Allegheny County GOP Chairman Jason Richey to run for lieutenant governor
A Sewickley attorney who serves as Allegheny County’s GOP chairman said Thursday that he is running for lieutenant governor with the endorsement of the presumptive Republican nominee for the state’s highest office, Stacy Garrity. Jason Richey, 54, said he arrived at the decision to run over the past two weeks...
Shapiro calls for end to immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Noem to be fired
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” that he thinks the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis should end immediately and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department is overseeing the operation, should be fired. “The mission is broken. It must be terminated,” said Shapiro, a Democrat...
Fetterman says Trump should fire Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is calling for President Donald Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as the immigration crackdown her department is overseeing faces increasing criticism following this weekend’s fatal shooting by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. “President Trump, I make a direct appeal to immediately fire Secretary...
Fetterman calls for end to immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis in wake of killing
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman issued a statement Monday afternoon calling for the federal government to immediately end its massive immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The statement from the Braddock Democrat came two days after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis, increasing tensions in a city where...
Lee, Deluzio oppose funding for ICE
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s two Democratic members of Congress voted against a spending bill that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, citing its concerns over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The Republican-controlled House managed to pass the spending bill Thursday despite objections from Democrats, 220 votes to 207. “My...
Summer Lee votes to hold Clintons in contempt of Congress for defying Epstein-related subpoenas
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, voted Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Lee was one of nine Democrats on the Oversight...
Greensburg native, a federal judge in Va., questioned legitimacy of Trump-appointed prosecutor
A federal district judge, who excoriated a former Justice Department prosecutor for pursuing indictments against political adversaries of President Donald Trump, grew up in Greensburg and earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College. David Novak, a Trump-appointed district judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, is one of two...
Shapiro, Garrity set stage for Pa.’s high-stakes race for governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro didn’t mention his likely Republican opponent by name once last week when he launched his reelection campaign with a 26-minute speech in Pittsburgh. President Donald Trump’s name didn’t come up either. Shapiro’s likely opponent in the race for governor, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, took a different...
Fetterman opposes calls to abolish ICE
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is rejecting calls from some fellow Democrats to abolish the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement following last week’s deadly shooting of a woman by an ICE agent and continuing unrest in Minneapolis. “The party must resist the destructive tendencies to push extreme positions,” Fetterman, D-Braddock,...
Democrats push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee has joined a longshot effort by a group of Democrats in the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Right now, the Trump administration is commissioning the endangerment of the American public — (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is hunting human beings down, tearing families apart...
Pa. lawmakers among highest-paid in the country, thanks to automatic pay raises
Automatic pay increases that took effect last month again placed Pennsylvania’s Legislature among the highest paid in the country. The base annual salary for lawmakers in the state House and Senate is up to about $113,591, under terms set by a 1995 law mandating automatic cost-of-living adjustments for top state...
Democrats look for leader to emerge, a focus on platform issues ahead of midterms
Former President Bill Clinton once said that when it comes to elections, Democrats want to fall in love and Republicans just fall in line. In 2024, after former President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race 3½ months before Election Day, Democrats appeared to just fall apart, according to political...
A look back at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s 240-year history
The Pittsburgh Post- Gazette traces its roots to 1786 — before the U.S. Constitution was created. John Scull and Joseph Hall published the first edition of the Pittsburgh Gazette on July 29, 1786. Originally a weekly publication, the Gazette would be the first newspaper printed west of the Allegheny Mountains,...
Fetterman breaks with many Democrats in supporting Venezuela raid
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has again distanced himself from fellow Democrats, this time in support of last weekend’s military invasion that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. “Removing Maduro was positive for Venezuela. As a Democrat, I don’t understand why we can’t acknowledge a good development for...
Top political stories of 2025
An unprecedented political comeback. A mayor on his way out after one historic term. Government inaction in Washington and Harrisburg. A political rebuilding effort. Here’s a look at some of the year’s biggest political stories from Western Pennsylvania to Washington: Trump returns In a political comeback like none other in...
Shapiro poised to become nation’s highest-paid governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is poised to get a raise of more than $8,000 in the coming year to boost his annual salary to $253,870, based on cost-of-living increases provided under state law to top officials. The raise appears to position Shapiro to become the nation’s highest-paid governor. The Democrat...
Squirrel Hill’s McCormick among GOP senators who urged Trump not to reclassify marijuana
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is at odds with President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, arguing that it could adversely impact Americans’ health and safety, tax revenue and economic growth. McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 GOP senators to co-sign...
Pa. GOP names new national committeewoman
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has appointed Lori Hardiman to serve as a Republican National Committeewoman. Hardiman, of Fox Chapel, replaces Indiana County’s Christine Toretti on the national committee. Toretti, who became a national GOP committeewoman in 1997, stepped down after being confirmed as ambassador to Sweden in September. Hardiman...
Hens-Greco stepping down as leader of Allegheny County Democratic Committee
Sam Hens-Greco is stepping down as chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee early next month, clearing the way for new party leadership as Democrats head into the pivotal midterm elections. “I strongly believe in developing and making space for new leadership,” Hens-Greco, 69, of Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze, said in...
Shapiro joins Utah governor in condemning political violence, extreme rhetoric
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro quickly shifted gears Tuesday night inside the Washington National Cathedral as another shouting protester tried to interrupt him during an event on political violence and civility. “By the way, I’ll just thank the cathedral for the amazing acoustics. I can’t hear a word of what these...
Military required not to follow unlawful orders, Pam Bondi said in past court filing
The Trump administration’s top law enforcement official and legal adviser said in a brief filed last year in the Supreme Court that service members are required not to carry out illegal orders from a president. News of the resurfaced brief, first reported on by The New York Times, comes as...
Resurfaced Hegseth video intensifies clash over Democrats’ message on illegal military orders
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and other Democratic lawmakers under fire from the Trump administration for publishing a video saying service members are obligated to refuse illegal orders are further questioning the blowback in response to a 2016 video featuring current Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. In the unearthed April 2016 video,...
Legislation from Summer Lee, Democratic colleagues would combat discriminatory AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming the world, one algorithm at a time. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, wants to make sure those algorithms don’t violate people’s civil rights. Lee and three of her Democratic colleagues in the House are introducing a bill that would aim to prevent companies from using discriminatory...
$290M turnpike bridge project in Beaver County proceeds ’15 feet at a time’
Tim Swarrow isn’t afraid of heights — and that’s a good thing. On a typical day, Swarrow, an assistant superintendent for the construction firm Fay, S&B USA, helps oversee work being done as much as 200 feet above the Beaver River near Beaver Falls. That’s where the Pennsylvania Turnpike is...
FBI wants to question Deluzio, other lawmakers who made video on ignoring illegal orders
The FBI wants to question U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and five other Democratic members of Congress who released a video last week telling service members and intelligence officials they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders. Deluzio, of Fox Chapel, said the FBI contacted the House and Senate sergeants at...