AARP Ad Buy Calls out Senate. Divided court explains congressional map choice. Oz slams politicians who still favor masks for kids. Where is John Fetterman? Will PA cut its own gas tax? Here is the Playbook.

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News

AARP Ad Buy Calls Out Senate on Medicare, Drug Prices: Just in time for the House Democrats’ three-day strategy confab in Philadelphia, AARP has made a seven-figure ad buy including television and digital advertising in the DC area, and television in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

PA Senate Race: ‘David McCormick surges past Mehmet Oz and other takeaways from a new Pa. Senate race poll’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “a new poll of Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate primary gives us one of our first solid looks at a nationally watched campaign, and it shows former hedge fund executive David McCormick vaulting ahead of celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.”

• Post-Gazette: In Pittsburgh, Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate tackle foreign policy amid Ukraine crisis
• Fox News: Dr. Oz slams politicians who still favor masks for young children: ‘Harm we’re doing could be irreparable’
• Inquirer: We can’t find John Fetterman | Election Newsletter
• WFMZ: Hopeful candidates visit Berks County
• Reading Eagle: Dr. Mehmet Oz’s U.S. Senate campaign makes stop in Berks County

PA Governor Race: ‘Republican governor hopeful Sen. Jake Corman talks state gas tax relief, mail-in voting during Lancaster campaign stop’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “the top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate and a leading contender for his party’s nomination for governor said during a Lancaster city campaign stop Wednesday he will push to lower the state’s gas tax by the beginning of April.”

• Inquirer: Bill McSwain called a West Chester school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance club ‘leftist political indoctrination’
• Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Governor candidate views businesses as part of bus tour

‘Sean Meloy hoping to represent his home district in U.S. Congress’: The Beaver County Times reports that “Allegheny County native and local and national LGBTQ advocate Sean Meloy has announced he is running for the U.S. House of Representatives for the newly configured 17th District, which includes all of Beaver County and about half of Allegheny County.” 

‘Divided court explains choice of new congressional map’: The Associated Press reports that “all seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices issued opinions Wednesday regarding their 4-3 vote last month to pick a new map of the state’s congressional districts, disclosing the majority relied partially on how fair the various proposals would be to the two major parties.”

‘Pa. lawmaker proposes lowering state liquid fuels tax amid rising gas prices’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “Pennsylvania’s highest-ranking Senate Republican proposed lowering the state’s liquid fuels tax by a third through the end of the year with the hope of providing relief as prices rise.”

‘PennDOT will negotiate with group led by Australian firm for tolling project to replace nine bridges’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will negotiate with a nine-member group of contractors headed by an Australian firm to replace nine bridges proposed for tolling at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion.”

‘Six Pennsylvania state universities will soon find out the fate of their planned merger’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that on Thursday “the Middle States Commission for Higher Education is to meet and render a decision regarding the planned mergers of six of Pennsylvania’s 14 state universities — California, Clarion and Edinboro in the west and Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield in the northeast.”

‘Matzie introduces Megan’s Law bill for nursing homes’: The Beaver County Times reports that “state Rep. Rob Matzie has introduced a bill that would give Megan’s Law protections and guidelines in nursing homes.”

‘Legislation introduced to help Ukrainian refugees’: The Beaver County Times reports that “PA state Reps. Rob Matzie and Kevin Boyle have introduced legislation to give $2 million in state aid to Ukrainian refugees.”

‘Will Pennsylvania cut gas tax as price hits record $4.39 a gallon? Not everyone is on board.’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “as Pennsylvania’s average gasoline price hit a record $4.39 a gallon Wednesday, political leaders launched proposals to cut gasoline taxes or remove impediments to Pennsylvania energy production.”

‘Pennsylvania could be the second-most flooded state in 2022 behind Florida, new study shows’: City & State PA reports that “a study conducted by the nonprofit research and technology group First Street Foundation analyzing the potential impact of increased flooding has found that the commonwealth trails only Florida for potential structural damage, and that three Pennsylvania cities are at serious risk of office, retail, and residential damage.”

‘Casey, Cartwright announce more funding for abandoned mine land reclamation’: The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports that “U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright have announced that Pennsylvania will receive more than $26 million in funding for abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation efforts in fiscal year 2022.”

Regional Spotlight: Northeast
Citizens Voice: Election board appointee resigns from Daniels campaign to avoid conflict
Times-Tribune: Scranton homeowners continue to bear largest tax burden in Lackawanna County
Times-Tribune: Cognetti, Scranton City Council resolve appointments dispute
Times-Tribune: Lackawanna County Prison warden blasts Domenick over her Facebook post
The Times Leader: Luzerne County Council picks new Republican election board member
The Times Leader: Luzerne County Council calls special meeting over settlement funding
Citizens Voice: Brooks wants to change Wilkes-Barre city code for appointments

Opinion  
John Baer: Pennsylvania’s ‘democratic deficit’ (it’s not what you think) seems alive and well in 2022 
Jeanne McNeill: Stop stalling! Legislators must act to protect animals now
Mike Walsh: Pa.’s new legislative maps are better, but not good enough
Paul Muschick: U.S. Rep. Susan Wild on her trip to Poland-Ukraine border: ‘Every single one of us was in tears watching it’
Arthur H. Garrison: Why are middle Americans so angry? Simple, we don’t like to be told what to do
Kevin Sunday: Flip the switch to competitive energy markets
Patrick Beaty: The Pa. Constitution belongs to all of us. Not one political party 
Robert Beard: President Biden has rallied nations to impose the strongest economic sanctions ever against any nation
John L. Micek: Analysis: GOP plan would be a tax hike for 35% of Pa. residents | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Christine Flowers: Identity politics is clinging to things that are ultimately irrelevant
Tom Benic and Thaddeus Massalski: Memories of tyranny — Poland 1939 and Ukraine 2022
David J. Hickton: Report for region: People must have voice, stake in algorithms
Brandon McGinley: The Steel City can’t build a steel bridge
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Pennsylvania can’t afford the death penalty
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Republicans must rein in the extremists
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Pennsylvania’s top ranking in hate propaganda is alarming. We must fight hate. 
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Parents say their son with disabilities suffered neglect in an Elanco classroom. They deserve answers.
Jenice Armstrong: How dare Tucker Carlson demand to see Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT scores 
Alison McCook: ‘It felt pretty weird’: A second grader on what mask-optional looks like 
Helen Ubiñas: He learned how to read behind bars. Now he wants other returning citizens to go to college 
Joseph N. DiStefano: U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission backed staff amid concerns over taking Facebook money and a discrimination suit
Florence Brown: Just stop: No one wants your home-buying advice 
Christina Griffith: A win win for water