News & Brews September 6, 2022
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Trump talks Oz, Mastriano, Mar-a-Lago at Pa. rally
Trump supporters gathered in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday to hear from the former president as he campaigned for Republican candidates Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano—and blasted the Biden administration for “weaponizing the Justice Department and the FBI like never before and breaking into the homes of their political opponents.” The Delaware Valley Journal covered the rally.
Biden blasts Trump supporters at Pittsburgh Labor Day speech
Across the state, President Biden visited Pittsburgh yesterday, where he again accused Trump supporters of being a threat to democracy. While there, Biden also “spoke about the importance of labor unions … [and] tout[ed] his efforts to bring more infrastructure funding to Western Pennsylvania and boost manufacturing,” the Tribune-Review reports.
Hundreds of Pa. nursing home workers strike
On Friday, about 700 workers at 14 Pa. nursing homes went on strike after negotiations failed to produce an agreement satisfactory to the SEIU. PennLive reports, “At issue is how much of $600 million earmarked for long-term care homes by Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature will go to workers, many of whom say they are working longer hours, taking duties outside their jobs, and even rationing food for residents.” As previously reported, workers at another four nursing homes are slated to join the strike this Friday.
Lawmakers spent at least $3M on redistricting court cases
Spotlight PA reports that amid the latest congressional and legislative redistricting battles, state lawmakers spent “at least $3 million in taxpayer money on outside law firms and experts as they lobbied for their preferred political maps.” The amount was nearly evenly split between parties, with House and Senate Democrats spending $1.4 million and House and Senate Republicans spending more than $1.6 million.
Op-Ed: ‘How my 8-year lawsuit helped settle public employee rights’
In 2014, Chester County teacher Jane Ladley sued the state’s largest teachers’ union for violating her First Amendment rights. Eight years later, the lawsuit finally ended with a ruling against the Pennsylvania State Education Association that helps ensure that public workers’ rights are protected. Jane shared her story in an op-ed in the LNP.
Philly DA sues House committee over subpoena
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has sued the House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order over a subpoena that Krasner has called “illegal” and “anti-democratic.” The Center Square reports, “In the lawsuit, Krasner argued that the district attorney is not subject to oversight from the General Assembly. The filing calls the committee investigation ‘an improper effort’ that ‘cast(s) aside legal rules and political norms.'” Krasner is under fire for his soft-on-crime approach amid record homicides in the City of Brotherly Love.