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The recommendation is part of a new report issued by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Monday, which outlines the findings of a months-long investigation into the origins of the outbreak and Beijing's efforts to "conceal the spread and novel nature of the virus."

"After months of investigating, it's become crystal clear the Chinese Communist Party's cover-up of the coronavirus, especially in the early days of the outbreak, played a significant role in turning what could have been a local epidemic into a global pandemic," Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, leader of the GOP China task force, said in a statement to CNN.

"And, unfortunately, the World Health Organization under the leadership of Director General Tedros (Adhanom Ghebreyesus) only exacerbated the problem by repeatedly ignoring warnings about the severity of the virus, including from their own health experts, while at the same time parroting the CCP's propaganda without independently confirming their claims," he added.

"While I join the president in his frustration with the WHO under Tedros' leadership, I think we can affect more change within the organization as a member. I was pleased to hear NSA {Robert} O'Brien say the U.S. 'would consider coming back' once necessary reforms were enacted," McCaul told CNN.

Investigating the origins of the coronavirus outbreak has become a partisan issue in recent months as top Trump administration officials have attempted to publicly blame China, and the WHO, for the outbreak spreading to the US as it faces criticism for its own response.

However, aides involved in compiling Monday's GOP report are making clear that the findings are not just a political diversion tactic, insisting they should be reviewed separately from any oversight of the administration's domestic response. A Democratic committee aide told CNN that it was unclear if members or staff had reviewed the report released Monday.

The investigation primarily involved a thorough review of open source reporting and the recommendations were made after consulting the State Department and key allies, committee aides told CNN, adding that the probe only covers matters under the panel's jurisdiction.

But while the GOP-led probe determined that there is evidence supporting many of the allegations made by US officials, investigators ultimately disagreed with the administration's decision to withdraw from the WHO, breaking with President Donald Trump, who announced just last month that the US would do just that.

Instead, the report calls for an international investigation into the WHO's actions and for Tedros to resign.

"Director General Tedros has failed in his duties as the head of the World Health Organization. Until Tedros is no longer the head of the WHO, I do not believe the United States should contribute any additional voluntary funds," McCaul said.

On Monday, the WHO confirmed that the US still one of its member states.

"Yes, the United States is still a member of the -- a member state -- of the World Health Organization," Tedros said when asked about the relationship during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday.

Will Trump reverse his decision?

It remains to be seen if Monday's report has any impact on Trump's decision to cut ties with the WHO but committee aides told CNN that its recommendations are based on exhaustive conversations with several key US allies who agree the US should remain a member of the WHO.

The hope, aides said, is that the US can build an international coalition to enact significant changes at the WHO, which has faced questions about its independence given China's rising wealth and power.

Critics point to the WHO's effusive praise of China's response to the pandemic. Organization officials have defended their early actions when it came to fighting the coronavirus, noting that much was unknown about the virus back in January.

That argument is echoed throughout Monday's GOP report, which includes a list of unanswered questions for WHO officials who aides told CNN have failed to respond to multiple letters from McCaul.

Trump's decision to permanently terminate the US relationship with the WHO follows a years-long pattern of skepticism of world organizations, with the President claiming that the US is being taken advantage of.

The President has questioned US funding to the United Nations and NATO, withdrawn from the Paris climate accord and repeatedly criticized the World Trade Organization.

Trump has also said that if the WHO had acted appropriately, he could have instituted a travel ban on people coming from China sooner.

But health experts, US lawmakers and world leaders have expressed concern over defunding the organization amid a pandemic.

After Trump's announcement last month, a WHO spokesperson told CNN, "We have no comment to offer at this point."

Chinese government bears 'overwhelming responsibility'

Ultimately, however, the report alleges that the Chinese government bears responsibility for failing to warn the world before the outbreak spread out of control, infecting people on nearly every continent, killing hundreds of thousands and leaving many more isolated.

China had enough information to warrant a full scale public health response as early as mid-December of last year but government officials attempted to keep the spread of cases quiet, the report argues.

"Based on an examination of the early stages of the outbreak, efforts to conceal the spread and novel nature of the virus, failures to share accurate information as required by international law, and the suppression of voices seeking to warn the world, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bears overwhelming responsibility for allowing a local outbreak to become a global pandemic," it reads.

"In sum, the COVID-19 global pandemic could have been prevented if the CCP acted in a transparent and responsible manner," the report adds.

Currently, the earliest case identified by Chinese authorities can be traced back to November 17, 2019, in the city of Wuhan, according to the GOP investigation, which notes that the cause of the virus remains unknown but is "believed to likely be the result of a zoonotic spillover event."

As the virus began to spread throughout Wuhan in November and early December, Chinese officials did not report the emerging outbreak to international health officials despite regulations that were implemented following the SARS pandemic in 2003 requiring them to do so.

Despite public reports to the contrary, the Chinese government also did not directly notify WHO about signs of the emerging coronavirus outbreak in late December, one of several instances in which Beijing violated international law as part of a sweeping cover-up of the pandemic's origins, according to the report.

Instead, WHO officials first learned about an initial cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan from online posts that were picked up by a "US-based open-access platform for early intelligence about infectious disease outbreaks," according to the GOP document, which cites public remarks made by to Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program on April 20.

"WHO headquarters in Geneva instructed the WHO China Country Office to seek verification of these reports from the PRC's government. Despite public reporting to the contrary, the PRC never notified the WHO about the outbreak in Wuhan," the GOP report reads.

But Ryan's comments were not widely reported by Western media outlets and the WHO has done little to make clear that they were never approached by the Chinese government.

Last month, Trump said that China had not properly reported information it had about the coronavirus to the World Health Organization and said China had pressured the WHO to "mislead the world."

"Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities," Trump said. "Countless lives have been taken and profound economic hardship has been inflicted all around the globe."

Chinese officials have repeatedly pushed back on allegations that they are to blame for the outbreak and amplified unfounded conspiracy theories about the virus' origins.

Still no evidence virus escaped from Wuhan lab

Trump has repeatedly pointed the finger at China and the WHO while mostly giving himself rave reviews for its handling of the pandemic, despite Covid-19 testing fumbles and a national stockpile short on supplies when they were needed most.

Last month, the President undercut a rare on-the-record statement from his own intelligence community hours earlier by claiming he had seen evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, but declined to provide details to back up his assertion.

Despite warnings from scientists and intelligence professionals that the US may never know the precise origin of the virus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also pushed the intelligence community for precise details about the origin of the virus, CNN has learned.

As a result, intelligence officials are facing enormous pressure to determine whether the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, two sources familiar with their frustrations told CNN. While the intelligence community has been wary to share details about the demands coming from the Trump administration, officials have told allies that the situation on the inside is alarming.

Assessments by scientists and those circulated among US intelligence-sharing allies have posited that it is "highly unlikely" the virus originated in a lab.

The US intelligence community has said it is looking into both possibilities and Monday's GOP report reiterates that neither the virus' origin nor patient zero are currently known.

Monday's report does, however, note that there are lingering safety questions involving the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a facility that has often been linked to theories about the outbreak's origins.

While the report makes clear that legitimate questions about the facility's security are "not evidence that the ongoing pandemic is the result of a release, accidental or deliberate, from the lab, or what the staffing status was at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, it is important to consider these concerns in light of the PRC's history with lab accidents."

CNN's Jacqueline Howard and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

Original post:
Republicans urge Trump not to terminate relationship with World Health Organization - CNN

Recognizing the threat in Iowa, the presidents re-election campaign spent more than $400,000 on TV ads in the state in May and June, according to Advertising Analytics, a tracking firm.

Democrats top presidential super PAC, Priorities USA, rated Iowa this month as leaning toward Mr. Trump and outside the top-six battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida. But that might change. While Iowa isnt currently in our spending plans, its a state were keeping an eye on, said Josh Schwerin, a senior strategist for the group. The fact that its in play shows that Biden is on offense and will have multiple paths to 270, he added, referring to the electoral votes needed for victory.

Its a different story in the Senate race. Democratic outside groups have booked $24.1 million to support Ms. Greenfield with TV ads through Election Day, and Republican groups are close behind with $22.6 million on behalf of Ms. Ernst.

Democrats hoping to control the Senate need to net four seats in November (or three if they win the White House since the vice president has a tiebreaking vote). Their top targets are Republican incumbents in Colorado, Arizona and Maine. Close behind are the incumbents in North Carolina and, increasingly, Iowa.

The Senate Majority PAC, the top outside Democratic group in Senate races, has lined up $13 million for TV ads in Iowa after Labor Day. It matches $12.5 million reserved by the leading Republican outside group, the Senate Leadership Fund.

The idea that Iowas in play really shouldnt surprise people, said J.B. Poersch, president of the Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. It came to the table this way, since the intensity of the caucuses.

The Iowa caucuses in February may have been a fiasco when it came to counting votes, as well as an embarrassment for Mr. Biden, who finished fourth. But a year of intense organizing by presidential hopefuls in the state brought a bounty of new Democratic voters. Democrats now outnumber registered Republicans in the state by 9,000, a reversal from the 2018 midterm elections when Republicans had a 23,000-voter advantage.

See the original post:
Joni Ernst and Donald Trump Could Both Be in Trouble in Iowa - The New York Times

Photo by Louis Freedberg/EdSource

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, chairperson of the House Education and Labor Committee

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, chairperson of the House Education and Labor Committee

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to spar over the need for more federal education aid.

How the legislative battle is resolved could have profound consequences for Californias efforts to save its public education system from budget cutbacks, or to keep many school districts from going deep into debtor both.

Last month,Democrats in the House of Representatives voted toapprove the HEROES Act that could result in close to $60 billion in direct emergency aid to schools nationally. However, it would need approval in the U.S. Senate, and there is no indication that the GOP leadership there is ready to consider additional support any time soon. But the Senate is not expected to take up legislation regarding additional funding until sometime in late July at the earliest.

At a hearing on Monday of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, the committee chairperson, said that the experience of the Great Recession makes it essential that Congress approves the additional funding, beyond the $13 billion in K-12 education funding authorized by the CARES Act approved by Congress in the spring.

The lessons from our past makes clear the school districts urgently need more relief, he said, noting that in 2008 Congress provided states nearly three times as much funding as it has approved so far. We cannot put the safety of students, teachers and communities at risk by reopening schools without providing them the resources they need.

However, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, the ranking Republican on the committee, argued vociferously against more funding from Congress. She said there had been no evaluation of how the education aid through the CARES Act has been spent. Her comments underscored Republican opposition to approving additional spending for schools in particular, and for states in general.

Congress must first evaluate the impact of the billions of dollars in federal taxpayer education aid before rushing to further burden taxpayers with additional spending, she said. Demanding additional funds at this time is premature and illogical.

Yet here we are with Democrats pushing taxpayers to dole out more of their hard-earned money at a time when many Americans are being forced to tighten their belts, she said, noting that some schools have not yet spent the funds they received under the CARES Act.

On top of that, she said, money is not a cure-all solution, and it is irresponsible to throw more money at this situation, she said.

Repeating a common argument made by GOP lawmakers, she said that per-pupil education spending has increased over the years but high school seniors arent performing better than they were 30 years ago, glossing over some improvements, including much-improved graduation rates.

Gov. Newsom is hoping to receive billions of dollars more in federal aid for schools in order to offset a projected $6.4 billion reduction in funding for schools, as well as multiple other cuts in his proposed budget for next year. Meanwhile, the state Legislature on Monday approved a budget based on the assumption that California will receive billions of dollars in additional federal aid, and if it doesnt, to allow the state to defer payments of state funds to school districts. That could result, among multiple consequences, in many districts having to borrow money until the state can repay them at a later time.

In his testimony to the committee, Michael Leachman, the vice president for state fiscal policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive nonpartisan research and policy organization, said many school districts have never fully recovered from the effects of the Great Recession. Nationally, schools employed 77,000 fewer staff than before the Great Recession, despite serving 1.5 million more students, he said.

He said states will experience a total of $615 billion in deficit funding over the next three years. Unless school districts receive more in federal aid, he predicted that they will have to lay off more and more teachers and other workers, in addition to other cuts. The impact, he said, would be especially damaging to students of color and low-income students, because they are more likely to attend schools with fewer resources.

The $13 billion in federal education aid Congress approved through the CARES Act, he said, was far too little to meet the extreme fiscal challenges that schools are facing. Even the $60 billion in direct education funding in the Houses HEROES Act, while a significant step in the right direction, on its own it is not enough, he said.

Continued here:
Democrats and Republicans in Congress spar over need for more federal education aid - EdSource

The magical Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Photo: Getty

In the last year, some big banks have committed to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska through withholding their investments from the Arctic as a whole. Seems like Alaskas elected officials are pretty pissed about it. In fact, theyve formally made a whole stink about the new environmental policies banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase have rolled out.

In a letter dated June 16, that Politico obtained, Rep. Don Young, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Senator Lisa Murkowski wrote to offices with the Federal Reserve System, Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation pleading that they do something to stop these banks. It follows a similarly whiny letter on the same topic 36 Republicans sent to the White House last month. But the new letters go further both by begging for action and invoking the benefits oil and gas has had on Alaska Native communities to defend its argument.

This is a bit disingenuous given the role Alaska Natives have played in securing these commitments from banks (though it is true some Alaska Natives do support drilling). The letter goes on to say Arctic oil and gas is the U.S.s way out of this coronavirus-fueled economic slump. Really, though?

Lets back up real quick. The administration opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuges 1.5 million-acre coastal plain to drilling in 2017 under President Donald Trumps dumb ass tax bill. This was despite vocal opposition from the Gwichin Nation, whose members consider the coastal plain sacred. State attorneys general and even nuns also called to not expand drilling. Since then, however, theres been no luck in actually exploring for oil and gas due to regulatory delays and even a lack of ice thats needed for seismic tests to operate safely. (Hello, global warming?)

Its seeming less and less likely that any reasonable company will look to destroy this pristine landscape. After all, where will they secure funding for it? The Alaska Republicans are complaining that banks are staying away from the Arctic due to reputational risk, but its about a lot more than that. Its about banks bottom line. Drilling in the remote Arctic is costly. For many banks, oil and gas projects in this region are just not viable investments anymore, especially when they weigh the environmental risk should something go wrong. These banks are making a sound business decision in staying clear of this region.

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The coronavirus is only accelerating the trend of oil being a bad investment, particularly oil thats costly to dig up and ship. The market is essentially turning rapidly against risky oil. Its funny how Republicans love to tout the value of the free market until it doesnt line up with their interests.

This is nothing more than an ongoing temper tantrum from Republicans upset that banks are recognizing the reality that Arctic drilling is an expensive risk thats not worth taking, Sierra Club senior campaign representative Ben Cushing wrote in a statement to Earther. A growing number of banks are making the obvious business decision to stay away from drilling in the Arctic Refuge because it would threaten their reputation and their bottom line, and no amount of angry letters is going to change that.

Alaska Republicans, however, are in denial. They want to see the world burn I guess. The pandemic offers a rare opportunity for world leaders to completely transform the economy to be less carbon-intensive. This is urgent given the way the climate crisis is already affecting our planet, particularly the rapidly changing Arctic. Though many Alaska Native communities do benefit financially from oil and gas exploration on their lands, theyre also the ones that are set to suffer the most from melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, and other impacts that affect their land and way of life.

However, their representatives in Congress dont mention any of that in this letter. Instead of thinking about the long-term consequences of carbon pollution and damage wrought by drilling, theyre focused on the immediate benefits these communities may reap from the fossil fuel sector. If were talking about immediate concerns, though, what about a potential oil spill? How would that impact the marine resources many of these communities depend on?

The Congress members call this move from banks discriminatory in the letter, similar to what Trump administration officials have said. But whats actually discriminatory is their inaction on a global crisis that will disproportionately harm their constituents.

Original post:
Alaska Republicans Write Whiny Letter in Desperate Effort to Save Arctic Oil and Gas Industry - Gizmodo

HARRISBURG Last fall, more than 2,300 miles from Pennsylvanias Capitol, the top lobbyist for a gaming company seeking a lucrative gambling expansion helped host a fundraiser in Las Vegas for the leading Republican in the state Senate, Joe Scarnati.

The elaborate event was held at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino, records show. For tickets ranging in price from $7,500 to $25,000, donors gained access to rounds of golf, a hockey game, and a cocktail hour and dinner at a glitzy restaurant overlooking the Vegas strip.

Several months later, executives from the gaming company, Golden Entertainment, poured thousands of dollars into a campaign committee controlled by Scarnati and close associates.

Now, Scarnati and other top Republicans are working feverishly behind closed doors to whip up votes for a bill that would help Golden and others like it cash in on the next frontier of expanded gambling, potentially worth millions of dollars: video-gaming terminals, known better as VGTs.

In recent days, lobbyists and top Republican leaders have mounted a full-court press to convince rank-and-file senators to vote for ushering in thousands more of the slots-like terminals, according to two legislative sources familiar with the effort.

The behind-the-scenes push, expected to culminate in a Senate vote as soon as Monday, comes as the legislature faces massive challenges, most notably the fallout from a pandemic that has killed 6,361 Pennsylvanians and ravaged the economy, as well as the largest civil rights protests of a generation and demands for systemic overhauls of the police.

But with lawmakers set to soon depart Harrisburg for a summer of campaigning leading up to the November elections and Scarnati set to retire from the Senate the rush is on to expand VGTs. The maneuvering offers a window into the raw intersection of politics and policy-making in Pennsylvania, and how campaign dollars can drive the legislative agenda.

A spokesperson for Scarnati said the senator typically does not respond to inquiries on bills that have yet to see movement.

Calls and emails to Golden Entertainment officials were not returned. Dave Thomas, the lobbyist who heads the Harrisburg-based firm that helped organize Scarnatis Las Vegas fundraiser, declined to comment specifically on the fundraiser or the bill under discussion.

But speaking generally, Thomas said: Giving them money doesnt mean jack.

Campaign records and other documents reviewed by Spotlight PA and The Caucus show that gaming operators and their lobbyists have donated tens of thousands of dollars to legislative leaders and even appear to be drafting the exact language to be used in the expansion bill.

The push for more VGTs has been controversial in a state that has grappled with balancing the rapid expansion of gambling with the need for new revenue. In Pennsylvania, casino gambling was legalized in 2004. Since then, lawmakers have vastly expanded the types of games people can play and where they can play them. That includes VGTs.

They were first approved on a limited basis in late 2017 as part of a hard-fought budget deal between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans, who control both legislative chambers. That agreement which also legalized online gambling and authorized new mini-casinos around the state permitted VGTs, but only at truck stops.

There are now 135 terminals at 27 truck stops across the state.

The proposal now being championed by Scarnati and other top Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre), would allow those machines in bars, taverns, social clubs, and other venues with liquor licenses, vastly expanding their reach and profits.

Under current law, truck stops brought in nearly $6 million in VGT revenues in the most recent fiscal year. The state takes a 42% cut, and the host municipality another 10%. The steep taxes, however, are indicative of just how lucrative the machines are for operators.

Separately, the proposal also seeks to regulate and tax so-called skill game machines for the first time, which currently are in thousands of venues across the state, including gas stations. That proposal also has powerful and deep-pocketed interests for and against it.

In an interview Thursday, Corman confirmed there is a push to expand VGTs, which he said could raise money to offset property taxes for seniors.

Beyond that, supporters believe expanding VGTs and taxing them will help rake in revenue, not just for the state, but for many small bars whose business has been ravaged by the coronavirus. Detractors counter that the state already has too much gambling. The states casinos also fiercely oppose the proposal because they believe it will cut into their earnings.

We are shocked and alarmed by the persistent speculation that the General Assembly is considering an expansion of gaming to include both broad-based VGT gambling throughout communities and the legalization of currently illegal skill game slot machines that are being operated outside of our facilities, 13 licensed casino owners and operators wrote in a letter this week to legislative leaders. The legislature determined that such broad-based gaming expansion would have had a devastating impact on both Pennsylvanias casinos and the Pennsylvania Lottery. This is even more true today.

One legislative aide, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said some senators were surprised at the push given the legislature is wrestling with bills related to the states coronavirus response and measures to improve police oversight.

As of late Thursday, there did not appear to be a draft of an actual bill. But proposed language written by a lobbyist for the trade association representing gaming operators of VGTs including Golden Entertainment was making the rounds inside the Capitol.

In a statement, Jeff Sheridan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Video Gaming Association, did not address why the trade groups lobbyist had drafted the language, or to whom it was circulated.

Instead, he reiterated the associations support for the expansion and said it would benefit small businesses as they recover from the greatest economic and health crisis in our lifetimes.

The association and its members have pushed hard for placing VGTs beyond truck stops. And gaming operators, their executives, and their lobbyists have also contributed thousands of dollars to campaigns of key decision-makers in the Capitol.

One of the biggest beneficiaries was a campaign committee run by Scarnati.

In a series of stories last year on how some lawmakers are able to hide campaign expenses in their public disclosures, Spotlight PA and The Caucus reported that Scarnati and his campaign advisors began fundraising with casino executives in Las Vegas in May 2018.

According to newly obtained campaign receipts, Scarnati, his wife Amy, and his former chief of staff returned to Las Vegas last October. Almost all of the receipts totaling $1,757 for their flights and some meals between Oct. 16 and 19 have handwritten notes indicating they were for a DT event or DT fundraiser.

DT refers to Dave Thomas, the lobbyist for Golden Entertainment and a one-time top House and Senate lawyer. Campaign finance records show Thomas also does campaign work for Scarnati. In the months leading up to the October 2019 fundraiser, for instance, Scarnatis campaign paid The DT Firm $60,000 for consulting services.

According to a copy of the invitation for the fundraiser obtained by the news organizations, the event was a private reception supporting Scarnati that spanned several days. It was held during the same week of the 2019 Global Gaming Expo, which is North Americas largest gaming trade event. It asked guests to RSVP to The DT Firm, and make checks payable to Scarnatis campaign.

Check-in was at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Oct. 17, followed by a hockey game between the Ottawa Senators and the Vegas Golden Knights. The next day included a round of golf at the Cascata Golf Club and dinner that evening at Top of the World, a restaurant in The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod located more than 800 feet above the Las Vegas strip that offers panoramic views as it revolves 360 degrees every 80 minutes.

The STRAT hotel and casino is owned by Golden Entertainment, according to its website.

This year, in the waning days of the primary election, four top executives at Golden Entertainment contributed a total of $42,500 to a political action committee run by Scarnati and his close associates called Citizens for a Better Pennsylvania.

Those were the only donations the committee which had $581,600 in the bank at the start of 2020 received all year. They came as Scarnati spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up the failed campaign of his hand-picked successor in Jefferson County, Herm Suplizio.

Most of Scarnatis spending was to pay The DT Firm, which then paid for advertising related to Suplizios campaign.

It is not clear when Thomas firm began doing paid campaign work in addition to lobbying, a practice that has been criticized by good government advocates as blurring the lines between politics and policy-making, and between lobbyists and elected officials.

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/Patriot-News and other Pennsylvania reporting organizations. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

Original post:
Top Pa. Republican is fast-tracking a lucrative gambling expansion that would benefit a major campaign donor - Bradford Era