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Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire; black voters talk about why they support President Trump | Morning Newsletter

Plus, why a 6-year-old’s finger gesture forced a call to the cops.

Rev. Todd Johnson, 56, of Northwest, Philadelphia, poses inside First Immanuel Baptist Church on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Johnson is a Trump supporter who hosted a recent event at his church. “I didn’t vote for Trump because he was polite, I didn’t vote for him because he was politically correct,” Johnson said. “I voted for him because I thought he would get results and I think in the last three and half years he’s had gotten results. I’m talking about good results.”
Rev. Todd Johnson, 56, of Northwest, Philadelphia, poses inside First Immanuel Baptist Church on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Johnson is a Trump supporter who hosted a recent event at his church. “I didn’t vote for Trump because he was polite, I didn’t vote for him because he was politically correct,” Johnson said. “I voted for him because I thought he would get results and I think in the last three and half years he’s had gotten results. I’m talking about good results.”Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer
    by Josh Rosenblat
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

The big news out of the Democratic primary in New Hampshire last night was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ victory. And, focusing locally, we talked to black voters in Philly about their support for President Trump. We also have an stories about what happened when a 6-year-old student made a gun with her fingers and pointed it at her teacher, how scientists in a Philly lab are racing to make a coronavirus vaccine, and how little snow has fallen this winter.

— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Black Philly voters on why they support President Trump

President Donald Trump won 8% of black voters nationally in 2016. To pull in even a marginal increase in black support, his campaign has launched Black Voices for Trump. The campaign held an event at the Rev. Todd Johnson’s North Philly church last month.

“Not everybody in North Philly is a Democrat,” Johnson, a Trump-supporting Republican, said. “We have multi-interests, just like every community does.”

But increasing support among black Americans appears to be an uphill battle, according to polls, and Trump also has driven some black Republicans away from the GOP, like James Williams, a former Republican Philadelphia ward leader who changed his registration to Democratic in 2018. He says he’s one of at least four African American Republican ward leaders who have abandoned the party since 2016.

A 6-year-old pointed a finger gun at her teacher and said, ‘I shoot you.’ Her school called the cops.

Maggie Gaines understands why her daughter’s teacher at Valley Forge Elementary went to the principal after the incident. But she doesn’t understand why she and her husband ended up on a conference call with Tredyffrin Township police the next day.

Gaines was told that her daughter, Margot, who has Down syndrome, had triggered a threat assessment, meaning that under district policy, school officials had to call the police. Advocates see this as an example of schools overreporting student behavior to the police. Students of color and those with disabilities are “disproportionately impacted” by such policies, according to an attorney with the Education Law Center in Philadelphia.

What you need to know today

  1. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary, with ex-VP Joe Biden finishing in fifth place. The former senator from Delaware is banking on a more diverse electorate in upcoming votes in Nevada and South Carolina.

  2. Trump administration officials have sued New Jersey in federal court, challenging state-imposed limits on cooperation between law-enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. Gov. Phil Murphy dismissed it yesterday, saying it’s the president’s latest attempt to “vilify our immigrant communities for the sake of election-year politics."

  3. Scientists are racing to design a coronavirus vaccine inside of a Philadelphia lab.

  4. In recent years, there have been some high-profile clashes between the business community and City Hall. But yesterday, Mayor Jim Kenney made the case that Philadelphia is a pro-business city.

  5. When the 76ers applied for New Jersey tax breaks in 2014, the team pledged to build a new practice facility and create 250 jobs in Camden. The state awarded the franchise tax breaks but is asking for some of them back.

  6. So far this winter, 0.3 inches of snow have been measured. The long-term average is about 22 inches.

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

🏃Nice job taking advantage of a warmish February day. And, thanks for interrupting your run to take this great pic, @gerardrunsphilly.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

That’s interesting

  1. 🎖️Sgt. John J. McVeigh is believed to be the only Philadelphian awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II. A group is holding a series of events to make sure he isn’t forgotten.

  2. 🐶Ruh-roh! Police in Bucks County are searching for two stolen puppies, valued at more than $3,000 each.

  3. 🍲Philly’s iconic pepper pot soup has been lost to time. Chefs and culinary historians are trying to bring it back.

  4. 📦Philadelphians once applauded the Fairmount Whole Foods for its “sunny ground floor space with a sleek coffee bar.” Now, the counter has been ripped out as another example of Amazon’s delivery strategy overtaking prime retail locations, writes architecture critic Inga Saffron.

  5. 🛍️A new “Trump Store” is open in the suburbs for people who say they wouldn’t "dare wear one of these shirts downtown” in Philadelphia.

  6. 👶Injured parents are learning the hard way that little kids can be a real pain, especially when the babies attack.

Opinions

“Aside from a shared devotion to the Philadelphia Eagles, we both believe that Congress can and must do more to combat climate change and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. These two issues go hand in hand and have the potential to shape our communities and our country for decades.” — write Sen. Chris Coons (D., N.J.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) about pushing for bipartisan support for combating climate change and rebuilding infrastructure.

  1. Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches education and history at Penn, writes that President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos should not have used a Philly girl to manipulate their message on school choice.

  2. Manufacturing should be a top issue for 2020 candidates and Pennsylvania voters, writes Stephen Roy, senior vice president of North America for Volvo Construction Equipment.

What we’re reading

  1. Some Wawas are testing burgers as part of an expanded menu, Philadelphia Business Journal reports.

  2. The New York Times reports that while younger men are embracing gender equality, they’re not taking on the activities that women traditionally do at home.

Your Daily Dose of | Philly fashion at the Oscars

Philly designer Iris Bonner had already gone to bed when her phone started blowing up. Billy Porter, the singer and actor who has in recent years been cheered by red carpet enthusiasts for pushing the boundaries of what men and women should wear, was carrying one of her black purses. It contained, in white graffiti, the line from Goodfellas: “F— U Pay Me!”