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Rachel Levine, a doctor dedicated to diversity and LGBTQ health who is a transgender woman, has been appointed physician general by Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Wolf. If chosen to serve in the governor’s cabinet, Levine, who has worked in the fields of pediatrics, psychiatry, and behavioral health for three decades, would become the highest-ranked transgender woman ever in the Pennsylvania government. Though he couldn’t say for certain, a spokesperson from Wolf’s office told Philadelphia magazine that “he believes Levine is the first transgender woman to hold the title of physician general.” Levine is the chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine...

Morgan said she is not worried about anyone coming after her, because she packs heat. In the five months since Jan Morgan banned Muslims from her gun range in Hot Springs, Ark., business has boomed and predictions of a lawsuit brought by federal civil rights enforcers have so far proved inaccurate. Morgan, who claims keeping Muslims out of her Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range is a matter of public safety and not a constitutional issue, says she made the decision in September after two customers she deemed suspicious visited. She said their furtive behavior and cellphone ringtones of “Allahu Akhbar”...

Gov. Tom Wolf stood with a small group of lawmakers Wednesday morning to rally new efforts behind bills that would extend basic anti-discrimination protections statewide on the basis of sexual orientation. For Pennsylvania, a state where in most municipalities a person can still be fired from his job or denied housing because of his or her sexual orientation, Wolf said the extended anti-discrimination bills fit the state's heritage perfectly. "Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn on the basis of tolerance. On the basis of religious freedom," Wolf noted. U.S. District Judge John Jones gave the LGBT movement a push with...

When professors do pay attention to religion, they usually get it wrong. “Conservatives would rather have [social welfare] provided by religious organizations, which is incompatible with other aspects of Catholic social teaching,” Robin Sowards, an adjunct professor at Duquesne University told an audience at the Modern Language Association (MLA) convention in Vancouver, Canada. Here are a few highlights from the history of Catholic Charities: October 24, 1727—“Ursuline sisters arrive from France to open an orphanage, school for street girls, and health facility in New Orleans. It is the first formal Catholic charity in the present United States.” January 1, 1845—“The...

Menendez: Obama Admin Statements on Iran 'Sound like Talking Points Straight out of Tehran'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A heated exchanged between President Barack Obama and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) broke out Thursday over whether the U.S. should reimpose sanctions on Iran amid ongoing negotiations over the country's nuclear program, according to two senators who were in the room. Menendez, the leading Democrat pushing for additional sanctions against Iran, forcefully pressed Obama on the need for additional sanctions during a meeting in which Obama urged Menendez and other senators to drop their efforts to pass sanctions legislation. Additional sanctions, Obama argued, could torpedo ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. The unusually sharp exchange, between...

Everyone involved seems to be trying to put the best face on it, but Barack Obama went so far as to suggest senior Democrats like Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who take a hard line on Iran, are doing so purely to appease their donors. Obama said that as a former senator himself, he understood how outside forces — like special interests and donors — can influence senators to act, one of the senators recounted.

U.N. gives mixed signals on Tehran cooperation as nuclear talks intensifySenate Democrats on Tuesday backed away from a bipartisan push for immediate new sanctions on Iran, bowing to President Obama’s call not to undercut international talks to get Tehran to curb its nuclear programs in the coming weeks. The shift, announced Tuesday by Sen. Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat and one of the party’s outspoken hawks on Iran, came amid a series of mixed signals from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency over the question of whether Tehran was honoring promises to put its suspect nuclear programs on hold as...

Ten Senate Democrats warned the White House in a letter Tuesday that they will support legislation imposing new sanctions on Iran if a framework to roll back the country’s nuclear program isn’t reached within two months. "In acknowledgement of your concern regarding congressional action on legislation at this moment, we will not vote for this legislation on the Senate floor before March 24," said the letter, led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who is the co-author of Iran sanctions legislation. "After March 24, we will only vote for this legislation on the Senate floor if Iran fails to reach agreement...

Unless there is any doubt, the vast majority of Democrats value partisan support for a failed president over support for our own national security and for that of Israel. Hence, they want to delay once again a vote on the Menendez-Kirk bill imposing sanctions on Iran unless it agrees to an acceptable final deal. The bill was introduced more than a year ago. The timing just isn’t right, you see. Will it ever be? A letter by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) signed onto by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.),...

Rachel Levine stood tall in the doorway, offered a polite handshake, and took a seat at the L-shaped desk in her drab, blank slate of an office. [Snip] Levine, who has just been named Pennsylvania's physician general, spent most of her 57 years - at least outwardly - as a man. If the state Senate confirms her appointment, the doctor, who until a few years ago was known as Richard Levine, will become one of the nation's very few, openly transgender people in public office. [Snip] She was dressed conservatively in a tailored gray jacket and matching skirt, accented by...

Starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, the Iowa Freedom Summit will be livestreamed in its entirety. Speakers include: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Steve King (R-IA), real estate mogul Donald Trump, former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and many others.

Pelosi gropes for a game plan Heading into a retreat in Philadelphia, House members say Democrats have no message and no clear strategy to retake the majority. By LAUREN FRENCH and ANNA PALMER 1/26/15 5:36 AM EST Nancy Pelosi has big problems in her ranks. The California lawmaker is facing some of the most serious unrest she’s ever seen in her dozen years as the leader of the House Democrats: Members complain that the party has no message and no clear plan to retake the majority, despite good news on the economy that should have brought rewards at the polls....

For the last several months, the likes of Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have dominated the media coverage of the still-nascent contest for the White House. But when the 2016 Republican presidential race roared to life this weekend with twin events in Iowa and Louisiana, two lesser-known contestants left indelible impressions on the GOP faithful. Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and current American Conservative Union Foundation Chairwoman Carly Fiorina and battle-tested Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker left the crowds stirring after a nonstop ten-hour festival in Des Moines that exposed voters to 27 speakers and at least 10...

RedState assisted in sponsoring Rep. Steve King (R-IA)72%‘s event in Iowa this past weekend. I did not go, but made sure to pay attention to what was going on and who said what. As I have previously written, this is the most substantive field of Republican contenders since 1980. The number of Governors, Senators, and others who are running gives the GOP a deeper bench than any the Democrats can or will muster. They also agree on most topics and are trying to nuance themselves into unique positions. I appreciate Governor Perry’s desire to paint a vision for the country....

The Talk Shows January 25th, 2015 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): White House chief of staff Denis McDonough; Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): McDonough; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark. FACE THE NATION (CBS): McDonough; Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.THIS WEEK (ABC): McDonough; Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): McDonough; former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.; Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill, Adam Schiff, D-Calif, and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.; former Gov. Jon Huntsman, R-Utah.

The head of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records said he plans on being at work Friday morning despite having his security pass taken away and being fired by Gov. Tom Wolf. Erik Arneson, who was appointed as executive director by Gov. Tom Corbett, was met by an attorney from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development on Thursday. Arneson said his security pass, office key and state-provided vehicle was taken from him. But that's not going to stop him from being in his office Friday morning. "[Wolf] doesn't have the authority to do it," Arneson said. "It's an...

A handful of “pro-life” lawmakers have sabotaged a vote House Republican leaders planned for today to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on scientific evidence showing unborn babies feel pain in abortions. As LifeNews reported yesterday, Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina along with Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Jackie Walorski of Indiana — each of whom have pro-life voting records — objected to a vote on the bill on the grounds that the language in the bill did not do enough to allow women who have been victimized by rape to have abortions. Together, they reportedly...

Eileen O’Neill, who was a co-defendant to Kermit Gosnell when he stood trial for killing three infants born alive at his West Philadelphia abortion clinic, has been granted a new trial. Though O’Neill was tried with Gosnell, she was convicted on theft and conspiracy charges related to her work with and billing of patients at the clinic. She was not implicated in the deaths that sent Gosnell to prison for three life sentences. “Prosecutors said O’Neill pretended to be a licensed physician at Dr. Gosnell’s West Philadelphia clinic, the Women’s Medical Society, when in fact she was unlicensed. She did,...

An American gun company has found a way around the anti-Russia sanctions that have banned imports of the Kalashnikov assault rifle: Make them here, in the U.S.A. The U.S.-made gun will have same name as the original: AK-47, arguably the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world. The gun will be made by American company RWC, which is the official importer and distributor of Kalashnikov AK-47s. The company had to stop importing the guns after the U.S. imposed sanctions in July against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis. RWC said it is not permitted to have any contact...

If selected to serve in Gov.-elect Tom Wolf's Cabinet, Dr. Rachel Levine could become the highest-ranked transgender woman in Pennsylvania state government history. Levine, who transitioned from male to female about five years ago, was announced as Wolf's physician general on Saturday. The physician general position, which was created under former Gov Tom Ridge, must be confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate. Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said Levine could become a member of the Cabinet or remain as a senior adviser to Wolf. The governor-elect has not yet formed his Cabinet. "The confirmable positions that have to pass by the Senate...

Pennsylvania's most prolific shale gas driller dialed back 2015 spending plans Thursday because of low natural gas prices, following a general belt-tightening among energy companies across the country. Fort Worth-based Range Resources Corp., which has a regional headquarters in Cecil, dropped its capital expenditure plan by a third to $870 million from $1.3 billion. That initial figure was 18 percent lower than its 2014 plan. The company plans to spend nearly all that money in developing Marcellus shale wells and still plans to increase gas production by 20 percent over this year. “The time and effort that Range spent in...

Pennsylvania's capital is facing a lawsuit believed to be the first filed under a new state law designed to give gun owners and gun rights groups a better chance at dismantling illegal municipal firearms ordinances. Houston-based U.S. Law Shield and two members of its Pennsylvania chapter filed the lawsuit, asking the court to stop Harrisburg from enforcing various firearms ordinances. They include ordinances that ban possession of firearms in parks, allow the mayor to prohibit public possession of weapons in a declared state of emergency and require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to police. The 48-page complaint...

Yuengling bills its Pottsville, Pennsylvania, brewery as the oldest in the nation, but its beer won’t be served at Democrat Gov.-elect Tom Wolf’s inaugural celebration. […] Yuengling’s president Richard Yuengling Jr. is a GOP activist who supports “right to work” laws barring mandatory union dues and membership. Wolf received major support from organized labor in his campaign. …

HERSHEY, Pa. — A group of female GOP lawmakers is trying to pressure the Republican leadership team to make changes to a 20-week abortion ban the House is set to vote on next week. Led by Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, the lawmakers are protesting language that requires a rape victim to formally report her assault to police to qualify for an exemption from the legislation’s abortion restrictions. Ellmers raised the concerns during a closed-door meeting at the GOP retreat here, according to sources in the room. Her office did not have a comment on Friday on the discussions...

Two teenagers have been charged in the Thursday killing of a Roaring Spring, Pa., woman, according to Pennsylvania state police in Bedford County. One of the teenagers is charged with homicide and other related offenses while the other is charged with conspiracy to commit homicide and other related offenses in the death of Stephanie Waters, 21. Police did not identify the 16-year-old boy from Woodbury, Pa., and the 15-year-old boy from Martinsburg, Pa., who were arrested as suspects. Ms. Waters was reported missing Thursday to the Roaring Spring Borough Police Department, and posts were made on social media describing her...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania threw a few elbows at several potential rivals for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, calling possible contenders Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas “bomb throwers� with little experience.“Do we really want someone with this little experience?� Mr. Santorum said, referring to Mr. Paul, Mr. Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, The New York Times reported. “And the only experience they have basically — not Rubio, but Cruz and Paul because I don’t think Rubio is going to go — is bomb throwing? Do we really want somebody who’s a...

Gun-rights groups complained that scores of municipalities have ignored the 40-year-old prohibition by passing their own, mainly unchallenged gun measures. Under the new state law, gun owners no longer have to prove they have been harmed by the local measure to successfully challenge it, and "membership organizations" like the National Rifle Association can stand in to sue on behalf of any Pennsylvania member. The challenger can also seek damages.

The CDC has been quietly adding hospitals to their growing list of Ebola Treatment Centers (ETC), updated weekly. An ETC is a facility that has a plan to care for a patient with confirmed Ebola. These facilities must meet a minimum criteria, including sufficient Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and training, as well as clinical care of a patient using the challenging PPE a healthcare worker must use to care for an Ebola patient. Yesterday, two new such ETCs were added to the list in Pennsylvania.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police barrack in Chambersburg are looking for two women suspected of stopping a vehicle on Interstate-81 and damaging it with a baseball bat. Police said the incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on January 2, near mile marker 17.5 on I-81 Southbound. The suspect vehicle, which was being driven by a white woman who is 5'2", about 120 lbs. with black hair, swerved between both southbound lanes to prevent the second vehicle from passing. The second vehicle was being driven by a 47-year-old woman from Chambersburg, who had a girl with her....

A new state law is taking aim at Pennsylvania municipalities that have their own gun laws, and Reading is taking heed. Council members told 69 News that they intend to soon repeal the ordinance that requires people to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours. "At the advice of our solicitor, we will now have on our agenda to introduce, an ordinance to repeal the current firearms ordinance," said Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, D-Reading.

A grand jury has recommended criminal charges against Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane. The grand jury found that she leaked secret grand jury information to a newspaper in an effort to smear political enemies. PJ Media has been covering Kane’s refusal to prosecute Pennsylvania Democrats who took bribes in order to oppose photo voter identification legislation in Pennsylvania. Philly News : For about six months, Special Prosecutor Thomas E. Carluccio has been directing the grand jury as it has heard testimony from numerous witnesses, including Kane and many of her top aides, to determine how details of a long-ago investigation...

Hanging out at the mall instantly became less cool for teenagers on Monday, when Franklin Park Mall officials said that anyone 17 or younger must be accompanied by an adult on mall property after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Mall officials said the new policy is not a response to any specific event and is a proactive move taken after conducting research among shoppers, retailers, and the Toledo community. But the change follows a weekend incident where police tried to remove a large group of people from the mall when a fight broke out, leading to several arrests and...

David asks Congressman Tom Marino about who he’s supporting in SpeakerFight 2015. The Congressman believes he “doesn’t have any options”… except Boehner.

“I’ve emphatically shared my disagreements with House Speaker John Boehner. As one of the leading conservative Members of this body, I opposed the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that did nothing to block President Obama’s unilateral amnesty order, I fought for tougher stances on out-of-control spending, government regulation and ObamaCare, and I refused to vote for a watered down NSA spying bill, amongst myriad other initiatives – most of which unilaterally were ignored by the Democrat-controlled Senate. But the 2014 elections just changed this equation. This is not a choice about who is the most conservative. It’s a choice about...

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday named Shailen Bhatt the next executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). He will assume the role in mid-February. Bhatt will replace Don Hunt, who will remain at CDOT through the end of February to transition with Bhatt ... Prior to serving at DelDOT, Bhatt was an associate administrator at the Federal Highway Administration ... "Don Hunt has been a remarkable executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation. His ability to galvanize the Herculean efforts that so swiftly reopened the state's bridges and the hundreds of miles of roads damaged by the...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto was at home with his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve when he glanced at his smartphone and saw a Facebook posting of a photograph of Police Chief Cameron McLay holding a sign reading “I resolve to challenge racism @ work. # end white silence.” “I thought, ‘What a great way to begin the new year,’ ” the mayor said, and he showed his girlfriend the photo. It had been taken by activists from What’s Up?! Pittsburgh, who approached the chief in a coffee shop during the city’s First Night festivities and asked him pose with their...

TEXAN LOOKING TO SHORE UP “CONSERVATIVE” SUPPORT IN PALMETTO STATE. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will attend the 2015 South Carolina Tea Party convention next month, sources close to the event tell FITS. The Texan – who along with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is seeking to emerge as a leading alternative to the GOP “establishment” – is the third presumptive “Republican” presidential prospect to commit to the event, which is being held in mid-January in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Also attending? Social conservative Rick Santorum – who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2012 – and neurosurgeon/ author Ben Carson, who...

<p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former ironworkers boss is the only man left standing as a union racketeering trial gets set to start Monday in Philadelphia.</p> <p>Federal prosecutors say a dozen Ironworkers Local 401 members threatened and sabotaged non-union contractors and rival unions in the Philadelphia area.</p>

My old alma mater—the University of Scranton—recently made the news with a year-old study on New Year’s resolutions. Richard Asa reported in the Chicago Tribune on December 16, 2014 that “a 2013 University of Scranton study found that 8 percent of people achieve their New Year's goals. Part of the reason: Resolutions are often not accompanied by an achievable or realistic plan, says Carrie Krawiec, executive director of the Michigan Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a practicing therapist at Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, Mich.” “When it comes to children, ‘parents can start by helping (them) set reasonable...

Here’s a story which you didn’t expect to see coming out of the New York State government. There was a bill on the table which would have exempted New York teachers from being fired if they received the lowest proficiency ratings based on Common Core guidelines. In a bit of irony, this was a bill that Governor Andrew Cuomo had originally proposed himself. But when it came time to finalize it, Cuomo had harsh words for the current system. Declaring the state’s teacher-evaluation system a joke, Gov. Cuomo on Monday night vetoed legislation that would have barred the use of...

A burglar shot in a Franklin Commons Apartment at the 1000 block of Boblink Drive allegedly had an inconvenient urge. The unknown Pennsylvania thief was caught touching himself before a neighbor allegedly opened fire. The 21-year-old burglar was allegedly masturbating when the female second floor apartment resident spotted and confronted him around 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning. He then proceeded to enter the apartment through its balcony to reach her. It is unknown what else he may have done while he was there, but he grabbed her dog and then left the apartment. ABC News reports that the burglar may have...

A man who had posted an online video threatening to kill police and FBI agents tried to use his car to run down officers seeking to arrest him on Tuesday so, fearing for their lives, they shot and killed him, authorities said. Police did not immediately identify the man, who was killed in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, as officers ordered him out of the car and he appeared ready to accelerate at them as they manned a blockade.

Driving in Pennsylvania will get more expensive in 2015 so enjoy the lower gas prices at the pump while we have them. As of Thursday, the state's uncapping of another third of its oil company franchise tax will cause it to rise by 10 cents a gallon and that likely will impact what you pay at the pump. But with gas prices averaging $2.48 a gallon on Sunday according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 241 gas outlets in Harrisburg, even if that full increase is passed along to consumers it would still keep the per-gallon price well below the $3...

Former New York Times Middle East bureau chief Chris Hedges was uninvited from speaking at a University of Pennsylvania conference following the publication of an incendiary column. That column, from December 15, closely compares Israel to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization. Hedges, who now works as a columnist for Truthdig.com, was scheduled to speak April 3 at a forum on prospects for peace in the Middle East sponsored by the Philadelphia university's International Affairs Association. Zachary Michael Belnavis, a student leader of the association, complained to the lecture agency that his group felt Hedges was not a "suitable fit"...

Senate Republicans will have to work hard to retain their recently won majority as they face a tough 2016 electoral map. They have 24 seats up compared to Democrats' 10, including seven in states resident Obama carried twice. Democrats won't have any red-state senators facing reelection and could be buoyed by a favorable presidential-year electorate. ... 1. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) 3. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) 7. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) 10. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

December 25, 2014 Babysitter Stole Christmas Present From 2-Year-Old, Police Say Pa. - Police say a Pennsylvania babysitter stole a 2-year-old's Christmas present from under the family's tree, and returned it to the store just so he could pockBabysitter stole Christmas present from 2-year-old, police sayet a $30 refund. Babysitter Stole Christmas Present From 2-Year-Old, Police Say Sunbury police arrested Sean Ashelman on Monday on theft, forgery and stolen property charges in connection with the heist of a Mickey Mouse table and chair set. The 24-year-old was jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Rep. Steve King has summoned the potential field of 2016 Republican presidential candidates to Iowa next month for his Freedom Summit, and they are jumping at the opportunity — underscoring the conservative firebrand’s political pull and marking the event as the first major gathering of the next campaign for the White House. Mr. King told The Washington Times that the Jan. 24 gathering in Des Moines will give the kinds of activists who turn out for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses a look at their options and will give the candidates an early reality check. (SNIP) Though Mr. Santorum achieved victory without...

Kwanzaa's roots stretch from York to Africa Kwanzaa's roots from York to Africa By Rebecca Hanlon For the Daily Record/Sunday News Updated: 12/28/2014 04:02:22 PM EST Maulana Ron Karenga, a 1958 William Penn Senior High School graduate, created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a way for those of African descent to explore their culture and bring good into the world. As an Afrocentric scholar, Karenga has said he hoped Kwanzaa would give people a deeper African-American consciousness and a sense of community within ancient African culture. The holiday kicked off Friday and will run through Jan. 1, with different celebrations and...

Philadelphia prosecutors agreed Thursday to halt efforts to seize the homes of two of the lead plaintiffs in a widely publicized federal suit challenging the city's use of civil forfeiture laws in drug cases. But Christos Sourovelis and Doila Welch, both of whom saw their houses threatened after police arrested a relative dealing drugs on their properties, said they intended to keep on fighting. In agreements of dismissal filed in Common Pleas Court, the District Attorney's Office agreed to drop its cases against properties owned by Sourovelis and Welch as long as both owners took "reasonable measures" to ensure no...