News & Brews August 28, 2026
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Did Krasner’s office commit crimes?
The Inquirer reports, “A federal judge on Thursday said actions city prosecutors took in a controversial post-conviction case could ultimately amount to perjury, conspiracy, or obstruction of justice — a stunning suggestion that inserted the threat of potential criminal consequences into a matter that has already roiled District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office.”
The judge “does not have the ability to file criminal charges himself. But his remarks from the bench were another new development in the case, which had already featured a host of explosive accusations about how prosecutors have behaved while determining whether a man’s murder conviction should be overturned.” For a district attorney who’s been accused of siding with criminals over victims, the judge’s remarks certainly raise eyebrows.
Shapiro, RFK, Jr. duke it out (metaphorically)
So national media is paying attention to a fight happening between Gov. Shapiro and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Recently, Shapiro made a big media performance claiming measles-related deaths of two unvaccinated individuals. He used this to blame Kennedy for spreading “misinformation” about vaccines.
But turns out Shapiro was himself spreading some misinformation. It later came out one of the deaths was an infant who didn’t actually die from measles but only “with” measles (Oh we’re back to Covid-era ‘from/with’ classifications for political purposes now, it seems?). Now, the tiff between Shapiro and RFK, Jr. is national, with stories in POLITICO, CNN, ABC, the Washington Post, and I’m sure other places.
And speaking of COVID, on a separate note, it looks like Shapiro is trying to re-implement some “lockdown-era” regulations. Pa. House Republican Leader Jesse Topper has “called on the Shapiro administration to withdraw proposed regulations reminiscent of COVID lockdown-era government policy that would infringe upon constitutional norms and civil liberties.” Click here for more.
Congressional candidates weigh in on Shapiro’s data center order
Congressional incumbents and challengers from Pennsylvania’s most hotly contested races weighed in on Gov. Shapiro’s recent executive order on data centers. And I wanted to include this story solely because of the response of Democrat Bob Brooks, who is challenging GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
You’d think a challenger in one of the most watched U.S. House races—a race that could literally determine who controls the chamber—would at least pretend to think for himself. You’d think wrong. Here’s (in part) what Brooks had to say:
“I really, quite honestly, haven’t really dug into the executive order yet. I trust the governor. He’s done really good things for Pennsylvania, and if he sees this as a good move, I trust in the decisions that he makes.”
Can’t make this up. “I’m with him even though I have no idea what he did.”
Texas scholarships help the ‘not rich’
One of the tired old arguments against school choice is that it benefits the wealthy. But data from Texas’s new school choice program, which passed last year, demonstrates quite the opposite. The Wall Street Journal editorial board explains: “More than 85,000 students from 895 school districts have confirmed they’ll use a state-funded scholarship toward private school or home-school expenses in the coming year…. Some 68,000, or 80%, are in households making 200% or less of the federal poverty level. That’s $66,000 for a family of four.
“Another 17,300 students are in households between 200% and 500% of the poverty threshold, meaning no more than $165,000 for a family of four. More than 20,000 students, or about 25%, also have a disability.”
Ah, facts. Such stubborn impediments to the Left’s narrative.
One progressive to another
Progressive U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio has secured the endorsement of socialist U.S. Sen. Berne Sanders as the former is up for re-election this year. This really isn’t surprising—one progressive endorsing another. But Deluzio is also reportedly one of the progressives considering a 2028 primary challenge from the left to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, whom progressives have abandoned.
