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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is on the list of potential running mates for Kamala Harris if she becomes the Democrat nominee on the 2024 ticket.
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Shapiro has built a reputation for himself in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, drawing harsh criticism from Republicans in the state while garnering strong support from Democrats. Pennsylvania Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Trump-backed candidate who ran against Shapiro for the governorship in 2022, said Shapiro never “finished a job” he was elected to do.
“He is always looking to move up the political ladder at the expense of the very people that voted for him,” Mastriano said, noting that homicides and murders increased more than 37% between 2017 and 2021, when Shapiro was the commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer. Philadelphia has long held one of the highest murder rates per capita in the country.
Shapiro “was too interested in being [g]overnor to perform his job as Attorney General,” Mastriano said.
“This is a pattern with him dating back to his time as a Montgomery County commissioner,” he added. “He was so interested in placating the Democratic Party, instead of fighting crime and protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania from the influx of fentanyl, he instead was suing the Little Sisters of the Poor back in 2020. Now he is championing for allowing biological males in women’s sports and locker rooms.”
PENNSYLVANIA GOV. SHAPIRO HITS CNN FOR NOT CALLING OUT TRUMP’S ‘LIES’ DURING DEBATE WITH BIDEN
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Police investigate the scene where a Philadelphia police officer was shot on Jan. 26, 2024.(Elizabeth Robertson/Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Doug Mastriano, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Pennsylvania, greets attendees at a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5, 2022.(Dustin Franz/Bloomberg)
Fred Trecce, former Philadelphia federal prosecutor, praised Shapiro’s performance.
“He did a yeoman’s job. He did a good job. He took some tough cases,” Trecce told Fox News Digital. “He had a couple of issues where they had a large case they had to let go because there were some issues about mishandling evidence. … It happened on his watch, but I’m not sure you can lay that at his feet. … He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not sure he did anything a lot right, either. But he did what he needed to do to build himself a nice reputation, and ultimately, he was able to parlay [it] into being the governor.”
“I mean, they like him,” Trecce said of Pennsylvanians. “The general consensus among the people with whom I’ve spoken, which is completely unscientific, is that … he hasn’t made anybody angry.”
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PA GOV JOSH SHAPIRO DELIVERS UPDATE ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, HONORS VICTIM SLAIN IN ATTACK
Vice President Harris and Gov. Josh Shapiro speak to the press during a stop at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13, 2024.(RYAN COLLERD/AFP)
Much of his career in the AG’s office, however, focused on holding companies that helped fuel the opioid crisis accountable, as Pennsylvania Democrat State Sen. Sharif Street told Fox News Digital.
“I think one of the things that both Gov. Shapiro worked on as attorney general and Vice President Harris worked on as attorney general, as well, was the opioid settlement[s],” Street said. “They went after the drug companies that were these big corporate interests that were mass-producing opioids like Percocet and OxyContin, flooding our communities with fentanyl, as well. And they took … them on and they made them pay for the harm that they’ve done.”
PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND BIDEN, BLAST ‘PREMATURE’ SHAPIRO SPECULATION
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Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on April 16, 2024.(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)
2016
Shapiro, now 51, ran for Pennsylvania’s attorney general in 2016 after Kathleen Kane resigned after her convictions for perjury, obstruction of justice and other crimes. He has expressed opposition to the death penalty, effectively continuing former Gov. Tom Wolf’s moratorium on the practice.
Prior to winning the AG election, he worked for corporate law firm Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young in Philadelphia.
The same year he won the title of top prosecutor, he launched an investigation into thousands of sexual assault allegations made against more than 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Shapiro publicized the lengthy grand jury investigation findings for the public to read.
2017
In 2017, Shapiro was sworn in and successfully arrested dozens of people involved in a drug trafficking scheme in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerane County known as the “million dollar heroin ring.” His investigation, which began in 2016, ultimately led to the arrests of 36 suspects accused of dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
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Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on April 16, 2024.(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)
STATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RALLY BEHIND BIDEN AFTER PARTY CHAIR SUGGESTS GOP PULL TRUMP’S NOM
“This ring of drug dealers was selling thousands of dollars’ worth of heroin and crack cocaine every day for more than a year – infecting Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding communities until we put a stop to it,” Shapiro said at the time. “The people of Luzerne County are fed up with the peddling of this poison in their communities. We hear you and today, we took 36 more dealers off the streets of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
2018
The next year, Shapiro took over prosecution for a Penn State hazing death case in Contre County.
Shaprio ultimately got a 21-year-old member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity involved in the 2017 hazing death of Penn State student Tim Piazza to plead guilty to four counts of hazing and five counts relating to unlawful acts involving liquor.
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JOSH SHAPIRO TELLS TRUMP TO STOP ‘S—TALKING AMERICA,’ ‘TRYING TO DIVIDE US’
In March 2018, he also got the former Bedford County District Attorney to plead guilty to 11 counts related to political corruption for protecting drug dealers from criminal prosecution.
President Biden and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro visit a coffee shop in Harrisburg on July 7, 2024.(SAUL LOEB/AFP)
2019
Shapiro and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal sued the Trump administration and won a nationwide injunction blocking then-President Trump from implementing religious and moral exemptions that would allow companies to opt out of providing insurance to female employees for no-cost birth control.
“Women need contraception for their health because contraception is medicine, pure and simple. Families rely on the Affordable Care Act’s guarantee to afford care; before the ACA, families spent thousands of dollars in co-pays,” Shaprio said at the time. “Congress hasn’t changed that law, and the President can’t simply ignore it with an illegal rule. I will not allow the federal government – under the direction of the Trump Administration – to undermine the rights of women and violate the rule of law.”
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PA GOV. SHAPIRO PROPOSES PLAN TO MAKE POWER PLANTS PAY FOR GREENHOUSE GASES
2020
Initially, during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, when approximately a third of Pennsylvania businesses shuttered under local mandates, Shapiro encouraged Pennsylvanians to report neighbors and businesses in violation of lockdowns, as Reason magazine notes.
“See a #COVID19 health and safety violation? Report it!”
— Josh Shapiro on X
His office stood by former Gov. Tom Wolf’s lockdown rules and went to state and federal court to pursue business owners who were not following guidelines.
However, in a 2022 interview with the Associated Press, Shapiro shared that he thinks the lockdowns that shuttered schools and businesses were “an area where … folks got it wrong.”
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After the death of George Floyd later on in 2020, Shapiro worked with Wolf to help pass a statewide police misconduct database.
“After George Floyd and Walter Wallace … at that time, we had Republicans controlling the House and the Senate. With his leadership as attorney general, speaking up, he helped us get important reforms and make sure that all police officers had to be properly trained,” Street said.
IN 2024, PA GOV. SHAPIRO WILL FACE DEMANDING SCHOOL FUNDING CHALLENGES, PREPARE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
As governor, much of Shapiro’s focus has been on improving police recruitment and retention.
Vice President Harris hugs then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro at Pittsburgh International Airport on June 21, 2021.(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)
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“Governor Shapiro believes Pennsylvanians deserve to be safe and feel safe in this communities, and he is working to build safer communities by supporting the work of law enforcement and first responders, investing in our communities, promoting anti-violence initiatives, and pursuing smart reforms to keep people safe across the Commonwealth,” his website currently states.
Also in 2020, Shapiro worked with Wolf on a 10-year contract between Highmark patients and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to ensure that Highmark patients could receive care from UPMC doctors after the networks split. After the split, patients covered by Highmark insurance would have lost access to care at 11 hospitals before Shapiro got them to reach an agreement.
2021
In 2021, Shapiro and other attorneys general from 47 states secured a $573 million settlement with McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm that helped fuel the opioid crisis by promoting certain drugs and profiting off the drug addiction that boosted sales of those drugs.
Josh Shapiro(Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg)
He also worked with 45 other AGs to reach a $120 million opioid settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson and DePuy.
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2022
The following year, Shapiro targeted those fueling the opioid crisis again, announcing that he finalized agreements with CVS and Walgreens for Pennsylvania to receive more than $450 million in opioid settlement funds.
HARRIS SNUBS ONE OF THE FEW DEMS OPEN TO BEING HER VP: REPORT
“No amount of money will bring back the lives we lost, but today’s agreement with CVS and Walgreens will help to ensure Pennsylvanians suffering from opioid addiction get the treatment and recovery resources they need,” Shapiro said in a statement. “My office is determined to hold accountable the greedy companies that created and jet-fueled the opioid epidemic. Today’s action sends a message to drug distributors and pharmaceutical companies that we’re here to always fight for the people we serve.”
2023
Shapiro won Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race in 2023.
In perhaps the most controversial event to hit Shapiro since he became AG in 2016, his office agreed to pay $295,000 in September to quietly settle a sexual assault case brought against a close and trusted adviser, Mike Vereb, as Spotlight PA reported at the time, citing documents obtained through a records request.
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In an interview with Politico last year, Shapiro did not address the accusations outright but pointed to his record defending victims of sexual assault.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is seen at the Celebration of Freedom ceremony during Wawa Welcome America on July 4, 2023, in Philadelphia.(Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
“I have a long and extensive track record of standing up for victims of sexual abuse, harassment. I led, I think, the most comprehensive investigation on behalf of victims of clergy sex abuse, prosecuted hundreds of sexual predators,” he told the outlet. “I have done extensive work with victims, listening to their stories, investigating their stories, and standing up for them. So I’ll take a back seat to no one when it comes to standing up for victims.”
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HARRIS REPLACING BIDEN AS THE DEMOCRAT’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE
Trecce says Shapiro “did not stick his hand in the hornet’s nest of any case that one might end up getting stung by.”
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“He’s not despised by conservatives,” and he’s well-liked among Democrats, Trecce said.
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Street said Shapiro has “throughout his career has brought people together.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
A stunning four-bedroom work of art designed by late Italian architect and loft pioneer Giuseppe “Beppe” Zambonini has just hit the market in Pennsylvania for $625,000—listing for the first time in more than two decades.
The upside-down 1987 trapezoid-style dwelling in Dingmans Ferry boasts a barrel vaulted ceiling supported by eight interior columns and is surrounded by expansive windows and decks to soak in the tranquil views of nature.
Each of the rooms was designed, not as a traditional rectangle, but as a trapezoid, a technique that was meant to maximize the amount of natural light inside the home, ensuring that each window has ample opportunity to let the sun shine through.
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It was a design method that Beppe came up with while working in New York City, where he was renowned for his work creating stunning loft spaces with “theater set” walls. He then brought that technique to Pennsylvania, where he sought to design his own weekend retreat, using the hallmarks that had turned him into a legend of Big Apple architecture.
The result is a home that appears, from the outside, almost like a stack of unevenly placed shipping containers—but on the inside is a stunning, light-filled dwelling, with enormous windows that offer beautiful views of the surrounding area from every room.
A stunning four-bedroom work of art designed by late Italian architect and loft pioneer Giuseppe “Beppe” Zambonini has just hit the market in Pennsylvania for $625,000—listing for the first time in more than two decades.HomeTourVision
The upside-down 1987 trapezoid-style dwelling in Dingmans Ferry, PA, boasts a barrel vaulted ceiling supported by eight interior columns and is surrounded by expansive windows and decks to soak in the tranquil views of nature.HomeTourVision
The result is a home with enormous windows that offer beautiful views of the surrounding area from every room.HomeTourVision
“There are numerous instances in the construction where hallways, rooms, and decks are not perfectly rectangular but rather are all trapezoid in shape,” says listing agent Shaun Burger of Keller Williams Real Estate Milford.
Beppe purchased the 2.44-acre land on which the home now sits in the 1980s, before crafting a home that would be used full time by his wife and their daughter—but was close enough to New York City that he could join them on weekends.
The idyllic parcel is perched above Nyce Lake in a development that would later become known as Traces of Lattimore.
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“It is only 90 minutes away from Manhattan but is a world away in terms of peacefulness and nature,” Burger noted. “There are a lot of properties here being used as second homes, but it could also be used as a primary residence.”
The unique home—which was constructed by Beppe and a team of his best students from his design school, Open Atelier of Design—drew immediate attention from design aficionados, even featuring in a play entitled “The Upside Down House” in New York and a feature film called “A Picture of You.”
In a nod to this heritage, the garage door features a design by one of Beppe’s students resembling a theater curtain that a local artist created using shades of Chinese red, gray, and white.
Burger says that with so much cultural and architectural history, the property feels as much like a piece of art as it does a residential dwelling, one that the current owner has taken great care to preserve and maintain.
“The seller is very much into the arts and feels more of a custodian of the home,” Burger shares. “He is looking to pass it along to the next steward.”
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What makes the dwelling so unique is that only one column is exposed on each floor, which is highlighted by a different color in each room. In the home office, the column is red while the primary bedroom features a blue support, and a yellow column can be found in the dining room.
In the 40 years since the property was built, it has changed hands on only one occasion, in 2005—when it was sold by Beppe’s wife, Claudia, to the man who owns it now for $396,000.HomeTourVision
The property is located just 90 minutes from Manhattan.HomeTourVision
“There are a lot of windows and sitting areas, so when you are inside, you feel like you are outside,” the listing agent says.HomeTourVision
A third-floor loft boasts Zambonini’s signature theater set walls.
“The home itself is so unique, which is what originally attracted the seller,” he added. “There are so many Colonials, ranches, and cookie-cutter homes in the area, so it is infrequent to find a home like this where there has been so much thought put into it.”
In the 40 years since the property was built, it has changed hands on only one occasion, in 2005—when it was sold by Beppe’s wife, Claudia, to the man who owns it now for $396,000.
“I scrupulously maintained the original colors of the house, inside and out, and kept the kitchen and bathrooms as I found them,” the seller writes in the listing. “After 21 years, it is time for a new custodian to live in this significant work of art.”
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According to Burger, the property would be the perfect retreat for someone who likes their privacy but also enjoys entertaining guests, offering ample room across its 2,850-square-foot design.
“It has four bedrooms and four bathrooms so it would be a nice home for someone who loves to entertain,” Burger adds. “There is plenty of space for guests.”
What’s more, the property offers the best of both worlds—surrounded by nature, but with all the convenience of proximity to nearby cities and towns.
“There are a lot of windows and sitting areas, so when you are inside, you feel like you are outside,” the listing agent says. “Dingmans Ferry is very quaint and has lots of lakes, waterfalls, hiking trails, and skiing. It’s a naturally beautiful area.
“I envision the next buyer to be an artist who will totally appreciate this work of art. The area has highly rated public schools for someone who has children. I think it will be someone who will want a getaway where they can reconnect and recharge with nature and will not want to change or renovate the home.”
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (WFMZ) — 59 creameries across the Commonwealth are serving up a sweet summer connecting dairy lovers with Pennsylvania farms.
June 4 kicked off the Ninth Annual Scooped Ice Cream Trail.
Ice cream lovers can register online and fill out a digital passport as they visit participating creameries. Each visit earns points towards various prizes.
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The owners of Batch Microcreamery in Center Valley tell 69 News they’re excited to be part of the trail for the third year in a row, attracting visitors locally and out-of-state.
“This is the third location of the ice cream trail that I’ve been on,” said Kamden Acevedo.
Acevedo is originally from Staten Island and said he’s motivated to try other locations on the trail throughout the state.
“I love ice cream. I’m going to try, I’m going to try my hardest honestly,” Acevedo stated.
Dana Reibman and her daughter are just happy for the sweet treat.
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“We’re all up for ice cream all the time. We come here probably about once a month because we like trying the different flavors. As you can see, she really enjoys the cookie monster flavor,” Reibman explained.
Here’s what we know now about school cellphone bans
More states are implementing or considering phone bans in schools following guidance from the U.S. Surgeon General on children and social media.
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives passed a bill requiring schools to create policies restricting student cellphone use.
Pittsburgh Public Schools already has a policy banning student cellphone use during the school day, which was approved in late 2025.
Under Pittsburgh’s policy, students must turn in their phones to school personnel for the duration of the school day.
If Pennsylvania sees statewide restrictions on cellphones in schools, would anything change in Pittsburgh?
It’s too early to say for sure.
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On June 1, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation that would require school districts to adopt phone restrictions, leaving the details of the exact policy’s implementation up to individual districts, according to USA TODAY. Now, if cleared by the Senate — which already passed another version of the proposal with almost unanimous support — it will go to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has repeatedly said he supports getting cellphones out of classrooms with a bell-to-bell ban.
“Here in Pennsylvania, Democrats and Republicans agree: We need to let our kids be kids again,” Shapiro said in a June 4 post to his X account.
But Pittsburgh’s already ahead of the curve when it comes to banning cellphones during school hours because of a school board policy approved in late 2025.
Here’s what to know.
Are cell phones banned in Pittsburgh schools?
Yes, cellphones are banned during the school day at Pittsburgh Public Schools.
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In December 2025, Pittsburgh Public Schools Board voted to ban the use of phones by students during the school day, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.
Under the policy, the possession of phones by students is prohibited. While they may bring cellphones to school, the devices must be turned in to school personnel during the school day.
There are exceptions to the policy in cases where a student may need a phone for instructional activities, an Individualized Education Plan, a Section 504 Plan or for other reasons approved by a school administrator.
Why are schools banning cellphones?
Numerous states have already banned cellphones in schools, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and others, according to ABC News.
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This year, Indiana and Kansas banned phones during the day, implementing policies that require students to keep their phones in inaccessible locations through the entire school day, USA TODAY reported.
Recently, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming passed or updated less restrictive legislation on phones in schools, according to an analysis by the Becca Schmill Foundation, the Institute for Families and Technology, Smartphone-Free Childhood US and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.
Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania may follow suit.
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Do cellphone bans work?
Yes and no.
Cellphone bans keep kids off their devices, but they don’t appear to impact test scores, attendance, self-reported classroom attention or perceived online bullying, according to a study published in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Additionally, researchers found that during the first year of a cellphone ban, disciplinary incidents rose and students’ reported well-being fell, though the effects subsided as the years passed.
Still, there’s a push for bans nationally, with the U.S. surgeon general’s office warning on May 20 that “compulsive” screen use is linked to poor sleep, substance abuse, developmental disruptions and social, mental and behavioral issues. The office suggested that cellphone bans in schools are a way to help put excessive screen time in check.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
