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🗞️ Headlines. Did Democrats Stop the GOP Voter Registration Surge? How artificial intelligence is showing up in AP elections. Does Siegel have a plan of action for Democrats in 2026? Origin of “OK”
🎶 Your morning, pick me up.Back in the saddle. Aerosmith
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌂 Harmony | Mostly gloomy, possible rain, 43
🌤️ Huntington | Partly clear, 48
☁️ Hazleton | Chance of showers, 40
Sports PA
🏀 Sixes (39-32) | Utah 126-116 | Mon. vs. OKC
🏒 Leaflets (34/23/12) | San Jose 4-1 | Tuesday vs. Columbus
🏒 Penguins (34-19-16) | Karolina 1-5 | Tuesday vs. Colorado
⚽ Union (0-0-5) | Chicago 1-2 | April 4 vs. Charlotte
🏀 U. of Scranton (32-1) | Denisona 41-55 (NCAA DIII Women’s Final)
🗓️What’s happening today. The AP House meets at noon for a voting session, and the AP Senate meets at 1 p.m
🔈 What we hear. “You shouldn’t shut down FEMA and the Coast Guard and the TSA… because you disagree on, you know, a small part of the budget.” Representative Brian Fitzpatrick he said.
💬 Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s leading source of unbiased political news and analysis. Tips and press releases can be submitted [email protected].
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The most critical story
1. Republicans were on track to lead PA voter registration for the first time in 30 years. Democrats think they have slowed the trend
“Hunters, faithful, criminals
They are among groups of untapped voters that Republicans have targeted at sports conventions, Walmarts and county fairs, helping them move closer to taking the lead as the political party with the most registered voters in Pennsylvania for the first time since the state began tracking registration data in 1992.
But GOP gains have begun to stall.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Elsewhere
Fitzpatrick says he wants to make changes to ICE and end the DHS shutdown. “U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican, says he is working on a proposal to reform ICE and funding the Department of Homeland Security amid a congressional spending impasse that resulted from the killings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota by federal agents earlier this year.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
The Supreme Court hears arguments on Monday on late-arriving ballots, a Trump target. “The outcome of this case could impact voters in 14 states and the District of Columbia that have waiting periods for mail-in ballots, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. It could impact an additional 15 states that have more lenient deadlines for military and overseas voters to return ballots. ” | AP
Democrats eyeing the White House are nursing childhood traumas. “Some potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, are presenting themselves to voters in striking ways: documenting their childhood traumas, family chaos and fights with their parents.” | Axles
Country
2. Shapiro Parodies and Phone Banks Chatbot – How Artificial Intelligence is Coming to the AP Election
“Candidates for office in Pennsylvania are using artificial intelligence tools to generate parodic images of their rivals, create campaign materials and respond to questionnaires.
They do not create deepfakes, i.e. images, audio files or videos generated to look real and mislead the public. But that doesn’t mean technology and election experts aren’t concerned that this could happen as generative AI becomes more available and sophisticated, which is why many state lawmakers want to take action.’ | PA reflector
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania transportation advocates and Gov. Josh Shapiro are pushing for funding now, not next year. “Last fall, Gov. Josh Shapiro allowed transit agencies to use capital funds for the next two years to cover operating costs while the Legislature decides whether to increase state transit subsidies. But the administration and advocacy groups are unwilling to wait until the 2027 budget debate to deal with a funding crisis that could result in drastic cuts. ” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Mayor Parker is turning to Harrisburg and GOP allies to make her budget priorities work. “When Mayor Cherelle L. Parker unveiled her $7 billion budget plan in a televised address to the Philadelphia City Council this month, she called for help from beyond City Hall walls.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Around the Republic of Poland
3. This local official thinks he may have a roadmap to give Democrats a large win in 2026
“When Democrats like Lehigh County Executive Joshua Siegel were elected to office across the country last November, people took notice.
The county lies in a congressional district that has seen some back-and-forth between the two parties in recent years and is one of many competitive areas in the presidential swing state of Pennsylvania.
It’s one of many places across the country where Democratic candidates have promised voters they will govern differently than Republicans in Washington, so voters are showing up to stick with them.’ | NPR
Elsewhere
Bloam wins Kulik’s endorsement in the 45th PA House of Representatives district race. “The odds in the race to replace Democratic state Rep. Anita Kulik are fading — and with them, perhaps, some political alliances in the state’s 45th House District: Kulik has endorsed Robinson Township attorney Brittany Bloam to succeed her.” | THAT’S ALL
In a growing part of Butler County, Mars and Adams are considering a occasional municipal merger. “The Adams-Mars merger proposal could reshape finances and the way public services are delivered in one of the fastest-growing areas of Butler County – but only if voters in both communities agree.” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
1 item
5. The Birth of “OK”
“Bleary-eyed readers flipping through the back page of the March 23, 1839 Boston Morning Post may have barely noticed a linguistic oddity hidden in the blizzard of ink in the second column. At the end of a short, one-off article sarcastically attacking the Providence newspaper was the abbreviation “ok” next to the words “all correct.”
Much like the newfangled world filled with text-friendly abbreviations like LOL and OMG, the abbreviations craze swept 19th-century America, albeit with a twist. When trying to make jokes, adolescent, educated elites deliberately twisted words and shortened them for slang purposes. For example, “KG” stood for “know go”, which is an incorrect spelling of “no go”. Today this joke no longer suits us, but in the 19th century it was LOL amusing.
So when the word “ok” appeared in print, it was supposed to be an abbreviation of “oll korrect”, a jocular misspelling of the word “all correct”. | History.com
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