Under the hood of Biden’s rural gains | Morning Newsletter
And the unmissable thing to know about Republicans going along with Trump’s push
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning from The Inquirer newsroom.
Nothing as golden as November’s surprisingly sunny weather can stay. Expect rain today into Thursday, and there’s still plenty of must-read election stories to explain what happened and what’s next.
First: Reporters Julia Terruso and Sean Collins Walsh get under the hood of how just enough white working-class voters supported President-elect Joe Biden for the numbers to add up in Pa.
Then: Despite the fact that the predictable post-Election Day shift didn’t indicate any widespread fraud, several high-profile Pennsylvania Republicans are echoing the President’s groundless efforts to contest his loss. That can actually tell us about what’s next.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Biden could have fared worse in a number of Pennsylvania’s historically Republican areas with some of the Trump voters to match their track records this year. But this is how President-elect Biden made key gains to attract working-class white voters.
Pennsylvania Republicans are echoing Trump’s unfounded fraud allegations by throwing around the same falsehoods. But beyond standing by Trump, they provide a preview of where their party could be going after his departure. And here’s what’s so unusual about it.
What you need to know today
Health officials aren’t planning new restrictions even as Philly coronavirus cases hit all-time highs.
And as those COVID-19 cases surge, Philly’s public schools are staying virtual at this point, we learned.
Our November time basking in the sunny 70s is just how plenty of people like it. What’s coming next resembles something like November.
It looks as if judges at the U.S. Supreme Court aren’t quite buying arguments against Obamacare.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
We love this sun-dappled street awash in the strangely summery November weather. Thanks for sharing, @aimeebsiegel.
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
🏨 Philly’s purposely "disorganized” charity Fraud Street Run will start from the “famous Four Seasons Total Landscaping” and go to “the lesser-known Four Seasons Hotel.”
🦅 Marcus Hayes writes that Carson Wentz is far from irreplaceable. So should Doug Pederson put rookie Jalen Hurts in?
🎸 The indie-rock venue and bar Boot & Saddle the latest business to permanently close due to the pandemic.
🎓 A 16-foot sculpture of a Black female figure at University of Pennsylvania’s campus entrance has arrived.
🎁 Pandemic-related economic hardships mean people feel they can’t afford to be as giving with holiday charities as usual.
🐟 We talked to the group demanding action to protect the prized Lehigh Valley trout stream.
🏀 Did you spot the possible TTP (trust the process) secret nod in the Boathouse Row design on the Sixers' brand-new uniforms?
Opinions
“As America anticipates the inauguration of a new president-elect and we are once again readying for a transfer of power, what took place in Congress Hall over 200 years ago should be our beacon today." — design engineer Randy Freed writes of the Philly site where the first peaceful transition of power happened.
Law professor Joshua A. Douglas writes that it’s dangerous for the media to give Trump’s numerous postelection lawsuits significant airtime.
Author Feminista Jones writes that the DNC clinched a victory on the backs of Black women and community organizers.
What we’re reading
As thrilling as it is to see everyone’s neck, The Atlantic dives into the emotional cost of being masked.
6abc spoke with the costume designer behind rascally Gritty’s superior love interest, Grittney, whom you should have met by now.
WHYY reports on why thousands of nurses at four Philly-area hospitals are preparing to strike.
Your Daily Dose of | Museum Mountain
Everyone can choose their own adventures, and this Bucks County man has chosen fitness.
He is climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest by running up and down the Philadelphia Museum’s 72 steps roughly 880 times. It may not be the Earth’s iconic highest mountain, but it’s nothing short of iconic. He’s calling it “The Rocky Steps Everest Challenge.”