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???? PoliticsPA Playbook Headlines. Democrats Hold 10-Point Edge Over Republicans Ahead of Midterm Elections: Poll. Report: Pennsylvania’s Richest Billionaire Profits From School Voucher Program. 6abc Caught Up In Review of Disney’s TV Licenses. Taylor Swift Files to Trademark Her Voice and Likeness

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Top Story

1.   Democrats Hold 10-Point Edge Over Republicans Ahead of Midterm Elections: Poll

“Democrats hold a 10-point advantage over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, according to the latest in a series of polls showing the party in a strong position ahead of November’s midterm elections.

In a three-day Emerson College Polling survey, conducted this past weekend, 50 percent of likely voters said they would back a generic Democratic candidate for Congress, while 40 percent say they would prefer the average Republican in November. Another 10 percent say they’re not sure.

“Democrats’ strength is driven by an increase in support among Hispanic voters, women, and independents,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.” | The Hill

Elsewhere

PA-01: ‘A Seat We Have To Win’: Bucks County Democrats Bob Harvie and Lucia Simonelli Face Off Ahead of Primary to Challenge Fitzpatrick. “Two Democrats vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick later this year made their pitches to voters ahead of their party’s primary in just three weeks.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

PA-03: Stanford Suggests Congress Could Enforce Immigration Laws If ICE Is Abolished. “Should Congress be in charge of enforcing immigration laws? Physician Ala Stanford, a first-time candidate seeking to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in Congress, seemed to suggest as much in an interview with NBC10 that aired Friday and has attracted attention to her stance on immigration in the days that followed.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

PA-07 Democrats Dig Into NATO, Foreign Aid and War. “Lehigh Valley Public Media asked former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine to weigh in on the conflict in Iran and how Congress should adapt to the changing geopolitical climate.” | LehighValleyNews

Report Sexual Misconduct? It’s Not That Simple, Staffers Say. “Almost a decade after a workplace harassment overhaul on Capitol Hill, staffers aren’t fully comfortable reporting misconduct — that is, if they even know where to turn, a range of lawmakers and aides told Roll Call.” | Roll Call

State

2.  Report: Pennsylvania’s Richest Billionaire Profits From School Voucher Program

“Organizations and private entities associated with Jeffrey Yass, Pennsylvania’s wealthiest billionaire and a Republican megadonor, have been the top recipients of tax credits associated with the commonwealth’s two main school voucher programs, according to a new report by the Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE) and the LittleSis Public Accountability Initiative.” | The Keystone

Elsewhere

Pennsylvania Court Grants Public Access To Voting Data In Dispute From 2020 Election’s Aftermath. “Pennsylvania’s high court ruled Tuesday that spreadsheets of raw data associated with every ballot are public records, providing access to the “cast vote records” that had been requested by an election researcher hired by the Trump Administration last year.” | AP

Hearing Erupts After Dem Chair Tries To Sidestep GOP Transgender Sports Bills: ‘They’re Petrified’. “A Pennsylvania hearing on transgender sports legislation erupted in chaos Monday, as Republicans accused Democrats of trying to sidestep votes on two related bills.” | Fox News

PA House Advances Bill to Ban Whites-Only Housing and Add LGBTQ Protections. “The Pennsylvania House made another attempt at adding protections for LGBTQ people to the state’s anti-discrimination law – this time by including the language in a bill that was otherwise written to prohibit segregationists from building white-only housing developments.” | PennLive

Around The Commonwealth

3.   6abc Caught Up In Trump Administration’s Rare Review of Disney’s TV Licenses

“The Trump administration is launching an early review of Disney’s broadcast television licenses, which includes 6abc (WPVI) in Philadelphia. 

The Federal Communications Commission notified Disney of the review Tuesday, according to an FCC filing. It comes after President Donald Trump called for ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over a joke he made Thursday night involving first lady Melania Trump.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Elsewhere

Bilal Asks City Council For 54% Budget Increase, More Than Any Other City Agency. “Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal says chronic staffing shortages and other problems in her department could be resolved with $19.3 million in new funding.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Nicholas, Timko Pitch Candidacies At GOP Forum. “In the 12th legislative district, Ethan Nicholas and Scott Timko both portray themselves as solidly conservative and proud Republicans, though they hold some nuances in their approaches to policy.” | Butler Eagle

Report: Center City Philadelphia Is ‘On A Roll’ Despite Concerns With Taxes, Transit and Homelessness. “Much like its famed cheesesteaks, Philadelphia’s Center City is on a roll – at least, that’s what the Center City District says in its annual report released Wednesday morning.” | City & State

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• PA Must Properly Fund Early Literacy Programs | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
• Security Should Not Be Political | TribLIVE
• ‘Disappointed,’ ‘Surprised,’ ‘Betrayed’: 12 Trump Voters on What Has Gone Wrong | Katherine Miller, Margie Omero, Adrian J. Rivera
• The Trump Tax Increase of 2026 | Phil Gramm, Michael Solon
• PA’s Suburbs Were Supposed to Win. So Why Are They Losing? | Athan Koutsiouroumbas
• Questions Mount at PHRC As Vacancies, Resignations, And An Investigation Collide | Beth Ann Rosica
• How Governor Shapiro Plans to Spend Your Money | Nick Hand 
• What Democrats Need to Do | William J. Rothwell

1 Thing

5.   Taylor Swift Files to Trademark Her Voice and Likeness, Apparently to Protect Against AI Misuse

“Taylor Swift has taken a new legal step seemingly aimed at protecting her identity in the age of AI — following in the footsteps of actor Matthew McConaughey.

On Friday, April 24, Swift’s company filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Two relate to sound trademarks covering her voice: one is “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” and the other is “Hey, it’s Taylor.”

The third trademark is a visual trademark covering “a photograph of Taylor Swift holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots. She is standing on a pink stage in front of a multi-colored microphone with purple lights in the background.”” | Variety

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