Fetterman, Shapiro Top AARP Poll. Where Do Candidates Stand on Abortion Rights? Lawmakers Propose Bills on Poll Workers, Election Funding, Primary Dates. Here is the Playbook.

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Phillies (36-34, 8.5 GB) | THU-SUN at San Diego
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News

Fetterman, Shapiro Top AARP Poll: Democrats hold slight leads over GOP opponents in AARP polling.

As Roe v. Wade Hangs in Balance, Where Do Candidates Stand?: As we await the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, what are the official positions of Pennsylvania’s candidates for statewide office on abortion rights? What do they believe and what will they do for the Commonwealth, if elected?

Bills Limiting Sexual Content in Schools Advance in Senate: A pair of bills sponsored by state senators Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) and Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) to limit discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools advanced out of committee on Tuesday.

House Judiciary Committee Stops Gun Reform Discussion: Any movement on potential gun reform in the Commonwealth was stopped cold in its tracks Tuesday by State House Republicans.

PA Senate Race: ‘Oz drops Trump branding in general election shift’: Axios reports that “Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, is quietly shifting his campaign messaging away from former President Trump as he transitions into what’s likely to be one of the most hotly contested Senate elections of the midterms.”

• PennLive: Fetterman lands major endorsement from National Education Association

• The Hill: Fetterman leads Oz in Pennsylvania Senate race: poll

• CNN: Fact check: Kathy Barnette rejects Oz’s claim that ‘all’ his former rivals have endorsed him

• NBC News: Trump’s PAC gave $3M in May to groups backing Oz, Perdue

‘Bills on poll watchers, earlier presidential primary advance’: The Associated Press reports that “proposals to hold Pennsylvania’s presidential primaries in March rather than April and to permit poll watchers to operate outside the counties where they live were advanced Wednesday by a divided House State Government Committee.”

‘Partisan poll watcher eligibility expanded in bill moving to Pa. House’: PennLive reports that “a bill eliminating the county residency requirement for Pennsylvania’s partisan poll watchers and allowing them to have a clear view of the pre-canvassing and counting of ballots won passage in the House State Government Committee on Wednesday.”

‘Pa. moves closer to having a bigger role in deciding winner in presidential primaries’: PennLive reports that “legislation that is now before the state House for consideration would move up the primary date in presidential election years five weeks earlier.”

‘Pa. Senate Democrats demand Republicans pass gas tax holiday: ‘It’s time to free the funds’’: PennLive reports that “Pennsylvania Senate Democrats gathered Wednesday to call on their Republican counterparts to suspend the state gas tax only hours after President Joe Biden called on state governments to do so.”

‘Top Pa. lawmakers have tentative deal to ban private money, increase funding for county election offices’: Spotlight PA reports that “top Pennsylvania lawmakers have struck a tentative deal to get private money out of election administration.”

‘Jeffrey Clark, the Philly native whom Trump almost named AG, will be a focus at today’s Jan. 6 hearing’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “before he became a central figure Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Clark grew up the youngest of four siblings in Tacony and attended Father Judge Catholic High School.”

‘Members of the LGBTQ community denounce new, so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills’: City & State PA reports that “following a state Senate committee’s approval of two bills aimed at limiting sexual content in public schools, LGBTQ+ advocates and stakeholders called out the legislation as discriminatory and harmful to vulnerable children.”

‘Labor advocates wary of classification bill despite support from gig workers’: City & State PA reports that “while a recent poll shows rideshare drivers favor flexibility over reclassification, labor advocates are skeptical of legislation that seeks to classify gig workers as independent contractors and to establish portable benefits for app-based workers.”

‘Safety expert says House version of Pa. bill to allow expanded testing of self-driving vehicles is better than Senate version, still has flaws’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “a Pennsylvania House bill to expand the testing of self-driving vehicles without emergency drivers is better than an earlier version in the Senate but still has some problems, a leading safety expert said Wednesday.”

‘Pittsburgh to appeal weapons ban ruling to state Supreme Court’: KDKA reports that “in the wake of the Tree of Life massacre, the city of Pittsburgh passed a bill to ban the assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines used in the attack. But so far, both Common Pleas and Commonwealth Court judges have ruled the city overstepped its power.”

‘Pa. House passes bill to give Dorney Park, other amusement parks more flexibility selling alcohol’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday approved a bill to give Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and other amusement parks more flexibility in alcohol sales by putting the parks in the same liquor license category as stadiums and concert venues.”

‘PA House committee passes bill limiting wind turbines near military bases’: ABC27 reports that “a Pennsylvania House committee voted on party lines to limit the construction or installation of wind turbines that negatively affect military installations.”

‘The 2023 race for Philly mayor is starting soon. Meet the candidates who might run.’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the next Philadelphia mayoral race isn’t until next year. But with a crowded field appearing likely, candidates may start throwing their hats in the ring as soon as this summer.”

‘For Philly mayoral wanna-be’s in City Council, this year’s budget starts their campaigns’: WHYY reports that “for a number of Philadelphia City Council members, the budget negotiations concluding this week weren’t just about pushing for spending priorities. They were about making a pitch to voters.”

‘Lackawanna County Republicans choose new leaders’: The Scranton Times-Tribune reports that “longtime Republican stalwart Daniel R. Naylor will serve as the next chairman of the Lackawanna County Republican Party.”

‘Dems reelect Patrick as Lackawanna County party chairman’: The Scranton Times-Tribune reports that “Chris Patrick was elected to a third four-year term as Lackawanna County Democratic Party chairman at a meeting Tuesday evening.”

Regional Spotlight: Northeast
Citizens Voice: Natural gas impact fee generates $234 million for Pennsylvania 
The Times Leader: At campaign event, Cartwright tells supporters ‘we need to put people first’
The Times Leader: Baker-Yudichak legislation would protect children from lead poisoning 
The Times Leader: Passenger rail study for Wilkes-Barre back on track 
Times-Tribune: New U.S. attorney takes oath in Scranton 
Times-Tribune: Ciavarella again denied compassionate early release over COVID-19 concerns 
Times-Tribune: State education funding levels at center of budget talks, court case
Times-Tribune: Excerpts from our conversation with Paige Gebhardt Cognetti
Times-Tribune: News Engine podcast interview with Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti: Part 2
Times-Tribune: Lackawanna County property reassessment to start next month 
Times-Tribune: City’s upgraded fire protection classification could prompt lower insurance premiums
Times-Tribune: Pa. defendant in Jan. 6 Capitol riot says any mention of ‘attack on Congress’ and other similar terms wouldn’t be fair in trial
The Times Leader: Luzerne County Council members weigh in on possible division head salary increase 
The Times Leader: Luzerne County government watcher Brian Shiner has died
The Times Leader: Superior Court judges hold court at Luzerne County Courthouse 
The Times Leader: Wilkes-Barre receives other half of ARP funding 
Citizens Voice: Cartwright announces $200K to support local homeless veterans re-entering the workforce
The Times Leader: Nonprofits seek Luzerne County American Rescue Plan funding for range of projects 
The Times Leader: Capitol Roundup: Casey applauds Senate passage of historic bill that benefits veterans

Opinion  
Ryan Bizzarro, Nick Pisciottano, Sara Innamorato and Joanna McClinton: End corporate greed and price gouging to protect the people
Jim Hertzler: Lawmakers should use the state’s revenue surplus to reduce homeowner property taxes
Paul Muschick: Pennsylvania nursing homes looking to state for help amid fears of mass closures
Ashley McBride: Biden has a plan to fight inflation. Republicans need to help or get out of the way
John L. Micek: These states are getting hit the hardest by inflation | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Stephan Pechdimaldji: Oz must affirm reality of Armenian Genocide
Jenny DeHuff: Editor’s Note: Trump’s meddling in Pennsylvania’s election demands a redress 
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Banning domestic abusers from public office more complicated than meets the eye 
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Which bridge will fall next? City’s negligence leaves Pittsburghers on edge
Inquirer Editorial Board: Don’t blame Biden for higher gas prices 
Brittany Salerno and Barbara Capozzi: Is a safe injection site a good idea in Philadelphia? | Pro/Con
Troy H. Wilson and Donna L. Jones: Restorative justice programs can supplant criminal cases
John L. Micek: Trumpism is fascism, American-style
Abdul-Aliy A. Muhammad: Every shooting is ‘horrific.’ Not just on South Street.
Will Bunch Newsletter: CNN picks worst time to bail on ‘the Big Lie’
Robert Hill: Robert Bruce, racism and the evolution of the University of Pittsburgh
Jack Doyle: Sixty years ago, Pittsburgh’s Rachel Carson was more right than she knew
Jenice Armstrong: I can’t do anything about Denis Mohamed Jaward’s death, but I can at least try to clear up a rumor
Inga Saffron: By turning Fairmount Water Works into a party space, Philly exemplifies the worst of park privatization