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Biden calls for higher taxes on the rich on visit to Pennsylvania hometown

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Biden calls for higher taxes on the rich on visit to Pennsylvania hometown


US president blasts rival Donald Trump as an out-of-touch elitist on visit to key battleground state.

United States President Joe Biden has renewed calls for higher taxes on the rich and criticised his rival Donald Trump as being out of touch with working-class Americans during a nostalgia-fuelled visit to his hometown.

Kicking off a three-day tour of the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Biden sought to draw a distinction between his working-class roots and Trump’s privileged upbringing and lifestyle at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

“When I look at the economy, I don’t look at it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I look at it through the eyes of Scranton,” Biden said during a visit to a community centre in the city of Scranton.

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Biden contrasted his plan for a 25 percent minimum tax rate for billionaires with Trump’s pledge to maintain the corporate tax rate at 21 percent after slashing it from 35 percent.

“A fair tax code is how we invest in the things that make this country strong,” Biden said. “Health care, education, defence and so much more.”

Biden said he had learned the ethic of hard work and a sense of fairness while growing up in Scranton, while Trump learned that “the best way to get rich is to inherit it”.

“If Trump’s stock in Truth Social, his company, drops any lower, he might do better under my tax plan than his,” Biden said, taking aim at the falling value of Trump’s social media platform.

Biden did not reference Trump’s historic hush-money trial in New York, which is keeping the Republican away from campaigning.

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During his visit to Scranton, Biden also visited his childhood home and drove down an expressway named in his honour.

The US president will continue to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Thursday.

Pennsylvania, which has 19 Electoral College votes, is seen as crucial to Biden’s reelection prospects in November.

Biden won Pennsylvania by about 80,000 votes in 2020, flipping it back to the Democratic column after Trump took the state in 2016.

Trump, who was the first Republican to win Pennsylvania since 1988, prevailed over Hillary Clinton by fewer than 45,000 votes.

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Despite the US economy posting strong growth and low unemployment, Biden has struggled to convince voters on his economic record.

Trump is trusted by voters to do a better job than Biden on the economy and jobs by a margin of 39 percent to 33 percent, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed last month.



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Pennsylvania

Governor Josh Shapiro signs overdue Pennsylvania state budget with bipartisan support

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Governor Josh Shapiro signs overdue Pennsylvania state budget with bipartisan support


HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPVI) — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the state’s overdue 2026-2027 budget on Sunday.

The $50.8 billion spending plan was passed by state lawmakers with bipartisan support.

It is smaller than Shapiro’s initial $53 billion plan proposed back in February.

“We managed, as the math indicates, to find compromise without compromising our core values,” said Shapiro. “If you go back and look at the goals we all set together way back in 2023 – funding our schools, making our communities safer, growing our economy….four years later, this budget reflects those continued priorities.”

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Lawmakers say this spending plan expands workforce development initiatives, devotes significant new funding for basic education, and increases funding for special education and early intervention services.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Gov. Shapiro signs $50.8B Pa. budget with focus on education, public safety

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Gov. Shapiro signs .8B Pa. budget with focus on education, public safety


PENNSYLVANIA (WFMZ-TV) — Governor Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania’s $50.8 billion budget into law Sunday.

The largest part– $11.8 billion funding education. It also funds four more State Police classes. The budget comes with an additional $10 million for career and technical education.

“If you go back and look at the goals we all set together way back in 2023– funding our schools, making our communities safer, growing our economy, and four years later this budget reflects those continued priorities,” said Governor Shapiro.

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Republican State Senator Jarrett Coleman said he voted against the budget.

“The issue with the budget is that this wasn’t a really honest budget. This was pretty deceptive,” said Senator Coleman.

One thing in particular he said he is against– delays in $2.6 billion in Medicaid payments to managed care providers to the next fiscal year.

“So, that’s disappointing and I don’t really care to play that game. I think Pennsylvanians deserve to have an honest conversation and make no mistake; tax payers will ultimately pay the price for this charade,” said Senator Coleman.

Democratic State Rep. Mike Schlossberg said he is happy with this budget.

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“I think by and large it was an extremely solid product,” said Representative Schlossberg.

This marks the fifth year in a row the budget was not passed by the June 30th deadline. The signing of this one comes months ahead of when last year’s budget was approved.

“I think some lessons were learned. I think everybody realized we cannot do last year, we cannot do again what we did last year and also candidly election coming up in a few months, nobody wants to leave it hanging out there,” said Representative Schlossberg.



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3 dead in wrong-way crash on I-76 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, state police say

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3 dead in wrong-way crash on I-76 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, state police say


Three people died in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 76 in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Saturday morning, Pennsylvania State Police said. 

The crash happened just before 5 a.m. Saturday on I-76 westbound near mile marker 330, according to state police.

State police said a white Ford pickup truck was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-76 Saturday morning. 

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Troopers attempted to stop the truck twice, but the Ford pickup drove past them at a high rate of speed. 

The driver of the Ford then struck two vehicles head-on. According to state police, the occupants of the three vehicles involved in the crash died.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police.



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