📖 Today’s PolitykiPA Guide. Federal judge orders administration to restore slavery exhibits. Democrats at a town hall in the Lehigh Valley. Research shows fewer Lancaster County Amish voted in 2024. Fastnacht Day.
🎶 Your morning, pick me up. Mambo No. 5. Lou Bega
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️ New Castle | Partly clear, 54
🌤️ Lancaster | Partly clear, 51
🌤️ Scranton | Partly clear, 48
Sports PA
🏀 Sixes (30-24) | February 19 vs. Atlanta
📅 What’s happening today. Happy first day of nominating petition season to those celebrating. And we have Fastnacht Day.
💍 Congratulations. Down Representative Guy Reschenthaler and a Fox News reporter Brooke Singman at their wedding on Saturday.
💬 Tips. There is no tax here. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s leading source of unbiased political news and analysis. Tips and press releases can be submitted [email protected].
📕 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. Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore slavery exhibits in president’s home
“U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe issued a ruling on Monday requiring the federal government to “restore the Presidential House area to its physical condition as of January 21, 2026,” that is, the day before the exhibits were removed.
The order does not give the government a deadline for restoring the facility. However, it requires that the National Park Service take steps to maintain the site and ensure the safety of the exhibits that commemorate the enslaved people who lived in George Washington’s home in Philadelphia during his presidency.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Elsewhere
Republicans support the push to limit Trump’s pardon power. “A proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to block presidential pardons gained its first Republican co-sponsor in the House of Representatives on Monday.” | Axles
Election officials warn that the Trump-backed voting bill may be impossible to implement by 2026.. “Presidents Day is always the most difficult holiday when it comes to shopping; it’s hard to know what to get the president in your life. But the U.S. House of Representatives gave President Donald Trump exactly what he wanted by passing the SAVE America Act on Wednesday.” | Let him vote
Inside, Congress’s failed fight to stop Obamacare’s skyrocketing premiums. “Brian Fitzpatrick didn’t expect to find himself in the middle of a political brawl over health policy. The Pennsylvania Republican and former FBI agent doesn’t consider the legislative area a pillar of his portfolio. But early last fall, he joined a fledgling group of lawmakers furious that GOP leaders in the House were doing nothing to extend increased Obamacare subsidies before they expire.” | POLICY
Fetterman insists Trump didn’t disobey ‘single court order’. “Senator John Fetterman’s latest olive branch extended to President Donald Trump has other Democrats shaking their heads more than usual. “I’m not defending the president, but I will say that he has not yet disobeyed a single court order,” Fetterman said. “NO”. As they say, not so swift, my friend. | PennLive
Country
2. PA-07: Democrats in the Lehigh Valley Congressional Race Discuss Affordability, Economics and Cost of Living at City Hall
“All seven Democrats running in the upcoming May primaries appeared at the forum: Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Aiden Gonzalez, Lamont G. McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine, Mark Pinsley AND Lou Shupe. They emphasized economics, affordability and the rising cost of living.
All seven are seeking a chance to challenge the Republican incumbent Representative Ryan Mackenzie in a race that will be one of the most competitive in the country this fall Morning talk in Allentown
Elsewhere
PA-01: Rabb claims he reported his treasurer for ‘unauthorized payments’ from his congressional campaign. “State Rep. Chris Rabb, who is running in the primary for Philadelphia’s open congressional seat, said his former campaign treasurer made unauthorized payments and that he reported her to federal authorities for ‘improper conduct.'” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Shapiro charges taxpayers for luxury hotels, critics question spending. “Records obtained by Center Square under state public records laws show that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and likely 2028 presidential candidate, spent nearly $1,700 in taxpayer dollars on three nights at upscale, luxury hotels.” | Central Square
Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate says anti-ICE protests are ‘paid’ and ‘well-coordinated’ “Newly discovered audio reviewed by MeidasTouch shows Pennsylvania Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity saying she believes anti-ICE demonstrators in Minneapolis are “paid protesters,” making the comments during a meeting hosted by the McKean County Republican Party on Feb. 9 in Smethport.” | Meidas’ touch
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Research Shows Fewer Lancaster County Amish Voting in 2024; GOP claims were ‘hyperbole’
“Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, much of the aspirational conversation among Republican Party organizers has focused on capturing the Amish vote to assist secure a key Pennsylvania swing for Donald Trump.
Trump won Pennsylvania by more than 120,000 votes, but the latest polling results from Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies show Republicans fell well tiny of the “thousands” of fresh Amish voters they had hoped to register.” | LNP
Elsewhere
Can the Republican Party candidate change the House seat in Deep Blue Allentown? “Pennsylvania’s 22nd House District, which represents Center City and East Allentown and a small portion of Salisbury Township, would be considered a “safe” Democratic seat, according to conventional wisdom. But Republicans want to challenge that conventional wisdom.” | Morning talk in Allentown
A special election in South Hills could set the tone for the midterms. “Pennsylvania’s 42nd House District has a recent history of electing Democrats. The results of the February 24 special election could be a preview of voter sentiment on the November ballots in the General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives. ” | Public source
Dying PA Coal Town is a “clean slate” for minority newcomers. Can they spur a resurgence? “Not every dying town can be saved. Girardville, a lonely shell in the Schuylkill County coal country, could go either way.” | PennLive
What do people know about data centers? We explain this in 5 charts. “The massive, server-filled data centers behind every ChatGPT incentive and Amazon purchase create a political headache that the White House and the tech industry cannot ignore. Christopher Borick, a professor of political science at Muhlenberg College, said that when support for an issue quickly erodes because of additional costs, it shows how fragile that support is. ” | POLICY
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- If an 80-20 issue can’t get 60 votes, there’s something wrong in the Senate Senator Dave McCormick
- Philadelphia taxpayers continue to foot the high costs of patronage | Questioner from Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Republicans should pass redistricting reform while they still can | Patricia Rooney
- Pennsylvania cannot over-tax marijuana if legalization is to work well | Max Jackson
- When politics cannot tell the truth about a person | Joshua Sierra
- Masks don’t belong to ICE agents — or to campus | Jonathan Zimmerman
- The end of original thought in journalism and life | Adriana E. Ramírez
- Shapiro and O’Connor are failing our immigrants | Nathan Harper
- How George Washington Learned to Lead From a Series of Mistakes in the Pennsylvania Desert | Krzysztof Magra
1 item
5. Shrovetide Day
“It’s carnival day.
The Dutch tradition in Pennsylvania falls on the day before Ash Wednesday. In age-old times, people tried to employ up butter, sugar and lard before the Christian Lenten swift.
Today, this means that businesses and churches prepare a variety of Fastnacht donuts, which may contain yeast, baking powder or potatoes and are served plain, glazed or covered with powdered sugar or cinnamon. No matter where you get them, they won’t have a hole in them and will often be square in shape.’ | abc27
Thank you for starting your work week with us.
Do it right. See you tomorrow.
