☔  Wednesday. A tad messy around the state today.

????️  In Today’s PoliticsPA Playbook. Trump Spends Little Time on Economics, More Time on Attack During Address. Republicans Subpoena Shapiro Flights, Private Home Security Upgrades. America’s War On Data Centers Is Coming. Underwater Chess.

????  Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Mr. Brightside. The Killers. Feel free to sing along.

PA Weather
☔  Waynesburg | Rain, 44
????️  Emporium | Rain and Snow, 41
????️  East Petersburg | Rain and Snow, 41

PA Sports
????  Flyers (16-9-3) | San Jose 4-1 | Thu vs. Las Vegas
????  Penguins (14-7-7) | Anaheim 3-4 (SO) | Thu vs. Montreal 
????  Sixers (13-10) | Fri vs. Indiana

????  What We’re Hearing. Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Allentown next week to deliver remarks on the economy and the cost of living, continuing the administration’s newfound push to convince voters that the White House is focused on affordability concerns.

????  What We’re Seeing. A new DLCC strategy memo says the party is expanding its map and announcing a $50M investment for 2026 which includes flipping seats in the PA Senate.

????  The Pennsylvania Society. The calendar of events for Dec. 11-13 can be found here. 

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

Top Story

1.   Trump Spends Little Time on Economics, More Time on Attack During Mount Pocono Address

“In an address that was, to be fair, all over the place, President Donald Trump returned to his favorite format, rallying the faithful at the Mount Airy Resort Casino in Mount Pocono, PA on Tuesday night.

Following his successful 2024 rally format, Trump made one of his first business trips outside of Washington since his January inauguration to a region of Pennsylvania that may hold the key to Republicans remaining in the majority in the U.S. House.” | PoliticsPA | gallery

Elsewhere

Shapiro Rips Trump’s Economy: “Does Not Reflect the Reality on the Ground”. “In advance of President Donald Trump’s visit to Monroe County and the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro took exception to Trump’s remarks that his economy deserves a grade of ““A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”” | PoliticsPA

Trump Came to a PA Casino to Promise Prosperity. Gamblers Here Had A Mixed View Of The Economy. “It’s tough for everyone just trying to make a living,” said one gambler at the casino resort where Donald Trump was slated to speak. “One day you feel like he got your back, the next day he doesn’t.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Shapiro, Cox Warn Of Growing Political Violence. “Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah decried the state of the political discourse in the country and talked of leaning on each other after high-profile cases of political violence in a wide-ranging interview with “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday.” | NBC News

Supreme Court Questions Limits On Political Party Spending In Federal Elections, Hearing GOP Appeal. “Conservative Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared to back a Republican-led drive, supported by President Donald Trump’s administration, to overturn a quarter-century-old decision and erase limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president.” | AP

State

2.  ‘Not Playing Games Anymore’: Republicans Subpoena Shapiro Flights, Private Home Security Upgrades

“Three public and private entities will receive subpoenas from a state Senate committee in the coming days after Republicans voted Tuesday to authorize a probe into taxpayer-funded security upgrades at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private residence in Montgomery County and administrative travel on charter flights.

Democrats on the Intergovernmental Operations Committee called the move a “witch hunt” and “disingenuous,” saying the body doesn’t have the authority to subpoena and questioning its “legislative purpose.”” | PoliticsPA

Elsewhere

Fitzpatrick Offers Health Care Tax Credit Extension As Deadline Looms. “A slate of eight bipartisan Congress members, including U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has introduced a bill to extend health care tax credits. These tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025, which could impact hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians if passed.” | Bucks County Courier Times

Approximately 2.7 Million State Agency Letters Were Never Mailed To Pennsylvania Residents Last Month, Officials Say. “Approximately 2.7 million pieces of state agency mail never reached Pennsylvania residents last month after a state-contracted vendor failed to send them, affecting outgoing correspondence from the state Department of Human Services and the Department of Transportation.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Senate Confirms Dr. Carrie Rowe as Secretary of Education. “The Pennsylvania State Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Carrie Rowe as the Commonwealth’s new Secretary of Education in a bipartisan vote.” | PoliticsPA

Around The Commonwealth

3.   America’s War On Data Centers Is Coming

“For more than a century, the Conshohocken steel mill in suburban Philadelphia employed thousands of people and anchored a booming industrial economy. But the original owner went bankrupt in the 1970s, after which the facility limped on with a succession of new owners. Last summer it was idled indefinitely, and put up for sale.

It’s a familiar story of decline. The Trump administration talked a big game about reviving American manufacturing; its efforts so far have been a failure. But in Conshohocken at least, the remnants of America’s industrial age are a perfect fit for what’s powering its economy now — artificial intelligence. A local developer quickly moved to convert the old steel mill into a massive new data center.” | Vox

Elsewhere

Philly Is Now The No. 1 Market For Online Gambling Companies — And Addiction Helplines Are Ringing Off The Hook. “Advertisers spent $37 million on the Philadelphia market in 2025. Online gambling help calls and texts have more than doubled in Pennsylvania and New Jersey since 2021.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Pennsylvania AG Announces $1.55 Million Settlement With Dollar General For Allegedly Overcharging Customers. “The investigation revealed “numerous occasions” when consumers were charged higher prices at registers than were shown on shelves.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Expiring Obamacare Subsidies Prompt Thousands To Drop Pennie Health Insurance. “For every new enrollment, two Pennsylvanians are dropping Obamacare coverage as steep government subsidies are set to expire at year’s end.” | TribLIVE

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Pettiness Is Not Governance | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
• The Supreme Court Got The Redistricting Decision Wrong | Erwin Chemerinsky
• The Era of Illegal Student Loan Forgiveness Is Over | Nicholas Kent and Catherine Hanaway
• PA’s Bipartisan Budget Deal Is a Bipartisan Failure | Matt Barbee
• The PA Lottery’s Dubious Christmas Gift | Paul Kengor

1 Thing

5.   Underwater Checkmate

“Ahead of this week’s Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour Finals, grandmasters competed in an underwater competition, where American Hans Niemann emerged victorious.

Underwater chess: The competition was held in the Silo Hotel’s rooftop pool, where a chess set was placed at a depth of 3.5 feet. Each time a player surfaced after making a move, their opponent had to immediately dive down to make their own move.”

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