News & Brews March 11, 2025
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Shapiro admin says key emails in Vereb sexual harassment case are missing
In a stunning development, Broad + Liberty reports that the Shapiro administration’s lawyer is claiming a week’s worth of emails from a former administration staff member who alleged she was sexually harassed by Shapiro’s former secretary of legislative affairs Mike Vereb no longer exist. “The revelation made in court on February 12th raises the specter that the emails were purposefully deleted because they could shed new light on the scandal,” writes B+L investigative reporter Todd Shepherd. The lawyer “seemed to suggest” that the emails “were merely deleted for matters of good digital hygiene.” But as one lawmaker pointed out, “The idea that there are zero emails on the server for an employee is preposterous. Even after someone’s account is removed, there are still records of emails that were sent and received in other inboxes.”
Pa. colleges warned over antisemitic actions
The Inquirer reports that multiple colleges and universities in Pennsylvania are among 60 that received letters from the U.S. Department of Education “warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.” The Pa. colleges include Temple, Drexel, Swarthmore, Lehigh, Lafayette, and Muhlenberg. The Inquirer reports, “What specific sanctions might be was not spelled out by department officials, but [Secretary of Education Linda] McMahon said that the colleges ‘benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.’”
Covid reflections, five years later
From livelihood-destroying government-mandated business shutdowns to the political divide over the government’s response, the Tribune-Review takes a look at the impact of the Covid pandemic in Pa., five years later. Noticeably missing from the piece are a substantive reflection on learning loss due to school shutdowns and the constitutional amendments Pennsylvanians passed to rein in a governor’s unchecked emergency powers. But speaking of the governor, former Gov. Wolf said of his decisions during Covid, “I’ll be second-guessing myself for the rest of my life.”
Op-Ed: If ACA works, why the need to prop it up?
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Elizabeth Stelle writes that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-2026 proposed budget suggests that even he may doubt the Affordable Care Act is working for Pennsylvanians—despite his assertion that it is. “If it’s working,” Stelle writes, “why do rural hospitals need cash infusions?… If it’s working, why is there a statewide care provider shortage?… If it’s working, why would the state deny competing insurance models?” And while “ACA cheerleaders point to increased enrollment…. Health care is more than just access. Possessing an insurance card doesn’t guarantee affordable, high-quality care.”
Former AG candidate running for Bucks DA
Former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, who placed third in a five-way Democrat primary for state attorney general in 2020, yesterday announced his candidacy for Bucks County District Attorney. He hopes to challenge Republican incumbent Jennifer Schorn. Khan also previously ran unsuccessfully for Philadelphia district attorney in 2017.