🍾 Friday. You did it. And if this is your last day of work in 2025, congratulations!
🗞️ In today’s PoliticsPA Guide. How Brian Fitzpatrick Became the Democrats’ Favorite Republican. Trump imposes tariffs on timber industry Tank PA. Why does Luzerne County continue to have electoral problems? Our favorite holiday traditions in Pennsylvania
🎶 Your morning pick-me-up. Santa Claus is coming to town. Bruce Springsteen
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌧️Pittsburgh | Rain, snow showers, wind 43 ⬇️
🌧️Harriburg | Showers, it’s getting windy 56 ⬇️
🌧️Philadelphia | Rain, windy, 59 ⬇️
Sports PA
🏈 Eagles (9-5) | Saturday vs. Washington
🏈 Steelers (8-6) | Sun in Detroit
🏒 Leaflets (17-10-6) | Buffalo 3-5 | Saturday at NY Rangers
🏒 Penguins (14/10/9) | Ottawa 0-4 | I was sitting in Montreal | Sun vs. Montreal
🏀 Sixes (14-11) | Friday in New York | Saturday vs. Dallas
🔈 What we hear. Mt. Airy Democrats, a grassroots organization of 22nd Ward committee members and residents of Mt. Airy voted overwhelmingly in support State Representative Chris Rabb in the third race for the District Parliament.
🔈 What else do we hear?. “What he has done should speak for itself. But it doesn’t work in politics,” he said Joe Vachotchairman of the Lehigh County Republican Party in Pennsylvania, on Trump’s push for tariff and tax cut legislation. “Apparently you really need to toot your own horn.”
📕 PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here. Has this email been sent to you? Subscribe for free.
The most vital story
1. How Brian Fitzpatrick became the Democrats’ favorite Republican
“Representative Brian Fitzpatrick he has found himself at the center of several major efforts to circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson and has quickly become the Democrats’ favorite Republican to work with on bipartisan legislation.
“That’s great. He’s the guy across the aisle I work with the most” – Democrat Rep. Jared Golden said the Pennsylvania lawmaker. “From Ukraine to Union Issues, Enabling Reforms, and Now the ACA.”
Many of the issues Fitzpatrick and Democrats have championed likely won’t be passed anytime soon. But Democrats who are lining up to work with Fitzpatrick say those efforts have not been in vain.” | known
Elsewhere
Trump signs executive order easing restrictions on marijuana. “President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday accelerating the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to the less stringent Schedule III, with the stated goal of expanding cannabis research.” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania lawmakers react to Trump’s reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III drug. “Pennsylvania lawmakers who favor easing marijuana restrictions say President Trump’s executive order rescheduling marijuana to a lower drug classification gives them renewed optimism that the state Legislature could soon legalize recreational marijuana.” | CBS Pittsburgh
Republicans risk a moderate majority in the U.S. House of Representatives without extending health care. “Republican fears of losing their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives next year erupted this week when four moderates joined Democrats in a last-ditch attempt to prevent skyrocketing health care costs for 24 million Americans in less than two weeks. They represent a small but key part of the House that will decide whether President Donald Trump’s Republicans maintain their majority or whether Democrats take it.” | Reuters
Country
2. Trump imposes tariffs on the timber industry Tank PA. Now he is looking for aid
“Wire was a lucrative business for many family-owned enterprises in this region of Pennsylvania. The state’s booming lumber economy was largely supported by the dominance of Williamsport, which was the backbone of the American shipbuilding industry a century ago.
For decades Jeremy Roupp has seen the industry decline precipitously – amid the 2008 housing and economic crisis, challenging trade deals, volatile consumer demand and, more recently, a flood of inexpensive alternatives into the US market.
But now, retaliatory tariffs and the loss of export markets to global competitors threaten the industry’s survival PennLive
Elsewhere
Deluzio thinks Pittsburgh VA is clamping down on ‘treason’ as agency claims memo was ‘false’. “U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio on Thursday called planned job cuts at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and other facilities across the country a ‘betrayal’ of veterans and rejected VA’s explanation that the memo outlining staff reductions was wrong.” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Supporters push to end the death penalty as Shapiro issues first pardon and maintains moratorium. “Governor Josh Shapiro issued his first death penalty waiver earlier this month as abolitionists say the political winds continue to slowly shift in their favor.” | PennLive
Picozzi, of Northeast Philly, reflects on his year in the state Senate. “He’s been busy in Harrisburg. Picozzi’s bill allowing team doctors for the 2026 World Cup in Philadelphia to practice here was signed into law. He co-authored the bill that created a new crime for interfering with public transportation after the murder of SEPTA driver Bernard Gribbin. He also sponsored bills to combat catalytic converter theft, breast cancer research and others to make government run more efficiently.” | Wide + Freedom
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Why does Luzerne County continue to have voting problems?
“A Pennsylvania county that drew congressional attention for its handling of elections continued to experience problems in 2025, despite leadership stabilization and changes to prevent errors.
For Luzerne County, the most populous county in northeastern Pennsylvania, this year’s problems began in October with an absentee ballot mix-up in which the county mistakenly sent two ballots to 31 voters.
Despite improvements made after national attention focused on the 2022 ballot shortage, the county continues to suffer from persistent errors in its election administration, raising questions about whether it has overcome its high-profile past mistakes.’ | Vote for Pennsylvania
Elsewhere
Only 20 people can decide the next Lehigh Valley state representative. “Lehigh County Democratic Party Chairwoman Lori McFarland said that in practice, grassroots volunteers who do most of the party’s outreach in the 22nd District will be the ones making the calls.” | LehighValley News
Allegheny County will begin gathering public input on its 25-year comprehensive plan. “Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato announced Thursday the launch of an online survey designed to shape the priorities of a statewide plan that will guide growth, investment and development across the region over the next quarter-century.” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents say they lost health care without notice after millions of letters from AP state agencies went unmailed. “The Department of Social Services says it will extend deadlines, notify affected residents and reopen affected cases as some Community Legal Services clients say they have lost access to intensive care.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Josh Shapiro hasn’t stopped suing Donald Trump | Jonathan D. Salant
- Whiplash R&D: Washington Accelerates, Harrisburg Slows Down | Karol Gal
- Republican roadmap to overhaul Obamacare | Mark V. Pauly
- If you can predict the votes, you’re doing it wrong | Lori Falce
- Transport financing is not just about transport. This is a public health problem Laura Chelgren
1 item
5. Our favorite Pennsylvania holiday traditions
“From pretzels to pickles, snowballs to sauerkraut, Pennsylvania holiday traditions are the gifts that keep on giving.
🐟 Feast of the Seven Fishes: From Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, restaurants and home cooks are celebrating the Italian-American tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, presenting their own riffs on classic seafood dishes each December.
🥒 Christmas cucumber: The pickle ornament is hidden somewhere in the tree and it’s a Christmas morning race to find it. Whoever notices it first will receive an additional gift, open the first gift or gain a year of happiness.
🪩 Peak Pennsylvania NEW drops: Dozens of Keystone State residents left their mark on Times Square lore by turning the ball into symbols of their hometown. Pottsville raises a bottle of Yuengling, Lebanon drops a 250-pound piece of bologna, Hershey raises a giant Kiss, and Bethlehem lowers a 400-pound stick of Peeps. Meanwhile, the game is growing in Pittsburgh, and Kennett Square, Shamokin and Mechanicsburg are staying true to their roots with the Mushroom, Coal and Wrench, respectively.’ | Axios Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
Thank you for starting your Friday with us.
It’s the weekend. Enjoy. We’ll be back on Monday.
