Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed overhaul of his state&#8217;s health code places schools in an &#8220;untenable position between parents and public health authorities,&#8221; according to America&#8217;s oldest association of school board directors.
The Shapiro administration&#8217;s proposed regulatory changes would give public health officials unfettered power to enter schools and have private conversations with students during disease investigation, without needing a warrant or parental consent. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (<a href="https://www.psba.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PSBA</a>) is concerned the proposed changes threaten partnerships with parents place schools in indefensible situations, as stated in a letter it submitted to the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
“We are concerned that the proposed regulation places schools in an untenable position between parents and public health authorities,” PSBA writes. “Specifically, the proposal would require schools to provide health authorities with timely access to students and permit private communications between health officials and students during the school day, while limiting the ability of school personnel to involve parents or guardians in those interactions.”
Added clauses in Shapiro&#8217;s 502-page <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/docs/3490/AGENCY/3490PRO.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal,</a> unveiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on August 8, explicitly state that bureaucrats will have the power “to meet and speak with a student or other person in private” and that school employees “may not obstruct or interfere&#8221; with the investigation of a student.
&#8220;A person, including an employee or official of a school, shall permit the Department or local health authority to meet and speak with a student or other person in private, and may not interfere with the student or other person’s ability to exercise their right to give consent,” states the proposal. “A person, including an employee or official of a school, may not obstruct or interfere, with the Department or local health authority conducting contract tracing or partner services.”
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/josh-shapiro-arms-himself-with-draconian-police-powers-amid-re-election-fight?author=Megan+Brock&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Josh+Shapiro+Eyes+New+Powers+That+Make+COVID+Restrictions+Look+Like+A+Warning+Shot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a> that the Shapiro administration&#8217;s <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID=3505&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTrAr9wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDF2THVSdFBiTGw4RkthVTBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDjPUZ4ah2MvvtDVP4AQJOK7zJlqjAesOEbVTI3TjEyE9KLNGNjgg96xqbIg_aem_qta635xD7C0PTWC51tz6Nw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed changes</a> to Pennsylvania’s health code would give thestate&#8217;s health department centralized police powers under the guise of “disease control measures.” This includes the ability to access confidential medical records, impose statewide school mask mandates for disease prevention, and the power to exclude K-12 and college students from receiving an in-person education if they are deemed “susceptible” to a disease. 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 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-governor-wants-to-remove-mothers-and-pregnant-woman-from-state-health-code?author=Megan+Brock&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Democrat+Governor+Wants+To+Remove+%E2%80%98Mothers%E2%80%99+And+%E2%80%98Pregnant+Woman%E2%80%99+From+State+Health+Code%C2%A0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">draconian policies</a> across the state.
The <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/docs/3490/COMMENTS_PUBLIC/3490%2009-08-26%20Pennsylvania%20School%20Boards%20Association.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PSBA letter</a> was written on behalf of “the more that 5,000 public school directors and administrators” who govern Pennsylvania public schools. The September 4 letter asks the Pennsylvania Department of Health for clarity on how the changes would impact the daily operations of schools and to recognize the importance of &#8220;maintaining strong parent-school relationships.&#8221;
&#8220;The Department states that schools would retain flexibility through the requirement that access be provided in a ‘reasonable and timely’ manner,&#8221; the letter reads. &#8220;However, the proposal offers limited guidance regarding how schools should balance obligations to public health authorities, parental expectations, student rights, and existing school policies.&#8221;
&#8220;As a result, school personnel may be forced to make difficult real-time decisions involving sensitive legal and medical issues that extend beyond their expertise and primary educational responsibilities creating the opportunity to run afoul of state and federal law.&#8221;
PSBA also asked the Department of Health to provide “explicit guidance regarding parental notification requirements and limitations” and to clarify that schools are not responsible for &#8220;facilitating, defending, or explaining public health determinations made by state or local health authorities.”
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association says these public health measures could place school personnel in &#8220;direct conflict with parental expectation.”
“Parents reasonably expect schools to serve as trusted partners in their children&#8217;s education, safety, and well-being. The proposed regulation risks placing school administrators, teachers, nurses, and other personnel in direct conflict with parental expectations by requiring them to facilitate interactions involving highly sensitive health matters while restricting their ability to communicate with families regarding those interactions,” the letter reads.
PSBA is a nonpartisan organization that supports local leaders of Pennsylvania’s public schools. A PSBA representative told The Daily Wire the group did not wish to provide a comment beyond the contents of its letter.
Shapiro&#8217;s proposal has not been finalized and the public can submit a comment about the regulation to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.  until <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID=3505&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTrAr9wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDF2THVSdFBiTGw4RkthVTBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDjPUZ4ah2MvvtDVP4AQJOK7zJlqjAesOEbVTI3TjEyE9KLNGNjgg96xqbIg_aem_qta635xD7C0PTWC51tz6Nw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">September 21</a>.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health states in the proposal that giving itself “access to students, unobstructed and in private, for the purpose of contract tracing or partner services,” is a first-of-its kind authority amongst northeastern states that &#8220;will place Pennsylvania ahead of other states in the region.&#8221;
“None of the states surrounding Pennsylvania address partner services or contact tracing within their communicable disease regulations,” states the proposal. “Enabling Department personnel to utilize these important public health strategies to prevent the spread of disease in schools will place Pennsylvania ahead of other states in the region.”
Andrew Pry, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Christian Education Network, told The Daily Wire the rights of faith-based schools are also threatened by the Shapiro administrations radical proposed health code changes.
“As a former public-school principal, I know how essential trust between parents and schools is. These regulations undermine that trust when it bypasses parents and gives unlimited access to the government to meet privately with our children,” Pry told The Daily Wire.
“For the Christian schools I represent today, that concern is even more serious,&#8221; Pry continued. &#8220;Parents choose these schools precisely because they expect schools to respect their rights as parents, along with their faith, and seek to serve as partners in helping parents protect and guide their children. To make schools complicit in government interference with these fundamental rights offends the most basic precepts of religious freedom and breaks the bond of trust between parents and educators.”
Pennsylvania Democrats have publicly insisted the regulation does not give the Department of Health any new authority and have accused Republicans of spreading “misinformation and fear.”
“Unfortunately, Republicans are seizing on this opportunity to jump to extreme conclusions and spread misinformation and fear,” a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania&#8217;s state House Majority Leader, Democrat Rep. Matt Bradford, told the <a href="https://www.monvalleyindependent.com/2026/09/09/pa-health-department-pushes-to-update-disease-tracking-rules-last-changed-in-2001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MonValley Independent</a>. “No new authority is created in this proposal; it simply clarifies existing authority. We encourage the public to comment as part of this process.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Democrat Pennsylvania State House Majority Leader Matt Bradford did not respond to The Daily Wire’s requests for comment.

Josh Shapiro Campaigns In Pennsylvania On Final Day Before Midterm Election

What Josh Shapiro Wants To Let Health Officials Do Inside Schools

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parental rights

pennsylvania

pennsylvania department of health

politics

school policy

The FBI arrested an armed 21-year-old man over the weekend they say appeared to be planning a terror attack in support of ISIS. 
Federal agents arrested Jonathan Kramer of Valencia, Pennsylvania, on September 12, shortly after they say he went to a Walmart parking lot in a Pittsburgh suburb to pick up a semiautomatic rifle that he planned to use to carry out a mass attack. Prosecutors allege that Kramer has a history of sharing ISIS propaganda and discussing terror attacks, according to court documents. 
“Kramer was taken into custody just as he appeared to be preparing for a mass shooting that could have taken many lives, having already secured a rifle and approximately 190 rounds of ammunition for what he called his ‘mission,’” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. “His apparent ISIS inspiration and escalation toward violence show how close this country came to a devastating attack.”
Kramer has been charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the firearm and ammunition would be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism. A federal public defender told The Daily Wire that Kramer has no comment at this time. 
The FBI had been surveilling Kramer for months after they received a tip in March 2026 from an associate who was concerned he might be plotting a mass shooting. That tip came after Kramer was released from Pennsylvania state custody following juvenile charges in 2023 for possessing child pornography and planning a mass casualty attack. 
After the tip, the FBI started tracking anonymous accounts linked to Kramer that posted pro-ISIS propaganda. Beginning on June 29, 2026, an FBI confidential source started engaging online with an account linked to Kramer under the name “Hamza Al Rashid” on the platform SimpleX. xz
On July 2, 2026, the account told the FBI source about a planned attack that would focus on an area with “choke points” and using smoke bombs and pepper spray to blind the crowd of people. In another message, the account said that his parents were “not fond of me” and “does not like me [sic]” because “of Islam,” according to court documents. 
In a September 9, 2026, post on SimpleX, Hamza Al Rashid wrote, “i do not know anyone personally. i am preparing for my mission, i just need a weapon and as soon as i have that i am ready.&#8221;
Three days later, the FBI said it watched Kramer take an Uber to a Walmart, where he purchased a burner phone. In the Walmart parking lot, Kramer met with an unidentified individual who gave him a long black bag before he traveled to a hotel in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, according to the FBI. After paying for the hotel room in cash, Kramer went out to a sporting goods store. When he returned, he was arrested by FBI agents. 
The FBI then executed a search warrant of Kramer&#8217;s possessions and seized a semiautomatic rifle, five rifle magazines, a rifle bipod and scope, 190 rounds of rifle ammunition, a prayer rug, 30 knives, and a note saying, “DoNt look For me[.] IDK what I did buT I cant live In constant Fear [sic throughout].”
Kramer’s first court appearance was on Monday, and prosecutors are asking a judge to keep him in prison while the case plays out. 
“As Americans observed the 25th anniversary of 9/11, our law enforcement partners were working to protect our country from the continued threat of terrorism,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their outstanding work thwarted this alleged attack before innocent lives could be lost. The Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to terrorize the American people and bring them to justice.”

TOPSHOT-IRAQ-CONFLICT-MOSUL

Feds Bust Terrorist They Say Was Stockpiling For ISIS ‘Mission’ On U.S. Soil

isis

terrorism

todd blanche

Democrats melted down after Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) broke ranks and made a <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2097826780514066640?s=20">surprise video appearance</a> at the historic Republican midterm convention Wednesday night.
Fetterman fueled speculation about his political future as he vowed to work with President Donald Trump on economic issues and warmly introduced his Keystone State colleague, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), leaving Democrats to wonder whether they could soon lose a critical vote in their Senate coalition.
“A year ago I labeled John Fetterman ‘Trump’s favorite Democrat.’ Tonight, he yet again proves why,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) <a href="https://x.com/RepBrendanBoyle/status/2097845460635365718?s=20">said</a>. 
Few knew about Fetterman’s unity-first endorsement of McCormick, who will almost certainly be a prime target for national Democrats when he’s up for re-election in 2030. 
“I’m always going to stand with America,” Fetterman declared in the video. “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life. Dave McCormick is the kind of senator that gets the job done, and he’s going to fight for Pennsylvania. I’m proud to count him as my friend.”
Former Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb, whom Fetterman defeated in the 2022 Senate primary, told The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/us/politics/democrats-fetterman-trump-convention.html">New York Times</a> the video had “all the persuasiveness of a North Korean newscast.”
In the video, Fetterman stood with the iconic Edgar Thomson Steel Works looming behind him, a fitting backdrop for his pitch to Pennsylvania’s Steel Valley. The Braddock plant has long been the heartbeat of Allegheny County’s steel industry, where raw steel is produced. Fetterman pledged to lock arms with McCormick and work directly with President Trump to protect the region’s legendary manufacturing heritage, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-drops-bombshell-on-opening-night-of-republican-convention?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News+and+Commentary&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Fetterman+Drops+Bombshell+On+Opening+Night+Of+Republican+Convention">The Daily Wire reported</a>. 
“Yes, he’s in a different party,” Fetterman stated, “but I’m proud to count him as my great friend.” In response, McCormick <a href="https://x.com/DaveMcCormickPA/status/2097848169245630786?s=20">thanked</a> Fetterman, saying he was &#8220;grateful&#8221; for the gesture. 
Fetterman’s cameo angered moderate and leftist Democrats alike, including trans-identifying Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE).
“Being a Democratic politician who decides to speak at Trump’s midterm convention is like boarding the Titanic after it hit the iceberg,” McBride <a href="https://x.com/SarahEMcBride/status/2097830150033264982?s=20">wrote</a> on X.
In a follow-up statement, Fetterman vowed to continue caucusing with Democrats — even if his party flips the Senate, where his vote could upend the balance of power. &#8220;I&#8217;m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,” he <a href="https://x.com/igorbobic/status/2097855328079532477?s=20">insisted</a>. 
That commitment, however, didn&#8217;t convince Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA).
“He lost me last night with that stunt. He, like me, should be talking about how do we make life more affordable for Americans,” she told <a href="https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/2098058022090162452?s=20">C-SPAN</a>. 
Since his impressive 2022 election victory, Fetterman has openly expressed his disillusionment with the Democratic Party over its increasing hostility to Israel and embrace of socialism and far-Left candidates. In between, the Pennsylvania Democrat has voted to confirm some of Trump’s cabinet nominees and is a vocal proponent of the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.  
It’s unclear whether Fetterman plans to run again for a second term. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6048811-fetterman-mccormick-pennsylvania-republican-voters/">Recent polls</a> show he’s more popular with Pennsylvania Republicans than Democrats – a reality Dean echoed when asked about Fetterman’s future. 
“I don&#8217;t care one way or another. What it&#8217;s time for him to do is represent Pennsylvania the way he ran — with the values that he ran on,” she said. “Sadly, the work that he is doing now as Senator doesn’t reflect those same values. It will be up to John whether or not he changes parties.”

Senate Moving On Housing This Week After Legislation Logjam

Democrats Melt Down Over Fetterman’s GOP Cameo

2026 midterm election

dave mccormick

democratic party

john fetterman

In a jaw-dropping twist straight out of a bygone era when politicians of different parties actually liked each other, hoodie-loving Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) stunned the nation Wednesday night by making a surprise video appearance at the Republican Midterm Convention.
The purpose? To heap praise on his Keystone State colleague, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), leaving the Democrats clutching their stress balls and screaming into the abyss.
Throwing party orthodoxy right out the window, Fetterman delivered a fiery, unity-first endorsement for his Republican counterpart, proving that brotherhood in the Senate isn&#8217;t completely dead just yet.
“I’m gonna stand with America,” Fetterman declared in the video broadcast. “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life. Dave McCormick is the kind of senator that gets the job done, and he’s going to fight for Pennsylvania. I’m proud to count him as my friend.”
In the video, Fetterman stood with the iconic Edgar Thomson Steel Works mill looming over his shoulder. The Braddock plant is the historic heartbeat of the Steel Valley in Allegheny County where raw steel is forged. He pledged to lock arms with McCormick and work directly with President Trump to safeguard the region’s legendary manufacturing heritage.
“Yes, he’s in a different party,” Fetterman stated, “but I’m proud to count him as my great friend.”
The cross-aisle friendship between the towering Democrat and the pragmatic Republican has been brewing for months, much to the chagrin of hyper-partisan zealots on the Left. The pair have forged a tight bond, co-sponsoring bipartisan bills and frequently taking to the airwaves together.
Their alliance kicked off with a surprisingly polite truce. After a hard-fought election cycle, the two sat down and agreed to put partisan bickering aside in favor of securing real results for working families, securing the southern border, and combating antisemitism. In late June, McCormick <a href="https://radio.foxnews.com/2025/06/25/sen-mccormick-big-beautiful-bill/">told</a> Fox News’ Guy Benson:
<blockquote>
We are definitely an odd couple. &#8230; It’s interesting for me too; he campaigned against me &#8230; I remember meeting him for the very first time at the Tree of Life five-year commemoration. He said, “Listen, this campaign will get spicy but it’s nothing personal.” I didn’t know quite what he meant by that &#8230; 
After I won, I went over to see him, and we sat down and we had a real conversation about how he was thinking about things, and he said, “Listen, I want to find ways to work together; we agree on a lot, including the fight against antisemitism, including the crisis at the border, the need to help working families in Pennsylvania. We disagree on a lot; let’s just find ways to work together.”
It’s been great. I trust him &#8230;. about a month ago he came under this vicious attack, an orchestrated attack in a number of different articles against him, and nobody was defending him. I sent him a note and said, “Listen, I’d like to come out and defend you but I don’t want to hurt you politically. Would you like me to hold back or would you like me to take it out there?” He said, “Nobody’s defending me. Get out there.”
</blockquote>
Fetterman recently announced he would <a href="https://local21news.com/news/local/sen-fetterman-says-he-wont-campaign-against-fellow-pennsylvania-sen-mccormick-john-thune-capitol">refuse</a> to ever campaign against McCormick in future races, calling him a &#8220;great guy.&#8221;
While Fetterman has repeatedly brushed off rumors that he might join the GOP, Senate Majority Leader John Thune openly admitted that Republicans would roll out the red carpet to welcome him into the GOP conference if he ever decided to make the leap.
Fetterman’s shocker at the Republican convention offered a refreshing, throwback reminder of how Washington used to work.

Fox Nation Hosts Debate Between Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman And Dave McCormick

Fetterman Drops Bombshell On Opening Night Of Republican Convention

bipartisanship

republican party

Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro claims that vaccination rates have fallen under President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Data from his own state tell a different story.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates of Pennsylvania kindergartners dropped nearly 2% during the Biden presidency, according to data the Pennsylvania Department of Health provided to The Daily Wire. The MMR vaccination rates went from 95.5% during the 2020-2021 school year to 93.7% during the 2024-2025 school year, data show. Vaccination rates have consistently decreased since the 2019-2020 height of 96.4%, according to the Health Department.
<div id="attachment_1168093" style="width: 1723px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1168093" class="wp-image-1168093 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM.png" alt="" width="1713" height="570" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM.png 1713w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM-300x100.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM-1024x341.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM-768x256.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-6.19.52-PM-1536x511.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1713px) 100vw, 1713px" />Screenshot of an email sent to The Daily Wire from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.</div>
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen publicly stated the state&#8217;s drop in vaccination rates occurred during the Biden administration during an October 2025 press conference at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
“Over the past five years, we&#8217;ve seen about a 3% decline in the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination rate for children entering kindergarten in Pennsylvania. And we&#8217;ve seen similar rates of decline in other vaccines,” Bogen said at the <a href="https://pacast.com/m?p=28416">press conference</a> where Shapiro signed an <a href="https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/gov-shapiro-signs-eo-2025-02-safeguarding-pa-access-vaccines-pro">executive order</a> promoting vaccination.
But neither the facts nor his own administration&#8217;s acceptance of them stopped Shapiro from pushing the claim that the Trump administration&#8217;s policies were depressing vaccination rates.
Shapiro&#8217;s order, &#8220;Protecting Pennsylvanians’ Health and Freedom by Ensuring Access to Safe and Effective Vaccines,” <a href="https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/gov-shapiro-signs-eo-2025-02-safeguarding-pa-access-vaccines-pro">directs</a> state agencies to follow vaccine advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics instead of the “politically-influenced recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.&#8221;
“I do not want you to be guided by someone like RFK Jr. who I believe is wholly unqualified to give medical advice and who is restricting our freedoms here in Pennsylvania and across this country,&#8221; Shapiro stated during the October 2025 press conference. “RFK kicked off 17 highly qualified medical experts off of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices… including the very competent, the very qualified Charlotte Moser, the co-director of the Vaccine Education Center right here at CHOP.”
Moser spoke at the signing alongside the hospital&#8217;s CEO, Madeline Bell, who was a member of Shapiro&#8217;s <a href="https://shapirodavis.org/news/governor-elect-josh-shapiro-and-lieutenant-governor-elect-austin-davis-announce-transition-leadership-board-personnel-committee/">transition team</a>. Bell met with President Joe Biden in September 2021 to discuss “the importance of vaccine mandates” after the hospital&#8217;s 22,000 employees were required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in July 2021, according to the hospital&#8217;s <a href="https://www.chop.edu/news/chop-president-and-ceo-madeline-bell-meets-president-biden-discuss-vaccine-mandates">website</a>. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center is directed by <a href="https://www.chop.edu/doctors/offit-paul-a">Dr. Paul Offit</a>.
The Children&#8217;s Hospital of Philadelphia did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment. 
Shapiro and Bogen announced two &#8220;measles-associated deaths&#8221; had occurred in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on August 25. Shapiro stated the deceased were “unvaccinated” and refused to provide any additional information. The governor laid blame on the Trump administration for the deaths and said he was &#8220;very, very blunt&#8221; with Secretary Kennedy on a phone call before the announcement. 
“I made very clear that his actions and the rhetoric that’s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America,” Shapiro stated during the press conference. “There&#8217;s real life consequences to spreading misinformation.”
Kennedy <a href="https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/2092441234581160251?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">fired back</a> at Shapiro on X, claiming the governor acknowledged during their call that Pennsylvania&#8217;s vaccination rates fell during the Biden administration.
“Governor Shapiro also faulted me for the decline in Pennsylvania vaccination rates from 97% &#8211; 93.2%. When I pushed back on this assertion, he acknowledged that most of the decline occurred during the Biden administration,” Kennedy wrote. “It’s unfortunately true that the government lockdowns, deceptions, manipulation, and overreach during Covid severely damaged public faith in the vaccine program. Governor Shapiro’s press conference was an example of the same species of gaslighting.” 
Lancaster County Commissioner Joshua Parsons directly challenged Shapiro’s narrative and claimed the county coroner had no record of any deaths caused by measles hours after the announcement in an X post. 
“The Coroner’s office indicates that it currently has ZERO reported cases where measles is the immediate cause of death,” <a href="https://x.com/CommissionerJP/status/2092350307132903644?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">Parsons wrote</a> on August 25. “They have one case where a person died WITH measles, but not FROM measles. Measles was definitely NOT the cause of death in that case.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health posted a <a href="https://x.com/PAHealthDept/status/2092702734084386962?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">statement</a> on August 26 suggesting a “measles-associated” death meant the deceased person had laboratory evidence of measles without it being assessed as “the immediate cause of death.” 
&#8220;PA DOH uses the term &#8216;measles-associated&#8217; when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present, but the disease may not be assessed by the medical certifier or coroner to be the immediate cause of death,&#8221; the department said in the statement. 
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni confirmed to <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/news/health/lancaster-county-coroner-shares-details-says-measles-didnt-contribute-to-newborns-death/article_74d23fb1-13ac-4306-a697-659ae57e96c2.html">LancasterOnline</a> on August 27 that one of the announced “measles-associated” deaths was a newborn who died of a ruptured spleen. 
&#8220;Measles was not the cause of death — the laceration to the spleen is the cause,” reported <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/news/health/lancaster-county-coroner-shares-details-says-measles-didnt-contribute-to-newborns-death/article_74d23fb1-13ac-4306-a697-659ae57e96c2.html">LancasterOnline</a>. “And measles was ruled out as a contributing factor because, Diamantoni said, ‘there was no swelling or enlargement whatsoever’ of the spleen and there was &#8216;massive blood loss&#8217; from the laceration.&#8221;
Shapiro has been criticized by both sides of the aisle for mishandling the situation and further eroding America’s trust in public health. He was asked by a reporter on August 28 for clarity about the case, but he refused to provide additional information.   
The governor&#8217;s office did not respond to The Daily Wire’s requests for comment. 
Parsons told The Daily Wire the Shapiro administration needs to be honest with the public.
&#8220;We just want the facts and we want the truth about what happened here, and we haven&#8217;t gotten that,&#8221; Parsons said. &#8220;I think the lesson that was learned from COVID is that government and public health officials need to be honest.&#8221;
This controversy has unfolded as the Shapiro administration is pushing to radically rewrite the state’s health code and give itself authoritarian police powers, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/josh-shapiro-arms-himself-with-draconian-police-powers-amid-re-election-fight?author=Megan+Brock&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Josh+Shapiro+Eyes+New+Powers+That+Make+COVID+Restrictions+Look+Like+A+Warning+Shot">previously reported</a> by The Daily Wire. 
The Democrats’ <a href="https://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID=3505&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawTrAr9wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDF2THVSdFBiTGw4RkthVTBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDjPUZ4ah2MvvtDVP4AQJOK7zJlqjAesOEbVTI3TjEyE9KLNGNjgg96xqbIg_aem_qta635xD7C0PTWC51tz6Nw">proposed changes</a> to the state&#8217;s health code would give Pennsylvania’s Department of Health centralized police powers under the guise of “disease control measures,” including the ability to enter homes and schools without a warrant, access confidential medical records, and impose statewide school mask mandates for disease prevention. 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, which were doggedly enforced by Shapiro, who at that time was Pennsylvania’s attorney general. 
Pennsylvanians responded to the 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/">three weeks</a>. The Department of Health reports to the governor’s office, meaning the proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s health code would give Shapiro — and his successors — the ability to single-handedly implement draconian policies across the state.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be able to stop students from receiving an in-person education if they are deemed “susceptible” to a disease, such as measles, and will require healthcare providers to input every delivered vaccination into a statewide database, unless the patient proactively declines in writing.
A department spokesman told The Daily Wire the proposed regulations are undergoing a review process and encouraged Pennsylvanians &#8220;to review the proposed regulations for themselves and participate in the regulatory process by providing feedback during the extended public comment period.&#8221;

President Trump Meets With Governors At The White House

Josh Shapiro Says Vaccination Rates Are Falling Under Trump. His State’s Data Say Otherwise.

measles

robert f kennedy jr

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An illegal immigrant with an Illinois driver&#8217;s license allegedly sped away after striking a preteen boy in Pennsylvania, leaving him seriously injured in the roadway, authorities said.
Yorgelis Alexandra Matos-Bravo, a 29-year-old Venezuelan national living in Chicago, was allegedly speeding in a red 2016 Chevrolet Cruze when she struck the boy at the intersection of Fallowfield Avenue and Third Street in Charleroi on Sunday afternoon.  
The boy suffered serious injuries to his head and right arm. He was initially taken to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital before being flown to UPMC Children&#8217;s Hospital of Pittsburgh with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, <a href="https://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/2026/aug/25/boy-struck-by-hit-and-run-driver-in-charleroi">according</a> to court documents.
Another juvenile who witnessed the crash recorded the vehicle&#8217;s Indiana license plate number and gave it to investigators. Officers used the information to identify the car in footage from nearby surveillance cameras.
While police searched the area, Matos-Bravo&#8217;s brother arrived and used a translation app to tell officers she was returning. He said Matos-Bravo had stopped at a nearby park, where she was crying about what had happened.
Matos-Bravo returned after calling her brothers, who urged her to go back to the scene, police said. She allegedly told investigators through a translation app that she had struck the child but fled because she was shocked and nervous.
Police said the vehicle had handprints and a significant dent on its hood.
Matos-Bravo faces seven charges, including felony aggravated assault of a child under 13, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, careless driving, speeding, disorderly conduct, and leaving the scene of an accident.
She was taken to the Washington County jail after failing to post a $25,000 cash bond. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 3.
The Department of Homeland Security said Matos-Bravo illegally entered the United States through Texas in July 2022 under the Biden administration and later obtained a driver&#8217;s license from Illinois. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer asking Washington County officials to transfer her to federal custody if she is released.
“This criminal illegal alien now faces seven charges after a hit-and-run that injured a young child in Pennsylvania,&#8221; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. 
&#8220;She would not have been in our country in the first place if it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s open borders, and she wouldn’t have been on our roads if it weren’t for J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary Illinois issuing her a driver’s license,” Mullin continued. “This was a completely avoidable crime that was enabled by the reckless, America Last policies of sanctuary politicians.&#8221;
Mullin added that ICE wants to ensure that Matos-Bravo is &#8220;never released onto our streets again.”
Illinois <a href="https://www.ilsos.gov/content/dam/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_tvdl22.pdf">allows</a> illegal immigrants who meet identification and residency requirements and pass vision, written, and road tests to obtain driver&#8217;s licenses. In 2024, the state replaced its Temporary Visitor Driver&#8217;s License program with standard licenses for undocumented residents and other noncitizens without Social Security numbers.

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Illegal Immigrant With Sanctuary-State License Charged In Child Hit-And-Run

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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.
&nbsp;
<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.

Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at the

Democrat Governor Wants To Remove ‘Mothers’ And ‘Pregnant Woman’ From State Health Code 

gender neutral language

transgender policy

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

covid19 restriction

vaccine mandate

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

crime policy

sentencing guidelines

A cocaine-trafficking ring run through two Penn State University fraternities got busted after investigators discovered one of the suspected college kingpins was accepting Venmo payments for his drugs under his real name.
A confidential informant reportedly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/penn-state-frat-brother-thought-arrest-was-prank-led-authorities-cocai-rcna593188">told authorities</a> that Thomas Robinson, a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity, was selling cocaine out of the fraternity house under the name &#8220;T-Rob.&#8221; He was accepting payments for the drugs via Venmo — under the name Tom-Robinson, according to court documents filed in 2024.
The alleged multi-state <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/us-news/penn-state-fraternity-cocaine-ring-busted-thanks-to-absolutely-obvious-mistake/">drug ring</a> operated out of the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses and moved large amounts of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/frat-bros-busted-after-pledges-forced-to-cut-cocaine-in-university-drug-cartel">cocaine</a> on the Pennsylvania college campus in 2023 and 2024, state Attorney General Dave Sunday&#8217;s (R-PA) office announced on Monday.
&#8220;This was a coordinated and highly-profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers, and pledges,&#8221; Sunday&#8217;s office said. &#8220;In fact, according to the evidence uncovered, cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities.&#8221;
Robinson and Agostino Abbatiello, 24, allegedly served as the operation&#8217;s main suppliers, making numerous trips throughout 2023 and 2024 to New York City and Philadelphia to buy large quantities of cocaine, according to Sunday&#8217;s office. They allegedly brought the drugs back to the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon houses, where the cocaine was cut and packaged for resale, mainly to Penn State students.
Sunday&#8217;s office announced charges against 14 individuals in connection with the bust — four current students, nine former students, and Robinson&#8217;s father, prominent Pittsburgh attorney Paul Robinson.
Prosecutors say the elder Robinson tried to conceal evidence after authorities began investigating his son. He was charged with &#8220;felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstructing the investigation.&#8221;
Abbatiello, who allegedly ran the operation alongside Robinson, surrendered on Tuesday morning after missing his scheduled arraignment on Monday.
Magisterial District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker arraigned Abbatiello on a number of felonies — including possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy. Abbatiello was denied bail at arraignment.
Penn State said it placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension while the university investigates the allegations. Sigma Chi is not recognized by Penn State and operates outside the university&#8217;s oversight, according to the school.
The Office of the Attorney General&#8217;s Drug Strike Force Section will be tasked with prosecuting the cases.

Drug dealing

Frat Bros Ran A Cocaine Empire Until One Boneheaded Move Blew It Up

The Stupid Mistake That Busted College Kingpin's Coke Ring

dave sunday

drug trafficking

fraternity

penn state university

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

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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.”

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