Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says Trump called him a week after arson attack
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that President Donald Trump called him over the weekend to discuss the arson attack on the governor’s home in Harrisburg roughly a week after the incident.
Shapiro said that Trump called Saturday morning and that he was “very gracious.”
“I appreciated that the president called me,” Shapiro, a Democrat, told reporters at the annual Easter Egg Hunt in Harrisburg, held at the Governor’s Residence. “I actually didn’t take his call because it came from his cellphone and I didn’t have that number in my phone, so I didn’t know who it was. As soon as I heard his message, I called him right back.”
“He was very gracious,” Shapiro said, adding that Trump asked about his wife and children as they “talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence.”
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The six days between the April 13 arson attack and Trump’s call contrasted sharply with Shapiro’s efforts in the immediate aftermath of attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
Shapiro swiftly condemned the assassination attempt, calling violence against any political party or leader “absolutely unacceptable” on social media the day of the shooting. He also worked with law enforcement and called the Trump campaign, though he did not speak with Trump directly.
Shapiro’s home sustained significant damage this month after a man allegedly broke into the governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were inside and used Molotov cocktails to start multiple fires.
Trump did not forcefully condemn the attack, even as others in his administration and prominent Republicans publicly commented on it.
Asked whether a motive in the attack had been identified, Trump said last week that he had not heard about one, adding that the attacker “was not a fan of Trump.”
“He’s probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen,” Trump said at the time.
Shapiro said Tuesday that his call with Trump lasted close to 20 minutes and that they spoke about “a whole host of other topics” besides the arson attack.
“He’s attuned to the issues that are important to me,” Shapiro said, adding that he knows “the issues that are important to him.”
Shapiro on Tuesday talked about one of those issues — tariffs — saying he hopes Trump “will re-adjust his tariff plan to make Americans and companies confident in investing in capital again.”
“I’ve been critical of these tariffs because they’re going to drive up prices, and we’re already seeing that. And because it’s going to have companies and individuals, families, keep their capital in their pockets because they’re worried about the future, and with the uncertainty and the chaos that these tariffs bring, it’s going to be more capital staying on the sidelines,” he said.
Pennsylvania
New FDA analysis says US infant formula supply is safe after testing for potential contaminants
Pennsylvania saw a record low number of traffic deaths in 2025, according to PennDOT.
The department said 1,047 people were killed in traffic crashes last year, which is 80 fewer than last year and the lowest since record keeping began in 1928.
“Even one life lost is one too many, so while this decrease is good news, Pennsylvania remains committed to moving toward zero deaths on our roadways,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “PennDOT will continue to do our part to decrease fatalities through education and outreach, but we will only reach zero when we all work together.”
PennDOT said there were 109,515 total reportable crashes, which was the second lowest on record only to 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic kept drivers off the road. Of those total crashes, 979 were fatal, down from 1,060 last year.
The number of people killed in impaired driver crashes dropped from 342 to 258 last year, which was also the lowest on record. Fatalities in lane departure crashes and fatalities when someone wasn’t wearing a seatbelt declined as well. PennDOT attributes the decrease in deaths to infrastructure improvements and initiatives like enforcement and education campaigns.
Deaths involving a distracted driver were up from 49 to 54, but PennDOT says the long-term trend is decreasing, and a law that went into effect last June makes it illegal to use hand-held devices while driving, even while stopped because of traffic or a red light.
“Please drive safely,” Carroll said. “Put the phone down when you are behind the wheel. Always follow the speed limit and never drive impaired. And buckle up! Your seat belt can save your life in a crash.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania House passes bill to allow PIAA to create separate high school playoff system
PENNSYLVANIA (WJAC) — Pennsylvania lawmakers once again advanced legislation that would allow the PIAA to potentially overhaul the state’s playoff format for high school athletics.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 41 by a 178 to 23 vote, nearly one year after the legislation advanced out of the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee.
The issue of “fairness” in Pennsylvania high school athletics has been a hot topic in recent years as both lawmakers and schools have debated whether or not the PIAA should create separate playoff brackets for public and private districts.
HB 41 was first introduced by Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), who argues that the current competition structure in Pennsylvania high school “jeopardizes athletes’ health and safety.”
Student athletes and their parents recognize that contact sports pose certain physical risks, which schools try to minimize through protective equipment, training, and policies like concussion protocols,” Conklin said. “Unfortunately, our schools can’t protect against a playoff system that needlessly escalates those risks through unfair competitions.
PIAA’s existing playoff system forces athletes from public schools, which are limited to recruiting from within district boundaries, to compete against athletes from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass larger, stronger teams. The result is unfair, lopsided competitions that leave public school students on a dangerously unlevel playing field, subjecting them to added physical risks and even depriving them of scholarship and recruitment opportunities. School sports are supposed to be about building confidence and teaching kids lessons in fair play, but the current system is teaching all the wrong lessons.
My bill would provide a way to end these increasingly dangerous competitions by allowing the PIAA to establish separate playoffs and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools.
House Bill 41 will now advance to the state Senate for a vote.
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Lawmakers note that if fully approved, the legislation would not mandate the PIAA to change the current format but would rather give them the option to do so.
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