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PA Weather
❄️  Erie | Lake Effect Snow, 25
☁️  State College | Mostly Cloudy, 21
☁️  Allentown | Mostly Sunny, 26

PA Sports
🏈  Eagles (15-3) | Sun vs. LA Rams
🏒  Penguins (18-19-8) | Tue vs. Seattle
🏒  Flyers (19-20-5) | Florida 4-3 | Tue vs. Columbus
🏀  Sixers (15-22) | Tue vs. Oklahoma City

🔊  What We’re Hearing. LA fires have now burned more than 60 square miles – the entire City of Pittsburgh is about 55 square miles.

📱  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. Battleground USA: How Pennsylvania Changed the Course of American Politics

“In a turn of events that has left political analysts and voters equally astonished, Donald Trump has secured a historic comeback to the White House. At the heart of his victory lies Pennsylvania, the keystone state that tipped the scales decisively in his favour. This marks a pivotal moment in American politics, with Trump’s victory raising questions about the Democratic strategy, voter sentiment, and the future of US governance.

Pennsylvania’s unique political landscape made it the ultimate battleground. With urban centres like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh favouring Democrats and vast rural territories leaning Republican, the state was a microcosm of the nation’s political divide.” (Financial Express)

Elsewhere

Trump Has Not Been Exonerated, Special Counsel Jack Smith Declares in Final Report. “Donald Trump has not been exonerated for his “unprecedented criminal effort” to subvert the 2020 election and cling to power after he lost to Joe Biden. That’s the message special counsel Jack Smith delivered in his final report, which laid out evidence Smith said would have resulted in Trump’s conviction at trial.” (POLITICO)

‘The New York Times’ Takes OpenAI to Court. ChatGPT’s Future Could Be On the Line. “A group of news organizations, led by The New York Times, is taking ChatGPT maker OpenAI to federal court on Tuesday in a hearing that could determine whether the tech company has to face the publishers in a high-profile copyright infringement trial.” (WQLN)

Steelmakers Cleveland-Cliffs and Nucor Consider Bid for U.S. Steel. “Investors say the Pittsburgh company cannot consider a deal until at least June, when its challenged merger with Nippon Steel faces a walk-away date.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Shapiro Could Support New U.S. Steel Buyout Offer. (The Center Square)

State

2. Mayor Called the Sixers’ Decision to Stay In South Philly ‘A Curveball.’ Some Say She Just Whiffed

“When Mayor Cherelle L. Parker in September unveiled the terms of the agreement she reached with the 76ers to build a new arena in Center City, she vowed to go all out to help promote the project to the public and win City Council approval for it.

”We are fighting back to back for this,” Parker told reporters.

It turns out the 76ers did not have the mayor’s back.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• How NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Put An End to a Billionaires’ Feud and Helped Keep the Sixers in South Philly. (Inquirer)
  Shapiro Reaffirms No State Funding For New Sixers Arena, Hopes Project Will Boost Area. (Penn Capital-Star)

Elsewhere

High Stakes Election Year in PA For Policing, Criminal Justice. “The new year carries high stakes around the Commonwealth for policing and criminal justice, as 18 counties will elect a District Attorney while 32 will also conduct elections for Sheriff.” (PoliticsPA)

The Poorest Schools In PA Got An Extra $500M Last Year. Is More Money On the Way? “Last summer, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a budget that acknowledged a roughly $4.5 billion “adequacy gap” to properly fund the commonwealth’s poorest schools, and pledged to fill it using state dollars. They put about $500 million toward the goal in that budget. Now, as a new legislative session begins, funding advocates want to make sure officials don’t drag their feet to cover the rest.” (Spotlight PA)

Lancaster Chamber Calls on Shapiro to Budget $284M For Child Care Workers. “Lancaster Chamber President Heather Valudes and other local community leaders on Monday called on Gov. Josh Shapiro to include a $284 million program in the state’s next budget to address a child care workforce crisis they say is holding back businesses.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

‘The Labor Shortage Will Only Get Worse:’ Trump Deportation Plans Could Hit PA Agriculture Hard. “With the state’s agriculture industry already facing a workforce shortage, President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to begin a mass deportation program at the start of his term next week could exacerbate the problem.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How Sleepy Bucks County Became a Rival to the Hamptons

“It’s hard to pinpoint when things began to change around here but you might start with the arrival of Yolanda Hadid in 2017.

Ms. Hadid, a onetime regular on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” bought a farm just outside New Hope, Pa., to be closer to her daughters, the models Gigi and Bella Hadid, who were then living in New York City.

Suddenly, New Hope and the quaint neighboring towns were becoming a celebrity enclave. While a census might reveal fewer famous people per acre than in the Hamptons, Malibu, or Aspen, the area’s glamour quotient was on the rise.” (NY Times)

Elsewhere

State-Mandated Time Off For Bereavement Is Gaining Ground. Where Does PA Stand? “When his father died from COVID-19 in 2020, James Gerraughty didn’t have to choose between working and grieving. Not everyone is so lucky. Pennsylvania doesn’t have a universal bereavement leave policy. Employers offer it at their discretion, meaning many workers can experience the death of a loved one but not get time off.” (Spotlight PA)

DeMarco Reflects on Time Leading Local GOP and Allegheny County Council. “More than five years after he was elected chairman — and over nine years since he first won an at-large seat on council — Sam DeMarco is stepping down from both roles to serve as southwestern Pennsylvania regional director in newly seated Sen. Dave McCormick’s office.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Blair State Rep Schmitt Enters Race For County Judge. “State Rep. Lou Schmitt (R-Blair) announced his candidacy for judge for Blair County’s Court of Common of Pleas on Friday.” (PoliticsPA)

Internal Documents Show Lancaster County Facing $30M Budget Hole Next Year. “Lancaster County last raised property taxes 12 years ago, and the county’s rainy day fund has a record balance north of $60 million — two facts celebrated repeatedly by the county’s two Republican commissioners.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• City Must Lead on Market Street Development After Sixers Arena Debacle. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• City Officials Got Played on the Sixers Arena — And Then They Tried to Play Us. (Helen Ubiñas)
• Is U.S. Steel’s Future with Nippon Steel or Cleveland-Cliffs? (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
• Seeking Transparency in Campaigns. (Times Observer)
• Suburban Congress Members Prioritize Illegal Immigrants Over Citizen Safety. (Beth Ann Rosica)

1 Book Thing

5. A.J. Brown’s Sideline Read Skyrockets to No. 1 Hottest Seller on Amazon

“Step aside, Oprah.

Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown could launch a book club of his own after a little sideline reading skyrocketed self-help author Jim Murphy to the hottest seller on Amazon overnight.

The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually ignored the action in Philadelphia’s playoff game and flipped through the pages of Murphy’s book, “Inner Excellence.”” (AP)

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