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Voting has started in Pennsylvania | Morning Newsletter

And, how Philly progressives see Joe Biden.

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Voting officially got underway in Pennsylvania yesterday, as we’re just five weeks from Election Day. In Philly, Joe Biden supporters are hoping he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Hillary Clinton when it comes to the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party. And, across the country, folks will be tuning in tonight to see the first debate between candidates Donald Trump and Biden.

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

Just over five weeks before Election Day, voting began in Pennsylvania yesterday. Mail ballots are being printed and sent to more than 2 million voters who’ve requested them. Some early voting is beginning in certain counties at either local elections offices or at satellite sites.

For more info and coverage from my colleagues' reporting on the election and voting, visit Inquirer.com/election.

In Philly’s liberal bastions, Sanders bumper stickers are as common as Biden-Harris yard signs. And those areas could prove vital for Biden’s hopes to beat President Trump, my colleagues Sean Collins Walsh and Anna Orso report.

They spoke to progressive leaders, organizers, and voters in the city who say that there’s still some uncertainty about whether Biden can win enough support from the Democratic Party’s left wing to avoid the fate Clinton had four years ago.

What you need to know today

  1. Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Senate are pushing a proposal that would make the state’s chief advocate for survivors of crime, domestic violence, and physical and sexual abuse ineligible to remain on the job.

  2. A federal judge in Pennsylvania temporarily blocked U.S. Postal Service changes that have led to delivery delays.

  3. Clinical trials for Inovio’s COVID-19 vaccine were put on hold yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration because it has questions about the next phase of the Plymouth Meeting-based company’s trial.

  4. Pennsylvania’s mail-ballot deadline extension is being taken to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  5. Here’s how to watch the first debate between Trump and Biden tonight, starting at 9.

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

Peaking out above the clouds. Thanks for sharing, @phillydroneshots.

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

  1. 🦅With just seconds remaining in overtime during Sunday’s game, Eagles coach Doug Pederson opted to punt instead of going for the win. He said he made the wrong call.

  2. 🚒Lisa Forrest will be the first Black woman to be promoted to fire battalion chief in Philadelphia.

  3. 🏀Do you think the Sixers regret losing Jimmy Butler as he makes his way to the NBA Finals?

  4. 🌱Demand for houseplants is soaring as some see them as a therapeutic way to combat pandemic-induced stress. My colleague Katie Park spoke with one person who has amassed 130 plants in her 980-square-foot South Philly home.

  5. ⚾A team source told my colleague Bob Brookover that Phillies GM Matt Klentak won’t be fired after the team missed the playoffs again. But we haven’t heard from the team’s owner yet.

Opinions

“Just a few months ago, my social life was reduced to eye-scowling at neighbors whose noses had crept above their masks. But recently I’ve gained a whole new crew of pals. True, I’ve never met them, but they seem to know a lot about me and they’re so aggressively, relentlessly friendly — always texting to shoot the breeze.” — writes freelance writer Patrick Rapa in a satirical piece about political organizing texts.

  1. After reading about President Trump’s tax returns, accountant David A. Caplan of Lafayette Hill writes about four key questions that remain.

  2. Karl Miller, who is active in both his faith and in politics in Chester County, writes about being a Catholic Democrat right now.

What we’re reading

  1. Tess Hart, the cofounder of Triple Bottom Brewing, writes for Billy Penn about the woman-owned brewery’s celebrating its one-year anniversary and all the challenges and successes its seen along the way.

  2. A New Yorker essay explores making major changes to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  3. I missed this story earlier this month, but Outside has a piece exploring the popularity of storm chasing.

Your Daily Dose of | Danny DeVito

David Kammiel’s house in Kensington has an alleyway that’s been trafficked and trashed with everything from remnants of Amazon packages to used syringes. He took to a neighborhood Facebook group to ask for help with a fence, where someone offered to make and install a gate for free. Here’s what he got, complete with a portrait of the actor Danny DeVito.