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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania House passes bill restricting how social media companies treat minors
By MARC LEVY (Associated Press)
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation aimed at regulating how online social media platforms interact with children, although its provisions are similar to those in state laws being blocked in federal courts or in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The bill passed nearly along party lines, 105-95, with 10 Republicans voting with most Democrats for it and seven Democrats voting with most Republicans against it.
It faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled state Senate, and the nation’s highest court may soon decide whether state-level provisions like the ones in the bill can be enforced.
The bill would require social media platforms to allow users to report “hateful conduct,” such as threats or bullying, and publicize a policy for how they will respond to such reports. It also would require users under 18 to get parental consent and bar the platforms from “data mining” users under 18, or sifting through their user data to find specific information or develop insight into patterns or habits.
The sponsor, Rep. Brian Munroe, D-Bucks, said the concepts in the bill are nothing new and similar to age-related restrictions that the government has put on movies, driving, drinking alcohol or smoking, or the parental permissions that are required for things like field trips or school sports.
“Time and time again, we’ve acted in the best interests of children by looking at the exposure to potentially harmful activities and said, ‘not at that age and not without your parents’ OK,’” Munroe told colleagues during floor debate.
Parents and children are asking for such regulation, Munroe said.
The Washington-based Computer and Communications Industry Association — whose members include Google, owner of YouTube, and Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram — pointed out that the legislation, called House Bill 2017, has similarities to laws in other states that are being challenged in court.
“While the goal of protecting younger users is commendable, HB2017 risks infringing upon younger users’ ability to access and engage in open online expression and could cut off access to communities of support,” the association said in a statement. “There are also significant data privacy and security concerns associated with the data collection that would be required to verify a user’s age and a parent/legal guardian’s relationship to a minor.”
California-based Meta has said parental supervision tools and other measures already are in place to ensure teens have age-appropriate experiences online, and that algorithms are used to filter out harmful content.
The bill’s “hateful conduct” provision is based on a 2022 New York law that has been blocked in federal court.
Last year, Utah became the first state to pass laws that require minors to get parental consent before using social media. That law has been challenged in federal court by the trade group NetChoice.
Also, last year, federal judges put on hold an Arkansas law that required parental consent for children to create social media accounts and a California law barring tech companies from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that sprang from legal challenges to state laws in Florida and Texas that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms.
The details of the two laws vary, but both sought to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints.
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Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Lottery Pick 2 Day, Pick 2 Evening results for Dec. 18, 2025
The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Pick 2 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
Day: 6-1, Wild: 7
Evening: 0-7, Wild: 1
Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
Day: 9-1-4, Wild: 7
Evening: 9-4-8, Wild: 1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
Day: 6-6-9-7, Wild: 7
Evening: 6-1-7-4, Wild: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
Day: 0-1-5-9-1, Wild: 7
Evening: 8-1-7-5-3, Wild: 1
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
20-26-46-57-60, Cash Ball: 02
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
01-02-26-31-38
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
02-11-19-20-22
Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Dec. 18 drawing
20-24-29-31-39-40
Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
- Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
- Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
- Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.
When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
- Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
- Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
- Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Pennsylvania
GIANT Company closing five Pennsylvania fulfilment centers
(WHTM) — The GIANT Company recently confirmed that it will be closing five of its Pennsylvania-based fulfillment centers.
According to The GIANT Company, these Pennsylvania fulfillment centers that will be closing down include locations in Lancaster, Philadelphia, Willow Grove, Coopersburg, and North Coventry.
The company will also be closing its centralized e-commerce fulfillment operations in Manassas, Virginia, per a press release.
A spokesperson with GIANT says these upcoming closures are the result of a company decision to transition fully to store-based fulfilment, as opposed to centralized fulfilment.
“We’ve learned over the past few years that there isn’t a one size fits all approach to our e-commerce business, particularly our fulfillment model” The GIANT Company said in an email. “With customers expecting faster delivery, we need to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible to meet their ever-changing needs. ”
The GIANT Company adds that orders will now be “shopped” by GIANT Direct team members in store, and delivered orders will now be completed by a third-party instead of a GIANT Direct driver.
Some benefits of this change include faster delivery times, expanded assortment, delivery windows are now only one hour, and customers will be able to make changes to an order 2-3 hours before the delivery window, instead of the previous 4-6 hours window.
According to The GIANT Company, these fulfillment centers will continue to operate into early next year, with most closures occurring by the end of Q1 in 2026.
The fulfillment center in Lancaster County is expected to wind down operations by the end of April 2026, affecting 81 team members.
According to a WARN Notice filed with the Department of Labor & Industry, the GIANT fulfillment center located in Philadelphia will close down on February 13, a move that will affect 128 employees.
The GIANT Company notes that its focus now is to support team members affected by this transition.
“E-commerce remains an important segment of our business strategy and key to our future omnichannel growth,” The GIANT Company added. “We remain committed to providing an outstanding experience to our customers by offering speedy delivery, more delivery windows, broad product assortment and value.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania GOP Reps buck party on health care subsidies
Although he voted for the first iteration of the bill, which cut funding for Medicaid and Medicare, Fitzpatrick ultimately voted against it a few months later. Mackenzie and Bresnahan, however, did vote for its ultimate passage, which their opponents have been quick to jump on.
“Rob Bresnahan unleashed a health care crisis on Northeastern Pennsylvania by voting for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, stripping funding from our rural hospitals, and failing to take meaningful action in time to prevent health care costs from skyrocketing for Northeastern Pennsylvanians next month,” Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said in a statement.
“Ryan Mackenzie’s eleventh hour attempt to paper over his own record of gutting health care and jacking up costs is like an arsonist calling the fire department after he already lit the match,” said firefighter Bob Brooks, who is running to replace Mackenzie. “Hardworking people all across the Lehigh Valley are struggling with rising prices and a health care crisis that Mackenzie unleashed when he voted for Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’”
Neither Fitzpatrick nor Bresnahan responded to WHYY News’ requests for comment, but Mackenzie replied with a statement in which he called the health care crisis “a serious issue with real-world consequences” and said “we must find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to protect access to health insurance for families in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.”
Mackenzie’s office pushed back on the characterization that the congressman waited until “the 11th hour,” arguing he has spent several months working with members on both sides of the aisle to find a bipartisan compromise. They also pointed out that Mackenzie participated in a televised town hall in September, during which he discussed the impending health care crisis.
Sans bipartisan compromise, Mackenzie called the three-year extension “the only remaining option.” He further blamed Democrats for failing to sign onto his efforts for compromise that would include “longer-term reforms that reduce costs.”
“The Affordable Care Act remains broken, and our health care system is in urgent need of reforms that improve transparency, expand choice, and reduce costs,” he said. “Supporting this discharge petition is currently the only way to keep discussions about bipartisan reforms alive.”
Harvie disputes that contention and that the “so-called problem solvers” among the Republican Party have their constituents’ best interests at heart.
“The Republican party’s been trying to kill the Affordable Care Act since it was originally passed, and I think this is just another step of what they’re trying to do and they’re trying to make it look like they’re not doing it,” he said. “Democrats have been fighting for people to have access to health care access that really is meaningful to expand health care opportunities for people.”
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