Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Inquirer: Inside Pennsylvania Society: Power Schmoozing, Budget Ballads, Midterm Jockeying In Manhattan

-- Inquirer: Josh Shapiro Has Full-Circle Moment At Pennsylvania Society Dinner In NYC, David  Cohen Honored

-- PennLive: Shapiro Doesn’t Need Pennsylvania Society, And More Takeaways From PA’s Weekend In NYC

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Inquirer: Josh Shapiro Has Full-Circle Moment At Pennsylvania Society Dinner In NYC, David  Cohen Honored

-- PennLive: Shapiro Doesn’t Need Pennsylvania Society, And More Takeaways From PA’s Weekend In NYC

-- Post-Gazette: Josh Shapiro Hasn’t Stopped Suing The President

-- WESA: PA State Police Commissioner Taking A Job With FBI

-- Altoona Mirror: Groups Urge Shapiro To Dial Back Support For A.I. Data Centers [PDF of Article]

-- Tribune-Democrat Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Must Be Prepared To Meet Energy Challenges After RGGI - By Tom Gilbert, PA Environmental Council  [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro’s Exit From RGGI Is Smart, Balanced Leadership - By Michael Nutter, Fmr Mayor Of Philadelphia, Co-Chair Leadership Council Of Natural Allies for a Clean Future [RGGI Never Implemented in PA]

-- Inquirer: PA, NJ, DE Among States Suing President’s Administration Again Over Withholding Billions In Electric Vehicle Charging Funds

-- Race For Governor

-- Inquirer: Top PA Republicans Projecting Relative Calm Amid 2026 National Party Panic

-- The Center Square: VP Vance, Republican Candidate For PA Governor Garrity Stump For President’s Agenda With Midterms On The Horizon

-- Budget 2026

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: PA Lawmakers Need To Answer Tough Questions On State Budget - The Need For Shame Is Abundant

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Record November Gambling Revenue

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA: PA Could End The Year With The Lowest Number Of New Laws In At Least A Decade 

-- The Center Square: Bill Regulating A.I. Use In Medicine Subject Of PA House Hearing

-- Politics PA: PA Special Elections To Fill 2 Vacant House Seats Feb. 24

-- Morning Call: Special PA House Election Set For Feb. 24 To Fill Josh Siegel Seat In Lehigh County

-- US Senate/House

-- TribLive/AP: 3 PA Congressional Republicans Defy Speaker To Force US House Vote On Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies [Fitzpartrick, Bresnahan, Mackenzie]

-- Spotlight PA: PA Republican Cong. Fitzpatrick Becomes Democrats’ Key Ally In US House Health Care Fight

-- WITF: PA Republican Con. Smucker Votes To Move Republican Health Care Plan Forward  Without Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies 

-- Post-Gazette: PA Republican Congressman Toasts Final Approval Of Bill To Get Whole Milk Back In Schools

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: ‘PERMIT’ Bill In US House Could Weaken EPA Enforcement Of Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

-- Statewide Offices

-- WITF: Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday Says He’ll Defend State A.I. Laws From President’s Administration

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Republican Attorney General, Lawmakers Contend With President’s Order Blocking A.I. Regulations

-- 2025 Elections

-- Spotlight PA: Provisional Ballot Rejections Drop In Many PA Counties After State Redesigns Envelope

-- 2026 Elections

-- Inquirer: Top PA Republicans Projecting Relative Calm Amid 2026 National Party Panic

-- Politics PA: PA Special Elections To Fill 2 Vacant House Seats Feb. 24

-- Morning Call: Special PA House Election Set For Feb. 24 To Fill Josh Siegel Seat In Lehigh County

-- Elections

-- Spotlight PA: Luzerne County Struggles To Leave Behind Election Troubles After Years Of Staff Turnover And Errors

-- PA Capital-Star: President’s Dept. Of Justice Offers States ‘Confidential’ Deal To Wipe Voters From Rolls Flagged By Feds As Ineligible

-- Protesting The President

-- Inquirer: PA, NJ, DE Among States Suing President’s Administration Again Over Withholding Billions In Electric Vehicle Charging Funds

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: PA, NJ, DE Join Lawsuit Asking President’s Administration To Release Funds For Electric Vehicle Chargers

-- Inquirer Editorial: President Is Unredeemable; What About His Enablers?

-- AP: President Blames Rob Reiner’s Murder On His Outspoken Opposition To His Presidency  

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President’s Comments On Death Of Rob Reiner Lack Empathy, Necessary Leadership

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- PennLive: President’s Tariffs Tank Pennsylvania’s Lumber Industry, Now Seeking A Bailout

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: President’s Tariffs Tank Pennsylvania’s Lumber Industry; Now It Seeks A Bailout

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- TribLive/AP: President’s ‘A+++++’ Economy Talk Collides With Reality In Allentown, A City Critical To The Midterm Elections

-- York Dispatch: York County Residents See Average 169% Increase In Health Insurance Costs Due To Failure Of Republican Congress To Act  

-- PennLive: Lancaster Couple Faces 175% Health Insurance Increase Due To Failure Of Republican Congress To Act 

-- Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania’s Role In Federal Health Insurance Cost Debate Crystalized Health Care As A Dominating Political Force In 2026 Midterm Elections

-- TribLive/AP: 3 PA Congressional Republicans Defy Speaker To Force US House Vote On Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies [Fitzpartrick, Bresnahan, Mackenzie]

-- Spotlight PA: PA Republican Cong. Fitzpatrick Becomes Democrats’ Key Ally In US House Health Care Fight

-- WITF: PA Republican Con. Smucker Votes To Move Republican Health Care Plan Forward  Without Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies 

-- TribLive/AP: Republican US House Speaker Rebuffs Efforts To Address Soaring Health Insurance Premiums 

-- Post-Gazette: President’s Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare Office To Reduce Staff By 10% -- 481 Positions; VA Acknowledges It Will Be Impossible To Continue All Services

-- Post-Gazette: Cong. Deluzio Calls Pittsburgh Veterans Administration Cuts ‘Betrayal’ As Agency Claims Memo Was ‘False,’ Referred To Vacant Positions

-- TribLive Editorial: President’s Veterans Administration Staffing Cuts Test A Promise To Veterans

-- WESA: President’s Justice Dept. Says It Won’t Require Names Of Children Receiving Gender-Affirming Care At UPMC

-- WITF: US Education Secretary Meets With PA Legislators To Discuss Potential Closure Of US Dept. Of Education 

-- PA Capital-Star: Pennsylvania Nuns, Sisters Bring ‘Moral Authority… In Spades’ To Anti-ICE Actions

-- Post-Gazette: President’s Order To Block State Regulation Of A.I. An ‘Abuse Of Power,’ State Democratic Sen. Costa Says

-- KDKA: PA Lawmakers Exploring How To Regulate A.I. Data Centers, Which Drive Up Resident’s Utility Bills

-- Pottstown Mercury: Sen. Pennycuick, Rep. Ciresi Say State Efforts Will Continue To Regulate A.I. Despite President’s Executive Order

-- WITF: Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday Says He’ll Defend State A.I. Laws From President’s Administration

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Republican Attorney General, Lawmakers Contend With President’s Order Blocking A.I. Regulations

-- TribLive/Morning Call: VP Vance Touts President’s Record On Economy During Lehigh Valley Visit Amid Voter Concerns 

-- The Center Square: VP Vance, Republican Candidate For PA Governor Garrity Stump For President’s Agenda With Midterms On The Horizon

-- WITF: In Allentown, VP Vance Says Economy Is Improving, Blames Hardships On Biden

-- Wall Street Journal: Data Problems In Thursday’s Inflation Report Will Linger For Months

-- Financial Times: Flawed US Inflation Data Dashes President’s Hopes Of A Quick Affordability Victory

-- Bloomberg: US Consumer Sentiment Has Fallen 30% Since Last December

-- AP: US Gained 64,000 Jobs In November, Lost 105,000 Jobs In October As Unemployment Rises To 4.6%, Highest Since 2021

-- New Federal Administration

-- Post-Gazette: Josh Shapiro Hasn’t Stopped Suing The President

-- TribLive/AP: President Gives Partisan Prime-Time Address Insisting The Economy Is Stronger Than Many Voters Feel [And See With Their Own Eyes]

-- The Hill: President Announces ‘Patriot Games,’ With 2 High School Athletes From Each State [Proposal Prompted Comparisons To ‘The Hunger Games’] 

-- TribLive/AP: Former Federal Prosecutor Tells Lawmakers His Team Developed ‘Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt’ President Criminally Conspired To Overturn The Results Of 2020 Election 

-- Federal Government

-- Post-Gazette: 2nd Man Dies In Custody At Clearfield County ICE Detention Center Since August

-- Post-Gazette: Hundreds Taken Into Custody At Pittsburgh ICE Office: Families Separated, Children Held For Hours, Detainees Lacking Criminal Records

-- TribLive: Federal ICE Involved As Feds Violently Detain Latino Man In Mt. Washington In Allegheny County

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive: PA Gaming Board Warns Casinos Against Prediction Market Apps, Wants State To Tax Sports Trades

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - December 22  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call/Inquirer: Poll: How Pennsylvanians Feel About A.I. Data Centers: 70% Concerned About Water Use; 71% Concerned About Electricity Use 

-- KDKA: PA Lawmakers Exploring How To Regulate A.I. Data Centers, Which Drive Up Resident’s Utility Bills

-- The Center Square: Bill Regulating A.I. Use In Medicine Subject Of PA House Hearing

-- Post-Gazette: President’s Order To Block State Regulation Of A.I. An ‘Abuse Of Power,’ State Democratic Sen. Costa Says

-- Pottstown Mercury: Sen. Pennycuick, Rep. Ciresi Say State Efforts Will Continue To Regulate A.I. Despite President’s Executive Order

-- WITF: Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday Says He’ll Defend State A.I. Laws From President’s Administration

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Republican Attorney General, Lawmakers Contend With President’s Order Blocking A.I. Regulations

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Average Gasoline Prices: National: $2.86  Ohio: $2.61  PA: $3.10 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs At 18 - Same For 4 Weeks

-- Farm and Dairy: Shale Gas Well Pad Setback Petition Finally Moves On To PA DEP For Study 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - December 22  [PaEN]

-- TribLive/AP: President’s ‘A+++++’ Economy Talk Collides With Reality In Allentown, A City Critical To The Midterm Elections

-- Public Citizen: President’s LNG Gas Energy Export Policy Costs Households $12 Billion In First 9 Months Of 2025

-- Bloomberg: American LNG Export Boom Means Goodbye To Cheap US Natural Gas

-- Inside Climate News: LNG Gas Exports Driving Up Americans’ Energy Bills, Report Says

-- Reuters: US Demands EU Exempt Its LNG Gas From Methane Emissions Reduction Law, Document Shows

-- Reuters: Energy Transfer Scraps Development Of Lake Charles LNG Gas Export Project In Louisiana Due To Concerns About Looming Global Oversupply

-- Bloomberg: New Fortress Energy’s Delinquent Payments Mount Amid Debt Talks

-- Flooding

-- Commonwealth Financing Authority Invests More Than $14 Million In Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee Revenue In Watershed Restoration, Recreation, Sewage And Flood Mitigation Projects [Next Round Opens Feb. 1]  [PaEN]

-- Train Derailments

-- East Palestine, Ohio And Rail Safety Advocates Demand Total Commitment To Rail Safety Amid Looming Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern Railroad Merger  [PaEN] 

-- Education

-- Inquirer: It’s An Open Secret Some Private Charter Schools Push Out Kids With Behavioral Problems, Philly Principals Say

-- Republican Herald: Cybersecurity Threat Forces Minersville School District To Shutdown Computers, Close Its Schools Tuesday

-- WITF: US Education Secretary Meets With PA Legislators To Discuss Potential Closure Of US Dept. Of Education 

-- Spotlight PA: Hundreds Of Rapes In Penn State/State College Area Weren’t Reported In Public Police Data Over Nearly A Decade

-- TribLive: Pitt Chancellor Gets 32% Pay Raise, But Vows To Donate It To Student, Faculty Causes

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Mental Health Care Workers Face Too Many Needs And Not Enough Money On The Front Line Of PA’s Self-Made Crisis

-- Spotlight PA: Number Of Children Without Health Insurance In PA Surges To Highest Number In A Decade

-- Inquirer: Some Philly Residents Say They Lost Medical Care Without Notice After Millions Of PA State Agency Letters Went Unsent

-- TribLive: High Suicide Rate Among Seniors Is A Tragedy For Entire Community

-- York Dispatch: York County Residents See Average 169% Increase In Health Insurance Costs Due To Failure Of Republican Congress To Act  

-- PennLive: Lancaster Couple Faces 175% Health Insurance Increase Due To Failure Of Republican Congress To Act 

-- WITF: PA Republican Con. Smucker Votes To Move Republican Health Care Plan Forward  Without Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies 

-- Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania’s Role In Federal Health Insurance Cost Debate Crystalized Health Care As A Dominating Political Force In 2026 Midterm Elections

-- TribLive/AP: 3 PA Congressional Republicans Defy Speaker To Force US House Vote On Extending Health Insurance Premium Subsidies [Fitzpartrick, Bresnahan, Mackenzie]

-- Spotlight PA: PA Republican Cong. Fitzpatrick Becomes Democrats’ Key Ally In US House Health Care Fight

-- TribLive/AP: Republican US House Speaker Rebuffs Efforts To Address Soaring Health Insurance Premiums 

-- WESA: President’s Justice Dept. Says It Won’t Require Names Of Children Receiving Gender-Affirming Care At UPMC

-- Law Enforcement

-- WESA: PA State Police Commissioner Taking A Job With FBI

-- Spotlight PA: Hundreds Of Rapes In Penn State/State College Area Weren’t Reported In Public Police Data Over Nearly A Decade

-- PA Capital-Star: Pennsylvania Nuns, Sisters Bring ‘Moral Authority… In Spades’ To Anti-ICE Actions

-- TribLive: Federal ICE Involved As Feds Violently Detain Latino Man In Mt. Washington In Allegheny County

-- Post-Gazette: Hundreds Taken Into Custody At Pittsburgh ICE Office: Families Separated, Children Held For Hours, Detainees Lacking Criminal Records

-- Post-Gazette: 2nd Man Dies In Custody At Clearfield County ICE Detention Center Since August

-- TribLive/AP: Former Federal Prosecutor Tells Lawmakers His Team Developed ‘Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt’ President Criminally Conspired To Overturn The Results Of 2020 Election 

-- The Economy

-- TribLive/AP: President’s ‘A+++++’ Economy Talk Collides With Reality In Allentown, A City Critical To The Midterm Elections

-- PennLive: President’s Tariffs Tank Pennsylvania’s Lumber Industry, Now Seeking A Bailout

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: President’s Tariffs Tank Pennsylvania’s Lumber Industry; Now It Seeks A Bailout

-- TribLive/AP: President Gives Partisan Prime-Time Address Insisting The Economy Is Stronger Than Many Voters Feel [And See With Their Own Eyes]

-- TribLive/Morning Call: VP Vance Touts President’s Record On Economy During Lehigh Valley Visit Amid Voter Concerns 

-- The Center Square: VP Vance, Republican Candidate For PA Governor Garrity Stump For President’s Agenda With Midterms On The Horizon

-- WITF: In Allentown, VP Vance Says Economy Is Improving, Blames Hardships On Biden

-- TribLive: North Braddock Faces Large Property Tax Loss From US Steel

-- Wall Street Journal: Data Problems In Thursday’s Inflation Report Will Linger For Months

-- Financial Times: Flawed US Inflation Data Dashes President’s Hopes Of A Quick Affordability Victory

-- Bloomberg: US Consumer Sentiment Has Fallen 30% Since Last December

-- AP: US Gained 64,000 Jobs In November, Lost 105,000 Jobs In October As Unemployment Rises To 4.6%, Highest Since 2021

[Posted: December 21, 2025]