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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: 'Fraud' fuel, July 13 task force, carbon capture questions, prison prices, self-defense?, period privacy, and Gov. Shapiro's content creator summit. |
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An investigation by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog criticizes Trump-era DOJ leaders for statements about Pennsylvania ballots during the 2020 campaign that fueled a wave of false fraud claims.
Attorney General William Barr shared nonpublic details of what was then an ongoing investigation into nine mistakenly discarded Luzerne County ballots with President Donald Trump, whose reelection campaign pointed to the information as evidence of mail voting being manipulated.
However, Votebeat and Spotlight PA report, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog says the FBI found the real reason was much more mundane: A “mentally impaired” seasonal worker had simply made a mistake.
Reporting shows Barr also urged a Pennsylvania prosecutor to release a misleading public statement about the Luzerne County probe.
Read the full report: How 9 mistakenly discarded ballots in Luzerne County, Pa., fueled Trump’s 2020 lies about elections. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"Their philosophy isn’t about making it easier to vote, just easier to manipulate the vote.”
—Erie County Councilor Charlie Bayle accusing "the left" of election fraud in 2021; Bayle is one of what Rolling Stone (paywall) says is "at least 70 pro-Trump conspiracists" serving as election officials in decider counties |
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| At Lake Sheridan in Wyoming County with Gary D. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 TASK FORCE: A congressional task force fielded to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler will include three members from Pennsylvania. U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R), Madeleine Dean (D), and Chrissy Houlahan (D) are on the panel, which will have full subpoena power. Kelly, whose district includes the area where the July 13 shooting occurred, initiated the task force's creation.
 CARBON CAPTURE: Vox reports that while energy companies have publicly touted the climate-action promise of carbon capture technologies, they've downplayed its potential internally. Pennsylvania lawmakers recently set up an framework for the carbon capture industry here, part of a federally backed hydrogen hub push. Some advocates fear the clean energy solution will just prop up the fossil fuel industry.  PAY PHONES: A new rule passed by the Federal Communications Commission is expected to cut the cost of expensive prison phone calls by more than half. PennLive reporting was considered by the agency prior to its vote. The outlet found Dauphin County charged the maximum allowed for calls, "then received commissions totaling millions of dollars in recent years which were spent on staff perks."  ON TRIAL: Maurice Byrd, a Black military veteran from Montgomery County, said he fatally shot Steven Strassburg, an unarmed white man, in self-defense when racist verbal abuse turned physical. The Trace reports Byrd is set to test Pennsylvania's "stand your ground" defense, noting that "while he had a permit for his gun, called police before shooting, and stayed at the scene, proving his innocence will not be easy."  SAFE SPACE? “I realized my data was flowing across multiple platforms,” 25-year old Philadelphian Opal Pandya told Stateline about period tracking via app and her Apple Watch. The outlet examined the period-tracking privacy questions highlighted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, including: What data of yours is up for grabs? |
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PA SUMMIT: Content creator Zeke Tayler has a glimpse inside the "first ever Content Creator summit in Pennsylvania," organized by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and criticized by at least one Republican lawmaker.
OFFICIAL FINDINGS: State regulators say People's Natural Gas never called 911 or attempted to evacuate residents in the run-up to a fatal 2021 gas-leak explosion in Tyrone, despite being on scene 40 minutes prior.
PRIVATE TICKETS: If you were towed by State College's Walk’s Service Center Inc. and complained about a private parking ticket issued by the company, you may be eligible for a cut of this legal settlement.
LITTLE LEAGUE: The Little League World Series happens next month in South Williamsport. Council Rock Newtown from Bucks County are state champs vying for a world series berth, per PennLive (paywall).
ON TOUR: State Sen. Chris Gebhard (R., Lebanon) suggests a guided tour of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg this summer, a building President Theodore Roosevelt once called the "handsomest" he'd ever seen. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. Please include your first name and last initial. T U N R D D R E A E
Yesterday's answer: Tomfoolery
Congrats to our daily winners: Stacy S., Don H., Bob C., Richard A., Daniel M., Barbara F., Elaine C., Louie C., Susan N.-Z., Kimberly D., Timothy A., Beth H., Perry H., Dan E., Jeffrey F., Jane R., Steve Z., Annette I., Tom M., Judith D., Wendy A., Jon W., Stanley J., and Craig E.
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