🕎 Monday. To those who celebrate, have a elated second night of Hanukkah
🗞️ In today’s PoliticsPA Guide. Johnson’s health bill hits moderate GOP drama. AP Lawmakers Sold Up to $58.8 Million in Securities in 2025 Why Trump Didn’t Send Troops to Philadelphia. Local artist in the final of “The Voice”.
🎶 Your morning pick-me-up. Mrs. Robinson. Lemon people
Weather in Pennsylvania
☁️ Sewickley | Mostly dull, 20
🌥️Lancaster | Rising clouds, 28
🌥️ Bethlehem | Rising clouds, 28
Sports PA
🏈 Eagles (9-5) | Las Vegas 31-0 | Saturday vs. Washington
🏈 Steelers (7-6) | Pon vs. Miami
🏒 Flyers (16-9-6) | Karolina 3-4 (YES) | Karolina 2-3 (YES) | Tuesday in Montreal
🏒 Penguins (14-8-9) | San Jose 5-6 (OT) | Utah 4-5 (OT) | Tuesday vs. Edmonton
🏀 Sixes (14-11) | Indiana 115-105 | Atlanta 117-120 | Friday in New York
🔈 What we hear. Vice President J.D. Vance will be speaking Tuesday in the Lehigh Valley at the Alburtis warehouse at 10 a.m. at the Uline Shipping Supplies facility. Doors are open for 90 minutes starting at 8:00
🔈 What do we also hear?. “I think I’ll just cancel my insurance.” Steve Horst he said. “If you’re paying $1,800 a month and yet you may have to pay a deductible of $12,000 to $15,000, you start to wonder, is it worth it?
📕 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 critical story
1. Johnson’s health bill hits moderate GOP drama
“announcer Mike Johnson and House Republican leaders will continue work on the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, a response to the December 31 expiration of increased Obamacare premium tax credits.
Last week, Johnson’s leadership team reached an agreement Brian Fitzpatrick reps (R-Pa.) i Jen Kiggan (R-Va.) vote on an amendment extending increased Obamacare subsidies. However, this process has completely broken down due to an impasse over the text of the amendment. There is no longer an agreement and the moderates will go their own way. | Punchbowl News
Elsewhere
Shapiro comes full circle at the Pennsylvania Society dinner in New York, and Cohen is honored. “Governor Josh Shapiro first attended the Society of Pennsylvania’s lavish dinner in downtown Manhattan as a young lawmaker invited by David L. Cohen.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Candidates for Dwight Evans’ congressional seat are hunting for cash and support at the PA Society in New York. “In dimly lit Italian restaurants, raucous Irish pubs and a sprawling historic ballroom atop Rockefeller Center, candidates running for Congress in Philadelphia spent a busy weekend in New York trying to attract donors and supporters.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Shapiro is throwing his endorsement in the Lehigh Valley congressional race. “Governor Josh Shapiro has thrown his support behind firefighters union chief Bob Brooks in a crowded Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.” | LehighValley News
The DNC is implementing two programs aimed at curbing election campaigns. “The Democratic National Committee announced Monday the creation of two innovative programs to help candidates find qualified people to run their campaigns, in what group officials say is a two-pronged approach to help the party win as many races as possible in 2026.” | known
Country
2. AP Lawmakers Sold Up to $58.8 Million in Securities in 2025 as Congress Considers Ban on Stock Trading
“Pennsylvania federal lawmakers bought and sold between $19.8 million and $58.8 million in stocks or other securities this year as Congress neared a potential vote on a ban on stock trading for their members and immediate family, a Post-Gazette analysis found.
The transactions – made mostly by two wealthy freshmen from Pennsylvania’s 19-member delegation – have raised concerns at times throughout the year among ethics experts and government reform advocates.’ | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Elsewhere
7 political stories Jews will be watching in 2026. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker are widely expected to win re-election. Their margins, messages and national profile will make both frontrunners in the early lineup of the 2028 presidential race. ” | Forward
Problems with immigrant commercial driver’s licenses identified so far in Pennsylvania and 7 other states. “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly threatened to withhold millions of federal money from Pennsylvania, as well as California, Minnesota and now New York, after investigations found problems such as licenses remaining valid long after an immigrant’s legal status expired.” | AP
PA Senate confirms nomination for Secretary of Education. “Thanks to a bipartisan majority in the PA Senate, Governor Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Carrie Rowe as PA Secretary of Education has been confirmed.” | North-CentralPA
The AP could end the year with the fewest novel regulations in at least a decade. “According to interviews with some of the lawmakers who have introduced the most bills this year, divided government, increased partisanship and the concentration of power in the hands of legislative leaders are to blame.” | PA reflector
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Why didn’t Trump send troops to Philadelphia, a city where “bad things” are happening? Everyone has a theory
“Over the last six months President Donald Trump has sent soldiers, immigration agents, or both to Democratic towns from coast to coast. The list includes Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Memphis, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, North Carolina, New Orleans and Minneapolis.
But not Philadelphia.
The city that seemed an obvious early target, condemned by Trump as a place where “something bad is happening,” somehow escaped his wrath. At least for now. | Questioner from Philadelphia
Elsewhere
After health care subsidies are excluded, a Lancaster couple face a 175% premium raise.. “Steve and Brenda Horst run a small mini-golf business in Lancaster that makes about $100,000 a year. Last year, their insurance premium was $1,600 a month with about an $800 a month break in health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Those subsidies are out of the question this year.” | PennLive
Western Pennsylvania still without a nomination for U.S. Attorney, position vacant. “The top federal prosecutor’s position in the Western District of Pennsylvania is vacant, just one of five nationwide. The Western District covers about 40% of the state, from west of Altoona to the New York border and all the way to the West Virginia border. ” | New news about the castle
The data center boom creates a political conundrum for the GOP. “Republicans on Capitol Hill who have supported the tech industry’s race to AI dominance face a growing political obstacle: voters angry over rising energy demands and utility costs associated with data centers.” | POLICY
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Trump is irredeemable. What about its activators? | Questioner from Philadelphia
- As a former federal judge, I am concerned about a challenging year for the American justice system John E. Jones III
- A hunting tradition that explains Pennsylvania’s wild politics | Salena Zito
- The “no candidacy” rule is a scarce case in which Philadelphia provides a national model of good government. Why change it? | Paul Davies
- Ignoring Biology Won’t Fix Discrimination — But It Will Eliminate Women | Beth Ann Rosica
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court hearing marks turning point in battle over arcade games | Pete Shelly
1 item
5. Aubrey Nicole has a chance to become a champion on “The Voice.”
“Finally, it was time for a local artist Aubrey Nicole to show the nation if she has what it takes to become a champion on NBC’s singing competition “The Voice.”
Nicole, 20, who grew up splitting time living in Hanover, York County, and Littlestown, Adams County, will be one of six finalists competing during the show’s two-day live finale on Monday and Tuesday.
“I’m very happy to be in the final,” she said. “Of course, I’ll go out there and give it my all, but if I don’t win, I feel like I’ve already won. I feel so blessed. ” | Shipment from York
Thank you for starting your week with us.
Stay heated… have a nice day. See you here tomorrow.
