🫡Tuesday. Hello Boss, he is the boss and you have to salute him. IYKYK
🗞️ In today’s PoliticsPA Guide. Trump’s affordability message reaches NEPA. New poll highlights popularity among PA leaders. 2025 election results confirmed. How ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ became a classic
🎶 Your morning pick-me-up. Big time. Peter Gabriel
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️Gibsonia | Partly bright, 35
🌥️Annville | Rising clouds, 32
🌥️Pocono Mountain | Rising Clouds, 25
Sports PA
🏈 Eagles (8-5) | LA 19-22 loaders (OT) | Sun versus Las Vegas
🏒 Flyers (15-9-3) | Tuesday vs. San Jose
🏒 Penguins (14-7-6) | Tuesday vs. Anaheim
🏀 Sixes (13-10) | Friday vs. Indiana
📅 What’s happening today. The state senate meets at 11 a.m
🔉 What we hear. Pennsylvania Jared Isaacman The NASA nomination advanced to the Senate floor last night with an 18-10 majority on the Commerce Committee. Senator John Fetterman was one of three “yes” votes from Democrats. His candidacy could be confirmed before the summer break.
👀 What we see. Mayor-elect of Pittsburgh Corey O’Connor named Zofia Szapiro as senior special assistant to the chief of staff.
🥂 Society of Pennsylvania. The calendar of events for December 11-13 can be found here.
📰 PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here. Has this email been forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.
The most vital story
1. Trump claims he’s solving affordability problems. Will test this message at the NEPA rally
“President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, will test its claims that it is solving Americans’ affordability concerns by turning an argument made in the Oval Office and in social media posts into a campaign-style event.
The trip comes as polls consistently show that public confidence in Trump’s economic leadership has waned. After Republicans’ disastrous performance in last month’s off-cycle elections, the White House sought to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any concerns about inflation have nothing to do with Trump. AP
Elsewhere
Trump blames everyone else for his ineffective policies: Shapiro. “Governor Josh Shapiro, known for his White House cuts and speculated by some as a rising Democratic star and potential 2028 presidential candidate, told MS NOW’s The Weeknight that Trump cannot convince people that the rising prices they see with their own eyes and in their own wallets are not real.” | A raw story
Trump will discuss prices at the Pennsylvania stop as the ally says he has few options for a quick fix. “President Donald Trump will address high prices and a stubborn economy when he stops in a Pennsylvania swing county on Tuesday to deliver his fiscal message to the battleground state. But one key Senate ally conceded there is little he can do on affordability with the stroke of a pen or a single legislative plan.” | Roll call
Trump advisers are bullish on the Supreme Court giving the GOP a boost in the midterm elections. “Trump’s senior advisers tell top GOP donors that two upcoming Supreme Court decisions will likely empower Republicans in the 2026 midterms and alter the party’s power to win elections for years.” | Axles
Country
2. New poll highlights popularity among PA leaders
“We wanted to do a survey of the general “lay of the land” in the Keystone State. Which politicians are perceived as successful? Which ones fail? We examined the approval ratings of three very different politicians: Josh Shapirotraditionalist and Democratic governor; John Fettermana quirky democratic outsider; AND David McCormickrecently elected Republican senator.
Shapiro remains a popular governor with widespread approval. John Fetterman is a different case. Fetterman’s coalition more closely resembles that of his Republican counterpart David McCormick than Governor Shapiro’s.” | RealClearPolling
Elsewhere
Trump’s clash raises the profile of Fetterman Deluzio’s potential rival. “With many Democrats sour on Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, one potential successor is emerging from his Pittsburgh-area backyard: Republican Chris Deluzio.” | Bloomberg
Inside Elections changes PA-01 from probable to lean Republican. “Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County, has long been a target of national Democrats seeking to unseat one of the nation’s purplest districts from Republicans.” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania child care worker’s $450 bonus: Will it facilitate industry crisis? (*9*) | PennLive
Around the Republic of Poland
3. The Commonwealth Secretary confirms the 2025 election results
“Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt today certified Pennsylvania’s 2025 municipal election results after county officials confirmed the accuracy of reported results through two pre-certification audits.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Before Trump’s visit, the DCCC begins an ad takeover, destroying Bresnahan. “Ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to northeastern Pennsylvania, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a digital advertising takeover of the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader website to remind readers that stock-trading congressman Rob Bresnahan has become the poster child for the swamp that Trump, the winner of this district, has promised to drain. | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro vows to combat K-12 anti-Semitism in Philadelphia. “Administration officials representing Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro have vowed to make K-12 anti-Semitism in Philadelphia public schools a top priority, citing rising incidents of hate in schools across the city.” | Algemeiner
Voting by mail brings uncertainty ahead of the midterm elections. “In November, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could end voting grace periods across the country. The justices’ decision to invalidate them, late next spring or early summer, could impact 16 states and the District of Columbia.” | state line
Data shows that half of Bucks County Republican voters did not vote in the 2025 election. “Democrats outnumbered Republican voters in 2025 municipal election polls, which saw highest overall turnout in more than two decades amid Bucks County ‘blue wave.’” | Bucks County Courier Times
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Trump can no longer hide the bigotry behind his administration’s immigration policies | Questioner from Philadelphia
- Harrisburg doesn’t have to choose between neighborhoods and downtown | PennLive
- Shapiro promised transparency. Instead, Pennsylvanians kept the secret | Rep. Abby Major
- It’s getting harder for governors to run for president | David M. Drucker
- Thanks to tariffs, the economic worst is still ahead of us | Mateusz A. Winkler
- Waldorf Astoria Meeting That Decides Pennsylvania’s Legislative Agenda | Charles Kuniholm
- Are Americans giving up on the news? | Keith Rothfus
- You cannot reform the party from the outside | Howard Lurie
1 item
5. How “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Became an Unexpected Classic
“When ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ first aired on December 9, 1965, television executives – and even some of the show’s creators – believed the film would be a flop.
“Peanuts” – comic book created by Karol Schulzwas incredibly popular. (He just made the cover of Time magazine). Featuring beloved characters like the hapless Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy, the series sets particularly high expectations for the TV show.
But Charlie Brown’s animated debut was unlike anything seen on television at the time. | History Channel
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