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

PA Weather
⛅ Clarion | Decreasing Clouds, 45
🌤️ Hanover | Mostly Sunny, 56
🌤️ Schuylkill Haven | Becoming Sunny, 53

PA Sports
🏀 Sixers (8-16) | Charlotte 121-108 | Fri vs. Charlotte
🏒 Penguins (13-14-5) | Tue vs. Los Angeles
🏒 Flyers (14-13-4) | Wed vs. Detroit

🔊  What We’re Hearing. A plurality of US voters, 40%, support the ban on TikTok, starting January 19, according to a new national poll from Emerson College.

🎂  Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and state Rep. Zachary Mako.

📱  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 Backs Polio Vaccine But Won’t Commit To Others, Attacks Media

“President-elect Donald Trump pledged Monday to keep the polio vaccine available throughout his presidency, but didn’t extend that protection to other vaccines, saying he expects his administration will look closely at safety — something the U.S. Food and Drug Administration already does before granting approval.

Trump’s comments came during an hour-long press conference where he hinted at trying to privatize the Postal Service and said he planned to file a lawsuit against a presidential preference poll published by The Des Moines Register that found him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in the last days before the election.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Elsewhere

Fetterman On An Island As He Reaches Out to MAGA. “Sen. John Fetterman has become a voice of bipartisanship, making moves that he tells Axios are “responsible and completely appropriate” — but that are putting him on an island, apart from other Democrats.” (Axios)

Muslim Nominee For U.S. Appeals Court Decries a ‘Fundamentally Broken’ System For Choosing Judges. “Adeel Abdullah Mangi, whose bid to be the first Muslim American to sit on a federal appeals court was opposed by Western Pennsylvania’s three House Republicans, said he was targeted by opponents because of his religion, not his qualifications.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Thompson, Senate GOP Counterpart Criticize Democrats For Farm Bill Inaction. “On the eve of what may be the final week of the 118th Congress, Republican leaders of agriculture committees in the two chambers of Congress have issued a statement about the likely demise of Farm Bill legislation for the 2023-24 term on Capitol Hill.” (Indiana Gazette)

Bill Naming Bald Eagle National Bird On Way to White House. “The bald eagle has (almost) landed as the national bird of the United States after the House on Monday cleared the bill to make the designation official.” (Roll Call)

State

2. Picking A President

“Harrisburg will be one of the 50 most important places in the country today and for good reason.

The first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December is the day that electors in each state in the Union meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. Pennsylvania’s electors will meet in the state’s House of Representatives chamber at noon.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Persistent Problems With a PA Grant For Beer Promotion Led to Headaches, Layoffs For Awardees. “An analysis by Spotlight PA of the beer grant program showed that since its 2016 inception, nearly a fifth of the total dollars awarded were never paid out by the liquor control board. In many cases, the agency reimbursed people tens of thousands of dollars less than the grant total they were originally awarded.” (Spotlight PA)

2024 Was Big For Bitcoin. States Could See a Crypto Policy Blitz in 2025 in Spite of the Risks. “The new year will usher in the bitcoin-friendly administration of President-elect Donald Trump and an expanding lobbying effort in statehouses that, together, could push states to become more open to crypto and for public pension funds and treasuries to buy into it.” (AP)

Rep. Mindy Fee Won’t Pursue State Senate Seat, Clearing Way For Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons. “Parsons has privately called Republican committee members in recent days asking for their support in an unscheduled special election to replace Ryan Aument.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Pittsburgh City Council Set to Vote on 2025 Budget, Amid Doubts About Staffing Costs

“Pittsburgh City Council is poised to pass a $845 million budget for 2025, despite ongoing concerns that some of its numbers — in particular, its projections for police overtime — are unrealistic.

In a letter sent to council on Monday, City Controller Rachael Heisler warned of “substantial gaps in the budget allocations for Public Safety and Public Works overtime, which necessitates immediate attention.”” (WESA)

Elsewhere

Rep. Fitzpatrick: ‘It’s Time For Action’ On Unexplained Drones. “Thousands of unexplained drone sightings have spooked New Jersey residents. Now, drones are appearing in Pennsylvania night skies.” (DV Journal)

• Trump Says the Government Is Keeping People ‘In Suspense’ About Drones Over N.J. And the Philly Suburbs. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• PA Sen. Rosemary Brown Among Those Seeking Answers to Mysterious Drones Over Region. (WVIA)

The Sharpest Suburban Shift Toward Trump Was In These Heavily South Asian Precincts In Delaware County. “South Asian voters in Upper Darby and Millbourne cited the economy and illegal immigration as reasons they voted for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, despite her shared heritage.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• A Worrisome Sign As Media Companies and Tech Leaders Start Lining Up to Bend the Knee to Trump. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Food Prices Aren’t Dropping, And Even Trump Knows It. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Growth Must Be the GOP’s Priority. (David Hoppe)
• Four Ways Trump is Already Winning in 2025. (Keith Naughton)
• Pennsylvania Should Better Regulate the Products Already Available Before Legalizing More. (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

1 Thing

5. Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Almost Didn’t Air − And Why It Endures

“It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple – etched into traditions across generations like decorating the tree or sipping hot cocoa.

But this beloved TV special almost didn’t make it to air. CBS executives thought the 25-minute program was too slow, too serious and too different from the upbeat spectacles they imagined audiences wanted. A cartoon about a depressed kid seeking psychiatric advice? No laugh track? Humble, lo-fi animation? And was that a Bible verse? It seemed destined to fail – if not scrapped outright.

And yet, against all the odds, it became a classic.” (Gettysburg Connection)

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