Free Republic

Congressional candidate Bhavini Patel’s campaign said a planned Feb. 7 appearance at the University of Pittsburgh was called off the night before because of concerns about “disruption." Patel, who is a Pitt alumna, had been slated to speak Wednesday evening as part of an alumni speaker series hosted by Pitt's Frederick Honors College. But she said in social media postings that Pitt had “canceled my speaking engagement citing concerns of disruption and my safety." The university has asked Patel to reschedule the event for later in the year. But she said Wednesday night that, "It saddens me that I couldn’t...

Former collegiate swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines accused Rep. Summer Lee of being a “misogynist” after the Pennsylvania Democrat derided the NCAA All-American’s testimony as “transphobic” and asked that it be stricken from the record during a fiery congressional hearing Tuesday. Lee, a member of the so-called “Squad” of far-left lawmakers, accused Gaines and other witnesses on the panel of being “transphobic” in her opening remarks while arguing in support of the Biden administration’s proposed rule changes to Title IX that would outlaw banning transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity. “It’s disappointing to me that although the...

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution expressing support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The resolution, titled “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists”, passed by a majority of 412 to 10. Nine of the ten “no” votes were by Democrats: Reps. Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Andre Carson, Al Green, Summer Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Delia Ramirez and Rashida Tlaib. The lone Republican no vote was from Rep. Thomas Massie. The resolution states that the House of Representatives “stands with Israel as it...

Last week, we covered how Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a lesser known member of the Squad, is facing a primary challenger for her response to Hamas' attack on Israel earlier this month. As has been the case with other Squad members, her response to the terrorist attack certainly leaves something to be desired. Her response to the situation hasn't gotten much better, especially since she partook in a Squad press conference last Friday to demand a "ceasefire." Lee's response may not just affect her own race, but next year's Pennsylvania Senate race where vulnerable Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, Jr. is...

A member of the far-left "Squad" uncharacteristically declared Friday that "all lives do matter" during a press conference calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. "I hope and pray that when we exit this crisis, we will be able to say resoundingly, yes, we did enough because we spoke through the noise, and we stood firmly in our belief that all lives do matter — as they said when it was our turn — and that each and every one of them is precious," Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., told those in attendance. Her comments drew...

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning antisemitism and stating that Israel is not a racist state, NBC News reported. The vote was 412-9, with 195 Democrats joining all Republicans in voting yes. Nine Democrats voted against the non-binding resolution, several of whom have previously denounced Israel as an “apartheid state”. One Democrat voted present. The resolution was a Republican response to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who over the weekend called Israel a “racist state”, before walking back the comments and stating that she had directed them at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s...

A self-described progressive activist, who helped found an advocacy group in Pittsburgh that supports autistic people, is mounting a challenge against longtime incumbent state Rep. Harry Readshaw. Jessica Benham, 28, of the South Side Slopes, is bidding for the Democratic nomination in the 36th legislative district, shaping her candidacy after the campaigns of a number of progressive women who have toppled longtime Democratic incumbents in the past two years. Her campaign is framing the race that way, too, and in a recent email, used the secondary headline to proclaim “Progressive Benham to challenge conservative incumbent Harry Readshaw.” “In some ways,...

Democratic state legislators urged Pittsburghers on Thursday to support a bill that would ban the use of some military-style rifles by everyone except service members and law enforcement personnel. The lawmakers also said hunters in Pennsylvania don’t need the added firepower of semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15-type weapons, even though the Legislature passed a law in 2017 allowing that. The weapons increasingly are being used in mass killings that are “traumatizing today’s children,” said state Rep. Ed Gainey, D-Lincoln-Lemington, at a gathering sponsored by House Democrats at the Carnegie Library in Homewood. He and others called for support of a bill...

<p>PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — They burst onto the Pittsburgh political scene with the nominations of Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato, two Democratic socialists, who defeated Pennsylvania Reps. Dom Costa and Paul Costa in the Democratic primary last May.</p> <p>“It’s really exciting because it proves what we can do when we get out and knock on doors,” Becca Tasker told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Friday.</p>