KEY STORY: Josh Shapiro pushes to speed up environmental review on building projects in PA. It’s a shift toward the center and represents compromise with Republican legislature. The Daily Caller bluntly characterizes his PA Permit Fast Track Program” as one that “spurns enviros” and “slashes red tape” while environmental advocates raise the alarm on “red flags” for the movement.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed board likes the move: “Fast Track is yet another signal that – finally – Pennsylvania is taking economic development, and the legitimate needs of the private sector, seriously again.
Meanwhile the Daily Pennsylvanian, obtaining new documents, notes just how involved the governor was in dealing with U Penn’s controversial approach to the Gaza terrorist attack.
Philly Inquirer: Shapiro takes a trip to a barber shop, talks sports, his “nice, cordial relationship” with incoming Republican Senator Dave McCormick, says he’ll stand up to Trump administration, and reassures concerned Dem who’s afraid to live in a red state now: “You got me, you’re all right.”
What (if anything) will Shapiro do about the US Steel takeover attempt? The takeover has positive implications for PA’s economic development, but national security issues linger over the bid from Japanese company Nippon Steel.
Finally: A 2028 poll shows Dem voters nationally prefer Kamala to other potential candidates (Newsom and Shapiro are a distant 2nd and 3rd). Don’t pay much attention to it as anything much more than a reflection of name ID. However, the fact Shapiro is 3rd shows his ID registers.
