Titans stun Eagles, U.S. Department of Justice questions Philly’s use of federal grants | Morning Newsletter

It's the first day of October – and it's a gloomy one, much like how our weather is expected to be this week (cloudy). The week ahead is also shaping up to be quite political, and we have a story this morning that details how area politicians are benefitting from what some critics call a form of "legalized money-laundering" thanks to a loophole in campaign finance laws. And yes, the 2016 Democratic National Convention is still making news – this time in the form of a mishandled $15 million. On a lighter note, at least we have Gritty, who continues to stay in the spotlight.

— Tauhid Chappell (@tauhidchappell, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

A political fundraising strategy that some warn allows big donors to flex their influence is seeing a rise in the Philadelphia region ahead of the midterm elections.

Known as joint-fundraising committees, these groups allow donors to legally cut large checks that go above and beyond the donation limit set in place by federal campaign finance laws.

In the past, donors had an overall cap on the amount of money they were able to give to candidates and political parties every two years. But thanks to a 2014 decision by U.S. Supreme Court, donors can give to as many candidates as they want without that overall cap.

So, the more candidates a joint-fundraising committee features, the more money a donor can give. This has made these committees flourish and, in some cases, they've brought dozens of candidates and parties together so donors can give more money.

You'll want to dive into our look at this highly-used strategy and follow the money to see which candidates in the area are benefiting from this tactic as the November elections creep closer.

The Eagles are not where they thought they’d be, especially with Carson Wentz back at the helm. The latest loss to the Titans puts them at 2-2, and their performance was a headscratcher that featured missed catches, sloppy defense and the inability to convert commendable drives into touchdowns.

As our columnist Bob Ford describes it, it was death by a thousand cuts. The Birds' defense gave up 327 yards and couldn’t get to Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, and the offensive line couldn’t prevent the Titans from sacking Wentz multiple times throughout the game.

Our Early Birds newsletter has a good roundup of reaction, so give it a look.

The Democratic National Convention seems like eons ago, but a recent report released by U.S. Department of Justice and tied to the DNC seems to make Philadelphia look like a city that struggles to keep a working account of its money.

The report has the feds questioning the city's use of nearly $15 million during the 2016 Democratic National Convention, which was published after an audit revealed bad bookkeeping of federal grant money.

Auditors looked at how Philly and its host committee used a $46 million grant given by the government to manage and pay for the event and, while the city generally spent most of the money for its intended purposes, the department's Office of the Inspector General said millions of dollars were used in what it called "unallowable and unsupported" expenses.

Philly officials, for the most part, accepted the findings.

I'm a huge fan of urban greenery, thanks for giving me another street to explore, @destinationphl! 🌱

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!

"The story of brave, once-anonymous citizens taking risks, speaking out and altering the seemingly unbendable course of history starts with Dr. Ford, who frequently said it was her sense of civic duty that led her to take action to inform America about Kavanaugh's moral fitness." — columnist Will Bunch, on the power of everyday people raising their voices.