Now Democrats Are Ready To Engage. “As Pennsylvania House Democrats advance an overhaul of existing school-choice options, a top Democratic leader expressed interest in Trump’s school-choice tax credit program.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Perry Proposes Measure to Eliminate Funding For the Peace Corps. “The U.S. House is poised to consider a measure proposed by Rep. Scott Perry that would eliminate funding next year for the Peace Corps and other foreign aid programs.” | PennLive

State

2. Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Pennsylvania Voters’ Private Information

“A federal district judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking a copy of the state’s voter roll containing voters’ personal identifying information.

“Public statements from government officials reveal its intentions: to create a nationwide voter-database, for potential weaponization in future elections; as a “fishing expedition,” hoped to advance unsubstantiated claims of non-citizen voting; and as a tool for immigration enforcement,” Cathy Bissoon, district judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, wrote in a decision Saturday.” | Votebeat

Elsewhere

Garrity and Shapiro Have Accused Each Other of Flip-Flopping On Data Centers. Are They Both Right? “While both have changed their tone in the year since the Amazon deal was announced in June 2025, they’re accusing one another of hypocrisy.” | Penn Capital-Star

Attorney General Dave Sunday Talks Supreme Court’s Krasner Ruling, Abortion Appeal. “The high court recently gave Sunday’s office unprecedented authority over the DA’s post-conviction review process.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

$200K Club: More Than 1,000 PA Workers Made the List With Top Public Pay. “More than 470 judges, 36 corrections officers and 30 state police officers. Those are just some of the 1,021 Pennsylvania state workers who earned at least $200,000 in 2025, making them members of PennLive’s annual “$200K Club.”” | PennLive

PA Has A Database Where the Public Can See Employee Pay, But It’s An Undercount. “The good news? Pennsylvania has a public database showing how much compensation every state employee and public official earns. The bad news? The data is incomplete.” | PennLive

Around The Commonwealth

3. Data Center $10,000-Per-Household Idea Called ‘Bribe’ By Neighbors

“An unsolicited letter from a data center developer that dangles $10,000 for every household in a northeastern Pennsylvania township – but only if the data center gets built – calls the money a “grant” but Ed Parks and Ed Negra call it a “bribe.”

The fact that the letter is about the marquee project in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s “Fast Track” permitting program makes their distaste worse. The two homeowners live in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, and will be among the closest neighbors if the 15 data center buildings of “Project Hazelnut” become a reality.” | The Center Square

Elsewhere

What’s In Brown’s Proposed ‘Residents First’ Data Center Legislation? “As data center proposals flood Northeast Pennsylvania, state Sen. Rosemary Brown proposes legislation that would limit large-scale campuses to industrial areas while requiring more information on projects before a developer can ever apply in a municipality.” | Scranton Times-Tribune

Williamsport Council Declares Zoning Ordinance Invalid to Regulate Data Centers. “The unanimous 6-0 vote, introduced by Councilman Jonah Milliken, was the city’s opening move in a contest playing out across the region: who gets to decide where the sprawling, power-hungry buildings storing uncountable types and amounts of information are allowed to land.” | NorthCentralPA

Pennon Official Accuses the Nonprofit of Financial Malfeasance In Governing WITF, LNP. “A top official with Pennon, the nonprofit that oversees the PBS-affiliated television station WITF in Harrisburg, filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging financial misconduct by the nonprofit’s management that diverted millions in public grants, charitable donations, and endowment funds to benefit a donor family and a top executive.” | Broad + Liberty

Cumberland County Republicans Elect New Chair After Loyalty Oath Squabble. “Newville-area insurance agent Kingsley Blasco is the new chair of Cumberland County’s Republican Committee.” | PennLive

Allegheny County Democrats Back Garfinkel As Party Chair, Affirm More Progressive Direction. “Allegheny County Democrats voted decisively Sunday to give Kate Garfinkel and John Ukenye full four-year terms leading the party’s county committee as chair and vice chair. While few rank-and-file voters may take an interest in the outcomes of such contests, they can suggest the local party’s direction in the years ahead.” | WESA

Editorial

4. What Do You Think?

The Purging of General Donahue Is a Breaking Point | David French
We Need To ‘Alter’ The Way We Go To War, GOP Lawmaker Says | Sen. Dave McCormick
Can Malone Beat The Odds Again In State’s 36th Senate District? | Drake Fair
Pennsylvania’s Highest Court Confirmed What We Already Knew About Skill Games. Now Lawmakers Must Act | David Black
When Justices Wade Into Politics | Nora Collins
America 250 Is A Reckoning, Not Just A Birthday Party | Chad Dion Lassiter
Trump’s Voting Rights War Isn’t A Future Threat—It’s Happening Right Now | Mark S. Singel
As The Future of College Athletics Takes Shape, Penn State Doesn’t Need Permission to Speak For Itself | Chris Bevilacqua
Ask Mayor Parker a Question. Wait For a Response. And Wait … | Marco Cerino
Founders Sought Religious Freedom Not a Christian State | Charles Mack
Inside Philadelphia’s Democratic Machine | Claudia Vargas

1 Thing

5. Cast Your Vote For the Top High School Football Stadium in Pennsylvania

“High school football in the state of Pennsylvania brings communities together like nothing else and as we approach the dog days of summer, with teams competing in 7-on-7 before conditioning, fans can cast their vote on which stadium they think is the best in the state.

Fans will have an opportunity to cast votes as many times as they’d like until the poll closes on Monday, July 6 at noon. The results of the top 10 winners will be revealed on Wednesday, July 8.” | Beaver County Times

Thank you for starting your week with us.
See you tomorrow.

Steve Ulrich

Ulrich has worked as managing editor of PoliticsPA since January 2022 after spending two years as the Director of Elections in York (Pa.) County. Prior to that, he spent 35 years as a college athletics administrator. Send email to [email protected]