Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro Warns Pennsylvanians Will Lose Health Care, Hospitals Will Close Under Republican Cuts To Medicaid

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Plan To Protect Pennsylvanians’ Health Care From Private Equity Firms

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Wants Attorney General To Have Power To Stop Private Equity ‘Havoc’ With Hospitals 

-- Gov. Shapiro: Lightning Plan Tax Credit Bill, Community Energy Pass PA House  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Approves Shapiro’s Energy Plan Tax Credit Bill

-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Used Billionaire Michael Rubin’s Luxury Helicopter On $68,000 In Campaign Trips Last Year

-- TribLive/PennLive: Republican Rep. Keefer Ignites Budget Talk, Backlash With Flamethrower Video Against Governor’s Budget Proposal

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: House Republican Leader Wants Committee To Investigate Arson At Governor’s Residence

-- Budget 2025

-- TribLive/PennLive: Republican Rep. Keefer Ignites Budget Talk, Backlash With Flamethrower Video Against Governor’s Budget Proposal

-- PA House/Senate

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Passes Election Reform Bill, But Voter ID Goes To Sidelines

-- Inquirer: PA House Democrats Were Prepared To Pass Voter ID, Then Republicans Hit The Brakes

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Advances Sweeping Election Reform Bill

-- TribLive Editorial: Why Do Some Bills Get Attention In The Legislature?

-- TribLive Editorial: Divided Legislature Means Pointless Bills

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Senate Committee Rejects House Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana In PA

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs A Marijuana Control Board - By Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- WESA: State Sen. Pisciottano Wants To Incentivize Investment In PA Steel With Reduced State Taxes

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: House Republican Leader Wants Committee To Investigate Arson At Governor’s Residence

-- US Senate/House

-- WITF: Republican PA Cong Lloyd Smucker Leads Budget Hardlines In Letter To Republican Leaderships Renewing Call To Slash Federal Spending

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Some Mining Safety Workers At NIOSH In Pittsburgh, Morgantown Spared Layoffs 

-- TribLive: Dozens Of Pittsburgh-Area Mine Safety Workers To Keep Jobs 

-- Post-Gazette/Medill Investigative Lab: Plagued By Black Lung, Coal Miners Wage Long Legal Fights For Benefits To Pay Bills And To Stay Alive 

-- Inquirer: National Democrats Flocking To PA In Early Offensive To Reclaim US House In 2026

-- AP: Congressional House Republicans Include 10-Year Ban On States, Localities Regulating A.I. Produced Fake Video, Photos, Audio In Tax Bill 

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General Sunday: 400+ Illegal Gambling Devices Seized At Bars, Gas Stations And Convenience Stores In Western PA 

-- TribLive: Raids Lead To Charges Against Businesses Run By Onetime Video Poker Kingpin

-- 2025 Elections

-- AP: What To Expect In Pennsylvania’s State Primaries

-- TribLive: Turnout For Western PA Primaries Get Bump From Mail-Ins, But Still Draw Fewer Than 1 In 3 Voters

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Passes Election Reform Bill, But Voter ID Goes To Sidelines

-- Inquirer: PA House Democrats Were Prepared To Pass Voter ID, Then Republicans Hit The Brakes

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Advances Sweeping Election Reform Bill

-- Inquirer: Republicans Are Attempting To Boot 3 Democratic Justices From PA Supreme Court, Dems Are Worried

-- WHYY: PA Republicans Seek Control Of PA Supreme Court Where Final Decisions Are Made On Voting, Abortion

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Dauphin County Helped Hundreds Of Voters Fix Mistakes On Their Mail Ballots; More Counties Should Do The Same - By ACLU Of Pennsylvania

-- Elections

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Passes Election Reform Bill, But Voter ID Goes To Sidelines

-- Inquirer: PA House Democrats Were Prepared To Pass Voter ID, Then Republicans Hit The Brakes

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Advances Sweeping Election Reform Bill

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: President’s Tariffs Are Killing Pittsburgh’s Small Businesses - By BEAM Collaborative

-- WPost Guest Essay: What Pennsylvania Factory Workers Say About President’s Tariffs Now - Workers Want Certainty - By Heather Long

-- WITF/NPR: Why Aren’t Americans Filling The Manufacturing Jobs We Already Have?

-- Williamsport Sun: Pennsylvania Hardwoods Industry Worries About President’s Tariffs

-- WITF/NPR: Walmart Says Higher Prices From President’s Tariffs Coming As Soon As This Month

-- WSJ: Walmart’s Tariff Price Hikes Open Door To Increases From ‘Everybody Else’ 

-- AP: How The S&P 500 Recovered All Of Its Losses For The Year [President Rolled Back Some Of His Tariffs]

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Hands Off: President’s Attempt To Suspend Habeas Corpus Is A Bright Red Line

-- Beaver Times/RiverWise: Are Nonprofits Feel Losses From Termination Of Federal Thriving Communities Program

-- City & State PA: Immigration Crackdown Spreads Fear, Uncertainty Across PA Communities

-- Triblive: Federal Judge In Johnstown Becomes First In US To Uphold Use Of Alien Enemies Act To Depot Venezuelans

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Some Mining Safety Workers At NIOSH In Pittsburgh, Morgantown Spared Layoffs 

-- TribLive: Dozens Of Pittsburgh-Area Mine Safety Workers To Keep Jobs 

-- Post-Gazette/Medill Investigative Lab: Plagued By Black Lung, Coal Miners Wage Long Legal Fights For Benefits To Pay Bills And To Stay Alive 

-- PA Capital-Star: Dozens Of Members Of Congress, Including From PA, Plead With President To Unfreeze FEMA Resilient Infrastructure Grants 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: FEMA Cancels $1 Billion For Flood Prevention Projects In Chesapeake Bay Region; $2.7 Million In Scranton

-- Reuters: FEMA Cuts Emergency Training As Hurricane Season Looms 

-- PA Capital-Star: FEMA Leader Ousted, One Day After Publicly Opposing Agency’s Elimination By President 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Blog: PA Farmers Lament Conservation And Economic Consequences Of Losing Federal Climate-Smart Funding  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: President’s Budget Cuts Threaten Chesapeake Bay Restoration, Advocates Warn

-- Public News Service: President’s Proposed Budget Threatens Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts In PA

-- Inside Climate News: USDA Staffing And Funding Cuts Would Threaten Virginia’s Ability To Reach Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Goals

-- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Republican House Ag Committee Congressional Budget Bill Steamrolls Farm Bill Future, Slashing Billions [Chaired By PA Republican Cong. Glenn Thompson] 

-- Post-Gazette: With Threat Of Medicaid Cuts, Fayette County Medical Providers Wonder: ‘How Much Worse Will It Get?’

-- AP: Congressional House Republicans Unveil Medicaid Cuts That Democrats Warn Will Leave Millions Without Care

-- Politico: State Bear Brunt Of Proposed US House Republican Medicaid Plan

-- WSJ: Congressional House Republican Proposal Cutting Medicaid Aims For Republican Middle Ground

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Republicans Want To Kick At Least 8.6 Million Americans Off Their Health Insurance - By Fmr. Sen. Bob Casey [Medicaid]

-- NYT: Chasing Federal Tax Cut, President And Republicans Want To Make State Pay; States Fearful That Their Budgets Cannot Absorb Billions In New Costs

-- Erie Times: UPMC Webpages On LGBTQ Health, Racial Disparities Vanish

-- York Dispatch: President’s Funding Cuts Threaten To Send York County Libraries Back Into The ‘Dark Ages’

-- AP: Moody’s Strips US Government Of Top Credit Rating, Citing Failure To Rein In Debt

-- New Federal Administration

-- WITF: Republican PA Cong Lloyd Smucker Leads Budget Hardlines In Letter To Republican Leaderships Renewing Call To Slash Federal Spending

-- WHYY: Bucks County Sheriff, Federal ICE Collaboration Is Official; Legal Challenge Expected 

-- Financial Times: US Beef Prices Extend Surge As Ranchers Face Thinnest Herds In 70 Years

-- Financial Times: President Defends Gift Of 747 Jet From Qatar As New Air Force One

-- WSJ: Federal DHS Is Considering Reality TV Show Where Immigrants Compete For Citizenship: ‘This Isn’t The Hunger Games For Immigrants’ Says Producer 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive - John Baer: PA Continues Its March to Mediocrity (And Beyond) With Drop In State Rankings 

-- TribLive Editorial: Why Do Some Bills Get Attention In The Legislature?

-- TribLive Editorial: Divided Legislature Means Pointless Bills

-- AP: Congressional House Republicans Include 10-Year Ban On States, Localities Regulating A.I. Produced Fake Video, Photos, Audio In Tax Bill 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  National- $3.19  Ohio- $3.08  PA- $3.30

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs At 18, Same For 4 Weeks

-- Wall Street Journal: US Shale Gas/Oil Drillers Say Peak Shale Has Arrived 

-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Another Study Identifies Health Risks During Unconventional Oil & Gas Production Even For Those Living Within 1,000 Feet Or More Of Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Avonlea Environmental Technologies Reports Success Of Oil & Gas Wastewater Lithium Extraction Pilot Plant In Susquehanna County  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: NE PA Could Become Major Supplier Of Lithium For Batteries

-- Rise Of The Machines:  Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’  [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro: Lightning Plan Tax Credit Bill, Community Energy Pass PA House  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Approves Shapiro’s Energy Plan Tax Credit Bill

-- Utility Dive: Only A Fraction Of Proposed Data Centers Will Get Built; Utilities Are Wising Up 

-- PUC Sets June Hearings On Proposed 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increase By Columbia Gas  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]

-- US EIA: US Natural Gas Prices Double Last Year Due To LNG Exports, Demand Driving Electricity Prices Higher This Summer  [PaEN] 

-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Summer Electricity Assessment Sees Adequate Generating Resources To Meet Normal Operating Conditions; Higher Natural Gas Prices Driving Electricity Prices Higher  [PaEN]

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp.: Record Load Growth From Data Centers, High Temperatures Expected To Strain Electric Grid This Summer [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: US, Europe Drive Global Power Plant Emissions Higher So Far In 2025

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: NRG Buys 5 PA Gas Power Plants To Meet ‘Supercycle’ Of Demand By Data Centers; Refitted To Run As Baseload Plants 

-- Vistra To Acquire 2 Natural Gas Power Plants In PA, Other States

-- Bloomberg: Vistra Buys Power Plants From Lotus Infrastructure Partners In PA, Other States To Power A.I. Data Centers 

-- John Quigley: Are Merchant Fossil Fuel Plants Uneconomical? - Comments By Chief Fossil Officer For Talen Energy  [Twitter]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: WhiteHawk Energy To Acquire PHX Minerals For $187 Million, Growing Marcellus Shale Footprint

-- Financial Times: Constellation Energy, Other Companies Abandon Almost Half the Projects In $5 Billion Texas Program To Fund Natural Gas Power Plants Due To Costs, Supply Chain Delays  [Sen. Yaw Wants A Program Like This In PA] 

-- PA Capital-Star: Is Congress Trampling On State Laws Protecting Property Rights Against Pipelines

-- WPost: President Promised US Energy Dominance, Instead Oil & Gas Firms Are Reeling 

-- The Economist: President Is Throttling America’s Oil/Gas Industry, Many Shale Producers Cannot Turn A Profit At Current Prices  

-- Bloomberg: President’s Thirst For Cheap Oil Irks An Industry He Loves To Praise 

-- Flooding

-- WJAC-TV: Somerset County Officials Assessing Damage Caused By Widespread Flooding 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Residents Reeling As Floodwaters Recede; Officials Document Damage To Provide Aid 

-- WJAC-TV: Meyersdale Residents Ordered To Evacuate As Heavy Rains, Flooding Impact Somerset County

-- Tribune-Democrat: Homes Evacuated, Motorists Rescued As Flooding Hammers Southern Somerset County 

-- KDKA: Severe Flooding Leaves Meyersdale Borough Underwater After Heavy Rains In Somerset County

-- PA Capital-Star: Dozens Of Members Of Congress, Including From PA, Plead With President To Unfreeze FEMA Resilient Infrastructure Grants 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: FEMA Cancels $1 Billion For Flood Prevention Projects In Chesapeake Bay Region; $2.7 Million In Scranton

-- Reuters: FEMA Cuts Emergency Training As Hurricane Season Looms 

-- PA Capital-Star: FEMA Leader Ousted, One Day After Publicly Opposing Agency’s Elimination By President 

-- Storm Damage/Power Outages

-- WTAE: Duquesne Light Reflects On Storm Response, Aims For Improvement

-- Three Mile Island Restart/Data Centers

-- Rise Of The Machines:  Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’  [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro: Lightning Plan Tax Credit Bill, Community Energy Pass PA House  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Approves Shapiro’s Energy Plan Tax Credit Bill

-- The Center Square: PJM Power Demand Surge Inevitable, But Not Insurmountable  

-- Utility Dive: Only A Fraction Of Proposed Data Centers Will Get Built; Utilities Are Wising Up 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: NRG Buys 5 PA Gas Power Plants To Meet ‘Supercycle’ Of Demand By Data Centers; Refitted To Run As Baseload Plants 

-- Vistra To Acquire 2 Natural Gas Power Plants In PA, Other States

-- Bloomberg: Vistra Buys Power Plants From Lotus Infrastructure Partners In PA, Other States To Power A.I. Data Centers 

-- US EIA: US Natural Gas Prices Double Last Year Due To LNG Exports, Demand Driving Electricity Prices Higher This Summer  [PaEN] 

-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Summer Electricity Assessment Sees Adequate Generating Resources To Meet Normal Operating Conditions; Higher Natural Gas Prices Driving Electricity Prices Higher  [PaEN]

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp.: Record Load Growth From Data Centers, High Temperatures Expected To Strain Electric Grid This Summer [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: US, Europe Drive Global Power Plant Emissions Higher So Far In 2025

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Regional Power Grid Operator Sees Manageable Summer Peak Load, But A Slight Risk Of ‘Running Short’

-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]

-- Education

-- PennLive: Taxpayer-Funded Private Cyber School Attracts 26,000 Students Over 5 Years

-- TribLive: Meeting On Penn State Campus Closures Set For Next Week

-- Spotlight PA: Penn State President Wants To Close 7 Campuses, Internal Records Explain Why

-- PennLive: Penn State Blames Looming Campus Closures On Projected ‘Declining’ Pennsylvania Population

-- TribLive: Penn State Communities Grapple With Recommended Campus Closures

-- Post-Gazette: Penn State Proposes 7 Campus Closures, Including 3 In Pittsburgh Region

-- TribLive: Penn State Recommends Closing New Kensington, Fayette, 5 Other Campuses

-- WNEP: Penn State Wilkes-Barre Set To Close

-- TribLive Editorial: Penn State Needs To Be Open About Closing Campuses

-- MCall: Some Lehigh Valley College Students Could Receive Refunds For Tuition During COVID Shutdowns

-- Health Care

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro Warns Pennsylvanians Will Lose Health Care, Hospitals Will Close Under Republican Cuts To Medicaid

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Plan To Protect Pennsylvanians’ Health Care From Private Equity Firms

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Wants Attorney General To Have Power To Stop Private Equity ‘Havoc’ With Hospitals 

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Powerful Health Systems Oppose A Growing Effort To Prevent Hospital Closures Through More Oversight

-- TribLive: As Rite Aid Collapses, Customers, Other Pharmacies Bear The Impact 

-- TribLive Editorial: Rite Aid Closing Leaves Hole In Pharmacy Marketplace

-- Post-Gazette: With Threat Of Medicaid Cuts, Fayette County Medical Providers Wonder: ‘How Much Worse Will It Get?’

-- AP: Congressional House Republicans Unveil Medicaid Cuts That Democrats Warn Will Leave Millions Without Care

-- Politico: State Bear Brunt Of Proposed US House Republican Medicaid Plan

-- WSJ: Congressional House Republican Proposal Cutting Medicaid Aims For Republican Middle Ground

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Republicans Want To Kick At Least 8.6 Million Americans Off Their Health Insurance - By Fmr. Sen. Bob Casey [Medicaid]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Senate Committee Rejects House Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana In PA

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs A Marijuana Control Board - By Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- Erie Times: UPMC Webpages On LGBTQ Health, Racial Disparities Vanish

-- Law Enforcement

-- Attorney General Sunday: 400+ Illegal Gambling Devices Seized At Bars, Gas Stations And Convenience Stores In Western PA 

-- City & State PA: Immigration Crackdown Spreads Fear, Uncertainty Across PA Communities

-- WHYY: Bucks County Sheriff, Federal ICE Collaboration Is Official; Legal Challenge Expected 

-- Triblive: Federal Judge In Johnstown Becomes First In US To Uphold Use Of Alien Enemies Act To Depot Venezuelans

-- WSJ: Federal DHS Is Considering Reality TV Show Where Immigrants Compete For Citizenship: ‘This Isn’t The Hunger Games For Immigrants’ Says Producer 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Hands Off: President’s Attempt To Suspend Habeas Corpus Is A Bright Red Line

-- The Economy

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: President’s Tariffs Are Killing Pittsburgh’s Small Businesses - By BEAM Collaborative

-- Williamsport Sun: Pennsylvania Hardwoods Industry Worries About President’s Tariffs

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reported April Unemployment Increased 0.1% In April To 3.9%

-- WITF/NPR: Why Aren’t Americans Filling The Manufacturing Jobs We Already Have?

-- WESA: State Sen. Pisciottano Wants To Incentivize Investment In PA Steel With Reduced State Taxes

-- AP: Congressional House Republicans Include 10-Year Ban On States, Localities Regulating A.I. Produced Fake Video, Photos, Audio In Tax Bill 

-- AP: Moody’s Strips US Government Of Top Credit Rating, Citing Failure To Rein In Debt

-- AP: How The S&P 500 Recovered All Of Its Losses For The Year [President Rolled Back Some Of His Tariffs]

-- Other

-- MCall Guest Essay: Confronting The Collapse Of Local News In Pennsylvania - By Tara Bradley Steck, Duquesne University

[Posted: May 18, 2025]