News & Brews February 10, 2026
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Shapiro tries to take neighbors’ property
So, this isn’t a great look for a sitting governor. As in, it really isn’t a great look. Gov. Shapiro and his wife, Lori, are embroiled in dueling lawsuits after the Shapiros claimed a portion of their neighbors’ property is actually theirs, and they intend to take possession of it through something called “adverse possession.” Spotlight PA reports that “this summer, the Shapiros discovered that the parcel they always thought was theirs fell outside the land their deed said they owned.” They wanted to buy it from their neighbors but couldn’t agree on a price. Then, they considered leasing it. But then, the Shapiro’s lawyer contacted the neighbors and told them the Shapiros intended to take the property through “an arcane real estate process by which a person can take legal title of a property if they can prove they’ve occupied and used it exclusively for a period of time (in Pennsylvania, that is 21 years).” Now, the neighbors have sued the Shapiros, who have countersued the neighbors. GSD = Governor Steals by Decree?
Fetterman expects DHS shutdown over ICE negotiations
The Inquirer reports that Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman “expects the Department of Homeland Security to shut down Friday as negotiations over immigration enforcement have stalled, an outcome that could impact air travel and emergency response across the nation.” While lawmakers and Trump have finalized funding for all other government agencies, DHS funding has not yet passed due to disagreements over ICE. “Among Democrats’ demands are banning immigration enforcement agents from wearing masks and requiring DHS officers to obtain a warrant signed by a judge before entering a home.” For his part, Fetterman has consistently opposed shutting down the government and “has been the only Senate Democrat to vote for some Republican budget proposals.”
‘Texas parents rush for school choice’
The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes that Texas’ new education savings account program saw a first-day enrollment of 42,000 children, a “record for any new school choice program.” The program came after “Gov. Abbott made ESAs a legislative priority,” successfully backing primary challengers to Republicans who joined Democrats in opposing ESAs. Other states are also seeing sky-high demand for school choice programs. The Ed Board concludes, “Governors and state lawmakers across the country have a chance to respond to this demand with more political and financial investment in education choice.” Are you listening, Gov. Shapiro? (Or are you too busy trying to take your neighbors’ land?)
Come again, NYT?
So this is rich. After years of promoting legalized recreational marijuana and insisting that its use wasn’t a major problem, the New York Times editorial board has had a change of heart. POLITICO reports that in a recent editorial, the Times wrote that the U.S. “has recently gone too far in accepting and even promoting [marijuana] use.” POLITICO notes, “In the piece, the editorial board conceded that some of its past positions on legalization no longer hold up, including its initial assessment that marijuana addiction and dependence are ‘relatively minor problems, especially compared with alcohol and tobacco.’” Gee, maybe Pennsylvania has been right all along not to heed Gov. Shapiro’s push to legalize recreational marijuana?
Fitzpatrick leads in cash on hand
The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick raised just shy of $865,000 from October to December and entered the year with “$7.36 million on hand and $6.95 million more than any of the challengers attempting to unseat him in the purple district in the suburbs north of Philadelphia.” This is “millions more on hand than every other congressional candidate running in Pennsylvania.” In the 4th quarter of 2025 particularly, however, he was outraised by Democrat Janelle Stelson, who brought in $945,000 over the same time period in her quest to unseat GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. Perry, meanwhile, raised $780,000.