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PA Weather
🌥️ Aliquippa | Mostly Cloudy, 22
🌤️ Shermans Dale | Partly Sunny, 29
☀️ Trevose | Sunny, 31

PA Sports
🏈 Eagles (16-3) | Sun vs. Washington
🏒 Penguins (20-22-8) | Anaheim 1-5 | Sat vs. Seattle
🏒 Flyers (22-21-6) | NY Rangers 1-6 | Fri vs. NY Islanders
🏀 Sixers (15-27) | Fri vs. Cleveland | Sat vs. Chicago

🔊 What We’re Hearing. “Frankly, the way Cleveland-Cliffs CEO spoke about the Japanese people was offensive to so many people that I can’t imagine why anyone would want to work for that type of person or company.” – U.S. Steelworkers letter to President Trump

📱 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. Steelworkers Make Fresh Plea to Trump to Save U.S. Steel-Nippon Deal

“U.S. Steel workers have a new bid to win over President Donald Trump, and they’re making their case now.

Eschewing the slow, tumbling momentum that failed to win over President Joe Biden, the steelworkers drafted an open letter to Trump this week making it clear that they don’t want the iconic Pittsburgh company to sell to their competitor in Cleveland.

In the letter to Trump, workers argued that Cleveland-Cliffs “doesn’t have the money or the know-how to make U.S. Steel great again or to make the investments that Nippon has committed.”” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

Pennsylvania To Receive $212M In Settlement With Sacklers, Purdue Pharma. “Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties have reached a $7.4 billion settlement, in principle, with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc., for their role in fueling an opioid crisis.” (PoliticsPA)

PA Leaders Aren’t Wading Into the Fray on Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order. “Legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s executive orders are already working their way through the system, most notably an attempt to end birthright citizenship.” (PennLive)

Senate Bill Would Require Schools to Help Students File Title VI Complaints, Including About Jew-Hatred. ““The threats and attacks against Jewish students since Oct. 7 are despicable,” stated Sen. Bill Cassidy, who introduced the bill with Sen. John Fetterman.” (Jewish News Syndicate)

State

2. Shapiro Says He ‘Got Stuff Done’ In His First Two Years. His Biggest Challenges Are to Come

“Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from Abington Township now halfway through his first term leading the nation’s fifth-most-populous state, spent his first two years taking on perennial issues in Pennsylvania, such as the state’s unconstitutional funding system for public education, stagnating higher education institutions, and a long-sought increase to the state’s property tax and rent rebate program for seniors.

But his time as a major swing-state governor — and rumored national ambitions — thrust him into the national spotlight last year as a front-runner to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate ahead of the presidential election. And his first two years leading Pennsylvania have come with challenges.

And only two years in, Shapiro’s biggest tests as a dealmaker are yet to come.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

PA Legislators Eye a Tax on Bar ‘Skill Games’ to Make Up For Shortfall In Public Transit Funding. “In state politics, the road to addressing big problems often seems to run through Philadelphia. That’s certainly true when it comes to mass transit, as Harrisburg wrestles with how to keep public transit systems operating months after Gov. Josh Shapiro diverted federal highway funds as a stopgap for Philly’s struggling transit agency.” (WESA Politics)

Trump’s Order Rejecting ‘Gender Ideology’ Contradicts PA Rules For Schools. “Pennsylvania regulations define gender identity as a protected class — despite Trump’s order stating otherwise — and specify that discrimination based on gender identity is a form of prohibited sex-based discrimination.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

You Can Now Track How PA’s Richest Billionaire Uses His Power and Influence. “Jeffrey Yass’ net worth nearly doubled in 2024 and is close to $50 billion, thanks to his investments in TikTok’s parent company. A new website is designed to track his political influence and spending.” (The Keystone)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Budget Fix or Shell Game? Delaware County’s $7.6M Mystery

“Delaware County says it has no documents — not a single email, memo, spreadsheet, text, or voicemail — that could shed light on how $7.6 million dollars magically showed up in the county’s second draft of the 2025 budget, thereby giving the county more breathing room on the massive tax increase it was proposing for the upcoming year.

That $7.6 million infusion into a single spending line is important because it represents most of the difference between the county’s first budget draft proposing a 28 percent tax increase, and the subsequent draft that lowered the proposed tax increase to 23 percent. In other words, the tax decrease between the two versions couldn’t have happened without the additional $7.6 million.” (Broad + Liberty)

Elsewhere

Former Police Officer Tony Moreno to Run For Mayor of Pittsburgh. “Retired Pittsburgh Police officer Tony Moreno announced Thursday that he will once again be running for mayor as a Republican. He announced his campaign with a message to voters: “I told you so,” he wrote in his announcement.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Philly Dems Opt Not To Endorse in District Attorney Race. “Philadelphia’s Democratic ward leaders voted to not endorse a candidate in this year’s contest for District Attorney, turning their back on current office holder Larry Krasner.” (PoliticsPA)

Tom Giovanni Announces Campaign For Northampton County Executive. “Giovanni, a retired businessman from Plainfield Township, said in a news release that he is running to end the dysfunction and incompetence of Executive Lamont McClure’s administration.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Immigration Changes, Misinformation Leave NEPA Communities Fearful. “The message went viral on social media. An anonymous poster in a Facebook group was looking for volunteers to help distribute hundreds of posters in South Scranton. “Report illegal aliens,” the poster screamed in big black letters, with a phone number and internet tip page. “There is nowhere to hide,” it added.” (WVIA)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• The Supreme Court Decision that Gave Elon Musk So Much Power. (William French)
• How Trump Will Fail. (David Brooks)
• Leaders Shouldn’t Attack Bishops, or Anyone, For Their Words. (Nancy Eshelman)
• A Government Funding Bill Republicans Can’t Oppose. (Michael Solon)
• Delco Takes Important Step of Putting Campaign Finance Filings Online. (Broad + Liberty)
• City, Save Thyself. (Larry Platt)
• A Message From the Pulpit Transcends Politics. (Lori Falce)

1 Thing

5. Punxsutawney Phil Fans Line Up to Meet Their “God” at Phil-a-Palooza

“Before his scheduled appearance at Wigle Whiskey, Punxsutawney Phil and his Inner Circle pushed their way through a flurry of fans at the Omni William Penn Hotel, the groundhog’s accommodation of choice when he visits Pittsburgh.

Before his big day on Feb. 2, Phil’s role is less of a deity and more that of an international pop star. To help keep Groundhog Day a free event, Phil leaves the haven of his zoo at Gobbler’s Knob — made more difficult this year after he became a dad — for a series of promotions and fundraisers. This year, the groundhog embarked on a mini-tour, visiting the Pennsylvania Farm Show and meeting state representatives, hosting a talent show, promoting Ace Hardware, and making an annual stop in Pittsburgh.” (Pittsburgh City Paper)

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