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Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz: Did she decide Josh Shapiro was too Jewish to be VP?

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Last Friday night, as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was lighting the Shabbat candles, he was the clear and obvious favorite to be tapped as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate. But that was not to be. And on Tuesday, it sure looks like that is because he was a little too Jewish.

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Yes, the vice-presidential nomination passed over Shapiro as if he had lamb’s blood painted over his door, landing instead on Midwest Protestant Tim Walz — an anodyne pick less likely to offend those who hate Israel or for that matter Jews.

In the lead up to the snub of Shapiro, which Harris chose to commit in his hometown of Philadelphia, many voices in and around the party, both Jewish and not, warned that this choice of Walz would smack of obvious and odious antisemitism.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV. TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE

First, John King, and then several additional anchors on CNN, expressed concern that Shapiro’s views on Israel were being singled out. This was happening even though they hardly differed from any other potential V.P. candidate. Still, his status as a practicing Jew could prove disqualifying for some progressive voters.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz laughs

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been chosen by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris as her running mate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

These concerns were echoed throughout social media by Jewish celebrities and activists, including the extremely liberal actor Josh Malina, who wrote “Shapiro’s views on Israel are in line with the other VP contenders. Shapiro, however, is…well, Jewish. This feels like unforced anitsemitism, Cynthia,” in response to far-left actor Cynthia Nixon on X.

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Even some Democrats currently in office agreed.

“The Anti-Israel activists who have been falsely accusing the Biden-Harris Administration of funding ‘genocide’ are suddenly fine with Vice President Harris, as long as she declines to choose Governor Shapiro as a running mate,” New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres said on X, adding, “These hypocrites are full of s— and their antisemitic dog whistling should be given no veto power over the selection of a presidential running mate.”

VP SHORT-LISTER SHAPIRO ON DEFENSE OVER ISRAEL AFTER DECADES-OLD COLLEGE PAPER SURFACES

Where, by the way, is his fellow New Yorker and most powerful Jew in Washington, Sen. Chuck Schumer on all of this? Honestly, since the horrendous Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, it’s as if the Senate minority leader has resigned, or gone into hiding. 

Needless to say, now that Shapiro’s vice-presidential dreams have burned out like the last candle on Hanukkah, most on the left will forget all about their outrage. Just as many have forgotten how outraged they were over the potential ouster of Joe Biden from the ticket.

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Josh Shapiro Sworn In As Governor Of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was on Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ short list as a possible vice presidential running mate. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

It all just gets memory holed and we move on. At least that is what they hope, but there is a problem, which is that Republicans have noticed this antisemitism, too.

PROGRESSIVES FOR HARRIS CALL HOST URGES ‘SOLIDARITY’ AMONG ‘COMRADES’ AMID CRITICISMS OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

On Tuesday, just hours before the announcement, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance took to the radio airwaves in an interview with Hugh Hewitt and said, “They will have not picked Shapiro frankly because of antisemitism in their own caucus, in their own party… The far left doesn’t like the fact that he is a Jewish American.”

The senator from Ohio is not without evidence in advancing this claim, as we saw in the spring when many Democrats, such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her band of girl boss communists fawned all over antisemitic college occupiers who threatened and harassed Jewish students.

We saw this bigotry when Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar, who openly lobbied for Walz against Shapiro, said that all Jews care about is the “Benjamins.”

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Were there other reasons that Harris might have opted against Shapiro? Yes. Perhaps he may have more gravitas than she does. Walz is popular but not overshadowing. He’s more like a sitcom dad, but the timing is everything here.

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It was not until Shapiro seemed to be a lock for Harris’ running mate that these concerns about his Jewishness popped up and that his record on Israel was thrust in the spotlight, even though it mirrors everyone on the short list and even Kamala Harris herself. 

It is almost impossible to believe that Shapiro, a popular governor in the most key battleground state in the entire nation, would have been denied this rich political prize if his last name was Smith, or, well, Harris.

Josh Shapiro

Gov. Josh Shapiro came very close to becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate. He lost out to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

In the early 20th century, there was division between long-established, well-assimilated and educated Jews and the newcomers from the shtetls of Eastern Europe with their foreign garb and loud, obvious religious observance.

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I can remember my great-grandmother, fully of the fancier faction, sometimes shaking her head when discussing the newcomers and muttering, “too Jewish.”

The Democrats now face a similar issue. It is fine to be a Jew in the party if that means you like Woody Allen movies, eat Chinese food on Christmas and get all the references on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” But the candle lighting, and the bread? Do that only in the privacy of your own home. 

This year the Democratic Party hung a sign on the door to the vice presidency saying, “Jews Need Not Apply” – at least not those who are obvious about, and proud of, their religious faith.

It is a dark and ugly reality, but one we must stay focused on. Because when antisemitism takes root, it is a fast-growing and very dangerous weed that spreads when good people look away.

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Boston, MA

Massachusetts State House the unlikely stage for new play by Boston theater company

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Massachusetts State House the unlikely stage for new play by Boston theater company


BOSTON – The Massachusetts State House may not be the first place you would think of to see theater, but that’s what makes a new play so special. Performances of “A Light Under the Dome” are now underway in the Senate Chamber.

The State House is the perfect stage

The production is from Plays in Place, a Boston-based theater company specializing in creating site-specific plays. For each piece, the company partners with museums, historic sites, or, in this case, National Parks of Boston.

Katie Woods, a digital public historian with Parks, tells us work started four years ago, saying, “We came together and decided that we wanted to do a series of three plays that talked about the intersection of the suffrage and abolitionist movements in Boston.”

“It’s an element of Boston history that’s often overlooked. We think of abolition, we think of the Revolutionary War a lot and all the time, but the role that the women’s movement played here is often vastly overshadowed by New York and Philadelphia,” explains playwright and producing artistic director of Plays in Place, Patrick Gabridge.

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In 1838, Angelina Grimke addressed the Senate Chamber at the State House, becoming the first American woman to speak before a U.S. legislative body.

“She was really breaking new ground and in a space that not only was not open to her, but was not welcome to her, and so being able to kind of create this moment and bring it to life seemed like a perfect opportunity,” Wood says.

“Really, really special”

The actors, including Marge Dunn, are reveling in the unique opportunity.

“There’s nothing like performing in a room like this. Obviously, it’s challenging in some ways because you don’t have a strict audience space; you don’t have a strict stage to perform on. Acoustically, sometimes it’s kind of strange to talk in that room, but there’s something that just brings this gravitas and this weight to the piece that is really, really special,” Dunn says.

Gabridge tells WBZ-TV it’s difficult to fully understand the past when you only have history books to rely on.

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“Our work works to unflatten history and really show the complexity that people faced in historical times.”

You can see “A Light Under the Dome,” for free at the State House. There are two daily performances through Thursday.



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Pittsburg, PA

Water main break beneath Fort Duquesne Bridge sends water pouring down

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Water main break beneath Fort Duquesne Bridge sends water pouring down


Water main break beneath Fort Duquesne Bridge

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Water main break beneath Fort Duquesne Bridge

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A 30-inch water main busted on the Fort Duquesne Bridge in Pittsburgh, sending water shooting to the ground on Thursday night.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is responsible for that line across the bridge. It learned about the leak in the overnight hours. Its crews shut off the water to the 30-inch line and drained the pipe on Friday morning.

“When we see breaks on a pipe like that, we often see quite a bit of water,” PWSA spokesperson Mora McLaughlin said.

PennDOT said 371 bridges in the Pittsburgh area carry utilities. That’s roughly 20% of the bridges in the region. With our numerous rivers and valleys, bridges serve as a way to connect people and their utilities.

“Pittsburgh is a city with a lot of bridges, and those are interconnection points between pieces of land around the city. So yes, utilities like water main pipes do run under bridges sometimes,” McLaughlin said.

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The PWSA said the last time it saw a pipe leak on a bridge was earlier this month with a 16-inch line on the Bloomfield Bridge. Crews inspect exposed infrastructure like this when they are in the vicinity and report any issues. 

Even with the amount of water that gushed out of the pipe on the Fort Duquesne Bridge, no customers lost service.

Crews were out accessing the damage and doing cleanup on Friday afternoon. PennDOT said there was no damage to the bridge.

The PWSA didn’t have a timeline for repairs. 

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Connecticut

Connecticut joining IRS Direct File, free electronic tax filing system

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Connecticut joining IRS Direct File, free electronic tax filing system


Best way to use your tax refund in 2024

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Best way to use your tax refund in 2024

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HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut residents are getting access to a free electronic tax-filing system

Connecticut will join IRS Direct File for federal tax returns in the 2025 filing season, Gov. Ned Lamont and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Friday. 

The idea behind IRS Direct File is to provide taxpayers with a free alternative to for-profit tax preparation services. 

IRS Direct File launched as a pilot program in 12 states for the 2024 filing season. Officials say 140,000 taxpayers claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved $5.6 million in filing costs. Now the program is being expanded. 

“The Direct File tool will make it easier and more convenient for the average person to file their taxes, and it will help them save both time and money by avoiding the need to purchase for-profit tax filing software,” Lamont said. 

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The creation of Direct File was made possible by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provided enhanced resources for the IRS to improve customer service in-person, over the phone, and online to ensure taxpayers claim the benefits and deductions for which they are eligible.

“Direct File will save Connecticut residents time and money and help ensure they receive the tax benefits they are owed. After a successful pilot this filing season, we are pleased to expand the program as a permanent offering and welcome Connecticut as the latest new state to offer this free option to taxpayers,” Yellen said. 



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