News & Brews April 21, 2026
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Pa. Court says taxpayers must fund elective abortion
Yesterday in a 4-3 ruling, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court struck down the state’s ban on Medicaid funding for elective abortions. Dissenting, Judge Patricia McCullough wrote, “To impose this funding burden onto taxpayers, the Majority summarily re-writes longstanding Pennsylvania public policy favoring the protection of the life of an unborn child, a policy that remains enshrined in statutes and constitutional provisions.” Responding to the ruling, Michael Geer, president of the pro-life Pennsylvania Family Institute said, “By … mandating taxpayer-funded abortion through Medicaid, the court has overstepped its authority, ignored the plain text of our state constitution, and forced millions of Pennsylvanians who believe life begins at conception to subsidize the killing of unborn children.” Gov. Shapiro, who celebrates abortion at every turn, praised the ruling. The case could be appealed to the state Supreme Court.
Dems kick off 5-city fight for 2028 convention
Axios reports that this week, Democrat party officials “are launching their in-person vetting of potential 2028 convention sites, with trips to the finalist cities — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia.” And when it comes to selection criteria, “Which city lands the convention is a combination of politicking, money, messaging, and logistical capacity.” Indeed, the “whisper campaigns” the story highlights had me chuckling: “Atlanta doesn’t have enough union hotels, Chicago hosted the convention in 2024, Boston signals ‘liberal elite,’ Denver isn’t in a swing state — and Philadelphia, the 2016 host, is a reminder of the year Hillary Clinton lost the election.”
Pittsburgh Council backs bigger budget
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the city council yesterday unanimously approved multiple budget amendments that will result in a “costlier” spending plan. “The newest iteration of the budget anticipates the city spending over $721.5 million in operating expenses this year…. That reflects an increase of about $28 million in spending from the prior version of the budget.” How will the city pay for the new spending? Well, “The amendments council backed Monday trim vacant job positions, spend the roughly $15 million surplus officials had previously anticipated for the year and pull about $6.5 million from the city’s reserve fund to make ends meet.” Of course, using one-time funds for recurring revenue is a setup for disaster. Let’s see what happens next year.
Philly voters to decide two ballot questions
On the ballot in Philadelphia in the May 19 primary election will be two questions for city voters. WHYY explains that the first question will ask if voters want to create a city-run retirement savings program for some private-sector workers. And the second asks if the city should make permanent an existing office that “monitors the safety and quality of services for youth in residential placements.”
McCormick promotes school choice at HBG school visit
Yesterday, visiting Silver Academy, a Jewish day school in Harrisburg, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick promoted the new federal tax credit scholarship program, and he called on Gov. Shapiro to opt Pennsylvania into the program. Shapiro’s office, meanwhile, continues to avoid giving a straight answer on whether the governor will allow Pennsylvania children to participate in the expanded educational opportunity.