News & Brews March 2, 2026
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Pa. elected officials react to strike on Iran
Following the joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran, elected officials across the state issued statements on the action. Gov. Shapiro, while acknowledging Iran’s central role in sponsoring worldwide terrorism, criticized Trump, saying he “has not adequately explained why this war is urgent now, what this military campaign may look like, or what the strategic objective is.” Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is challenging Shapiro, stated, “As someone who deployed three times in service to our nation, I will always stand with the brave men and women of our military who serve with strength, discipline, and honor to protect our nation. My heart is also with the people of Iran who are courageously seeking freedom and basic human rights in the face of oppression. The Iranian people deserve dignity, opportunity, and the ability to determine their own future.” Read more reactions here.
Pa. spent almost $400M in overtime last year
The Tribune News Service reports, “Last year, Pennsylvania paid $397 million in overtime to roughly 56,000 employees, according to state data. The state plans to spend a similar amount this year.” This amount “has increased by nearly 50% since 2019.” Among the agencies spending the most on overtime are the Departments of Corrections, Transportation, Human Services and the State Police. Per the Office of Administration, “Overtime accounted for 3.9% of Pennsylvania’s personnel costs in 2025.”
Cognetti scrutinized for state grant
POLITICO reports that Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who is running for the Democrat nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan and has been endorsed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, is “facing scrutiny for helping secure a multimillion-dollar state grant for a new Fidelity Bank headquarters at the same time her uncle-in-law sat on the board of the company. She also received $14,600 in campaign contributions from Fidelity board members months before getting the city to purchase Fidelity’s old Scranton branch building last year.”
Pa. colleges among top recipients of foreign money
The left-wing States Newsroom (parent company to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star) reports that “American colleges and universities received gifts and contracts worth more than $5.2 billion from foreign entities in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Education.” The “largest sources of reportable gifts and contracts” were Qatar, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia. And two of the top five recipients were in Pa. “The institutions that have received the most funding in foreign gifts and contracts … are Harvard University in Massachusetts, at $4.2 billion; Carnegie Mellon University, in Pennsylvania, at $3.9 billion; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at $3.5 billion; Cornell University in New York, at $3.1 billion and the University of Pennsylvania, at $2.8 billion.”
Pittsburgh central to U.S. global biotech leadership
The Post-Gazette reports that as the U.S. seeks to “cement its global leadership in biotech over the next three years, or fall ‘irreparably’ behind China … cities such as Pittsburgh … are crucial.” On a recent visit to the area, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology member Dov Zakheim said, “You’ve got philanthropy, you’ve got the city, you’ve got the state, you’ve got the federal government, you’ve got the universities, you’ve got industry — everybody’s interlocking. That’s how we’re going to win.”