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Paige Selenski sets up lone goal in Team USA Field Hockey’s 2-1 loss to India

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Man, it’s gonna get hot out there

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; With about 200 fellow Republicans in the room Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta put the 2016 Republican National Convention and the upcoming November election in perspective.</p><p>&#8220;This is, and always has been, between the American people and Donald Trump,&#8221; Barletta, R-Hazleton, said at Wednesday&#8217;s breakfast meeting of the Pennsylvania Delegation. </p><p>Barletta ended up being the featured speaker at the breakfast after Ohio Gov. John Kasich cancelled his appearance before the delegation, citing a scheduling conflict.</p><p>&#8220;His (Kasich&#8217;s) absence doesn&#8217;t really matter at all,&#8221; Barletta said in a telephone interview after the breakfast. &#8220;This election is about the American people and Donald Trump. It&#8217;s not about any politician who doesn&#8217;t want to support the nominee of the American people.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta went on to say that the absence of Kasich and Mitt Romney and the Bush family won&#8217;t have any effect on Trump&#8217;s campaign.</p><p>&#8220;Their absence doesn&#8217;t really matter to the people who support Trump,&#8221; Barletta said.</p><p>The congressman said throughout the election process, the American people have been pretty clear.</p><p>&#8220;They don&#8217;t care what the establishment does or thinks &#8212; they support Trump,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;The silent majority is speaking up in this election. The American people are tired of Washington telling them that Washington knows better. The people are rejecting the politics-as-usual approach by the establishment.&#8221;</p><p>At the breakfast, Barletta said he stressed the importance of Pennsylvania in the general election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p><p>&#8220;He needs Pennsylvania to win,&#8221; Barletta said.</p><p>Barletta said he told the delegates about Trump&#8217;s plan to take care of the U.S. military and its veterans.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s about putting America first,&#8221; Barletta said.</p><p>Barletta said his message was well-received, and the delegation seemed to be energized as the convention hit its mid-point. Trump will top it all off with his acceptance speech Thursday night at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.</p><p>The gap between Kasich and Trump seems to have widened. According to an Associated Press story, Kasich has maintained it would be emblematic of a politician&#8217;s situational hypocrisy if he endorsed Trump in time for the convention after being so critical of him during the primaries.</p><p>The AP story noted &#8220;the victor would have to change everything that he says in order for Kasich to speak at the convention, Kasich told NBC on Monday.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s embarrassing his party in Ohio,&#8221; the Trump campaign chief, Paul Manafort, told the AP Monday in explaining why Kasich would not appear on the podium.</p><p>According to Megan Sweeney, communications director for the Pennsylvania Republican Party, Kasich cancelled his scheduled appearance with the Pennsylvania Delegation on Tuesday night.</p><p>&#8220;Governor Kasich was born in Pennsylvania,&#8221; Sweeney said. &#8220;Ohio and Pennsylvania share the same values, and our delegations have always been close.&#8221;</p><p>Rick Morelli, delegate from the 11th Congressional District, said he was disappointed that he didn&#8217;t get to hear Kasich address the state&#8217;s delegation. Morelli was hoping Kasich, a former Republican presidential candidate, would address the convention.</p><p>&#8220;I really wish Gov. Kasich would speak,&#8221; Morelli said. &#8220;This is his state, after all. And if he did speak at the convention, it would mean a lot in unifying the Republican Party.&#8221;</p><p>Sweeney said John Ratzenberger &#8212; Cliff Clavin on the TV show &#8220;Cheers&#8221; &#8212; will speak at the Pennsylvania Delegation&#8217;s breakfast.</p><p>Morelli said Barletta did a good job getting the delegates charged up for the campaign.</p><p>&#8220;Barletta told us Pennsylvania could take Trump over the top,&#8221; Morelli said.</p><p>Illegal immigration was discussed and Morelli said the U.S. needs a better system to assure terrorists don&#8217;t have easy entry into the country.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing wrong in coming in the right way and doing things legal,&#8221; Morelli said. &#8220;The safety of our country is at stake. We have to have a better system. We realize the majority coming in are good people, but it only take a few to create a major problem.&#8221;</p><p>Morelli said the speakers at the RNC have been painting a clear picture of who Donald Trump is and also who Hillary Clinton really is.</p><p><strong>RNC notes</strong></p><p>&#8226; Pennsylvania&#8217;s 5th District Congressman Glenn &#8220;G.T.&#8221; Thompson, Barletta, and 12th District Congressman Keith Rothfus were the featured speakers today at the PA GOP Delegation&#8217;s Wednesday breakfast.</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has the best Congressional delegation in the country,&#8221; PA GOP Chairman Rob Gleason said. &#8220;The PA GOP has a lot of first-time delegates here this week, so today was a great opportunity for them to hear from three members of our Congressional delegation in person.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;The presidential election will be decided by Pennsylvania,&#8221; Thompson said. &#8220;Pennsylvania Republicans are ready to work harder than ever for Donald Trump this November.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;Donald Trump is not afraid to make the tough decisions we need to make our country great,&#8221; Barletta added. &#8220;Donald Trump understands the importance of addressing the illegal immigration crisis that&#8217;s facing our country. He is ready to stand up for America, and I&#8217;m proud to stand up for him.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;The country is hungry for change and Donald Trump has tapped into the frustration Americans are feeling as a result of President Obama&#8217;s failed policies,&#8221; Rothfus explained. &#8221;Hillary Clinton would continue the status quo. It is time for Republicans to unite around the propositional better.gop platform that a President Trump will sign so we can get the country moving ahead.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; Pennsylvania&#8217;s Republican delegation consists of 71 delegates and 68 alternate delegates.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Barletta_mug.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Barletta_mug.jpg</photo0><caption0>Barletta </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_morelli-1-1-10.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Morelli </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_morelli-1-1-10.jpg</photo1><caption1>Morelli </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_john2-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kasich </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_john2-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kasich </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_BarlettaRNC.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, sits in the Trump family box at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night in Cleveland. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_BarlettaRNC.jpg</photo3><caption3>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, sits in the Trump family box at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night in Cleveland. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photo </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Barletta energizes Pennsylvania delegates in Cleveland