News & Brews August 31, 2026
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How not to announce a measles death
Physician and New York Times contributing opinion writer Rachael Bedard criticizes how Gov. Shapiro announced measles “associated” deaths in Pennsylvania. While also taking RFK, Jr. to task, Bedard writes that “Shapiro … who seems to have presidential ambitions, wanted to say that measles-associated deaths reflect badly on Mr. Kennedy and President Trump. But the governor made a mistake by not speaking carefully enough.” Indeed, “The governor’s claim that the deaths were ‘completely preventable’ was perhaps too definitive. And referring to the infant as an ‘unvaccinated individual,’ without the context that a baby would not have been eligible for vaccination, could be seen as disingenuous and in service of an agenda.” In other words, Shapiro shouldn’t have tried to politicize the tragic death of a newborn for his own political self-service.
Could U.S. House majority hinge on Pa. gov’s race?
It’s no secret that with President Trump’s approval ratings rather abysmal, the midterms are expected to be tough for Republicans. Now, NOTUS reports, “A pair of polls … reaffirmed the conventional wisdom in two key races: Democratic governors in Arizona and Pennsylvania appear headed for victory. And the margins in those polls suggested the potential for the type of coattails that could boost Democrats to down-ballot victories and a House majority.”
In these two states, “Republicans are defending five toss-up seats in the House, with one more in each state that are considered vulnerable. Those seven seats include six Republican incumbents who have won in tough political environments before, having received crossover votes from people who supported Democrats higher up on the ballot. But those types of margins for [Govs.] Hobbs and Shapiro, if they hold true in November, will make it an even tougher uphill climb for these Republicans.”
Pa. Dem’s healthcare dream is patient nightmare
ABC27 reports that Democrat Pa. state Rep. Nikil Saval (Philadelphia) “plans to introduce legislation that would establish a universal single-payer health care system in Pennsylvania.” Under Saval’s DSA fantasy, “The PA Universal Healthcare Plan would be funded through a payroll tax, which costs less than the average monthly rate for health insurance premiums. Coverage will also be provided without copays, deductibles, coinsurance or caps.”
But wait. It turns out that when we’re talking about government-run healthcare, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery just offered “a useful reality check,” per the WSJ. The study found “cancer patients with Medicare and Medicaid have to wait longer to get treatment than those with private insurance.” In fact, “the study found that patients with private insurance faced the shortest wait times, and those on Medicaid experienced the longest—even longer than the uninsured.”
Will unions abandon Dems over data centers?
The backlash over data centers is threatening to splinter longtime political alliances, as blue-collar unions—which traditionally support Democrats—are “warning” that opposition to data centers “endangers thousands of building-related jobs. They are threatening to withhold support of candidates opposing the data center projects” the Wall Street Journal reports. Per one union leader, “The union will scrutinize politicians’ records on the data-center issue before offering support.” Another leader said, “You’re not a friend if you’re taking away great career opportunities,” as data center construction requires skilled trades workers and offers well-paying jobs and benefits. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to really get in the upper-middle class.”
Clubs want skill games action before October
Back in June, the state Supreme Court ruled that skill games are slot machines and gave the legislature 120 days to figure out what to do about them. Well, that mid-October deadline is approaching and lawmakers haven’t figured out what to do about them (although negotiations are reportedly underway). Now, WESA reports that social clubs and small businesses—which often house skill games—are urging lawmakers to act, warning that “time’s running out.” For his part, Gov. Shapiro “wants to put the devices under the state’s existing rules on video gaming terminals. He would cap their number at 40,000 and limit establishments to five machines.” For context, there are currently an estimated 70,000 skill games terminals across the state.
