Pennsylvania
Biden, Harris campaign in Pennsylvania as Israel crisis intensifies
By Stephanie Kelly
REHOBOTH BEACH (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will join Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail this week for the first time since Harris replaced him at the top of the Democratic ticket, but the discovery of Israeli hostage deaths in Gaza over the weekend is likely to overshadow events.
This week marks the start of the vital post-Labor Day sprint to the Nov. 5 election, and both Harris and her Republican challenger former President Donald Trump are expected to ramp up outreach to voters, especially in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada.
Over the weekend, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza where it said they were recently killed by Hamas, sparking sharp criticism of the Biden administration’s ceasefire strategy and new pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the remaining hostages home.
The U.S. government, including Biden himself, has been trying to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200, for months. The issue is weighing on the U.S. election, with pro-Palestinian activists threatening to ramp up protests of Harris on the campaign trail and Republicans blaming Biden and Harris for the hostage deaths.
On Monday, Biden and Harris will campaign together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of the most important battleground states in this election cycle. Harris will also travel to Detroit, Michigan and her vice presidential pick Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Before they campaign, though, Biden and Harris will meet at the White House with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team to discuss efforts toward a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages, the White House said.
Meanwhile, Trump will participate in a FOX town hall on Wednesday hosted by Sean Hannity, and later this week will address the Fraternal Order of Police at their fall meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina and hold a rally in Wisconsin.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Harris was leading the race against Trump 45% to 41%.
Harris and Walz are hoping to keep up the enthusiasm her entry into the race on July 21 sparked among Democrats, who are donating record amounts of money to the campaign and volunteering by the tens of thousands. They have focused on an upbeat, positive message about America’s future, cost-cutting plans aimed at the middle class and attracting Republicans turned off by Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump and his vice presidential pick JD Vance have struggled to find a clear line of attack against Harris, painting her both as an unrepentant liberal and as the inheritor of Biden’s more centrist policies, while also bashing her intelligence and spreading crude internet memes.
An outside adviser to Trump previously told Reuters on condition of anonymity that several advisers had told Trump that a continued focus on insults rather than policy could doom his chances in November.
Harris’ campaign appears to be outraising Trump’s – last week, the Harris campaign told the Federal Election Commission that it raised $204 million in July, compared with $48 million reported to the body by Trump’s main fundraising group. Both sides are bombarding battleground states with TV ads.
HOSTAGE BODIES COMPLICATE CEASEFIRE TALKS
Biden, Harris and Trump all released statements over the weekend after the six hostage bodies were found. Biden said he was “devastated and outraged,” adding, “Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
Harris said she and her husband had spoken to the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the hostages whose body was found. “As they mourn this terrible loss, they are not alone. Our nation mourns with them.”
Trump said the “Hostage Crisis in Israel is only taking place because Comrade Kamala Harris is weak and ineffective, and has no idea what she’s doing.”
Leat Corinne Unger, a family member of 21-year-old Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov, who was not one of the hostages found over the weekend, told Reuters that “everyone has failed.”
“Everyone has blood on their hands,” she said. “The international community failed, the administration, on both sides, bipartisan, they failed.”
“It’s time for the suffering of innocents to end on all sides of the spectrum and the international community must hold Hamas accountable,” she added. “They have said a lot of things, but they haven’t done anything to force their hand.”
Biden and Harris are likely to face more questions about what the administration is doing to secure a hostage deal, said Jeremi Suri, history and public affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
“The best scenario for Biden and Harris would be a ceasefire this week,” Suri said. “Israeli public is pushing and Hamas seems open, but it is very hard to predict.”
(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; additional reporting by James Oliphant. Editing by Heather Timmons and Marguerita Choy)
DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A major downtown street will be repaved under a resurfacing contract awarded this week by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
Borough officials, who have lobbied for years to have East and West State Street resurfaced, announced the news on Wednesday via its Facebook page.
When the project happens later this year, the work will be fully paid for under a major $8.3 million project bid award by PennDOT to repave 16 miles of state highways in Bucks County.
This marks the first time that State Street will be resurfaced since the 1990s, said borough officials, who credited an organized lobbying effort by local leadership and the community for pushing the project forward.
In its Facebook posting, the borough thanked State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, State Rep. Tim Brennan, Borough Council, Mayor Noni West, residents and business owners who brought the street’s condition to PennDOT’s attention.
State Street runs through the heart of the borough and serves as a heavily used business, tourism, and residential corridor for the town. It is home to the County Theater, a popular local and regional tourist attraction, the historic Doylestown Inn, and many other businesses.
More detailed timing and work plans are expected once the state finalizes its construction schedule.
One person is dead, and two others were taken to the hospital after a crash involving multiple vehicles in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The crash happened around 4:45 p.m. at East Bristol Road and Brownsville roads, police said.
Police said a person driving a Toyota RAV4 was involved in a domestic-related incident in Lower Southampton Township before the crash.
The person driving the Toyota RAV4 was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle while attempting to pass a Hyundai Kona, according to police.
The Toyota then became airborne, struck a Honda SUV and a Ford pickup truck and rolled over. The driver of the Toyota died in the crash, police said.
The driver of the Hyundai Kona left the road and came to a rest after striking a fence on Bristol Road, according to police.
It’s unclear if any drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, police said.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Bensalem police.
Pennsylvania
Digital News Publishers Launch Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA) to Advocate for Local News Organizations – Saucon Source
The publishers of two dozen local news brands across Pennsylvania today announced the official formation of the Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA).
The new Harrisburg-based organization is dedicated to bringing together digital-first local news organizations to strengthen the independent press, modernize laws and policies, and ensure the long-term sustainability of community news.
“The news industry is in a period of profound transformation, and digital news publishers need a seat at the table,” said Tom Sofield, PiNA’s president and publisher of LevittownNow.com.
PiNA’s mission is to provide these publishers with a collective voice, advocating for policies that reflect the modern reality of news consumers, local businesses and civic organizations.
An immediate focus for the new association is the reform of Pennsylvania’s outdated public notice laws, which currently prohibit digital outlets from publishing legal notices. PiNA seeks the right for qualified and established digital outlets to compete against incumbent print outlets and for local municipalities to choose the publication and medium that’s best for their communities. PiNA’s proposed amendment draws from similar legislation in Virginia that was signed into law in 2024.
“PiNA publishers have long been ready to compromise and find policy solutions that work for all Pennsylvanians,” said PiNA secretary and treasurer Davis Shaver, publisher of LebTown. “When lawmakers and local government organizations say they want the ability to self-publish notices, it’s a result of legacy newspapers treating the print monopoly over public notices as a profit center.”
PiNA’s position is that independent outlets can provide the third-party affidavits of publication required to demonstrate compliance with public notice mandates–an essential role of the notice process that would not be possible if agencies were allowed to publish on their own websites.
“We understand why self-publication is desirable, but it’s not the only way to provide urgently needed financial relief for the onerous print newspaper tax on public notices,” said Shaver. “We’re tired of waiting for legacy newspapers to disrupt themselves. Enough is enough, let’s move on.”
PiNA has already engaged with state legislators from across the Commonwealth. PiNA leadership said that the group has been encouraged to learn that its position has widespread support. In particular, PiNA commends Representative Robert Freeman (D-136) for his leadership on this issue.
PiNA represents a group of serious-minded news organizations and leaders. Its membership spans the Commonwealth, from the most rural area to the suburbs and to the neighborhoods of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. PiNA member outlets are read by millions of Pennsylvanians monthly.
“We are coming together to advocate for our staffs, our readers and common-sense policies–like public notice reform–that support a free and modern press,” said Sofield. “By combining our strengths, we can ensure that every community in Pennsylvania has access to reliable local news.”
The association will work to bring collaboration among the locally-owned Pennsylvania small businesses to share ideas and solutions for growth, technology and sustainable revenue models.
“We believe in the power of local news to build stronger communities and improve lives,” said Sofield. “By forming PiNA, we’re creating a base for independent publishers to thrive together.”
PiNA is focused on ensuring that high-quality, trustworthy local news is a permanent fixture in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The founding members of PiNA include Burb Media, EYT Media Group, Fideri News Network, Lazerpro, Lebanon Publishing Company, NCPA Media LLC and Street Light Media Group. The first associate members include West Hills Gazette and Saucon Source.
Member Outlets: AroundAmbler.com, CentralBucksNews.com, explore814.com, exploreClarion.com, exploreJeffersonPA.com, exploreVenango.com, GlensideLocal.com, HorshamNow.com, LebTown.com, LevittownNow.com, MediaPANow.com, MoreThanTheCurve.com, NewHopeFreePress.com, NewtownPANow.com, NorthCentralPA.com, NorthPennNow.com, PerkValleyNow.com, PhillyDaily.com, SauconSource.com, StateCollege.com, WestHillsGazette.com, WillowGroveNow.com, and WissNow.com.
About PiNA
The Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA) is a trade association representing digital-first local news publishers. PiNA works to promote the health and sustainability of independent news outlets through advocacy, collaboration and innovation.
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