Shapiro is making the GOP nervous | Morning Newsletter
And Live Nation’s dominance.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to a new week, Philly. Have you been watching the Olympics? Beyond the athleticism, the fashion has been a spotlight stealer, from the U.S. gymnasts’ sparkling leotards to Jason Kelce’s classy beret.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has been rallying for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign while staying mum on his own prospects as her possible VP pick. Below, we explain why the thought of the governor as nominee is making the Pennsylvania GOP nervous.
And as Live Nation faces a federal antitrust claim, we illustrate the venue and ticketing giant’s reach in the region.
Here’s what you need to know on this hot and cloudy Monday.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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While state Democrats are aggressively backing Shapiro as the potential Harris VP pick, as The Inquirer reported last week, he faces criticism from progressives who disagree with his support of Israel and private school vouchers.
🗳️ Those views are partly why the state GOP is concerned about him joining the Harris ticket: He might win over moderates and even some on the right. Especially because he’s done it in the past.
🗳️ “In what we know is gonna be a close race, I don’t think anyone wants to see Shapiro on the ticket,” one high-ranking Republican said.
🗳️ At the same time, some Pennsylvania Republicans insist they would love to see the powerful Democrat resign from state government to join the race — because they think former President Donald Trump will win regardless.
If you’ve been to a concert in Philadelphia or bought tickets to one anywhere, you’ve probably interacted with Live Nation in some way.
The live music behemoth was recently hit with a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit because of its dominance in the concert-going experience.
What does that look like in Philly? To start, more than one-fifth of all concerts held so far this year were at one of seven Live Nation-owned venues. And that doesn’t account for ticketing services from the company, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010.
The Inquirer’s Lizzie Mulvey and Charmaine Runes break it down with this interactive explainer.
What you should know today
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman reports that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.
In the decade since New Jersey took over the Camden school system, the district has made modest gains in graduation and dropout rates. But challenges remain.
Hundreds of cyclists filled the streets of Center City on Friday to push local leaders to protect bike riders and pedestrians by upgrading traffic infrastructure. “We all deserve to survive our journeys home,” two colleagues of killed cyclist Barbara Friedes wrote in an Inquirer op-ed.
Guards at some of Philadelphia Housing Authority senior communities looked forward to significant wage hikes last fall. Yet those paychecks started getting late — then they bounced.
The first of two warehouses planned for a long-vacant stretch of Camden’s Admiral Wilson Boulevard is under development. Could they help revive commerce in the area?
More homeowners in the region are opting for heat pumps, once thought to be ill-suited to cold Northeast winters, thanks to their efficiency and new tax credits.
The Inquirer’s Olympics coverage continues: Meet the first siblings — including one University of Pennsylvania grad — on a U.S. Olympic track and field team in nearly a quarter century, and the Serbian immigrant whose time at a Main Line club led her to the U.S. water polo team.
And columnist Mike Sielski is covering the Games from Paris. Here’s his take on Sixers star Joel Embiid’s rough debut with Team USA.
🧠 Trivia time
New Jersey’s ancient, dwindling horseshoe crab population just got some good news. What is it?
A) Crab fishing is now illegal
B) Their natural ocean predators have died out
C) The state will restore miles of the eroding beach where they live
D) Synthetic alternatives to their blood may be more widely used for biomedical testing
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🥇 Cheering: Team USA at these Philadelphia bars, restaurants, and venues.
🎮 Playing: EA Sports’ College Football 25 with three Temple football stars.
🏀 Watching: North Philly native Kahleah Copper play against Japan, plus a slew of other local Olympians.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The chief executive of an electric car company that was until recently incorporated in Delaware.
MOE SLUNK
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Anne Kelly, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Timothée Chalamet. A new trailer for the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring the American-French actor shows him riding on a motorcycle throughout Cape May (a stand-in location for Newport, R.I.).
Photo of the day
Your “only in Philly” story
📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Kristi Gilroy, who is instructing the next generation of Birds fans — in Florida:
Born and raised in Philly, I have been living and teaching at the same school in South Florida for the past 25 years. Whatever grade I have taught, students either had extra recess or skipped a piece of homework if the Eagles won a game.
Recently, a former parent stopped to thank me for helping his son. Not remembering my name, he called me “the Eagles teacher.” At a college graduation party for former students, they all discussed how they still follow the Eagles years later, despite being die-hard raised Dolphin fans. There was also the father who was so sad that his older son got the 2018 Super Bowl win party, thanks to the then-recent Wawa expansion, and that the younger son had the 2023 loss.
The best was when, for my birthday this year, instead of singing me “Happy Birthday,” the students spontaneously went into the Eagles fight song — which of course they all knew. GO BIRDS!
Wishing you a smooth slide into the new week. See you same time, same place tomorrow.
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