How Pa. Biden supporters are celebrating Inauguration Day | Morning Newsletter
The nation’s newly appointed Pa.-plucked health secretary will see you now.
The Morning Newsletter
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First: The guest list might be small for Biden’s inauguration celebrations today, but there’s no shortage of festive vibes. Here’s how Pennsylvania party people are spinning plans into motion.
Then: Biden has nominated Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health, imbuing the day with even more of a sense of historical promise for supporters.
And: Here’s what we know so far about that 22-year-old Harrisburg woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
A field of flags will symbolize the crowd that would be on deck for Inauguration Day if not for valid safety and security concerns stopping people from going. But Pennsylvania people will still mark the occasion with all kinds of playful party ideas.
Luckily, there are still celebrations to be had, even if #46 supporters are manifesting them in a mini way at home. We talked to people about the fun ways they’re breaking out the good stuff. Whether it’s symbolic saffron-seasoned mimosas or homemade eggnog for the “in-nog-uration,” these folks are on-theme. And in Scranton, suffice it to say, they’re making a bit of a fuss. In short supply: malarkey. But we don’t have to tell you there will be pints and pints of ice cream.
Here’s how Pennsylvania is raising a glass for a very 2021 inauguration.
Biden has appointed Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health. If she’s confirmed, this would make her the highest-ranking trans official to serve in the federal government.
Her positions, by their very nature, have been historic in marking progress when it comes to more exposure to transgender people. For more than 10 months now, Levine has been one of the most visible faces of the state’s response to the pandemic, keeping a confused public informed with focus on frequent livestreams. If she gets to work in Washington, she’ll bring her expertise to the table from her work in pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. She typically blazes past the transphobia she’s endured online from trolls as a daily reality. But in the summer, the hate rose to the level that she turned it into a powerful teachable moment.
The needle is moving now. And her impact is best known to those who worked closely with her, so let’s hear from them.
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What you need to know today
This is everything we know so far about the Harrisburg woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop arrested this week in Pennsylvania. We’ll keep you posted as this develops.
This South Jersey mom and prominent right-wing, anti-vax activist actually directed members of the crowd charging into U.S. Capitol, shouting, “men, we need more men,” into a megaphone.
Pennsylvania and Philly are expanding COVID-19 vaccine groups, but these are the questions residents still need answered.
Pa. prison officials want to stick with the policy to not always inform families of inmates sickened or killed by the coronavirus, Spotlight PA reports. Families feel that’s leaving them in the dark.
Authorities are facing questions about the release of an accused gunmen two weeks before the Brewerytown murder of a man walking his dog. The prosecutor is saying “balls were dropped.”
The family of a young woman with special needs who was sexually abused by a bus driver is suing the district.
A 17-year-old boy became Philadelphia’s latest homicide victim after being shot in the face.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Always good to keep your head up. Thanks for sharing this waxing crescent moon, @amc811.photos.
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
🦅 The Eagles interviewed Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, but here’s who’s still looking like the front-runner for the head coaching job.
🎻 The Philadelphia Orchestra maestro has a musical request for Biden and Harris.
🍗 This new delivery-only venture with tantalizing wings and thighs on the menu is classified as “Black folk style.” Meet Big Rube, the man behind it.
Opinions
“I don’t believe that it’s Biden’s job to reunite the country. After seeing how easily white supremacy was normalized, governmental safeguards were pulverized, and police abuses against Blacks occurred with alarming frequency, I am left to wonder if we were ever united in the first place. If, as I suspect, our unity was always an illusion, Biden’s job becomes virtually impossible.” — commentator Solomon Jones writes that Biden can’t create unity where it’s nonexistent, but he can tackle the three most urgent things.
Joe Biden would not have impressed Dr. King, writes Drexel University president Mariana Chilton, likening his packing groceries at Philabundance on Monday to flinging a coin.
Trump may have been a deranged narcissist, but it’s America that needs to look in the mirror for perspective, columnist Will Bunch writes.
What we’re reading
Here’s a list of dishes worth trying in Philly, defined by Philly Mag.
Should we be worried about Joe Biden’s Peleton bike ritual posing a security risk? Here’s what the experts say, per the New York Times.
A man penned a personal essay in Newsweek about marrying his best buddy to avoid paying a hefty tax.
This is the story of a woman who dared to beautify a highly unexpected place with art that evolved to get the public working together. Read on to visit “Ivy Lane,” a truly transformative paint job.