News & Brews January 6, 2025
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Biden blocks Nippon-U.S. Steel deal
In a blow to Pennsylvania steel workers, President Biden carried through on his threat to block the sale of U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel. The AP reports that while Biden claims he’s protecting U.S. jobs, “[h]e may be putting them at risk instead.” Indeed, warnings abounded that without the $14.9 billion sale, workers would be harmed. “Losing the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal ‘will be a disaster for Pennsylvania,’ said Gordon Johnson, who follows U.S. Steel stock on Wall Street as founder of GLJ Research. ‘I really don’t understand. This is not in the interest of the workers. It’s not in the interest of the shareholders of U.S. Steel.’” This morning, U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel filed lawsuits opposing Biden’s block.
Shakeup in race for Pa. GOP chair
PennLive reports, “Until less than a week ago, the contest to become the next chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania seemed like a done deal, with virtually every prominent elected Republican coalescing around” Republican state Sen. Greg Rothman (Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties). Now, however, “prominent Trump backer and Lehigh Valley businessman Bill Bachenberg” has “officially entered the race.” Rothman, who has the backing of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, seemed unfazed, noting, “Competition is a good thing. It’s better for me as a candidate to have to work hard rather than people say ‘he only got in because nobody else ran.’” Of his own campaign, Bachenberg stated, “This grassroots campaign is self-funded and uncompromised—no consultants, no political endorsements, and no ulterior motives. I’m committed to bringing trust, transparency, and integrity to the Chairmanship, ensuring this is a movement for meaningful change, not a stepping stone for personal ambition.”
GOP state rep. enters race for open state Senate seat
Republican state Rep. Brett Miller (Lancaster County) has announced he’s seeking the nomination to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Sen. Ryan Aument, who resigned to become U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s State Director. The LNP reports that Miller’s announcement “put[s] him on a collision course with Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons for the Republican nomination.” Two additional Republicans also filed paperwork to run. As of Friday, Democrats had not released the names of any candidates, and the date of the election had also not been announced. As this will be a special election, nominees will be chosen by their respective party committees.
2025: Predictions and questions
WESA’s Chris Potter writes that this time of year, everyone does a “things to watch for in 2025” story. Fair enough. For Potter, he wonders, among other things, “how ugly the Pittsburgh mayoral race will get” and whether voters will “care about … judicial retentions” (referencing the retention questions that will be on the ballot in November for statewide appellate court judges). Separately, City & State PA has its own “things to watch for” story, which focuses more on Harrisburg’s workings as it identifies 10 things to keep an eye out for. These include Gov. Shapiro’s budget proposal and Pa.’s structural budget deficit.
Abortion giant target school board elections
In a noted shift, abortion giant Planned Parenthood has announced it intends to fund candidates in Pennsylvania school board elections. The Delaware Valley Journal reports that while previously, Planned Parenthood funded candidates for various offices, the group generally did not engage in school board races. If you’re wondering what abortion has to do with school board races, well, Planned Parenthood believes abortion has to do with everything.