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????️ Headlines. The Dominant Political Issue of 2026. PA House Republicans Launch ‘Freedom Through Affordability’ Initiative. AVR Getting More Pennsylvanians On The Rolls, But They Don’t Always Vote. Why Time Begins On Opening Day.

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???? What We’re Hearing. Republicans Against Perry have put up a new billboard on I-83 criticizing the central PA representative for making life more expensive.

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Top Story

1.  5 Takeaways From POLITICO’s Economy Summit

“Affordability is the dominant political issue of 2026. And with less than eight months before the midterms, Washington is feeling the crunch to lower the cost of living for voters. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle touted their housing efforts, though, as Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick noted, there is only so much Congress can do to address affordability concerns.

“We don’t have a magic wand that can fix all problems,” the Pennsylvania Republican said.” | POLITICO

Elsewhere

Deluzio Says He Sees Same Mistakes In Iran That U.S. Made In Iraq. “U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, joined other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Wednesday in opposing President Donald Trump’s request for $200 billion to continue funding the war with Iran.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pro-Crypto Group Launches Midterms Offensive. “Stand With Crypto, the advocacy group that helped shepherd pro-cryptocurrency candidates into Congress last election cycle, is making its first foray into this year’s midterms. For the first batch, they’re backing Rob Bresnahan — and opposing Rep. Scott Perry.” | Semafor

Jill Biden, Lori Shapiro, and Past Pennsylvania First Ladies Offer Advice — And A Rare Glimpse Into Their Lives In The Public Eye. “The current and former first ladies encouraged the state’s women to continue bettering the state and country, while acknowledging some of the Pennsylvania women who blazed a path for women’s equality today.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

State

2.   PA House Republicans Launch ‘Freedom Through Affordability’ Initiative to Cut Costs for Families

“Pennsylvania House Republican policymakers launched their “Freedom Through Affordability” initiative on Wednesday, designed to deliver tax relief and lower costs for residents. The initiative includes a package of six-month tax cuts and sales tax holidays aimed at providing immediate relief for families and workers from escalating prices.

The initiative includes a package of six-month tax cuts and sales tax holidays aimed at providing immediate relief for families and workers from escalating prices.” | PoliticsPA

Elsewhere

House Passes Bill To Shield PA Energy Users From Data Center Costs. “The move comes amid concerns about the energy demands of these data hubs, which are proliferating to support a burgeoning artificial intelligence industry. The legislation, HB1834, sponsored by Rep. Robert Matzie, would require data centers to shoulder the cost of any energy upgrades needed to accommodate them.” | Erie Times-News

‘A Fundamental Right’: PA House Again Passes Bill To End State’s Unenforced Gay Marriage Ban. “A bill to repeal Pennsylvania’s currently-unenforceable same-sex marriage ban cleared the state House for the second time on Wednesday, with the partisan divide on the issue little changed in two years.” | PennLive

Railroad Safety Bill Clears Major Legislative Hurdle in Pennsylvania. “Rep. Rob Matzie’s proposal aims to improve rail safety by prohibiting trains from blocking crossings, which could delay emergency responders. Supporters of the legislation believe this can ensure faster response times.” | The Center Square

Inside Governor Josh Shapiro’s Fast Track For Big New Industry in Pennsylvania. “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s new fast-track permitting program is designed to send a message to potential developers: Pennsylvania will not slow your roll.” | Pittsburgh Media Partnership

Around The Commonwealth

3.   Automatic Voter Registration Is Getting More Pennsylvanians On The Rolls, But They Don’t Always Vote

“Two and a half years into Pennsylvania’s new program to register more voters, rural counties have seen some of the biggest gains, a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis has found.

State data suggests that the program has achieved its goal of registering more voters, including some who may not have registered otherwise. However, Votebeat and Spotlight PA’s analysis found that these new voters are less likely to actually vote than their counterparts who registered by other means.” | Votebeat Pennsylvania

Elsewhere

ICE Wants To Return To Berks County. The Fight Against It Will Look Very Different. “Berks County is once again at the center of a debate over detention and deportation, although on a much larger scale. ICE purchased a warehouse in the county earlier this year, with plans to turn it into a 1,500-bed processing facility. A mega-detention center, capable of holding 7,500 people, is planned nearby. Members of Shut Down Berks said the fight will be radically different because of the scope of the project and the lack of local control.” | Spotlight PA

2 Former Lancaster Country Day Students Get Probation For Making Nude AI Images of Peers. “Two former Lancaster Country Day School students who created hundreds of AI-generated pornographic images of dozens of classmates and other minors will have the opportunity to have their juvenile records expunged if they successfully complete probation.” | LNP

Will the NFL Draft Payoff Make the $19M Public Investment Worth It? “Public dollars are driving efforts to market and execute the NFL draft next month. Forecasts say those investments could reap big returns, but questions remain about who might benefit.” | Public Source

‘Deeply Troubling’: Lehigh County Commissioners Urge Colleague To Step Down In Light Of Drug Charges. “Some Lehigh County commissioners on Wednesday called upon fellow board member Zachary Cole-Borghi to resign, hours after new charges were announced allegedly linking him to a series of drug deals, including one during a commissioners’ meeting.” | Allentown Morning Call

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Fetterman Has Gone From Democratic Hero To Trump Ally. What Will That Mean For His Future? | John Baer 
• Shapiro’s Budget Strikes Out the Rainy Day Fund | Rep. Jim Struzzi
• Sheriff’s Office Continues To Fail Philadelphians | Philadelphia Inquirer
• Allegheny County Must Begin Regular Reassessments | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• The Social Media Shakedown Begins | Wall Street Journal
• Pennsylvania Is The Climate Change Problem | Bruce Ledewitz
• Up To $1B for Education, Tax Free: Shapiro Just Has to Say Yes | Guy Ciarrocchi
• What Guides New Erie Mayor? Devlin Details First 100 Days | Daria Devlin

1 Thing

5.   Why Time Begins On Opening Day

“As each season begins, we always feel the desire to capsulize and define the source of sharp anticipation that we feel as opening day approaches. We know that something fine, almost wonderful, is about to begin., but we can’t quite say why baseball seems so valuable, almost indispensable to us. The game, which remains one of our broadest sources of metaphor, changes with our angle of vision, our mood; there seems to be no end to our succession of lucky discoveries.” – Thomas Boswell

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