Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Blog

  • EEOC sues Penn for failing to release information related to antisemitism investigation

    EEOC sues Penn for failing to release information related to antisemitism investigation

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing the University of Pennsylvania for failing to release information related to an investigation it began in 2023 over the school’s treatment of Jewish faculty and other employees regarding antisemitism complaints.

    Penn, according to the complaint filed in federal court Tuesday, has not complied with a subpoena for information, including the identification of employees who could have been exposed to alleged harassment and the names of all employees who complained about the behavior.

    In its quest to find people potentially affected, the EEOC demanded a list of employees in Penn’s Jewish Studies Program, a list of all clubs, groups, organizations and recreation groups related to the Jewish religion — including points of contact and a roster of members — and names of employees who lodged antisemitism complaints.

    Under pressure from Jewish community, Penn president unveils plan to combat antisemitism

    Penn usually does not comment on litigation, but in this case, the school ardently objected to the EEOC’s characterization of its cooperation and the personal nature of the material it was still seeking.

    The school said in a statement it has cooperated extensively with the EEOC, including providing more than 100 documents and over 900 pages.

    But the private university said it will not disclose personal information, specifically “lists of Jewish employees, Jewish student employees and those associated with Jewish organizations, or their personal contact information” to the government.

    “Violating their privacy and trust is antithetical to ensuring Penn’s Jewish community feels protected and safe,” the university said Tuesday.

    Penn also provided information on employees who complained and agreed that it could be shared, the school said, but the school would not provide information on those who objected.

    “Penn also offered to help the EEOC reach employees who are willing to speak with the agency by informing all employees of the investigation and how they could reach out to the agency,” the university said. “The EEOC rejected that offer.”

    The original complaint was launched by EEOC Commissioner Andrea Lucas, now chair of the body, on Dec. 8, 2023, two months after Hamas’ attack on Israel that led to unrest on college campuses, including Penn, and charges of antisemitism. It was also just three days after former Penn President Liz Magill had testified before a Republican-led congressional committee on the school’s handling of antisemitism complaints; the testimony drew a bipartisan backlash and led to Magill’s resignation days later.

    Lucas, who was appointed chair this year by President Donald Trump, also brought similar antisemitism charges against Columbia University that earlier this year resulted in the school paying $21 million for “a class settlement fund.”

    EEOC complaints typically come from those who allege they were aggrieved. Lucas, according to the complaint, made the charge in Penn’s case because of the “probable reluctance of Jewish faculty and staff to complain of harassing environment due to fear of hostility and potential violence directed against them.“

    The EEOC’s investigation ensued after Lucas’ complaint to the EEOC’s Philadelphia office that alleged Penn was subjecting Jewish faculty, staff, and other employees including students “to an unlawful hostile work environment based on national origin, religion, and/or race.”

    Federal lawsuit alleging mishandling of antisemitism at Penn is dismissed

    The allegation, the complaint said, is based on news reports, public statements made by the university and its leadership, letters from university donors, board members, alumni and others. It also cited complaints filed against Penn in federal court and with the U.S. Department of Education over antisemitism allegations and testimony before a congressional committee.

    The EEOC complaint pointed to public comments by Magill, addressing antisemitism while she led Penn.

    Penn faculty group says faculty, students facing ‘unfounded accusations of antisemitism’ from the university

    “I am appalled by incidents on our own campus, and I’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories from those who are fearful for their safety right here at Penn,” Magill said in 2023. “This is completely unacceptable.”

    Magill also in a message had addressed “a small number of Penn staff members” who “received vile, disturbing antisemitic emails that threatened violence against members of our Jewish community,” in November 2023.

    Penn Hillel is vandalized days before Yom Kippur

    The complaint cited incidents of antisemitic obscenities being shouted on the campus, destruction of property in Penn’s Hillel, a swastika painted in an academic building, graffiti outside a fraternity and a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus in 2024 that eventually was dismantled by police.

    “Throughout its investigation, the EEOC has endeavored to locate employees exposed to this harassment and to identify other harassing events not noted by respondent in its communications, but respondent has refused to furnish this information, thereby hampering the EEOC’s investigation,” the complaint said.

    Penn encampment grows despite order to disband; protesters vowed not to comply with request for IDs

    Penn said it had received three antisemitism complaints, according to the federal complaint, but the EEOC questioned that number given the university’s workforce of more than 20,000. It demanded that the school provide names of all people who attended listening sessions as part of the school’s task force on antisemitism and all faculty and staff members who took the task force’s survey.

    Penn objected to the subpoena and the commission partially modified it in September, ordering the school to comply within 21 days, the complaint said.

    In its statement to The Inquirer, Penn defended its response to antisemitism.

    “Penn has worked diligently to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life on campus,” the school said.

  • Court blocks Texas from using Trump and GOP-favored House maps for 2026 midterms

    Court blocks Texas from using Trump and GOP-favored House maps for 2026 midterms

    A federal court has blocked Texas from using its new congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, directing the state to revert to its previous districts.

    The majority opinion said the coalition of voting and civil rights groups who sued was likely to prove at trial that Texas officials had “racially gerrymandered” a new map that “unconstitutionally sorts voters on the basis of race,” depriving the plaintiffs of “their right to participate in a free and fair election.”

    The judges were under a tight deadline to make a ruling since the candidate filing period for the 2026 midterm elections began on Nov. 8 and ends on Dec. 8.

    Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a key proponent of the electoral changes, said he would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    “Any claim that these maps are discriminatory is absurd and unsupported by the testimony offered during ten days of hearings,” Abbott said. “This ruling is clearly erroneous and undermines the authority the U.S. Constitution assigns to the Texas Legislature by imposing a different map by judicial edict.”

    The decision marks a significant setback for the state and Republicans, which began with a contentious battle in its state legislature last summer, led to a vote to revise state maps for voting districts, and ultimately spurred other states to buck tradition and pursue mid-decade redistricting.

    Two judges, in a three-judge District Court panel, ruled on Nov. 18 that the injunction was necessary because “the racial minorities the Plaintiff Groups represent will be forced to be represented in Congress based on likely unconstitutional racial classifications for at least two years.”

    The majority opinion, written by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Donald Trump appointee, who sits in Galveston, Texas, was joined by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama, a Barack Obama appointee, in El Paso.

    U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith, who was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan, is expected to file a dissenting opinion.

    A Republican majority in the Texas legislature in August 2025 passed the new state congressional map after a weeks-long standoff with state Democrats. Their new law, at the urging of President Donald Trump, heavily advantaged the GOP in 2026 elections. If used, it could have potentially flipped as many as five Democratic-held seats to Republican control − a significant edge as the party maintains a slim majority in Congress.

    In his statement, Abbott said the Texas legislature passed the new maps to “better reflect Texans’ conservative voting preferences – and for no other reason.”

    The court ruling and any decision by the U.S. Supreme Court could push back the filing deadlines for the Texas primaries for 2026. The midterm general election includes the seat of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, D-Texas, all the Texas House of Representatives and Senate seats, and the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

    Republicans said redistricting targeted Democrats

    The ruling came more than a month after 10 days of testimony and arguments over the legality of the new redistricting map at the federal courthouse in El Paso. The key testimony during the hearing came from Adam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, who created the maps.Kincaid testified that he looked at no racial data when building the map, solely relying on targeting districts that historically voted for Democrats.

    He said he combined Democrat-leaning districts into one district. He took Republican portions of those districts to create their own districts. The outcome gave Democrats one less representative, adding more representation for Republican voters.

    Kincaid and Republican leaders said the redistricting was done “race blind.” He testified he targeted Democrats, not minorities, which is allowed under the U.S. Constitution.

    Voting rights groups say redistricting targets minorities

    Democratic leaders and voting rights representatives argued during the hearing that the only districts targeted and impacted were Hispanic and Black majority districts. Hispanic and Black voters historically vote for Democrats.

    In Texas, voters are not required to register by political party. They are free to vote in the primary of their choosing.

    The redistricting map suppresses the voice of Texas minorities, including Hispanics, who make up the largest minority population in the state, Democratic state leaders testified in the trial.“They are not built to give Hispanics or African Americans a candidate of their choice,” Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, testified about the new maps.

    Democrats and voting rights advocates questioned why Trump focused on four districts and why they were the only districts that were dramatically altered. They said Republicans had already created the map before discussions were held in the Texas Legislature and the public had an opportunity to comment on it.

    “That’s not Texas,” testified Rep. Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth. “That’s not how we do things here.”

    The redistricting vote that sparked a chain reaction

    The Texas legislators’ efforts earlier this year sparked a national redistricting war across several states, as Democratic and Republican governors responded with their own efforts to redraw maps. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently landed a victory in a voter-approved measure to implement new districts likely to add more Democratic representatives.

    But that matter is also entangled in a court challenge, after the administration on Nov. 13 joined the California Republican Party to accuse the state of violating the Constitution by gerrymandering using race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters in the new map.

  • Kevin Patullo frustrated with offense’s negative plays vs. Lions; Eagles have Nolan Smith on a snap count

    Kevin Patullo frustrated with offense’s negative plays vs. Lions; Eagles have Nolan Smith on a snap count

    Another week, another lackluster performance from the Eagles offense.

    While the Eagles defense came up with five fourth-down stops against the Detroit Lions — plus Cooper DeJean’s first-quarter interception — the offense didn’t have much to show for it. They scored nine points off those defensive stops (three field goals).

    The Eagles went 1-of-3 in the red zone (33.3%, the offense’s second-worst rate of the season) and 4-of-15 on third down (26.7%, its fourth-worst rate). Kevin Patullo defended Jalen Hurts’ performance (14-of-28 for 135 passing yards) and asserted that the quarterback “played well” and took care of the football during “a difficult kind of game.”

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 12 vs. the Cowboys

    When asked for his biggest frustration following the game against the Lions, the Eagles offensive coordinator pointed to a familiar issue for the group — negative plays, of which the offense had five (including a sack), and penalties, six of which came against the offense (not including a delay of game).

    “I think like everything, when you look at the situations we have sometimes, when we’re on track, we do a pretty good job,” Patullo said. “And if we get off track a little bit, whether it’s a negative play or a penalty, that puts us kind of in a hole. We’ve had some trouble with that.

    “It starts with us as a staff to make sure we’re in a good play and we’re executing at a high level and we’re all detailed up. And then if something happens like a penalty, sometimes those happen. We’ve got to be able to overcome that.”

    One of the most eye-catching differences in the passing game between Weeks 10 and 11 was A.J. Brown’s involvement. The 28-year-old receiver went from three targets against the Packers to 11 against the Lions and finished Sunday’s game with seven catches for 49 yards.

    However, Patullo pushed back on the perception that he made a concerted effort to get Brown the ball.

    Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had seven catches on 11 targets against the Lions.

    “It was really no different,” Patullo said. “I think, really, the plan was pretty much similar to how it was every other game with him, and the ball found him a little bit more, which is great. And he made some critical plays for us when we needed it. Made some really tough catches in traffic, and that’s what he’s awesome [at]. He’s a phenomenal player and did a really good job from that standpoint.”

    Brown indeed made critical plays, including his 11-yard reception in the red zone in the second quarter that picked up a fresh set of downs and helped set up the Eagles’ lone touchdown.

    But in the third quarter, Brown and Hurts also had an uncharacteristic miss on a go ball down the left sideline with Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin matched up against him in single coverage. Brown appeared to slow down on the route, which Patullo attributed to his battle down the field with Ya-Sin.

    Hayes: Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires

    “He got kind of tangled up with a DB,” Patullo said. “I’m not so sure he located the ball wholeheartedly. But we’ve just got to continue to find ways to just connect on those kind of things and work on them in practice and really, throughout the history of it, Jalen and A.J. do an unbelievable job of connecting on those kind of things, and we’ll continue to throw them to them because he’s going to do his job and get open, and we usually hit them.”

    Smith’s snaps limited

    The Eagles’ defensive front has been on a tear the last two games, and one of its most important players isn’t even contributing on a full-time basis.

    Nolan Smith has been on a snap limitation, according to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, since he returned from injured reserve for the Eagles’ Week 10 game against the Green Bay Packers. Smith, the 24-year-old edge rusher, has played just 32.3% of the defensive snaps over the last two weeks, down from 75.9% in Weeks 1-3.

    Fangio confirmed Tuesday that the decision to prevent Smith from seeing the field as often isn’t coming from him.

    “You’ll have to speak to [vice president of sports medicine] Tom [Hunekle] about that,” Fangio said Tuesday when asked about Smith’s decrease in snaps. “I don’t know.”

    Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith (3) has played 32.3% of the defensive snaps over the last two weeks, including on Nov. 10 in Green Bay.

    Smith’s workload increased slightly on Sunday night against the Lions. He played 37.5% of the defensive snaps, up from 27.9% against the Packers. He wasn’t as impactful against Detroit, though, and finished the game without a quarterback pressure for the first time this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

    While Smith may still be working through his triceps injury, the Eagles edge rusher corps has stepped up in his absence, thanks to the addition of Jaelan Phillips. The former Miami Dolphins outside linebacker has led the group in defensive snaps (77.2%) since he joined the team. His 21.3% pressure rate leads all Eagles defensive linemen this season.

    Linebackers rotation

    Don’t expect Fangio to shake up the rotation of linebackers Nakobe Dean and Jihaad Campbell alongside Zack Baun any time soon.

    Nick Sirianni wins in spite of himself, some might say. Those critics are wrong.

    The Eagles defensive coordinator said that rotation will “probably stay similar” going forward.

    “Just because, keep Jihaad in there ready to roll, ’cause he’s the next guy up as an ILB,” Fangio said. “But he’s been getting time, too, at OLB.”

    Dean has taken the majority of those reps at inside linebacker lately. According to Pro Football Focus, Dean took 40 snaps at inside linebacker against the Lions, while Campbell took 17 and just three at outside linebacker. The rookie’s 20 defensive snaps (33.9%) were his fewest of the season.

    Over the last two weeks, Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (right) has 10 tackles (including two for a loss) and two sacks (three quarterback hits total).

    But Dean has rounded quickly into prior form since his return from the physically unable-to-perform list with a knee injury in Week 6. In his last two games, Dean has posted 10 tackles (including two for a loss) and two sacks (three quarterback hits total). Fangio said he hasn’t been surprised by Dean’s immediate impact on the defense.

    “I know he worked really hard in his rehab,” Fangio said. “He was bugging those guys in the training room to come back earlier than they allowed him to. So from that regard, no. Nakobe’s got good instincts, good football acumen. Kind of a football, I don’t want say it comes easy, but it comes natural to him. So that speeds it up, too.”

  • Trump lashes out at former Philly Daily News reporter when pressed on Jeffrey Epstein

    Trump lashes out at former Philly Daily News reporter when pressed on Jeffrey Epstein

    President Donald Trump is drawing widespread criticism after lashing out at a female reporter who was pressing for information about files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

    As Trump was speaking to reporters Friday on Air Force One, Bloomberg White House correspondent and former Philadelphia Daily News reporter Catherine Lucey attempted to ask him about the release of the so-called Epstein files, which the Trump administration has refused to make public.

    “If there is nothing incriminating in the files —” Lucey said before being cut off.

    “Quiet, quiet, piggy,” an angry Trump shot back while pointing at Lucey.

    Neither Lucey nor Bloomberg has responded to The Inquirer’s requests for comment.

    “Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor,” Bloomberg said in a statement to the Guardian. “We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”

    Lucey, who has not spoken publicly about the matter, was first identified by the Guardian and can be seen in photographs of the interaction with Trump on Air Force One.

    Trump’s remarks drew criticism from across the media world. CNN anchor Jake Tapper called the president’s remarks “disgusting and completely unacceptable.” Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson called the president’s comments “degrading.”

    “The president continues to behave in ways that not a single parent I know would tolerate from their elementary-school-aged kids,” wrote the Atlantic’s McKay Coppins.

    A White House official defended the remark in a statement to MS NOW’s Vaughn Hillyard, claiming without evidence Lucey “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane.” The official did not elaborate.

    Though the exchange took place days ago, video footage began circulating Tuesday ahead of a House vote on the Epstein files. It has since gone viral among the masses, drawing ire from critics and being reposted by outlets like Pop Crave.

    Trump has a history of making sexist comments toward female journalists. He has called women in the press corps “nasty,” “crazy,” and “losers” over the years. He also has used derogatory language about women, comparing them to pigs, dogs, and other animals.

    Before her time in D.C., Lucey was a respected reporter in Philadelphia, spending 12 years at the Philadelphia Daily News covering everything from police corruption to local news — but her sweet spot was politics. Her portfolio included coverage of then-Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration and the city’s changing power dynamics.

    Lucey left in 2012 to work for the Associated Press, focusing on Iowa state politics and presidential races for four years. From there, she headed to the Wall Street Journal, where she covered the Trump and Biden administrations. She joined Bloomberg in March, according to a news release.

    ABC News reporter Mary Bruce asks a question in the Oval Office Tuesday.

    Trump also drew criticism Tuesday afternoon after lashing out at ABC News reporter Mary Bruce, who also asked about the Epstein files during an Oval Office meeting between the president and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    “Why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files?” Bruce asked. “Why not just do it now?”

    “It’s not the question that I mind, it’s your attitude,” Trump shot back. “You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”

    Until recently, Trump had strongly opposed efforts to release the Epstein files. Last week, he called the House’s efforts to press the Department of Justice to make the files available a “Democrat hoax.”

    Trump’s social connections to Epstein have been known for decades. Reports show Trump was mentioned in Epstein’s emails more than 1,000 times, making him the most-cited person in the documents released last week by the House Oversight Committee.

    But Trump has been reversing his stance on releasing the files, saying on Air Force One, “we have nothing to hide.”

    On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in a 427-1 vote, demanding the Justice Department release the unclassified documents on Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking.

    The Republican-controlled Senate moved quickly Tuesday evening, agreeing to pass the Epstein bill by unanimous consent once it arrived from the House.

    The bill would then head to Trump’s desk, who said in recent days he would sign it into law.

  • Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36 million in government funds to operate U.S. public radio system

    Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36 million in government funds to operate U.S. public radio system

    WASHINGTON — National Public Radio will receive approximately $36 million in grant money to operate the nation’s public radio interconnection system under the terms of a court settlement with the federal government’s steward of funding for public broadcasting stations.

    The settlement, announced late Monday, partially resolves a legal dispute in which NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump to cut off its funding.

    On March 25, Trump said at a news conference that he would “love to” defund NPR and PBS because he believes they are biased in favor of Democrats.

    NPR accused the CPB of violating its First Amendment free speech rights when it moved to cut off its access to grant money appropriated by Congress. NPR also claims Trump, a Republican, wants to punish it for the content of its journalism.

    On April 2, the CPB’s board initially approved a three-year, roughly $36 million extension of a grant for NPR to operate the “interconnection” satellite system for public radio. NPR has been operating and managing the Public Radio Satellite System since 1985.

    But corporation officials reversed course and announced that the federal funds would go to a entity called Public Media Infrastructure. NPR claimed the CPB was under mounting pressure from the Trump administration when the agency redirected the money to PMI, a media coalition that didn’t exist and wasn’t statutorily authorized to receive the funds.

    CPB attorneys denied that the agency retaliated against NPR to appease Trump. They had argued that NPR’s claims are factually and legally meritless.

    On May 1, Trump issued an executive order that called for federal agencies to stop funding for NPR and PBS. The settlement doesn’t end a lawsuit in which NPR seeks to block any implementation or enforcement of Trump’s executive order. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss is scheduled to preside over another hearing for the case on Dec. 4.

    The settlement says NPR and CPB agree that the executive order is unconstitutional and that CPB won’t enforce it unless a court orders it to do so.

    NPR, meanwhile, agreed to drop its request for a court order blocking CPB from disbursing funds to PMI under a separate grant agreement.

    Katherine Maher, NPR’s president and CEO, said the settlement is “a victory for editorial independence and a step toward upholding the First Amendment rights of NPR and the public media system.”

    Patricia Harrison, the corporation’s CEO, said CPB is pleased that the litigation is over “and that our investment in the future through PMI marks an exciting new era for public media.”

    On Aug. 1, CPB announced it would take steps toward closing itself down after being defunded by Congress.

  • Every Pa. lawmaker votes to release Jeffrey Epstein records as Congress passes bill after Trump’s reversal

    Every Pa. lawmaker votes to release Jeffrey Epstein records as Congress passes bill after Trump’s reversal

    WASHINGTON — Congress passed legislation Tuesday to require President Donald Trump’s administration to release troves of records related to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein after months of pressure from Democrats and survivors on the issue.

    The U.S. House voted 427-1 to pass the bill on Tuesday, prompting lawmakers in the chamber to cheer. The legislation was then rapidly passed by the U.S. Senate through unanimous consent, a process that skips debate when no senator objects to a bill.

    Despite the overwhelming bipartisan consensus, Tuesday’s House vote followed months of pushing by Democrats to bring it the floor as Trump unsuccessfully lobbied to prevent it from receiving a debate.

    The president abruptly changed his stance on the bill this week after it became clear it had enough Republican support to pass against his objections. The veto-proof bill now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature.

    U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a freshman Republican who represents Northeastern Pennsylvania, told The Inquirer after the vote that his office “had a lot of phone calls” about the bill.

    “We listened to our constituents… and I want to thank the people at home for bringing this to our attention,” he said outside the House chamber.

    U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, was the sole no vote. Five House members did not vote.

    Trump said this week he would sign the bill into law, but he doesn’t actually need congressional approval to order the release of the files and could have already done so — a fact noted by U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in the lead-up to the vote.

    “Let’s be clear — Donald Trump doesn’t have to wait until Congress votes on this resolution,” Evans, a retiring Philadelphia Democrat, said in a Monday post on X. “If he wanted to, he could tell the Justice Department to release the Epstein files TODAY.”

    The bill, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified files related to the prosecution and investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender who was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019 and determined to have died by suicide after being federally charged with sex trafficking underage girls. After his death, his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sexually exploiting and abusing girls with him over the course of a decade.

    The bill was led by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who grew up in Bucks County, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who frequently breaks with party leadership. U.S. Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon and Chris Deluzio, both Pennsylvania Democrats, were cosponsors.

    Trump suggested on the campaign trail that he would release files related to the Epstein investigation, but after his administration faced uproar over their lackluster release of information surrounding the investigation, he began discrediting the cause.

    Trump is mentioned numerous times in files that have already been released, including in an email in which Epstein claims Trump “spent hours at my house” with a young woman who later said she was a victim of Epstein, the New York Times reported last week. The president was neighbors with Epstein in Florida and was photographed with him at numerous social occasions in the 1990s and 2000s. He has called the efforts for more transparency a Democratic “hoax” that had fooled “stupid” Republicans who would be committing a “hostile act” by supporting the release.

    Bresnahan was hesitant to answer whether any of the mentions of the president concern him.

    “I saw some of the email threads; a lot of it was snippets. I don’t know where it came from,” said Bresnahan, who represents a swing district.

    “I want to look at the whole comprehensive picture,” he added.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) wasn’t going to allow the bill to be voted on the floor, so Khanna and Massie successfully forced the vote through a discharge petition, which was supported by all House Democrats and just three other Republicans — U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

    Massie and Khanna started to gather signatures in September and got the 218th needed on Wednesday last week when U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D. Ariz.) was sworn into office after winning a special election in September.

    U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat, blamed the delay for Grijalva’s swearing in on Trump and Johnson‘s resistance to the bill getting to the floor.

    “There is a reason why Donald Trump has worked so hard to keep these Epstein files covered up,” he said in a video he shared on social media.

    The bill reaching the floor put Republicans in a new bind: their stance on the matter would be on the record. They had to choose whether their loyalty to Trump would outweigh pressure from constituents on the matter.

    Once it became clear the president wouldn’t prevail, Trump had a complete about-face Sunday night and called for lawmakers to support the bill.

    “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” he posted on Truth Social.

    “I DON’T CARE!” he added in the post and claimed that the files are a “curse on the Democrats, not us.”

    Khanna said that almost 100 Republicans would have voted for the bill before Trump changed course in an interview with The New York Times.

    “Trump saw his MAGA coalition was splintering and the last thing he could have had is a hundred Republicans vote for a Democratic bill in defiance of what he wanted,” he said in the interview. “Obviously, he has enough political instincts to realize how much he was losing on this issue.”

    Once Trump signaled support for the bill, Khanna said he would “be surprised if it’s not close to unanimous.”

    A separate House Oversight Committee investigation has released thousands of files from Epstein’s estate that show his connections spanning from Trump to influential leaders on Wall Street and across the globe. The Wall Street Journal also revealed over the summer a sexually explicit birthday message that appeared to be from the president to Epstein.

    Trump has since called on the Justice Department to investigate ties between his political adversaries and Epstein, particularly the Clintons.

    Survivors of Epstein’s abuse rallied outside the Capitol in the cold Tuesday morning.

    Liz Stein, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, said in a statement that she hopes “our elected leaders show the courage to stand with survivors.”

    “Those of us directly impacted and harmed by the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell deserve justice and for the world to know our story,” she said. “It’s time for real accountability and true transparency.”

    Where did Pa. Republicans stand prior to Tuesday’s vote?

    U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican and former FBI agent who represents a purple district, had been quiet on the issue.

    World Without Exploitation, an anti-human trafficking group that has called for the release of all Epstein files, put a billboard up in Fitzpatrick’s district that says: “Courage is Contagious: Release ALL The Epstein Files.”

    Fitzpatrick was also the subject of digital ads from the Democratic National Committee about the Epstein files over the summer that called him one of Trump’s “sycophantic enablers.”

    Even though no Pennsylvania Republicans signed onto the petition to allow a vote on the bill, some had previously indicated that they wanted the records released.

    Bresnahan said on FOX56 WOLF on Friday that he would vote to release the files while making sure victims are protected. He told The Inquirer after the vote that he made that decision “weeks ago.”

    When asked whether he was surprised at the near-unanimous support from his Republican peers, he said he “really wasn’t talking to a lot of my peers as to where they were going to be on it.”

    Other Republicans made statements over the summer after the Justice Department said it would not release any more files. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in February that she had Epstein’s “client list,” but the department released files that were long in the public eye before claiming in July that Epstein didn’t actually have a list of clients.

    U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a freshman Republican who represents the Lehigh Valley, said during a telephone town hall in July that he would support measures to release DOJ files on Epstein if Trump’s administration doesn’t do more, NPR reported. He echoed that position Monday night, according to news reports.

    “I know they have not released as much as I would like to see to date, but hopefully they’re going to be doing that,” he said in July. “And if not, then Congress should potentially step in and compel them to do that because again, the American people deserve to have full transparency and information about what is in those files, and ultimately, we’re going to get there.”

    U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Trump ally who represents parts of Central Pennsylvania, shared a letter to Bondi on July 18 expressing “serious concern” over how the Epstein case had been handled and said it “remains one of the most troubling examples of apparent failures within our justice system.”

    He said the Trump administration’s handling of the case at that point had “only heightened public distrust.” He cited how the administration’s February 2025 release of documents “contained little new information” and its pivot on a supposed client list.

    “The continued secrecy surrounding these records undermines public confidence in the Justice Department’s commitment to justice,” he said at the time, requesting a special prosecutor to investigate the handling of the case.

    Perry supported a Democratic motion in July to subpoena the Justice Department for the Epstein files in an effort led by U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat from Pittsburgh. He also backed motions to subpoena former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton related to the case.

    Fitzpatrick, Perry, Mackenzie, and Bresnahan all represent districts that will be targeted by Democrats during next year’s midterms.

    Also in July, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R., Luzerne) called for the release of “all the pertinent, credible Epstein files” but focused squarely on Clinton.

    Other Republicans in the state have been pretty quiet on the matter.

    Lee, the Pittsburgh Democrat who led the summer subpoena effort, said in a post on X after the vote that the Department of Justice has “slow-walked” the release of files for months and echoed that Trump hasn’t acted on his ability to compel the department to release the files.

    “No matter how wealthy or well-connected, every person who is complicit, enabled, or abused women and girls will be brought to justice,” she added.

    Protesters head to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 as a bill that would require the release of records relating to Jefrey Epstein comes to a vote.
  • After eight years, police say they’ve solved the ‘brutal’ killing of a Maple Shade woman and her son

    After eight years, police say they’ve solved the ‘brutal’ killing of a Maple Shade woman and her son

    For eight years, the mystery of who killed a Maple Shade woman and her 6-year-old son swirled in the South Jersey town.

    The bodies of Sasikala Narra, 38, and her son, Anish, were found in their blood-spattered apartment by their husband and father, Hanumantha Rao Narra, in March 2017. They had been stabbed to death.

    In the end, the mystery was unraveled by a single drop of blood, prosecutors said Tuesday as they announced who they believe was the killer.

    Nazeer Hameed, 38, has been charged with murder and related crimes in the double stabbing. Authorities say Hameed fled to his native India after the killings, where he remains today.

    Hameed worked at Cognizant, a North Jersey tech company with an office in Philadelphia, alongside Hanumantha Narra, and lived in the same apartment complex as the family.

    Sasikala Narra, 38, and her son, Anish, 6, were stabbed to death inside their apartment in Maple Shade in 2017.

    Patrick Thornton, the chief investigator for the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, said he could not reveal any information about Hameed’s potential motives. But he said Hameed had stalked the family for some time before the killings and used his background in tech to hide his movements after the fatal stabbings.

    Thornton said Hameed waited until Narra had left the apartment before attacking his family with a series of violent stab and slice wounds to their head and hands. Anish was nearly decapitated in the attack.

    “These innocent victims were defenseless during the horrific attack,” Thornton said. “Veteran officers said this was one of the most brutal crime scenes they’ve seen in their careers, and they are still affected by the memory of it.”

    Hameed’s indictment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw, was the result of a yearslong investigation that involved local, state, and federal law enforcement.

    And while she said Tuesday that she was pleased to share the news of the charges against Hameed, she stressed that the work for law enforcement was far from over. Hameed is still living in India, and prosecutors in Bradshaw’s office are awaiting assistance from federal authorities to extradite him to New Jersey.

    Prosecutors say Nazeer Hameed stalked the Narra family for some time before killing Sasikala and Anish Narra.

    “We urge the full cooperation of our two nations to send a message that those who commit crimes cannot escape accountability by crossing oceans,” Bradshaw said.

    Hameed was initially considered a person of interest in the case, and later identified as a suspect in 2019, when investigators found a drop of blood at the crime scene that did not belong to the victims.

    South Jersey man battles to collect $1M in life insurance on his slain wife, son

    For the next five years, detectives attempted to compel Hameed to submit a DNA sample, but were unsuccessful. The Indian government agreed to assist in the collection of the specimen, but never acted on that agreement, officials said Tuesday.

    A break in the case came in 2024, when Cognizant, the tech company Narra and Hameed worked for, sent local prosecutors the laptop Hameed used. A sample of his DNA was pulled from the device, and was ruled to be a match to the blood found at the crime scene.

    Authorities continued to investigate in the months that followed and, on Tuesday, publicly announced his involvement in the crime.

    Bradshaw vowed to work with federal authorities and the Indian government to bring Hameed to America to face criminal charges.

    “The passage of time does not lessen our resolve,” she said. “No border can stand in the way of justice, and the people of Burlington County deserve closure.”

    The mother and son were killed in their Fox Meadows Apartment complex in Maple Shade, N.J.

    The Narras immigrated to America from the Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh state, on India’s eastern coast.

    After marrying, they moved to Maple Shade and later enrolled their son in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. Teachers there called Anish “a beautiful child of God” in speaking to reporters after his slaying.

    Hanumantha Rao Narra could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Through a lawyer, Sasikala Narra’s family in India said Tuesday they were relieved to hear that the killer had been identified.

    “They’re very appreciative of all the work by law enforcement,” Donald F. Browne Jr. said. “It took a very long time, but that’s how justice goes sometimes, and they’re very thankful that everyone kept fighting and kept trying to find the answer to this case.”

  • Bistro at Cherry Hill owner indicted on charges of tax fraud

    Bistro at Cherry Hill owner indicted on charges of tax fraud

    The owner of the beleaguered Bistro at Cherry Hill, a longtime mall fixture that closed this summer amid bankruptcy proceedings, has been indicted on charges of tax fraud.

    The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced the indictment against Andrew Cosenza Jr. on Tuesday, saying an investigation found that he had failed to send the state more than $270,000 in sales tax paid by Bistro customers in 2021 and 2022.

    The 57-year-old Cherry Hill resident was indicted Oct. 29 on several charges, including tax fraud.

    “Everyone is required to pay their fair share of taxes,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in the statement. “This form of tax fraud will not be tolerated.”

    Cosenza did not return a request for comment on Tuesday. No defense attorney was listed on court documents as of Tuesday, and an attorney representing Cosenza in a new Chapter 11 bankruptcy case did not return requests for comment.

    Is the Bistro at Cherry Hill closed for good? Its owner says no, despite bankruptcy.

    Cosenza had owned the Bistro at Cherry Hill for more than 25 years. The beloved restaurant operated out of a 12,000-square-foot kiosk in the middle of the Cherry Hill Mall. This summer, it closed abruptly, saddening loyal customers.

    In July, Cosenza told The Inquirer that the sudden closure was the result of a communication “breakdown” regarding a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition that he filed in May. It was the restaurant’s second bankruptcy filing since 2017.

    While Cosenza was incapacitated by medical issues over the summer, he said the Bistro’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition had been converted to a Chapter 7, which involves the liquidation of assets, without his consent. Cosenza said his brother showed up to open the Bistro on July 10 and found the doors locked.

    The Cherry Hill Mall, where the Bistro at Cherry Hill operated for 27 years, is shown in January.

    “This is not a case of mismanagement or inability to meet financial obligations,” Cosenza said in a July interview. He said that the bankruptcy was the result of lingering pandemic-related issues and that he had a plan for repaying his debts.

    In early October, the Bistro’s bankruptcy case was dismissed. Cosenza told The Inquirer on Oct. 10, two weeks before the indictment, that he planned to keep fighting to reopen the Bistro. On Oct. 15, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a small-business debtor.

    The charges against Cosenza stem from a 2023 joint investigation by the New Jersey Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation and the Division of Criminal Justice. Investigators said they found discrepancies between the gross sales tax amounts that Cosenza reported on his business tax returns and the amounts turned over to the state.

    If found guilty of the charges, Cosenza could face five years or more in state prison and fines of more than $150,000, according to the prosecutor’s office.

  • ‘Very, very difficult morning’: Three dead, including two kids, in North Philly house fire

    ‘Very, very difficult morning’: Three dead, including two kids, in North Philly house fire

    Three people, including two young children, are dead after an early-morning fire ripped through a North Philadelphia rowhouse Tuesday morning.

    “Very, very difficult morning,” said Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said during a news conference.

    Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the 3400 block of Hope Street around 1 a.m. Deputy Chief Frank Hannan said the fire was in the back of the first floor of the home, which did not have working smoke alarms.

    Firefighters pulled three people out of the building, Hannan said — a 5-year-old boy, a 6-year-old girl, and a 45-year-old woman.

    “The two children were transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital, one adult was transported to Temple Hospital,” Hannon said. “All three occupants have been declared deceased by the hospital.”

    The police department identified the victims as Nidre Annette Ayala, 45; Kataleya Garcia, 6; and Sebastian Rodriguez-DeJesus, 5. The children were siblings.

    Thompson said that the woman killed was not the mother of the two children.

    “From what I understand, the mother of the children is at the hospital,” Thompson said.

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025.

    Neighbors on Hope Street remember the two children playing in the neighborhood, laughing and enjoying games in front of their home. One neighbor said that as the children often played, a man would regularly work on his car beside them.

    Queani Crespo, 22, saw the flames from her home next door, which was still enveloped in the smell of ash and smoke from hours earlier.

    “This fire has been crazy. It’s just been too much,” Crespo said. “From seeing those kids running around, playing on this block, and just being happy, to seeing what happened to them. It is the worst feeling.”

    In front of the home sat two large decorated pumpkins from the Halloween season, adorned with children’s drawings, smiley faces, and polka dots.

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025. Two pumpkins adorned with children’s drawings and smiley faces still sit outside the home on the day of the fire.

    The home itself looked hollowed-out, with every glass window in the front shattered; burn marks were left like shadows on the corners of the frames. Out front, a three-foot-tall pile of blackened debris sat as the smell of smoke stained the Tuesday afternoon air.

    Crespo and other neighbors said there were no loud explosions that precipitated the fire. They said the smoke billowing from the two-story home was nauseating.

    “I couldn’t feel the heat, but the smoke was crazy,” Crespo said Tuesday afternoon. “The little house right next door to the fire is mine. It still smells like fire and smoke. It’s really bad.”

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025.

    The cause of the fire remained under investigation. There was no initial indication of arson, police said. Thompson urged anyone without working smoke alarms to contact the city, which provides them free of charge.

    “If you do not have smoke alarms, please call 311, and we will come out and install them for you,” Thompson said.

  • School closings are coming to Philly. Here are four themes that are emerging as leaders come closer to decisions.

    School closings are coming to Philly. Here are four themes that are emerging as leaders come closer to decisions.

    Sweeping changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with officials promising large-scale school closings, co-locations, grade reconfigurations, and new construction over the next several years.

    The district is launching a survey this week to gain more input into that plan after Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. pushed back a November deadline to announce his recommendations amid concerns from school communities.

    But those working closely on the facilities planning process said Monday that four themes are emerging that will shape the recommendations: strengthening K-8 schools, reinvesting in neighborhood schools, reducing school transitions for students, and expanding access to grades 5-12 criteria-based schools.

    Philadelphia School District facilities survey

    Here’s what to know about each of the themes:

    Strengthening K-8 schools

    “Many school programs with declining enrollment, or which operate in aging buildings, struggle to offer a full range of high-quality classes, activities, enrichment opportunities, and supports,” the district said.

    Students and teachers in K-8 schools need better spaces and staffing and more resources, and the district cannot achieve that in its current configuration — the district has 216 schools but about 300 buildings, many of which are in poor shape. And enrollment is unevenly distributed — some schools, particularly those in the Northeast, are overcrowded, while others have thousands of empty seats.

    Citywide, there are 70,000 excess seats in district schools.

    The district might merge two schools or co-locate multiple schools in a single building, said Claire Landau, a senior adviser to Watlington tasked with steering the facilities planning process. It might also invest in “more suitable buildings.”

    Reinvesting in neighborhood high schools

    “Some neighborhood high schools lack a full range of academic enrichment and post-high school preparation pathways, while some smaller magnet high schools lack extracurricular programs and diverse enrichment opportunities,” the district said.

    Possible outcomes for reinvesting in neighborhood high schools include “targeted building improvements,” partnerships, and theme-based or career-connected programs in the district’s traditional neighborhood high schools.

    Reducing school transitions for students

    “Transitions for schools can be disruptive to learning and community connection. Research supports that students do better when they have fewer transitions between school programs during their pre-K-12 experience,” the district said.

    There are currently 13 different grade configurations in the district; the aim is to shrink that. To achieve this, the district could increase pre-K-8 schools and adjust grade configurations.

    Expanding access to grades 5-12 criteria-based schools

    “Philadelphia community desires schools that allow students to learn in one community from middle grades through high school,” the district said. (Some of those already exist — Masterman, for instance, and GAMP.)

    To achieve that goal, the district could create more seats at existing 5-12 schools, or create new 5-12 pathways, with an eye toward neighborhood equity.

    “This is not going to be a plan that erases or proposes to move away from all of our more traditional middle school grade spans, but we will be looking for opportunities to provide more access to pre-K-through-8 programming and 5-through-12 programming — because of how much support we’ve heard for it from communities across this process as well as what the research shows as far as students doing better in these environments,” said Landau.

    The mayor weighs in

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker weighed in on the matter at a district hearing before City Council on Tuesday, saying she was in lockstep with Watlington and the school board president.

    “We need to recreate a comprehensive plan for repurposing every underutilized school building in the city of Philadelphia,” Parker said.

    But, the mayor said, “that plan will have to include housing, and that includes housing for public servants and educators who deserve to live in the communities that they serve, along with thinking about access to the repurposing of those buildings, to aid us in our desire to build affordable and workforce housing in the city of Philadelphia.”