‘Abandon Biden,’ but for who? | Morning Newsletter
🚎 And old-school trolleys return.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning, Philly. It’s set to be a mostly sunny Wednesday, with temps in the low-80s.
The “Abandon Biden” movement seeks to sway pro-Palestinian voters from supporting the president this fall. But its activists disagree over whether to consider voting for Trump instead.
And starting Sunday, restored 1947 trolleys will once again rumble and squeal on the Route 15 tracks along Girard Avenue. Let’s get into those stories and more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Activists alarmed by president Joe Biden’s backing of Israel in its war against Hamas have been calling for Muslim Americans and allies to “Abandon Biden” for months. Their movement aims to sway voters from supporting him on Election Day 2024, with a focus on swing states like Pennsylvania.
But if not Biden, then who?
🗳️ Some leaders of the movement are pushing for third-party and independent candidates. Others think former president Donald Trump could do more to save Palestinian lives than Biden.
🗳️ That’s despite Trump’s explicitly pro-Israel statements — calling for its government to “finish that job,” vowing to bar Gaza refugees from entering the U.S., and criticizing Biden for not doing enough to support its ally, for instance.
🗳️ Meanwhile, anti-Biden protest voters inspired by this group and others posted some success this primary election season, as tens of thousands of Philadelphians and New Jerseyans voted or wrote in “uncommitted.”
Pennsylvania politics reporter Aliya Schneider has the story.
Big news for fans of public transportation, the color green, and nostalgia: Eight restored 1947 trolleys will return to the Route 15 line along Girard Avenue this Sunday.
The old-school trolleys spent more than four years in SEPTA’s Woodland Shop, where they were stripped to their frames and rebuilt. Ten more are still in the shop, and buses will continue to service the line until all the trolleys are ready to roll.
As Inquirer transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald writes, the cream-and-green streetcars have an almost cult-like following in the city. So, what’s new for the beloved vintage trolleys and their route?
Fitzgerald explains, complete with a local transportation history lesson.
What you should know today
Eight people with suspected ties to ISIS were arrested in coordinated raids in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles, federal authorities said.
Hunter Biden was convicted Tuesday of all three felonies in his federal gun trial. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced.
New Jersey’s attorney general may revoke Trump’s liquor licenses at his three golf clubs in the state as a consequence of the former president’s 34 felony convictions.
Alongside both public and charter school supporters, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Tuesday called for Harrisburg leaders to pass a state budget that would change the way schools are funded in Pennsylvania.
More than 380 employees at Pennsylvania State University’s Commonwealth campuses agreed to take a buyout offered by the school, which faces declining enrollment and a $49 million deficit.
A new president has been picked of the largest union for Philadelphia city workers, ending a fiercely contested election and setting the stage for high-stakes contract negotiations with the Parker administration.
Dozens of former Wanamakers employees have been unable to get their pensions from the now-shuttered department store.
An East Germantown personal care facility for seniors closed with just a week’s notice. Then, some of their most treasured belongings disappeared.
This week’s $223 million Powerball-jackpot winning ticket was sold at a Camden County food mart.
🧠 Trivia time
Teachers at tech-forward Philly magnet school Science Leadership Academy say they’ve seen a huge increase in student interaction after changing one policy. What did they ban during class time?
A) Artificial intelligence
B) Phones
C) Laptops
D) Talking
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍻 Welcoming: The return of Fishtown Taps, the river wards’ summer-long weekly happy hour.
💡 Wondering: How the 5,000-pound Academy of Music chandelier gets cleaned.
🎻 Awaiting: This summer’s best outdoor classical concerts (some are free!).
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark was left off of the U.S. women’s basketball Olympic team — but this North Philly native wasn’t.
ALPHA ECHO PERK
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Gwen Goodwill Bianchi, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: kelly green. The popular Eagles jersey color was introduced for the 2023 season — and despite a rumor spread by cornerback Darius Slay, it will return this year.
Photo of the day
🧀 One last gross thing: Weeks after the Italian Market Festival, no one has taken down the cheese and meat from the grease pole. Call it the world’s ugliest wind chime.
Have a great Wednesday. See ya back here tomorrow!
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