Sen. Toomey won’t run for reelection in ’22 | Morning Newsletter
And, Pennsylvania’s voter services website was down over the weekend.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Before we even get to the latest news about the 2020 election (which is just a little over four weeks away), my colleagues broke major news yesterday about a development concerning the 2022 election: Sen. Pat Toomey will not be running for his U.S. Senate seat or for governor, sources say. And, somehow, the Birds' first win of the season last night has put them in first place in the NFC East.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
In a surprise decision, Sen. Pat Toomey appears ready to step away. The Republican will not run for reelection or for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, according to reporting from my colleagues Jonathan Tamari and William Bender. A formal announcement is expected today.
The move has significant implications. Toomey was widely seen as the likely Republican favorite for governor in 2022. And his absence from the Senate race creates a wide-open GOP primary and a prime target for national Democrats.
With Election Day just four weeks from tomorrow, here’s some of the latest:
💻 Pennsylvania’s online system to apply for and track mail-in ballots crashed Saturday and was out yesterday, too.
🥊 Trump’s attack on voting has Philly front and center, my colleagues write.
🗣️ Here’s what a group of Pennsylvania voters thought of the first presidential debate.
😷 Both Gov. Wolf in Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s Gov. Murphy are recommending that residents be cautious if they attended campaign events. Trump had a fund-raiser at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday, just hours before he tested positive for COVID-19.
❓The election was thrown for a loop with the president’s coronavirus diagnosis. But some Republicans in Pennsylvania are unwavering in their support for Trump.
👎 Trump’s hopes in Pennsylvania could come down to rural voters disliking Biden as much as they disliked Clinton four years ago.
🗳️ For more on upcoming deadlines for registering to vote and requesting a mail ballot, answers to your voting questions, and comprehensive reporting from my colleagues, visit Inquirer.com/election. Also, you can sign up for our free election newsletter here.
In the early days of the pandemic, doctors both in Philly and elsewhere had to learn about treating COVID-19 on the fly. “People were just throwing anything they could at it,” the chief of infectious diseases at Reading Hospital-Tower Health told my colleague Stacey Burling.
But now, Burling reports, doctors have agreed on a core set of treatments, in part due to regional cooperation of health systems that are usually in competition.
What you need to know today
My colleague Amy S. Rosenberg spoke with Philly scholars about the state of American democracy, with one Princeton department chair saying that “the Republic is in serious jeopardy.”
A Bucks County native is overseeing President Trump’s COVID-19 treatment.
Philly organizers say that protest morale has to stay high and that they “have to organize like our lives depend on it, because they do.”
The mayor of West Chester declared a state of emergency Friday with the number of COVID-19 cases doubling over the last month and more than tripling among those 18 to 22.
ICE has launched a billboard campaign in Pennsylvania that denounces sanctuary policies for immigrants such as the ones in Philadelphia.
The Diocese of Camden left two-thirds of the claims filed with its sex abuse victim fund unpaid as it sought bankruptcy protection.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Wishing you all a great start to your week. Thanks for sharing this shot, @wickedawesometravels.
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' 25-20 win in San Francisco last night vaulted them to first place in the NFC East.
📈 Columnist Joseph N. DiStefano has the story of a local, wealthy Philly trading firm that got into TikTok early. It could make $15 billion.
🏙️ My colleague Michael Klein checks in on Center City’s struggling weekday lunch scene.
😔 Joanna Hutchinson of Cobbs Creek developed a community sculpture project called 100,000 Folds, with each coronavirus death counted in a red paper pyramid.
📅 Inquirer.com/calendar has an updating list of the best things to do in Philly this week. There are also drive-in concerts in the region this month and pop-up art parks that have families in mind.
⚾ What cost Matt Klentak his job? Not overcoming the Phillies' legacy of losing, my colleague Scott Lauber writes. And, these are some potential candidates to replace him as the general manager.
Opinions
“What kind of person was I turning into that I was taking such glee in someone else’s pain? For months, we’ve heard how scary and deadly this disease can be. As a person who strives to be compassionate, I shouldn’t wish this on anyone.” — writes columnist Elizabeth Wellington about showing compassion for Trump, regardless of how you feel about him.
The Inquirer Editorial Board writes what local governments and voters can do to help make sure this year’s elections maintain integrity.
President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis makes him the third world leader to catch the virus while downplaying it, columnist Trudy Rubin writes.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia City Councilmember Cindy Bass introduced a resolution last week that aims to get Wells Fargo’s name removed from the arena in South Philly because of the bank CEO’s recent comments that Wells Fargo has “a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from." The Philadelphia Tribune has the story.
The Guardian has a story that goes inside the collapse of the airline industry.
ProPublica examines the balance between children’s long-term well-being and keeping the coronavirus outside of schools.
Your Daily Dose of | Apples
For fruit lovers, fall mean’s one thing: apples. Whether it’s cider, doughnuts, pie, or a crispy one by itself, apples are the unquestioned star of the season. And, if you’re looking to go pick your own, here are eight options in the Philadelphia area.