News & Brews March 18, 2025
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White House: ‘Shapiro is lying’
As Gov. Shapiro tries to take credit for unfreezing federal funds for Pennsylvania, the White House is having none of it. “Governor Shapiro is lying,” said a White House deputy press secretary. “Agencies are reviewing all funds for consistency with the law, waste, and the administration’s priorities. Pressure by governors is not one of those factors, and funds within Pennsylvania are being reviewed the same as everything else.” Shapiro, of course, has claimed he saved the day, but the White House is calling him out for simply trying to promote himself. “The Democratic Party is in shambles, so no wonder he’s [Shapiro’s] trying to look good. He is not telling the truth. He is overstating what he was able to do.”
Report: Pa. ranks high for Medicaid fraud
PennLive reports that according to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, last year “Pennsylvania ranked first nationwide in the number of fraud charges filed against individuals who defrauded the government assistance program through unlawful billing or failure to provide services; or who neglected, abused or exploited people on Medicaid.” And we “ranked third overall in convictions secured against those charged.” But go ahead, Democrats. Tell us again why tackling fraud in Medicaid is so cruel?
‘You don’t hate the media enough’
This headline phrase is often seen on social media in relation to misleading or flat-out false headlines. Well, today we bring you one from PennLive. Yesterday, PennLive ran a story with the headline, “Pa. Republicans ask Trump to axe new Medicaid program for poor families, children, and homeless.” (Ironic headline given the previous story on fraud, but I digress.) Anyway, as the Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield posted: “Horribly misleading clickbait headline from PennLive. In reality, Gov. Shapiro is diverting Medicaid funds from health care for the disabled and elderly–its original purpose–to fund a host of new social programs, and he’s doing so without legislative approval.” Just a timely reminder that when it comes to loving truth, you don’t hate the media enough.
‘Beware blue state govs who pivot to center but govern from Left’
The Daily Signal has a good warning for those who believe the moderate-sounding rhetoric of Democrat governors like Josh Shapiro: Don’t. “The legacy media has been all too happy to present Shapiro as a reasonable Democrat who bucks the far Left and gets things done. However, his actual record—and inability to oppose the Left’s radicalism—reveal the truth.” In fact, “While the Pennsylvania governor doesn’t use the typical language of the Left on, say, policing, he has generally maintained even its most extreme policy positions.”
Dem leader rallies for pro-Hamas student
The leader of Reclaim Philadelphia, which has endorsed Democrats up and down the ballot in Pa., joined a protest in Philly yesterday “to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University who was arrested by immigration officers earlier this month.” Khalil was a ‘negotiator’ for Columbia United Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a terror-aligned organization. Also at the event yesterday was Democrat state Rep. Nikil Saval, whose office came under fire after his former chief of staff posted support for the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel.
Op-Ed: Trump should OK Nippon-U.S. Steel deal
Jezree Friend, vice president of the Erie-based Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA), writes in the Erie Times-News that “Washington, D.C. needs to greenlight the landmark deal” between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel “to revitalize the business with historic new investment and advanced technology.” The agreement, Friend writes, “would launch U.S. Steel right back into global powerhouse status, creating the world’s third-largest steel company. It would inject billions of dollars of new investment, an economic boost with ripple effects across Pennsylvania and the heartland.”