🌧️ Bonjour, Wednesday. A little wet today.

🗞️ 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
🌧️ Uniontown | Rain becoming Snow, 🔽33
☂️ Huntingdon | Rain, 🔽37
☔ Wyomissing | Rain, 63

PA Sports
🏀 Sixers (7-15) | Fri vs. Indiana
🏒 Flyers (13-12-4) | Columbus 5-3 | Thu vs. Detroit
🏒 Penguins (12-14-4) | Colorado 2-6 | Thu vs. Montreal

🔊  What We’re Hearing. “If he is helping us solve problems in Pennsylvania, it is not a bad thing that he is getting national attention.” – Rep.-elect Scott Barger about Gov. Josh Shapiro.

📱  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. Nippon Steel Promises $5K Payouts to Steelworkers as Biden Signals He Will Block the Sale

“On the same day Nippon Steel said it would pay almost every U.S. Steel employee $5,000 once its proposed purchase of the Pittsburgh steelmaker is finalized, reports emerged that President Joe Biden intends to block the controversial $15 billion deal.

Mr. Biden is poised to block the sale by the end of his term, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing confidential sources.

The decision would signal that lobbying since September has not shifted the president’s stance that the iconic Pittsburgh steelmaker should remain American owned.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Nippon Steel Slams ‘Inappropriate’ Politics in US Deal. (CNHI News)

Elsewhere

Dave McCormick Won Pennsylvania by Following Donald Trump’s Formula of Reaching Disengaged Voters. “Sen.-elect Dave McCormick was the first GOP gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidate to win Pennsylvania since 2016. And he did it by taking the path charted by President-elect Donald Trump.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Pennsylvania’s New Congressional Members. (The Hill)

Pennsylvania State Sen. Aument is Leaving Office to Work For McCormick. “Sen. Ryan Aument, a Republican, intends to resign before the new legislative session begins Jan. 3 to become Sen.-elect David McCormick’s state director. Aument has served as the caucus whip for the Senate Republican majority for the past two years.” (AP)

• Aument to Depart State Senate For Role as McCormick’s State Director. (PoliticsPA)
• Ryan Aument Leaving General Assembly to Serve as McCormick’s State Director. (LNP | Lancaster Online)

Meuser Doesn’t Say Whether He’s Running For Pennsylvania Governor, But Talks Like A Candidate. “U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser didn’t say whether he’s going to throw his hat into the ring for Pennsylvania governor during a Tuesday interview, but he said a lot of things that sound like someone considering a run.” (Penn Capital-Star)

State

2. Shapiro Joins Moore, Youngkin in Renewed Commitment to Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

“Top officials from all the Chesapeake Bay states and the federal government gathered in Annapolis Tuesday to reiterate their commitment to cleaning up the historically and economically critical estuary and strengthening the decade-long partnership that has helped improved the Bay’s health — even if that progress hasn’t been as swift and consistent as they might have hoped.

The meeting comes just weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to eliminate funding for Bay programs during his first term, adding an element of uncertainty for the Chesapeake’s state-based environmental stewards. But officials from red and blue states described their allegiance to the Bay cleanup as durable and unshakable Tuesday.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Elsewhere

PA Twist in NYC Murder of Health Care CEO Puts Gov. Shapiro on National Stage — Again. “Little more than a month after Pennsylvania was the focal point in the national presidential election, the state abruptly found itself in the spotlight of a national murder drama — and Gov. Josh Shapiro once again fielding questions with a style befitting a potential future presidential candidate.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Keli Neary Confirmed to U.S District Court for Middle District of PA. “By a vote of 49-48, Keli Neary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a judge to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.” (PoliticsPA)

Lawmakers Make New Bid to End PA Ties to RGGI. “Two regional lawmakers are asking for support from their colleagues for legislation that would eliminate the regulation tying Pennsylvania to the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.” (CNHI News)

Report: Pennsylvania Worst State For Litigation Bloat. “The American Tort Reform Foundation has labeled Pennsylvania as the nation’s worst “Judicial Hellhole” in a new report.” (The Center Square)

Around The Commonwealth

3. O’Connor Announces Candidacy For Pittsburgh Mayor

“Corey O’Connor, Allegheny County controller, officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Pittsburgh during a Tuesday media conference.

“There is no vision coming off of Grant Street anymore,” he said during the event. “When I look around, I see a mayor and an administration managing decline instead of trying to grow Pittsburgh.” (PoliticsPA)

• O’Connor Enters Mayoral Race, Arguing Pittsburgh ‘Deserves Better’ Than Another Gainey Term. (WESA)
• Corey O’Connor Formally Announces His Candidacy For Mayor. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

As Arena Deadline Nears, Philly Council Considers Giving the 76ers a Nearly $100M Ultimatum. “Lawmakers want the 76ers to pay significantly more than the $50 million the team has offered to contribute to the project’s community benefits agreement, which would aid impacted businesses.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pittsburgh City Council Offers Only Minor Tweaks to Gainey’s 2025 Budget Despite Major Concerns. “In tweaking the mayor’s $665 million spending plan, which comes up today for a preliminary vote, council steered away from tackling such big-ticket line items.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

Blair County DA: Apprehension of Suspect in Shooting Death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brings Unprecedented Attention. “The media circus that mobbed the Altoona Police Department and the Blair County Courthouse following Luigi Mangione’s arrest isn’t exactly business as usual, but Peter Weeks remains solely focused on the job.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Embattled Ex-Dauphin County Commissioner Had Secret Business With County’s Lobbyist. “For more than 40 years, Stanley Rapp walked the halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol rubbing elbows with lawmakers and people in power, first as a high-ranking state Senate employee and then as the co-founder of one of the state’s most influential lobbying firms, Greenlee Partners.” (PennLive)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Yes, Pittsburgh’s Rivers Need the Coast Guard. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Do CEO Lives Matter? Does Anyone’s? (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Push For School Vouchers Raises Concern. (Jerry Zahorchak)
• The Great Democratic Divide Elects Trump Twice. (David Winston)
• Corporate Welfare Doesn’t Work. Cutting Red Tape Does. (Elizabeth Stelle)
• Delco Council Can’t Fool All of the People All of the Time. (Wally Nunn)

1 Thing

5. Philadelphia: Mid-Atlantic or Northeast? The Great Debate

“Hoo boy. Is Philly in the Mid-Atlantic — or the Northeast? We have true believers on both sides.

Between the fault lines: The pick has everything to do with how Philly views itself and what big cities we feel more culturally connected to.

Are we more simpatico with Boston and New York City? Or D.C. and Baltimore?” (Axios Philadelphia)

Editor’s Note: And don’t even get us started on Pittsburgh as a midwestern city!

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