News & Brews April 10, 2026
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Police missed gov’s mansion breach until after fire was extinguished
PennLive has a rather astonishing report noting that the reason Cody Balmer was able to break inside the governor’s mansion, set fire to it, and get away without anyone even confronting him was that the state police had no idea there had even been a security breach at the property until after the fire was extinguished, “despite much of it playing out in real time on the residence’s surveillance cameras.” Security consultant Jeffrey Miller, who did the review of the incident, confirmed this, noting, “When [state troopers] went back to examine surveillance footage to determine how the fire started, they discovered Balmer had breached the residence and purposely set the fires.” One former trooper who previously served on the governor’s detail called the incident “embarrassing, because they didn’t do their jobs.” But some blame it on a “systemic failure,“ rather than on the troopers.
An interview with Lt. Gov. candidate Jason Richey
Broad + Liberty offers the first in a two-part interview with Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jason Richey, who is campaigning alongside gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity. The conversation touched on a range of topics, including the difficulty of running against a popular incumbent governor, how the pair would work to lower electricity costs, the state budget, and more.
Pa. has the most toss-up races this November
Underscoring that Pennsylvania is the ultimate swing state, the Cook Political Report’s most recent ratings, updated this week, say Pennsylvania has the most toss-up congressional races in the country, at three. This comes after Cook moved GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s race against Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti from “lean Republican” to “toss up.” The other two toss-ups in Pennsylvania, per Cook, are GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s race and GOP Rep. Scott Perry’s race.
Pa. needs affordable energy, not legal antics
By now, everyone knows that suing Trump is a favorite pastime of Gov. Josh Shapiro — not quite as favorite as appearing on national TV, but perhaps a close second. Well, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Megan Martin takes issue with one of his lawsuits in particular, against the Environmental Protection Agency. “How does suing the federal government actually lower electricity bills for Pennsylvanians?” she asks, answering that “it doesn’t. … Sadly, this has become a familiar pattern. Shapiro litigates rather than leads. He has filed or joined 17 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Regardless of your thoughts about the president, reflexive litigation is neither a substitute for leadership nor an ideal governing strategy.”
Uber goes all-in to fight Mayor Parker’s proposed tax
The Inquirer reports that “Uber has launched an all-out pressure campaign to oppose [Philadelphia] Mayor [Cherelle] Parker’s $1-per-ride tax. …. Last week, the company emailed thousands of Philadelphia app users and directed them to contact the mayor’s administration and members of City Council to oppose the tax.” I mean, when SEPTA talks fare hikes, isn’t the outcry typically monumental? Is a government-mandated Uber fare hike that different? Hmm….