Latest news with #JoshShapiro
The Hill
an hour ago
- Health
- The Hill
States sue to stop Trump administration from defunding Planned Parenthood
More than 20 states filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Health and Human Services, challenging a provision in President Trump's enormous tax and spending package that bars certain health care nonprofits from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) includes a provision that bars health care nonprofits that provide abortions and received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2023 from being able to get Medicaid reimbursements for one year. The provision primarily impacts Planned Parenthood affiliates, but at least two other organizations that provide abortion care will also be affected: Maine Family Planning and Health Imperatives in Massachusetts. The coalition behind the lawsuit includes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, along with 21 attorneys general, such as New York's Letitia James and Maine's Aaron Frey. Lawmakers are seeking a court order declaring the OBBA provision unconstitutional and pausing its implementation. 'The federal government is once again playing politics with our health care system, with devastating consequences,' James wrote in a statement. 'The administration's shameful and illegal targeting of Planned Parenthood will make it harder for millions of people to get the health care they need. New York will not be bullied into enforcing this unconstitutional attack on health care and reproductive freedom.' Since the 1970s, a federal law called the Hyde Amendment has made it illegal for federal dollars to pay for abortion services with a few exceptions, such as if the pregnancy endangers the life of the pregnant person or was the result of rape or incest. The attorneys general and Shapiro argue that because of this federal law, the provision will deny low-income Americans access to lifesaving care like cancer screenings and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. Plaintiffs argue that the provision also harms states financially in two ways, according to the lawsuit. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and state governments. But now, the financial responsibility for keeping Planned Parenthood clinics open will fall entirely on states. The lack of federal Medicaid funding will also likely cause Planned Parenthood clinics to close, which will 'cripple' medical health care ecosystems and increase long-term medical care costs. The lawsuit is the latest development in a legal saga following the OBBA's signing earlier this month. After Trump signed the OBBA into law, Planned Parenthood sued, arguing that the provision specifically targets the organization's affiliates for advocating for providing abortion care outside the Medicaid system. A U.S. district judge granted Planned Parenthood its request for a temporary injunction, which was extended last week. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said states should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen 'political advocacy over patient care.' 'It's a shame that these Democrat attorneys general seek to undermine state flexibility and disregard longstanding concerns about accountability,' said Andrew Nixon, director of communications at HHS. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood lauded the attempt to block the provision. 'Not all healthcare providers accept Medicaid, but Planned Parenthood does,' wrote Nicole Clegg, CEO or Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. 'Without us, people will lose access to basic health care like cancer screenings, birth control, and disease testing and treatment.'
CBS News
16 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
AI summit coming to Pittsburgh later this year will be headlined by Gov. Shapiro, Sen. McCormick
Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick will be headlining an AI summit in Pittsburgh later this year. AI Horizons 2025 will be held on September 11 and September 12 in the city's Bakery Square and is expected to "shine a spotlight on systems that interact with the real world through robotics, autonomy, simulation, and embedded AI." "From steel to AI, Pittsburgh has always built what the world needs next," said Joanna Doven, Executive Director of the AI Strike Team. "With deep industrial roots, top-tier research institutions, and bipartisan leadership, we are positioned to become the Physical AI capital of the world. AI Horizons is where that vision becomes action." The event will get underway on September 10 when more than $100,000 in prize money will be given out to startups in a competition. In addition to Gov. Shapiro and Sen. McCormick, executives from the tech community including Gecko Robotics and Skild AI are expected to be in attendance. The September summit announcement comes on the heels of the Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University where President Trump and many leaders of the country's largest technology and energy companies announced more than $90 billion in new investments from private companies in Pennsylvania. "We don't just research AI here—we build it, deploy it, and power it," Doven said. "This is the next generation of industry, and just like we led with steel, we can lead again with AI." The full agenda and list of speakers is expected to be released early next month.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Pennsylvania Sunday hunting days set for 2025
Pennsylvania hunters now have 10 new Sunday hunting opportunities in 2025. After Pennsylvania lawmakers repealed the ban on Sunday hunting earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced on Monday that Sunday hunting begins Sept. 14 and runs every weekend through Dec. 7. The new Sunday hunting days are Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 16, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, and Dec. 7. The dates were finalized by the Pennsylvania Game Commission during a meeting on Monday. Before, the only Sundays open to hunting were Nov. 16, Nov. 23 and Nov. 30. On July 7, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1431 into law, fully repealing the state's ban on Sunday hunting. The law allows the Pennsylvania Game Commission to set additional Sunday hunting opportunities. House Bill 1431 passed the state Senate on June 30 after passing the state House of Representatives on June 11. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mandy Steele, then went back to the state House for a final vote on concurrence before it reached the governor's desk. "These additional days are just the beginning of what will be for Sunday hunting. I look forward to the years to come when Sunday hunting is fully incorporated and considered for the year's hunting season," Steele said in a news release on Monday. Pennsylvania previously didn't allow any hunting on Sundays — except for foxes, coyotes and crows during open season. In 2020, then-Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill into law that dedicated three Sundays to hunting deer and bear during archery and gun seasons. The previously approved Sundays for foxes, coyotes and crows remain in place for the 2025-26 seasons, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said on Monday.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Shapiro Says Mamdani Fails to Condemn ‘Blatantly Antisemitic' Rhetoric
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania has accused Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York, of failing to condemn 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric by 'extremists,' wading into a party-wide debate over the Democratic nominee and his views on Israel. During the primary, Mr. Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' though he has more recently appeared to soften his defense of the phrase. Palestinians and their supporters have called the phrase a rallying cry for liberation, but many Jews consider it a call to violence, a direct reference to deadly attacks on civilians in Israel by Palestinians in uprisings in the 1980s and 2000s. The critique from Mr. Shapiro, one of the country's most prominent Jewish elected officials, underscored how deeply Mr. Mamdani's victory has shaken Democratic leaders, who have yet to unite behind Mr. Mamdani's campaign. 'He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers. He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things,' Mr. Shapiro told Jewish Insider in an interview the news outlet published on Wednesday. Mr. Mamdani's vocal support for Palestinian rights, a cause he has described as foundational to his political activism, has forced Democrats into a high-profile debate over whether outspoken opposition to Israel and its government — and even questioning its existence as a Jewish state — is a position that should be embraced by the party. He has described Israel's actions in Gaza as a 'genocide,' and, when pressed, has not said if Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, instead endorsing equal rights for all religious and ethnic groups there. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem governor criticizes Mamdani for not condemning 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, slammed Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for not condemning "blatantly antisemitic" rhetoric while campaigning to lead New York City. "I'll say this about Mamdani or any other leader," Shapiro reportedly said in an interview with Jewish Insider. "If you want to lead New York, you want to lead Pennsylvania, you want to lead the United States of America, you're a leader." "I don't care if you're a Republican or Democratic leader or a democratic socialist leader," the governor reportedly added. "You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there. You've got to condemn that." "He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers," Shapiro, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, said of Mamdani's economic proposals. "He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things." Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who endorsed Mamdani after losing to him in the June Democratic primary, came to his defense. "Let's be clear: Zohran Mamdani won the votes of a large majority of NYC Democrats, including thousands of proud Jews like me, inspired by his vision of a city everyone can afford and confident about his commitment to combating antisemitism and hate," Lander said in a statement, according to Politico. "Josh Shapiro won't help keep Jews safe in NYC or Pennsylvania by feeding Trump's narrative about our Democratic nominee for mayor." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries, both New York Democrats, have so far withheld endorsements of Mamdani, expressing concern over the mayoral hopeful's comments on Israel. Mamdani drew backlash for refusing to condemn the slogan "globalize the intifada." He has since backtracked while courting New York City business leaders, saying he would no longer use the phrase and would discourage his supporters from using it. Meanwhile, New York City college campuses, including Columbia University, have faced rising antisemitism and anti-Israel protests and encampments in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas terrorists in Israel. Mamdani has defended BDS, or Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, saying at a May town hall that the anti-Israel movement "is consistent with my core of my politics, which is nonviolence." New York has been pivotal to controlling the House majority over the past three elections. Democrats in battleground districts especially have attempted to distance themselves from Mamdani. That includes Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who said Mamdani's primary win should be a "loud wake-up call for the Democratic Party." Rep. Laura Gillen, another Democrat from a Long Island swing district, said that Mamdani, a socialist, "is too extreme to lead New York City," accusing the mayoral hopeful of promoting "a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments." Punchbowl News reported last month that some New York Democratic members of Congress "literally ran away" from reporters asking about Mamdani's candidacy. Meanwhile, progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have embraced Mamdani, now considered the front-runner ahead of the November general election. Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear – another two possible 2028 presidential contenders – have praised Mamdani's primary victory as a lesson for Democrats. While Mamdani's campaign attempted to appeal to working-class voters by stressing economic injustice and housing affordability, he is the Ugandan-born son of an acclaimed Indian filmmaker and a Columbia University professor. His proposals also echo socialist and communist principles, including government-run grocery stores, rent freezes and abolishing prisons. Mamdani defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by more than 12 percentage points last month, securing the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City. Mamdani still faces Cuomo, who formally declared his independent mayoral bid earlier this month. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is also running as an independent, as is former federal prosecutor Jim Walden. "Guardian Angels" founder Curtis Sliwa is the Republican mayoral candidate. At a Jewish heritage night in early July, Adams encouraged Jewish New Yorkers not to flee the city and slammed Mamdani for saying that he would look into increasing taxes in wealthier and "whiter" neighborhoods. "You have the right to be in this city and anywhere in this country," Adams said, according to the Times of Israel. "Don't live in fear, don't live in anxiety. This city belongs to you as it belongs to every group that lives in this city."
