News & Brews August 15, 2024
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In Pa., Harris can’t escape anti-fracking past
The Washington Post—hardly an objective news source—reports that Vice President Kamala Harris’ sudden attempt to distance herself from her position as a fierce fracking foe “is proving a tough sell” in Pennsylvania. “Many of the swing voters here whose livelihoods rise and fall with the fortunes of the fossil energy industry have not forgotten the last time Harris ran for president, when she called for a ban on fracking….” And this may hurt her attempts to reach voters who might otherwise be Democrats’ target voters.
Report: Pa. troopers stop drivers at similar rates, regardless of race
The AP reports, “Pennsylvania drivers were pulled over and cited by state police last year at roughly comparable rates for various races and ethnicities, according to information about 450,000 vehicle stops that was made public on Wednesday.” On releasing the report, Ohio State researcher Robin Engel said, “The findings across multiple analyses demonstrated no substantive racial and ethnic differences in the initial reason for the stop by the Pennsylvania State Police.”
PGH city staffers sign petition to divest from Israel
The Post-Gazette reports that some staffers for “prominent” local officials have signed an anti-Israel petition “to bring a ballot measure to Pittsburgh voters in November asking the city to cut all ties with any company located in or doing business with Israel.” Among those signing are a digital communications specialist in Mayor Ed Gainey’s office as well as Gainey’s (now-former) communications director, Maria Montano, who recently left the role for unknown reasons. The story notes, “Mr. Gainey’s office earlier this week told other media organizations that it would not be filing its own objection to the petition but that it had ‘serious concerns’ about conflicts with state and federal law that would prevent the measure from being enforceable.”
Dem lawmakers pitch ban on single-use plastic bags
A quartet of Pa. House Democrats plans to introduce legislation to ban single-use plastic bags in Pa. In their co-sponsorship memo, Reps. Maureen Madden (Monroe County), Mandy Steele (Allegheny County), Tarik Khan (Philadelphia), and Greg Scott (Montgomery County) say they are following the lead of states like New York and New Jersey (ummm).
Dems lining up to (possibly) take on Larry Krasner
The Inquirer reports, “At least a half dozen Philadelphia political figures are considering waging a primary challenge against District Attorney Larry Krasner,” who is reportedly planning on running for a third term next year (although Krasner himself has not confirmed this). Krasner, of course, has come under intense criticism for his refusal to prosecute many crimes in the city. And the story suggests that the number of possible challengers “underscores the degree to which Krasner, a national leader of the progressive prosecutor movement, is a uniquely polarizing figure.”