A.J. Brown might have been wrong. The Eagles’ offense isn’t just a “s— show;” it’s looking way worse. But enough about that side of the field, at least for now . The reason why the Eagles’ path to the playoffs remains promising is because their defense has been lights out, increasingly so since the team returned from the bye two games ago. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg take stock of the Eagles’ successes and failures at the 10-game mark, and also react to the breaking news about right tackle Lane Johnson’s foot injury. unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout the season, including day-after-game reactions.
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A Trenton woman was found dead in an abandoned car. Police say her boyfriend killed her.
A woman who was found dead inside an abandoned car in Lower Makefield on Sunday had been killed hours earlier by her boyfriend in Trenton, police said Monday.
Lamont Truitt, of Trenton, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, carjacking, and related crimes in the shooting death of Alyssia Murphy, 32. He is also charged with shooting and wounding a friend of Murphy’s who had been sitting with her in a Toyota Camry that police say he stole after the shooting.
Truitt, 36, remained in custody Monday, awaiting a detention hearing in Mercer County.
A passerby found Murphy’s body inside the abandoned Camry early Sunday near an access road to the Delaware Canal, according to police in the Bucks County township. She had been shot multiple times.
Trenton police say the shooting happened just before 6 a.m. on Coolidge Avenue near Oakland Street in the capital city.
Murphy’s friend, whom police did not identify, said she was sitting in the car with Murphy when Truitt approached them. The couple began to argue, she said, and in the heat of their dispute, Truitt pulled out a handgun and fired multiple times at Murphy at close range.
The woman, who was shot in the leg, said she jumped out of the car and ran before Truitt sped off. She was treated at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
A family friend who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation described Murphy as a kind, generous person who had long dreamed of starting a family and “certainly did not deserve to go like that.”
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Citing extraordinary circumstances, Chester County will count the vast majority of provisional ballots cast after Election Day chaos
The Chester County Board of Elections rejected Republican challenges to provisional ballots Monday as the board prepares to launch an investigation into a poll book error that forced thousands of independent and third-party voters to cast provisional ballots during this month’s election.
In a nearly six-hour meeting, the Democratic-led board heard from dozens of voters and poll workers who described the chaos they endured on Nov. 4 during the high-turnout municipal election. The election resulted in more than 12,000 provisional ballots being cast primarily by independent and third-party voters blocked from voting on machines — an unusually high amount.
The election board, which is made up of the county’s commissioners, voted to count the vast majority of the provisional ballots, arguing that the county’s mistake allowed the board to accept ballots that would be rejected under normal circumstances.
“People’s ballots deserve to be counted in this circumstance,” said Josh Maxwell, a Democrat who chairs the three-member board. “If we make a mistake, we have to remedy it.”
The error was caused when officials mistakenly sent poll books to precincts that did not include the names of independent and third-party voters. Until supplemental poll books were provided to precincts late in the day, those voters were asked to cast a provisional ballot.
Provisional ballots are cast when voters are unable to vote by machine on Election Day, most often because they already requested a mail ballot or are at the wrong polling place.
The ballots require an additional level of review before they are counted. Provisional ballots are often more likely to be rejected than mail ballots or ballots cast on voting machines in person because voters are less familiar with the voting method and are required to place ballots in a secrecy envelope and sign in two places.
The Chester County Republican Committee objected to the counting of more than 1,000 ballots ahead of Monday’s meeting. That number whittled down as the committee withdrew objections to ballots where the error was likely caused by election workers. But the GOP committee’s attorney argued that it would be illegal to count ballots missing the first required voter signature or a secrecy envelope.
By allowing the votes to count, she argued, the board was setting a dangerous precedent.
“These votes are not going to change the outcome of elections, but what they do is they change the way the law is interpreted. They give someone the ability to bypass the safeguards that are in the law,” said Dolores Troiani, an attorney for the county GOP.
The ballots, the party argued, needed to be rejected to preserve voter confidence in county elections. In a letter to the commissioners, the party argued that voter confidence had dropped after the poll book error, the office’s failure to include a county row office on the primary ballot, and high turnover in the county election office.
In response, the letter said, county officials should not certify the November election.
Democratic officials rejected all the GOP challenges.
“We should not, especially when it is of no fault of their own, be disenfranchising voters,” said Democratic Commissioner Marian Moskowitz.
Republican Commissioner Eric Roe voted against counting the ballots, arguing that there was no legal basis to do so.
“If the legislature wanted to make exceptions, it should have and would have said so,” Roe said. “I will be relying on what the law says and not what I wish it says.”
Voters on Monday voiced frustration and confusion at having learned their ballot, which they were told would count, would be rejected for an error they were not aware of at the polling place. Several were angry that the county GOP asked for eligible voters’ ballots to be rejected.
Edith Jones, a poll worker, approached the podium nearly in tears Monday to tell commissioners that she worried she’d caused more than a dozen voters to have their ballots thrown out. As the day began, she said, she directed voters to fill out their provisional ballots but forgot to provide them with the required secrecy envelope.
“I gave them instructions, but when somebody in authority tells you what to do, who’s going to read all those words on the paper?” Jones said.
Throughout testimony, voters and the Republican Party questioned how the error could occur and demanded remedy moving forward.
“We have no guarantee they’ll fix it,” Troiani said in an interview after the meeting. However, the attorney said the party would not appeal the board’s decisions.
Last week, the county announced plans to hire an outside firm to investigate the poll book error.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
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Penn State still has a shot at a bowl, and Terry Smith says his players are ‘dialed in’
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Terry Smith has two phones. Each received more than 500 messages after Penn State’s 28-10 victory over Michigan State on Saturday, the first in the career of the interim head coach.
Those texts came from former players, fellow coaches, family members and “nearly everyone” Smith has known throughout his life, he said. That support meant the world to Smith, who fought back tears and took several pauses to collect his emotions as he reflected on his journey.
“There are so many people in my life that speak life into me,” Smith said Monday. “I’ve had the opportunity to be the head coach at Penn State. I don’t think anything has made me or my family happier than this opportunity.”
After the team’s third straight loss and the dismissal of coach James Franklin, Smith took over as the program’s interim coach on Oct. 12. A longtime Nittany Lion, he said Penn State is all his family knows.
Smith played wide receiver for the Nittany from 1987-91 and has served as a coach for the last 12 years. His father graduated from Penn State in 1968. He said nine of his family members have Penn State degrees, and three more are current students at the university.
Bottom line: Smith bleeds blue and white. And the opportunity to lead the university’s football program has been a “dream.”
“This place has done so much for me and my family. This place is special. It’s amazing,” Smith said. “I just want to give back to it. I just want to make sure that we are putting out a team that everyone can be proud of.”
Penn State linebacker Keon Wylie sacks Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic on Saturday. In an era of college football dominated by the transfer portal, and at a point in the season when players begin to opt out as the bowls approach, Smith said Penn State “could have easily packed it in.” But despite a six-game losing streak, a head-coaching change, and several key injuries, the players are still with him, the coach said.
It is a testament to the respect Smith garners within the Lasch Building, Penn State’s training facility. It is the reason his players doused him with purple Gatorade and hoisted him into the air after the victory in East Lansing, Mich.
And it is the reason the Nittany Lions are still fighting for bowl eligibility at the end of an adversity-filled season.
“The buy-in has been awesome,” Smith said. “One of our older guys has something going on in December, and he asked me, ‘Coach, when we win these two games, will we have practice that weekend?’ We’re in a time of opt-out. We’re in a time where guys can easily walk away. This is one of our veteran guys, which speaks volumes to this locker room.”
Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer runs for a first down in the fourth quarter against Michigan State. The anonymous senior is correct. If Penn State (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) wins its remaining two games, it becomes bowl eligible. The first of those tests comes against Nebraska (7-3, 4-3) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday (7 p.m., NBC10).
Smith said he gave his players four keys to success before Saturday’s win: dominate the line of scrimmage, play with passion and pride, get Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen a combined 30 touches, and pressure the quarterback. The Nittany Lions achieved those goals against the Spartans and intend to do so on Senior Day against the Cornhuskers.
“These guys are dialed in,” Smith said. “They’re playing their hearts out. There is no dissension, no guys looking the other way. They got their first taste of victory in a long time, they enjoyed it, and they want to experience it again.”
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Suit alleges negligence caused the Jan. 31 jet crash in Northeast Philly
The families of two Mexican nationals killed in a Northeast Philly jet crash have filed a wrongful-death suit against a medical airline, alleging its negligence was responsible for the Jan. 31. disaster that killed eight people, seriously injured at least 20 more, and devastated a neighborhood.
The complaint, filed Monday in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, was brought by the estates of Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna against Med Jets, a Mexican air carrier that operates specialized airplanes for medical transport.
Osuna was homebound for Tijuana following her young daughter’s successful medical treatment at Shriner’s Hospital when the Learjet 55 abruptly dove about a minute after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and slammed into Cottman Avenue.
Osuna and her daughter, 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo, were killed instantly, along with the pilot, co-pilot, a paramedic, and Arredondo, a pediatrician.
The suit broadly accuses Med Jets of “carelessness, negligence, and recklessness” for failing “to ensure the aircraft was in a safe and operable condition.”
It notes details from a still-ongoing federal investigation — which revealed that the “black box” and other components on the jet were inoperable — and an earlier fatal crash involving a Med Jet plane in Mexico. It leaves open the possibility that the Tijuana-bound plane could have crashed due to pilot error.
“Today’s filing is an important step on behalf of the victims of this tragedy to hold those responsible for this deadly crash fully accountable,” said Jeffrey P. Goodman, an attorney with Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, who represents the estates of two families. “Unfortunately, given the lack of functioning onboard recording systems, much remains to be determined as to the cause of this crash.”
The complaint, which seeks unspecified compensatory damages, also names as defendants still-unidentified people “responsible for inspection, maintenance, repairs” of aircraft operated by Med Jets, and corporations involved in the manufacture of Learjet components.
A spokesperson for Med Jets did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crash occurred after 6 p.m. on a Friday. After plummeting 1,650 feet at more than 235 miles per hour, the jet left a crater that the suit says resembled one created by heavy military artillery. The black box was buried eight feet in the ground.
A 37-year-old Mount Airy motorist was killed when the jet’s fuel set his car ablaze. A passenger in the same vehicle was critically injured and succumbed to her injuries in April. The driver’s 9-year-old son also suffered serious burns, requiring extensive medical treatment.
The scope of damage to nearly six blocks of rowhouses and businesses near the Roosevelt Mall has already led a Mexican insurer for Med Jets, which also does business as Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, to preemptively file an action in federal court, pleading that claims related to the incident would far exceed a $10 million limit on the carrier’s policy.
The city of Philadelphia alone reported more than $2.5 million in damages related to the local emergency response effort, and the case has already drawn dozens of other claimants. The insurer has requested that a federal judge oversee distribution of the limited funds.
The cause of the crash remains undetermined.
The defective black box, referenced in the lawsuit, left National Transportation Safety Board investigators with few clues as to what occurred on board in the moments leading up to the crash.
Their efforts were further frustrated by the sheer force of the impact and an ensuing blaze, which incinerated much of the plane wreckage.
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William L. Elkins, pioneering research immunologist at Penn and innovative Chester County cattle rancher, has died at 93
William L. Elkins, 93, of Coatesville, pioneering research immunologist at what is now the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, associate professor emeritus of pathology and laboratory medicine, innovative longtime Angus cattle rancher in Chester County, avid sailor, and veteran, died Tuesday, Nov. 11, of complications from pneumonia at Chester County Hospital.
The great-great-grandson of Philadelphia business tycoon William Lukens Elkins, Dr. Elkins fashioned his own distinguished career as a scientist, medical researcher, and professor at Penn from 1965 to 1985, and owner of the Buck Run Farm cattle ranch in Coatesville for the last 39 years.
At Penn, Dr. Elkins conducted pioneering research on how the human immune system fights infection and disease. He collaborated with colleagues in Philadelphia and elsewhere around the country to provide critical new research regarding bone marrow transplants and pediatric oncology.
His work contributed to new and more effective medical procedures at Penn, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and elsewhere, and he instructed students and residents at Penn. But his lifelong love of the fields and rolling hills he roamed as a boy in Chester County never faded, he told Greet Brandywine Valley magazine in 2023.
Dr. Elkins was a lifelong outdoorsman. “Farming is in my blood,” he said. “So even when I went to medical school and all that, the enthusiasm never left, and I wanted to go back to it.”
So he retired from medicine at 53, and he and his wife, Helen, bought nearly 300 acres of the old King Ranch on Doe Run Church Road in Coatesville. She kept the books and looked after the business. He became an expert on breeding cattle and growing the high-energy grass they eat.
Wearing floppy hats and riding a colorful ATV from field to field, Dr. Elkins worked his land for decades. He mended fences and tended daily to his 120 cows, heifers, and prize bulls.
He championed holistic regenerative farming and used new scientific systems to feed his cattle. He rejected commercial fertilizer and knew all about soil composition, grass growing, and body fat in cattle.
Dr. Elkins and his wife, Helen, married in 1966. In a 1995 Inquirer story, he said: “Cattle are just like anyone else. If you just turn a few cattle out in a great big field, they will wander around, eat the grass they like best, and leave what they don’t want. That means the less desirable grasses tend to predominate.”
He traveled the country to confer with other cattlemen and helped found the Southeast Regional Cattlemen’s Association in 1994. He sold his beefsteaks, patties, jerky sticks, and kielbasa grillers to private customers online and to butchers and restaurants.
At least one local chef featured an item on the menu called Dr. Elkins’ Angusburger. Lots of folks called him Doc.
He earned his medical degree at Harvard University in 1958 and served two years in the Navy at the hospital in Bethesda, Md. He was a surgical intern in New York and discovered that he preferred the research lab. Before Penn, he worked at the Wistar Institute of biomedical research.
Dr. Elkins graduated from St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts in 1950. Away from the lab, Dr. Elkins was an ocean sailor, expert navigator, and former boat club commodore. He was active with the Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands, and other groups, and was lauded by national organizations for his wide-ranging conservation and wildlife efforts.
He made his farm a haven again for the bobolink grassland songbird and other migratory birds and butterflies that had dwindled. “Buck Run Farm is more about growing grass and trees than beef,” he told Greet Brandywine Valley. “We’re blessed by the land.”
William Lukens Elkins was born Aug. 2, 1932, in Boston. He lived on the family dairy farm in Pocopson, Chester County, when he was young, went to boarding school in Massachusetts for four years, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Princeton University.
He met Helen MacLeod at a party in Washington, and they married in 1966 and had a daughter, Sheila, and a son, Jake. They lived in Center City, Society Hill, and Villanova before moving to the farm. “He was easy to be with,” his wife said.
Dr. Elkins enjoyed sailing and fishing. Dr. Elkins loved nature, fishing, and baseball, and he followed the Phillies, the Flyers, and other sports teams. “He had a wonderful bedside manner,” his daughter said. “He was a great listener. He really knew how to support people.”
His son said: “He was unassuming and direct. He spoke his mind. He connected with so many different people. He was curious about the world around him.”
His wife said: “He was thoughtful and always concerned about people. He had good humor. He was fun.”
In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Elkins is survived by five grandchildren and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
This article about Dr. Elkins and his ranch appeared in The Inquirer in 1995. A celebration of his life is to be held later.
Donations is his name may be made to the Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Rd., Avondale, Pa. 19311.
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What is a Lisfranc injury? Where does it get its name? And what does it mean for Lane Johnson?
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is expected to miss multiple weeks with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot that could land him on injured reserve.
Johnson, who has missed snaps already this season with shoulder and knee injuries, suffered the midfoot injury Sunday in the first quarter of the Eagles’ 16-9 win over the Detroit Lions and did not return to the game.
The 35-year-old lineman is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks — landing on injured reserve, as is expected, means Johnson would be forced to miss at least the next four games.
Here’s more about the injury that will keep him out …
What is a Lisfranc injury?
According to the Neville Foot & Ankle Centers, “Lisfranc injuries often occur as a result of a high-energy impact to the midfoot. It’s common to see fractures of the Lisfranc Joint in contact/collision sports like American Football, however low energy incidents (like twisting) can also be a cause.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a Lisfranc injury is “any damage to the Lisfranc joint on top of your foot. It’s where your metatarsal bones (the bridges to your toes) connect to the rest of your foot.”
The Cleveland Clinic describes the Lisfranc joint as “a busy highway or on-ramp” because so many parts of the foot meet up in one place.
Where does the name come from?
The Lisfranc was named, according to the National Institutes of Health, in homage to French physician Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin, “who was the first to describe an amputation through this joint.”
Lisfranc was a surgeon and gynecologist who during the Napoleonic Wars was brought in to help France, which was dealing with a physician shortage.
The story has it that a soldier dismounting from his horse had his foot stuck in the stirrups. The blood flow to his lower limb was stopped and it created a “gangrenous foot,” according to the Neville Foot & Ankle Centers.
Lisfranc described the surgery as “amputation of the foot through the tarsometatarsal articulation.”
Does a Lisfranc injury require surgery?
Unlike in Lisfranc’s days, the injury isn’t a prescription for an amputation anymore.
It sometimes doesn’t even require surgery.
In Johnson’s case, it might. He is awaiting results from X-rays from foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson. While he is believed to have suffered a sprain, a decision will be made if he needs potentially season-ending surgery, according to sources. Nonsurgical Lisfranc injuries could take about six to eight weeks to recover, but sometimes less. If Johnson doesn’t require surgery, he could be back on the field after four to six weeks.
Anderson, a former Packers and Panthers physician, is a sort of NFL authority on the Lisfranc injury.
Have other Eagles suffered Lisfranc injuries?
Yes. Many of them.
Offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo suffered a Lisfranc injury in September 2021 that required season-ending surgery. Two years earlier, defensive tackle Malik Jackson suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in a season-opening game.
More recently, Nakobe Dean suffered a Lisfranc sprain in early November 2023 that required surgery and ended his season.
Others, like Cre’Von LeBlanc, have suffered Lisfranc sprains that did not require surgery. LeBlanc suffered his injury in training camp in 2019, and while he did not have to have surgery, he did not make his season debut until December.
Johnson’s timeline will all depend on the severity of his sprain.
What does Johnson’s absence mean for the Eagles?
Johnson, who is playing in his 13th season, has dealt with multiple injuries this season. He left the Eagles’ Week 3 game against Los Angeles with a stinger, then left the Week 4 game due to a shoulder injury. He left last week’s game vs. the Green Bay Packers due to an ankle injury and missed a large chunk before returning in the fourth quarter.
Despite the injuries, Johnson has played in every game this season and continues to perform at a high level. This one, however, will cost the All-Pro at least a few contests, which historically presents a problem to the Eagles.
The Eagles are 12-23 in games Johnson hasn’t started since the beginning of the 2016 season. But backup tackle Fred Johnson has filled in well this season — and last year — when Johnson has missed time.
The Eagles traded to bring Fred Johnson back at the end of training camp after the tackle left for Jacksonville in free agency. He has been a difference maker for the Eagles. They were 5-1 last season when he started and are 3-0 in games this season when he has come on in relief to play at least 50% of the offensive snaps.
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Gameday Central: Phillies Extra with Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon is a three-time former Manager of the Year, manager of the hex-breaking 2016 Chicago Cubs, and one of the sharpest minds in baseball. He’s also a native Pennsylvanian. And he joined “Phillies Extra” to discuss the state of the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber’s evolution into a complete hitter, how to pitch Bryce Harper, and much more. Watch and listen here:
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Flight schedules will return to normal at PHL ahead of Thanksgiving and holiday travel season
Flight schedules should soon return to normal across major U.S. airports, including Philadelphia, after the FAA lifted government shutdown-related flight restrictions for airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration retracted its order at more than 40 airports on Sunday night. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initially told airlines to eliminate 10% of their scheduled flights starting on Nov. 7 in response to “concerning data” that showed pressure on the national aviation system and on air traffic controllers who were experiencing staffing shortages amid the federal government shutdown.
Now that the federal government has passed a bill to fund the government until at least Jan. 30, federal agencies and workers, including those across the aviation system, are heading back to work.
“Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the National Airspace System and allows us to return to normal operations,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FAA safety and operations teams and for their focus on the safety of the traveling public.”
Air traffic at the Philadelphia International Airport on Nov. 6. American Airlines, which operates 75% of the flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport, is ready to bounce back swiftly after flight restrictions are lifted, a spokesperson said.
“American is ready for business, and we are serving customers with a full schedule in advance of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays,” said Bri Harper, American Airlines’ spokesperson for the Northeast region.
Recovering from the FAA-ordered flight reductions won’t be a huge task, said Mike Taylor, J.D. Power’s practice lead for travel, and will likely be resolved in a matter of days.
“A matter of two or three days is generally all it takes,” Taylor said. “So I think they want to get that ball rolling well in advance of holiday travel so that there’s less hassle when holiday travel picks up in a week and a half from now.”
PHL’s major airlines, including American, United, and Delta, don’t expect any major hiccups associated with restoring flights after the FAA-ordered flight reductions.
United CEO Scott Kirby lauded employees during the chaotic period of cancellations in a LinkedIn post. While Nov. 8 and 9 set records in staffing shortage-driven cancellations and delays at the FAA, he wrote, Kirby said United customers gave the airline their fourth- and fifth-highest satisfaction scores of the year on those days.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CBS, “The system should return to normal by the weekend.”
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John Fetterman returns to D.C. after hospitalization, speaks at conference for Jewish leaders
Sen. John Fetterman is back to work after recovering from a fall that required hospitalization.
Fetterman (D., Pa.) was hospitalized last week following a fall after he experienced a heart issue, an unnamed spokesperson announced Thursday. On Saturday, Fetterman shared a selfie after being released from the hospital with a coffee in hand.
Come Monday he was back in the public eye, appearing at an event hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) in Washington. His presence sent the message that he’s back in commission.
Photos posted by attendees on social media show the senator wearing his signature hoodie and shorts.
His face is still healing from the fall after what he described in his Saturday post as “20 stitches later and a full recovery.”
“See you back in DC,” he said on X.
Fetterman’s Monday appearance was part of the JFNA’s General Assembly — which began on Sunday and will continue through Tuesday. The three-day event is described on the group’s website as a gathering for Jewish community leaders, professionals, philanthropists, and community partners to “address pressing issues, explore best practices, and cultivate innovative solutions.”
Fetterman sat on stage during a session called “Monday Morning Plenary: Protecting Our Communities Today.” It was advertised as giving attendees the opportunity to “hear from leaders on the front lines who are building stronger systems of protection and trust.”
Other guests listed alongside Fetterman for the morning program included Annie Sandler, president of the Joint Distribution Committee; the Rev. Juan Rivera, president of the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition; Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Media; and Olivia Reingold, staff writer at the Free Press. The Free Press is a center-right outlet that Fetterman had provided an exclusive excerpt of his book to ahead of its release.
Steven Schimmel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, said in a post on X that Fetterman shared on the JNFA stage that his wife Gisele’s free store “has been vandalized by anti-Israel activists.”
Fetterman, who is not Jewish, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and sponsored a resolution with Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) against antisemitism. Fetterman has received recognition from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called him the country’s “best friend” and gifted him a silver pager inspired by Israel’s attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon that exploded pagers.
Fetterman was also given a high honor by Yeshiva University whose honoree last year was the creator of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and he received the Defender of Israel award from the Zionist Organization of America.
His unnamed spokesperson had said his fall last week was due to a ventricular fibrillation “flare-up.” Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening heart issue. The incident comes after the senator suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2022.
As a Democrat known for working across the aisle, Fetterman was flooded with well-wishes from Republicans last week.
The medical incident came just two days after he released his new memoir, Unfettered, in which he discusses his recovery from the stroke and his battle with depression that followed.
Last week, Fetterman was also one of eight Senate Democratic caucus members to vote for a Republican plan to end the federal government shutdown, a move that angered some Democrats because the legislation lacked the extension of federal health subsidies that the party had pushed for.