Schuylkill County Democratic Committee

06/14/2026

Long may she wave

06/12/2026

Schuylkill Indivisible weekly news update and action items by Josephine Kwiatkowski
June 12, 2026

Action:

June 14th-No Kings-Noon to 2pm, intersection of Market St. and Centre St., Pottsville, PA. (PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATE)

*Volunteer for a shift at Pride Fest on June 20th. Festival will be held at Barefield Recreation Park, 823 Terry Reiley Park, Pottsville 9 to 6

*The state will not have a budget at the end of the month. The State House has passed a budget, but the senate has not. Contact Dave Argall and demand that the state has a budget by June 30th.

Contact Info: Senator Fetterman (202) 224-4254, Senator McCormick (202) 224-6324, Dan Meuser (202) 225-6511 or (570) 871-6370 If you're freaked out about calling authority figures, don't be. They work for us. You literally pay their paycheck. Make sure they have the phone call they deserve. 5 Calls app has topics and scripts if you need any.

World

Trump’s War of Choice-Iran Over the 100 Day mark. Is there really a “ceasefire”?

*After exchanging attacks on Monday, Iran and Israel have halted strikes. Tehran said it would resume strikes if Israel continued to bomb Hezbollah in Lebanon.

*The US has retaliated against Iran after Iran, using a drone, downed an Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. A drone boat rescued the 2 aviators.

*Iranian news media has said that the US has hit 2 water reservoirs in its retaliatory attack.

*Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian ‌targets around the Strait of Hormuz.

*Three Indian sailors were killed when the US struck a tanker ship off the coast of Oman. The Omani Navy rescued 21 Indian sailors.

The rest of the World

*A 7.8 earthquake has hit the Philippines. At least 32 people have perished.

*Pakistan launched new airstrikes against Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people. Both countries have engaged in deadly fighting since February.

Nation

SCOTUS:

General

*Trump has pardoned Stephen Buyer a Republican Representative who was convicted of insider trading.

*The inflation rate for May was 4.2%. The largest gain in 3 years. The inflation rate before the War of Choice was 2.4%. Prices are now out pacing wages.

*For at least 23 women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, speaking out or having their identities exposed in the Justice Department’s Epstein files has brought a new trauma: threats, harassment and intimidation. Four of Epstein's accusers told Reuters that they reported threats to police, but that didn’t lead to prosecutions because authorities couldn’t identify suspects or determine whether a crime had occurred, according to the women and police records.

*FISA is due to expire on June 12th. House Republicans failed to get enough votes from Democrats to secure a short-term extension.

*Trump has now nominated Atty Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, dropping Bill Poulte. It does not seem clear whether Clayton is qualified as he does not have national security experience. Clayton is currently the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He has also endorsed false conspiracy theories about California’s still-ongoing primary vote count.

Military

*Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have adopted an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would officially change the name of the DoD to the Dept. of War. Questions remain as to if the name change would be as popular in the Senate. The change in name could cost up to $125 million.

*Speaking under the condition of anonymity several female naval officers have said that they now believe that under Hegseth their careers now have a ceiling. Hegseth has most recently struck 3 women who were slated to become 1 star. The Navy is not promoting a single woman to the admiral rank this year even though women make up almost 25% of the navy.

*The Pentagon has had to revise its list of “accepted” religious designations after Mormon lawmakers blew up over a previous list that did not include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the heading of Christian.

Immigration

*Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Monday the NYC should expect to see the largest deployment of ICE officers ever.

*The House has passed the $70 billion bill to fund ICE through 2029. The bill passed 214-212. Trump has signed the bill. The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.

Health

*The US now has 2,030 cases of measles.

Environment

Meteorologists have announced that the EL Nino has formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to historic strength. NOAA predicts 63% chance) that the El Nino will get very intense this fall and winter. El Nino is expected to pour fuel on the fire of our already warming world.

Lawsuits/Judicial

👏U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. struck down a Trump administration policy enacted after the shooting of two National Guard members that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to stay and enter the U.S. The judge said the policy “threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” and he accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.

👏US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston ruled that Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee is unlawful. The judge concluded that the fee constituted an unlawful tax that Congress did not authorize.

*Trump has sent Blanche’s AG nomination to the Senate.

*VP Vance has stated that he will refer the Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison to the DOJ for a criminal fraud investigation. This is in reference to the federal child nutrition funds. Vance insists that the Gov. and AG were aware of the fraud.

*While the Justice Department has said it has abandoned plans for Trump's proposed $1.8 billion "weaponization" fund, some of his allies are shifting focus to a different way to make payouts to his supporters, including those who took part in the January 6, 2021, riot on the US Capitol. The most viable path, according to Trump allies and legal experts, may involve compensating these loyalists under a 1946 law called the Federal Tort Claims Act. That measure lets people file administrative claims - and subsequent lawsuits - against the US government for alleged wrongdoing, which can then be settled out of court. (Reuters)

Voting

*Trump has called on Senator Thune to fire the Senate parliamentarian so that the SAVE Act (a voter suppression act) could be passed. Senators voted 48-50 against advancing an amendment that would have incorporated Trump’s top legislative priority into an immigration-focused spending bill. The vote offered the clearest sign yet that despite pressure from the president, a handful of Republican senators continue to resist advancing the bill, which critics say would unleash immense chaos ahead of elections this fall.

*The federal government is taking another step toward implementing the state citizenship list demanded by President Donald Trump’s mail-in voting order, the Justice Department revealed in a notice to a federal court. The Department of Homeland Security approved a plan that would allow states to submit their voter rolls for citizenship verification through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE) system, DOJ said. The plan would also allow states to access citizenship-related data from several agencies to verify voters. The government claims the plan will be operational by the end of the month. (DD)

*Trump says Bill Pulte, new intel chief, will probe ‘rigged elections.

*Amid legal challenges, the Trump administration is moving quickly to enact an executive order limiting mail voting, the Capital-Star reports. The order includes new rules for the U.S. Postal Service and requires the creation of "state citizenship lists" and disclosures of states' absentee voter rolls. The changes could have major ramifications for the midterm elections. Approximately 30% of voters sent in a mail ballot in 2024.

*The DOJ pushed forward with an argument that, if accepted, could open the door for the administration and anti-voting groups to create lists of voters and send them to states for removal right before elections. In a new filing yesterday in its lawsuit seeking Georgia’s unredacted statewide voter registration list, the department again argued that the National Voter Registration Act’s 90-day “quiet period” does not block states from purging individual voters if they’ve been flagged as potentially ineligible by the federal government. (DD)

👏A new bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) would prohibit using AI-generated content to intimidate election officials or knowingly spread falsehoods aimed at keeping voters from casting ballots – such as incorrect election deadlines or fake polling place locations. It also takes aim at Trump’s attempts to create national citizenship and voter registration lists by blocking the administration from comparing federal data with state or local data for determining voter eligibility.(DD)

State

*10 more cases of measles have been confirmed in the state, the majority in Lancaster County.

*Enrollment in the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, which offers discounted health insurance coverage, declined by 160,000 Pennsylvanians after Congress allowed enhanced subsidies to expire in December.

*"So far, inclusion of data center loads in capacity auctions has increased costs for everybody by $23 billion so far over the last three auctions. And it will be another $5 billion to $10 billion if PJM continues data center load in the next auction, and another $5 billion to $10 billion in the auction after that.” -- Joe Bowring, the president of Market Analytics, on including data centers in standard PJM auctions.

*“Through it all, small businesses and those same working people manage to pay their taxes. Yet some of the wealthiest corporations in the entire world have gotten a free pass in our state for too long. That is what this bill is about.” -- Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), who is sponsoring a measure to tax tech companies that run digital advertisements.

*Taxes aimed at the Tech Industry are being discussed. Two options have been floated, including eliminating the state’s sales tax exemption for purchases related to building and maintaining data centers. The commonwealth is projected to miss out on $2 billion in accumulated tax revenue by 2031. The other proposal would extend the state’s 5% gross receipts tax to firms that sell digital ads. That could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new revenue, although estimates vary. Such a fiscal shot in the arm would aid policymakers as they tackle Pennsylvania’s longstanding budgetary woes. (Spotlight)

*Digital Ads Tax Bill" (H.B. 1678)-The state House voted Tuesday to tax tech companies that run digital advertisements in the commonwealth, and use the revenue to fund a property tax rebate for seniors. The Independent Fiscal Office estimates the measure could bring in roughly $329 million in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

*PA’s participation in the State Fair scheduled to start on June 25th remains unknown.

*The Shapiro administration says it's officially plugged 400 abandoned oil and gas wells in the last 3 years

Bold Italicized denotes connection to Project 2025.

Other News

*What will be the name of the Lehigh Valley’s new Major Arena Soccer League franchise?

A. Phantoms

B. Ghosts

C. Specter

D. Spirits

*Risking little of their own money, the US president and his sons have added at least $2.3 billion to the family fortune from their main crypto ventures, while the investors they've wooed have taken a $2.3 billion hit. Read our special report. (Reuters)

ANSWER: D. Spirits

Trump told reporters Wednesday that he loved “inflation.” “No, I love it. The numbers were great.” “I love the inflation.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

06/09/2026

We got the keys…! Campaign HQ is here, and we can’t wait to share it with you. More soon!

06/07/2026

Congratulations to SCDC's newly elected officials!
Standing left to right:
- Todd Zimmerman, Chairman
- Josephine Kwiatkowski, Vice-Chair
- Mary Mack, Treasurer
- Cindy Drazenovich, Secretary.

06/05/2026

From Schuylkill Indivisible's weekly news update and action items from JOSEPHINE KWIATKOWSKI:

Actions:

*Attend the evening County Commissioners Meeting, June 10th, 6pm, Schuylkill County Court House.

*Trump will nominate Todd Blanche to be the Attorney General. Call McCormick and tell him to Vote NO. Blanche continues to act like Trump’s personal lawyer, not the U.S. Attorney General. Fetterman has stated he is a NO on Blanche.

June 14th-No Kings-1200 to 1400, intersection of Market St. and Centre St., Pottsville, PA. (PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATE AND TIME)

**Thursday, June 11th 5pm to 6:30pm Talk Policy with Argall and Twardzik. Girardville Borough Office, 201 N. 4th St., Girardville. You must register by calling. 570-794-4039

*June 15th, Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Argall and Mr. Twardzik. 8am to 9:30 at the Palo Alto Citizens’ Fire Co., 139 W. Bacon St. Call 570-794-4039 to register.

Contact Info: Senator Fetterman (202) 224-4254, Senator McCormick (202) 224-6324, Dan Meuser (202) 225-6511 or (570) 871-6370 If you're freaked out about calling authority figures, don't be. They work for us. You literally pay their paycheck. Make sure they have the phone call they deserve. 5 Calls app has topics and scripts if you need any.

World

Trump’s War of Choice-Iran Starting our 4th month

*The US said it struck Iranian military sites over ‌the weekend and Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted a US base in response, the latest exchange of attacks amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. (Reuters)

*Attacks by the Islamic Republic have cost billions of dollars in damage to at least 20, and possibly as many as 28, American military sites across eight countries, including hitting three state-of-the-art THAAD anti-ballistic missile battery systems. “The US is only known to operate eight of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which are deployed at bases around the globe and cost around $1 billion to manufacture. Each battery needs a crew of about 100 troops to operate it while the interceptors it fires cost around $12.7m per round,” writes the BBC.

*Iran launched a drone attack on the Kuwait airport, forcing Kuwait to briefly shut its main airport. One person was killed and 63 were wounded.

The Rest of the World

*Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin advisor, cautioned the European Union to be vigilant amid the war with Russia.

*Ukraine has been hit by a huge wave of Russian drone and missile strikes overnight, killing at least 18 people. Children were amongst the dead and injured after civilian infrastructure, including an apartment block, was hit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 656 strike drones and 73 missiles in the attack. He renewed his plea to the US to supply missiles for Patriot air defense systems, which have been in short supply, exacerbated by the US and Israeli war against Iran. (BBC)

*Ukrainian drones struck on oil terminal in St. Petersburg and a warship in dry-dock at a nearby naval base.

*Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to attack targets in the Lebanese capital Beirut's ‌southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.

*Israel has seized control of Beaufort, a medieval castle in Lebanon, several miles from the Israeli border. The capture marks the farthest Israeli soldiers have ventured into the country since their 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon ended in 2000.

*As of Thursday, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire. Hezbollah has however refused the deal.

Nation

SCOTUS:

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for Alabama to use a pro-Republican congressional map that eliminates one of its two districts where Black voters make up a majority or ​near-majority, giving a boost to President Donald Trump as his party defends its control of Congress in November's midterm elections. (Reuters)

General

*Trump has dropped the $1.8 billion weaponization fund, however acting Attorney General Todd Blanche say the agreements barring future audits into Trump’s past tax records will remain in place. The Senate GOP, however, has defeated an amendment to ban Trump’s anti-weaponization fund.

*Trump has named William Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Director to be the acting director of National Intelligence. Pulte has no clear known national security credentials. Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s comment on Pulte was, “We don’t need a weaponized director of national intelligence.”

*The House Judiciary Committee voted 15-8 to move forward with a proposed amendment to the US Constitution that would permanently limit the Supreme Court to 9 members.

👏In a 215-208 vote, the House approved a resolution to block Trump from continuing the Iranian War. The vote is considered symbolic as the legislation would also have to be passed by the Senate.

*Trump signed an executive order making it easier to fire 8,000 of some of the best paid government workers. The order strips job protections from a senior group of workers earning up to $200,000 a year.

*The Senate has dropped $1 billion from the budget package for the White House ballroom. Six GOP senators voted with the Democrats to pass a proposal to block the construction of the 90,000 square foot ballroom, unless Congress approves it.

*The unemployment rate has remained steady at 4.3%. No significant jobs impact seen yet from oil price surge. Tax and tariff refunds are being credited with supporting corporate profits and limiting layoffs.

Military

👏 A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia concluded that President Donald Trump’s executive order to exclude transgender troops from military service likely violates their constitutional rights.

*Journalists are no longer allowed in the Pentagon press office. The office where journalists have long been able to seek information from military officials has been deemed a classified space and off-limits to the press to make room for speechwriters who handle sensitive material, the Defense Department said Monday. “As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space,” Joel Valdez, the acting press secretary, said in a statement. “There’s nothing controversial about that.” The New York Times is suing.

*Trump has hired Elias Irizarry, a convicted January 6th rioter, to work in the Pentagon’s office that oversees sensitive special operations and irregular warfare matters. In a statement the Pentagon stated that Irizarry is a “qualified, patriotic young professional and we are proud to have him as a political appointee.”

*Hegseth has blocked to promotion of 3 female and 2black naval officers, even though they had been nominated by a board of senior Navy admirals. The result is a slate of 22 nominees to be one-star admirals that bears little resemblance to the broader force these officers will help lead. No female officers were included on the new one-star list, which was released publicly in late May, despite the fact that women make up about 21 percent of the active-duty Navy. The list appears to include only two nonwhite officers, even though sailors who identify as racial minorities make up about 38 percent of the active-duty Navy. According to Pentagon rules, the defense secretary is supposed to pull officers from the list only for moral, mental, physical or professional failings that raise questions about the officers’ fitness to lead. (NY Times)

👏The House Armed Services Committee adopted a provision for the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would demand the Pentagon inform Congress why senior military officers were fired or dismissed.

Immigration

*During Senate hearing this week Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security refused to commit to following court orders. "If we didn't think courts were politicized, then I would probably be able to answer that," Mullin said. "But we see courts over and over again that use their bench for their political opinion."

*An ICE detainee was put in solitary confinement, then transferred out of state after the private contractor that runs a Pennsylvania detention center, Moshannan Valley claimed he encouraged others to refuse meals to protest conditions, a report obtained by Spotlight PA and WITF reveals. Detainees were punished for what a facility inspector for GEO Group, the private prison company that runs Moshannon, described as a “proclaimed ‘hunger strike.’” The inspector pinned blame on Edin Daniel Chinchilla-Roque, writing he “was clearly inciting the group in C-Unit to refuse to accept or consume meals provided by the facility, in protest of alleged poor meals, alleged poor medical care and other complaints.”

Health

*A Kenyan court has ruled that the US cannot open its Ebola unit in the country. Americans who have been exposed to the virus will not go to Europe.

*The country's "maternal mental health grade" improved from a C- to a C, according to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. Pennsylvania was one of 11 states that earned a B, while scoring zero out of five stars on parental support, including childcare policies. (Spotlight)

*Trump issued a final rule requiring most Medicaid beneficiaries ages 19 to 64 to provide proof that they are working, participating in a work program or providing community service.

Environment

*Last year date centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries of the world. A typical Chat GPT-style query is about 200 times more energy intensive than the type used in an email text spam filter. (Republican Herald)

Tariffs-They’re Back

*Trump lowered tariffs on some aluminum and steel derivative products from 25% to 15%.

Lawsuits/Judicial

👏US District Judge Christopher Cooper, DC ruled that Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and block Trump from closing the center. The Kennedy Center staff has been told to begin removing Trump’s name and have a deadline of June 12th, next Friday.

*John Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor will plead guilty to retaining classified information.

Voting

👏Judge Leonie Brinkema has halted funding for Trump’s slush fund temporarily. Word is that the fund is now on “hold” after pushback from both sides of the aisle. (Anti-weaponization fund)

*Louisiana lawmakers passed a congressional map designed to pick up a GOP seat. The governor signed the new proposal.

*The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is drawing up plans to radically crack down on mail voting. In a proposed rule, the agency said it would only send ballots to voters who are on lists created and controlled by the federal government. It’s an alarming step toward implementing part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order that attacks mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm election. It also represents a massive expansion of federal control over voting, without congressional authorization. (DD)

State

*"Because of billionaire tech bros invading our Commonwealth with hyperscale AI data center proposals that include onsite methane gas power plants, enabled by our government fast-tracking permit approvals, the law must be more specific to ensure data centers are prohibited from obtaining the legal rights of a public utility." -- Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester), who published a memorandum seeking cosponsors for a bill that would amend the Public Utility Code to prohibit data centers from becoming utilities. Muth noted that if a data center company were to become a utility, local government decision making about their development would be severely limited. Speaking at a summit hosted by asset manager BlackRock in March, Open AI co-founder and CEO Altman said he sees AI as a utility “like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for.” Muth included the quote in her memo.

*Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office has released a full, detailed version of its proposed incentives for data center developers ahead of Pennsylvania’s June 30 budget deal. The proposal would add conditions for the projects to receive a major state tax exemption and participate in preferential tax zone programs. These standards, which the administration is calling the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development, are an “important part” of “broader conversations as budget negotiations continue,” a spokesperson for the administration told Spotlight PA. New proposed conditions for data center projects in Pennsylvania will not apply to nine projects in the state’s fast-track program

Link to the full report: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/06/data-center-shapiro-proposal-incentives-budget-tax-exemption-pennsylvania-legislature-capitol/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Data%20center%20proposal%20released%20amid%20budget%20talks&utm_campaign=PA%20Post%2006%2002%2026%20%28Copy%29

*The slavery exhibits at the President’ House in Philly have still not been fully restored. Volunteers have been reading the information to the public.



*HB1814-The state House voted Monday to ban student cellphone use during the school day by the start of the 2027-2028 school year. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny), applies to both public and private schools, and allows exceptions for students with individualized learning plans, medical needs, language barriers or family members with documented medical conditions.

Local

*While the fate of the warehouse in Tremont Township is still unknown, DHS is reported to be attempting to sell some of the purchases it made.

*Republican US Sen. Dave McCormick and US Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA-9 defend President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund for those who attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, per Pennlive.

Other News

*A set of postage stamps featuring which Pennsylvanian was reissued this week?

A. Jimmy Stewart

B. Rachel Carson

C. Pearl S. Buck

D. Fred Rogers

*Tina Peters, the former clerk convicted of participating in a scheme to chase election conspiracy theories promulgated by President Donald Trump, was released from prison after the president successfully pressured Colorado’s Democratic governor into commuting her sentence.

*CBS has fired Scott Pelley, a long time “60 Minutes” correspondent. The firing comes one day after Pelley stated that the Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss was “murdering the show.” Steve Kroft says that “60 Minutes’ no longer exists.”

*Tomatoes now cost 40% more than last year. US tariffs on tomatoes increased from just over $16,000 to nearly $4.6 million-a 27,879% increase!

ANSWER: D. Fred Rogers

GOP leaders, unions say they’re open to Shapiro’s data center plan. Some environmentalists say it’s too deferential to developers.

05/29/2026

Schuylkill Indivisible - May 29, 2026
Josephine Kwiatkowski Report.

Action:

SAVE The DATE: June 1st-Multi-County (All PA-09) Monday With(out) Meuser. Noon to 1. Meet at his office at 121 Progress Ave., Pottsville, PA

June 13th-No Kings-1100 to 1300, intersection of Market St. and Centre St., Pottsville, PA.

*Attend a County Commissioners meeting. Wednesday, 1000 at the courthouse in Pottsville.

*Thursday, June 11th 5pm to 6:30pm Talk Policy with Argall and Twardzik. Girardville Borough Office, 201 N. 4th St., Girardville. You must register by calling 570-794-4039.

* RESPONSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN-Proposed by the County has currently been tabled, meaning that you still have a chance to provide your input. Two documents are at the very end of the report that may help you compose an email. Email Gary Bender at [email protected] or Phone: Phone: (570) 628-1215 or (570) 628-1222 over your concerns.

*Call Meuser, Fetterman and McCormick: Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State]. I am calling today to ask that [Representative/senator Name] publicly use every tool at their disposal to reject the violence happening at Delaney Hall and detention centers around the country.

Specifically, I urge Rep/Sen (Name) to do the following:

Draw attention to the conditions at Delaney Hall

Investigate ICE detaining thousands of immigrants under dangerous conditions

Oppose any additional funding for ICE, or Border Patrol

I expect [Representative/Senator Name] to use their power as my elected official to demand dignity for immigrants and reject any expansions to Trump’s mass detention and deportation agenda.

(Please remember say that you want your call to be logged. Leave your name and address)

Contact Info: Senator Fetterman (202) 224-4254, Senator McCormick (202) 224-6324, Dan Meuser (202) 225-6511 or (570) 871-6370 If you're freaked out about calling authority figures, don't be. They work for us. You literally pay their paycheck. Make sure they have the phone call they deserve. 5 Calls app has topics and scripts if you need any.

World

Trump’s War of Choice-Iran - Three Months

*Amid “peace” talks, the US carried out fresh strikes on Iran. US has said it has targeted Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines in an act of "self-defense". In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had downed a US drone, and fired at a fighter jet and another drone in its airspace, state media reported.

*Trump said that he asked Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords en masse to normalize relations with ‌Israel as he tries to negotiate an agreement to end the war with Iran. (Reuters)

*The US has attacked targets in Iran again while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted an American air base in the region. Kuwaiti forces reported that they intercepted a ballistic missile ​fired towards the country, which hosts a large U.S. base. US Central Command ​said U.S. forces had shot down five Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a sixth.

*Iran negotiators have agreed to extend the ceasefire and start nuclear talks, Trump has yet to agree to the deal. The deal would extend the cease fire for 60 days.

The Rest of the World

* Scientists at Oxford university say they're working urgently on a vaccine for Bundibugyo - a rare species of Ebola - in case a current outbreak centered on the Democratic Republic of Congo spirals and their experimental treatment is needed. So far there have been over 1000 suspected cases and 177 deaths. (BBC)

*Russia pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles in one of the heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war, firing an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the capital. Authorities said dozens of residential buildings and several schools had been damaged, many in the center of Kyiv. Oreshnik, which means “hazelnut tree” in Russian, streaks at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, and is capable of destroying underground bunkers “three, four or more floors down,” according to Putin.

*Russia has warned foreigners to vacate Kyiv, including Americans.

*Uganda has closed its border with the Congo, because of the surge in Ebola cases.

*Americans who have been exposed to Ebola are now scheduled to be sent to Kenya, not the United States.

*Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed Israel's military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70% of the Palestinian territory, where the ‌population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. (Reuters)

*A Russian drone has hit an apartment building in Romania, a NATO member.

Nation

SCOTUS:

General

* Tulsi Gabbard, the top U.S. intelligence official who played a central role in President Donald Trump’s efforts to investigate the 2020 presidential election, announced today she will resign as director of national intelligence later this summer.

*Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche thinks Americans “want their tax dollars spent on things” like the weaponization slush fund.

*Inflation jumped to 3.8% in April, up from 3.3% in March. The Fed’s target inflation rate is 2%.

Military

*The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a 550-page document is due to hit congress on June 4th. The package bill would call for funding of $1.4 trillion. The draft legislation mandates that the Defense Department assess whether redeploying U.S. forces to NATO’s eastern flank is feasible in the event of any drawdowns. The bill would slow-walk construction of the proposed Trump-class battleship, a warship that would serve as the centerpiece for the president’s so-called “Golden Fleet.” (Punchbowl)

* U.S. forces deployed to war zones have ​been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how the global surveillance ‌economy is shaping the battlefield. "Commercial location data can be used to identify where U.S. troops congregate and their pattern of life, which can be exploited by adversaries ​to target attacks such as missiles, drones, and roadside bombs, as well as for counterintelligence purposes," the letter warned. Senator Wyden said in a statement that it ​was time to "start treating the adtech industry as a national security threat." (Reuters)

Immigration

* U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw, dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 30-year-old man living in Maryland who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last year, calling the prosecution “vindictive and selective.”

*Trump has directed legal migrants to return to their home country to apply for green cards.

*Trump formally raised the refugee cap to allow 10,00 White Afrikaners from South Africa into the country.

*NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill was denied access to the Delaney Detention center in Newark. Delaney is privately owned. Senator Kim who was with the governor was pepper sprayed by ICE agents.

*Izzy Aly, a 40-year-old Egyptian national and Florida resident, was detained by ICE in December 2025 and has been held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, for the past five months. Advocates say a medical exam conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in January revealed Aly had stage 3 kidney disease, but Aly was not told of the diagnosis until March. His requests for treatment have been denied.

*An Associated Press investigation found that at least 10 detainees, all men, have died by su***de since Trump took office in January 2025, a pace that far exceeds the growth in the detainee population, according to a review of ICE data, autopsy reports, coroners’ rulings and police records. Since October, seven deaths have been classified as su***des, a number that is already the most for any fiscal year in the agency’s history. ICE has usually recorded one or no such deaths annually.

Environment

*The National Forestry Service plans on closing 4 of its offices in PA. They will move their home office from DC to Utah.

Lawsuits/Judicial

*The DOJ has opened an investigation into E. Jean Carroll the woman who successfully sued Trump for sexual assault. It’s the latest in a series of investigations that Trump’s Justice Department has opened into perceived adversaries of the Republican president.

Voting

Federal judges handed the DOJ two more losses in its nationwide attempt to gain access to state voter registration rolls, ruling the federal government had no right to demand records from Maine and Wisconsin. The pair of losses brings the DOJ’s record to 0-8 out of 31 lawsuits it brought against states and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the DOJ hit another roadblock. A panel of judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sounded deeply skeptical of the government’s argument for access to California and Oregon’s voter rolls. In particular, a bizarre memo that the department’s Office of Legal Counsel first submitted last week for a different lawsuit drew much of their questioning. (DD)

South Carolina Senate has blocked a redistricting plan which Trump wanted.

*A three-judge panel in Alabama has temporarily blocked Alabama’s plan to use a congressional map that could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House race in the midterm elections. (AP) Republicans have appealed to the Supreme Court.

*U.S. District Judge Beryl Alaine Howell ordered the Trump administration to quickly hand the Democratic National Committee (DNC) any documents on plans to send immigration agents or the military to the polls during the midterms.

*U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, has refused to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting. The judge did not necessarily disagree that the order could be unlawful. However, because agencies haven’t implemented the order, he said Democrats and pro-voting groups have not yet been harmed, so they don’t have standing to sue.

State

*Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is urging consumers to brace for noticeably higher electric bills this summer as a series of new electricity generation prices are scheduled to take effect on June 1st. According to state regulators, all PUC-regulated electric utilities across the Commonwealth will adjust their default electricity supply rate, officially known as the Price to Compare. The timing of the rate restructuring coincides directly with the onset of peak summer heat, a period when air-conditioning demand traditionally spikes and drives up statewide energy consumption. (Spotlight)

*Pennsylvania’s highest court upheld a Pittsburgh man’s arrest when police were summoned by the city’s ShotSpotter system despite civil rights advocates arguing the technology has been proven unreliable. ShotSpotter is a system marketed to law enforcement and used in dozens of cities around the nation that purports to identify the sound and location of gunfire to dispatch police. (PA Capital Star)

*HB2534-Ortitay(R)- AI Transparency-This legislation focuses on digital content provenance, which is information embedded in or attached to digital content that helps verify its origin and authenticity. This data may include the name of the AI system that created the content, the time and date it was generated, and a unique identifier.

*HB2532-Walsh(R)-Repealing the Data Center Tax Break and Reducing the gas tax. Rather than continue to give a special tax incentive to the thriving data center industry, I am proposing that the Computer Data Center Equipment Exemption Program be repealed, with the resulting revenue directed to the Motor License Fund for the sole purpose of reducing the Oil Company Franchise Tax, which adds about 58 cents to every gallon of gas and 74 cents to every gallon of diesel purchased in Pennsylvania.

*HB2533-Walsh(R)-Empowering Municipalities to Place a Moratorium on Data Center Development-a proposal to give municipalities the option of placing a moratorium on data center applications so that, if they choose, they can revise their ordinances and establish conditional use policies addressing issues like power supply, water consumption, noise and setbacks which they determine protect the community’s interest.

*U.S. Reps Chris Deluzio (D-17th District) and Summer Lee (D-12th District) are proposing legislation to make owners of idle mines accountable for repairing and preventing future environmental damage caused by resource extraction.

*Summer Lee (D-Allegheny) and Chris Deluzio (D-Allegheny) made an unannounced visit to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, in Clearfield County. Both were allowed to enter the facility and were led on a 2-hour tour. Deluzio, however, was not allowed to meet his constituents due to the short notice of the visit. Like the overwhelming majority of those being held in immigration detention, Cordova Flores, Deluzio’s constituent, is being held despite not having a criminal record. (The Keystone)

*Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday announced a plan to attract the development of data centers in the state with incentives for operators that commit to reducing their impacts on the electric grid and the environment. Under Shapiro’s proposal, developers could receive perks like tax incentives and streamlined permitting only if they take steps to reduce their impact on the environment and electric grid, and invest in communities. (WHYY)

Bold Italicized denotes connection to Project 2025.

Local

*“I left messages, voicemails. I sent emails out. And no response. I did say, ‘I am the daycare center that is right next to the Big Lots distribution center.’ I've been calling nonstop. Like three times, four times a week.” – Joyce Wetzel, who owns a daycare center in Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, on attempts to connect with some of her elected representatives about plans to convert the neighboring warehouse into a 7,500 person Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.

*"This stuff just is so polarizing, and that's what was so encouraging when we went to the meetings was that our concerns overlap and cross over party lines. It's really for the good of the town. Like, there's so much we're already dealing with. We don't want any more dumped on this town or the little towns around it." -- Lara Wiscount, who lives in Tremont Borough in Schuylkill County, discussing community concerns over ICE's plans to convert an abandoned warehouse into a 7,500-person detention center.

Other News

*What was the most popular name for newborn girls in Pennsylvania in 2025?

A. Emma

B. Olivia

C. Charlotte

D. Amelia

* 89 percent of House (R)s have voted with Trump 100% of the time. Meuser is one of the 89%.

*UFC ring construction work has started at the White House. Multiple fights are scheduled for Flag Day.

*The Trump administration yesterday announced it is considering giving five companies access to radioactive plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear warheads for conversion into nuclear power plant fuel. If finalized, the deal would mark the first time the US has given the weapons-grade metal to private companies. The Energy Department stores over 50 tons of plutonium left over from weapons programs in guarded facilities. (1440)

*The Trump administration reportedly is looking into putting the president’s face on a $250 bill. The response to the news? “Joke's on them, everyone is too broke to carry these around.” Meanwhile, “250” is apparently a common Chinese slang term used as an insult to call someone a “half-wit, a blockhead, a fool.” (DD)

*Trump is spending $5 million to coat the 4 bronze horses at the Lincoln Memorial. Know as the “Arts of War” and the “Arts of Peace”, the horses are to be gilded in a think coat of 23.75% gold leaf.

ANSWER: C. Charlotte

“This is a public trust and transparency issue. Too many Americans are finding out about these projects after decisions have been made. We have been bulldozed over, and when citizens have raised concerns, they are often dismissed as uninformed, emotional or anti-progress.” Jennifer Dusart, a small business owner who lives in Mechanicsburg, speaking out against data centers at a town hall meeting.

"I don’t think the DOJ is ready for us ⁠yet."

—Peter Ticktin, an attorney representing more than 400 January 6 defendants. Ticktin said the $1.776 billion fund for Americans deemed to be victims of political "weaponization” might not be enough.

Construction continues on a temporary arena that will host the UFC Freedom 250 fight event in June on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
RESPONSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN-Proposed by the County

1. Background. Governor Shapiro’s Responsible Infrastructure Development
approach focuses on making large energy/data infrastructure projects meet higher standards: bring or pay for new power, protect ratepayers, conserve water, engage communities, hire locally, use brownfields/abandoned mine lands when possible, and meet high environmental standards.

2. Purpose of Schuylkill County Responsible Infrastructure Development Plan.

Schuylkill County should position itself as a responsible energy, logistics, manufacturing, and data infrastructure county - but only if projects strengthen the grid, protect residents from utility cost impacts, reuse legacy industrial/mining lands, and create local jobs.

3. Goals of Schuylkill County Responsible Infrastructure Development Plan.

Goal 1: Identify responsible investment. Prioritize projects that bring private capital, strengthen the tax base, and fit Schuylkill’s industrial corridors identified in the County’s Comprehensive Community and Economic Development Feasibility Study (the “Feasibility Study”).

Goal 2: Require “new load, new power.” Any large-load project (e.g.: data center, advanced manufacturing, cold storage, hydrogen, battery storage, or energy-intensive user) should either bring new generation/storage or pay into grid upgrades so residents are not subsidizing private energy demand.

Goal 3: Reuse brownfields and mine lands. Specifically recognize brownfields and abandoned mine lands as preferred redevelopment targets.

Goal 4: Protect water, land, and communities. Projects must show water demand, wastewater needs, stormwater plans, noise/light controls, and impacts on nearby neighborhoods.

Goal 5: Create local jobs and training. Every major project should include local hiring, apprenticeship partnerships, career pathways through local schools/CTC/community colleges, and commitments to use local contractors where possible.

Goal 6: Avoid Tax Incentives. The County will give no LERTA consideration or other tax incentives for projects like data centers which have a negative impact on local communities and resources outweighing any benefits of the project.

4. Priority Infrastructure Development Zones.

Schuylkill already has marketable industrial assets. Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation lists Highridge Business Park with 2,000 total acres, 500 available acres, PPL electric, UGI gas, SCMA water/sewer, and 3-phase/69kv electric infrastructure. Frackville Industrial Park has 325 total acres, 55 available acres, UGI gas, water/sewer access, and PPL service up to 66kv.

The County should prioritize infrastructure development zones in the following tiers:

Tier 1: Ready industrial infrastructure. Highridge Business Park, Frackville Industrial Park, Delano Industrial Park, Rush Township Industrial Park.

Tier 2: Redevelopment corridors. Pottsville–Saint Clair–Minersville, Tamaqua– Coaldale area, Mahanoy City–Frackville–Shenandoah corridor, Schuylkill Haven/Cressona corridor and any other comparable redevelopment corridors identified in the Feasibility Study.

Tier 3: Legacy land conversion. Former mine lands, brownfields, underused rail/industrial parcels, and tax-delinquent large tracts suitable for solar, battery storage, light manufacturing, or utility-supportive uses as may be determined through the Feasibility Study.

5. Project Eligibility Standards. In order to be considered as a viable County project, projects should meet certain minimum criteria to be addressed before any County approvals:

Energy: Project provides new generation, battery storage, microgrid capacity, or pays fair share of transmission/substation upgrades.

Ratepayer Protection: No utility cost shifting to residents, municipalities, or small businesses.

Site Reuse: Preference for brownfields, mine lands, KOZ/KOEZ sites, and existing industrial parks.

Water: Clear water source, conservation plan, closed-loop cooling where possible, and no unreasonable burden on municipal systems.

Jobs: Local hiring plan, wage commitments, apprenticeship/training partnership, and construction workforce plan.

Community Benefit: Host municipality agreement, emergency services contribution, road impact fee, PILOT or tax-sharing structure where appropriate.

Environmental Protection: Stormwater, noise, air, odor, light, traffic, and habitat.

Decommissioning Plan: Establish legally enforceable plans for decommissioning project facilities which are no longer in use.

6. Feasibility Study. In conjunction with the Feasibility Study and in furtherance of the foregoing standards, Schuylkill County should establish the following minimum initiatives:

A. Schuylkill Energy & Infrastructure Site Inventory: Map all sites over 25 acres with electric, gas, water, sewer, rail, highway, zoning, brownfield, mine land, and ownership status.

B. Mine Land to Megawatts Program: Consider targeting abandoned mine lands for solar, battery storage, substations, and low-impact energy development.

D. Industrial Power Partnership. Work with PPL, UGI, PUC, DEP, DCED, SEDCO, municipalities, and Team PA to identify grid-constrained sites and upgrade priorities.

E. Community Benefit Agreement Template. Create a standard agreement for large projects requiring road improvements, EMS/fire support, local hiring, water, sewer and stormwater protections, and municipal revenue commitments.

F. Workforce Compact. Partner with Schuylkill Technology Centers, local districts, Penn State Schuylkill, and employers for electrical, construction, HVAC, logistics, IT, energy, and water/wastewater training.

G. Feasibility Study: Review and implement those additional initiatives identified in the Feasibility Study which the Commissioners deem appropriate.

H. County Ordinance Review. Review County land use and other Ordinances which may need to be revised in order to implement the foregoing standards and initiatives.

8. Core Message: Schuylkill County should not consider every large infrastructure project. It should consider the right projects: projects that reuse legacy land, create good jobs, protect taxpayers and ratepayers, strengthen the grid, and turn the County’s industrial history into its next economic chapter.