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📰 Headlines. Perry ranks No. 1 on Pennsylvania Congress’s vulnerability rankings. Administrator Shapiro’s challenge to up-to-date ICE detention facilities could take years to resolve. Cash flow to race for Congress in Bucks County. PA teacher honored with State Award.
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🔈 What we hear. “An adult may tell you that they see something in you that maybe you didn’t see in yourself,” he said. “I love doing this for students. When I see ambition, when I see talent, I let them know that so hopefully they can pursue that goal and achieve their dreams.” – Leon Smith
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The most significant story
1. Perry tops Pennsylvania’s congressional vulnerability rankings
“Nine months have passed since we released our initial PoliticsPA Congressional Vulnerability Rankings to the House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s delegation. Our rankings look largely the same, but in that time the political environment of the four incumbent Republicans has deteriorated.”
As nine months ago, four places are in the “Vulnerable” category, which is the second place in the ranking, and remain in the same order. The most vulnerable on our list is the four-term Republican Rep. Scott Perryfollowed in descending order by another Republican Ryan Mackenzie reps, Rob Bresnahan AND Brian Fitzpatrick” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
PA-03: U.S. Representatives Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan endorse Dr. Al Stanford. “Members of Congress representing parts of southeastern Pennsylvania have joined Dwight Evans in supporting his potential successor.” | City and state
PA-07: Democrats running for Congress in Lehigh Valley Talks on tariffs, economy. “Affordability and rising costs have emerged as a major issue in U.S. elections for several years now. This could prove to be a key issue again this midterm, when national polls have shown that Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the cost of living. ” | LehighValley News
Dr. Mehmet Oz Announces 50-State Audit of Medicaid Oversight. “The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to re-recognize some Medicaid providers as part of a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states, Dr. Mehmet Oz said Tuesday.” | AP
What was the 2015 Iran nuclear deal? “President Trump ridiculed President Barack Obama and the agreement he withdrew from during his first term. His critics say he could have avoided the war if he had left it.” | New York Times
Country
2. Shapiro Admin’s extraordinary challenge to up-to-date ICE detention centers could take years to resolve
“The administrative process that temporarily blocked ICE from further opening two detention facilities in Pennsylvania could take years to complete.
The Shapiro administration’s approach to the agency’s plans to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers differs from that of several other states that have filed lawsuits. And that also differs from the way the Department of Environmental Protection has applied such orders in the past, according to one expert.” | PA reflector
Elsewhere
Voices of reason: A look at the pursuit of the Democratic nomination in PA-07. “The latest episode of the PoliticsPA podcast, Voices of Reason, takes a look at one of the hottest congressional races in the country – the 7th Congressional District in the Lehigh Valley.” | PoliticsPA
AP Senate Democrats Advocate for Affordability, Say GOP Too Focused on ‘Culture War’ Issues. “About 10 Democratic senators gathered in the Capitol rotunda to promote policies they believe will ease the financial burden on families, including a minimum wage increase and universal free school meals.” | LNP
Sexual harassment persists in state governments and legislatures, including PA findings. “A new report finds that sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in state governments and legislatures, including Pennsylvania, with more than 160 elected officials accused of misconduct since 2013.” | PennLive
Around the Republic of Poland
3. PA-01: Bucks County Congressional Race Cash Flow. Who finances it
“All three candidates for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District — are incumbents U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Bob Harvie AND Lucia Simonelli — criticized Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that allowed virtually unlimited independent political campaign spending through super PACs.
However, candidates in the upcoming Republican and Democratic primary elections to represent Bucks County and parts of eastern Montgomery County have different policies on accepting money from corporate PACs and groups aligned with the interests of foreign governments.” | Bucks County Courier Times
Elsewhere
What happens when a county in Pennsylvania waits 20 years for a reassessment? “More than one-third of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have not conducted a full property reassessment since 2000, putting nearly 40% of the state in the position of the 2010 Adams County situation that rocked communities, ended political careers and sucked out more money than government officials were willing to spend on a single issue.” | USA Today Network
Botification: How artificial intelligence is (and isn’t) being used by Center County politicians and 2026 campaigns. “There seemed to be something wrong with Michelle Schellberg’s campaign portrait. The GOP House candidate’s long silver earrings looked mismatched and caught in her hair. She had bangs, which she had not been photographed with in recent years. The stars on the American flag behind her were unevenly spaced.” | Daily Times Center
City officials across Pennsylvania are calling on colleagues to adopt data center zoning. “City officials, who are required to be impartial and evaluate proposed developments in accordance with the law, often find themselves caught between angry voters and litigating businesses. Covington County Supervisor Marshall Peirce estimated that 500 people attended the meeting at which the board approved the zoning and described it as ‘truly terrible’.” | Penn Capital Star
More Pennsylvanians dissatisfied with health care and stressed by politics, Muhlenberg survey finds. “16 percent of respondents rated the state’s health care quality as poor, which exceeded the 13 percent that rated it as excellent for the first time since Muhlenberg began asking the question.” | Morning talk in Allentown
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- When silence becomes the rule in the Philadelphia Inquirer | Terry Tracy
- Why the PA constitution remains relevant after 250 years | Brent Landau
- Republicans may lose the midterm elections but win in the future | Matt K. Lewis
- Pennsylvania’s energy future depends on affordability and reliability | Eugene DePasquale
- Increasing affordable access to higher education for all Pennsylvania students | Donald Lyons
- Fetterman’s puzzle | Lowman Henry
- Will AP’s plans to augment housing include Philadelphia? | Jon Geeting
- House Bill Aims to Protect Pennsylvania Communities from Data Center Impacts | Tim Hayes
1 item
5. Pennsylvania high school history instructor named national Teacher of the Year
“A Pennsylvania high school history teacher who helps students look inward to find their strengths and outward to find community inside and outside the classroom has been named the 2026 National Teacher of the Year.
Leon Smith(46) has spent his entire 25-year career at Haverford High School, where he teaches Advanced Placement classes in U.S. history and African-American studies. He describes himself as a “warm demander,” someone who sets high expectations while surrounding students with love and support. That often means recognizing hidden talents and bringing them to the fore, he said in an interview on Monday AP
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