By Emily Previti | Audio Reporter
“We are calling on all House members, but especially Republican leaders, to denounce his behavior, to join us in demanding his resignation, and for Republican leaders to identify the steps they will take to guard against this kind of pathetic behavior within their caucus.” — Joint statement of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, after PennLive reports that state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Lawrence) used slurs to describe an openly gay colleague.
Happy weekend! I hope you’re maximizing your time outside today. Because tomorrow promises to bring rain to most of the commonwealth for at least part of the day, although how much and when depend on where you’ll be.
On this day in 1960: Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy delivered a major campaign speech at the since-demolished Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, attacking the Eisenhower-Nixon administration's record on the economy and foreign policy.
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“I Voted” stickers at a polling place in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, May 19, 2026. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Natalie Bencivenga
The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories.
Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Beaver (Courtesy of Bernstine campaign Facebook)
By Peter Hall
Leaders of the Pennsylvania House Black and LGBTQ Equality caucuses called on Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine to resign after a report he “went on a homophobic tirade” at a Harrisburg bar Tuesday night.
The western Pennsylvania lawmaker allegedly remarked on Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta’s sexual orientation using a slur, and falsely suggested that Kenyatta’s recent weight loss was because he has AIDS, PennLive.com reported. Kenyatta, who is openly gay and has intentionally lost a significant amount of weight over several years, was not at the bar and declined to comment.
On Thursday, a Philadelphia woman told the Capital-Star she received what she considers an “incredibly transphobic” reply to an email seeking Bernstine’s support for a piece of legislation seeking paid family leave for Pennsylvania workers.
Security stands outside ICE headquarters during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus rally on Feb. 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
By Jonathan Shorman
The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups.
The reports from May and June by Homeland Security Investigations, a sub-agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide updates on its “election integrity” investigations.
They are included in documents obtained by the pro-democracy group Democracy Forward through a records request.
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Officers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at a traffic stop in Memphis in October, 2025. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
By Ariana Figueroa
This summer, arrests of immigrants in the United States soared to the highest levels since President Donald Trump returned to office.
An unprecedented increase in cooperation between local and state law enforcement and federal immigration officers through collaborations known as 287(g) agreements helped drive numbers up.
The agreements allow state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce parts of federal immigration law and have become an arm of Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
A sign in a convenience store window advertises skill games, slot machine-like devices. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall
With less than a week before the court decision making skill games illegal takes effect, Gov. Josh Shapiro and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity shared their positions on the future of the industry during their gubernatorial debate.
The televised debate in Harrisburg happened as state lawmakers and skill game industry members petitioned the state Supreme Court to extend a stay.
The move aims to delay the effect of the decision until Feb. 10 to give lawmakers more time to pass a regulatory scheme.
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