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: PA Governor Anticipates A Budget Deal ‘Very Soon’ As Lawmakers Blow Through Budget Deadline 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Gov. Shapiro Says State Budget Deal ‘Very Close’

-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Says Federal Budget Bill ‘Betrays The Very People’ The President Vowed To Help 

-- The Center Square: Gov. Shapiro Says President’s Voters Getting ‘Screwed Over’ [Video]

-- Gov. Shapiro, Rhoads Industries Announce A Nearly $100 Million Investment To Expand Shipbuilding, Manufacturing At Philadelphia Navy Yard

-- Spotlight PA: Costs Of Amazon’s $20 Billion Promise To Build Data Centers In PA Unknown: Impact On Electricity Supply, Power Costs To Consumers, Tax Revenue Forfeit 

-- Budget 2025

-- AP: PA Governor Anticipates A Budget Deal ‘Very Soon’ As Lawmakers Blow Through Budget Deadline 

-- Post-Gazette: Pace Of PA Budget Talks Hit By Federal Budget Bill As Gov. Shapiro Slams Cuts To Medicaid, Food Stamps 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Gov. Shapiro Says State Budget Deal ‘Very Close’

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Will Miss 4th Consecutive Budget Deadline, But Talks Are Progressing

-- Inquirer: PA’s State Budget Will Be Late, Here’s What That Means

-- PennLive: PA Budget Deadline Slips By, As Shapiro, Legislature Continue To Negotiate

-- Inquirer: As PA Gets Closer To Regulating ‘Skill’ Gambling Games, These Lawmakers Say They’re Being Subjected To Intimidation Campaign   

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports FY 2024-25 Tax Collections $321 Million More Than Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports June State Tax Revenue Up 2.2% ($81 Million) Over IFO Estimated; Fiscal-Year-To-Date Up 1.4% ($640 Million)

-- PA Capital-Star: President ‘s Administration Tells Pennsylvania It’s Freezing More Than $230 Million For K-12 School Programs 

-- WESA: Gov. Shapiro, State Democrats Warn Of Federal Cuts In Congressional Republican Spending Bill 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Uncertainty In Congress Clouds PA Budget Negotiations; Democrats Rail Against Federal Medicaid Cuts

-- Spotlight PA: Costs Of Amazon’s $20 Billion Promise To Build Data Centers In PA Unknown: Impact On Electricity Supply, Power Costs To Consumers, Tax Revenue Forfeit 

-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Says Federal Budget Bill ‘Betrays The Very People’ The President Vowed To Help 

-- The Center Square: Gov. Shapiro Says President’s Voters Getting ‘Screwed Over’ [Video]

-- PA House/Senate

-- The Center Square: A Round-Up Of State Legislative Action For The Week Of June 30

-- PennLive Editorial: Can A 34-Year-Old Philadelphian Save The Democratic Party And America?  We Shall See  [Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta]

-- US Senate/House

-- TribLive: McCormick Says President’s Budget Bill Good For PA; Fetterman Opposes Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts, More Debt

-- Courier Times: PA Republican Cong. Fitzpatrick Lone Republican No Vote On Megabudget Bill In US House

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Republican Con. Ryan Mackenzie Lauds ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ As Democrat Opponents Blast It

-- WITF: Republican Con. Lloyd Smucker Voted For Megabill After Assurances From President He would work To Lower The Size Of The Federal Deficit

-- TribLive: Long Day Of US Senate Budget Votes Made Fetterman Miss A Trip To Beach With His Family 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Drain The Swamp, Bring DOE's Fossil Energy Office To Pennsylvania  - By Athan Koutsiouroumbas, Long Nyquist Lobbying Firm

-- PennLive: Democrats Move To Put Pressure On Republican Con. Scott Perry: ‘Cruelty Is The Point,” ‘It’s Not Accidental’ 

-- Politics PA: State Sen. Sharif Street Announces Candidacy For Dwight Evans’ Congressional Seat

-- KYW: PA Democratic Congressman Dwight Evans Announces He Won’t Seek Re-Election 

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General Sunday Warns Consumers Of Potential Scams Following Storms, Flooding 

-- Elections

-- WITF: 2 Republican PA House Members Failed To Find Double Voters Across Ohio State Line, Now Using Same Failed Method To Try Again

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- Financial Times: US Cycling Faces ‘Devastating’ Consequences From Trade War

-- TribLive/AP: Analysis Shows President’s Tariffs Would Cost US Employers $82.3 Billion

-- Impacts Of Federal Mega Budget Bill

-- WESA: Gov. Shapiro, State Democrats Warn Of Federal Cuts In Congressional Republican Spending Bill 

-- TribLive: McCormick Says President’s Budget Bill Good For PA; Fetterman Opposes Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts, More Debt

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania Reacts To ‘One Big Beautiful’ Bill Act

-- PA Groups Say Federal Megabill Will Increase Pollution, Raise The Cost Of Living, Reduce Energy Choice  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: President’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is A Big Ugly Attack On Berks County - By Rep. Manuel Guzman (D-Berks)

-- Inquirer: Federal Budget Bill Poised To Cut Medicaid, Here’s What’s At Stake For 5 Philly-Area Families

-- TribLive: 300,000+ In PA Could Lose Medicaid, Food Stamp Benefits Under Congressional Budget Bill, Shapiro Says

-- Republican Herald: PA Officials Warn Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Have ‘Devastating Effects’ 

-- MCall: PA Hospitals Expected To Lose Out Under Megabill Medicaid Cuts

-- York Daily Record: PA Caregivers Brace For Federal Medicaid Cuts: ‘In The Fight Of Our Life’

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Hospitals Brace For Medicaid Cuts: ‘An Explosion Of Need’  

-- WESA: Republican Medicaid Cuts Could Close Some PA Hospitals, Bruise Others

-- PA State Grange, Farmers Stress How Federal Food Stamp Cuts Will Hurt PA Farms, Families [Release + Video]

-- Spotlight PA: President’s Massive Tax Bill Could Cost PA $800 Million To Keep Food Benefits Program Going

-- MCall: Farmers Market Program For Senior Squeezed By Federal Cuts: ‘It’s Raining On Our Older Adults’

-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Said He Not Sure Food Stamps Will Be Able To Exist In PA Under President’s Budget Bill

-- Republican Herald: PA Anthracite Council Asks President To Impose Tariffs To Preserve Coal Industry  [Supports Foreign Steel Making]  [PDF of Article] 

-- Inside Climate News: Federal Budget Megabill Gives Tax Breaks To Companies Exporting Metallurgical Coal That Supports Foreign Steel Making 

-- TribLive: America’s Debt Surpasses $36 Trillion And Wold Keep Growing Under Congressional Budget Bill

-- The Economist: The Big Beautiful Bill Reveals The Hollowness Of The President’s Economic Policies

-- The Economist: President’s Megabill Will Erode The Foundations Of America’s Prosperity

-- Financial Times: President Tightens Grip On Power With ‘Big Beautiful’ Policy Triumph

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- PennLive: PA Budget Deadline Slips By, As Shapiro, Legislature Continue To Negotiate

-- WESA: Gov. Shapiro, State Democrats Warn Of Federal Cuts In Congressional Republican Spending Bill 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Uncertainty In Congress Clouds PA Budget Negotiations; Democrats Rail Against Federal Medicaid Cuts

-- PA Capital-Star: President ‘s Administration Tells Pennsylvania It’s Freezing More Than $230 Million For K-12 School Programs 

-- PublicSource.org: Allegheny County Loses Millions In Green Infrastructure Grants As Feds Cut Funding, Ease Regulations

-- Inquirer: As DOGE Cuts Take Effect, Philly-Area Small Nonprofits Trying To Adapt

-- TribLive: University Of Pittsburgh Scraps Office For Equity, Diversity, Inclusion As President Pushes Against DEI 

-- Post-Gazette: University Of Pittsburgh Rebrands Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Office to Office Of Institutional Engagement & Well-Being After Pressure From President’s Actions

-- The Center Square: University Of Pennsylvania Agrees To President’s Transgender Demands

-- TribLive: University Of Pennsylvania To Update Swimming Records Set By Lia Thomas, Settling With Feds On Transgender Athletes Case

-- New Federal Administration

-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Says Federal Budget Bill ‘Betrays The Very People’ The President Vowed To Help 

-- The Center Square: Gov. Shapiro Says President’s Voters Getting ‘Screwed Over’ [Video]

-- TribLive: Activists, Elected Officials Rail Against UPMC’s Decision To End Gender-Affirming Care For Minors 

-- MCall: Bethlehem Man With Pending Asylum Case Showed Up To Routine Federal ICE Check-In And Has Been Detained A Month

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Federal ICE Must Release Detained Georgia Journalist  

-- National Politics

-- PennLive Editorial: Can A 34-Year-Old Philadelphian Save The Democratic Party And America?  We Shall See  [Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta]

-- Warren Times Editorial: Our Nation Is More Than Its Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: Let Freedom Ring - Stand Up To Tyranny

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Man Pardoned For Crimes During Assault Of US Capitol Back In Jail For Stabbing Restaurant Owner 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Politico.com: 200 Pennsylvanians Find Common Ground On Climate Change, Immigration, Voter ID In Just A Few Days

-- Inquirer: Bucks County Sheriff Bringing President’s Politics To The County, His Critics Warn; How Did He Get There? 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.16  Ohio- $2.90  PA- $3.34 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drill Rigs Down 1 From Last Week To 17

-- Altoona Mirror: Peoples Natural Gas Rate Drops This Quarter

-- Financial Times: OPEC+ Plans To Boost Oil Output In Bid To Win Back Market Share; Likely To Put Downward Pressure On Prices

-- PA Groups Say Federal Megabill Will Increase Pollution, Raise The Cost Of Living, Reduce Energy Choice  [PaEN] 

-- Spotlight PA: Costs Of Amazon’s $20 Billion Promise To Build Data Centers In PA Unknown: Impact On Electricity Supply, Power Costs To Consumers, Tax Revenue Forfeit 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Summer’s Triple Threat - Energy Bills Rising, Grids Straining, Help Shrinking - By Destenie Nock, Peoples Energy Analytics  

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Revival Is Powering America’s Future - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland)

-- PJM Interconnection Grid Operator Issues Hot Weather Alert For July 6 In Its Western Region, July 7 In Its Mid-Atlantic & Southern Regions, Including Areas In PA  [PaEN] 

-- Financial Times Guest Essay: Switching To Natural Gas Reduces Emissions In The Short Term But Increases Them In The Long Run - By Bard Harstad, Professor of Sustainability at Stanford University

-- Reuters: US Energy Firms Eye New Northeast Natural Gas Pipelines, Buoyed By President, Demand Outlook

-- Financial Times: Canada’s Bid To Become An Energy Superpower To Ward Off Ill Effects Of US President’s Tariffs 

-- Bloomberg: Canada LNG Natural Gas Is The First Sign Of A Global Natural Gas Oversupply

-- Reuters: Oil, Natural Gas Activity Contracted In  Q2 On Higher US Steel Tariffs

-- Financial Times: OPEC+ Plans To Boost Oil Output In Bid To Win Back Market Share; Likely To Put Downward Pressure On Prices

-- Reuters: US Paves Way For Energy Transfer To Resume Ethane Exports To China Amid Trade Truce [To Strengthen Chinese Industry]

-- Bloomberg: Electronic Warfare During Iran Strikes Crashes Global Shipping’s Navigation System, Including Oil, LNG Natural Gas Ships

-- Flooding

-- LancasterOnline: Emergency Crews Respond To  Flurry Of Calls As Thunderstorms Move Through Region Tuesday

-- Reading Eagle: 5,000 In Berks Remain Without Power After Powerful Thunderstorm, Flooding

-- LancasterOnline: Overnight Flooding Impacts Thousands In Lancaster County

-- PennLive: More Than 10,000 Without Power After Storms Rip Through Central PA

-- WNEP: Severe Storm Leaves Trail Of Damage In Susquehanna County

-- Attorney General Sunday Warns Consumers Of Potential Scams Following Storms, Flooding 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Fund, Pirates Support Flood Relief Efforts

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Jeremy Cox: Susquehanna River Basin In PA Falling Short On Climate Change Flooding Prep, Penn State Study Says

-- AP: NOAA Delays Cutoff Of Key Satellite Data For Hurricane Forecasting 

-- Gas Explosions

-- PUC Approves $750,000 Penalty Against UGI Utilities For 2020 Natural Gas Main Eruption In Monroe County Killing 1 Person  [PaEN] 

-- MCall - Anthony Salamone: UGI Fined For Christmas Day 2020 Natural Gas Leak That Killed 1 Person

-- PUC Seeks $395,000 Penalty Against UGI Utilities For 2022 Natural Gas House Explosion In Suburban Harrisburg; $50,000 Penalty Against Contractor  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: PUC Files Complaints Against UGI, Plumber For 2022 Dauphin County House Explosion

-- KYW: Deadly Explosion In Philadelphia’s Nicetown Neighborhood Could Be Natural Gas-Fueled, Source Says 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Natural Gas Leak Results In Power Being Cut To Much Of Downtown Wilkes-Barre, Turning Off Street Lights Throughout The City

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Power Restored To Downtown Wilkes-Barre After Natural Gas Leak, Additional Repairs Continue To Gas Pipeline

-- Train Derailments

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Work On Rail Safety Must Continue After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Three Mile Island Restart/Data Centers

-- Spotlight PA: Costs Of Amazon’s $20 Billion Promise To Build Data Centers In PA Unknown: Impact On Electricity Supply, Power Costs To Consumers, Tax Revenue Forfeit 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Revival Is Powering America’s Future - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland)

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Summer’s Triple Threat - Energy Bills Rising, Grids Straining, Help Shrinking - By Destenie Nock, Peoples Energy Analytics  

-- PJM Interconnection Grid Operator Issues Hot Weather Alert For July 6 In Its Western Region, July 7 In Its Mid-Atlantic & Southern Regions, Including Areas In PA  [PaEN]

-- Education

-- PA Capital-Star: President ‘s Administration Tells Pennsylvania It’s Freezing More Than $230 Million For K-12 School Programs 

-- Spotlight PA: Private Cyber School Facing Wrongful Death Suit Says It’s ‘Unreasonable’ For Teachers To See Students Weekly

-- Post-Gazette: Amid Concern Over Penn State Campus Closures, Local Businesses Plan For What’s Next

-- Post-Gazette: Penn State DuBois, Mont Alto Wildlife And Forestry Programs Will Live On After Campus Closures

-- TribLive: University Of Pittsburgh Scraps Office For Equity, Diversity, Inclusion As President Pushes Against DEI 

-- Post-Gazette: University Of Pittsburgh Rebrands Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Office to Office Of Institutional Engagement & Well-Being After Pressure From President’s Actions

-- The Center Square: University Of Pennsylvania Agrees To President’s Transgender Demands

-- TribLive: University Of Pennsylvania To Update Swimming Records Set By Lia Thomas, Settling With Feds On Transgender Athletes Case

-- The Center Square: University Of Pennsylvania, Brown Subpoenaed Over Alleged Tuition Price Fixing As Part Of Congressional Investigation

-- Health Care

-- Inquirer: Federal Budget Bill Poised To Cut Medicaid, Here’s What’s At Stake For 5 Philly-Area Families

-- TribLive: 300,000+ In PA Could Lose Medicaid, Food Stamp Benefits Under Congressional Budget Bill, Shapiro Says

-- Republican Herald: PA Officials Warn Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Have ‘Devastating Effects’ 

-- MCall: PA Hospitals Expected To Lose Out Under Megabill Medicaid Cuts

-- York Daily Record: PA Caregivers Brace For Federal Medicaid Cuts: ‘In The Fight Of Our Life’

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Hospitals Brace For Medicaid Cuts: ‘An Explosion Of Need’  

-- WESA: Republican Medicaid Cuts Could Close Some PA Hospitals, Bruise Others

-- TribLive: Can Supermarkets Like Giant Eagle Fill Void Left By Ailing Pharmacy Industry In PA?

-- Spotlight PA: How PA Is Responding To Rising Use Of A Synthetic Opioid More Powerful Than Fentanyl

-- TribLive: Activists, Elected Officials Rail Against UPMC’s Decision To End Gender-Affirming Care For Minors 

-- Law Enforcement

-- Spotlight PA: How PA Is Responding To Rising Use Of A Synthetic Opioid More Powerful Than Fentanyl

-- MCall: Bethlehem Man With Pending Asylum Case Showed Up To Routine Federal ICE Check-In And Has Been Detained A Month

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Federal ICE Must Release Detained Georgia Journalist  

-- The Economy

-- Gov. Shapiro, Rhoads Industries Announce A Nearly $100 Million Investment To Expand Shipbuilding, Manufacturing At Philadelphia Navy Yard

-- Spotlight PA: Costs Of Amazon’s $20 Billion Promise To Build Data Centers In PA Unknown: Impact On Electricity Supply, Power Costs To Consumers, Tax Revenue Forfeit 

-- Post-Gazette: Amid Concern Over Penn State Campus Closures, Local Businesses Plan For What’s Next

-- TribLive Editorial: Does PA Chamber Video Sell Pennsylvania As A State For Business Or Just Roast New York City? 

-- Wall Street Journal: US Economy Added 147,000 Jobs In June, But Nearly Half Were In Government; Many Private Employers Not Hiring Anymore [Due To Tariffs, Immigration Crackdown, Uncertainty] 

[Posted: July 6, 2025]