Tag: pennsylvania

Dem Mayor Running for Congress Posed with Crips-Linked Lounge Operators Months After Scranton Detective Shooting

Scranton Mayor and congressional candidate Paige Cognetti (D-PA) promoted a violence intervention program involving a “safe space” for people who had entered the justice system or were recently coming out of it after a gang-related shooting wounded a city detective, months after photos were posted showing her with operators of a Crips-linked hookah lounge that authorities had repeatedly associated with criminal activity.

Cognetti, who is running against freshman Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, faced a rise in juvenile and gang violence in Scranton in 2024, including the January shooting of Scranton Police Detective Kyle Gilmartin, who was shot twice in the head during a “gang-related crime spree.”

In the aftermath, Cognetti acknowledged the city’s gang violence problem, saying her administration had “sent legislation to City Council to reallocate $580,626 in ARPA funds to enable the creation of a gang violence initiative that mirrors successful programs in other cities.”

In 2025, WNEP reported that the Gilmartin shooting “thrust gangs into the spotlight in Scranton,” and that Cognetti’s answer was a Group Violence Intervention (GVI) program. Cognetti said of the program, “This is not an arm of the police department; it’s not an arm of the county. It cannot be. By nature, this organization needs to be a safe space for people who have either entered the justice system and don’t want to go back in or are coming out of it freshly.”

In November 2024, before Cognetti promoted the GVI program, a photo was posted showing her with Dwight Smith and Damion Williams, operators of Blueface Global Hookah Lounge. The business, previously known as the Castle after-hours club, was described by District Attorney Mark Powell as a “notorious hotbed of criminal activity and violent incidents.”

Smith and Williams were both among a group of nine people arrested for their involvement in a Crips-run drug operation at Blueface Global Hookah Lounge. Williams’s criminal history dated to 2010, while Smith’s dated to 2014.

Smith pleaded guilty in July 2014 to conspiracy: theft by deception and was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison, according to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. In November 2014, Smith pleaded guilty in Lackawanna County to manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and was sentenced to up to four years in prison. In May 2022, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced to six months in prison.

Smith was also charged in 2024 with manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, corrupt organizations, and possession of a firearm, according to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. In October 2025, he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 48 months for each of the latter two charges and 24 months for the first charge. In March 2026, Smith pleaded guilty to doing business without a license.

Williams pleaded guilty in September 2010 to firearms not to be carried without a license and was sentenced to up to three years in prison, according to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. He later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in June 2015, November 2015, and July 2016, receiving sentences of up to six months, up to 60 months, and up to six months in prison, respectively.

Williams was charged in 2024 with manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, corrupt organizations, and possession of a firearm, according to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. In September 2025, he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to up to 72 months in prison per offense.

The building had drawn law enforcement and neighborhood concerns years before it became Blueface Global Hookah Lounge. WNEP reported that Blueface Global Hookah Lounge was previously known as the Castle after-hours club, where a man was killed outside the building in 2019, and that the Castle was owned by Nasser Mohammadzad.

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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Accuses Far Left Philly DA Larry Krasner of Misrepresenting Cases – Imposes Embarrassing New Rule on Him

Larry Krasner is the Soros-backed district attorney of Philadelphia who loves to threaten ICE agents with arrest while letting dangerous criminals out of jail.

In a stunning turn of events this week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court accused Krasner of misrepresenting the facts of cases in his quest to dismiss charges against criminals.

They also imposed an embarrassing new rule on him. Going forward, when Krasner wants to dismiss charges and let someone out of jail, the case is required to be reviewed by the state attorney general’s office.

This is way overdue, but it’s great to see Krasner get his comeuppance.

KYW News Radio reports:

Pa. attorney general must review cases Philly DA wants to overturn, state Supreme Court rules

In an extraordinary ruling from Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, if the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office wants to overturn a conviction in state court, the state Attorney General’s Office must be given the chance to review the case and make sure a proper investigation was done.

The order comes as a King’s Bench petition, which is basically a mechanism for the high court to take over a case and review it. The case at hand involved Lavar Brown, a man convicted of killing two men in the early 2000s and sentenced to death row.

In their opinion, the five Democratic and two Republican justices said District Attorney Larry Krasner has “numerous instances of untrustworthy concessions, lack of candor, misrepresentations of fact, lack of adequate investigation, and avoidance of hearings” and is “unreliable.”

They said when a district attorney fails to follow through on their duties it “does not minister justice, it facilitates injustice.”

The high court said because “the problems are poised to continue,” it’s now requiring the Attorney General to intervene on behalf of the commonwealth.

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FBI Records Reveal Witness Account that SWAT Officer Recovered ‘Remote Device’ from Butler Shooter’s Pocket

Judicial Watch announced today that it forced the release of 48 heavily redacted pages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit that indicate that a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer at the July 2024 presidential rally for Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, recovered a “gray remote device” with an antenna from would-be assassin Thomas Crooks’ pocket after he was killed.*

The records also show that a medic with the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit told the FBI that she was on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building examining Crooks’s body when she was informed that a police canine had “hit” on the building and she was told to evacuate the roof where Crooks’s body remained. 

Judicial Watch filed the July 2025 lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request for all records related to Crooks and the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The request included investigative files, interview summaries, reports, communications, media, and database records, as well as any FBI communications—across all formats—between FBI personnel, sources, contractors, or assets and Crooks himself (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-02216)).

In a July 17, 2024, FD-302 interview summary a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) first responder told the FBI that she observed a SWAT officer recover a remote device and a cell phone from Crooks’ pocket. The first responder also states that she was called to the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building where she examined Crooks and pronounced him deceased:

[Redacted] confirmed she was present at the Butler County fairgrounds for the Trump rally. Her responsibilities included providing medical backup for the ESU [Emergency Services Unit] team or any police response. She arrived at the fairgrounds at 9:00am and was positioned at the spectator screening area.

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Josh Shapiro and AOC Are Waging War Over a Midterm Congressional Race with 2028 Implications: Report

Democrats face a problem that will likely plague them well into the 2028 election cycle.

Until then, it appears that one prominent Democrat will try to sidestep the problem for as long as possible.

According to Axios, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, widely considered a centrist and a possible 2028 presidential contender, has worked behind the scenes to undermine a progressive congressional candidate supported by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — another potential 2028 aspirant.

The candidate, Chris Rabb of Philadelphia, has earned AOC’s endorsement in a tight three-way Democratic primary scheduled for May 19.

Meanwhile, three sources close to discussions told Axios that Shapiro not only disapproves of Rabb but has quietly taken steps to ensure that the AOC-approved progressive candidate gains no advantage at the expense of the other two candidates, Sharif Street or Ala Stanford, both regarded as more centrist Democrats like Shapiro.

For instance, Philadelphia’s building trades unions support Street. But Shapiro has urged those unions to refrain from running negative ads against Stanford for fear of inadvertently helping Rabb.

At the same time, the governor must appear neutral if he hopes to avoid alienating his party’s left wing.

To that end, Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder said that “the governor has not endorsed or opposed anyone in this primary — and he looks forward to working directly with whoever wins to win in November. Gov. Shapiro is focused on flipping Republican seats and winning up and down the ballot in November.”

Rabb, however, has a history of vocal criticism toward the governor. In January, the upstart progressive even spoke at a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which organizers staged outside the first stop on Shapiro’s book tour.

In short, a Rabb victory would saddle Shapiro with a prominent critic inside his own state’s U.S. House delegation.

Eventually, of course, the governor will have to take on his party’s AOC-led left wing. But he appears determined to dictate when and how he will meet that challenge publicly.

At the heart of that impending clash lies the strong anti-Israel sentiment inside the Democratic Party.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, supports Israel, whereas Rabb, in a since-disavowed December social media post, blamed “Zionists” for carrying out an alleged false-flag attack on Australia’s Bondi Beach, where a Dec. 14 Islamic terror attack claimed the lives of 15 people.

On the face of it, Shapiro has qualities that victory-starved Democrats should crave.

In 2022, for instance, he won the governorship of a trending-red swing state by nearly 15 points. Two years later, in the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by nearly two points.

But the 2024 election also highlights Shapiro’s problem.

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SO AUTHENTIC! Camera Catches Pete Buttigieg and Another Democrat Being Coached on How to Act ‘Normal’ at a Campaign Event

One of the things you’ve heard a lot of in recent months is that voters like authentic candidates. People who are not acting but just being themselves is popular, largely due to Trump, who pulls this off effortlessly.

Democrats struggle with this. They come off as polished and rehearsed. They are perceived as saying things just to please the people in front of them at any given time, not because they actually believe what they are saying.

In the video below, Pete Buttigieg and another Democrat are seen being coached on how to appear authentic and normal. Buttigieg even cracks a joke about it at one point.

They’re so bad at this.

FOX News reports:

Democrats caught on camera coaching candidate on how to be ‘authentic’ in 2026 messaging

Democrats campaigning in Pennsylvania inadvertently posted a video online, giving a look behind the curtain of their 2026 midterm strategy and how they’re preparing to appear more authentic and win back voters who felt “left behind.”

The clip, viewed by Fox News Digital and not previously reported, shows Democratic Pennsylvania candidate Bob Brooks in a conversation with Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who couldn’t even remember what district he was campaigning in. The pair received coaching from an off-screen staffer, urging them to stay on message.

“Think about your audience,” the staffer prompted. “Why is this race so important? We need to win the House [of Representatives] — all of that. Winning over people who feel like they’re left behind by the party, flipping the district. All of that, I think, is really strong, showing up for working people, affordability.”

The rare look at a behind-the-scenes campaign moment, filmed by Democratic campaign arm The Bench, highlights the efforts the party is taking to underscore affordability, appeal to everyday voters and come across as naturally as possible after losing swaths of their base in the 2024 election.

“We are going to have a really normal conversation with three cameras pointing at you,” the staffer joked.

“Everybody act normal,” Buttigieg chuckled.

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Shapiro’s AI Chatbot Plan Opens the Door to ID-Gated, Surveilled Conversations

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is suing Character Technologies for letting its AI chatbot impersonate a psychiatrist.

Shapiro then proposed ideas that would require a digital ID to use an AI companion bot, force companies to surveil every conversation children have with chatbots, and automatically report flagged messages to authorities.

The proposals first appeared in Shapiro’s February 2026 budget address. The May 5 lawsuit press release recycles them for a second round of coverage, using a real legal action as a vehicle for something far broader.

We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.

Shapiro wants to “require age verification and parental consent to utilize AI companion bots.” Age verification that can’t be bypassed by typing a fake birthday means government-issued ID uploads, facial scans, credit card checks, or third-party identity services. There is no version of enforceable age verification that doesn’t harvest and store sensitive personal data. The proposal would turn chatbot access into an identity-checked activity, requiring you to prove who you are with documents before a bot will talk to you.

This mirrors Senator Josh Hawley’s federal GUARD Act, which the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced 22-0 on April 30. The GUARD Act explicitly states that a “reasonable age verification measure” cannot be a checkbox or a self-entered birth date. What it can be is a government ID, a biometric scan, or a financial record tied to your legal name.

Shapiro’s proposal doesn’t spell out its methods yet but if the goal is real enforcement rather than theater, it lands in the same place. Between Harrisburg and Washington, showing papers to chat is becoming a bipartisan consensus.

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US Senate Candidate From PA Threatens To Kill Trump, Congressman’s Daughter: Affidavit

A Pennsylvania man who recently launched a campaign for U.S. Senate is accused of leaving a series of violent voicemails threatening President Donald Trump and a member of Congress’s family, according to unsealed federal court documents on Friday, May 1.

Raymond Eugene Chandler III, of Wilkinsburg, was arrested and charged after a federal investigation into repeated threats made over voicemail, authorities said.

Chandler is charged with influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member and by threat, according to the affidavit.

The criminal complaint, unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges Chandler left multiple messages targeting an unnamed member of Congress and President Trump between April 2025 and April 2026.

In one voicemail on April 18, 2026, Chandler allegedly described a graphic scenario in which the congressman and his daughter would be attacked, saying they would be “pull[ed]… out of your house” and have their “throat… slit,” according to the affidavit.

Days later, on April 29, 2026, Chandler allegedly left another message urging the lawmaker to assassinate President Trump, telling them to “walk into the Oval Office with a gun in your hand… put it to the President’s head… and… pull the trigger,” the affidavit states.

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In Pennsylvania The Effort To Hide The Truth About A Stolen Election Just Failed – Now We Get To Find Out What They Were So Desperate To Hide

Heather Honey runs an organization called Verity Vote in Pennsylvania. She is a walking encyclopedia of information on how elections are actually run in this country. In the aftermath of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, Heather began to hear some very disturbing things. Put simply, she began to acquire information that in counties around the state, more votes had been counted than the number of voters who voted.

I’m not a math whiz, but I think we all understand that this is a big problem. Those two numbers – the number of people who voted and the number of votes cast – have to be the same.

They weren’t.

Heather decided to dig in. As part of that effort, she contacted Lycoming County in northeast Pennsylvania and asked to review the CVR for the county. CVRs are spreadsheet-like digital records (raw data reports) generated by tabulator machines after ballots are scanned. They show how each ballot was interpreted (e.g., vote counts per candidate/race from each tabulator), without linking to individual voters. Access to this information is routine and typically granted informally.

The county told Heather to submit a formal right-to-know request. She did so.

The Office of the Secretary of State in Harrisburg intervened. How precisely that office was even advised of the request remains a little unclear. In any event, in response to what should have been a routine request for public information, the bureaucracy swung into action. The Secretary of State generated an opinion. The CVR for Lycoming County would not be made available. No CVR’s would be made available for any jurisdiction in Pennsylvania. Ever.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Heather did not move along. She filed suit, and every time a lower court ruled against her, she appealed until her case reached the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

On April 28, 2026 that court ruled in favor of Heather and other petitioners who had joined her action. The court unanimously reversed the Commonwealth Court and held that Cast Vote Records (CVRs) from the 2020 election are public records subject to disclosure under the Pennsylvania Election Code.

“The Supreme Court ruled that the cast vote records are spreadsheets of raw data pulled from the cast ballots. They are not the physical ballots contained in the ballot box.” Therefore, they are public records, the justices concluded: “This interpretation does not destroy the secrecy of the vote any more than a tally of all votes from a specific election.”

The significance of this decision can hardly be exaggerated. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, significant evidence emerged of huge issues with the tabulation of that vote in Pennsylvania. These were surfaced in a report prepared at the time.

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PA Supreme Court Ruling – Election Cast Vote Records (CVR) Must Be Made Public – VerityVote & Plaintiffs Win

In 2021, Heather Honey from VerityVote asked Lycoming County, PA, for their 2020 election Cast Vote Records. She was denied. Over five years, they have battled with the county Office of Open Records and three different court jurisdictions. Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that CVR files must be made publicly available. The CVR file is essentially a receipt of everything the tabulator machine scanned. The full opinion is here.

A short recap: Each election ballot is fed into a tabulator machine, which counts the voter’s intent by scanning. Election jurisdictions have several tabulators at counting locations. Each tabulator keeps an internal record of how many ballots it processed and other key data.  This includes timestamps, precinct info, and other data like the number of bubbles it counted for President DEM, President REP, Senate1 DEM, Senate1 REP, Senate2 DEM, and so on. The CVR record serves a similar purpose to cash register close-out slips used by stores.

Typically, data from the tabulators flows to the county’s EMS server (Election Management System). From there, it goes to the State system and then onto Edison Research, which merges all the U.S data. Edison then provides it to the National Election Pool of news organizations. This group broadcasts the election results we see on TV. CVR files are the farthest upstream source of voting data. They can prove spikes in voting for a specific candidate, when they happened, and from which tabulators. They can prove if results were manipulated downstream, in the systems mentioned above.

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NJ recreational marijuana could put PA buyers in legal trouble

Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states and Washington D.C., but Pennsylvania has yet to approve its use

But while it is readily accessible nearby, especially in Bucks County with easy borders to New Jersey, a short trip over the bridge to purchase fun weed could still get you a long prison term and may force you to forfeit your gun rights and face fines.

The law allows for drug trafficking charges up to $250,000 under the federal Controlled Substances Act, since it still classifies marijuana as a “Schedule I” narcotic as dangerous as heroin.

While there’s been a shift in the public’s attitude toward marijuana, penalties for possessing it have not eased with the federal government or with Pennsylvania.

Here’s what you should know if you buy New Jersey recreational weed, but live in Bucks County.

Can I buy recreational marijuana in New Jersey if I’m from Pennsylvania?

Yes. Since 2022, when NJ legalized recreational marijuana, any shop will sell it to you. Five shops this news organization visited this spring said they have no idea how many out-of-state buyers they have, and take a don’t ask-don’t tell attitude.

“Our busiest days are Fridays when everyone’s coming home from work, (after 5 p.m.) and Sunday’s right before Eagles games,” said a Willingboro shop employee, who asked that his name not be published.

Do NJ weed shops require identification?

The shops we visited require a current driver’s license or government issued ID to enter. In New Jersey, you must be 21 to use recreational marijuana. Your ID is digitally scanned and, if you’re purchasing medical marijuana, it’s sent to Trenton, the state capital where the the Cannabis Regulatory Commission controls sales.

Is there a record of my purchase?

Yes. For medical marijuana, time, date and what you bought is recorded and retained for four years, but not for recreational cannabis, according to the state website, and those records are kept for four years. Weed shops aren’t permitted to copy your ID or retain record of your purchase “beyond what is required for the completion of that single financial transaction.” If you put your name on a mailing list for customer programs, that’s considered voluntary and can be subject to review by the authorities.

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