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Trump stumps in Pa. Senate fight

Political Notebook

On Thursday, President Donald Trump laid into Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. — or “Sleepin’ Bob,” as he called him — but it’s far from certain that Trump’s help will be enough to stop Casey’s re-election and a key Democratic win.

Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters in Luzerne County, returning to a state that he won in a 2016 surprise. But his chosen candidate, Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11th District, isn’t on track to repeat Trump’s Pennsylvania victory.

“Bob Casey is for open borders,” Trump said in a speech heavy on immigration fears, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Trump compared the senator unfavorably with his father, Gov. Bob Casey Sr., and labeled him “boring.”

Where Trump succeeded, however, his endorsement may not. Polls through June showed Barletta losing to Casey by an overwhelming margin, with a spread between 15 and

17 percent.

Republicans nationwide are watching the race — one of several that could help determine control of the closely split Senate after November. If Democrats hold onto seats like Casey’s and manage to flip one or two more, they could seriously hinder Trump’s plans.

Despite the poll deficit, Barletta and his GOP allies clearly see immigration as a key point in defeating Casey. Barletta first gained national attention as mayor of Hazleton, where he passed ordinances to force out those living in the country illegally.

Trump campaigned on similar policies, and state GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio raised the issue again on Thursday.

“He’s a dyed-in-the-wool progressive,” he said of Casey, “who wants

open borders, socialism and sanctuary cities.”

State suing over fuel rule

Pennsyl­vania is among 19 states planning to challenge the Trump administration in a bid to keep stricter pollution rules for new cars — the latest front in an ongoing war between states and a federal government intent on rolling back recent environmental policy.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Thursday that he would join 18 states and the District of Columbia in fighting a proposed rule change that would stop new pollution standards in cars. The rules would increase gas mileage and reduce emissions through the 2020s, but administration officials said they’re too much for carmakers to handle.

Gas prices have broadly risen in recent years, approaching $3 in most states and surpassing that in Pennsylvania. Shapiro pointed to both higher efficiency and cleaner air in defending the existing rule, which dates to the Barack Obama administration.

“Freezing or weakening these standards puts the health of our children, seniors and all communities at risk and increases the rising costs of climate change for our states. This decision upends decades of cooperative state and federal action to protect our residents,” Shapiro said in a written statement. “We are prepared to go to court to put the brakes on this reckless and illegal plan.”

Cheap insurance

raises concern

Pollution rules aren’t the only ones sparking a fight between Harrisburg and Washington.

State officials last week challenged a new Trump administration policy set to vastly expand so-called short-term health plans — insurance opponents call “junk plans.”

Under a new rule, the bare-bones plans — previously limited to a few months before buyers had to move on to full insurance — will now be available for up to three years. While customers typically use the plans to bridge brief gaps in coverage, critics said their long-term availability will return health care to the days before the Affordable Care Act.

That’s because the plans aren’t subject to many of the requirements under the act, commonly called Obamacare, that required a minimum of coverage and barred providers from discriminating over pre-existing conditions.

“This rule opens the door further to confusion, uncertainty, market instability and even deceptive marketing. These plans are meant to serve as a temporary alternative for a consumer with a gap in coverage,” state Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman said Wednesday. “This final rule relaxes those limits and may lead consumers to consider a short-term plan as a low-cost alternative to ACA coverage.”

Affordable Care Act markets area set to improve slightly in some parts of Pennsylvania, with several counties receiving additional providers after getting by with only one option. Prices hikes have leveled off in many cases, but more than 5 percent of residents remained uninsured as of last year.

Ryan Brown can be emailed at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.

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