😃 Hello, Wednesday.

🗞️  The PoliticsPA Playbook is written by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

PA Weather
☁️  Connellsville | Increasing Clouds, 39
☁️  Buttonwood | Cloudy, 29
🌤️  Parkesburg | Partly Sunny, 39

PA Sports
🏀  Sixers (5-14) | Charlotte 110-104 | Wed vs. Orlando
🏒  Penguins (11-12-4) | Florida 5-4 (OT) | Fri vs. NY Rangers
🏒  Flyers (12-10-3) | Thu vs. Florida

🔉  What We’re Hearing. Rep. Dan Miller will announce his candidacy for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas at a 10 a.m. press conference on the steps of the City-County Building in downtown Pittsburgh.

🍺  Watch Out Old Style. Pennsylvania-based Yuengling, the oldest brewery in America, is bringing its beer to Chicago.

📅   What’s Happening. Here is a list of events happening at the 2024 Pennsylvania Society this weekend in New York City.

📱   Social Media. PoliticsPA has a number of social media outlets for you to get the latest political news from around the Commonwealth: Twitter | Bluesky | Facebook | LinkedIn

Top Story

1. Trump Still Against U.S. Steel Overseas Buyout

“A controversial $14.9 billion overseas buyout of the iconic U.S. Steel company based in Pittsburgh still doesn’t have Donald Trump’s support.

On Tuesday, the president-elect reaffirmed his vow to block the deal with Japanese-based Nippon Steel, upholding the same promise given by the Biden administration earlier this year.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Republican saying 4,000 workers in her district could lose their jobs if the company leaves western Pennsylvania, said Trump’s words give her hope.” (The Center Square)

Elsewhere

Shapiro Says Trump ‘On A Different Page’ Than PA GOP Members Over U.S. Steel Sale. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s social media comments in opposition of the proposed $14.9 billion sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel, reiterating his focus on keeping the 122-year-old company’s jobs in the Keystone State.” (Penn Capital-Star)

• Steelworkers Feel ‘Gut Punch’ as Trump Plans to Block Takeover. (Newsweek)

Elon Musk’s PAC Says It’s Verifying Voters For Its Cash Giveaway, But PA AG’s Office Is Reviewing Complaints Over Unsolicited Checks. “The complaints come as Elon Musk’s America PAC doubles down on “actively ensuring” the validity of recipients of the petition’s cash prizes.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. Memos, Memos and More Memos Look For Sponsors As Preparations Begin For 2025-26 Legislative Session

“Despite the fact that the 2025-26 Pennsylvania state legislative session is not scheduled to formally begin until next month, the first two days of the last month of 2024 have seen a flurry of activity.

How big a flurry? How about 299 new co-sponsorship memos in search of names to attach?” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Henry Confirmed as Federal Judge in U.S. District Court for Eastern PA. “U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey announce the Senate’s confirmation of Catherine Henry to serve as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.” (PoliticsPA)

Davis Elected Chair of Democratic Lt. Governors Association. “The DLGA is the only organization solely focused on electing Democratic Lt. Governors and candidates each year.” (PoliticsPA)

• Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Will Now Lead the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA is Processing Permits and Licenses Faster, Gov Shapiro Says at Hill District Barbershop. “Shapiro has pushed Pennsylvania officials to reduce the time it takes to process around 2,400 kinds of business licenses and permits.” (WESA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Allegheny County Council Approves 2025 Budget That Includes 36% Tax Hike After Weekslong Battle

“Allegheny County Council, after nearly two months of debate, marginally passed a budget Tuesday night that raises county taxes about 36% and results in no layoffs.

Council members just barely hit the 10-vote threshold on a compromise budget to raise the taxes by 1.7 mills — the first tax increase the county has seen since 2011. 1.7 mills is equal to $1.70 per $1,000 in assessed value. The vote was 10-5 to approve the budget.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Allegheny County 1.7 Mill Property Tax Hike Passes By Narrowest Margin. (Public Source)

Elsewhere

Delaware County Proposes 23% Tax Increase, One Council Member Calls It a Fiscal ‘Crisis’. “Delaware County’s executive director on Tuesday unveiled a new proposed 2025 budget to the county council that includes a 23 percent tax increase, and will leave the county with an alarmingly small “rainy day fund.”” (Broad + Liberty)

What We’re Listening To. “NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, about the rising number of women in state legislatures.” (WQLN)

Know More Civics Than An 8th Grader? “We’ve featured some of this before, but we saw The Washington Post had run a story asking if readers knew more civics than an eighth grader. So we had to follow suit.” (Bradford Era)

A Flood Reveals Deep Divisions Between Two PA Bedroom Communities. “After last year’s flood, community divisions complicated long-term solutions for the Antietam School District in Berks County.” (Spotlight PA)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• New Paper Shows Housing Affordability Should Be Incentivized, Not Mandated. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Even Centrists Agree: Ben Wikler for DNC Chair. (Jonathan Cowan)
• The Radicalization of Pennsylvania’s Amish. (Thom Nickels)
• Red Flags For Shapiro. (Lowman Henry)
• Trump’s Historic Victory Reveals As Much About Us As About Him. (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• Five Ways Trump Can Right the DOJ. (Thomas Hogan)

1 Thing

5. National Cookie Day

“For some of us, any day is a good day for a cookie. You have an excuse on Wednesday because it is National Cookie Day.

Each year, National Cookie Day is celebrated on Dec. 4, however the National Day Calendar website doesn’t give that date any historic significance in the annals of cookiedom. The site does note the word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word “koekie,” meaning “little cake.”

But what cookie to choose on this special day? When it comes to making holiday cookies, frosted sugar cookies came out as the top choice (32%) in a December 2023 poll of 803 adults in the U.S. conducted by Monmouth University, with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) cookies rounding out the top three.” (Erie Times-News)

Thank you for starting your morning with us.
And reading the PoliticsPA Playbook