All posts tagged "pennsylvania"

Pittsburgh just sent a chilling warning for American democracy

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced on Jan. 7, 2026, that it will cease all operations effective May 3. The daily newspaper, founded in 1786, has been the city’s paper of record for nearly a century and is one of the oldest newspapers in the country.

Block Communications, the company that owns the Post-Gazette, says the paper has lost “hundreds of millions of dollars” during the past two decades. The shuttering of the Post-Gazette comes after a three-year strike by newspaper employees who were asking management for better wages and working conditions. The strike ended in November 2025 after an appellate court ruled in favor of the union workers. The Post-Gazette was found to have violated federal labor law by cutting health care benefits and failing to bargain in good faith. Then, on Jan. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the paper, stating that the Post-Gazette was required to adjust its health insurance coverage for union members. Hours later, Block Communications announced that the paper would shut down.

Victor Pickard, an expert on the U.S. media and its role in democracy, was born and raised just outside Pittsburgh. He talked to Cassandra Stone, The Conversation U.S. Pittsburgh editor, about what the closing means for local journalism and democracy.

CS: Newspapers have been in decline for decades. How significant is this closure?

VP: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has long been a vital part of the local community throughout western Pennsylvania. This would be the first major metropolitan newspaper closing since the Tampa Tribune shut its doors in 2016, and it’s a devastating blow to residents in that entire area of the state. Block Communications also closed down the Pittsburgh City Paper, which is an alt-weekly newspaper in Pittsburgh, in January 2026. The loss of the Post-Gazette will likely create a major gap in local news coverage.

How much did the labor strike from 2022-25 affect the newspaper’s profitability?

I wouldn’t pin the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s loss of profitability on the strike — which was legitimate and did have a profound impact — as much as on the structural forces affecting nearly all local newspapers at this time.

Throughout the country, local journalism increasingly is no longer a profitable enterprise. The core business model of being reliant on advertising revenue has irreparably collapsed, and subscriptions rarely generate enough financial support.

Since the early 2000s, the U.S. has lost about 40 percent of its local newspapers and about 75 percent of the jobs in newspaper journalism, according to a 2025 report from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. A study published last year by Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack shows that in 2002, there were roughly 40 journalists per 100,000 people in the United States. Today, it’s down to about eight journalists.

This evisceration of local journalism leads to ever-expanding news deserts across the country, where tens of millions of Americans are living in areas with little or no local news media whatsoever.

How might this affect local civic engagement and democracy in Pittsburgh?

Democracy requires a free and functional press system. When a local newspaper closes, fewer people vote and get involved in local politics, and corruption and polarization increase.

Without local news outlets, people often turn to national news or even “pink slime” news sites. These sites masquerade as official local media institutions but in fact are often propagandistic outlets that amplify misinformation and disinformation.

With the retreat of newspapers, people are receiving less high-quality news and information. This means that people living in these areas are less knowledgeable about politics. They often don’t know who’s running for office in their communities, or what their political platforms are, and there’s just less civic engagement in general.

Most Americans have 24/7 access to unlimited news and information through their social media feeds, including local news influencers. Does this counteract the loss of local reporting?

I think an important distinction needs to be made between carefully reported and fact-checked articles and what seems like a glut of information at our fingertips at all times. Beyond the surface-level appearance of countless news sites, social media reports offer relatively few new facts that have been borne out of rigorous reporting.

You could say that Americans are living in a new golden age of political discourse, where we constantly see a churn of social media-based forms of expression. But that’s not necessarily journalism.

When we’re talking about the collapse of newspapers and fewer newspaper journalists working their beats, it would be an entirely different story if that journalism were being replaced by other institutions, by influencers, by podcasters. But many of those outlets are amplifying opinion-based commentary and punditry.

That’s not the same thing as reporting that adheres to journalistic norms and introduces new information into the world. Losing this kind of knowledge production hurts communities everywhere – from small towns and rural areas to major cities like Pittsburgh.

White House 'trying to keep Grandpa busy' with pointless travel schedule: report

A panel of New York Times columnists say the damage of Trump’s recent Pennsylvania speech suggest his aides are merely trying to keep him busy, regardless of the consequences.

“[H]e’s making these claims about inflation that aren’t true, making these claims about wages that aren’t true, making these claims about costs that aren’t true — just a torrent of falsehoods,” said columnist Jamelle Bouie. “All clearly coming from a place of deep frustration that he isn’t as popular and well beloved as he believes he should be, which, on the one hand, is a sign that something of reality is penetrating this White House. On the other hand, it’s clear that they have no sense of how to respond to that.”

“The title of this, as best I could tell, was ‘Screw You All, You Whiners: The Economy’s Great, and if It’s Not, Blame Biden.’ said columnist Michelle Cottle. “That was it, again and again — oh, and ‘hate the immigrants.’ So I am just not sure what they’re hoping to accomplish with that, other than maybe to increase the calls for him to get another cognitive assessment. But I thought it was pretty magical.”

“Well, I think that the aim is just to give him something to do,” said Bouie. “You put him out there to give this 20-minute harangue, and then you tell him it was great and everyone loved it and this’ll turn things around, and then he just goes back to going to his clubs and hanging out in the Oval Office. But it’s not clear to me that this is meant to serve a particular objective. It’s not going to reverse any fortunes for the president.”

“Are you just suggesting they’re trying to keep Grandpa busy?” asked Cottle:

“I think they’re trying to keep Grandpa busy, and this is one way to do it,” Bouie replied.

Columnist David French called the speech “Banana Republic-flavored Soviet propaganda” but with less effectiveness.

“If you go back and you remember Soviet propaganda in the ’70s and the ’80s … Everything is always going so well, they’re going onto greater and higher achievements. And you always had this presentation of relentless forward momentum,” said French. “And then the reason I say ‘Banana Republic-flavored’ is because it was filtered through this demagogic figure who essentially … believes that he can basically talk his way out of anything: ‘Get me in front of the American people, I’ll fix this affordability thing. Get me in front of the American people, I’ll fix this political decline.’”

Read and hear the New York Times podcast at this link.

'Stubborn' Trump may be deterred from future rallies after latest 'flop': Insiders

Politico reported President Donald Trump's fans are thrilled to see him back on the road and in his campaign rally element — but the things he’s saying on the stump are scaring them.

“Trump stirred up fresh concerns Tuesday at a Pennsylvania rally that was supposed to focus on easing Americans’ anxieties over pocketbook pressures,” reported Politico. “Instead, he veered off script, at one point urging austerity amid the holiday shopping season by resurfacing a line from earlier this year that American kids should be happy with ‘two or three’ dolls.”

“I think a lot more domestic events outside of Washington are great. Let’s do more of it,” an anonymous former Trump senior adviser told Politico. But, “Unfortunately, I just don’t think Trump is temperamentally capable of reversing himself and saying, ‘Yes, affordability is a concern.’ He’s stubborn.”

Trump was once a fiery crowd pleaser, but he is now an “imperfect messenger more apt to voice bullishness on his stewardship of the U.S. economy than he is to acknowledge the financial squeeze voters say they’re feeling,” reported Politico. This could present a problem as angry voters take to the polls next year and vent their frustration over the economy by ousting the political party in charge of Congress and the White House.

Critics are already calling Trump’s Pennsylvania rally “a flop,” particularly after a slew of off-year elections this month and last gave Democrats resounding success on their message of affordability and inflation concerns. Republican strategists are rattled at how strongly voters have spurned Republican candidates within the span of a year, the report stated.

“And there are signs the White House is looking to other surrogates to help carry the administration’s affordability push into next year, as Trump allies concede the president is unlikely to morph into a nuanced and empathetic messenger,” reported Politico.

Trump has called arguments that Americans are suffering under the economy a “hoax” and a “con job," but some Trump aides counter that the president’s “hoax” line is being taken out of context.

One White House official argued that Trump isn’t dismissing Americans’ pain, but is instead calling the Democrats’ affordability campaign “hypocritical” and a “con job” because the left is trying to “rewrite their own history” and “hijack the phrase.”

Dems know damn well how to beat Trump — it's not with scaremongering like this

As I was finally kicking my feet up and settling into a football game Monday night, to get lost in some meaningless diversion from the relentless madness overrunning America, my phone buzzed.

Good God, what now, I thought?

When I grudgingly reached for the overheated troublemaker, this is what confronted me:

Collapse imminent? Desperate call? Emergency sirens? What the …?

THIS is what I am being accosted with at 10 p.m., while trying to wind down from another insane day?

I slapped my phone down, and went into a slow boil …

To be honest, I had a lousy Monday, so maybe this message set me off more than it should have, but when I woke up this morning from a semi-sleepless night, I found I was still in a mood, and figured at least this much needed writing:

STOP IT WITH THESE LOADED MESSAGES, DEMOCRATS

Anybody who cares enough to pay attention to what is happening in (and to) the United States is to the point of being scared to death right now. Not an hour goes by that Trump and his nauseating Republicans aren’t terrorizing America.

We are dealing with a lot.

Preying on our emotions like this late at night by sending urgent missives designed to empty our pockets is insensitive at best, and abusive at worst.

Too often, it’s even worse than that, because a lot of the crap in all these damn messages — and last night’s in particular — is just plain nonsense.

That makes them insulting, and dangerous, because there are already more than enough political lies and misinformation destabilizing America.

To start, this election in Pennsylvania is nothing like what went down in Georgia, four-plus years ago. In fact, this election on Nov. 4, is like few others anywhere, and many Pennsylvanians don’t even know that.

Here’s what they do need to know: Vote YES to retain the three Supreme Court justices currently on the bench. You’d think a loud, obnoxious message like the one I was bombarded with above would at least say that much.

By voting to retain the three justices in this election, liberals will hold onto a 5-2 majority on that court, and protect Pennsylvanians from the evil machinations of the no-good Republicans in that battleground state.

If you want more, I encourage you to have a look at this tremendous article I found from Spotlight PA that gets into the particulars of the race: Pa. election 2025: What is judicial retention, and why does it matter for Supreme Court balance? Among other things, it does a thorough job of breaking down how Pennsylvania conducts its whacky Supreme Court elections.

(NOTE: I sent this piece, along with a few of my own choice words, to the devils at ActBlue, who accosted me with their fundraising message. They either have no idea how these elections are run, or worse, really don’t give a damn just as long as they can scare the hell out of everybody by screaming about some damn fictional, “imminent collapse.”)

The Spotlight PA write is lengthy, but I encourage you to read it. For now, though, here are some important bits I extracted from the piece, with passages I highlighted for emphasis:

These yes-or-no retention elections are a big deal, and if Republicans succeed in their stated goal of getting Pennsylvanians to vote “no,” they could set the stage for a total remaking of the court. But the process is also very different from a traditional election, and Republicans won’t automatically win a majority even if they get “no” votes.
Retention elections are not partisan, so when a judge appears on the ballot to be retained, their name won’t have a party next to it. These elections also don’t involve an opposing candidate. Voters are simply asked to say yes or no to giving a judge another decade on the bench. If the vote is yes, the judge stays on. If it is no, the governor can appoint a temporary replacement subject to the approval of the state Senate. An election for a replacement to serve a full 10-year term is then held in the next odd year, which means that if a judge isn’t retained this year, voters won’t pick a long-term replacement until 2027. The judges appointed as replacements traditionally don’t stand for full-term elections, though nothing actually prevents them from doing so.
Is a ‘no’ vote on retention the norm? Nope. It’s extremely unusual. Most judges up for retention win new terms by comfortable margins. Just one statewide judge has lost retention since 1968, when the state constitution was last updated — Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro.

OK, me again.

From an historical standpoint, things look pretty good for the Left-leaning justices in this race. I should also add that recent polling has “yes” leading by double-digits. Democrats have also spent more than three times as much money as Republicans on the race according to the tracking service AdImpact.

All that, despite the bombastic claims in that loud fundraising message designed to get your heart beating and your head screaming.

Look, the Supreme Court race in Pennsylvania is important as hell. EVERY election in the United States of America is as important as hell, and should be treated as such.

From now until Nov. 4, we should all do what we can within reason to help our fellow patriots in Pennsylvania prevail at the voting booth. We do that by spreading the truth, and offering a hand up, not a punch in the face with late-night scare tactics.

I believe this constant assault on our senses is having a negative effect on voters right now. I believe we are in danger of burning people out who have been running hot for the better part of a decade trying to stand up for Democrats by putting down this Republican fascism that is overrunning this country.

Since last November’s nightmare, Democrats have fared incredibly well in elections all over the country, including the battleground state of Wisconsin, where the liberal justice running for that Supreme Court won by a whopping 10 points in April.

You’ll remember that election because it is the one the grotesque Elon Musk used to bribe voters with all his blood money. Turns out, it takes more than just money to win elections ...

I’ve had enough of all this repellent fundraising, and these offensive scare tactics.

I say we could stand a pat on the back, instead of a kick in the ass.

I say we give each other a break, before we are broken for good.

I say thank you for all you are doing.

(D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here.)

Biden, Trump call for unity after assassination bid stuns Americans

Rivals Joe Biden and Donald Trump urged Americans to show unity Sunday after an assassination attempt on the Republican that the FBI said was carried out by a shooter with a legally-bought semi-automatic rifle.

The attack put the divided nation on edge in the run-up to the presidential election and was being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism, as well as a massive security failure.

President Biden said he would address the nation from the Oval Office later in the day, a step only taken at times of grave crisis, after his 78-year-old predecessor was hit in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now,” Biden said in brief remarks from the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and his homeland security chief.

The 81-year-old Democrat said he had a “short but good conversation” on Saturday with Trump, his political nemesis whom he regularly brands as a threat to democracy.

Biden said the motives of the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, remained unknown and urged people not to make assumptions about his “affiliations."

A day after being rushed from the stage by Secret Service agents with blood streaked across his face, Trump made a similar call.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United,” Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network, adding that Americans should not allow “Evil to win.”

The tycoon added that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” and that he would “FEAR NOT.”

Trump’s wife Melania called the shooter a “monster.”

Suspected explosives

Secret Service snipers killed Crooks after he fired multiple shots from a nearby rooftop. A bystander was killed and two spectators critically injured in one of the worst acts of U.S. political violence in decades.

The FBI said that it believed that Crooks acted alone and had no known ideology.

“We located the weapon at the scene, immediately adjacent to the shooter,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters.

“We searched the shooter’s car, and we’re in the process of searching his phone. During the search of the vehicle, we located a suspicious device, which was inspected by bomb technicians.”

Biden said he had ordered a full review of security at the rally, as well as at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where Trump will be crowned the party’s presidential nominee.

Biden praised the victim, named as Corey Comperatore, saying he “was protecting his family from the bullets.”

Questions are swirling about shooter Crooks, whose body was seen in television images on a low roof of a building, near a weapon that investigators said was an AR-style semi-automatic rifle legally bought by his father.

Crooks’ former schoolmates described him as a quiet student who often came across as lonely.

“He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much,” Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, told reporters.

The shocking incident drew immediate criticism of security, particularly about how a presidential candidate could be targeted by a gunman around 150 meters away despite a huge Secret Service detail.

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi rejected “absolutely false” claims that it had refused additional protection for Trump ahead of the rally.

Some phone footage suggested that people had seen the shooter on the roof before he opened fire.

Political fallout

The attempt on Trump’s life sent shock waves around the world, but the effects on a tight U.S. presidential race in a deeply divided country are uncertain.

Trump’s family has already been promoting images of the president raising a defiant fist to the crowd after the shooting.

His narrow escape has sparked conspiracy theories and finger-pointing by Republicans.

Possible Trump vice presidential pick J.D. Vance claimed Biden’s campaign “rhetoric” had “led directly” to the attack.

US politics have become increasingly hostile, with Trump building his image around inflammatory verbal assaults, and many Democrats expressing fury and disgust at Trump’s rise.

World leaders expressed outrage over the assassination attempt, with UN chief Antonio Guterres saying he condemned it “unequivocally.”

Pennsylvania officials and lawmakers speak out after shooting at Trump rally in Butler

Pennsylvania officials are speaking out after former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Butler Saturday evening.

Trump’s campaign has confirmed that Trump is”doing well” and will attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. The former president said via his Truth Social account that he was shot in his right ear.

The Secret Service said in a statement that one rally attendee was killed and two others are in critical condition. The alleged shooter was also killed.

ALSO READ: 'Going to be like The Purge tonight': Milwaukee reacts to Trump shooting

Many Pennsylvania lawmakers and elected officials have spoken out to condemn the shooting and offer condolences to the victims of the shooting and their families.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said on social media that he has been in contact with President Joe Biden as well as law enforcement on the ground.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro said via social media. ”It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

ALSO READ: ‘Gonna be insanity’: Inside how Milwaukee Police will secure the Republican convention

In another post later Saturday night, Shapiro said, “We mourn the loss of life and pray for the two victims who are being treated at this time.”

“As we wait to learn more from the investigations, I am mindful of just how painful and shocking this event is to so many of our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro added. “I respectfully ask that we treat our fellow Americans with respect and join together to universally condemn the unacceptable violence we witnessed earlier today in Butler.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-16th District), who represents Butler, was at the rally. Kelly confirmed on social media that he and his family were safe.

“We are safe and we are praying for Mr. Trump and everyone involved,” Kelly wrote. “Thank you to law enforcement and first responders for their quick action.”

Kelly also called the shooting an “attack from the left,” but the shooter has not been identified at the time of this writing. It is unclear what their motives may have been.

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate David McCormick spoke at the rally before Trump, and was in the crowd as the shooting unfolded.

McCormick told Fox news that someone behind him was shot in “a very scary moment.”.

“The crowd just sort of went to the ground,” McCormick said. “Sadly, someone behind me up in the bleachers was definitely wounded. And there was a lot of blood and the police came in and helped carry that person out of the stands so they could get the care they needed.”

Trump shooting aftermath Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

McCormick’s incumbent opponent, Sen. Bob Casey, said on social media that “Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former president Trump & all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman also offered his condolences to the victims via social media

“I am appalled and condemn in the strongest terms this violence in Butler,” Fetterman wrote. “I extend my condolences to those injured and wish a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump.”

State Attorney General Michelle Henry said on her Twitter account, “I am deeply disturbed by today act of violence that has absolutely no place in the Commonwealth or anywhere.

“My regards are with the families who will be forever impacted by this heinous act.”

Henry also wished Trump a speedy recovery and said that her office is in contact with and cooperating with law enforcement.

State lawmakers were also quick to speak out.

Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Beaver), who represents part of Butler County, said, “I do not condone the senseless act of violence that took place here in Butler. This horrific incident is currently under investigation.

“Former Pres. Trump, his quick acting Secret Service team, rally attendees, and our first responders currently on the scene are in my prayers.”

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) released a statement saying, “the resilience of America must overcome any gutless acts of violence. Praying for President Trump, his family, and any innocent victims and their families who may have been harmed by this senseless act. Thank you to the Secret Service, law enforcement, and emergency responders who assisted in keeping things safe and calm. God Bless America.”

Democratic state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) said, “Political violence is never appropriate and must be condemned.

“I pray for the former president, all those injured and the life lost to this heinous act.

“Love of our country and reverence for our democracy has never been more important.”

Senate Minority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) said “The heinous act is unbecoming of our Constitutional Republic. I certainly expect those who may disagree with Trump’s views should at least recognize such vile actions are beyond anything we should accept in a civilized society.”

The sentiment was echoed by Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny).

“Political violence is a threat to all of our democratic ideals,” Costa wrote. “I condemn it without equivocation. Our law enforcement officers acted with bravery tonight and my thoughts are with all who were wounded or worse.”

Update: This story was updated at 11:29 p.m. July 13, 2024 with additional comments by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

This article originally appeared in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and X.

Swing state's Capitol building reportedly evacuated over bomb threat mentioning Biden

Pennsylvania's State Capitol Complex was evacuated on Saturday after every Republican and Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House and Senate reportedly got an email in which an individual threatened to detonate “highly lethal” devices in the government facility until President Joe Biden publicly rejects Israel and its actions.

The news was reported by various sources on social media, as well as by local outlet Penn Live.

"The email, sent around 5:45 p.m. with the subject line 'My manifesto,' said lead azide devices were hidden in and around the Pennsylvania State Capitol and Pennsylvania Judicial Center 'In the name of Palestine,'" according to the report.

ALSO READ: How The Onion’s founding editor finds humor in the dismal age of Trump

The report also says Capitol Police "told PennLive they are aware of the threat but will not be commenting on the incident at this time."

“I plan on triggering one device every few hours until Joe Biden goes on national television and publicly denounces the illegitimate state of Israel,” the email said, according to Penn Live's weekend report. “Keep in mind, I am inside one of the two buildings armed w/ a knife, and plan on remaining here to my dying breath!”

According to the report, "Michelle Richwine, a special assistant at the Office of Chief Clerk for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, sent a mass email to people in the Capitol."

“Attention House Members and Staff – Vacate the Capitol Complex immediately," the email reportedly said. "Do not reenter until cleared by Capitol Police.”

Read the report here.

'Hypocritical’: Anti-China GOP congressional candidate caught wearing made-in-China merch

Donald Trump-endorsed Republican congressional candidate Rob Bresnahan Jr., running in one of the nation’s most hotly contested U.S. House races, has a decidedly anti-China message for Pennsylvania voters he’s hoping to win over.

“Here in northeastern Pennsylvania, there used to be hundreds of businesses like ours that made things until DC politicians turned off the lights on American manufacturing and sent those jobs to China,” Bresnahan said in his campaign launch video for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, noting his family business in electrical contracting.

“We have to prioritize America. We have to think about our own country and our own people right here,” Bresnahan said during a Newsmax interview in May. “And what’s extremely frustrating is when you see billions and billions of dollars being sent to places all across the world when we’re struggling here.”

But a campaign jacket that Bresnahan has worn at numerous campaign appearances was made in China, according to a Raw Story source who requested anonymity to protect their job.

The source, who won the campaign jacket at a Bresnahan campaign event raffle, shared a photo of the jacket, the label of which indicates it was made in China.

Today was an incredible day in Wayne County! I was privileged to sit down with local business leaders, knock on doors, and meet with voters and grassroots volunteers.

Thank you to my supporters in Wayne County for always having my back, I’ve got yours too. 💪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2JSQQoSWvr
— Rob Bresnahan (@Rob4PA) May 14, 2024

The jacket tag indicates that it is a product of Port Authority, a brand that manufactures products in countries such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, according to online retailer Full Source. Port Authority is owned by SanMar, a clothing company headquartered in Wisconsin, whose “supply chain partners” include at least 20 firms in China, according to its website.

Bresnahan is challenging six-term Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District in what the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has declared a “toss up” race, where either candidate has an equal chance of winning.

Derek Rockey, a spokesperson for the Rob for PA campaign committee, would not confirm where Bresnahan purchased the jacket that he wore to meet with local policymakers and government officials, constituents, Republican Party peers and at local business and community events.

From Scranton to Honesdale, our message of bringing new leadership to Northeast PA is resonating with voters. Thank you to Commissioner Chris Chermak and the Wayne County Republican Committee for hosting me! pic.twitter.com/jaonp7VJbu
— Rob Bresnahan (@Rob4PA) December 22, 2023

“Congressman Cartwright and his far-left allies are beyond desperate if they’re seriously trying to use a jacket purchased from a Scranton-based small business that has been serving our community for over 40 years to distract from Congressman Cartwright repeatedly voting to send blue-collar American jobs overseas to Communist China,” Rockey told Raw Story via text message.

“This is a desperately transparent attempt to inoculate Congressman Cartwright for his repeated pro-China votes at the expense of a local small business in his district, and it’s pathetic,” Rockey continued.

Wendy Wilson, a spokesperson for Cartwright’s congressional office, deferred questions to Cartwright’s campaign committee. The Cartwright for Congress campaign committee did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Bresnahan has raised more than $1.4 million this election cycle through April, where Cartwright has raised nearly $4 million in the same time period, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Bresnahan has loaned his campaign at least $400,000 and provided various in-kind donations from office rent to promotional items such as beanies, baseball caps and jackets, according to the FEC. The filings do not indicate where the merchandise was purchased.

Optics and merchandising

Irina Tsukerman, a foreign policy expert, human rights and national security lawyer and president of communications advisory company, Scarab Rising, said Bresnahan’s merchandising choice raises the question of “optics.”

“If you claim that you’re vigilant against a country's human rights [atrocities], the threat to the United States’ national security and economic interests, that you are opposed to China flooding U.S. markets with cheap goods in violation of principles of free trade … it's kind of self serving and hypocritical, even if it's inadvertent, to utilize merchandise made in that country, particularly for your political campaign purposes,” Tsukerman said.

But optics aren’t the only potential problem with making a merchandise choice contradictory to foreign policy statements, Tsukerman said. Such actions can send a message to China that U.S. politicians aren’t serious about their threats to back away from the country, she said.

“You are encouraging your constituents to do one thing, and while you're doing something entirely different,” Tsukerman said. “It shows that you don't actually care about your message, that you're doing that just to score political points, and you're making a populist message, but you are not necessarily as concerned about the national security and economic implications, as you say.”

China’s human rights concerns range from slave labor to suppression of religious freedom, Tsukerman said.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy found himself in a similar situation when Raw Story broke the news last year that his campaign’s baseball caps were manufactured in Myanmar, a country rife with human rights atrocities and led by a military junta that has close ties with China — a country with which Ramaswamy campaigned to cut dependence.

Ramaswamy continued to distribute the hats even after vowing to stop using them after Raw Story’s investigation.

“There is a big problem that now a couple of U.S. political candidates claim to be positioning themselves as tough on China but themselves are not observing their own proposed rules,” Tsukerman continued.

Donald Trump has unclaimed property and abandoned money in at least 16 states

What do Trump University and Trump Taj Mahal have in common — other than being among the failed businesses of former president Donald Trump?

They still have unclaimed assets in New York and New Jersey, according to online public databases.

That’s just for starters.

A Raw Story analysis showed Trump, the putative 2024 Republican presidential nominee, having unclaimed assets in at least 16 states plus the District of Columbia. In Florida alone, the state’s chief financial officer earlier this month informed Trump that he has $54,000 in unclaimed property.

This might not seem like much relative to Trump’s wealth. But Trump is leaving money on the table — potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars or more — while running up staggering legal expenses to defend himself against 88 felony counts across four criminal trials.

Donors are meanwhile contributing millions of dollars to pay Trump’s legal bills. Trump also trails substantially in fundraising for his presidential campaign against President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

ALSO READ: What Trump's weird WWE Hall of Fame speech tells us about his presidential debate strategy

A conservative count from online records showed at least 137 instances in New York of Trump having unclaimed property — for his current and former businesses as well as himself, individually.

That includes four potential claims for the defunct Trump University, which paid a $25 million settlement in 2018 to students who said they were defrauded. The unclaimed money comes from companies such as eBay for “undelivered goods/services” and Amazon for “outstanding checks issued to vendors.”

Trump University, the defunct education company that paid out a massive settlement to students who accused it of fraud, has failed to claim money that's owed to it. (Source: Office of the New York State Comptroller)

In New Jersey, Trump has at least 40 instances of unclaimed property.

That includes the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino, which closed in 2016 after Trump proclaimed it the “eighth wonder of the world” when it opened in 1990. It sold for pennies on the dollar, but it still has money to its name at the New Jersey Treasury.

There are at least 10 instances of unclaimed property for Trump Taj Mahal. New Jersey does not list the source or reason for the unclaimed money.

New York and New Jersey do not publicly disclose the value of unclaimed property until a request for payment has been approved.

Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Among the lost assets Donald Trump has failed to recoup in New Jersey: money owed to the defunct Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, N.J. (Source: New Jersey Unclaimed Property Administration)

As an individual, Trump has an unspecified amount of money to claim from NBC Universal Media LLC for “wages/payroll/salaries.” NBC televised the Apprentice, the reality show that starred Trump.

Almost all of Trump’s unclaimed money across the country is for one of his former or current businesses or political campaigns, including Trump Corporation, Trump for President, Trump International Hotels, Trump Marks Fine Foods, Trump Model Management, Trump National Golf Club, Trump Organization and Trump SoHo Hotel.

Trump Marks Mattress has money available from Tempur Sealy International for “outstanding checks issued to vendors.”

Trump’s available money in New York and New Jersey is likely substantially higher than other states where Trump has had businesses or campaigns, and where Trump has far fewer potential claims.

In Washington, D.C., a listing for “D Trump” — address: “The White House” — indicates unclaimed property worth “under $50” that’s tied to Amazon.com. It’s one of more than a dozen listings that appeared tied to the former president, including three items of unclaimed property from the former Trump International Hotel DC, each worth “over $50.”

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Trump has a total of at least $2,914 in unclaimed property across Connecticut, Virginia, California, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas. As some of those states list values of unclaimed property in broad ranges, the dollar figure is likely much higher.

Meanwhile in Illinois, Trump International Hotel has three potential claims for “over $100” and two for “under $100.”

In Nevada, the Trump campaign and exploratory committee have four potential claims of “under $500.” The Trump Organization has at least six unclaimed cashiers checks from 2013 — five worth “under $1,000” and one worth “$1,000 and above.”

In Massachusetts, the Trump for President campaign has failed to recoup “vendor checks” reported to the state by the city of Doral, Mass.

In Colorado, Donald Trump for President could make a claim on “over $250” in abandoned assets — the reason unstated.

In Pennsylvania, the Trump for President campaign is due two refunds or rebates from Comcast, both under $100.

States promote their unclaimed property databases, but Trump, who’s on trial for allegedly falsifying business records in New York, has other things on his mind.

“Every day New York State returns $1.5 million to those who file claims here,” it says on the state’s database page. “Is any yours?”

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