Here We Go, Monday. Thanks for reading the PoliticsPA Playbook

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

Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. In The Midnight Hour. Wilson Pickett and that horn line.

PA Weather
Zelienople | Partly Sunny, 52
Harrisburg | Chance of Rain, 48
Allentown | Rain, 46

PA Sports
Phillies (7-2) | LA Dodgers 8-7 | Tue-Thu vs. Atlanta
Pirates (3-7) | NY Yankees 5-4 | Mon-Wed vs. St. Louis
Flyers (31-37-9) | Montreal 2-3 | Wed vs. NY Rangers
Penguins (31-35-12) | Dallas 5-3 | Chicago 1-3 | Tue vs. Chicago
Sixers (23-55) | Minnesota 109-114 | Wed vs. Washington
Union (4-1-2) | Orlando City 0-0 | Sat vs. NY City

PA Money | Futures (as of 7:45 a.m.)
Dow 🔻-700.00  |  NASDAQ 🔻-409.25 |  S&P 🔻-104.00

What’s Happening Today. The PA House convenes for a voting session at noon.

Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Rep. Abigail Salisbury. 

Social Media. Join us on Twitter and Bluesky at @PoliticsPA

Top Story

1. Trump Says He’s Not Backing Down on Tariffs, Calls Them ‘Medicine’ as Markets Reel

“President Donald Trump said Sunday that he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world unless countries even out their trade with the U.S., digging in on his plans to implement the taxes that have sent financial markets reeling, raised fears of a recession and upended the global trading system.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he didn’t want global markets to fall, but also that he wasn’t concerned about the massive sell-off either, adding, “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”” (AP)

Elsewhere

Bresnahan Campaigned on Congressional Stock Trade Ban; Now He Trades Freely. “Last March, when Rob Bresnahan, Jr., a wealthy business executive, was running to represent a competitive House district in northeastern Pennsylvania, he published a letter to the editor in a local newspaper demanding an end to stock trading by members of Congress. He has emerged as one of the most active stock traders in the freshman class, according to Capitol Trades.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Susan Wild Says She Will Not Run For Congress in 2026. “Wild told Politico that she would not run in a Saturday news story, and confirmed that decision in a phone interview with the Morning Call.” (Allentown Morning Call)

Pelosi Is Surprise Guest in Scranton As NEPA Participates In National ‘Hands Off!’ Protests. “Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined thousands across America who took to the streets on Saturday to protest Trump administration policies. The Democratic congresswoman wasn’t at home in California, or in Washington, D.C., but in Scranton.” (WVIA)

State

2. Garrity and Meuser Bring Potential Gubernatorial Pitches to Conservative Conference

“Pennsylvania Republicans secured big victories in the 2024 election, but 2026 was clearly on the minds of a few potential candidates for governor at an annual gathering of conservatives in the suburbs of Harrisburg.

“Next November, the Keystone State will send a Republican to the governor’s mansion,” said state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

“In order for us to have an America First agenda, we’ve got to have the governor’s office,” U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser said. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

Elsewhere

State Sen. Scott Martin Doesn’t Rule Out Potential Entrance Into 2026 Governor’s Race. “Martin of Martic Township said Republicans are facing a major decision next year in choosing their nominee for governor. On whether he’d enter the race, Martin was reticent.” (LNP)

Campaign Cash Flowed to Key PA Lawmakers as Hunters Launched an Offensive to Save Pigeon Shoots. “Despite steady opposition to the practice, Pennsylvania remains one of 30-plus states that allow target shooting of live birds, and one of the only states where shooting competitions are regularly held at a handful of private gun clubs.” (Spotlight PA)

Measles Cases Up in PA and Some Counties Lag Behind School Vaccination Targets. “In Pennsylvania, measles vaccination rates among children are on the decline. And in many counties, vaccination rates among the youngest school-aged children are below 95%, the target for herd immunity.” (Penn Capital-Star)

A Gas Operator Fined $1.9 Million For Damaging PA Wetlands Is On Trump’s ‘Fast Track’ Approval List. “Fracking operations by Chesapeake Energy, now Expand Energy, are among more than 600 controversial projects the president wants to expedite to combat the nation’s “energy emergency.”” (Capital & Main)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Where Candidates For Pittsburgh Mayor Stand On Taxing the City’s ‘Big 5’ Nonprofits

“The conundrum of getting Pittsburgh’s large tax-exempt nonprofits to pay into city services has plagued mayors for years and with no deals inked yet, it’s likely to be a problem for whomever wins the upcoming mayoral election.

City officials tend to refer to them as The Big Five: the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Highmark Health, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

Ultimate Job Interview with One Candidate for District Attorney. “The latest edition of The Citizen’s job interviews for candidates for office featured this year’s top-of-the-ticket race for District Attorney. Both Larry Krasner and Pat Dugan were invited. Only one candidate showed up.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

5 Damaged Vehicles and a Keg: Dauphin County Official’s Unique History Behind The Wheel. “Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick’s crash last week in a county garage was at least his fifth time damaging a county vehicle — and at least his second time doing so in the garage.” (PennLive)

Chester County Grew Faster Than Any Other Pennsylvania County From 2020-2024. “The affluent county added more than 26,300 residents from 2020 to 2024. That’s a nearly 5% increase in population for the state’s seventh largest county.” (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Debates for Allentown and Bethlehem Mayor, County Executives Set by Lehigh Valley Public Media. “The debates in advance of the May 20 primary election focus on contested primaries and will be free and open to the public.” (LehighValleyNews)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

• The Only National Emergency is the Law That Empowers a Mad King. (Will Bunch) 
• Reindustrializing America is a Worthy Goal, But It’ll Take a Lot More Than Tariffs. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Donald Trump is Destined to Fail. (Bruce Ledewitz)
• It’s Time for Commissioner Hartwick to Put His Health Before Public Service. (PennLive)
• A Good Man for U.S. Manufacturing Is Hard to Find. (Allysia Finley)
• How Lazy Journalism Helps Bring Junk Science Into the Mainstream. (Becket Adams)
• Pittsburgh’s ‘New Ivies’ Demonstrate Educational Importance. (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
• Republicans Can Have Their Tax Cuts and Benefits, Too. (Bloomberg)
• US Rep. Smucker Misleads on DOGE’s Efforts, While Dodging In-Person Town Halls. (Gregory Hand)

1 Thing

5. How Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show?

“Some TV shows take a while to “get good.” Modern classics like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Community, and Bojack Horseman are notorious for “starting slow” and are often recommended with a disclaimer like “Give it a few episodes; I promise it gets good!”

At the same time, some shows never get good.

Committing to a mediocre program or continuing with a floundering series elicits a state of (mildly) torturous ambiguity. Should you cut your losses, or is this show some late-blooming classic like Breaking Bad? What is the optimal number of episodes one should watch before cleansing a subpar series from their life. (StatSignificant)

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