Northeast
Gov. Josh Shapiro recalls giving Biden brutal reality check about his 2024 campaign
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recalled to “The Breakfast Club” in a new interview how he tried to deliver then-President Joe Biden bad news about the election before Biden dropped out of the race.
Nearly a year after the 2024 election, which was seen as a reckoning for Democrats, the party is still trying to make sense of where they have gone wrong in recent years.
Shapiro, who presents himself as a moderate for the party who goes out of his way to engage with conservatives, spoke candidly about his sober warnings to Biden when Biden was still the de facto 2024 Democratic nominee.
“I went directly to the president and spoke to him about what I saw were, you know, his challenges in Pennsylvania. I was really honest with him,” Shapiro said. “We got together at a coffee shop in Harrisburg. I think this has been reported. I mean, I’ll just share with you. He said, ‘How’s it going?’ I was very clear: ‘It’s not going well.’”
JOSH SHAPIRO SAYS KAMALA IS ‘GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER’ FOR WHY SHE NEVER RAISED CONCERNS OVER BIDEN’S HEALTH
Gov. Josh Shapiro recalled telling then-President Biden the election was not looking good in his state. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
He then recalled what he had told Biden at the time.
“’Polls are showing it’s not going well,” he said. “I don’t think you’re handling the cost question. Back to what we talked about before with rising costs. It was a big theme in the campaign. Big issue in Pennsylvania. I didn’t think they were handling that well. I expressed that I thought people thought he wasn’t up to the job.”
Shapiro argued that his personal style and approach shaped the way he handled this conversation.
“Look, maybe it’s old school, but I believe that if you got something to say, you say it directly to that person’s face, and he’s the president of the United States. I respected him, still respect him, and I respect him enough to say it directly to his face,” he said.
When asked how this sobering assessment was received at the time, Shapiro replied, “I think he heard it. He told me that their poll numbers were different, and he seemed committed to continuing forward. And, listen, that’s his call.”
KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS WHAT BIDEN TOLD HER JUST BEFORE CRUCIAL DEBATE WITH TRUMP THAT LEFT HER ‘ANGRY’
Many Democrats have reflected on their statements and interactions during the Biden campaign and the Harris campaign that followed. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
He also recalled arguing to Biden that part of his issue was that Biden’s team wasn’t straightforward with its own boss.
“Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God argued that such stories need to be told by any future Democratic Party contenders for the presidency, arguing that “anybody that wants to lead this party in the future has to throw that old regime under the bus.”
Shapiro, however, disagreed.
“I don’t believe that you get ahead in life by throwing people under the bus,” he said. “I don’t believe that I got to kick somebody in order to get ahead. I think you’ve got to show your work. I think you’ve got to show a vision. I think you’ve got to tell people what you’re all about.”
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
Shapiro was vetted as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris, but she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Shapiro was prescient about Democrats’ issues in his state because Trump went on to win Pennsylvania and the presidency.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s staff and did not receive an immediate response.
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Maine
Video captures student assaulting freshman at Maine high school
WALDOBORO, Maine — A freshman at Medomak Valley High School was attacked Wednesday afternoon in a vicious assault captured on video.
The father of the child, who is not being named to protect the privacy of the student, said bullying is rampant in the schools.
The assault occurred outside the school as students were getting on buses. The video shows a larger male student knocking down a smaller male and then repeatedly punching him in the head. Nearby students did not intervene, with some watching and others walking by the assault. Two adults are seen rushing to the scene and the assailant got up and walked away as one of the adults directed him to go to the office.
The father said this was the fourth time his son has been assaulted at the school since classes started this year.
“They have posters throughout the school, saying bullying is not tolerated but they don’t do anything,” the father said.
He said, in one instance, a junior in the gym picked up his son and threw him to the floor, breaking his son’s cellphone. In another, a girl came up from behind him in the hallway and knocked him to the floor.
The father said he is frustrated with the lack of action by the school resource officer throughout the year. He said the officer asked his son if he did anything to provoke the assault and that is trying to shift the blame to the victim.
A student filmed the Wednesday assault and shared it on social media.
Regional School Unit 40 Superintendent Thomas Ambrose issued a letter to parents Thursday morning
“I want to thank everyone who reached out to me about the fight at the high school yesterday. I’m writing this letter to let everyone know the following: 1. Fighting and violence at RSU 40 will not be tolerated. 2. There will be consequences for students who have violated our code of conduct or district policies once the investigation is complete. 3. We are working in collaboration with law-enforcement and our attorney to make sure that the investigation is conducted appropriately and that laws and policies for student behavior and discipline are being implemented appropriately. I’ve received some questions about the process for communication when an incident like this occurs. It is important to remember that students are protected by State and federal privacy laws including FERPA: the Federal Education Rights to Privacy Act. It is very likely that little to no information about the discipline or consequences for situations like this will be shared publicly. Students have a right to confidentiality, and this right often causes people to think that things are being swept under the rug or not addressed. I want to assure everyone that is not the case and we will be dealing with the discipline aspects of this situation as soon as the investigation is complete. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time. My email address is Thomas_Ambrose@rsu40.org,” the letter stated.
Medomak serves students from Waldoboro, Friendship, Warren, Union and Washington.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts woman charged with DUI after Simsbury crash
SIMSBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A Massachusetts woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with DUI after a crash in Simsbury, according to police.
The crash happened at around 2:15 p.m. on Hartford Avenue and Elm Street. Police responded to reports that one of the operators of the vehicles was unconscious, later becoming conscious.
Upon arrival, police found that operator, who was identified as 39-year-old Allison Beu of Southwick, Massachusetts, outside of her vehicle and interacting with the other involved parties.
The two occupants in the other vehicle were not transported to the hospital.
Beu was charged with DUI and failure to drive in proper lane.
New Hampshire
N.H. State Police Director Mark Hall got two pay raises in 2025. Here’s why. – The Boston Globe
The director of the New Hampshire State Police, who already got a pay bump earlier this year, secured a second raise on Wednesday that’s set to take effect before 2026 arrives.
Colonel Mark B. Hall, who has been State Police director for a little over two years, was unanimously approved by the Executive Council to begin earning an annual salary of about $171,300 later this month. That is 25.7 percent higher than what he was earning a year ago.
Department of Safety Commissioner Robert L. Quinn said the increase is needed to resolve a disparity between Hall’s salary and that of a lieutenant colonel who works under him. Quinn cited a provision of state law that authorizes compensation above the typical statutory maximum if an unclassified employee’s salary would otherwise be less than that of a subordinate classified employee.
In this case, Hall’s raise is designed to keep his salary $1,000 higher than that of Lieutenant Colonel Matthew S. Shapiro, who is serving as State Police executive major. (The council has used this mechanism for other positions this year as well.)
Hall actually saw his overall pay dip a bit after he transitioned into the top State Police job. In 2022, when he was a captain, Hall was paid about $132,000, counting overtime, holiday pay, and more, according to TransparentNH records. Two years later, as director in 2024, he was paid about $129,900, all regular pay.
That said, in switching from a classified position to his unclassified post in 2023, Hall was able to cash out the unused paid time off he had accrued. That contributed to a payout of more than $72,000, which resulted in his being paid a total of about $216,100 that year, according to records from the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services.
Hall didn’t respond this week to a request for comment from The Boston Globe about his raise, though a spokesperson for the Department of Safety provided information in response to questions.
Other updates from the State House:
- Republican lawmakers tried to salvage their 2025 legislation that Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed, but every single override vote failed. (Read more)
- In the wake of a deadly shooting at Brown University, state lawmakers are calling for 2026 legislation to override gun-free policies on New Hampshire campuses. (Read more)
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
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