🗳️ A lot on the line in today’s election | Morning Newsletter
And a COVID-19 booster discussion
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The Morning Newsletter
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Expect sunny skies but with cooler weather and a high of 58 degrees.
If you caught the early morning Blood Moon, email us a picture. 📧
Today is Election Day. There’s so much to keep straight today before the polls close at 8 tonight. Take advantage of our guide to readers’ frequently asked election questions, including our voter guide and previous Inquirer coverage.
Our lead story focuses on what this election means to voters like you.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The Inquirer interviewed dozens of voters over the last three months and people said they feel just as much anxiety, if not more, compared to the 2020 election.
Important note: Voters’ top concerns have been inflation and the economy. Those are followed by a mix of crime, immigration, abortion rights, and threats to democracy, according to most polls.
Notable quotes:
“It feels like a critical time. We’ve got to pick a path, and the path that we’re on is not right,” Nate DeFazio, a small business owner worried about inflation, said outside of a Mehmet Oz rally.
“If we do not maintain a majority in the Senate, Roe falling will be just the beginning,” Ronna Dewey, 54, said at a John Fetterman rally.
“It’s really important to me to be able to graduate high school and enter adulthood in a state of having all my rights intact and not feeling like, ‘Oh, I wish I’d graduated 10 years ago,’” said Jordan Bailkin, a Democratic high school senior who is voting for the first time.
“Personal freedom and the freedom to dissent – I feel that both of those things are under attack,” Jason Dekker, a conservative from York County said.
Keep reading to uncover what’s at stake in today’s election.
Philadelphia’s most prominent immunization expert Paul Offit isn’t quiet about his views on the latest COVID-19 booster shot.
His take: He doesn’t think most people need it.
He thinks the boosters are safe but notes the Biden administration issued recommendations without strong evidence that they offer significantly greater protection than the shots given out since 2020.
He supports the vaccines for seniors 75 and older and others who are particularly vulnerable to COVID.
Important note: Some vaccine skeptics are citing his comments in an interview that “the fix was in” to falsely claim COVID vaccines are part of a conspiracy. Offit shrugs to see his opposition amplified on social media by groups that oppose most vaccines in general and are frequent foes of his.
Some background: He was a minority vote on the FDA’s panel of independent experts that voted 19-2 in June to recommend the bivalent COVID vaccine now offered across the country.
Offit has dedicated his career to advancing vaccines to save children from preventable illnesses. For more than two decades, Offit has thrown himself into America’s culture wars over vaccination, fighting vaccine critics’ misinformation. As a result, he’s received death threats and antisemitic vitriol.
Continue reading this profile to discover his thoughts on science, truth, and his frustrations with the government’s handling of this vaccine.
What you should know today
The brother of two MOVE bombing victims sued the city and University of Pennsylvania over the mishandling of their remains.
The rise of social media brought a surge of misleading information at rapid speed. Take these tips on how to avoid getting duped by election season misinformation.
7 things to watch on Election Day that could decide which way Pennsylvania tilts.
A Common Pleas Court judge said it’s too late to force Philadelphia to reinstate the process to catch possible double votes before they were counted.
John Fetterman’s campaign sued Pennsylvania election officials and asked a federal judge to order that all undated and misdated ballots be counted.
After a shooting of nine people in Kensington Sunday night, some accused city leaders of not doing enough to improve the area’s conditions.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Herr’s potato chip plant is in the Philly area but which county?
A. Chester
B. Delaware
C. Montgomery
D. Bucks
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🍄 Viewing: A rare look at Kennett Square’s mushroom houses.
👀 Eyeing: The Powerball is up to $1.9 billion. Check out what you could theoretically buy with that kind of money in Philly.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A football player’s clothing line
ADDIA HELPING UPHOLDER
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Cindy Seipp, who correctly guessed Arlen Specter as Monday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
And that’s your Tuesday. Good luck at the polls. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow ☀️.