Battleground Politics With Lauren Mayk

Mayor Cherelle Parker recently announced a change to her proposed rideshare tax in order to help close the Philadelphia School District’s $300 million budget gap. The proposal would implement a tax of $1 per ride for rideshares originating from Philadelphia. While the Parker administration has said that the rideshare companies could absorb the cost, Uber has said the cost would go to the riders themselves. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk spoke with a panel who shared their thoughts on the proposal. The panelists are Donna Cooper, the executive director of Children First, Pat Loeb, a reporter with KYW Newsradio, and Reverend Cean James, the pastor of Salt & Light Church and a member of POWER Interfaith. Here’s a full breakdown of the episode :00 – Intro 1:39 – Reactions to Mayor Parker’s amended proposal 3:25 – The balance of helping Philly schools and Philly residents 5:14 – City council’s reaction to the proposed tax 6:30 – Thoughts on taxes on corporations 8:30 – Philly’s sweetened beverage tax in the conversation over the proposed rideshare tax 9:57 – Mayor Parker’s economic mobility agenda Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Philadelphia will receive DNC officials for a visit at the end of the month as part of a bid to host the Democratic National Convention, the president of the host committee said. The DNC last month named Philadelphia along with four other cities – Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Denver – as frontrunners moving ahead in the selection process to host the 2028 convention. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk speaks with Pick Pennsylvania president and former ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen about Philadelphia’s bid for the DNC. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Philadelphia School District’s $2.8 billion master plan has been met with some opposition from students, parents and teachers. Under the plan, the district would modernize buildings and expand programs in tech, the arts as well as music. However, it also calls for the closure of 18 Philly schools. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk speaks with School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington about the plan and its potential impact. She also spoke with Arthur Steinberg, the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Here’s a full breakdown of the episode: Interview with Dr. Tony Watlington 00:49 – Whether or not there will be additional changes to the plan 2:45 – Message to family, students, staff who want changes to the plan 3:40 – The plan’s impact on students who move to different school buildings 7:04 – Deadline for securing funding for the plan 9:40 – The benefits of the plan 10:07 – Plan’s initial impact on students, families and staff 13:45 – Could districtwide algebra be implemented without the plan? 15:21 – Conversations on which schools would be given to the city under the plan 17:16 – Possibility of unused buildings providing revenue for the plan 18:31 – The potential loss of public school students under the plan Interview with Arthur Steinberg 22:18 – The union’s concerns over the school plan 22:46 – Reaction to revisions to the plan 23:10 – Parts of the plan the union is focused on 24:07 – Steinberg’s involvement with the school plan advisory committee 25:48 – What Steinberg is hearing from union members 26:36 – Current conditions of Philly school buildings Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said her office has continued to receive threats in the wake of a video she released with colleagues urging military members to refuse unlawful orders. She spoke with NBC10’s Lauren Mayk in the latest episode of Battleground Politics. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The battle over Pennsylvania’s budget finally came to an end in November as lawmakers agreed to a spending plan more than four months behind schedule. The budget allowed billions of dollars to start flowing to critical organizations across the state. Gov. Josh Shapiro will have to propose his next budget a few months from now, however. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, Lauren Mayk speaks about the budget with Pennsylvania State Rep. Jordan Harris, a Democrat representing Philadelphia who is also the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. They also discuss what's next for SEPTA amid its funding crisis. Lauren also spoke with Pennsylvania State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican representing parts of Berks and Montgomery counties who is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The federal government finally reopened on Wednesday after a shutdown that lasted 43 days. To avoid another shutdown, lawmakers will have to make a decision about federal funding again in January. NBC10’s Lauren Mayk speaks with Rep. Brendan Boyle (D) Pennsylvania and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R) Pennsylvania about the end of the shutdown. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the New Jersey governor’s race. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk spoke with Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey’s first female governor and founding co-chair of the Forward Party, about Sherrill’s victory. *Note* The interview was recorded on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As SEPTA works to finish federally ordered inspections on regional rail cars, the transit agency’s general manager Scott Sauer sat down with Lauren Mayk to talk about the progress and what’s ahead for the cars and the agency as it continues to face financial uncertainty in the future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Election Day is only a few days away and the New Jersey governor's race is expected to have national ramifications. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10's Lauren Mayk spoke with Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli and New Jersey voters about the race and the most important issues. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The U.S. government officially shut down after Congress and the White House failed to reach an agreement on how to extend federal funding. Democratic U.S. Senator Andy Kim and Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie react to the shutdown in the latest episode of Battleground Politics with Lauren Mayk. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.