News & Brews November 18, 2025
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Shapiro tries to play leader on ultra-late budget
The Inquirer looks at how Gov. Shapiro is trying to paint himself as a leader who didn’t cave in the recently enacted state budget—which was 135 days late and did, indeed, come about only after Shapiro caved on issues including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and SEPTA bailouts. Will his ploy work? That remains to be seen.
Progressive group seeks challenger to Fetterman
The progressive Working Families Party is “launching a portal to recruit and train potential candidates to challenge [U.S. Sen. John] Fetterman,” the Inquirer reports. The news is hardly surprising, as progressives prefer anti-Israel candidates who call Trump a fascist—neither of which describe Fetterman. Still, the Inky calls this “a remarkable step for the left-leaning organization to take more than two years away from an election and speaks to the degree of frustration with Fetterman among progressives.”
GOP seeks to retake Lancaster senate seat
Candidates are lining up in hopes of winning the 36th District state Senate seat, which Democrat James Malone flipped last year in a special election that left many in the GOP stunned. The LNP reports that New Holland Borough Council Member Patrick Morgan is the latest to enter the Republican ring. GOP state Rep. Tom Jones and former Rapho Township Supervisor Jere Swarr have also announced their candidacies. “County Commissioner Josh Parsons also has not ruled out a run … after his stunning loss to Malone in the March special election.”
Fetterman back in DC after heart episode
The Tribune-Review reports that U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is back at work in D.C. after a fall and hospitalization last week due to a heart episode. Yesterday, he appeared “at an event hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America.” The event was “a gathering for Jewish community leaders, professionals, philanthropists, and community partners to ‘address pressing issues, explore best practices, and cultivate innovative solutions.’”
Pittsburgh International’s new terminal is open
Pittsburgh International Airport’s new $1.7 billion terminal opened this morning, more than eight years after it was first announced, and more than four years after groundbreaking. The terminal also came in well over the original projected cost, which was $1.1 billion.