First Read – Dec. 7, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: mostly cloudy, with rain and snow likely before 1 p.m., high of 42; Harrisburg: snow before 11 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers, high of 44; Pittsburgh: cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, high of 46.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* The race for Pennsylvania attorney general is ramping up, with more candidacy and endorsement announcements dropping each week. Check out the latest endorsements and happenings ahead of next year’s race for AG.

* From our partners at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether homophobic Facebook posts shared by two northwest Pennsylvania school board members are public records under the state’s Right-to-Know Law.

* Forget about the October Surprise – there were no memorable, game-changing revelations unveiled in the final days before November’s elections. But the commonwealth’s Election Days – both recent and historic – have often culminated in head-scratching happenings and shocking, surprise upsets. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Gov. Josh Shapiro visited an Israeli-owned falafel shop in Philadelphia yesterday to show support following a protest outside the shop over the weekend, CBS Philadelphia reports.

* A split Allentown City Council approved a no confidence resolution against Mayor Matt Tuerk last night after Tuerk last month fired Karen Ocasio, who pushed for an investigation into allegations of workplace discrimination and racism at City Hall, LehighValleyNews.com reports. 

* University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill is facing criticism from Shapiro, the White House and leaders of the Penn Hillel over her testimony before Congress yesterday on whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people violates Penn’s rules or code of conduct, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

 * New data from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office shows that an 11% decline in credit card debt in 2020 has been completely reversed, with Pennsylvanians’ credit card balances now 12.4% higher than they were before the pandemic, The Center Square reports.

* Attorney General Michelle Henry announced yesterday that Kirk Rice, who gathered hundreds of signatures in 2022 for Democratic congressional candidate Steve Irwin, is facing more than 75 criminal charges related to election-petition forgery, WESA reports.

* Federal lawmakers announced yesterday that $144 million in federal funding is coming to the commonwealth to help fund a project that will add a daily round trip on Amtrak’s passenger rail line between Pittsburgh and New York City, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

 * The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said it will invest $300,000 in state legislative races in six battleground states: Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

 * Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that the state’s energy-related carbon emission dropped 30.4% from 1970 to 2021, Axios Philadelphia reports.

* Jim Wertz, former chair of the Erie County Democratic Party, announced Tuesday that he is running for a state Senate seat currently held by GOP state Sen. Dan Laughlin, Politics PA reports. 

* Allegheny Common Pleas Judge Daniel Regan invalidated an effort to establish a minimum wage for county employees after the measure was challenged by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, the Tribune-Review reports. 

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has a new column from Helen Ubiñas, who examines the recent fatal stabbing in a Center City Macy’s in Philadelphia.  

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend his civil business fraud trial in New York today as an observer, though he is scheduled to take the stand on Monday, The Associated Press reports.

* Politico walks through the winners, the losers and other takeaways from last night’s GOP presidential debate, which featured Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

TODAY’S SKED:

9 a.m. – The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing meets, Room 523, Irvis Office Building, state Capitol, Harrisburg. 

10 a.m. – The Philadelphia City Council meets, Room 400, City Hall, Philadelphia. Watch here. 

10 a.m. – The Independent Regulatory Review Commission meets, 14th floor Conference Room, 333 Market St., Harrisburg.

10 a.m. – The Pittsburgh City Council Committee on Hearings meets, Council Chambers, City-County Building, Pittsburgh. Watch here. 

11 a.m. – The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing meets, Room 523, Irvis Office Building, state Capitol, Harrisburg. 

1:30 p.m. – The Pittsburgh City Council Committee on Hearings meets, Council Chambers, City Council Building, Pittsburgh. Watch here. 

2 p.m. – The House Republican Policy Committee meets, Bishop Canevin High School, 2700 Morange Road, Pittsburgh. Watch here. 

KICKER: 

“I’m the patron saint of all these guys who are looking for a longshot win, which is great.” – Former U.S. Sen. and 2012 presidential candidate Rick Santorum on recent attention from the press and presidential campaigns, via Politico