Free Republic

Sunday’s arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the latest in an epidemic of political violence that’s been plaguing the nation for half a decade — an epidemic driven by the left. Happily, Shapiro and his family were unharmed, while alleged would-be assassin Cody Balmer is in custody. Balmer is plainly deranged, but he declares himself a “socialist” in social media accounts expressing a range of far-left beliefs.

On Sunday evening police announced they arrested 38-year-old Cody Balmer in connection with the fire set to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion. “Balmer will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person,” Fox News reported. ...... Snip...... During a Sunday evening presser, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Balmer hopped a fence before starting the fire. “He actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence,” Bivens said. “While [law enforcement] were searching is when he attacked at the residence, broke in and set the fires.” “So that was all playing...

The man who allegedly set fire to the mansion of Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., and his family turned himself in, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Fox News. Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, was first identified to police by an ex-lover after he allegedly confessed to her and "wanted her to call police to turn him in," the complaint said. It was only a short time later that Balmer turned himself in outside Pennsylvania State Police headquarters, police said. While being interviewed by troopers, "Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro." Balmer allegedly told investigators "he removed gasoline...

New details have emerged about the suspect behind the recent arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, revealing a chilling intent to personally target Governor Josh Shapiro, a Jewish leader who was observing Passover with his family at the time. Authorities say the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg, told investigators he would have beaten Shapiro with a sledgehammer had he encountered him during the break-in. According to a police affidavit, Balmer admitted to harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro, though no motive for that hatred was specified. Balmer allegedly scaled a nearly 7-foot iron security fence around the...

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) — A local contractor has pled guilty after being charged with stealing jewelry from a homeowner. The Manheim Township Police Department says that on March 13, a contractor was hired to work on a property on Fleetwood Drive. After the contractor left, the homeowner noticed a pair of custom diamond earrings in the bathroom where work was being done were missing. The earrings were previously purchased for more than $9,500 and had a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) number to help identify the diamonds. The homeowner contacted area jewelers to alert them of the earrings in...

During an interview with MSNBC host and NBC News Senior Business Analyst Stephanie Ruhle that took place on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said that he supports the goal of the Trump administration’s investigations of campus antisemitism and threats to withhold funds and schools where Jewish students can’t go to class, get fair grades, or be treated fairly should be accountable, but “The way they’re going about it, like everything else, I think is chaotic and is reckless and is undermining people’s fundamental rights,” and people can say what they wish “within the bounds of the laws and the...

Police in Bucks County arrested a man who they say threw nails and screws in parking spots and driveways where people he believed support President Donald Trump regularly parked their vehicles. According to court documents, police officials have apprehended 63-year-old Alaric Dalberg, of Yardley, on charges of harassment, disorderly conduct and related offenses. Investigators said Dalberg on several occasions threw nails and screws around parked vehicles belonging to individuals who voiced or showed support for President Trump. Police said that Dalberg also threw nails and screws in places where he believed, what he called, "Trumpers" would likely park their cars,...

Gov. Josh Shapiro joined an iftar dinner at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philly to announce a historic grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the largest ever awarded to a Muslim organization. Shapiro told the assembled group of a few dozen community members Tuesday night that institutions such as Al-Aqsa “are more important than ever before” in the current climate “as we’re facing tumult overseas, and we’re facing a lot of rising hate here at home.”

A Pennsylvania city worker was accused Monday of staging a fake “hate crime” after she allegedly planted a noose at her own desk, according to police. Allentown City Hall employee LaTarsha Brown was charged with a pair of criminal counts after DNA pulled from the noose only belonged to her, authorities said — though one of her pals claims she’s innocent. Brown initially said she made the shocking discovery at her desk on Jan. 10 when she arrived for work — leading to an investigation and a community protest. Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach said at the time she was...

While requiring voters to prove they are who they say they are does make elections more secure, the reality tends to be more complicated.Pennsylvania, which cemented itself as a true swing state in the last few presidential elections, does not currently require voter ID at the polls, other than for first-time voters. The rumblings about the need for Pennsylvania voter ID are intensifying, and yet another in a long string of bills was just introduced.Social media punditry — by self-proclaimed experts — would lead the casual observer to believe that voter ID is the answer to all election integrity woes...

Pennsylvania has initiated a large-scale chicken elimination program in response to a severe outbreak of avian influenza. This decisive action aims to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus, which poses a significant threat to both the poultry industry and public health. The elimination process involves the humane euthanization of infected and exposed birds. This step is crucial to containing the virus and preventing its spread to other farms. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is coordinating closely with local farmers to ensure the culling is carried out efficiently and humanely. The outbreak has led to heightened biosecurity measures across...

A plane crashed into a Lancaster County retirement village parking lot Sunday afternoon, leaving multiple people injured and sparking a fire that engulfed nearby vehicles. The plane came down just south of the Lancaster Airport in the parking lot of Brethren Village in the Fieldcrest Building. That's in the area of Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court in Manheim Township. There were five people on board the plane. All were taken to area hospitals.

For years the propaganda press has tried to dismiss concerns about legitimate fraud associated with mail-in ballots. “Yes, voter fraud happens,” The Associated Press’ Ali Swenson wrote in October. “But it’s rare and election offices have safeguards to catch it.” A few weeks later, The Associated Press released a video entitled “Why voter fraud isn’t really a problem in U.S. elections,” with a subhead claiming there are “many safeguards to detect it.” Meanwhile, CNN posted a video entitled “Trump stokes fear over voter fraud in Pennsylvania. CNN fact-checks his claims.” Notably, the subhead for the video acknowledged that officials identified...

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said Sunday that forcing Ukraine to agree to a resource deal with the U.S. in exchange for the possibility of support against Russia is akin to “victim extortion.” The moderate Republican said Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, should be the one forced to pay. “Putin, and Putin alone, should bear the economic costs of Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Fitzpatrick said in a post on the social platform X. “To force Ukraine to pay these costs is the epitome of victim-blaming and victim extortion.”

One police officer was killed and two others injured by a gunman who allegedly took ICU staff hostage Saturday at York, Pennsylvania’s UPMC Memorial Hospital. Breitbart News noted the incident occurred Saturday morning and that multiple reports indicated the gunman was “neutralized” by law enforcement. However, reports on injuries and the extent of said injuries were unclear. CNN is now reporting that one person, a police officer, was killed during the incident and two other officers were injured. Both injured officers are in stable condition.

Federal prosecutors have indicted three Pennsylvania Democrats who are accused of changing voter registration information for dozens of people and fraudulently casting mail-in ballots in their names in a failed bid to steal a mayoral election. The defendants, Md Nurul Hasan, Md Munsur Ali, and Md Rafikul Islam, conspired to help Hasan win the 2021 mayoral election as a write-in candidate in Millbourne Borough, a small municipality west of Philadelphia, according to the indictment filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The men successfully changed voter registration information for about three dozen people in...

It was a horrific murder case that seemed really cut and dry—it was also a true crime story that made the rounds on TV in the mid-2000s. But this one came with a really bizarre twist. Instead of ruling the brutal stabbing death of Ellen Greenberg—a teacher stabbed twenty grisly times—as a homicide, officials called it a suicide. ... And one of the top officials who signed off on this mind-boggling suicide decision was none other than Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s prosecutor at the time and the state’s current Dem governor. What was he thinking back then? Was he just another...

A federal whistleblower has come forward with allegations that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was involved in the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The whistleblower, identified as Hadassah Feinberg, a former Pennsylvania State Police employee, filed a criminal complaint on February 7, 2025, detailing claims that Shapiro conspired with other officials to orchestrate the attack as part of a political scheme. ... According to the complaint, President Joe Biden made frequent visits to Shapiro in the weeks leading up to the Trump rally to discuss what was described as an “obstacle” faced by...

HARRISBURG — In his annual budget address, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro urged the divided Pennsylvania legislature to pass a measure that would seal eviction records for potentially hundreds of thousands of people. In 2024 alone, more than 115,000 tenants in Pennsylvania faced eviction filings. And while most filings end with rulings in favor of landlords, housing advocates told Spotlight PA that about a quarter do not, and some are never even adjudicated. Regardless of the outcome, that original eviction filing stays in a tenant’s public records indefinitely and can negatively impact their ability to find a place to live. Often,...

Jack Poso 🇺🇸 @JackPosobiec BREAKING: FETTERMAN ANNOUNCES HE WILL OPPOSE RFK AND TULSI’S CONFIRMATIONS 10:21 PM · Feb 6, 2025