🙃 Just Another Manic Monday. The General Assembly is back.

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🌤️ Harrisburg | Becoming Mostly Sunny, Breezy, 42
☁️ Scranton | Mostly Cloudy, 37

PA Sports
🏈 Eagles (10-3) | Dallas 13-33 | Mon. vs. Seattle
🏈 Steelers (7-6) | Sat vs. Indianapolis
🏀 Sixers (14-7) | Atlanta 125-114 | Mon vs. Washington
🏒 Flyers (15-10-2) | Colorado 5-2 | Tue vs. Nashville
🏒 Penguins (11-12-3) | Florida 1-3 | Tue vs. Arizona

What’s Happening
Big day. The House convenes at noon, the Senate convenes at 1 p.m., and President Joe Biden visits Philadelphia at 12:30.

What We’re Hearing
“Hate in whatever form, whether antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, it has no place in Pennsylvania. We will not tolerate it.” – Gov. Josh Shapiro

Happy Birthday
Belated wishes to Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (Sat.) and Sen. Greg Rothman (Sun.).

Start Your Day Smart
Subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook. It’s free and gives you all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read format. All by 8 AM.

Top Story

1. Penn President Liz Magill Resigns

“University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill has resigned amid growing bipartisan backlash against her congressional committee testimony on antisemitism and a semester marked by near-weekly protests, complaints by deep-pocketed donors, and widespread accusations of mismanagement since a controversial literary festival was held on campus earlier in the fall.

And minutes later, Scott L. Bok, chair of the board of trustees, announced that he was stepping down, too.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Liz Magill, U. Penn’s President, And Board Chair Resign As Antisemitism Testimony Draws Backlash. “The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.” (AP)

Live Updates: Reactions And Response To Penn President Liz Magill’s Unprecedented Resignation. “The DP is compiling updates to the University’s ongoing leadership crisis from Penn community members, government officials, and more.” (Daily Pennsylvanian)

At Packed Rally In Philly, Josh Shapiro, Bob Casey, And Penn Students Say, ‘Hate Has No Place’. “The rally brought together Philadelphians in a moment of unity as incidents of antisemitism have risen in recent months, and came after a week that included a protest outside of a Jewish-owned falafel shop and outcry over Penn president Liz Magill’s comments at a congressional hearing, resulting in her resignation.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Former Obama Adviser: Don’t Let Politicians Take Over Harvard. “Amid outrage over comments they made during a hearing on anti semitism on their campuses, presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have faced calls from politicians and donors to resign – and one, Penn President Liz Magill, is already out of the job. But some, including a former Obama adviser, are defending Harvard President Claudine Gay, and urging the school not to bend to external pressure.” (POLITICO)

State

2. For Biden, It Always Seems To Be Sunny In Philadelphia

“The City of Brotherly Love has been a part of President Biden’s public identity for as long as he’s been in politics. As president, Biden has traveled to Philadelphia 18 times, more than any other city outside Delaware — and he’s set to return for a fundraiser on Monday.

He was born in Scranton, Pa., and “might as well have been Joey from South Philly” for much of his career, said T.J. Rooney, a former chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and onetime member of the state legislature. At this point, Rooney said, Philadelphia police can adjust rapidly and local union leaders can whip up an event whenever Biden announces a visit.” (Washington Post)

Related

PA Lawmakers Could Be Entering The Most Productive Week Of The Year – Or Not. “The final voting session of 2023 for Pennsylvania’s General Assembly has the potential to be arguably the most productive week of the entire year given the number of big-ticket items awaiting action.” (PennLive)

2 PA Lawmakers Say It’s Time For Their Colleagues To Stop Running For 2 Jobs At The Same Time. “Both say it is feeding a cycle of frequent and expensive special elections, not to mention fundamental questions it raises about the priorities of the candidates involved.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Shapiro Speaks To First Year In Office. “In a pair of question-and-answer sessions held 24 hours apart, Gov. Josh Shapiro discussed his accomplishments and disappointments in his first year in office.” (PoliticsPA)

PA’s New State Archives, The ‘Coolest Building In State Government,’ Is Now Open. “Pennsylvania’s home to state government’s trove of timeless treasures is now officially open in its new location and in a more inviting state-of-the art facility.” (PennLive)

Rep. Perry Wanted To Slash The NLRB Budget, Even As The Agency Deals With A Boom In Organizing. “During last month’s budget showdown in Congress, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry introduced an amendment that would have gutted funding for the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ right to organize and improve conditions in the workplace.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Around The Commonwealth

3. A Q&A with PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton

“It was a history-making year for Joanna McClinton, who in February was elected by her colleagues to be the first Black female speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

With her first year as speaker now in the books, McClinton spoke with City & State about how her first year went, legislation passed by the House that could benefit Philadelphians, as well as how she hopes to collaborate with another Philadelphia history-maker, Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, who voters chose to be the city’s chief executive in November, becoming the first woman of color elected mayor in the process.” (City & State)

Related

FBI: Cyberattack Against Aliquippa Water Authority Was A Targeted ‘Escalation’ On Overlooked Technology. “In the wake of a cyberattack on a Western Pennsylvania water utility, federal officials are urging infrastructure operators to tighten their security — and they’re warning that another attack could be coming.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

HD-28: Prosecutor William Petulla Seeks To Be Democrats’ Champion In Open North Hills House Seat. “The northern reaches of Allegheny County have been a chilly climate for Democrats through the years, but the area’s 28th state House District will likely be among the few open seats on next year’s ballot. And a top lieutenant to District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is launching his bid for the seat Monday.” (WESA)

HD-44: Haas Announces Candidacy For Pittsburgh Area Seat. “Former marketing and communications professional Hadley Haas announced that she is a candidate for Democratic nomination for the 44th Legislative District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

SD-15: DiSanto Says He Will Not Seek Reelection. “Two-term Dauphin County state Sen. John DiSanto has announced that he will not seek reelection to his 15th state senatorial district seat.” (PoliticsPA)

York County Delays Wi-Fi Project After Closed-Door Meeting With Conspiracy Theorists. “Last year, York County officials held a secretive meeting with Audit the Vote, a group that spread misinformation about the 2022 election. Now, a similar secretive meeting is delaying one of the county’s stated goals — bridging the digital divide.” (York Dispatch)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• The Nation’s Eyes Are On Us. Let’s Make Our Voices Heard. (Daily Pennsylvanian)
• Local Suburban Democrats May Have Won On Social Issues, But They’re Governing With Tax Hikes. (Kyle Sammin)
• Liz Magill’s Ouster At Penn Will Help The Worst People Take Down Free Speech, Higher Ed. (Will Bunch)
• Amtrak’s Federal Boost Is A Turning Point For PA Transportation. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Being Jewish When Everyone Is Talking About — And For — Us. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Two Things Not To Put Under The Christmas Tree: Lottery Tickets And Toy Guns. (PennLive)
• Mail-In Voting Isn’t Perfect, But It Does Not Have To Be As Bad As You Think. (Broad + Liberty)
• Has The Party Of Reagan Become The Party Of Quitters? (Michael Reagan)

1 Thing

5. All Dogs Go To Heaven

One personal note. Our family’s Jack Russell Terrier – Rosie – crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Saturday. She was born with an enlarged heart and we did not know how much time we would have with her. But that enlarged heart was filled with life and we were blessed for 17 years. If it’s true that all dogs go to heaven, we know that our Rosie is at the front of the line.

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