News & Brews July 24, 2025
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Shapiro blasts efforts to protect women’s sports
Protecting women from being forced to compete in sports against biological males is a highly popular position. By large majorities, voters of both parties believe in protecting girls’ and women’s sports. But Gov. Josh Shapiro? This week, he called lawmakers seeking to protect women and girls “extremist politicians” and then refused to say what he would do if a bill protecting women’s sports reaches his desk.
Pa.’s latest voter registration map
PoliticsPA has some “fun with maps,” offering an interactive county-by-county map of July voter registration information. “While Republicans are seeing red and Democrats are feeling blue,” the story notes, “it is independent and third-party voters that continue to show increases in the latest voter registration numbers from the Department of State.”
Pa. must improve SNAP error rate, or pay more
One of the features of the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill is that states with high rates of SNAP errors will have to pay a greater share of program costs. WESA reports, “States with error rates below 6% won’t have to kick in any cost-sharing funds. Those with error rates from 6 to 8% will have to contribute 5% of benefit costs; error rates of 8 to 10% will pay 10% of costs; states with error rates over 10% — such as Pennsylvania — will pay 15% of benefit costs, or roughly $660 million….” Democrats are complaining, but Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson said the feature should incentivize states to fix their errors. “The fact is, there would be no additional cost if they can get their error rate under 6%.”
GOP mail-in ballot success greatest in Bucks in ‘24
The Inquirer reports that “[w]ithout mail ballots President Donald Trump may not have become the first Republican in 36 years to carry Bucks County.” More specifically, “Trump improved his mail voting margins across Pennsylvania but GOP efforts to convince Republican voters to cast a ballot by mail were most successful in Bucks County where Trump earned 9,663 more mail ballots in 2024 against Vice President Kamala Harris than he did in 2020 against President Joe Biden.”
Gisele Fetterman talks politics, family, and more
Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wife of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, typically stays out of the political limelight. But she sat down for an interview with Meghan McCain, where the two discussed an array of topics ranging from Ms. Fetterman’sdisinterest in politics to her thoughts on the media, motherhood, friendship with those holding different political beliefs, and more. She also talked about a little-known fact about herself: Several years ago, she became a volunteer firefighter. Political differences aside, it’s an interesting conversation.