News & Brews December 21, 2023
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Lawmaker wants Trump barred from Pa. ballot, too
In the wake of the Colorado Supreme Court ruling blocking former President Trump from appearing on that state’s ballot, one Democrat state lawmaker in Pa. wants a similar decision here. The Inquirer reports, “State Sen. Art Haywood (D., Philadelphia and Montgomery) on Wednesday afternoon called on Secretary of State Al Schmidt to remove Trump from the ballot given the findings by the Colorado Supreme Court. Haywood also said the attorney general’s office could file a lawsuit to remove Trump.” One thing’s for sure: 2024 will not be drama-free.
Now, progressives are mad at Fetterman for saying he’s not progressive
Speaking of drama, as progressives have become increasingly mad at U.S. Sen. John Fetterman over his staunch support for Israel and his belief that something needs to be done about the border crisis, now they’re also mad at him for saying he’s not a progressive but “just a very strong Democrat.” Fetterman said, “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.” Fetterman has previously touted his “progressive values,” however.
House GOP leaders address antisemitism at UPenn re: veterinary funding
House Republican Leaders have sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine outlining what needs to happen for lawmakers to support funding for the school. The House previously voted down funding, based on UPenn’s antisemitism scandal. The Delaware Valley Journal reports that in addition to Penn’s president or interim president unequivocally stating that calls for genocide against Jews violate the university’s code of conduct, “Penn should support a package of bills to address antisemitism in the state’s ‘basic and higher education systems.’” And, “Penn must also support a discussion of other free speech legislation pending in the legislature.”
Who’s running? Pa. Attorney General and Auditor General
If you need a cheat sheet to keep tabs on who’s running for state attorney general and auditor general, you’re not alone. City & State PA has provided an updated list of the latest announced candidates, along with who is rumored to be considering a campaign. The race for attorney general will be an open race, as Michelle Henry, who is finishing out Gov. Shapiro’s term, is not running for re-election. On the auditor general front, incumbent Tim DeFoor (whom we supported in 2020) is running for re-election. Check out the attorney general list here and auditor general list here.
Lawsuit: Philly firefighters deceived by their union
Frank Ricci, retired union president for New Haven (CT) Fire Fighters, explains a lawsuit filed by two Philadelphia firefighters against Local 22 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, claiming the union “breached its ‘duty of fair representation’ – which is enshrined in state law – by steering them and other rank-and-file firefighters away from maximizing their pension benefits.” Specifically, the union allegedly did not tell firefighters of their “option to sell back their unused vacation days – a practice that would enhance their pension benefits.” Meanwhile “senior leadership and union officials allegedly benefitted by enhancing their own pensions through the same vacation sellbacks.”