Courting Pa. Latinos for Trump | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to a new week, Philly. Today’s weather is forecast to be mostly sunny, with high temps near 89.

Growing support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in majority-Latino cities like Reading could help him win Pennsylvania. Our lead story is the latest in The Inquirer’s series about the kinds of places that will decide who wins the swing state, and possibly the November election.

And it’s the first day of school for Philadelphia students. Below, find a roundup of some of the challenges facing district officials this year, plus the latest on the fight to ban cell phones in schools.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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In small cities within 100 miles of dark-blue Philadelphia, the Republican Party is making inroads with Latino voters.

Democrats are still dominant in Berks County’s Reading, one of three majority-Latino Pennsylvania cities alongside Lehigh County’s Allentown and Luzerne County’s Hazleton. But Republican votes for president grew significantly in all three from 2016 to 2020, while Democratic votes stayed roughly level or decreased.

Latino officials and voters from both parties told The Inquirer that immigration and the economy are important issues to their diverse community. Voter engagement will be key.

“The Latino community votes on passion,” said Reading Mayor Eddie Morán, a Democrat. “They vote on something that is meaningful to them.”

Reporters Sean Collins Walsh and Aseem Shukla have the story.

Philadelphia School District and city officials are expected to formally ring in the academic year at East Mount Airy’s F.S. Edmonds Elementary this morning — the first day of school for 113,000 kids.

The start comes as the district rushes to fill hundreds of vacant teaching positions, deals with dozens of buildings without air-conditioning, clarifies its “extended day, extended year” programming, and fields complaints about antisemitism and Islamophobia, to name just a few challenges.

Follow along with our education team for the latest throughout the day. Here’s what else to know about the 2024-25 school year:

📱 Phone bans: There’s new momentum — and a funding-tied law — around curbing phone use in Pennsylvania schools, but parents and schools disagree on the best way.

💻 Screen time: Springfield Township School District parents pushed back on the pervasiveness of screen time in schools and got YouTube banned during middle school lunches.

💈 Looking sharp: On the eve of their first day, 403 children got free haircuts from 30 barbers who volunteered their time in West Philly. “With the economy today, it is a big help,” one parent said.

What item can’t you find in the American Treasure Tour Museum in Oaks?

A) A stuffed animal tableau of “Dogs Playing Poker”

B) A working Chuck E. Cheese animatronic band

C) A 20-foot-tall Gumby

D) A hyperrealistic wax statue of Ronald Reagan

Think you know? Check your answer.

🗳️ Learning: How to vote in Pennsylvania this election.

🚑 Checking: Which Philly-area hospitals have the busiest emergency departments.

🗣️ Remembering: Roland Johnson, “the MLK of the disability rights movement.”

The Eagles’ all-time rushing yards leader now headed to the team’s Hall of Fame.

MESA CYCLONE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Howie Brown, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Rob McElhenney. The beloved Philadelphia actor and comedian flew all the way to London to film a cameo for Deadpool & Wolverine, but it was cut from the movie.

📬 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 Inquirer columnist Stephanie Farr, who recalls a wild encounter with a Birds fan who made their commitment permanent:

On the night the Eagles won Super Bowl LII I was assigned to cover fans at XFinity Live! Following the win, I followed the crowd out onto Broad Street.

For nearly four miles, I walked with a sea of people to City Hall, hugging and dancing with elated Birds fans who pulled me into their celebrations when I tried to interview them. It was never clearer that we were all Philadelphians first that night, even those of us who had to work (I’ve never seen police officers and sanitation workers have so much fun on the job).

Of the many chants the crowd broke into along the way, one rang out above the rest. It wasn’t particularly clever and it didn’t rhyme, but it really seemed to capture how Philadelphians felt in the moment. That chant was: “F— Tom Brady.”

As I approached City Hall, I saw a man in an Eagles jersey with cling wrap tied tightly around his right thigh and the words “F— Tom Brady” freshly tattooed underneath. He told me he got the ink as soon as the national anthem started. A bold move that worked out in his favor, unlike the man I interviewed in 2023, who got an Eagles Super Bowl LVII tattoo on his thigh before the big game, and then added a crying Michael Jordan over it when they lost.

Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.

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