Examining hunger among Philly’s high school athletes; What do the election results mean for Trump in 2020? | Morning Newsletter

We’ll start today with more fallout from this week’s election. While Democrats lost seats in New Jersey, they made big gains in the Pennsylvania suburbs. But when looking at the state as a whole, can these results tell us anything about how Pennsylvania will vote in the 2020 election? And in Philadelphia, the Working Families Party overcame the odds to unseat a Republican from a long-held GOP seat. We look at what the Working Families Party is and how it was able to have such an impact on this election.

But if you’re burned out on politics, we have plenty more interesting stuff for you throughout today’s newsletter. Thanks for reading!

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

Food insecurity has caused high school athletes in the Philadelphia area to cope with hunger in drastic and often unhealthy ways for generations. An athlete told The Inquirer that he would exercise until exhaustion, so his body could rest. Another recalled he once ate gum off a sidewalk rather than walk three miles to his junior high on an empty stomach.

A nonprofit reported that between 2015 and 2017, there were 176,000 children in the metropolitan area who lived in food-insecure homes. The high school athletes in those households still competed in sports, with many believing that this could help them transcend poverty, escape violence, further their education, and enable them to build a better future.

For more than a year, The Inquirer examined food insecurity among high school athletes and the challenges it presents. Over the weeks and months ahead, a series will cover the ways high school athletes are affected by food insecurity.

It’s no secret: When it comes to elections, Pennsylvania is kind of a big deal. President Donald Trump won the state in 2016. And it looks poised to play a major role in the outcome of next November’s election. Although much of the Philadelphia region seemed to move to the left based on this week’s election results, it doesn’t mean that Trump won’t have a chance when it’s his name on the ballot.

While Republicans were concerned with the results from this week, especially around Philadelphia, a statewide election could bear different results. And some Democratic strategists are cautioning against overconfidence. “The trends look good," said a Pittsburgh-based Democratic consultant. “But I think in the end, we have to brace ourselves for a really tough race.”

Last week, City Council unanimously passed Philly’s Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. Among other things, once it’s signed (which is expected), it’ll launch a “portable benefits” system. From Uber drivers to domestic workers, it would tie benefits to the workers instead of to employers. What happens in Philly could be a model for millions of Americans without adequate access to benefits because they’re subcontractors or juggling part-time jobs.

The move is seen as another example of America’s poorest large city passing legislation meant to protect low-wage workers, despite business groups that call the policies an overreach. In terms of impact, for example, the provision will grant paid time off to 16,000 domestic workers, and that number is expected to grow.

Loving that reflection and sunshine. Thanks for sharing, @gritadelphia!

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!

“What’s extraordinary after last night’s wins, beyond the wins themselves — Delaware County has been under Republican control since the Civil War — is the way a single president has mobilized a formerly anesthetized electorate so that what we seem to now have is a fully engaged two-party system.” — Columnist Maria Panaritis writes about what this week’s election results in Delaware County mean for President Trump.

Lauren Nolan-Sellers, 41, quit her job as a teacher to pursue her passion without any training or plan. After a “life-changing epiphany,” Nolan-Sellers launched into an interior design career, has over 30,000 Facebook followers, and has decorated homes of local celebs such as former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler.