Latest news with #Pennsylvanians
Axios
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Pennsylvania
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions soared in Pennsylvania in June, newly obtained data shows. Why it matters: The jump, which mirrors national trends, came shortly after the Trump administration's decision to hike ICE's arrest quotas. State of play: Noncriminal arrests in Pennsylvania made up an average of 51% of daily ICE arrests in early June, up from 27% in early January, per ICE data via UC Berkeley. Last month, ICE made 332 noncriminal arrests in the state, up from 70 in January. The average number of daily arrests of those with charges or convictions also increased in early June, but not to the same degree. Zoom out: Nationwide, people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests in early June, up from about 21% in early May, before the quota increase. Between the lines: The spike in noncriminal ICE arrests nationwide came despite the Trump administration's claimed focus on criminals living in the country illegally. And it happened just after the Trump administration told ICE to arrest at least 3,000 people daily, up from 1,000. Context: UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project obtained the agency's data — based on seven-day trailing averages — via Freedom of Information Act requests. Being in the U.S. illegally is a civil, not criminal, violation. Meanwhile, more Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies are cooperating with ICE compared to last month. 25 state agencies have signed onto deals with ICE known as 287(g) agreements as of last week, per federal data — up from 11 in early June. The agreements allow such agencies to carry out immigration enforcement and supplement federal officers, who have limited resources. Plus: Removal orders issued to Pennsylvanians reached at least 869 in June, per the latest data from the nonpartisan Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). That's up from 567 in January. Zoom in: ICE arrests and activity in the Philly region are raising concerns and sparking protests.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Let's hope Kathy Hochul took notes as investors poured $100 billion into Pennsylvania for AI projects
Let's hope Gov. Kathy Hochul was paying attention Tuesday as President Donald Trump joined the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, underscoring his solid commitment to US growth — and prosperity. Investors are dumping a whopping $100 billion into AI-related initiatives, and New Yorkers would love to get a piece of that — but Hochul's anti-business policies are getting in the way. One major lesson from the summit: AI dominance is inextricably linked to energy because servers and data farms require a lot of constant, reliable electricity. Advertisement Other industries, too, are highly sensitive to energy prices and reliability. And states like Pennsylvania understand that economic growth is inseparable from responsible extraction of natural resources, in large part to produce the power industry needs. That's why major companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into the Keystone State's new AI initiatives. Advertisement Yet in New York, if you look across the state line at our neighbor from the economically anemic Southern Tier, it's hard not to feel a twinge of regret: While the shale revolution has sparked an economic resurgence in Pennsylvania, New York has banned fracking, which is needed to harvest the region's natural gas. Since then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned fracking in 2015, the Southern Tier has lost out on tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity. Yet Hochul hasn't lifted a finger to reverse it; rather, she openly supports depriving New Yorkers of the kind of windfalls Pennsylvanians are enjoying thanks to fracking. (And she plans to run on New York's 'affordability' crisis?) Advertisement This is no small-potatoes issue: A study by the Heritage Foundation comparing neighboring counties along the states' border found that annual household incomes in New York are $27,000 lower than those in Pennsylvania. That's a lot of mortgage and car payments. Indeed, where Trump and Pennsylvania actively encourage business, including in the energy industry, Hochul & Co. never stop looking for ways to discourage it — especially when it comes to energy. New York has nixed gas hook-ups and pipelines, and its leaders aim to electrify everything, in the farcical hope that renewables (wind and solar power) can one day provide enough juice. Advertisement Hochul has even sought to punish energy companies: The 'Polluters Pay' law she signed in 2024 actually pins the blame for 'heatwaves' and 'coastal storms' on companies for the 'crime' of selling gas in New York since 2000. (Never mind that it's always been perfectly legal to do so.) Those companies must contribute $3 billion per year to a state-run Superfund. (Want some fries with that shakedown?) Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's similarly sued the energy industry, essentially, for having caused global warming. The case was laughed out of court. Meanwhile, Hochul's climate mandates drive up the cost of energy not just for homeowners but companies that need it. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters But energy woes aren't businesses' only gripe about New York: The state also slaps firms — and their employees — with some of the highest taxes in the nation. And the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York, Zohran Mamdani, vows to raise them further if elected. No wonder the Empire State is ranked by the Tax Foundation as second-to-worst for its business climate. Advertisement No wonder New York, particularly upstate, suffers while states like Pennsylvania thrive. Hochul and her fellow Democrats could bring that prosperity to New York in a flash: Just end the fracking ban. Get realistic about fighting climate change. Stop hiking taxes. Ease up on regulations. Alas, they have no desire to do any of that. The far-lefties, like Mamdani, want just the opposite. Unless New Yorkers get new leadership, they'll simply have to sit back and watch in envy as their neighbors prosper — while they don't.
UPI
7 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Trump announces creation of 'AI economy' during innovation summit
July 15 (UPI) -- Pennsylvanians and the nation will benefit from $100 billion in energy- and artificial intelligence-related investments announced on Tuesday to energize the nation's growing AI economy. The investments should create tens of thousands of new jobs for Pennsylvanians in the energy and AI sectors while helping the United States improve its economy and global AI standing, President Donald Trump said during Tuesday's inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh. "We're here today because we believe America's destiny is to dominate every industry and be the first in every technology," Trump told attendees. "That includes being the world's No. 1 superpower in artificial intelligence," he added. The president said the United States is "way ahead of China" in AI development and has many plants under construction. "China and other countries are racing to catch up to America having to do with AI," Trump said. "We're not going to let them do it," he said. "We have the great chips [and] the great everything." Trump said the United States is "going to be fighting them in a very friendly fashion," adding that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have a "great relationship." "Remaining the world's leader in AI will require an enormous increase in energy production," Trump told the audience. He said "clean, beautiful coal" and oil production will be a key element in producing more electrical power to support AI endeavors in the United States and to stay ahead of China in AI development. More than $56 billion in new energy infrastructure and $36 billion in new data projects were announced on Tuesday, the president said. A $15 billion investment by Knighthead Capital Management will create the largest natural gas-fired power generation plant in North America in Homer City, Pa. Google also is investing "billions and billions" to revitalize two hydropower facilities in the commonwealth, Trump added. Westinghouse officials also have announced that the company will build several nuclear power plants throughout the nation to ensure the AI economy has ample energy available. "A lot more than that will be announced in the coming weeks and months," Trump added. The president said 20 "leading technology and energy companies" are poised to invest in Pennsylvania to develop an AI economy that utilizes the commonwealth's energy and technology assets, CBS News reported. Many firms are investing elsewhere in the country, too, in order to support the nation's AI economy, according to the New York Post. Trump spoke for about 30 minutes during the hour-long Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, which was organized by Sen Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and held on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and others joined Trump and McCormick to discuss energy matters and the growth of AI in the United States.
The Hill
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Pennsylvania cracks down on deepfakes, AI impersonation
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed a new law that defines deepfakes as digital forgeries and establishes criminal penalties for nonconsensual digital impersonation. On July 7, Shapiro signed SB 649, making nonconsensual digital impersonation a first-degree misdemeanor. Anyone doing so with fraudulent intent will now be subject to a third-degree felony. The bill passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the State Senate and overwhelming support in the House. 'By signing this bill into law, we're sending a clear message that if you use AI to defraud or exploit Pennsylvanians, you will be held accountable,' Shapiro said in a statement. The bill expands on SB 1213, legislation passed last October to ban deepfake pornography in the state. That law resulted in Pennsylvania's first artificial intelligence (AI)-related sexual abuse charges. Pennsylvania joins a national trend of AI deepfake regulation, with over 38 pieces of legislation being introduced in 18 states this year. Additionally, 80 laws were passed in 2024 to push back on deepfakes, and another 15 were enacted in 2023.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Janelle Stelson launches Congressional campaign
(WHTM)– Democrat Janelle Stelson announced Monday that she's launching another congressional campaign to try to unseat Republican Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District. Stelson narrowly lost to the seven-term Congressman in 2024 by just over 1%. Additionally, her campaign says she significantly outperformed former Vice President Harris in the 10th Congressional District. However, Stleson was plagued by criticism throughout her campaign due to her not living in the district. She said during the abc27 debate in 2024 that she lived in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, 'a few miles over the arbitrarily drawn line.' Stelson says she has already garnered bipartisan support for a second run. Governor Josh Shapiro is expected to join her as a special guest for an event later this week. 'Scott Perry has spent more than a decade in DC taking votes that hurt us instead of delivering results — and he just sold the US out again by casting the deciding vote for the largest Medicaid cuts in history, all to fund more tax cuts for billionaires,' Stelson said. 'I'm running to give central Pennsylvanians the voice they deserve, and to fight to lower costs, protect social security and Medicare, ensure a woman's right to choose, and secure the border.' The National Republican Congressional Committee responded to Janelle Stelson's announcement, once again taking a jab at her for not living within the district she seeks to represent. 'Welcome back to certified loser Janelle Stelson! If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Janelle Stelson, who won't even bother to live in the district she wants to represent, doesn't stand a chance against Scott Perry. Pennsylvanians have rejected her before, and they'll gladly do so again in 2026.' NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas announced he was considering a campaign for the 10th Congressional District last week. The 10th District covers all of Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
