Mass shootings cloud dark weekend; What 2020 candidates represent for nontraditional families | Morning Newsletter

In a matter of hours this weekend, more than two dozen people were killed in mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. “How does this happen?” My colleague Angel Franco, an El Paso native, wrote. "How do you come to terms with this? It’s an unimaginable, senseless act of terrorism ... They were murdered and terrorized in a place where they should feel safe.” In El Paso, she continued, “complete strangers can become family.” We should learn from that sentiment. Be it in Texas, Ohio, California or here in Philly, we could all love each other more. We are, after all, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection. ❤️

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

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

More than 1,000 people in Philadelphia have been shot in the past four years. And it’s largely up to the trauma teams at city hospitals to try to save gunshot victims, of whom nearly one in five die.

The team at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center deals with more than 300 gunshot victims a year, making treating gunshot victims part of a routine, a nurse with 30 years of emergency room experience told the Inquirer.

“Every time I walk into a room to tell the mother, I ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this job?’” an ICU surgical director added. “That part gives me nightmares that linger on for days."

In many respects, the 2020 presidential field looks different than past cohorts of candidates — more women and people of color, for example. And that sort of representation matters, specifically for Americans who are part of nontraditional families.

Pete Buttigieg is married to man. Kamala Harris is a step-mom. Cory Booker is single. Elizabeth Warren carries her first husband’s last name. Marianne Williamson is a single mother. Even President Donald Trump broke the mold for a what a presidential family looks like.

“How exciting is it that American culture has matured to the point of recognizing that there’s more than one way to skin this cat, that there isn’t a sort of one-size-fits-all," said a Montgomery County woman who in 2014 married the woman she loved for more than 15 years.

Some of Philadelphia’s most prominent doctors, medical schools and hospitals have joined together to address pay inequities in medicine and workplace harassment issues.

Generally, male doctors earn 25% more than their female counterparts, despite more than half of medical students being women.

Medicine has long been marked by male doctors and faculty, particularly in academic hospitals, say the new group’s 50 or so members. They say there’s a disproportionate power structure that the group wants to fight against.

Anybody else have fun at Philly Free Streets? Nice pic, @chuckseye.

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!

“As the body count rises, city leaders should explore every possible solution. Focused Deterrence should be on the table. The city has to make sure that it implements it effectively and without erasing the progress that Philadelphia has made on criminal justice reform in the last few years.” — The Inquirer Editorial board writes about Focused Deterrence as a potential solution to Philadelphia’s homicide problem.

Ed Hipp has served as Philly’s unsung deli staple for 44 years. Now, with a new deal with Walmart, he could go from underdog to top dog.