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The Doctor Is In: Mehmet Oz Wins Pennsylvania GOP Senate Primary

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The Doctor Is In: Mehmet Oz Wins Pennsylvania GOP Senate Primary


Greater than two weeks following the first, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick conceded the Republican election in Pennsylvania for the U.S. Senate to superstar coronary heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. He ended his marketing campaign on Friday night after acknowledging he wouldn’t get sufficient absentee votes to make up the deficit.

“It’s now clear to me with the recount largely full that now we have a nominee,” McCormick stated at a marketing campaign get together at a Pittsburgh lodge to the Related Press. “And right this moment, I referred to as Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory.”

McCormick’s concession means a match-up between Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Democrat John Fetterman in what is predicted to be one of the vital costly Senate contests within the nation.

“We share the purpose of a brighter future for Pennsylvania and America,” Oz stated in a press release. “Now that our main is over, we’ll be sure that the U.S. Senate seat doesn’t fall into the palms of the unconventional left, led by John Fetterman.”

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The native final result might decide if Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stays Senate Majority Chief or reverts to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), as Democrats assume it’s one in every of their greatest possibilities to choose up a seat within the race to switch retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. 

Earlier than the recount, Oz led McCormick by 972 votes out of 1.34 million votes counted within the Could 17 main. On Friday, the state Board of Elections indicated the margin between the 2 candidates is simply 0.07 proportion factors – too near formally name the race.

Fetterman, 52, the state’s lieutenant governor, admitted that he practically died when he suffered a stroke simply days earlier than the first. Clocking in at 6-foot-8, replete with a slew of tattoos on his arms—a part of his political enchantment—the Democrat had ignored warning indicators for years and a physician’s recommendation to take blood thinners.

The Democratic candidate not too long ago met together with his neurologist who stated that cognitively, “John is ideal, and properly on his method to a full restoration,” marketing campaign spokesman Joe Calvello stated.

The 61-year-old Oz doesn’t have a whole lot of historical past with the GOP, however he’s been buddies with Trump for practically twenty years. In a decidedly quirky 2016 look on “The Dr. Oz Present”, Trump instructed him, “you recognize, my spouse’s a giant fan of your present.”

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The Senate Republicans are taking no possibilities towards the Democratic large because it launches its first tv advert towards Fetterman, saying he’s an ally of Bernie Sanders.

The media spot, first reported by POLITICO, stated the Democratic candidate “sided with socialists, backed a authorities takeover of well being care” and “embraced elements of the Inexperienced New Deal that’d value you 50,000 bucks a 12 months.”

Born in america to Turkish dad and mom, Oz has twin citizenship however has promised to resign it if elected. If he wins in November, he can even be the nation’s first Muslim senator.

Following the recount tallies, the Appearing Secretary of State Leigh Chapman is predicted to formally announce Mr. Oz because the Republican nominee on June 8, in keeping with the Pittsburgh Submit-Gazette, because the Pennsylvania election code requires.



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Pennsylvania eatery sues customer who left $3,000 tip on $13 meal– his gesture wasn’t as kind as it seemed

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Pennsylvania eatery sues customer who left $3,000 tip on $13 meal– his gesture wasn’t as kind as it seemed


A Pennsylvania restaurant reportedly filed a civil lawsuit against a customer after he left a $3,000 tip for a waitress. Kind as the gesture seemed, it was not as simple as the waitress first thought.

Pennsylvania eatery sues customer who left $3,000 tip on $13 meal (Pixabay – representational image)

Back in June 2022, the staff at Alfredo’s Cafe in Scranton were shocked to find that Eric Smith, a customer, left this huge tip after coming to the cafe and ordering a stromboli which only cost $13.25. Mariana Lambert, the waitress who served him, became emotional and overwhelmed upon seeing his gesture.

“It really meant a lot to me because everyone’s going through stuff. It really touched my heart. I still can’t believe it. I’m still in shock,” Lambert later said.

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However, finding the move obviously unusual and to make sure Smith had not accidentally left the money, Matt Martini of Alfredo’s Cafe went to verify the figure and collect additional ID from the customer. Interestingly, Smith had written ‘Tips for Jesus’ on the check.

Martini asked Smith about the note, and it is then that the customer revealed that he had left the tip after being inspired by a social media trend called ‘Tips for Jesus.’ He decided to do it after seeing how hospitable Lambert was.

Things took a turn for the worse

Martini tried to make sure the tip was above board, but things only got worse. A few weeks later, the cafe received a letter saying Smith was disputing the charge for the tip.

Zachary Jacobson, a worker at the cafe, recalled, according to Unilad, “We thought somebody was actually trying to do a good thing. And then now we are, what, three months later? Not even, and there’s nothing. There’s nothing to show for it at this point.”

Alfredo’s had already given the $3,000 to Lambert. Therefore, the eatery had to repay Smith out of their own pockets. They tried to communicate with Smith on Facebook, but eventually launched a civil lawsuit against him.

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“Unfortunately, we had to file charges through the magistrate’s office because now we’re just out of this money at this point. And he told us to sue him. So that’s what we’re going to end up doing, I guess,” Jacobson said.

Community members launched a GoFundMe to help Alfredo’s raise funds, but the fundraiser was shut down after the business refused to accept cash.



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As gun violence drops sharply in Pa., focus is on what’s working – WHYY

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As gun violence drops sharply in Pa., focus is on what’s working – WHYY


Continuing problems

Even as gun violence rates decline, gun reform advocates say there is much more work to be done.

Gun deaths and injuries cost Pennsylvanians $1,692 on average per person in 2019, according to data from EveryTown. More than 1,900 Pennsylvanians died by gun violence in 2021, with 181 being children and teenagers.

State Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin/Cumberland) said lawmakers should have acted on gun reform a long time ago.

“We cannot see another life go away because we can’t get it together,” she said.

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Gun reform bills have stalled in the State Legislature this session. A Senate billintroduced by Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) that would create a state research center for gun violence has awaited movement since January 2023.

A House bill establishing a gun violence task force in counties that surpass a firearm-related death threshold has not moved since March 2023. The ACLU opposes the task force bill due to the potential for Pennsylvania to prosecute more gun violence cases, even though more firearm deaths in the state are a result of suicide than homicide.

Two House bills, one aiming to track firearms sales and the other banning multi-burst gun modifiers, failed to pass by one vote in May.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) said as the State Legislature keeps gun reform “bottled up,” the state must fund organizations doing work locally.

“With the resources that this Commonwealth has, we need to be investing in organizations like yours and all the others that are around here that are doing the hard work but are doing it for nothing,” he said to Mariah Lewis, a gun violence survivor.

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Lewis, now a med tech at a personal care facility in Palmyra, was shot in the face by her son’s father in 2021. She lost her left eye and now uses a prosthetic. Her attacker was spiraling after experiencing difficulty finding employment with a felony.

Kia Hansard, co-founder of nonprofit Concerned About the Children of Harrisburg, said that her organization helps provide immediate employment to people coming home from state correctional institutions regardless of conviction. Since opening in 2017, CATCH has found 544 people permanent employment.

Lewis founded Eye Choose Me, a nonprofit focused on domestic violence and gun reform, in 2022. Two years after its first meeting, she is still helping to fund the organization from her own pockets.

Money is not the only thing that can buy safe communities, according to Lewis. She emphasized the importance of outreach strategies and speaking to vulnerable people on the ground.

“Conversations are free,” Lewis said. “You going out into the community is free.”

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CATCH co-founder Charla Plains said funding social services, including counseling services in schools, is integral to steering children away from gun violence. 

Shapiro’s budget would put $11.5 million toward after-school learning opportunities for children and $11 million toward building parks and improving shared spaces.

Carter acknowledged the importance of local organizations pushing for community connection because the Harrisburg police “just don’t have that trust.”

Philadelphia’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission reports 3 people killed by police from January to May 2024.

“When we are talking about gun violence, we cannot ignore the fact that gun violence also includes law enforcement violence,” Kia Hansard said.

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Shapiro’s budget would invest $16 million to create four new Pennsylvania State Police cadet classes in an effort to aid understaffed local police departments.

Former Gov. Tom Wolf approved the Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution Grant Program, which funds the investigation and prosecution of firearm-related violence. The program was funded by $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money.



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More funding could be coming to a Pa. affordable housing program

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More funding could be coming to a Pa. affordable housing program


Shapiro’s proposal would not increase PHARE funding to $100 million overnight, instead adding $10 million to the ceiling each year until 2028. He also proposed adding $50 million to the Whole-Home Repairs Program, a separate grant for low-income homeowners to address problems like leaking roofs, unsafe electrical wiring, and broken furnaces.

Shapiro also pitched scrapping PHARE’s current funding formula in favor of what his budget proposal calls a “guaranteed” transfer. Bonder noted, the current formula sometimes results in PHARE receiving less money than its cap allows. The guaranteed transfer would mean funds reliably hit the cap every year.

This higher sum would be overwhelmingly funded via the state’s realty transfer tax, one of several funding sources for PHARE, along with natural gas impact fees and money from the National Housing Trust Fund. Money from the transfer tax goes to several areas of the budget, including the general fund, and Bonder said the state’s current surplus means there is spending flexibility.

State House Democrats back Shapiro’s proposal as written, according to their spokesperson, Beth Rementer. But state Senate Republicans would need to be won over in budget negotiations.

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The state budget was due June 30, but lawmakers are still haggling over the final package.

Asked for comment, a spokesperson for state Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin (R., Lancaster) responded, “We do not have an update to share on that issue at this time.”

State Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. (R., Beaver), who sponsored the legislation over the past two sessions, is somewhat optimistic.

“We’re hopeful that we’re going to see a cap increase,” Vogel’s communications director, Abby Chiumento, said. “With negotiations ongoing, we don’t know what’s going to be in the final budget.”

PHARE was signed into law in 2010. The legislation that led to the program’s establishment received near-unanimous support in both chambers.

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The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which is affiliated with but not run by the state, chooses the recipients of PHARE grants. The recipients range from nonprofits to county governments.

The program “allows municipalities and localities and counties to figure out how they can best use the dollars,” said Allegheny County Executive and former Democratic state representative Sara Innamorato. “For us, it’s addressing homelessness, but if there’s a community that wants to create more first-time home buyers, they can design a program around that.”

Innamorato, who sponsored the PHARE cap increase bill in the state House when she served there, argues more funding is overdue.

“There’s many projects that are worthy that go unfunded every year,” she said. “We could always use more money to invest in addressing housing needs.”

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.

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