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Pennsylvania congressman warns of ‘radical’ and ‘socialist’ infiltration in fundraising pitch
Fresh off a successful re-election bid, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-11th District, is making a play for voters’ wallets by asking them to help him fight socialism. “We have self proclaimed Socialists serving in the Pennsylvania State House and in Congress,” Smucker wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday. “Socialist ideas are no longer just in […]
This is what hate and extremism looked like in Pennsylvania last year | The Numbers Racket
Welcome to The Numbers Racket, an occasional Capital-Star feature offering deep, but user-friendly, dives into some important data.
Iraq War vet announces Republican candidacy for Tom Marino’s 12th Congressional District seat
A decorated Iraq War veteran said Tuesday that she’ll seek the Republican nomination for ex-U.S. Tom Marino’s 12th Congressional District seat. Stacy Garrity, of Athens, Pa., in Bradford County, served three deployments in the Middle East, winning two Bronze Stars and the Legion of Merit, her campaign said in a statement. She retired from the […]
On the agenda for Pennsylvania’s DSA-backed freshmen: small steps toward a larger progressive vision
Elizabeth Fiedler may be new to Harrisburg, but she’s well aware of the math equation that powers Pennsylvania’s capital. In the 253-member General Assembly, Republicans outnumber Democrats 110-91 in the House and 26-21 in the Senate. That fact makes it hard for any Democrat to get a bill passed without wide bipartisan support — let […]
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman offers ‘safe space’ for opinions on legalizing marijuana
It was the opening night of a listening tour that will take Gov. Tom Wolf's No. 2 all over Pennsylvania.
Could this be the year Pennsylvania lawmakers ban LGBTQ discrimination?
The legislation, nicknamed the Fairness Act, has never been brought up for a vote. This year could be different.
Suburban Philly lawmaker’s bill would require schools to teach students about dating violence
A Montgomery County lawmaker is hoping the second time’s the charm on bill that would require Pennsylvania high schools to teach “dating violence” education to their students. In a ‘Dear Colleague’ memo sent out late last week, Rep. Thomas P. Murt, a Republican from Hatboro, cited Centers for Disease Control data showing that “approximately 10 percent […]
A state House hearing for Pa.’s budget watchdog turned into a minimum wage Q&A
A budget hearing Monday for Pennsylvania’s independent fiscal watchdog agency turned into a proxy fight over Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to boost Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee used a Monday appearance by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office to crack the hood on Wolf’s plan to increase the wage from the current […]
That’s ‘plant-based drink’ — not ‘milk’ — to you, freshman GOP U.S. Rep. John Joyce says
A seriously moo-ving debate.
Bipartisanship is passé. No one told Jordan Harris.
The new House Democratic whip is savvy enough to forge allies in unlikely places.
Bucks County GOP U.S. Rep. Fitzpatrick joins with Dems to snub Trump on climate change
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was the lone Republican in a group of 59 House lawmakers supporting a symbolic rebuke of President Trump’s international climate change policies. Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican whose Bucks County-based 1st District is a key electoral battleground in 2020, joined dozens of Democrats to introduce a resolution opposing Trump’s […]
Pa. government presses pause on permits for Mariner East 2 pipeline parent company
Pennsylvania’s state environmental protection agency is temporarily blocking permits from Energy Transfer Partners in response to numerous complaints about the company’s Mariner East 2 pipeline and an September explosion in Beaver County. “There has been a failure by Energy Transfer and its subsidiaries to respect our laws and our communities,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in […]