📖 Today’s PolitykiPA Guide. How elected leaders responded to SOTU. Quinnipiac poll shows Shapiro leading in the governor’s race. Will Administrator Shapiro File a Suit to Detain ICE? Are you connected to the royal family?
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🔈 What we hear. This is according to an Emerson College survey Josh Shapiro in fifth place in the hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary. Gavin Newsom leads at 20% then Pete Buttigieg (16%). Kamala Harris (13%), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Rounding out the top five are Shapiro (9%) and Shapiro (7%).
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The most crucial story
1. How Pennsylvania’s elected leaders responded to SOTU
“President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, he delivered his first State of the Union address of his second term. The 108-minute speech made Republicans cheerful, Democrats incensed, and independents probably somewhere in between.
How did Pennsylvania’s elected leaders respond to SOTU?” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
John Fetterman says he’s probably the lone Democrat to shake Trump’s hand during the State of the Union address. “ Fetterman described his side of the hall as “disappointing” and added that he was sorrowful that so many of his colleagues did not show up. “I think, show yourself. You don’t have to clap for everything. You don’t have to agree with anything,” he said. “I don’t care if he’s a Republican or a Democrat. He’s the president. Just don’t do it. Respect the office.”” | Fox News
Smucker calls Trump’s State of the Union address an “optimistic” message for Americans. ” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker expressed his belief that President Donald Trump has succeeded, using his Tuesday night State of the Union address to show how, a year after returning to office, he is “delivering on his campaign promises” to Americans. Smucker, a Republican representing Lancaster County, called Trump’s speech the longest State of the Union address in history, one of the “best speeches” ever seen by a president.” | LNP
On behalf of the group Progressive Summer, Lee condemns Trump’s speech as ‘an obituary on behalf of the country’. “While much of the political commentary focused on President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, U.S. Republican Summer Lee delivered her own agenda: She responded to a Labor Party speech that condemned Trump’s speech as not being a ‘list of achievements’ but ‘an obituary for a country built by working people and a celebration for the billionaires who want to take it apart.’ | THAT’S ALL
Country
2. QU Poll: Would Shapiro make a good president? Pennsylvanians are undecided
“Word on the street is it’s Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has plans to run for president in 2028 if he wins the re-election campaign in 2026.
Pennsylvanians are divided over whether the state’s former attorney general would make a good president.
According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, 2 in 5 respondents (40%) say Shapiro would make a good president, while 43% think he would not.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Shapiro says Pennsylvania is the ‘epicenter’ of recent nationwide wave of bird flu. “Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro convened farmers, academic leaders, biosecurity experts and lawmakers on Tuesday to address the state’s latest avian flu outbreak, which accounts for more than half of all cases in the country.” | THAT’S ALL
Congressman says atmosphere in Minneapolis made ICE mission ‘impossible’. “Now I don’t agree at all that what was done there was perfect; it was far from it,” Rep. Dan Meuser said of the situation in Minneapolis. “But the atmosphere that was created there made it impossible for federal law enforcement there to do their job. Especially since it was also a sanctuary city.”” | Daily news from Lebanon
New warning for Democrats about juvenile black voters. “A new study released Thursday shows that young Black men are not taking tangible steps to oppose President Donald Trump at the same level as they did in 2020, raising concerns about their support for the Democratic Party in this year’s election.” | known
Around the Republic of Poland
3. ICE facilities are planned for PA. Will Administrator Shapiro file a lawsuit to stop them?
“Maryland’s attorney general is suing the federal government to prevent ICE from turning a warehouse into an immigration detention center.
But in Pennsylvania, where the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are planning two similar projects in Berks and Schuylkill counties, it is unclear whether state officials will do the same.” | PA reflector
Elsewhere
Philly is committing $620 million to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. “Philadelphia is spending $620 million to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, a new report from the city comptroller shows. The fiscal watchdog’s report paints the clearest picture yet of the price Philadelphia is paying — largely covered by taxpayers — to bring the world’s marquee events closer to the cradle of democracy as it celebrates a national milestone.” | Axios Philadelphia
‘Dangerous trend’: Pittsburgh ended 2025 with a $8.6 million budget deficit. “Pittsburgh officials spent much of 2025 bickering over the city’s dismal financial situation. Year-end data released this week by the Office of Management and Budget revealed that the city ended 2025 with an operating deficit of $8.6 million. ” | Grandstand overview
Northeastern Pennsylvania Lawmakers Are Attacking Data Centers and Imposing Moratoriums. “State Senator Rosemary Brown on Tuesday announced her support for a moratorium on the data center industry and introduced a legislative package that would restrict data centers to industrial zones, joining State Representatives Kyle Mullins and Kyle Donahue.” | Scranton Times Tribune
Localities bemoan the apparent “race to the bottom” for data centers. “National Association of Counties participants said technology companies are not good partners, but research and recent deals suggest a new way of doing business for local governments.” | Route Fifty
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
1 item
5. Are you related to the royal family? If you have one of these 18 names, you could be it!
“If you’ve dreamed of being a prince or princess (and you know you have!), this might be the next best thing. Here’s how to check if your name has royal roots.
“Some surnames have historical ties to royalty, as they often originated as titles, places or designations associated with noble status – either through marriage, land, or titles bestowed upon them by the king,” says Christa Cowan, a long-time Ancestry genealogist. ” | Reader Summary
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