Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is quietly trying to erase women and mothers from his state&#8217;s health code. 
The Democrat&#8217;s administration has removed female terminology and replaced it with transgender-inclusive language in a proposed overhaul to Pennsylvania&#8217;s health code. The terms “pregnant woman&#8221; and &#8220;mother of a newborn&#8221; have been replaced with “pregnant or postpartum individual&#8221; throughout the 502-page proposal, which was announced on August 8. Women who have given birth to a stillborn baby are no longer called a &#8220;mother&#8221; but are instead referred to as a &#8220;postpartum individual&#8221; in the proposed <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/docs/3490/AGENCY/3490PRO.pdf">regulation</a> changes.
Shapiro is pushing to give Pennsylvania’s Department of Health centralized police powers under the guise of “disease control measures” through expansive proposed regulatory changes to the health code, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/josh-shapiro-arms-himself-with-draconian-police-powers-amid-re-election-fight">previously reported</a>. These expanded powers include the ability to enter homes and schools without a warrant, access confidential medical records, and impose statewide school mask mandates for disease prevention. The Department of Health reports to the governor’s office, meaning this change would give Shapiro — and his successors — the ability to single-handedly implement draconian policies across the state. 
&#8220;Somehow, in the midst of hundreds of pages of new government mandates, the department also found it necessary to erase words like &#8216;pregnant woman&#8217; and &#8216;mother&#8217; in the regulations and replace them with terms like &#8216;pregnant individual,'&#8221; Pennsylvania lawmaker Michele Brooks told The Daily Wire.
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<div id="attachment_1166545" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1166545" class="wp-image-1166545 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-9.16.33-AM-1024x568.png" alt="" width="1024" height="568" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-9.16.33-AM-1024x568.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-9.16.33-AM-300x166.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-9.16.33-AM-768x426.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-9.16.33-AM.png 1360w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot of proposed changes to the Pennsylvania health code that remove the term &#8220;woman.&#8221;</div>
Transgender activists believe men can <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breastfeeding-group-promotes-trans-lactation-with-horrifying-photo">give birth</a> and that obstetricians and gynecologists should use transgender inclusive language when delivering female healthcare. The American College of Obstetricians &amp; Gynecologists (ACOG) told doctors to “make their offices inclusive and inviting to all individuals who need obstetric or gynecologic health care” and to “educate themselves and their medical teams about appropriate language and the health care needs of transgender patients,” in an online statement.
“Some postpartum transgender individuals may not identify as ‘mothers;’ thus, obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care professionals should be mindful of the language they use. It may be appropriate to use a more neutral term, such as ‘parent,’&#8221; wrote ACOG in a March 2021 committee opinion titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2021/03/health-care-for-transgender-and-gender-diverse-individuals">Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals</a>.&#8221;
Randall Wenger, chief counsel of the Independence Law Center, told The Daily Wire that Shapiro’s language changes reveal a “triumph of ideology over biology.&#8221;
“The changing of language in the [Department of Health] regulations represents the triumph of ideology over biology,” Wenger told The Daily Wire. “This change of language doesn’t reflect reality; it obscures it. It erases female identity as a stable category in favor of a fluid concept of gender. The Shapiro administration is so concerned with affirming transgender identity that it can no longer recognize the realities of biological sex. The department cannot pretend to fight dangerous diseases with its delusions about gender.&#8221;
Shapiro ardently supports transgenderism and allowing children access to harmful sex-change interventions. 
&#8220;I want to say, especially to our trans children, I see you and I love you,&#8221; Shapiro said at a <a href="https://www.wgal.com/article/governor-josh-shapiro-pride-festival-harrisburg-trans-children/61716119">July 2024</a> pride event in Harrisburg. &#8220;I&#8217;ve gone to court to protect our trans kids and I&#8217;ll continue to stand in the town squares and town halls in every community across Pennsylvania — rural, urban, and suburban — and proclaim loudly and clearly that we love all God&#8217;s children, including our trans children.&#8221;
Shapiro joined a group of state attorneys general in his capacity as Pennsylvania&#8217;s Governor and <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/commonwealth-of-massachusetts-et-al-v-donald-j-trump-et-al-complaint-2025.pdf">sued</a> the Trump administration for banning pediatric transgender medical procedures such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries, in August 2025. 
Shapiro created the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs in <a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/governor/documents/20230606_Governors-Advisory-Commission-on-LGBTQ-Affairs_Final-Executed.pdf">June 2023 </a>that engages in LGBTQ activism throughout Pennsylvania and provides the administration with legislative and policy recommendations. Ashleigh Strange, who<a href="https://www.pa.gov/governor/administration/advisory-commissions#accordion-3c14ae505f-item-4419d2d9db"> identifies</a> as “they/them,” is the executive director of the Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and is paid an annual salary of $106,289, according to a government transparency <a href="https://pennwatch.pa.gov/Employees/Salaries?handler=ExecuteSearch">website</a>. 
&#8220;We are an advisory commission, so there are 30 people all across the Commonwealth who are dedicated to getting the information from the LGBTQ community to the governor&#8217;s office. And everyone in the governor&#8217;s office and all of the agencies under his purview are dedicated to making sure that the LGBTQ community is safe, seen, and heard,&#8221; Strange said in a July 2026 <a href="http://facebook.com/reel/1566902568198581/?fs=e&amp;s=TIeQ9V&amp;mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=9PB0QxX7tuo86quH&amp;share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fr%2F1GdDVHRU52%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr#">social media post</a>. &#8220;We know that our communities are under attack. The governor knows this.&#8221;
Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.

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A drag performer who goes by the stage name &#8220;Chlamydia Berns&#8221; is raising money to fight back against a Republican campaign ad featuring a photograph of him alongside Democratic congressional candidate Paige Cognetti. 
Cognetti, the Democratic mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, is challenging Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in the state’s competitive 8th Congressional District.
The dispute began after Bresnahan and the National Republican Congressional Committee launched an advertisement earlier this month attacking Cognetti’s record and political affiliations. The ad features a photograph of Cognetti standing beside Frank Carey, a local drag performer who performs as “Lady Lydia,” and more provocatively, “Chlamydia Berns.”
The photo was taken at Scranton’s 2025 Pride flag-raising ceremony, where Carey performed “Rainbow Connection,” and was later published on the city&#8217;s social media accounts. The ad describes Cognetti as “a member of the radical group trying to force grown men in girls’ bathrooms and women’s sports.”
Carey subsequently launched a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/not-a-political-prop-stand-with-lady-lydia-udzpd?utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;ts=1786748244&amp;utm_source=native_options&amp;utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demonyz7gdv0&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTwKtFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7_NJCS3P9wnaYw-6KA4ySyeB7ZfI3_xWbvxoP6aCrkVq5oIiJIbFjRQNyIXQ_aem_Vb4tFEARGCRCYdOpvxjuQA">GoFundMe campaign</a> that has raised more than $2,000 for potential legal fees. 
“This was certainly never a situation I expected to find myself in,” Carey wrote on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/frank.carey.161/posts/pfbid02TXVrFoEB5ZYPaCEvJhzfTyFgaWyB7DXk9FktNzxLATTs7mCaq1i4z4mqBSm6Ky7Rl?rdid=MwFFI0fUssndeMWJ#">Facebook</a>, “But sometimes you have to stand up and say enough is enough.” 
“This Queen isn’t going quietly,” he added.
Carey has said the advertisement misrepresents him, noting that he is a man who performs in drag and does not identify as transgender. He said he supports transgender-identifying people but uses men’s restrooms even while performing. 
He also said he was appearing as Lady Lydia, which he describes as his “family-friendly” drag persona, at the Pride event rather than as Chlamydia Berns. <a href="https://www.wvia.org/news/local/2026-08-17/dragged-into-it-drag-performer-raises-money-to-challenge-appearing-in-bresnahan-ad">Local news coverage</a> of the event shows children were present.
The Republicans, meanwhile, have repeatedly pointed to Carey’s other stage name in defending the advertisement. 
“Paige Cognetti owes voters answers for her voluntary association with activist groups who are pushing sex change surgeries for kids and why she chose to appear with someone who refers to themselves as ‘Chlamydia Berns’ at an event with small children present,” NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson told the <a href="https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2026/08/17/drag-performer-upset-over-political-ad-that-used-photo/">Scranton Times-Tribune</a>.
Cognetti’s campaign has repeatedly declined to comment on the controversy, despite requests from multiple local news organizations.
The fight has since expanded beyond the original advertisement. Democratic allies have sought to turn the issue back on Bresnahan, highlighting photographs of the Republican congressman participating in events involving drag performers and LGBTQ-friendly organizations.
Bresnahan and his wife attended a 2023 fundraiser for the KISS Theatre Company in Wilkes-Barre, where Carey was then a member. Democrats have also circulated photographs of Bresnahan wearing <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/08/20/2026/in-pennsylvania-house-race-its-pink-heels-vs-drag-queens">bright pink heels at a breast cancer awareness event.</a>
Carey has said he supports Cognetti but did not intend to become involved in the congressional race.
“I know and support trans people,” Carey said, while emphasizing that drag performance and transgender identity are separate things.
Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District includes Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties and portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties. The Bresnahan campaign has used the controversy to argue that Cognetti is too far to the left for the district. 
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The National Rifle Association is going on the road for the 2026 midterm elections, launching its first-ever national bus tour Thursday to mobilize gun owners across 13 states where control of Congress and statehouses is up for grabs, the group exclusively told The Daily Wire.
The NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) launched the 2026 NRA’s Gun Bus Battleground Tour, sending a tour bus on a more than two-month, 63-stop trek through key battleground states. The tour will conclude on Election Day, November 3.
The tour is designed to bring NRA-ILA staff and volunteers directly to voters rather than relying on traditional campaign advertising. “Gun owners don’t need another polished ad interrupting their favorite show. They need real conversations about what’s at stake for the Second Amendment,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford told the Daily Wire. “The Gun Bus Tour puts NRA staff and volunteers on the ground where it matters most — talking directly with the men and women who form the backbone of this organization,” Commerford continued. “This is how we build lasting political power: one conversation, one neighborhood, one vote at a time.”
The tour will travel through Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Stops will range from gun stores and manufacturing facilities to college football tailgates and community events, including Michigan’s annual Oktoberfest. The tour will also feature appearances from pro-Second Amendment candidates running for local, state, and federal office.
The NRA’s first stop will be in Dillon, Montana, at Montana’s Biggest Weekend, a Labor Day celebration centered around the Beaverhead County Fair. The event includes rodeo competitions, livestock shows, a carnival, a country music concert, and a parade.
Other stops include college football matchups, including the Iowa vs. Iowa State tailgate in Iowa City; the Wisconsin vs. Penn State tailgate in State College, Pennsylvania; and the Kentucky vs. South Carolina tailgate festivities in Columbia, South Carolina. They will also stop at the NRA’s National Sporting Clays Championship in San Antonio, Texas.
The tour comes as Republicans defend their majorities in both chambers of Congress and as gun rights remain a major dividing line between the parties. The NRA says its goal is to ensure that pro-Second Amendment candidates retain control of Congress and state governments while supporting candidates in critical state and local races.
NRA CEO Doug Hamlin warned that recent gains for gun owners could be reversed if Republicans lose control of Congress or statehouses. “Across the country, the NRA is working tirelessly to advance and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Hamlin said. “Thanks to our incredible staff and millions of NRA members, we have secured major victories that have ushered in a golden age of gun ownership.”
“However, while we are enjoying unprecedented success, if we lose pro-gun majorities in Congress and the statehouses, the incredible gains we have made can be wiped out by the stroke of a pen,” he added. “That is why it is more critical than ever for gun owners to get activated and vote to protect their sacred, God-given rights.&#8221;

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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is pushing to radically rewrite his state&#8217;s health code to give his administration authoritarian police powers as he seeks re-election.
The Democrat&#8217;s <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID=3505&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTrAr9wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDF2THVSdFBiTGw4RkthVTBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDjPUZ4ah2MvvtDVP4AQJOK7zJlqjAesOEbVTI3TjEyE9KLNGNjgg96xqbIg_aem_qta635xD7C0PTWC51tz6Nw" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID%3D3505%26fbclid%3DIwY2xjawTrAr9wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDF2THVSdFBiTGw4RkthVTBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDjPUZ4ah2MvvtDVP4AQJOK7zJlqjAesOEbVTI3TjEyE9KLNGNjgg96xqbIg_aem_qta635xD7C0PTWC51tz6Nw&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17LPVJE_hCEQrpQiVVBRmR">proposed change</a> would give Pennsylvania&#8217;s Department of Health centralized police powers under the guise of &#8220;disease control measures,&#8221; including the ability to enter homes and schools without a warrant, access confidential medical records, and impose statewide school mask mandates for disease prevention. The Department of Health reports to the governor&#8217;s office, meaning this change would give Shapiro — and his successors — the ability to single-handedly implement draconian policies across the state.
&#8220;The administration’s proposed new regulations on mask mandates and communicable diseases are deeply concerning,&#8221; Pennsylvania lawmaker Michele Brooks told The Daily Wire. &#8220;These include catch-all authority to impose masking, distancing, and virtually any other disease-control measure it wants, a statewide vaccine database with mandatory reporting, authority to restrict attendance at funerals, and extraordinarily broad powers to monitor private health information and enter private property.&#8221;
Pennsylvanians voted to limit the unilateral emergency powers of the governor&#8217;s office through a constitutional amendment in <a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/06/pa-coronavirus-disaster-declaration-terminated-legislature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/06/pa-coronavirus-disaster-declaration-terminated-legislature/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2bsMez51ySc22WRgspjV5Q">May 2021</a>. Shapiro, who touts himself as a moderate and centrist, is said to be on Democrats&#8217; short list of possible 2028 presidential nominees. His office did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health can currently only impose disease control measures when attempting to provide “surveillance” of infectious disease outbreaks. Added clauses in the massive 502-page regulation proposal unveiled on August 8 would allow the department to implement disease control measures not only for surveillance, but also for the “prevention, containment, or mitigation” of a disease, infection, or “condition.” Disease “prevention” could include measures such as coerced vaccination and mask mandates, without the active spread of infectious disease. The term “condition,” another new addition to the health code, is nebulously defined as a “noninfectious medical ailment or other health-related event.”
The Daily Wire asked the Department of Health if, under the new regulation, it could proactively impose a statewide school-mask mandate before flu season to prevent flu outbreaks and if the term &#8220;conditions&#8221; included mental health problems. The department did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.
The regulatory changes hand Shapiro&#8217;s team unfettered power to enter apartments, schools, or any “other location” determined by the Department of Health when conducting a disease investigation, without a warrant.  
“The department or local health authority may enter an apartment, building, health care facility, school, college or university, or other location as necessary to conduct its investigation under this chapter if the representative presents documentation to establish that they are an authorized representative of the department or the local health authority,” states the regulation proposal.
The new regulation explicitly states that no person can “interfere” with a DOH investigation and further specifies that health bureaucrats have the power “to meet and speak with a student or other person in private” at schools. It explicitly states that school employees “may not obstruct” an investigation of a student. 
Randall Wenger, chief counsel of the Independence Law Center, told The Daily Wire he is troubled by how these regulatory changes could interfere with parental rights.
“Parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their children. And these regulations that allow a bureaucrat to go into a school to meet with a child without parents&#8217; knowledge and telling the school officials that they can&#8217;t even interfere with this,” Wenger said. “That ends up then interfering with the parents&#8217; fundamental right to direct the care and upbringing of their children. That&#8217;s unconscionable. I don&#8217;t want any government agent coming in and talking one-on-one with my child about immensely personal subjects like sexually transmitted diseases.”
Other expansions of the Department of Health&#8217;s authority include gaining the ability to confidentially access citizen health records and the power to exclude K-12 and college students from receiving an in-person education if they are deemed “susceptible” to a disease. It also allows the Pennsylvania Department of Health to create a mandatory statewide Birth Defect Registry for newborns and requires healthcare providers to input every delivered vaccination into a statewide database, unless the patient proactively declines in writing.
Shapiro is already hinting at how this data could be publicly shared. Five days before announcing the regulation changes, the governor published an online <a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/healthstatistics/school-immunizations/current/school-immunization-rates.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/healthstatistics/school-immunizations/current/school-immunization-rates.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-dVmCaaaGH27N9YFExZwI">database</a> with detailed information about the vaccination rates of kindergarten, 7th grade, and 12th grade students in private and public schools throughout Pennsylvania. The database includes the rates of religious, philosophical, and medical exemptions at each school. Secretary of Health Dr. Debra L. Bogen said sharing this personal data was an important “tool” to help families and community leaders to &#8220;work together to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases&#8221; in a social media <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentofhealth/videos/pennsylvania-parents-should-have-easytounderstand-information-about-their-kids-s/2235925534021412/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentofhealth/videos/pennsylvania-parents-should-have-easytounderstand-information-about-their-kids-s/2235925534021412/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0-mdDzfIxbOUT3YAlErfpJ">post</a>.
Wenger told The Daily Wire the database is an example of the Shapiro administration&#8217;s contempt for religious vaccine exemptions.
“The Shapiro administration again demonstrates its contempt for religious exemptions by publishing this vaccination database,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Its effect is to expose and target schools with high rates of students claiming statutory exemptions, generating public pressure and political justification for government intervention in the name of public health.&#8221;
Shapiro promised to protect vaccination in an October 2025 <a href="https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/gov-shapiro-signs-eo-2025-02-safeguarding-pa-access-vaccines-pro" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/gov-shapiro-signs-eo-2025-02-safeguarding-pa-access-vaccines-pro&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2QMbrKJznnFkki2D4-sF6d">Executive Order</a> that accuses Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration of sowing “confusion and chaos around vaccines” and directs state agencies to follow vaccine advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics instead of recommendations from the “politically influenced” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shapiro signed the order during a <a href="https://pacast.com/m?p=28416" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pacast.com/m?p%3D28416&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1YZDPY-_jGgwSc6_hZBeYT">press conference</a> hosted at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which helped draft and develop the proposed health code regulations, according to the Department of Health. Shapiro said the Pennsylvania economy depended on “people having access to vaccines.”
“This isn&#8217;t just good public health guidance. This is also really good for our economy,” Shapiro said during the press conference. “More than half of all vaccines administered in the United States come from a facility here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This vaccine production is responsible for 4,700 jobs of our fellow Pennsylvanians and generates 4.74 billion dollars for our economy &#8230; It’s also big business for us here in this Commonwealth. Our health, our safety, and our economy all depend on people having access to vaccines. And sadly, RFK Jr. and the president want to try and take that away from us.”
The Children&#8217;s Hospital of Philadelphia did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.
The Shapiro administration openly admits pushback against COVID-19 restrictions motivated the proposed regulation changes. It cites Corman v. Acting Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Health, a case in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the Pennsylvania Department of Health did not have the power to enforce a statewide school mandate, as the impetus for the drastic restructuring of Pennsylvania’s health code.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf used his unchecked emergency powers to impose some of the harshest COVID restrictions in the nation from March 2020 to June 2021. These policies were doggedly enforced by Shapiro, who at that time was Pennsylvania&#8217;s attorney general and became known as the muscle of Wolf’s COVID regime.
Shapiro defended Wolf’s order that closed Pennsylvania businesses for months, calling it “a lawful exercise of the Commonwealth’s police power” in a May 2020 <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19A1032/142846/20200504095730241_Respondents%20Opposition%20to%20Appl%20to%20Stay.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19A1032/142846/20200504095730241_Respondents%2520Opposition%2520to%2520Appl%2520to%2520Stay.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1keh0lIoChA7yhSSLaMdR1">legal brief</a> submitted to the United States Supreme Court. When a federal judge <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17139062/county-of-butler-v-thomas-w-wolf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17139062/county-of-butler-v-thomas-w-wolf/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0RpndY-mitQi0XjNlzzGOH">struck down</a> Wolf’s ordinance that prohibited citizens from gathering in groups in September 2020, Shapiro filed a successful motion to have the ruling stayed, and the gathering restrictions were reinstated by October 2020.
Pennsylvanians responded to the authoritarian COVID mitigation measures by passing a constitutional amendment in May 2021 that limited the governor’s emergency powers to <a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-primary-2021-ballot-question-disaster-declaration-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-primary-2021-ballot-question-disaster-declaration-results/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ZLkLrGj-ejPh34EINmQcw">three weeks</a>, ending an almost yearlong mask mandate and other disease control restrictions.
During the summer of 2021, Wolf urged local school boards to impose their own mask mandates as a requirement to attend classes. Most school districts ignored his pleas and less than 15% planned to mandate masks by the end of July 2021, according to reporting from the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-c8afbf409f8e16eaf34e3fe89e6d7a97" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-c8afbf409f8e16eaf34e3fe89e6d7a97&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0BHNo6DLFBEQtGR8AxfJvb">Associated Press</a>.
Wolf was stripped of his power but used the Department of Health to create a statewide school mask mandate that acting Health Secretary Alison Beam <a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/08/pa-school-mask-mandate-tom-wolf-covid-19-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/08/pa-school-mask-mandate-tom-wolf-covid-19-coronavirus/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dxUrn65gAQ9jy0kI3TMaM">announced</a> on August 31, 2021. A group of parents challenged the legality of the order and faced off with <a href="https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20210928/162804-sept.23,2021-respondent'sbrief.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20210928/162804-sept.23,2021-respondent'sbrief.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787243287958000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1PeBuA0wxuXP1sclR3A1d3">Shapiro</a> at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where he ruthlessly defended the order and called the parents &#8220;self-centered.&#8221; 
&#8220;Petitioners seem to believe they know best how to protect the health and safety of school-aged children in the midst of a global pandemic,&#8221; wrote Shapiro in a <a href="https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20210928/162804-sept.23,2021-respondent'sbrief.pdf">legal brief</a>. &#8220;To that end, they seek to place their hands on the proverbial scales of justice and, in doing so, bypass the Secretary of Health. But petitioner&#8217;s self-centered gambit — which fails to take the power of the executive into account — cannot carry the day.&#8221;  
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court handed Shapiro a major loss in December 2021 when it <a href="https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20211223/175930-dec.23,2021-opinion.pdf">ruled</a> the Department of Health had acted outside of its regulatory authority, ending the statewide school mask mandate. But the court’s ruling noted the department could change to regulation and grant itself more power.
“We’ve already seen how this kind of authority can be abused, and we cannot allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated,&#8221; Brooks told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Pennsylvanians haven’t forgotten how these powers can be misused. They remember how our last governor and Department of Health imposed sweeping and arbitrary statewide lockdowns that devastated small businesses and disrupted the lives and education of millions.&#8221;
“It is shocking that the administration is now trying to work around those democratically enacted limits through regulation.&#8221;

Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania speaks during a rally

Josh Shapiro Eyes New Powers That Make COVID Restrictions Look Like A Warning Shot

COVID-19

Mask Mandate

Regulations

Vaccines

A dust-up in Pennsylvania over sentencing guidelines has lawmakers raising alarms about a potential judge-sanctioned prison break for murderers. 
Judges in Pennsylvania no longer have to impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence on criminals convicted of murder while committing robbery, rape, or arson. That happened because lawmakers failed to pass new guidelines after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the previous standards requiring murderers to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. 
“We sit here with no sentencing guidelines currently for felony murder. Nobody&#8217;s exactly sure how that&#8217;s going to play out,” Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper told The Daily Wire. “There has to be at least a minimum accountability standard for them in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or else we simply have stopped valuing human life in the same way.”
Law-and-order advocates worry the lapse in guidelines could lead to soft-on-crime judges imposing light sentences and to early release for the over 1,000 murderers currently imprisoned who now can argue their sentence was unconstitutional. 
“The new Democratic socialist movement is making no bones about what they support: no prisons, no minimums for crimes. And they&#8217;re not big fans of law enforcement,” Topper told The Daily Wire. “It just seems to be the radicals are driving the conversation on this issue and that party.”
The issue looms politically large for potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Governor Josh Shapiro and the upcoming House elections, which are crucial for control of Congress. Many Democrats have backed away from their 2020-era push to defund the police, but the issue remains a focus of many GOP campaigns.
Topper fears that many of those currently behind bars for second-degree murder will capitalize on the court’s ruling to try to get out of prison. 
“The greatest danger is that you will have current murderers sitting in prison, being able to appeal their sentencing,” he said. “I do believe that you could be in a scenario where there will be judges who use this as an opportunity to kind of impose their ideology, and so letting people out of jail that don&#8217;t belong out of jail, and certainly don&#8217;t belong back on the streets.”
Under Pennsylvania law, second-degree murder is <a href="https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM&amp;ttl=18&amp;div=00.&amp;chpt=025.&amp;sctn=002.&amp;subsctn=000.">defined</a> as being “committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony,” which is listed to include the crimes of robbery, rape, arson, burglary, or kidnapping.
Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/2037166490252726403?lang=en">praised</a> the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in March 2026 to strike down mandatory life-without-parole sentencing requirements. He called it a “common sense” ruling because the law held accomplices and the person who committed the murder to the same standard. 
In the decision, the court gave the General Assembly a 120-day deadline to come up with new sentencing guidelines. While the Republican-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan proposal one month before the deadline, the Democrat-controlled House did not vote on the guidelines until the very last minute. 
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill in June that <a href="https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/SB1400/PN1834">included</a> a 35-year minimum sentence for those convicted of second-degree murder. The bill also included provisions allowing for judges to impose a life-without-parole sentence in certain circumstances, including if the murder involved rape. The proposal <a href="https://www.palegis.us/senate/roll-calls/summary?sessYr=2025&amp;sessInd=0&amp;rcNum=445&amp;sort=party">passed</a> the Senate 31-19 on June 23 with 26 Republicans in support and five Democrats. 
One month later, and just one day before the deadline, the Democrat-controlled House voted on a significantly altered proposal from the version passed by the Senate. 
Republicans <a href="https://x.com/VoteMartinaPA/status/2084399064775348255?s=20">said</a> the amended bill contained a “poison pill” that gave judges broad discretionary power to give murderers light sentences for vaguely defined medical purposes. The bill passed the House 102-100 with support from just one Republican. The GOP-controlled Senate has no plans to pass the House version, leaving the sentencing guidelines at a standstill. 
Topper told The Daily Wire that he believed the Senate version would have passed the House without amendments if leadership had allowed it to receive a vote. He said Democratic leadership wanted to appeal to the more radical wing of their caucus. Topper also believes Shapiro would have signed the Senate’s version had it made it unscathed through the House.
Democrat House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford did not respond to a request for comment. 
“I believe it would have ultimately been signed into law by the governor,” Topper said. “The governor needs to show some leadership if he wanted that Senate bill to pass… it&#8217;s incumbent upon him to make sure members of his own party are in line with what he believes and values.”
When asked by The Daily Wire if the governor would have signed the Senate version, Shapiro’s office recycled a statement from last month in which he called for Republicans to support the House version. 
“Our state Supreme Court took the right action declaring that law unconstitutional and gave our state Legislature time to address those who are serving life sentences for second degree murder,” he said. “While some have played politics and suggested 1,100 people could be immediately released from prison — that is simply not true. It’s time to end the politicization and demagoguery and instead work to provide individualized sentencing within a predictable and consistent framework.”
Some Republicans believe the issue will be an issue focused on as the November election approaches. Reilly Richardson, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told The Daily Wire that crime will be a major focus as the November election approaches with numerous contested seats on the line. 
Multiple incumbent House Republicans, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Rep. Scott Perry, and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, are being targeted by Democrats for potential seat flips. 
“Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have been nothing short of disastrous in Pennsylvania,” Richardson said. “Now, they’re trying to send those same disastrous policies to Congress by nominating far-left candidates who are backed and bankrolled by groups who want to defund the police.”

corridor of a prison with bars and open cell door.

Swing State Republicans Fear Judge-Sanctioned Prison Break For Murderers

Law Enforcement

Murder

Violent Crime

An elite Pennsylvania liberal arts college agreed to sweeping changes after a lawsuit said the school allowed its campus to become a hotbed for radicalism, with open glorification of the terrorist group Hamas and antisemitic harassment by students.
Haverford College has <a href="https://www.haverford.edu/institutional-diversity-equity-and-access/combating-antisemitism">settled</a> with a group of Jewish students who sued the school in federal court in 2024. The students accused administrators of failing to protect them from discrimination and harassment because they were Jewish. 
The lawsuit detailed a campus environment where Hamas-supporting rhetoric became increasingly intertwined with hostility toward Jewish students. Masked protesters disrupted events, activists favorably shared images of Hamas paragliders during the October 7 attack, and a professor called for support for the “Palestinian resistance” just days after the attack.
Under the agreement, Haverford will explicitly state that Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students are welcome on campus and that discrimination and harassment targeting them violates college policy and can result in disciplinary action. 
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1155951" style="width: 624px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1155951" class="size-large wp-image-1155951" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-10.32.16-AM-614x576.png" alt="" width="614" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-10.32.16-AM-614x576.png 614w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-10.32.16-AM-300x282.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-10.32.16-AM.png 654w" sizes=" (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px" />(The Deborah Project)</div>
The settlement also requires Haverford to establish a new Civil Rights Director to handle antisemitism complaints, create an Antisemitism Committee, require annual antisemitism training for students and employees, and provide equal security for events sponsored by Jewish, Israeli, or Zionist groups. It will require masked individuals to identify themselves to campus officials when circumstances warrant it.
The students were represented by The Deborah Project, a nonprofit legal organization that represents Jewish students and faculty facing antisemitism in education.
According to the lawsuit, Jewish students faced hostility in classrooms, student forums, campus events, and even extracurricular activities, while administrators repeatedly failed to intervene or treated complaints as matters for students to resolve themselves. The campus environment became so hostile that administrators were warned that Jewish students felt physically threatened as Hamas-supporting rhetoric continued. 
During an encampment in April 2024, one Jewish student wrote to the Haverford President Wendy Raymond that protesters were using bullhorns to chant from the Hamas Charter and accuse Israel of genocide. 
“As a Jew I experience this conduct exactly as these people intend for me to experience it: as grossly demeaning, insulting and, most important, physically threatening. Glorying in Hamas’s conduct, and insisting that Israel do nothing to stop Hamas from doing it again, can’t be anything other than a threat to Jews,” the student wrote.
The lawsuit says one image circulated among Haverford students immediately after October 7 that featured a paraglider alongside the words “Stand with Palestinian resistance.” Hamas terrorists had used paragliders to infiltrate Israel for its massacre of Israeli civilians.
The complaint says the image was circulated as part of a series of posts that Jewish students viewed as celebrating or justifying the Hamas attack. 
Haverford math professor Tarik Aougab also came under scrutiny for his social media activity following the attack.
According to the lawsuit, Aougab publicly praised the October 7 atrocities on October 11, calling for “unequivocal and firm support for the Palestinian resistance” and reposting a message stating that defenders of Hamas’ attack “should never have to apologize for celebrating the scenes of an imprisoned people breaking free from their chains.”
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<div id="attachment_1155945" style="width: 457px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1155945" class="size-large wp-image-1155945" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-2.44.24-PM-447x576.png" alt="" width="447" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-2.44.24-PM-447x576.png 447w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-2.44.24-PM-233x300.png 233w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-2.44.24-PM-768x990.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-2.44.24-PM.png 776w" sizes=" (max-width: 447px) 100vw, 447px" />(The Deborah Project)</div>
Aougab later attacked Haverford students who supported Israel, calling them “racist genocidaires,” and announced that he would not provide recommendations for students seeking to study in Israel, according to the complaint. 
When Jewish students asked Raymond about Aougab reposting a photograph of a bulldozer breaking through the barrier between Gaza and Israel at the beginning of the Hamas attack, the lawsuit says Raymond responded that the post “could be perceived in many ways.”
When pressed on how she perceived it, Raymond said she “heard people breaking free from their chains.” She also allegedly described some of the Gazans who crossed into Israel through the destroyed fence on October 7 as “peaceful.” 
In spring 2024, Haverford hired Christopher R. Rogers as a visiting professor, despite him also publicly praising Hamas’ attack. Rogers reposted a tweet on October 7 featuring bulldozers breaking into Israel with the caption “beautiful sights to wake up to this morning.” He himself posted, “It’s an all day shout out to Chester love and Palestinian self-determination” during the attack. 
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1155947" style="width: 993px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1155947" class="size-large wp-image-1155947" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Gdq68smXUAAd29p-983x576.jpeg" alt="" width="983" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Gdq68smXUAAd29p-983x576.jpeg 983w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Gdq68smXUAAd29p-300x176.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Gdq68smXUAAd29p-768x450.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Gdq68smXUAAd29p.jpeg 1160w" sizes=" (max-width: 983px) 100vw, 983px" />(The Deborah Project)</div>
Rogers is wearing a keffiyeh in his official photograph on the <a href="https://www.haverford.edu/users/crrogers">Haverford website</a>.
The plaintiffs said that, to their knowledge, Haverford did not investigate or discipline professors over their social media posts supporting October 7. By contrast, they point out that Jewish-Israeli professor Barak Mendelsohn was investigated after criticizing a ceasefire petition and writing that its supporters appeared to ignore the “massacre, beheading, mutilation, and burning” of Israeli civilians by Hamas, before calling some of the petition’s supporters “Hamas apologists.” He posted that Haverford had a “Jewish problem,” that its student body was “led by Hamas apologists,” and that he would not send a Jewish student there.
The investigation found that Mendelsohn had not engaged in “discrimination or harassment,” but concluded that his conduct was “inconsistent with the College’s expectations of its faculty.”
The lawsuit also describes a September 30, 2024, antisemitism event featuring the Anti-Defamation League that was disrupted by masked protesters.
An alumna who witnessed the demonstration told Raymond that protesters gathered outside the event while shouting threatening slogans, carrying signs reading “No Zionists on campus,” and “shouting their support for the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas.” Most of the demonstrators had their faces covered with masks, according to the alumna.
The protesters shouted “from Gaza to Lebanon Israel must be gone,” “Stand up fight back,” and “by whatever means necessary&#8221; and banged on pots and shouted through a megaphone to disrupt the presentation. 
The lawsuit says university president Raymond was physically present and witnessed the disruption but did not intervene or issue a statement after the event.
Raymond was later pressed about the incident during a May 7, 2025, congressional hearing. Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) asked what would happen if a student walked across Haverford’s campus holding a sign reading “No Blacks on campus.” 
Raymond said there would be “no room for discrimination,” prompting Fine to point out that students had held a “No Zionists on campus” sign at the September 30, 2024, protest where Raymond was present, without consequence.
“But there is room!” Fine told her. “Because at your campus, in front of you at a protest, students held up a sign saying ‘No Zionists on campus.’” 
During Haverford’s spring 2024 anti-Israel encampment, which protesters declared a “Liberated Zone,” posters were present quoting Hamas to advocate for the destruction of the Jewish state, as well as chants of “long live the Intifadah,” according to the lawsuit.
The protesters occupied the center of campus for at least three days and blocked access to Founders’ Hall — a central building on campus. Students who did not express support for the protesters’ goals were allegedly shouted at and insulted. 
Haverford also directed Jewish students to the student-run Honor Council to address complaints of antisemitism and harassment, despite allegations that some Honor Council members themselves allegedly participated in the attacks on Jewish students.
The lawsuit alleges that the Honor Code divided students into “marginalized” and “privileged” groups, resulting in different standards of treatment based on those labels. Anti-Israel students allegedly used that framework to portray Jews committed to Israel as inherently “privileged” and to bully or silence them.
In announcing the settlement, Raymond acknowledged that members of the Haverford community committed to Israel as the Jewish homeland had been “deeply hurt” by events following October 7.
“That constitutes a failure on our part,” Raymond said. “We commit ourselves to doing better going forward.”
The settlement has nevertheless drawn criticism from the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which <a href="https://pa.cair.com/pressrelease/haverford-zionism/">argued</a> that Haverford went too far by treating Zionism as a protected identity.
“Jewish students deserve protection from antisemitism, harassment, and discrimination. Palestinian students deserve those same protections,” said Dr. Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director of CAIR-Philadelphia. “But no political ideology should be placed beyond criticism at an institution whose mission is supposed to center intellectual inquiry and the pursuit of truth.”
Tekelioglu argued that protecting Jewish students does not mean shielding Zionism from criticism.
“Protecting Jewish people is not the same as protecting Zionism from criticism,” he said. “A student’s Jewish identity is not a political ideology, and criticism of Zionism or advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be presumed to constitute hostility toward Jewish people.”
Texas and Florida moved to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization in 2025 under state law, but these designations are currently frozen or delayed due to active federal lawsuits.

Pro-Palestinians Protesters Urge USC To Divest From Israel

Liberal University Gives In After Student Lawsuit Said Campus Became Hamas Hotbed

antisemitism

Hamas

Israel

October 7

Randy Fine

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 presidential contender, suggested he may have played a role in bringing LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers after personally lobbying the NBA superstar to join the team months before the blockbuster signing. 
In an interview with Politico Playbook, Shapiro said he first met James at the private club ZZ&#8217;s in New York City and used the opportunity to pitch Philadelphia.
“I don’t want to suggest that I’m the reason why LeBron chose the Sixers, but when I saw him at this dinner in New York, I figured I had to shoot my shot,” Shapiro <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/07/31/josh-shapiro-shoots-his-shot-01018938">said</a>.
According to an anonymous source close to the governor cited by Playbook, Shapiro “was relentless until he finally got word&#8221; last Friday that James was headed to Philadelphia.
Minutes after NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news of the signing online, Shapiro celebrated on social media by proclaiming it &#8220;LeBron James Day&#8221; in Pennsylvania.   
 
“LEBRON IS COMING TO PHILLY,” Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/2080680553683046819?lang=en">posted</a>. “By the power vested in me as the Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a die-hard Sixers fan&#8230; I hereby proclaim today to be LEBRON JAMES DAY. Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, King James.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LEBRON IS COMING TO PHILLY.
By the power vested in me as the Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a die-hard Sixers fan&#8230; I hereby proclaim today to be LEBRON JAMES DAY.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, <a href="https://x.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingJames</a>. <a href="https://t.co/JHsNkCFyyN">pic.twitter.com/JHsNkCFyyN</a>
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) <a href="https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/2080680553683046819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shapiro also said he believes James can make an impact beyond basketball.
“I expect he’s going to bring a championship mentality to our team, and if he’s doing that in a way that also allows him to be a good father and husband, I think that’s great,” Shapiro said. 
Shapiro added that he “thought that there was a lot of important philanthropic work he could do in Philly.” 
James recently posted on social media about his new deal, saying he had briefly considered retirement before deciding to continue his career. 
“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn&#8217;t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game,” James <a href="https://x.com/KingJames/status/2080677086386430018">said</a>. “I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide [sic] if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James added.
James <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/sports-gaming/5988495-lebron-james-nba-sixers-shapiro/">joins</a> Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on a Sixers team hoping to bring Philadelphia its first NBA championship since 1983.

Screenshot 2026-07-31 at 12.42.56 PM

Dem Presidential Hopeful May Have Had Hand In Getting LeBron James To Philadelphia

2028 presidential election

LeBron James

Philadelphia

Philadelphia 76ers

Sports

One Democrat senator admitted to being &#8220;blinded&#8221; by his own political assumptions during the COVID-19 pandemic as Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment during a Senate Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman confessed he regrets allowing political partisanship to influence his rejection of the &#8220;Right-wing theory&#8221; that COVID came from the Wuhan lab in China during the early days of the pandemic. Fetterman said the so-called lab leak theory, which was branded as a conspiracy by the legacy media, had “seemed to make sense,” but added that it “became a very partisan thing.” 
“Early on, there was the theory that the virus could have emerged from the lab, and early on that became like a ‘Right-wing&#8217; kind of theory and I thought it seemed to make sense,” said Fetterman. “Now there was a really advanced lab that was close by, and then you have this unknown virus out. But that became a very partisan thing, and now it seems now it&#8217;s a more and more emerging theory that it would have come from the lab.” 
Fetterman, who was uncharacteristically dressed in a suit at the hearing, said he hopes the next time America faces a crisis, it is not “blinded by the partisan idea that maybe the truth might come from a side that&#8217;s different that you are,&#8221; as he “might have been” blinded.  
&#8220;Americans should be willing to pursue truth no matter where that may have emerged,” said Fetterman.   
Fetterman was the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania throughout the COVID pandemic and worked alongside Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and trans-identifying Secretary of Health Rachel Levine to implement some of the most draconian mitigation policies in the nation, including extended school closures and forcing senior citizens to die alone in nursing homes. 
Fetterman adamantly supported Wolf and Levine’s policies, including a <a href="https://lvb.com/dr-rachel-levine-issues-expanded-mask-wearing-order/">universal masking mandate</a> that required children as young as 2 years old to be masked whenever leaving home. He also <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/fetterman-on-rising-coronavirus-cases-in-pa/">begged</a> Pennsylvanians to “just wear a mask” in a November 2020 video. Wolf implemented a <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/no-more-indoor-dining-casinos-and-theaters-will-close-and-new-limits-on-retailers-pa-gov-tom-wolf.html">second lockdown</a> in Pennsylvania in December 2020 that extended to January 2021 and further devastated local businesses during the holiday season.   
Fetterman noted during the hearing that members of his family had died from COVID and also said he grieves for people who lost their businesses due to pandemic decisions and will “never be the same.”  
&#8220;During the pandemic I was lieutenant governor so we were in the middle of all of that maelstrom, trying to find the right balance between protect life and protect the economics of all of it,&#8221; said Fetterman. “I&#8217;m not sure if we got it all right or wrong, but without a doubt I continue to question myself.” 
Fetterman is an outspoken supporter of transgenderism and supports the inclusion of men in women’s sports. In a March 2025 post on <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1896728606812028954?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">X,</a> Fetterman wrote, “The small handful of trans athletes in PA in a political maelstrom deserve an ally, and I am one.”

John Fetterman

Fetterman Admits He Was ‘Blinded’ By Partisanship During COVID

Anthony Fauci

COVID-19 Vaccine

Face Masks

Lockdowns

Rand Paul

Senate

The bizarre comments a Pennsylvania Democrat made denigrating volunteer firefighters have resurfaced after a recent post he made thanking first responders for helping to put out a massive blaze. 
Bob Brooks, a firefighter union chief challenging Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), once called volunteer firefighters “two hatter sh*tbags” who weaken unions. Yet he recently thanked volunteer firefighters for responding to a massive fire at a former furniture factory in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 
&#8220;Just for the record! If you are an IAFF [International Association of Fire Fighters] member and you volunteer in an area that responds to where other IAFF members work… YOU ARE A SCAB and should be treated as such,&#8221; Brooks wrote in an April 2026 Facebook post <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/this-guy-is-speaking-poorly-of-good-people-democratic-house-candidate-bob-brooks-berated-volunteer-firefighters-as-shitbags-and-scabs-despite-serious-fireman-shortage/">first flagged</a> by The Washington Free Beacon. &#8220;I am so tired of you two hatter sh*tbags. If your [sic] offended, please delete me.”
The International Association of Fire Fighters believes that “two hatting” or working part time can undermine the positions of full time firefighters. That union, which represents 366,000 firefighters across North America, is backing Brooks&#8217; congressional bid.
Despite his apparent sour attitude toward volunteer firefighters, Brooks <a href="https://x.com/VoteBobBrooks/status/2070197583738261846">recently praised</a> “volunteer departments” who assisted in putting out a major fire at a former furniture factory in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The fire, which <a href="https://www.mcall.com/2026/06/24/allentown-fire-front-street/">broke out</a> on June 24, took all night to put out and left one firefighter with non-critical injuries. 
“It&#8217;s not often you see a six-alarm fire. I’m grateful to my brothers and sisters who worked throughout the night to get this under control, including those from across the area, volunteer departments, and the many who were called in from off-duty to help,” Brooks posted on social media last week.  
Brooks is the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and was a firefighter in Bethlehem for years. 
Brooks is endorsed by leftist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro. Brooks recently joined four other Democrat congressional candidates to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/union-backed-democrats-launch-blue-collar-brigade-to-woo-the-working-class">launch</a> the “Blue Collar Brigade,” aimed at rebuilding support for Democrats from blue collar workers. 
The top issues Brooks highlights on his campaign website <a href="https://brooksforcongress.com/issues/">include</a> raising taxes on the wealthy, strengthening union power, increasing minimum wage, and codifying Roe v. Wade. His platform also took a shot at ICE officers who wear masks while making arrests. 
“In America, we don’t send masked men to kidnap people off the street and throw them into unmarked cars. It’s bullsh*t and un-American,” his platform says. 
The race between Brooks and Mackenzie to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is considered a toss-up and expected to be competitive. Mackenzie won election to the seat against incumbent Democrat Rep. Susan Wild by just one percentage point.

Governor Shapiro Campaigns With Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks Ahead Of Primary Election

Dem Candidate’s Bizarre Comments Attacking Volunteer Firefighters Resurface

2026 elections

Firefighters

Labor Unions

Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro wants the White House. On Wednesday, that ambition was on full display as he tap-danced around a direct question about his party&#8217;s newest crop of Israel-bashing socialists — brushing off the widening rift as a distraction from his own brand of buttoned-up &#8220;pragmatism.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.ms.now/morning-joe/watch/gov-shapiro-trump-s-chaos-and-cruelty-is-infecting-everything-2505282115932">Pressed</a> by MS NOW&#8217;s Willie Geist on whether hard-Left firebrands out of New York and Colorado risk becoming the face of the Democratic Party nationally, Shapiro punted.
“Do you worry, though, governor, about some of these candidates in these high-profile races in New York and now in Colorado will be elevated as representative of Democrats nationally with some of their extreme views?” Geist asked.
“I mean, look — here in Pennsylvania, folks know what pragmatism results and getting stuff done looks like, because they see me, they see other Democrats who are doing that in our commonwealth. Look, I want to work with anyone to get stuff done,” Shapiro replied.
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Shorter Josh Shapiro to the Jew-hating communists who&#39;ve taken over the Democrat Party: Please, please, eat me last <a href="https://t.co/lmJdXJ6WkW">pic.twitter.com/lmJdXJ6WkW</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://x.com/CurtisHouck/status/2072328489974276500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Shapiro refused to confront the elephant — or camel — in the room.
That elephant has a name, or rather <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/24/israel-critics-sweep-new-york-house-primaries-signaling-democratic/">several</a>. Brad Lander, the self-styled &#8220;liberal Zionist&#8221; who in his victory speech accused Israel of “genocide” and “apartheid” and declared that Americans were “paying for Netanyahu’s wars with our tax dollars.”
New York U.S. House candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/06/avila-chevalier-attended-oct-8-pro-palestinian-rally-lander-condemned/413981/">showed up</a> to a Times Square rally the day after Hamas butchered 1,200 Israelis — October 8, 2023 — and later refused to condemn the attacks at a candidate forum, instead <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/06/avila-chevalier-attended-oct-8-pro-palestinian-rally-lander-condemned/413981/">lecturing</a> moderators about “75 years of occupation.” She spent her New York primary campaign branding Israel an “apartheid state.”
Another New York U.S. House candidate, Claire Valdez, marched with the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace for years, reportedly co-sponsored Mamdani’s “Not on Our Dime!” legislation targeting charities that fund West Bank settlements, and <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/06/mysterious-pro-reynoso-super-pac-funded-teachers-union-not-aipac/414238/">falsely accused</a> her opponent, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, of being bankrolled by AIPAC — a claim her own campaign finance filings blew up.
And now Colorado&#8217;s Melat Kiros, fresh off toppling 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette while <a href="https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jta/really-alarmed-jewish-groups-concerned-about-democratic-socialist-on-colorado-ballot/article_447c18dd-fa78-5de5-95f7-60e2650d1014.html">calling</a> for a total arms embargo on the Jewish state and refusing to label the Boulder firebombing an act of antisemitism.
All were cheered on by Mayor Mamdani&#8217;s growing socialist machine. None drew so much as a syllable of pushback from Shapiro on air.
It&#8217;s not hard to see why. Shapiro, still nursing the sting of getting passed over for Kamala Harris&#8217;s ticket in 2024 — a snub widely chalked up to Democratic squeamishness about his faith — knows exactly how combustible this topic is for a man eyeing 2028. Distance yourself too loudly from the socialist wing and risk the base. Cozy up and risk everything else.
Except Shapiro&#8217;s own recent Israel commentary has <a href="https://www.jns.org/opinion/morton-a-klein/pennsylvania-jewish-governor-wrongly-points-fingers-at-trump-and-netanyahu?utm_source=chatgpt.com">hardly been a profile in courage</a>. On the &#8220;All-In&#8221; podcast, he accused Benjamin Netanyahu of &#8220;leading around&#8221; and &#8220;bullying&#8221; Trump into confronting Iran — the same &#8220;bully&#8221; label he&#8217;s slapped on Trump himself over Venezuela and Canada, but somehow reserved for Israel&#8217;s prime minister when Tehran was the target. Critics, including the Zionist Organization of America, called the framing straight out of the &#8220;Jews control America&#8221; playbook — a particularly bitter irony for a governor whose own home was firebombed on the first night of Passover last year.
NewsBusters Managing Editor Curtis Houck summed up Shapiro&#8217;s comments well when he wrote, &#8220;Josh Shapiro to the Jew-hating communists who&#8217;ve taken over the Democrat Party: Please, please, eat me last.&#8221;

‘Eat Me Last’: Josh Shapiro Makes 2028 Calculation To Indulge The Israel-Hating Left

anti-Israel

Democratic Socialists Of America

More than 50 kids and teens are facing criminal charges after a massive opening-day brawl at Hersheypark, a Pennsylvania amusement park, that sent terrified families scrambling for cover and forced the shutdown of at least one ride.
The Derry Township Police Department <a href="https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/dauphin/derry-twp-pd/3742/post/investigation-conclusion-hersheypark-disorderly-patrons-investigation?fbclid=IwY2xjawSVuQ9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEesSrN6Ir82tVWOSvYygmoggH4H7GJWD0O2tt4D3z30F4Z0NjmsCa6GoVSvm0_aem_FtDvne_couThkT3bQVPKWA">announced</a> Monday that 55 people, ages 12 to 19, have been identified and charged in connection with the April 3 chaos. The group includes three adults and dozens of juveniles accused of offenses ranging from disorderly conduct and simple assault to aggravated assault, riot, conspiracy, and theft. 
According to witnesses, multiple fights erupted throughout the Pennsylvania amusement park, with some families shielding their children and taking cover under tables in the food court area as dozens of teens exchanged punches.
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— TruthWillCome2.0 (@SandyCee2400) <a href="https://x.com/SandyCee2400/status/2064104456266858671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Video circulating online appears to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DmS-dZB8uq0">show</a> another brawl breaking out near a roller coaster, forcing staffers to temporarily shut down the Skyrush ride.
“These actions caused serious inconvenience to Hersheypark staff and patrons of the park. This caused an emergency stop to the Skyrush ride,” officers said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/10/us-news/55-kids-teens-charged-in-hersheypark-opening-day-brawl/?dicbo=v2-R9ssdP0">according</a> to the New York Post.
Police said the disturbance began around 6:50 p.m. near the Trailblazer roller coaster, where two groups were involved in a verbal altercation before the confrontation escalated into a larger melee. Police were dispatched to assist security in separating the fighting groups.
But the chaos didn&#8217;t end there.
Authorities said participants later moved to the food court area, where another fight broke out. Witnesses estimated that between 50 and 60 teens were involved. 
Some participants were escorted out of the park through a side gate, but police said they later returned to the main entrance, where another confrontation erupted around 7:30 p.m.
The investigation took around three months as police reviewed extensive video evidence gathered from witnesses, security footage, and social media posts.
Among those charged as adults were Omar Ibrahim, 19, Jerome Ross III, 18, and Quaneek Williams, 18. PennLive <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2026/06/giant-brawl-forced-hersheypark-to-stop-rollercoaster-as-parents-hid-under-tables-police.html">reported</a> that Ibrahim and Ross were charged in connection with the alleged theft of a one-day admittance wristband from a minor. Williams was charged with one felony and four misdemeanors. 
No arrests have been made as of Tuesday night. Preliminary hearings for the three adult defendants are scheduled for July 7. 
Hersheypark said the individuals involved were quickly removed from the property.
“There was an altercation between a group of teenagers in Hersheypark the evening of Friday, April 3,&#8221; the park said in a statement. &#8220;Police responded to assist Park security in swiftly addressing the situation and removing those involved from the Park. As safety is our top priority, Hersheypark has a zero tolerance policy for behavior of this type. Those who do not abide by our policy will no longer be welcome on our property.”
While Hersheypark does not currently enforce a chaperone policy for minors, the park implemented a new photo verification process for same-day re-entry following the opening-day disruption. 
Under the policy, guests who leave the park and later return must have their photo verified against an image taken during their initial exit.
“This process helps ensure that admission is used only by the original ticket holder for same-day re-entry,” a park spokesperson said.

Hershey Park Entertainment Complex

More Than 50 Youths Charged Over Massive Brawl At ‘The Sweetest Place On Earth’

Crime

Fight

Teenagers

U.S.

A leftist mounting a long-shot campaign against Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman was arrested after he called on his senator to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to the FBI. 
Raymond Chandler III was arrested Friday after law enforcement said he left several disturbing calls threatening the president. Chandler is also accused of leaving a message for the senator describing how he and his daughter would have their throats slit by a mob of people upset about their wealth. 
“They pull you out of your house and they slit your throat and they slit your daughter’s throat and they slit everyone’s throat,” Chandler said in a message to an unnamed member of Congress, according to an FBI affidavit. “That you know, sir, that is the future. It&#8217;s not a future I want, it&#8217;s not a future I&#8217;m advocating for, but wealth concentration has gotten so bad in this country.”
It&#8217;s unclear from the affidavit if Chandler left the messages for Fetterman or for Republican Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick. 
Chandler, who supports abolishing ICE and wants to go after billionaires, <a href="https://chandlerforsenate.com/my_values/">describes</a> himself as a Quaker-Buddhist who wants everyone to be treated with “empathy, kindness,” and respect. 
“The greed has gotten so bad. People are suffering so much, sir, that that is what is in our future,” he added in the call, according to the FBI. “You will not escape their wrath. We must redistribute the wealth away from people like you.”
He was charged with multiple counts related to threats against federal officials and their families. In another phone call, Chandler is accused of calling for his senator to assassinate President Donald Trump. 
“Sir, I’m calling this evening because what I want you to do is I want you to take a firearm. I want you to put it in your hand,” he allegedly said. “I want you to walk into the Oval Office. I want you to put that firearm to the President’s head, and I want you to pull the trigger and I want you to kill him.”
He said that Trump was “awful,” “a liar among all liars,” and the “antichrist.” 
“I want you to put it to his temple, and I want you to pull the trigger. That is what I want you to do as my agent,” Chandler said, according to the affidavit. “That’s what I want you to do as my elected official. That’s what I am petitioning you to do with my free speech. I want you to kill the President. I want you to assassinate the President. That’s what I want you to do.”
Chandler previously left messages advocating for “armed resistance” to ICE alongside his willingness to “go to war and to ‘personally kill,’” according to the FBI. A lawyer appointed to represent Chandler declined to comment. A hearing is set for May 8 to determine whether to keep Chandler in federal custody.
Trump has faced a number of major assassination attempts, including most recently at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner when a gunman attempted to storm into the ballroom where he sat alongside other top government officials.

MixCollage-04-May-2026-07-36-AM-2026

Leftist Senate Candidate Arrested After Urging Senator To Do This To Trump

assassination

Donald Trump

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