A Democratic candidate for Congress once boasted about her record of supporting “no new taxes” as mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, even as city taxes have steadily climbed during her tenure.
Ready to move on from city politics, Mayor Paige Cognetti is running to unseat Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), who represents Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District. Cognetti&#8217;s record on taxation is drawing criticism from her opponents, who note that property taxes have jumped multiple times during her time in office, despite complaints from residents. 
Cognetti was first elected as mayor of Scranton during a special election in November 2019 and took office on January 6, 2020. By January 28, the city <a href="https://scrantonpa.gov/docs/council_agendas/2020/2020-01-28%20Minutes.pdf">adopted</a> a 2.47% property tax increase. According to the Times-Tribune, that increase, which was first proposed by the previous mayor, was also <a href="https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2020/01/23/scranton-annual-trash-fee-to-remain-at-300-in-2020/">authorized</a> by the Cognetti administration.
A year-and-a-half later when running for her first full term in office in May 2021, Cognetti released a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSHWzx9_rgg">campaign ad</a> which claims she “fought new taxes” and guided the city to a “budget surplus with no new taxes.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-990403" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM.png" alt="" width="1746" height="961" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM.png 1746w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM-300x165.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM-1024x564.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM-768x423.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-12.16.53-PM-1536x845.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1746px) 100vw, 1746px" />
After winning re-election, property taxes increased under Cognetti in both 2023 and 2024. Both those hikes were about 2%, but could have been higher if Cognetti had her way. Her administration wanted taxes to increase by 3.5% in 2024, the Times-Tribune <a href="https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2024/02/10/more-than-a-quarter-of-lackawanna-county-municipalities-hiked-taxes-in-2024/">reported</a>.
Cognetti recently <a href="https://www.audacy.com/podcast/the-morning-news-with-nancy-and-jason-f6d87/episodes/speaking-with-scranton-mayor-paige-cognetti-after-her-victory-in-yesterdays-primary-election-58cad?fbclid=IwY2xjawNQuN9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFiNVZDckJhZHhHYlE0bGF4AR70dGDQugnDK2Lgk-0TSIyqfypbLtvKzl60HOuBSrj_LdIpYl7xmBrAiy6mmA_aem_k3AZXVPpEUXZFvwxIXMvCA">discussed</a> these hikes on local radio, saying that they were increases that residents could handle. 
“Over five years, we&#8217;ve increased taxes twice, about 2% each time. Those are responsible increases and there&#8217;s things that people can manage,” she said on the “Morning News with Nancy and Jason.”  “We don’t play politics with people&#8217;s finances. We don’t pretend for years that we don’t need to raise our taxes and then let somebody else do it years later.”  
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At the time the 2024 hike was being considered, some residents of Scranton voiced concerns about not being able to handle the increase.
&#8220;Look at it for senior citizens. I&#8217;m like 72 years old. Where am I going to get the money from on a fixed income? This is not good,&#8221; Gerry Dombroski <a href="https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/proposed-tax-hike-in-scrantons-2024-budget/523-74c54dcf-4db0-4b24-8d24-cc47884f4d9d">told</a> a local ABC affiliate.
Prior to taking office, Cognetti <a href="https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2019/11/09/cognetti-faces-major-hurdles-as-scranton-mayor/">said</a> that she would fight to lower the city’s income tax, which is 2.4%. She called that rate &#8220;unbelievable,&#8221; comparing it to New York City where &#8220;at least you get a subway.&#8221; That tax has not budged during her over five and a half years in office. 
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Reilly Richardson said that Cognetti’s record on taxation shows that she is a “political opportunist.” 
“Political opportunist Paige Cognetti raised taxes on hardworking Scranton families then lied about it,” he told The Daily Wire. “Cognetti is too dishonest and too expensive to be mayor, much less a Member of Congress.”
The critical northeastern Pennsylvania race could come down to the wire. Bresnahan only won his last election by about 6,000 votes out of 385,000 cast.

Sen. Bob Casey Holds His Election Night Event In Scranton

Taxes Have Jumped Under Dem Congressional Candidate Despite ‘No New Taxes’ Boast

2026 Midterms

Congress

Elections

Pennsylvania

Taxes

A Christian woman was punished after refusing to escort a prominent transgender-identifying male “political figure” to a female locker room at a spa operated by the iconic Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. 
The suit says that Jeriah Sellers, a devout Christian, was told to leave her faith at the door after she informed her supervisor that she was uncomfortable bringing a male into the female locker room at the Melt Spa by Hershey in Pennsylvania. As a result of her request not to be forced to bring males into female spaces, Sellers says that she was suspended without pay for a shift and slapped on the wrist by the company’s HR department. 
“Hershey wants you to leave your personal, religious, and political beliefs at the door,” Sellers was told by a company HR representative, the lawsuit alleges. The suit accuses the spa of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to accommodate workers’ religious practices.  
Sellers is being represented by lawyers Andrea Shaw and Jeremy Samek, a lawyer with the Independence Law Center, a Pennsylvania-based public interest law firm. The suit was filed in the federal court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. 
“This is really, I think, a  case where the corporate mentality on the transgender issue is that employees can&#8217;t be accommodated and that they&#8217;re justified in punishing religious beliefs on this issue,” Shaw told The Daily Wire. “And that&#8217;s what needs to change. The corporate can have their policy, but they need to accommodate their employees with their religious beliefs.” 
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts was founded in 1927 by chocolate baron Milton S. Hershey, more than 30 years after he founded the famed Hershey Chocolate company. While the two are separate business entities, they both partner with the Milton Hershey School. 
The controversy began on May 28, 2025, when Sellers says her supervisor told her that a transgender-identifying male who was a “well-known political figure” was coming to the spa and would be using the female locker room. After she was told of the upcoming visit, Sellers told her supervisor that she would be unable to bring the male to the locker room because of her Christian religious beliefs. It is unclear who the figure visiting the spa was. 
Her supervisor responded by saying that it was not a problem and offered to bring the guest to the locker room, according to the suit. A few days after this conversation, Sellers and her supervisor discussed a potential religious accommodation. 
“[Sellers] explained that as a Christian, she wanted to figure out how best to respond to this situation in a positive way for everyone, but that she was not comfortable escorting a biological male into the Women’s Locker Room because it went against her religious beliefs, which also included her concern for other female guests who may be uncomfortable having a biological male present in the designated female locker room facility,” a copy of the suit obtained by The Daily Wire said. 
The supervisor indicated that the accommodation was reasonable but that it would need approval from the HR department, the suit says. During a meeting on June 4, 2025, with the HR department, Sellers says that she was told that she would be disciplined by having her shift for the day suspended without pay and receiving a write-up by HR.
That was when she was allegedly told to leave her “personal, religious, and political beliefs at the door.” She was also given a copy of the company’s transgender policies, which require employees to guide customers to their facilities based on if they mark male, female, or “non-binary,” according to the suit. 
An exhibit included in the suit viewed by The Daily Wire reveals a document called “Spa Transgender Policies” dated September 2021 that says that “guests are welcome to use the locker room that corresponds with their gender identity. Bathroom and shower stalls are also located within the locker rooms for privacy.” 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-988705" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-1.44.05-PM.png" alt="" width="1482" height="561" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-1.44.05-PM.png 1482w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-1.44.05-PM-300x114.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-1.44.05-PM-1024x388.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-1.44.05-PM-768x291.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1482px) 100vw, 1482px" /></div>
Sellers said that she had never seen the document outlining the spa’s transgender policies before. 
“Despite Jeriah’s request for a reasonable accommodation based on her deeply held religious beliefs, and in spite of both her supervisor’s and manager’s recognition that she easily could be accommodated, Defendant disciplined Jeriah, placed her under threat of future discipline and instructed her to leave her religious beliefs at the door.”
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On July 21, 2025, Sellers filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Two days later, the EEOC issued a right-to-sue letter indicating that it would not be able to resolve the complaint quickly. 
As a Christian, Sellers believes that God created only two sexes, male and female, and believes it would be deceitful to purposely bring a male into a female space. 
Additionally, her “Christian faith dictates her belief in modesty and privacy,” the suit said. “Therefore, it is a violation of Plaintiff’s religious beliefs to be present where males might change or to encourage, aid, or facilitate the entry of a biological male into a designated space where females undress without their consent, thereby subjecting those women to a sexually harassing environment where their privacy will be compromised.”
The suit requests that a court rule that Hershey Entertainment and Resorts violated Sellers’ civil rights and ensure that she has an accommodation for the future. 
Sellers first began working at Melt Spa in August 2023 and was required to give female guests a tour of the female locker room while only having to escort male guests to the door of the male locker room.

MixCollage-21-Oct-2025-10-01-AM-1103

Hershey Resorts Punished Employee For Not Bringing Trans Male Into Female Locker Room, Suit Says

Christianity

Civil Rights

Religious Liberty

Transgenders

Airports in Pennsylvania and Canada were hacked on Tuesday with pro-Hamas messages that attacked President Donald Trump, forcing passengers on at least one plane to deboard over security concerns. 
Hackers took control of the public address system and screens at Harrisburg International Airport and three Canadian airports to broadcast profane messages targeting Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The hacks are under investigation by law enforcement in both the United States and Canada.
“F**k Netanyahu and Trump. Turkish hacker, cyber-Islam is here&#8230; Free, free Palestine,” a message <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/10/harrisburg-international-airports-pa-system-hacked-by-political-message.html">blasted</a> over the PA system at Harrisburg International Airport said.
Similar messages were played in Canada at the Victoria International Airport, the Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia, and the Windsor International Airport in Ontario.
In Harrisburg, the TSA ordered passengers off a boarded plane for an additional security check.
&#8220;As the safety and security of our customers and employees comes before all else, Delta followed the direction of TSA to return to the gate and complete a security check of the aircraft. We appreciate our customers&#8217; patience and cooperation,&#8221; Delta <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/hacker-hijacks-airport-speakers-blasts-anti-trump-other-political-messages">told</a> Fox News. 
In a statement, the Harrisburg International Airport said that an &#8220;unauthorized user” gained access to its PA system to play a recorded message. “The message was political in nature and did not contain any threats against the airport, our tenants, airlines, or passengers. The PA system was temporarily shut down, and the message was removed,” the airport said. 
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that the Federal Aviation Administration was working with the airport to figure out what happened. 
“This is absolutely unacceptable and understandably scared travelers,” Duffy <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1978644738161996218">said</a>. “The [FAA] and I are coordinating with [Harrisburg International] to help get to the bottom of this hack.”
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Kelowna International Airport <a href="https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/passenger-updates">said</a> it was able to remove the unauthorized messages within minutes and that the hack was limited to a cloud-based third-party software. Transport Canada, the country&#8217;s government transportation body, and Canadian police determined that the messages did not pose “a direct threat towards the travelling public,” the airport said. 
One passenger <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/15/us/airport-cyber-breach-pennsylvania-canada-hnk">told</a> CNN that airport staff used megaphones to relay information after the PA system was shut down at Kelowna International Airport. 
“The airport staff was about as in the dark as we were,” the passenger said. “They even had to resort to using megaphones to give people boarding information because the intercom was down.”

Travelers on line on LaGuardia Airport in New York

Pro-Terrorism Hackers Hijack Airport PA Systems With ‘Free Palestine’ Stunt

Pro-Terrorism Hackers Hijack Airport Public Address System With 'Free Palestine' Stunt

Air and Space

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Donald Trump

Hackers

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World

A man who expressed anti-Israel views and called Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro a “monster” pleaded guilty to all charges on Tuesday morning after firebombing the Governor’s Residence in April.
Cody Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted homicide and terrorism, along with dozens of arson-related charges, The Philadelphia Inquirer <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/crime/cody-balmer-arson-guilty-plea-josh-shapiro-mansion-fire-20251014.html">reported</a>. Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.
Balmer scaled the property fence and broke into the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence at around 2:00 a.m. on April 13, shortly after Shapiro — who is Jewish — finished celebrating Passover with his family. The arsonist lit multiple homemade incendiary devices and threw them on the floor inside the home as Shapiro and his family slept, security footage shows. Balmer then fled the property.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Video inside Gov. Shapiro&#8217;s residence shows the moments Cody Balmer threw Molotov Cocktails inside the residence earlier this year
More details on <a href="https://t.co/7vlW67ZTdM">https://t.co/7vlW67ZTdM</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZKWrn5LQqm">https://t.co/ZKWrn5LQqm</a> <a href="https://t.co/scIl39YPYH">pic.twitter.com/scIl39YPYH</a>
— abc27 News (@abc27News) <a href="https://twitter.com/abc27News/status/1978097948140388429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After the blaze erupted, the governor and his family were awakened by state troopers and escaped unharmed. The fire damaged much of the home, costing more than $7 million to repair, the Inquirer reported.
Hours after he set the fire, Balmer called police and admitted to the attack, saying that he would not “take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arsonist-arrested-for-attack-on-josh-shapiro-hated-israel-911-call-reveals">reported</a>. Balmer told authorities that he strongly disagreed with Shapiro’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas and admitted that he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer if he had encountered the governor during his rampage, according to police documents.
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Balmer had past run-ins with law enforcement, and his mother said that he is “mentally ill and he went off his medication.” In 2023, police responded to a call from Balmer’s home, and he reportedly told police that he attempted suicide with a “bottle full of pills” and got into a fight with his wife and 13-year-old son. His wife alleged that Balmer hit the teenager and punched her in the face and bit her. He was charged with three counts of simple assault at the time.
Last year, as Shapiro was on the shortlist of potential running mates for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the governor faced intense criticism from many on the Left for his stance on the war in Gaza. Harris ultimately skipped over Shapiro and selected Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz. Shapiro maintained that he was not passed over due to any form of antisemitism within the party.
Balmer’s social media activity shows that he expressed a range of leftist beliefs, while also criticizing former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/14/us-news/cody-balmer-suspected-josh-shapiro-arsonist-pictured/">reported</a>. Leftist media personalities like Don Lemon and Joe Scarborough <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-the-attack-on-democrat-josh-shapiros-house-is-not-an-example-of-maga-violence">attempted</a> to spin Balmer’s attack as an example of Right-wing violence.

Josh Shapiro

Anti-Israel Man Pleads Guilty After Terrorizing Pennsylvania Governor’s Home

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Arson

Crime

Fire

Israel

Politics

A suspect is on the run after a car slammed into the gates of the Pittsburgh FBI office early Wednesday morning in what officials described as an “act of terror.” 
The FBI is searching for a man named Donald Henson, who authorities say crashed his vehicle into the main entrance fence at around 2:40 a.m. FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in charge Christopher Giordano said that Henson is “dangerous” and has a history of mental health issues. 
&#8220;We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,&#8221; Giordano <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/suspect-sought-after-carrams-fence-fbi-office-pittsburgh-125652585">said</a>. &#8220;This was a targeted attack on this building. Thankfully no one was hurt.”
Giordano said that Henson exited the car after the collision and draped an American flag over the gates before leaving on foot. He said that officials believed he was a former member of the U.S. military. 
“We don’t have any indication that he is armed. We do believe that there is a mental health problem and a history of mental health issues with the subject so we would consider him dangerous,” he said. “We just have no reason to believe right now, from here, that he had a weapon.” 
Giordano added that Henson had previously made an incoherent complaint to the FBI, which didn’t result in any federal action. 
&#8220;In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn&#8217;t make a whole lot of sense,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn&#8217;t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn&#8217;t a federal offense that we were able to charge.&#8221;
Witnesses <a href="https://www.wtae.com/article/im-blown-away-right-now-witnesses-describe-crash-into-fbi-building-gate-in-pittsburgh/66136309">said</a> that the man exited the crashed vehicle, shouted, and fled.
“He got out and went around the passenger side and pulled something out of the passenger side. I thought it was a gun but it happened to be a flag and he just set it on that fence and started yelling out some words and just took off,” Nakeisha Brown told a local ABC News affiliate. 
Authorities say anyone who spots Henson should call the FBI or their local police department. The suspect is from Penn Hills, a township located approximately 12 miles from Pittsburgh.

MixCollage-17-Sep-2025-07-04-AM-8717

‘Act of Terror’: Suspect Flees After Ramming Car Into FBI’s Pittsburgh Office

'Act of Terror': Suspect Flees After Ramming Car Into FBI's Pittsburgh Office

domestic terrorism

Pittsburgh

Terrorism

U.S.

Police responded to an active shooter situation at Villanova University on Thursday afternoon, as new students were moving into their dorms at the private Catholic research university west of Philadelphia. Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue said that the reported shooting was a &#8220;cruel hoax,&#8221; adding that no one was injured, NBC 10 Philadelphia <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/villanova-students-warned-of-active-shooter-on-campus/4257685/">reported</a>.
At around 4:30 p.m. ET, while many students and parents were attending mass, an alert went out from Villanova instructing everyone to shelter in place and stay away from the Law School&#8217;s Scarpa Hall. A video posted on X showed a representative for Villanova telling a group of people who had taken shelter that the active shooter situation was &#8220;supposedly in the library at the law school.&#8221;
The campus was placed on lockdown over the incident just hours after Villanova Law <a href="https://x.com/Villanova_Law/status/1958620709808206026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1958620709808206026%7Ctwgr%5Ec8b9ece089c78ab88cf83b134bb6b0ff50ce0254%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcphiladelphia.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fvillanova-students-warned-of-active-shooter-on-campus%2F4257685%2F">posted</a> that it hosted a &#8220;successful&#8221; orientation for students that was followed by a picnic. The school year is set to begin next week.
&#8220;Today, as we are celebrating Orientation Mass to welcome our newest Villanovans and their families to our community, panic and terror ensued with the news of a possible shooter at the Law School,&#8221; Donohue said. &#8220;Mercifully, no one was injured, and we now know that it was a cruel hoax—there was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus. While that is a blessing and relief, I know today’s events have shaken our entire community.&#8221;
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: An active shooter alert has been reported at Villanova University
<a href="https://t.co/tzqwX9s1BK">pic.twitter.com/tzqwX9s1BK</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1958637655790325927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a>
&nbsp;</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
shooting at villanova university, we are hiding and locked down in a utility closet…. an HR rep just came to clarify the situation <a href="https://t.co/Ukw42WEHg3">pic.twitter.com/Ukw42WEHg3</a>
— Liam Zieg (@liamzieg) <a href="https://twitter.com/liamzieg/status/1958633579807904016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
The active shooting hoax at Villanova came hours after police <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2025/08/21/university-of-tennessee-chattanooga-lockdown-reports-of-shooter/85762026007/">lifted</a> an active shooter lockdown at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga after finding no evidence of a threat.
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.

US-VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-UNIVERSITY

Active Shooter Scare On Villanova Campus Was ‘Cruel Hoax’

Philadelphia

Police

Shooting

The Democratic Party is in a &#8220;deep political hole&#8221; with voter registration, according to an analysis <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/us/politics/democratic-party-voter-registration-crisis.html">published</a> by The New York Times on Wednesday.
Between 2020 and 2024, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in all 30 states that track party affiliation when Americans register to vote, and the Times acknowledged the losses were &#8220;often by a lot.&#8221; In those 30 states, plus the District of Columbia, Democrats shed 2.1 million voters between 2020 and 2024. Republicans, meanwhile, gained 2.4 million voters.
&#8220;That four-year swing toward the Republicans adds up to 4.5 million voters, a deep political hole that could take years for Democrats to climb out from,&#8221; the Times wrote.
The major shift toward the GOP included vital swing states, such as Arizona and Pennsylvania, but Democrats also lost ground in the deep blue states of California, New York, and Massachusetts. In states where Republican voter registration was already blowing past that of the Democrats — such as Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma — GOP gains continued to grow.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Times: &#8220;The Democratic Party is hemorrhaging voters long before they even go to the polls.
Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections — and often by a… <a href="https://t.co/gx94qL9EVP">pic.twitter.com/gx94qL9EVP</a>
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBevanRCP/status/1958153504842801375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
While Democrats still outnumber Republicans by party registration nationwide, more newly registered voters across the country chose the Republican Party over the Democratic Party for the first time since 2018. The Times also noted that the Democrats&#8217; voter registration numbers are helped by massive blue states like California and New York allowing people to register by party, while the largest Republican state, Texas, and many of the deep-red southern states do not.
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Decision Desk HQ&#8217;s director of data science, Michael Pruser, told the Times that there &#8220;seems to be no end&#8221; to the voter registration crisis for Democrats.
&#8220;There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year,&#8221; he said.
In recent years, Democrats &#8220;fell asleep at the switch,&#8221; according to longtime Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Even Tom Bonier, one of the party&#8217;s top voter registration experts, admitted to the Times that he &#8220;was wrong&#8221; after downplaying the Democrats&#8217; registration issues last year.
“Clearly, in retrospect, we can say the Democratic Party had dug itself in too deep a hole in the preceding four years for the Harris campaign to dig itself out in the last few months,” Bonier said.
Republicans, meanwhile, adjusted their strategy following President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2020 election defeat and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republicans-ballot-harvesting-fraud-claims-rcna151952">hit the gas</a> on voter registration and ballot harvesting strategies in 2024.
“We don’t like drop boxes, to be clear,” a Republican National Committee official said in May of 2024. “We’re still going to use drop boxes if we have to, if they’re available. Same thing with harvesting: Where it’s a practice that Democrats are partaking in, we’re going to partake in it, too.”
Republicans also benefited from the efforts of activist Scott Presler, who dedicated himself from 2021 to 2024 to registering Republicans in the all-important swing state of Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2024, voter registration in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — a competitive suburb of Philadelphia — shifted to a GOP advantage for the first time since 2007, according to the Times. Trump went on to win Bucks County in the 2024 election, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to do so in the 21st century.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats held an advantage of more than 517,000 registered voters in 2020, but that lead has now <a href="https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/1954912806911844834">fallen to fewer</a> than 54,000. Much of that shift comes from Democrats switching their party affiliation to Republicans. From 2020 to 2025, around 314,000 registered Democrats flipped to registered Republicans, while just over 160,000 registered Republicans became registered Democrats.
Democrats are also losing support among young voters, who are shifting to the GOP. Last year, Republicans registered nearly twice as many voters under 35 as Democrats did in key states such as Nevada, the Times reported.

US-VOTE-POLITICS-DEMOCRATIC-CONVENTION

Leftists Panic: Even NYT Says Democrats Face ‘Voter Registration Crisis’

California

Democrats

Florida

New York

New York Times

Republicans

Voter Registration

Voters

You can tell a lot about the strength of a particular argument or world view by how long it lasts before reality ends up discrediting it. There are some debates that don&#8217;t need to be settled by consulting with dozens of experts or asking ten different AI models and then comparing notes. Instead, certain events take place, and they resolve the disagreement right away. A catastrophic nuclear meltdown ended any discussion about how effective Chernobyl&#8217;s emergency shutdown mechanism was. An iceberg convinced everyone that, despite all of the marketing hype, the Titanic could in fact sink. There are limits to the ability of liars and charlatans to deceive the population, in other words. Even the most convincing fraudsters face the risk of exposure if their deception is simply too absurd to be compatible with reality. The more absurd the deception is, the faster it falls apart.
By that standard, there are few lies that are more flagrant — and obviously so — than the fiction that gay men should be allowed to adopt children, or to acquire them by paying for a woman to serve as a &#8220;surrogate.&#8221; As we saw recently, a journalist named Glenn Greenwald personally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/glenn-greenwald-called-me-morally-deranged-then-this-happened">attacked</a> me for holding the position that children should be raised by a mother and a father. He maintained, in a very public and vitriolic fashion, that I was a terrible person for suggesting that gay adoption isn&#8217;t an ideal outcome. He presented himself as infinitely more virtuous than I am because of his decision to acquire young children. And then, within a matter of weeks, Greenwald himself demonstrated through his own conduct — on camera — why my position was correct.
That was back in June. And now, just a month later, it&#8217;s happened again. Reality has caused yet another major problem for the Left&#8217;s narrative about homosexuals who adopt children. Only this time, reality reared its head even faster — as in, within 24 hours. And the implications here are somehow even more disturbing and grotesque than they were with Glenn Greenwald&#8217;s debauchery. This is a story that makes it very clear that laws need to change, and they need to change immediately. And then people need to go to prison.
It all began on Sunday, when an Irish political activist named Derek Blighe discovered some videos that had been posted on a gay couple&#8217;s social media feeds. The videos show the two gay men, both of whom are overweight, marking monthly anniversaries with a child they&#8217;ve obtained. In every video, they blow out a candle on the cupcake. And the videos keep going, as the men seem to somehow get fatter each time. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="001 Gay Couple" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sYxqkeV2XRQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In response to these videos, on Sunday, Derek Blighe posted simply, &#8220;Unless a miracle happens, this child has almost no chance at a normal life.&#8221;
And he was right, of course.
At a visceral level, this footage is repulsive. Everyone understands that, whether they&#8217;ll admit it or not. When a child is deprived of his mother and father, it isn&#8217;t something to celebrate. It&#8217;s a tragedy that&#8217;s inflicted on someone who cannot possibly deserve it, and who may never recover from it. And that&#8217;s especially true when, in lieu of a mother and a father, a child is obtained by two men who belong to a demographic whose behavior, in a very disproportionate number of cases, is completely incompatible with raising children, to put things as mildly as possible. It&#8217;s also a demographic that&#8217;s disproportionately interested in adopting male children. And again, everyone understands what&#8217;s going on there, though nobody will say it.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1631-the-matt-walsh-show?elementPosition=0&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=The+Matt+Walsh+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
And yet, when Blighe made this simple and straightforward observation, hundreds of thousands of Left-wing activists pretended to be shocked and horrified by what he had written. They also claimed that, in fact, it&#8217;s *better* for the child to be raised by two gay men, than by his own mother and father.
Here&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/LouiseScot51918/status/1949441171085799511">one representative post</a>, which has more than 6 million views and 220,000 &#8220;likes&#8221; on X:
<blockquote>Makes me happy. That baby is going to be raised not to hate people and will be loved.</blockquote>
Here&#8217;s another post, from someone named &#8220;Bev Jackson&#8221; of a group called &#8220;Alliance LGB.&#8221; This came in response to Derek&#8217;s post expressing disgust at the footage: 
<blockquote>That is homophobic. If the child has two loving male parents, there is no evidence whatsoever that he or she will not prosper.</blockquote>
But Bev Jackson&#8217;s response didn&#8217;t last very long. Just a few hours later, Bev <a href="https://x.com/BevJacksonAuth/status/1949907957203751331">deleted</a> it. And a lot of people like Bev deleted their reactions, too. That&#8217;s because, in record-breaking time, the narrative took an extremely dark turn. The journalists at Reduxx decided to take a closer look at the two gay men in the video with that toddler. <a href="https://reduxx.info/gay-man-who-crowdfunded-surrogacy-journey-with-husband-revealed-as-child-sex-offender/">Here&#8217;s</a> what they found:
<blockquote>A widely circulated video showcasing a gay couple’s &#8216;surrogacy journey&#8217; has revealed that a baby boy is currently in the custody of a registered child sex offender. &#8230; Brandon Keith Mitchell is a Tier 1 sex offender in the state of Pennsylvania, and was arrested in 2016 after attempting to solicit a 16-year-old boy for sexual abuse. The victim in the case was a student at Downingtown West High School, where Mitchell had worked as a chemistry teacher. He was 30 years old at the time.</blockquote>
Here&#8217;s an image of Brandon Mitchell when he was teaching:
<div id="attachment_953911" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-953911" class="wp-image-953911 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-432x576.jpg" alt="Chester County District Attorney’s office." width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-29-Jul-2025-01-40-PM-9665-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />Chester County District Attorney’s office.</div>
According to local news reports, Mitchell was, &#8220;charged with texting obscene images and texts to a student, [and] asking for nude images of the underage student.&#8221;
Mitchell taught at this school from 2010 to 2015. And during this period, he reportedly sent more than 12,000 text messages to this student. He ended up pleading guilty to &#8220;felony child pornography possession and one count of Corruption of Minors&#8221; — because police found sexually explicit videos of the child on his personal computer — and was sentenced to nearly two years of incarceration. But he didn&#8217;t serve anywhere near that sentence. Just two months after his conviction, Reduxx reports, he was granted parole. For a crime that should&#8217;ve resulted in life imprisonment, at a minimum, he barely spent any time in jail.
The Reduxx article <a href="https://reduxx.info/gay-man-who-crowdfunded-surrogacy-journey-with-husband-revealed-as-child-sex-offender/">continues</a>:
<blockquote>Part of his conditions included that he have no unsupervised contact with minors and that he surrender his teaching license. He quickly moved on to obtain a job as a chemist at Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing in Lancaster, where he has worked for the past 9 years. &#8230; In 2021, Mitchell married Logan Riley, a second-grade teacher from Maryland, and moved to Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania. In 2023, the two launched a GoFundMe to raise money for a surrogate.</blockquote>
Of course, the GoFundMe didn&#8217;t mention the whole &#8220;convicted sex offender” thing.
In any event, the fundraiser has since been taken down. But it reportedly had a goal of $50,000, and raised just over $2,000, so it wasn&#8217;t exactly a success. Nevertheless, Riley — the husband of the convicted sex offender — reported that, in November of 2023, they had found a surrogate.
<blockquote>Our surrogate went through extensive medical and social worker evaluations in order to be approved for surrogacy. Once approved, the lengthy legal and financial process began. We are so excited that our amazing surrogate will carry one of our embryos for us, helping to expand our family.</blockquote>
It&#8217;s hard to miss the irony here. According to these two gay men, there was an &#8220;extensive&#8221; screening process for their &#8220;surrogate&#8221; — meaning, the woman whose body they were going to rent, so that she would bear a child for them, so that they could pretend to be parents. Social workers, doctors and lawyers were all involved. And yet, evidently, there was no screening process whatsoever for these two gay men. No one in the federal government, or the state of Pennsylvania, saw any problem with creating a new human life, for the sole purposes of handing the child off to a convicted sexual predator. And not just any convicted sexual predator. We&#8217;re talking about a convicted <a href="https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1949915000589443072">sexual predator</a> who specifically preyed on a child.
At first, you might think — well, there must have been some massive, very unfortunate mistake here. Surely, you&#8217;d assume, there must be a thorough vetting process for the parents of children who are born through surrogacy. And somehow, in this particular case, someone must have fallen asleep on the job. Maybe they ran a criminal records check under the wrong name or something like that.
But that&#8217;s not remotely what happened. As it turns out, there is no legal bar in the state of Pennsylvania — or many other states — for convicted sexual predators to obtain children through surrogacy. It&#8217;s completely legal. There are no roadblocks whatsoever.
Again, this is from <a href="https://reduxx.info/gay-man-who-crowdfunded-surrogacy-journey-with-husband-revealed-as-child-sex-offender/">Reduxx</a>:
<blockquote>Reduxx reached out to the division Pennsylvania State Police responsible for maintaining Mitchell’s registration, and was informed that the state does not automatically forbid individuals convicted of sex crimes from having children, gaining custody, or exercising parental rights. While Pennsylvania’s adoption law does prohibit sex offenders from adopting or fostering children, gestational surrogacy circumvents any such laws through pre-birth parentage orders.</blockquote>
You heard that correctly. Individuals who are convicted of sex crimes, including sex crimes involving children — crimes so severe that the guilty party had to agree to have &#8220;no unsupervised contact with minors&#8221; for a certain period of time — are allowed to obtain children in Pennsylvania. The only restriction is that, instead of adopting a child, they have to pay for a woman to give birth to a child. This is a policy that&#8217;s so incomprehensible, and so evil, that it&#8217;s hard to even talk about. And it&#8217;s also a policy that, evidently, a lot of officials in Pennsylvania aren&#8217;t even aware of.
One of Reduxx&#8217;s writers <a href="https://x.com/Slatzism/status/1949926492651024812">posted this</a> on social media, as she was working on this story:
<blockquote>While I was talking to the state police sex offender division, the agent actually stopped for a moment when I mentioned it was a surrogate baby and said, &#8216;But surely … there’s a vetting process for this kind of thing?&#8217;</blockquote>
Well, actually, no. There&#8217;s no vetting process for &#8220;this kind of thing,&#8221; as it turns out.
If someone is a pedophile in the state of Pennsylvania, and they’ve been convicted for &#8220;corrupting minors&#8221; and possessing child pornography, they are still completely free to obtain a child through surrogacy. And not just any child — a newborn with no known relatives, no next of kin to check in on him. And then, once they have this defenseless child in their home, he is entirely at their mercy and helpless, and no one can see what they’re doing, and there is no one who actually knows the child or cares for him. Even his mother isn&#8217;t allowed to speak to him. It&#8217;s almost as if the state went out of its way to create a loophole for pedophiles. There are no words for how dark this is.
And by the way, this is one of the many fundamental, fatal problems with relying on &#8220;statistics&#8221; and &#8220;experts&#8221; who tell you that gay adoption is completely fine and appropriate. Every single mainstream expert will tell you that gay men are just as capable as straight couples to raise children, if not more so. They&#8217;ll tell you to suspend all of your intuitions and common sense, and they&#8217;ll call you a bigot if you disagree. But the truth is, none of these experts actually knows what goes on inside these households where men are raising children that aren&#8217;t theirs.
None of the statistics can capture the reality of what&#8217;s happening, because only the parents who are caught abusing their children will actually be reflected in those statistics.
That&#8217;s why we have intuition and basic morality. And it&#8217;s why we should always pay close attention whenever activists on the other side, in a demonic kind of rage, attempt to claim the moral high ground — only for it to crumble immediately in a matter of days (or hours, in this case). There are some lies that are simply too evil and unsustainable to survive contact with reality. The fiction that gay men are appropriate foster parents for other people&#8217;s children is one of them. In recent months, we&#8217;ve repeatedly seen <a href="https://people.com/ga-couple-adopted-young-boys-filmed-sexual-abuse-house-of-horrors-8766348">glimpses</a> into the horrors that many of these children are enduring behind closed doors. The recent case of William and Zachary Zulock in Georgia is an example of two men who were sexually abusing their two adopted children. They probably would never have been caught, if they hadn&#8217;t bragged about their behavior to others.
Especially in light of stories like this, it shouldn&#8217;t be remotely controversial to say that the safety of children is infinitely more important than any gay man&#8217;s desire to become a parent. Nature has already decided that gay couples will be childless by definition. The law should follow suit. Starting with the state of Pennsylvania — which should immediately change its law and remove this particular child from this household — this very straightforward principle needs to become law. Any society that doesn&#8217;t protect its own children does not deserve to exist. Under the guise of helping children, a system has been created that allows for children to be abused in the most horrific ways imaginable. That system must be dismantled. The abusers should go to prison for the rest of their lives. And no child, no matter the circumstances, should ever be forcibly prevented from having a mother and a father ever again in this country.

Rear view of son with arm around fathers sitting on fence in yard

Gay Sex Offender Buys A Baby Through Surrogacy. How Is This Legal?

Adoption

Homosexuality

LGBTQ

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Same-Sex Marriage

Sex Offender

A Philadelphia landlord is fighting to evict squatters who broke into her rental property and have been living there for over two months.
Naydia Smith tells The Daily Wire that a couple with five young children broke into the house in April or May, at which point they began trashing the home. She was first made aware of the squatters in June, when her business partner Richard Watson’s parents received an anonymous call about the intruders.
On June 7, Watson’s parents confronted and filmed a man in the house. The man — whose documents found in the house appear to identify him as Antonio Stewart — said he had rented the property and gained entrance through the back. He had one page of a fake lease, dated April 1, 2025.
Smith and Watson rented out the house almost continuously until their most recent tenant moved out in January 2025, leaving it vacant while they considered selling or finding a new renter. They called the police but were unable to file a report, since they weren’t the legal homeowners.
On June 13, Smith visited the home with her fiancé and cousin, finding it neglected and damaged.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-952993" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Squatter_House_Damage-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Squatter_House_Damage-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Squatter_House_Damage-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Squatter_House_Damage-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Squatter_House_Damage.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>
“We go inside the home, and we find that the home is in squalor, meaning that there were beds on the floor, clothes on the floor,” Smith said. “There were a lot of vermin — there were roaches outside and everything, and they weren’t there before, so clearly it’s unkempt and unclean.”
Smith said they also discovered five unsupervised children inside, ranging in age from 2 to 14.
A video provided to The Daily Wire shows children sitting on two couches while Smith and her family examine the house.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Squatters continue to be a problem across the U.S.
Meet Naydia Smith, who has been trying for over two months to remove a family of squatters in Philadelphia—two adults and five children—who forcibly broke into her house.
Full report: <a href="https://t.co/whXpoYTjDo">https://t.co/whXpoYTjDo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uweCHAM06V">pic.twitter.com/uweCHAM06V</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1949886665205354615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“There were no adults there, no supervision,” Smith said. “The house was in disarray.”
Smith says she filed a report with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services about the unsupervised children.
Neither the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services nor the Philadelphia Department of Human Services replied to requests for comment.
As they explored the house, they found the back door severely splintered and damaged, with a new lock.
Alarmed by the condition of the home, Smith called the police, hoping they would arrest the squatters for breaking and entering.
“The police wanted to turn it into a squatting situation instead of a breaking and entering situation, which is exactly what it is,” Smith said. “I have illegal trespassers in the home who are squatting, who broke through the back door.”
The alleged squatters — Stewart and a woman — arrived with several friends or family members around the same time as police. Stewart presented a fake lease and a gas bill to law enforcement, but could not provide a water bill or an electric bill, according to Smith.
The electric company stated that the squatters had contacted them to restore power to the house, according to Smith. Smith asked the company not to restore power.
Squatters often use fake leases to delay removal by police, knowing that only a judge can determine their validity. As a result, police are often required to let them remain in the home until the matter is settled in court.
While in the home, Smith said she found a second fake lease with the couple’s name for a different property in Elmwood Park, dated March 15, 2025.
“One of the documents on the other fake lease was a signed document by the landlord, who was the rightful owner of the property, and Antonio, saying that they planned to leave the property on Tuesday, April 15,” Smith said. “That was sketchy, because that shows that they did not actually legally rent the place.”
Another document showed that the couple was bribed by the rightful landlord to vacate the property, according to Smith.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-953005 alignleft" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1-432x576.jpeg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1-432x576.jpeg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image1-1.jpeg 1512w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-953003 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4-432x576.jpeg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4-432x576.jpeg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/image0-4.jpeg 1512w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /></div>
“He actually paid them $1,500 to actually leave the property, to get them out,” Smith said.
Both leases named the landlord as Bryan Pulliam, but the documents showed two different rental companies.
“The person who is on these rental companies, the Bryan Pulliam guy, uses different, fake real estate companies to generate these leases for them,” Smith said.
Smith said she does not feel safe interacting with the squatters. She believes they are “career squatters.”
“The woman who was there, who would not give her name, also said, ‘You know what you have to do. You have to go downtown and evict us,’” Smith said. “So she knows the process, and they know how to do this, and they know what they can and can’t do as a part of this process.”
The rampant squatter crisis has captured the nation’s attention in recent years, with states such as <a href="https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2025/governor-ron-desantis-signs-anti-squatting-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> and <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-passes-squatter-reform-act-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia</a> passing laws to crack down on the issue and A&amp;E launching the new TV show “Squatters,” featuring a former handyman who became a “squatter hunter” after squatters took over his mother&#8217;s home.
A squatting map published by Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/squatting-map-cities-highest-number-homes-1886005" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> Atlanta, Dallas, and Orlando as the cities with the most homes taken over by squatters. The survey, conducted by the National Rental Home Council in 2024, found 1,200 homes in Atlanta, 475 in Dallas, and 125 in Orlando that had been taken over by squatters.
Under Philadelphia law, Smith must let the legal process play out, which gets complicated in the case of fake leases. Homeowners are not permitted to forcibly <a href="https://phillysheriff.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PSO-Squatters-and-Evictions-Brochure-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evict</a> squatters by changing locks or removing belongings.
Smith filed <a href="https://fjdefile.phila.gov/efsfjd/zk_fjd_public_qry_03.zp_dktrpt_frames" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ejectment paperwork</a> with the sheriff’s office on June 13, but says serving the paperwork can take up to 30 days. Once served, the squatters have up to 20 days to file a response. If the squatters do not respond, they must be given a 10-day notice. At that point, Smith said, either the squatters will be ejected or a court date will be set.
“Where is the arrest warrant for the people who broke into the home? Arrest them for breaking and entering,” Smith said. “It’s very unfair that people break the law, and then they have rights and are protected for breaking the law. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Neither the city councilwoman for the district of Smith’s property, the mayor of Philadelphia, nor the governor of Pennsylvania responded to requests for comment.
The squatters, Smith said, have caused significant financial harm, since she’s losing rental income while still covering the mortgage.
“Once they leave the property, we’re going to have to do repairs,” Smith said. “We’re going to have to deep-clean and replace things in the home. On top of that, we’re also going to have to exterminate the heck out of that place.”
Smith said it is hard to find a lawyer willing to take ejectment cases.
“The fees for a lawyer to take an ejection case are $5,000,” Smith said. “Now you tell me why I have to spend all of that money to get somebody out of a property that they do not rightfully belong in.”
Now, she fears a lengthy battle to reclaim her property.
“I am the rightful owner, and I can’t understand why it’s so hard to eject someone who has no right to your place, your home, and something that you’ve worked so hard for,” Smith said.
The squatters have not responded to attempts to negotiate. Smith said she wishes she could speed up the ejection process.
“I wish the City of Philadelphia would really help,” Smith said.
Stewart did not return a request for comment.

Squatter Cover

‘You Literally Have No Protection:’ Philadelphia Squatters Take Over Woman’s House

Squatters

During a conversation on CNN on Thursday night, former MSNBC host Touré appeared to make the incredible suggestion that President Donald Trump had not really been shot in the ear during an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The attempted assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by law enforcement at the rally; fire captain Corey Comperatore was fatally shot when he dived on members of his family to protect them.
The discussion on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip featured Touré, Scott Jennings, Adrienne Elrod, Ben Ferguson, and Elie Honig. It centered on the White House report that President Trump had swelling in his legs, a benign condition.
“Throughout the time that we have seen him on the public stages, this is not the most intelligent person we have,” Touré insisted. “This is not the best analysis of information. He does not have a lot of information at his fingertips as far as things that he knows. So, if there is a cognitive problem&#8230;&#8221;
“They have not always been forthcoming about his health,” Elrod declared.
“He supposedly got shot in the ear,” Touré stated.
“Woah, woah, woah. Did you say &#8216;supposedly&#8217;?” Jennings said, shocked.
“Supposedly, that&#8217;s where we are now?” Ferguson chimed in.
“All I know is l went to the Republican National Convention and he had a bandage on his ear. He had blood on his face,” Jennings said, later turning to Touré and asking, “Did he &#8212; did he get shot or not? You&#8217;re saying you think he didn&#8217;t get shot?”
“Scott, I know that you want to revisit this issue,” Phillips interjected.
“I think it&#8217;s an important question. Are there still people that are truthers on this?” Jennings persisted.
“Touré, did he get shot? “ Phillips queried.
“I wasn&#8217;t there,” Touré backtracked. “I don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t know. I would like to hear from his doctor. “
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
UNHINGED: Touré on CNN last night: President Trump &quot;supposedly got shot in the ear.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a>: &quot;Woah, woah, woah. Did you say &#39;supposedly&#39;?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/benfergusonshow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benfergusonshow</a>: &quot;Supposedly, that&#39;s where we are now.&quot;
Abby Phillip: &quot;Touré, he was shot in the ear.&quot;
This is where the… <a href="https://t.co/0aSOeVPtg4">pic.twitter.com/0aSOeVPtg4</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1946187441708187652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Roman J Israel Esquire” New York Premiere

Ex-MSNBC Host Downplays Trump Assassination Attempt: He ‘Supposedly’ Got Shot In The Ear

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Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera, who’s been touring the United States with a supposedly haunted Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle, died unexpectedly at a hotel, sparking a big reaction online.
Rivera, 54, was found dead in his room on Sunday at the end of his three-day stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of his “Devils on the Run Tour” with the doll. 
Pennsylvania State Police shared a more detailed report on Wednesday.
“Members from PSP Gettysburg responded to a hotel in Straban Township, Adams County for a report of a deceased [man],&#8221; the report <a href="https://x.com/psptroophpio/status/1945469138668773605?s=46&amp;t=mwcG9TleShkOgZ4z0YNszA">said</a>. &#8220;The decedent was discovered in his hotel room by workers.
“Nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene,” it added. “This case is pending autopsy results.”
The New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) <a href="https://tonyspera.com/about/">described</a> this particular doll as “demonically possessed.” It was given to a nursing student in 1968, and she claimed that something wasn’t right with it.
“Almost immediately, the roommates noticed strange occurrences with the doll and they were introduced to a medium who told them the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle,” the organization reported. “The two roommates tried to accept the doll’s spirit and please it only to have it reciprocate maliciousness and violent intent.”
The society’s late founders, Ed and Lorraine Warren, kept the doll stored in a glass case in an effort to “contain the evil spirited entity.”
The movie “The Conjuring” is based on the story of the “haunted” doll Annabelle. Meanwhile, many people are skeptical of the claims that the doll is possessed. 
A statement from NESPR stated that the tour would continue. “We believe with all our hearts that Dan would have wanted the work to continue — bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and honoring the memory of Ed and Lorraine Warren,” it said. “We will carry his spirit in everything we do.”
Colleagues of Rivera also called out commenters who tried to claim that his death was in some way staged to drum up interest for the tour. 
“Ghost Hunters” star Jason Hawes shared his thoughts on Facebook, saying, &#8220;The world lost a good man. 
&#8220;Dan Rivera was an Army veteran, a father of four, a husband, and someone who truly cared about people,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;What’s even harder to see right now are the posts blaming his death on things like the Annabelle doll and attacking places like Ghostly Images of Gettysburg Tours and other locations for having events. That needs to stop.&#8221; 
 
&#8220;His family shouldn’t have to read that kind of nonsense while they’re grieving,&#8221; Hawes <a href="https://www.facebook.com/highlandpara/posts/well-said-jason-hawestaps-it-really-is-horrible-to-see-folk-attempt-to-cash-in-o/1161918589307430/">added</a>. &#8220;Some people are using his passing to push an agenda for profit, and it’s just disgusting. Dan was a family man, a respected paranormal investigator, and he left this world way too soon&#8230;Honor the man. Forget the garbage.&#8221;

Annabelle doll

Paranormal Investigator Dies While Touring With ‘Demonically Possessed’ Annabelle Doll

Paranormal Investigator Dies While Touring With 'Demonically Possessed' Annabelle Doll

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President Donald Trump championed over $90 billion in fresh energy and artificial intelligence investments in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
Trump led the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy &amp; Innovation Summit, accompanied by top tech and energy leaders, as well as Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and members of his Cabinet.
“This afternoon, 20 leading technology and energy companies are announcing more than $92 billion of investments in Pennsylvania,” <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1945208346836963612">said</a> Trump. “This is a really triumphant day for the people of the commonwealth and for the United States of America.”
“The investments being announced this afternoon include more than $56 billion dollars in new energy infrastructure, and more than $36 billion dollars in new data center projects. And a lot more than that are going to be announced in the coming weeks,” he <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1945212116190756879">said</a>.
The Trump administration has prioritized the development of both AI and energy in a bid to lead the world in the advance of the next major technological breakthrough. The administration has placed special emphasis on the need to compete with China in AI development.
“We’re here today because we believe that America’s destiny is to dominate every industry and be the first in every technology, and that includes being the world&#8217;s number one superpower in artificial intelligence,” the president <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1945211160107655245">said</a>.
“We are way ahead of China,” he added. “I have to say we’re way ahead of China, and the plants are starting up, the construction is starting up.”
The tens of billions in investments to pour into the Keystone State include a $25 billion commitment from Blackstone Inc. Blackstone plans to build AI centers, as well as energy infrastructure to help power those centers.
“What makes us so excited about this area is that you can co-locate the data centers next to the source of power,” Blackstone President Jon Gray <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-15/trump-hails-92-billion-in-investments-for-ai-energy-projects">said</a> Tuesday, according to Bloomberg. “The special sauce here is putting these together, because building transmission lines, pipelines — that’s really difficult.”
The Trump administration has leaned hard into increasing fossil fuel energy production in the United States to keep pace with the surging power demand of expanding AI centers. Data centers have increased the pressure on the United States’ already strained grid.
The Energy Department released a report earlier this month <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-releases-report-evaluating-us-grid-reliability-and-security">warning</a> “that blackouts could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the U.S. continues to shutter reliable power sources and fails to add additional firm capacity.”

Trump Touts Over $90B In Fresh AI, Energy Investment In Pennsylvania

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