Tag: pennsylvania

Transgender Vegan Cult Member Charged with Murdering Parents, Execution-Style, on Her 30th Birthday

A member of the Zizians cult, described by authorities as a radical collective focused on transgender ideology, veganism, and anarchism, has been charged with the first-degree murders of her parents in what prosecutors say was a planned execution.

Michelle Zajko, 33, a biological female who is “transitioning” to male, was charged on Wednesday in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with two counts of first-degree murder in the December 31, 2022, shooting deaths of her father, Richard Zajko, 71, and mother, Rita Zajko, 69.

The murders occurred at the couple’s home in Chester Heights on the alleged killer’s 30th birthday.

Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the charges at a press conference, stating that an exhaustive multi-year investigation had pieced together evidence showing Michelle Zajko was “at least in part responsible” for the deaths and did not act alone.

“We don’t have a smoking gun. It is piece after piece after piece of evidence that’s been collected painstakingly over years,” Rouse said. “But we are finally at the point where we can say beyond a doubt that Michelle Zajko was at least in part responsible for the death of her parents.”

Rouse confirmed prosecutors believe others were involved in the grisly killings.

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Resurfaced Video Shows Democrat PA Congressional Candidate Dreams of Disarming Citizens and Police

Democrat Scranton, PA, Mayor Paige Cognetti is hoping to flip a red congressional seat blue by unseating Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA). But a resurfaced video from 2020 exposes a gun-grabbing posture that some voters may not be aware of.

In the video, taken from a virtual town hall, Cognetti supports disarming police and emulating Japan’s gun-control laws to take away guns from citizens.

Japan has some of the strictest gun control laws in the developed world.

The Firearms and Swords Control Law 1958 states that no one shall possess a firearm except under narrow, strictly regulated exceptions. Handguns are banned with almost no exceptions for ordinary citizens.

Cognetti told the town hall audience, “I would love to get to a world where a country where we don’t have or police don’t have firearms and where we don’t have firearms that citizens aren’t carrying them either.”

“I’ve lived in Japan for a couple years. There are no guns there and it’s lovely.”

She continued, “We don’t have to worry about some of these things because there are no guns there. That would be something that would be a great reality for us to live in.”

Cognetti repeated her fantasy during an interview with the Black Scranton Project, saying, “I do want to get to a point where we don’t have to worry about any officers having holsters or guns in them.”

“That is ideally where we get in our whole country.”

National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Reilly Richardson told the Daily Caller News Foundation, “Political opportunist Paige Cognetti wants to rip firearms away from law-abiding citizens while simultaneously making life easier for criminals.”

“Pennsylvanians know Cognetti will go to great lengths to strip them of their constitutional rights.”

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Drag Queen School Board Member Arrested For Child Sex Crimes Was Guest Speaker at Pennsylvania Democrat Caucus in 2024

The perfect Democrat.

New York State Police arrested a drag queen school board member on Thursday for child sex crimes.

46-year-old Travis Longo, who goes by the stage name “Anita Buffem,” was arrested and charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

According to police, Longo engaged in sexually explicit communications with a child under the age of 12.

Longo was elected vice president of the Board of Education for the Cazenovia Central School District in 2024 – and is STILL a member.

“Anita Buffem” was previously a guest speaker at the Pennsylvania Democrat Caucus in 2024.

Of course he was.

“The arrest was the result of a joint investigation conducted by members of the Troop D Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Oneida), the State Police Computer Crime Unit (Troop D), the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, and the Madison County Child Advocacy Center,” New York State Police said in a press release.

“Investigators determined that Longo engaged in a pattern of sexually explicit communications with a child under the age of 12,” police said.

Police said there may be more victims and encouraged them to contact authorities.

“Investigators believe there may be additional victims who were contacted by Longo and ask anyone with information to contact the New York State Police at Troop D Headquarters at (315) 366-6000 and reference case number NY2600762245,” Police said.

Longo bragged about his speaking gig at the 2024 Pennsylvania Democrat Caucus.

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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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