♥️ It’s Friday, I’m In Love. Saturday wait. And Sunday always comes too late. But Friday never hesitate. IYKYK.
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PA Weather
🌤️ Braddock | Becoming Sunny, 34
⛅ Mansfield | Partly Sunny, 33
☀️ Emmaus | Sunny, 38
PA Sports
🏈 Eagles (15-3) | Sun vs. LA Rams
🏒 Flyers (20-20-6) | NY Islanders 5-3 | Sat vs. New Jersey
🏒 Penguins (18-20-8) | Fri vs. Buffalo | Sat vs. Washington | Mon vs. LA
🏀 Sixers (15-24) | Sat vs. Indianapolis | Sun vs. Milwaukee
📱 What We’re Hearing. The U.S. Supreme Court is signaling that it will rule on the proposed TikTok ban this morning.
🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Rep. Danilo Burgos (Sun.)
📱 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. Fetterman Was Elected to Challenge Convention. Now, He’s Challenging His Fellow Democrats
“When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo. He did and has — just not in the way many had expected.
Fetterman has broken with his party on some policy matters and warmed to President-elect Donald Trump. In fact, Fetterman has warmed to Trump so much that some in his party are quietly disavowing the man they supported in 2022.” (AP)
Elsewhere
Carville: Fetterman “Just Desperate To Get Attention.” “Much has been said about Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and his overtures toward the incoming administration of Donald Trump. It has not gone unnoticed by Democratic strategist James Carville.” (PoliticsPA)
The Senate’s New Power Duo is John Fetterman and Katie Britt. “When Katie Britt was looking for a Democratic partner on legislation that subjects undocumented immigrants accused of theft to stricter deportation standards, she didn’t have to look far.” (Semafor)
Official Says Biden Won’t Enforce Tiktok Ban, Leaving Fate of App to Trump. “Congress last year, in a law signed by Mr. Biden, required that TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration.” (AP)
- Penn State Students Weigh In on Potential Tiktok Ban. (Daily Collegian)
State
2. Shapiro Wants to See the Full Sixers Sports Hub Project Before Deciding If PA Should Invest
“After opposing the use of any state resources for the Sixers’ now-abandoned proposal to build an arena in Center City, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says he isn’t closing the book on the state getting involved in the team’s new South Philadelphia arena project.
Shapiro maintains that he needs to see the final plans for the newly proposed South Philadelphia arena and the role city government will play in offering incentives for the project before deciding “whether it may or may not make sense for the commonwealth to invest.”” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Elsewhere
Cicero Resigns as Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate. “Attorney General-elect Dave Sunday announced that State Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero has submitted a letter indicating his intent to resign from the post effective January 31.” (PoliticsPA)
- Incoming Pennsylvania Attorney General Facing Complaints of Politicization. (abc27)
Negotiations to Tax Skill Games Fell Apart Last Year. PA GOP Leaders Are Restarting the Debate. “Top lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Senate have released a memo calling for the regulation and taxation of so-called skill games, signaling that the issue will be high on the agenda for the second session in a row.” (Spotlight PA)
Lancaster County Democrats to Nominate Candidate for 36th District Special Election. “The 136 elected committee members within the 36th are slated to meet virtually at 9 a.m. Saturday to choose between candidates Matthew Good, a librarian from Ephrata, and East Petersburg Mayor James Andrew Malone.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)
Pennsylvania Approves $56.5 Million For Violence Prevention Programs. “Dozens of organizations across Pennsylvania will receive $56.5 million in state grants intended to reduce community violence with additional resources for afterschool programs.” (Penn Capital-Star)
Around The Commonwealth
3. Western PA Congressional Leaders Lay Out Visions For New Session
“Over the last two years, Republicans have controlled the U.S. House of Representatives by only a handful of seats – a margin so narrow that they ended up relying on Democrats to pass even their modest spending bills.” (WESA)
- The Democrat Who Defied The Trump Wave. (The Lever)
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania Republicans Face Uphill Battle in Automatic Voter Registration Appeal. “A group of conservative state lawmakers arguing against automatic voter registration in Pennsylvania faced skepticism from Third Circuit judges Thursday at an appeals hearing as they fought to revive their federal claims.” (Courthouse News Service)
Local GOP Prepares For Leadership Shift — And For Challenging Pittsburgh Democrats. “With Donald Trump poised to return to the White House next week and a change in local leadership underway, local Republican leaders hope to bring new energy to contests like Pittsburgh’s mayoral race — where at least three GOP candidates may be in contention.” (WESA)
Historic Preservation Plan Hinges on Public Interest. “There’s a new vision for preserving historical sites across Pennsylvania. And it depends upon renewed public interest.” (The Center Square)
Allentown City Council to Consider ‘Welcoming’ Legislation to Protect Immigrants. “Allentown City Council on Wednesday introduced a bill that, if approved, would seek to protect immigrant residents by blocking city employees from sharing their immigration status with or helping federal officials, unless required by federal law.” (LehighValleyNews.com)
Editorial
4. What’s On Your Mind
- History Will Vindicate Joe Biden. (Nathan R. Shrader)
- The Democrats Betray Their Principles. (Michelle Goldberg)
- A Pennsylvanian ‘Pope of Greenland’ and a Trip Down to Mar-a-Lago. (Tony Norman)
- An Unlikely Case Against Open Primaries. (Beth Ann Rosica)
- The Arena Deal That Wasn’t. (Larry Platt)
- New Year, New Taxes in PA. (Elizabeth Stelle)
- Pennsylvania’s GOP Sweep Was No Fluke. (Athan Koutsiouroumbas)
1 Thing
5. How Eagles Fans Turned a Small Tailgate Into a Blowout Bash
“When Philadelphia Eagles fans Mike Burnett and Steve Ogen began tailgating in section C6 of the Wells Fargo Center parking lot in 1998, their setup consisted of a grill they’d bought at Home Depot and meat they’d raid from Burnett’s mom’s fridge.
- Why it matters: Decades later, the C6 tailgate looks more like a festival, with live DJs and a star-studded lineup of chefs cooking up feasts, plus the occasional celebrity sighting. And it’s all free.
“Two became four, four became eight,” Burnett tells Axios of their tailgate attendees, and soon enough 500 to 1,000 people are showing up during home games at the Linc.” (Axios Philadelphia)
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