News & Brews August 22, 2025
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Shapiro’s closed-door influence at Penn
The left-leaning Chronicle of Higher Education has a story on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s closed-door involvement in the University of Pennsylvania’s response to (very valid) accusations of antisemitism following the Oct 7 terror attacks against Israel. “In a moment when President Trump’s effort to reshape higher education is dominating headlines, Shapiro’s foray illustrates a subtler sort of political influence — and the extent to which politicians on both sides of the aisle seek to exact changes at elite campuses.” (Reading the piece requires registering for a free account.)
Pa. refuses DOJ request for voter info
The Inquirer reports that the “Pennsylvania Department of State will not turn over its voter registration database to the Trump administration, denying a request that has been sent to dozens of other states in an apparent inquiry into state voter roll maintenance.” Pa. Secretary of State Al Schmidt called the request “a concerning attempt to expand the federal government’s role in our country’s electoral process.” The story notes that “none of the states has fully complied with the requests, as legal experts argue doing so would violate state and federal law.”
Interview with former Judge Patrick Dugan
Former Judge Patrick Dugan may have lost the Democrat primary to challenge incumbent Democrat Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. But he won enough Republican write-in votes to run against Krasner as a Republican. Broad + Liberty spoke with Dugan about his decision to run under the GOP banner, his qualifications for the role, and more.
Op-Ed: Churches step-up for left-behind students
The Rev. Joshua C. Robertson—Senior Pastor of The Rock Church in Harrisburg and CEO and Founder of the Black Pastors United for Education—and James Grear—gospel musician and founder of the vocal ensemble, James Grear and Company—have a joint op-ed in The Hill on the importance of educational freedom and how federal legislation can help children experience that freedom. “Gospel music lifts us,” they write. “Education should do the same, yet too many children are stuck in school districts that fail to elevate their potential. That’s why, as faith leaders and longtime advocates for children, we supported Congress’s effort to send the Educational Choice for Children Act to the president as part of the budget bill.”
Who owns the budget stalemate?
As the state budget impasse persists with no end in sight—with bailing out mass transit the main sticking point—the Commonwealth Foundation’s Kevin Kane writes that there’s blame to go around. “First and foremost” to Gov. Shapiro and also to the Democrat-controlled Pa. House. “SEPTA,” however, “deserves the bulk of the blame,” Kevin writes. “Rather than putting in the work to better its services, the agency has resorted to scare tactics, threatening to cut services and raise fares.” And SEPTA’s own mismanagement aside, the agency actually “already has the money it demands. During a July board meeting, SEPTA disclosed the existence of a $396 million ‘stabilization fund.’ The agency reserves these funds to cover unexpected expenses so that it, according to one of its board members, ‘doesn’t borrow money or end up with no money to pay for things.’”