The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Saturday, Philly. Expect a mostly sunny day with high temps near 65.
Today, I’m highlighting Eagles fans’ delirious reactions to the failure of the Tush Push ban.
But first, our top stories include a local college’s cautious response to federal funding uncertainty, a pizza patriarch’s tax evasion charges, and the mystery of 19th-century beach bones.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
Lashing out at Republicans for proposing to “rip away” Medicaid and SNAP benefits, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Friday that Pennsylvania would be unable to replace lost funding for those programs should President Donald Trump’s tax bill become law.
A West Philadelphia Democratic ward leader who resigned after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor will spend about a month in jail, a judge ruled Thursday.
The Gloucester Township couple charged with confining and abusing the woman’s teenage daughter inside their home for years appeared in court for the first time.
One of the family leaders of the Santucci’s Original Square Pizza empire is expected to plead guilty next week to federal tax evasion charges.
Bones that washed up on South Jersey beaches across 30 years have been identified as the captain of a 19th-century ship traveling to Philly.
Swarthmore College has taken the unusual step of adopting a three-month budget for the next fiscal year given the uncertainty of federal policies.
A Washington Township councilman has been accused of sending unsigned harassing letters to two school board members using the board president’s return address.
Tyler State Park in Bucks County is closed until further notice due to a boating accident involving a ranger.
A Bruce Springsteen cover band’s set was canceled by a New Jersey bar owner after The Boss’ tour comments denouncing Trump.
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This week’s obsession
Every Saturday, we’ll talk about something happening around Philly that’s stuck in our minds. Today, it’s the city’s reaction to the contentious NFL Tush Push vote. Detractors of the Eagles’ favorite offensive play failed to garner enough support to ban it.
Birds fans celebrated. So did the team.
The organization had a slate of smug responses queued up, quickly dropping memes (“Marked Safe from the Tush Push Ban Today”) alongside a 26-minute compilation of the play. In a city that celebrates its wins by singing “No one likes us, we don’t care,” of course fans were eating up the antagonism.
Within hours, you could even buy an official “Push On” T-shirt. You won’t see the phrase “Tush Push” on the team’s merch, though. They don’t own the trademark. A Dauphin County woman snagged it back in 2023, just a few weeks before the Eagles tried.
Look, I’ll take any opportunity to remind myself that the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. To the compilation commenter who wrote “If you told me 5 years ago I would enjoy 26 mins of one yard plays I’d have thought you were crazy. But here we are” — same. While I’m not enough of a diehard to put “TSHPUSH” on a license plate, you might catch me at the Mann Center this July when the Philadelphia Orchestra performs a tribute to the Birds’ championship season.
And the offseason excitement just keeps coming: Players will receive their 2025 Super Bowl rings on June 6.
Records of military history-making women and people of color have been removed from U.S. Department of Defense websites amid the Trump administration’s rollback of diversity initiatives.
To Lt. Col. Tamara Schwartz, a U.S. Air Force veteran and York College of Pennsylvania professor, the deletion of these webpages signifies an attempt to rewrite history.
“This isn’t about removing outdated content — it’s about reshaping the narrative,” Schwartz writes in a column for The Inquirer. “To push the idea that women and people of color succeed only through quotas, those whose records prove otherwise must be erased. It’s easier to discredit DEI when you hide its results.”
Ahead of Memorial Day, read Schwartz’s perspective on the censoring of military firsts online.
🧠 Trivia time
WNBA coach and three-time Olympian Dawn Staley’s latest project shares her story of growing up in Strawberry Mansion. What is the project?
A) A comic book called Adventures of a Hoops Star
B) A podcast called Dawn’s Rules
C) A memoir called Uncommon Favor
D) A documentary called The Girl From North Philly
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Phoenixville beverage maker
BRUISING BIDDLE LILT
Email us if you know the answer. We‘ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Christopher Jungers, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Joan Shepp. After 11 years on Chestnut Street, the womenswear boutique is moving back to Walnut Street, three blocks from its first Center City location and across from Rittenhouse Square.
We were there
Philly’s Positive Movement Entertainment drumline joined the FUBAR PAC Car Smash, when a group protested the actions of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency by destroying a Tesla. The smashing symbolized how those entities are impacting Americans, said Jack Inacker, the Democratic strategist who organized the event. (He stressed that he does not condone doing the same to Teslas on the road.)
Our Alfred Lubrano has the story, accompanied by Monica Herndon’s photos and video.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
In the group chat this week: this utterly delightful “kawaii SEPTA” edit. Redditors suggested the transit agency should “officially adopt this to garner support in their push to secure funding.”
Plus, West Philadelphia-native singer Renzo came in third on The Voice, and people are loving his Jeff Buckley cover. He was coached by University of Pennsylvania alum John Legend, another Philly tie. It’s always fun to root for a local reality show contestant — shout-out to Mary Zheng and Saiounia Hughley from Survivor 48, which also wrapped this week. (No links means no spoilers.)
If you’re heading to the Roots Picnic next weekend, enjoy finally seeing Lenny Kravitz at the Fairmount Park fest, as well as the excellent food lineup. If not, you can still dance to DJ tunes at the boardwalk party that is Spruce Street Harbor Park, which opened Friday. And be sure to take note of what’s open and closed in Philly Monday.
👋 Paola will bring you the news tomorrow morning. Enjoy your Saturday.
Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter reported that the Phillies are playing the A’s at home this weekend. They are playing in Sacramento.
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