Flyers have to step it up vs. Islanders | Morning Newsletter
And, the Sixers got swept off the floor to end their season.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
As the Nov. 3 election grows closer, my colleagues visited hotly contested areas across the region to check-in on races that could come down to the wire this fall. Even President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are focused on Pennsylvania’s impact on the election, offering contrasting views on what could happen depending on which party took the state.
And, if you’re looking to take a break from politics, the Flyers start their series tonight against the Islanders. Meanwhile, the Sixers’ season ended yesterday with a sweep.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
In getting past the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers did just enough on defense to grab their first series win since 2012. But, they’re not going to beat the New York Islanders playing the same way, my colleague Sam Carchidi writes.
The Flyers will need to refocus ahead of tonight’s series opener, especially after losing all three regular-season meetings between the two teams. One key might be the Flyers’ young netminder Carter Hart keeping up his impressive play. But that’s no guarantee, columnist Mike Sielski writes.
What do Trump and Obama agree on? For their parties, it’s either winning the state, or it’s the apocalypse, my colleague Jonathan Tamari writes. In their dueling visits to the Keystone State last week, the previous president and the current one presented contrasting but apocalyptic versions of what might happen when one or the other side loses.
In the Philly suburbs, Republicans are trying to survive what looks like an anti-Trump wave. In 2003, there were almost twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats in Chester and Delaware Counties. Today, Democrats have a narrow registration edge in Chester County and a wider one in Delaware County, my colleague Andrew Seidman reports.
New Jersey’s 3rd District has long been a Republican stronghold in a Democratic state. It’s made up of most of Burlington County and a large chunk of Ocean County. But Democrat Andy Kim flipped the district by fewer than 4,000 votes in 2018. If he wins again this November, he’ll be the first Democrat in decades to hold the seat for consecutive terms.
My colleague Allison Steele visited Kim’s district and reported on how the more progressive Burlington County towns that propelled him to victory two years ago contrast with deep-red Ocean County, a place where, historically, Democrats haven’t had a chance to win.
What you need to know today
Trump announced last night an emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for doctors to treat coronavirus patients with plasma.
Penn State students are returning to campus, but some of them who have been chosen for COVID-19 testing haven’t complied. Some students are getting screened with a scratch-and-sniff test, which could be a better alternative to taking temperatures. And, with so many students returning, the State College community is trying to survive.
Doctors are worried about the damage the coronavirus can do to the kidneys, leading some patients to need dialysis permanently.
A Pennsylvania task force is calling on the state legislature to have more flexibility to release incarcerated people during the coronavirus pandemic and other declared disasters.
A 1,008-square-foot vacant lot is at the center of tension familiar to the Italian Market, an area where businesses and residences have coexisted for 140 years.
Lawyers for the Philadelphia finance company that’s at the center of a massive alleged fraud have told a federal judge that government investigators are endangering investors, not protecting them, with their sweeping civil fraud case.
If you’ve experienced any mail issues in your area, tell us about them.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Not a bad spot for a paddle. Thanks for sharing, @baewindows.
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
🏀After a sweep at the hands of the Celtics, the Sixers have left the NBA’s bubble with a lot of questions. It could be a moment of reckoning, according to columnist David Murphy.
🌲The Poconos rank as the third-best spot to buy a vacation home in the U.S.
🔊Cicadas are quieter this year. But just you wait until 2021.
📃Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a measure that abolished the “slave-era” freeholder title. New Jersey was the only state that still used chosen freeholder, a term that many Black people and women have labeled offensive.
💊Thanks to an emerging nutritional fad, Montgomery County can get ultra-fast COVID-19 results.
⚾J.T. Realmuto wants to set an annual salary record for catchers. My colleague Scott Lauber writes about what the Phillies are thinking about as they weigh giving their star catcher a long-term contract.
Opinions
“Take Julie Davis. For years, the 48-year-old cook had watched helplessly as her daughter struggled with drug addiction. She braced herself for the day she got word that her drug-addicted daughter had succumbed to an overdose. Still, when that day finally arrived on July 16, Davis collapsed with grief.” — writes columnist Jenice Armstrong about how the opioid crisis can’t be ignored, even with a pandemic still raging.
Martha S. Jones, an author and history teacher at Johns Hopkins University, writes about how we can all live up to the ideals of the Black women who are the founders of American democracy.
The digital divide is holding back immigrant communities, writes Nasr Sadar, a Syrian refugee and job development coordinator at the Nationalities Services Center.
What we’re reading
Listen to Philly musicians’ protests songs for the summer of 2020 though WHYY.
College students isolating on campus are flooding social media with images of their school-provided meals, the New York Times reports. Some examples: lemon as a side dish, lettuce in a plastic bag, and chicken given to vegetarians.
The Wall Street Journal examines whether a move to remote work will deepen existing inequalities.
Your Daily Dose of | Philly strangers
My colleague Stephanie Farr, who cares so deeply about highlighting the passion, love, and hilarity of Philadelphia, was starting to lose her faith. There’s been the pandemic, the city’s tear-gassing of its own people, a rising homicide rate, and more.
So, she asked for your favorite interactions with Philly strangers to remind her of why she fell in love with the city. These are the stories you shared with her.