News & Brews January 3, 2023
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It’s swearing-in day!
House and Senate lawmakers will take their oath of office at noon today. But the drama over which party holds the House majority continues. Up next: the vote for House Speaker. With a slim 101-99 majority amid three vacant seats, the GOP is “trying to ensure its members remain united in supporting one of at least a half dozen Republicans running for the post.”
But Democrats are reportedly trying to court Republicans to vote for a D. “An email sent to House Republican members from the caucus leadership on Thursday claims several GOP members were approached by House Democrats with promises of future grants totaling hundreds of millions from Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro for projects in their districts in exchange for their vote for the Democrats’ choice for a speaker.” (Democrats neither confirmed nor denied the offer.) Read more at PennLive.
Court sides with Krasner on impeachment lawsuit
On Friday, the Commonwealth Court “said none of the articles of impeachment filed against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner by the Republican-led legislature meet the required legal standard of ‘misbehavior in office’.” The implications of the court’s order, however, remain unclear, as the court did not order a stop to the impeachment proceedings against Krasner. His Senate trial is scheduled to begin January 18. Read more at the Philly Inquirer.
DePasquale weighs bid for attorney general
Former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who since leaving office has spent time baselessly attacking charter schools, is considering running for attorney general. He said he’s “kicking the tires really hard” on a potential run and that “he’s begun talking to party leaders, potential donors, and political activists about the landscape.” Read more at WESA.
Tracking Shapiro’s path to victory
CNN has a predictably glowing profile of Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro, recounting how he rode his record as attorney general to the governor’s mansion. Not surprisingly, the piece has selective memory on this record, and there’s no mention of how Shapiro went to court to defend Gov. Wolf’s harmful and unfair COVID shutdowns. Click here for the CNN story.
Teachers’ unions’ greatest woke hits of 2022
If you think teachers’ unions put kids’ education first, think again. From drag queen story hours to protesting the national anthem, these hyper-political government unions seemed fine with prioritizing a political agenda over serving students and teachers in 2022. Click here for the Daily Caller report.