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Dem Candidate for Philly House Seat Caught Hiding Over $500K in Secret AIPAC Funds
Ala Stanford, who's running for Pennsylvania's 3rd district, has repeatedly claimed that using the term genocide to describe Israel's actions in Gaza is "hurtful" to those accused, even tantamount to using the "N-word."
Apr 24, 2026
As the Israel lobby's influence grows overwhelmingly toxic among Democratic voters, the current frontrunner for one of America's bluest congressional districts has been caught trying to hide financial backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The Philadelphia pediatric surgeon, Dr. Ala Stanford, who is running for the open seat in Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district, has denied receiving any funds from AIPAC.
"That's not me... I did not accept money from AIPAC," Stanford said at an event in late March when confronted about previous reporting that the super political action committee (PAC) supporting her, the 314 Action Fund, had acted as a secret pass-through for AIPAC in previous elections.
But following a new report published by Drop Site News on Thursday, co-founder Ryan Grim said, "We now know this is a flat-out lie."
Using federal campaign filings, Grim and Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone reported that AIPAC has been secretly directing money to back Stanford's campaign using the 314 Action Fund, which has spent more than $2.6 million supporting the candidate.
The PAC is billed as a fund to support “pro-science” candidates and recruits doctors to run for federal office. But its most recent monthly report revealed a $500,000 donation from the Kimbark Foundation, whose only other donation was another $500,000 to the EDW Action Fund, which has also been used as an AIPAC shell organization.
In 2024, AIPAC used EDW—which describes itself as an organization to elect pro-choice candidates—to secretly give money to a another pediatrician, Dr. Maxine Dexter, who is now a US representative for Oregon's 3rd district, helping her oust her rival, Susheela Jayapal, the older sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who has a similar record for supporting Palestinian rights amid Israel's genocide in Gaza.
In the first quarter of 2026, Stanford also received more than $27,000 from major AIPAC donors via the group Democracy Engine, which The Guardian has described as "a donation platform that allows unpopular PACs to obscure their donations" and which has been used by AIPAC to fundraise against incumbents like former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Jamal Bowman (D-NY).
That AIPAC would drop big money to back Stanford becomes less surprising given her opponent, Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-200), who has called for an arms embargo against Israel and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
According to a recent poll commissioned by the 314 Action Fund, Stanford leads the race with about 28% support compared with 23% for Rabb.
However, Rabb netted a major endorsement on Thursday from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), one of the nation's most prominent progressive politicians and a potential 2028 presidential contender. He has racked up others from Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America, and other Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Jamie Raskin (Md.) and Ro Khanna (Calif.).
While Rabb has condemned politicians who refuse to refer to Israel's destruction of Gaza and killing of more than 75,000 Palestinians as a "genocide"—a position shared by the vast majority of Democratic voters—Stanford has suggested that belief is tantamount to hate speech.
“I know when you use the G-word how hurtful it is to a group of people,” she said in a March interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s like someone saying the N-word around me. I don’t want to hear that. And every time you shout that from the rooftops, how many people are you hurting?”
After those comments were met with backlash, she has struggled to respond when asked to clarify her beliefs on the topic. When voters pressed her to use the word "genocide" during a candidate forum earlier this week, her answer appeared to leave many dissatisfied.
A voter asked if Israel's actions in Gaza constituted genocide. Stanford stood in silence for around 30 seconds before deflecting to an anecdote about her work during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I don't owe anybody anything," she said.
She then responded, "I can say genocide if you'd like me to say it," not naming Israel specifically. When the voter asked her if Israel's actions constituted one, he was told to "be quiet" by another attendee. When the voter responded, Stanford asked him, “Can you please be respectful for her?”
“I am someone who took an oath to do no harm, so when I made the statement, I made it because for those who have been a victim of genocide, whose families are still suffering, it’s hurtful to them,” Stanford said, seeming to mean victims other than those in Gaza. “For Israelis who have been accused of committing it, it’s hurtful for them,” she continued.
After the comments prompted angry reactions from the crowd, Stanford shouted, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" before saying, "All I have ever done is to give. It's selfless." She then said she apologized if she "hurt" the voters who confronted her.
Erik Polyak, the executive director of 314 Action, did not answer specific questions about its support from AIPAC when asked by Drop Site, instead generally emphasizing its general mission to "elect doctors and scientists."
Polyak noted that the group had opposed AIPAC's preferred candidate, Laura Fine, in last month's race for Illinois' 9th congressional district in Chicago, instead backing the somewhat more Israel-critical Daniel Biss, who narrowly defeated the Palestinian-American Kat Abughazaleh for the Democratic nomination.
In that race and others in Chicago, AIPAC used nearly identical tactics to those deployed in Philadelphia. It funneled $1.5 million through the group Elect Chicago Women to fund attack ads against Biss, and used another shadow group, the Chicago Progressive Partnership, to fund ads boosting another marginal left-wing candidate, Bushra Amiwala, which helped splinter the progressive bloc supporting Abughazaleh.
Similar tactics were less successful last week in New Jersey, where Analilia Mejía, a former aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), clinched the Democratic nomination despite her primary opponent pulling in $350,000 from an AIPAC donor who had also bankrolled the effort to oust Jayapal.
As both Democratic and Republican candidates increasingly seek to prove their anti-establishment credibility by swearing off donations from AIPAC and other lobbying groups, Grim said that it'll be difficult for voters to take them seriously unless the parties adopt rules requiring greater transparency.
"One thing Democrats and Republicans, through the [Democratic National Committee] and [Republican National Committee], could actually do, if they don't want to ban AIPAC spending in primaries altogether, is say, fine: AIPAC can spend just like anybody else, but like everybody else, they have to do it through their regular super PAC and be transparent about it," he said. "Then let voters decide."
He called on party leaders to “stop making voters play forensic detective and chase money from some dark money foundation to a PAC to another PAC with all of them using names that have nothing to do with AIPAC or Israel, only to learn after the election that it was actually AIPAC money.”
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Comparing Trump Admin to Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984, Judge Orders Slavery Exhibits Restored
A government agency "cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership, regardless of the evidence before it," said the Republican-appointed judge.
Feb 16, 2026
"Happy Presidents Day!" a journalist declared Monday in response to a federal judge's opinion that compares President Donald Trump's administration removing displays about slavery from a historical site in Philadelphia to the actions of the propaganda agency in George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984.
Judge Cynthia Rufe—appointed to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by former Republican President George W. Bush—began by quoting the iconic 1949 critique of totalitarianism: "All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean, and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary. In no case would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place."
The judge then wrote that "as if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984 now existed, with its motto 'Ignorance is Strength,' this court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims—to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not."
"The President's House is a component of Independence National Historical Park that commemorates the site of the first official presidential residence and the people who lived there, including people enslaved by President George Washington," she explained on the federal holiday established to honor the first US president. "On January 22, 2026, the National Park Service (NPS) removed panels, displays, and video exhibits that referenced slavery and information about the individuals enslaved at the President's House."
The removal followed Trump's March executive order aimed at ensuring "federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums," are not subjected to what he called "ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history," which is just one piece of the president's "war on history" and embrace of authoritarianism.
Relying on the Administrative Procedures Act, Philadelphia sued the NPS and acting Director Jessica Bowron, as well as the parent agency, the US Department of the Interior, and its secretary, Doug Burgum, over the removal of the slavery exhibits.
"In its argument, the government claims it alone has the power to erase, alter, remove, and hide historical accounts on taxpayer and local government-funded monuments within its control. Its claims in this regard echo Big Brother's domain in Orwell's 1984," Rufe wrote in her 40-page opinion. She cited the novel's description of the largest section in the fictional government's Records Department, which "consisted simply of persons whose duty it was to track down and collect all copies of books, newspapers, and other documents which had been superseded and were due for destruction."
According to Rufe, "The government here likewise asserts truth is no longer self-evident, but rather the property of the elected chief magistrate and his appointees and delegees, at his whim to be scraped clean, hidden, or overwritten. And why? Solely because, as defendants state, it has the power."
"An agency, whether the Department of the Interior, NPS, or any other agency, cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership, regardless of the evidence before it," Rufe stressed. She found that the federal defendants "completely ignored their legislatively imposed duties," took actions that "impede the separation of powers instituted by the Constitution," and "acted in excess of their authority as agencies authorized by Congress within the executive branch."
The judge determined that Philadelphia "is likely to prevail on its claims that the removal was arbitrary and capricious," and "met its burden to establish irreparable harm." She concluded that "the balance of harms and the public interest tip in the city's favor." Her preliminary injunction requires the reinstallation of "all panels, displays, and video exhibits that were previously in place," and bars defendants from "any additions, removals, destruction, or further changes of any kind to the President's House site."
Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney flagged the opinion on social media, highlighting the Orwell references. His posts gathered thousands of reposts and responses, including from observers who were alarmed by the administration's actions and welcomed the judge's decision.
"Federal judges continue to speak up and speak out. It is amazing to see one quote George Orwell, but it also feels appropriate at a time when we see so many attacks on the rule of law," said Lawyers Defending American Democracy.
Democratic Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija wrote on Bluesky: "Proud of this result. The court cited Orwell's 1984 recognizing that we can't just erase hard truths from our history. Montgomery County was proud to join Bucks, Chester, and Delaware Counties in filing an amicus brief to support preserving the President's House slavery exhibits. Happy Presidents Day."
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Philadelphia Sues Over Trump's Removal of Slavery Exhibits From George Washington’s Home
"The message is clear. American history no longer includes all Americans."
Jan 23, 2026
The city of Philadelphia has sued the US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service after officials were filmed dismantling exhibits on slavery at the President's House historical site at Independence Park on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court by the office of Mayor Cherelle Parker, says “the National Park Service has removed artwork and informational displays" from the site, where George Washington lived as president from 1790 until 1797, in order to follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March, which requires national parks, museums, and monuments to portray an "uplifting" message about American history.
The President's House monument, unveiled in 2010, contained information about nine enslaved people whom Washington brought with him to the nation's "first White House," and Washington's history as a slaveowner. By the time of his death in 1799, there were more than 300 enslaved people at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Information about the President's House site and its ties to slavery still remains online. It states:
Washington brought some of his enslaved Africans to this site and they lived and toiled with other members of his household during the years that our first president was guiding the experimental development of the young nation toward modern, republican government...
The president's house in the 1790s was a mirror of the young republic, reflecting both the ideals and contradictions of the new nation. The house stood in the shadow of Independence Hall, where the words "All men are created equal" and "We the People" were adopted, but they did not apply to all who lived in the new United States of America.
A monument acknowledging this history, however, appears to have run afoul of the portion of Trump's order requiring the Interior Secretary to see that sites "do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
As BillyPenn.com reported:
Starting after 3 pm, placards were ripped from the wall around the site with crowbars as people walked by, some heading to the Liberty Bell Center. Signs were unbolted from the poles overlooking the dig site where America’s first “White House” had stood until 1832. They were stacked together alongside a wall, and then taken away around 4:30 pm in a park service truck. No indication was provided where the signs and exhibition parts will go
One of the employees, who did not give his name, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his supervisor had instructed him to take down the monuments earlier that day.
“I’m just following my orders,” the employee repeatedly said.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace later confirmed that the placards were indeed removed in accordance with the order.
"The president has directed federal agencies to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values,” she said. “Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking action to remove or revise interpretive materials in accordance with the order."
The city of Philadelphia says it was not given notice about the placards being removed. The lawsuit says their removal was "arbitrary and capricious" and says the “defendants have provided no explanation at all for their removal of the historical, educational displays at the President’s House site, let alone a reasoned one."
In a Facebook post, criminal defense attorney Michael Coard, who pushed for the monument's creation for nearly a decade, called its destruction "historically outrageous and blatantly racist."
It is the latest example of Trump's order being used to justify the removal of monuments related to slavery and Black history in the United States.
The infamous 1863 "Scourged Back" image—a picture of an enslaved man's back with severe whip scars that was used to promote the end of slavery during the Civil War—was removed from the Fort Pulaski National Monument in Georgia in September, along with other information about slavery.
The administration has also removed more than 20 displays at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, some of which dealt with slavery, civil rights, and race relations, a move that came after Trump lamented that the museum put so much focus on "how bad Slavery was."
The National Park Service also deleted information about abolitionist activist Harriet Tubman and many references to slavery from its webpage about the Underground Railroad for months last year, before restoring it following public backlash.
Pages on the Arlington Cemetery website that recognize the contributions of Black and Hispanic soldiers have also been removed.
The order has also led to the removal or alteration of numerous monuments, museum exhibits, and web pages recognizing the achievements or struggles of other racial minority groups, women, LGBTQ+ people, and Native Americans.
In a statement to NBC News, Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said, "Removing the exhibits is an effort to whitewash American history."
"History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable," he added. "Removing items from the President’s House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record."
Daniel Pearson, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, said: "The message is clear. American history no longer includes all Americans."
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'Holding The Line': Municipal Workers' Strike Enters Second Week as Philly Refuses to Pay Living Wage
"We got people that work and repair the water mains and can't afford their water bill," said union leader Greg Boulware last week. "I don't want to be rich. We just want comfort inside the city that we serve daily."
Jul 07, 2025
Philadelphia's largest municipal workers' strike in over 40 years is entering its second week after negotiations with the city broke down this weekend.
Over 9,000 sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, water services workers, crossing guards, and other city employees walked off the job last week, demanding that the city increase their salary enough to meet the rising cost of living.
But even with trash piling up on the streets and other city services understaffed, Mayor Cherelle Parker (D) would not agree to the demands made by AFSCME District Council 33, Philadelphia's largest blue-collar union.
Parker has offered a pay increase of 8.75% over the next three years, which she described as historic.
But DC 33 president Greg Boulware said that's far too little for municipal workers, many of whom are among the city's "working poor," to survive.
"It's not like as if our members are making $80,000, $90,000 a year," Boulware said. "A 2% increase on those would be significantly higher than it would be on somebody making $40,000-$45,000 a year. So, her math truly is not mathing, and you're clearly not paying attention to the working people that are going on in this city."
The average municipal worker in Philadelphia makes around $46,000, which is $15,000 less than the median income in the city and less than half of what a single adult needs to live comfortably, according to a study by SmartAsset.
"We got people that work and repair the water mains and can't afford their water bill," Boulware said at a rally last week. "We got people that repair the runways at the airport and can't afford a plane ticket. I don't want to be rich. We just want a comfort inside the city that we serve daily."
The union initially asked for an 8% raise for the next four years, which the city dismissed. This weekend, they pared their proposal down to 5%, but the city still did not budge.
Parker has insisted that her smaller proposed increases are merely what is "fiscally responsible," and that the city cannot afford to offer more.
The union has disputed this, pointing out that Parker herself is budgeted to receive a 9% increase to her salary of more than $240,000. That increase alone is nearly half the current salary that the average DC 33 member makes in a year.
As of Monday, negotiations have stalled, with no clear end in sight. With a throng of picketers behind him, Boulware told NBC 10, a local affiliate, that the union was working on a third proposal, and that negotiations may resume Tuesday. But he seemed to expect more obstinacy from the city.
"We've been there to be able to sit and meet and negotiate," he said. "It doesn't seem like the city quite honestly wants to entertain any of the questions that we have about things and actually have a true dialogue... That's how you negotiate and that's not truly what's been going on."
Despite the city's refusal to budge, momentum around the strike has continued to grow. On Friday, rapper LL Cool J dropped out of a 4th of July festival in the city, saying, "There is absolutely no way I can perform across a picket line."
Other AFSCME councils around Pennsylvania have joined pickets in solidarity. This includes Philadelphia's Council 47, which represents thousands of "white collar" city workers.
With mounds of trash accumulating on streets, sometimes becoming as "tall as people," the environmental activists with the Sunrise Movement have also joined in the effort to pressure the city. On Monday, activists hauled bags of trash into the lobby of City Hall, labeled with the words "Meet DC 33 Demands" written in yellow tape.
AFSCME, meanwhile, has stated its resolve to fight on as the strike has gained national attention.
"City workers are holding the line until they get a FAIR contract with the wages and benefits they deserve," the national union's account wrote on X Monday. "One day longer, one day stronger, no matter what it takes."
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'What People Have Feared': ICE Impersonator Zip-Tied Woman and Stole $1,000
"Any criminal can now put on a mask, say he is from ICE, and conduct any crime," one group warned.
Jun 10, 2025
"This is what people have feared."
That was how American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick responded on social media Monday to reporting that a man impersonating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent zip-tied a woman working as a cashier at a cash-only auto repair shop in Philadelphia and stole around $1,000 on Sunday afternoon.
The incident comes as Republican U.S. President Donald Trump tries to deliver on his campaign promise of mass deportations, sparking protests, including in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed Marines and federalized the California National Guard—a move the state's Democratic governor and attorney general are challenging in court.
"Expect many, many more stories like this. The Trump administration is a criminal enterprise, emboldening street crimes and white collar crimes."
"He kept saying he is immigration officer," the 50-year-old cashier in Philadelphia, a legal U.S. resident who is from the Dominican Republic, told Fox 29's Steve Keeley. Showing the journalist her bruises, she said that the man tied her arms behind her back, and "every time I tried to turn around to look at his face, he twisted me around roughly."
Although the shop is next to the Philadelphia Police 15th District, it took over two hours before the victim could connect with law enforcement. Police said in a Tuesday statement that the man, who escaped in a white Ford cargo van with red dashes around the middle, remains at large.
Police released surveillance photos of the van and the man, described as a white male in a "black baseball cap with U.S. flag on the front, black sunglasses, black long sleeve shirt, wearing gloves, black tactical vest with 'Security Enforcement Agent,' and dark green cargo pants."
In response to Keeley's social media posts about the robbery, journalist Ryan Grim said early Tuesday that "this type of crime is now possible because ICE agents insist on going around like masked thugs."
Author and Philadelphia native Robert A. Karl warned: "Expect many, many more stories like this. The Trump administration is a criminal enterprise, emboldening street crimes and white collar crimes."
The social media account of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota's Senate District 45 similarly said: "Any criminal can now put on a mask, say he is from ICE, and conduct any crime (including kidnapping and rape) and people are expected to just stand aside? Actual law enforcement DOES NOT conceal their identity and act like street thugs while doing their job. This must stop!"
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'For the Workers, Not the Billionaires': Bernie Sanders to Join Nationwide Rallies for May Day
"Bernie knows that when the working class—labor, immigrants, community members—stand together, we are force that can defeat any bad boss," said the Philadelphia chapter of the AFL-CIO.
Apr 29, 2025
As U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders continues his nationwide Fighting Oligarchy tour, the longtime economic justice advocate is joining forces with organizers of another major mass mobilization against the "Billionaire Agenda" that has left working families struggling to afford healthcare, education, and the rising cost of living.
On Thursday, one of more than 1,100 May Day rallies will be held at Philadelphia City Hall, where Sanders (I-Vt.) will join the city's AFL-CIO chapter under the banner, "For the Workers, Not the Billionaires."
Announcing that Sanders will speak at the rally at 4:00 pm Thursday, the union said on Facebook that "Bernie knows that when the working class—labor, immigrants, community members—stand together, we are force that can defeat any bad boss... When workers fight, workers win!"
As Common Dreams reported last week, labor unions and advocacy groups are planning rallies in nearly 1,000 cities across all 50 states to mark May 1 or May Day, which commemorates the struggles and victories of the labor movement throughout history.
The events are taking place more than two months into Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy tour, during which he and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have drawn crowds of thousands in Republican districts in Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, and other states—addressing a total of 250,000 people, about a third of whom are not registered Democrats, according to Sanders' office.
Advocates say the tour has demonstrated the broad appeal of the progressive lawmakers' prioritizing of issues that impact working families, their demand that the Democratic Party aggressively fight the Trump agenda in any way that they can, and their rejection of billionaires' and corporations' encroachment on the U.S. political system and hoarding of wealth.
Like the Fighting Oligarchy tour, the May Day 2025 rallies aim to "unite working people across race, immigration status, and geography," according to organizers, with attendees demanding:
- An end to the billionaire takeover and government corruption, including tech mogul Elon Musk's spearheading of efforts to slash hundreds of thousands of federal jobs and dismantle agencies;
- Full funding for public schools, healthcare, and housing;
- Protection and expansion of Medicaid, Social Security, and other essential programs that have been attacked by Musk and Trump;
- A halt to attacks on immigrants, Black, Indigenous, trans, and other targeted communities; and
- Strong union protections, fair wages, and dignity for all workers.
After the May Day rally, Sanders is expected to hold events in Harrisburg and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—located in two of the state's most competitive swing districts that are represented by Republican Reps. Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie.
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'Musk Must Be Stopped': Philly DA Sues to Halt Million-Dollar Lottery Scheme
"Running an illegal lottery and violating consumer protections is ample basis for an injunction," reads the lawsuit filed by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Oct 28, 2024
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a civil lawsuit Monday aimed at stopping billionaire Elon Musk's million-dollar giveaway scheme, calling it an "indisputably" illegal lottery aimed at influencing the 2024 presidential election in favor of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The lawsuit against Musk and America PAC—a pro-Trump group financed by the Tesla CEO—states that in addition to being an "unlawful lottery" under "unambiguous Pennsylvania law," the scheme "also violates the Commonwealth's consumer protection laws."
"In connection with their scheme, [Musk and America PAC] are deploying deceptive, vague, or misleading statements that create a likelihood of confusion or misunderstanding," the filing states. "For example, they have not published a complete set of lottery rules or shown how they are protecting the privacy of participants' personal information. Also, though Musk says that a winner's selection is 'random,' that appears false because multiple winners that have been selected are individuals who have shown up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania."
"Running an illegal lottery and violating consumer protections is ample basis for an injunction and concluding that America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming presidential election on November 5," the lawsuit continues. "That is because America PAC and Musk hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election."
Announced during a pro-Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania on October 19, the lottery involves a million-dollar gift each day to a registered voter from a battleground state who has signed America PAC's petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. Nine million-dollar checks have been handed out so far, four of which went to Pennsylvania voters, the PAC's website shows.
Election law experts have said from its inception that the scheme is clearly illegal because only registered voters from select battleground states are eligible for the prize—effectively making it a monetary incentive to register to vote. Federal law states that anyone who "pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
"This civil action neither precludes nor requires potential future action under Pennsylvania criminal law."
In a statement, Krasner's office said that "the Philadelphia district attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries."
"The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections," the statement added. "Today, the Philadelphia DA filed a civil legal action under Pennsylvania law. This civil action neither precludes nor requires potential future action under Pennsylvania criminal law. The Philadelphia DA will litigate the factual allegations and legal arguments that underlie today’s filing on the record and in court."
Krasner's lawsuit is the first legal action taken over the lottery scheme, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) arguing that the million-dollar reward scheme "appears to constitute payment to encourage voter registration and to influence votes."
Musk has spent at least $118 million during the current election cycle to support Trump's bid for a second White House term, federal filings show.
In a report released two days before the group submitted its FEC complaint, Public Citizen made the case that Musk's efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election likely stems at least in part from his "self-serving desire to thwart the numerous civil and criminal investigations into his businesses."
The group observed that Tesla, X, and SpaceX are each either under investigation or facing accusations of illegal conduct from the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other federal agencies.
"Elon Musk isn't running for office in 2024," Public Citizen said. "But Musk himself may still be the main beneficiary of his own political spending."
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Walz and Harris Kick Off Swing State Tour With Philly Rally
"Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future," said Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. "Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader."
Aug 06, 2024
Just 91 days away from the November election, Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday held a rally in Pennsylvania to introduce her running mate and "the kind of vice president America deserves," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
While blasting the policies embraced by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Harris stressed to a cheering crowd that she and Walz are not just running against the Republicans, but "our campaign, this campaign is a fight for the future."
"Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future, a leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward, a fighter for the middle class, a patriot who believes as I do in the extraordinary promise of America—a promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice not just for some but for all," she said. "So Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader."
Harris took time to introduce Walz to the national audience—he is a political leader most Americans aren't familiar with, according to polling released Tuesday. Before becoming governor, the 60-year-old Nebraska native served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Army National Guard, and as a high school social studies teacher, football coach, and gay-straight alliance faculty adviser.
Walz met his wife Gwen when they were teaching at the same school. As Republican policymakers across the United States have attacked reproductive freedom—including in vitro fertilization (IVF)—he has shared how fertility treatments enabled them to have their children, Hope and Gus. In Philadelphia, he recalled their efforts to grow their family and told those who try to limit reproductive healthcare, "Mind your own damn business!"
The vice presidential candidate also took aim at Trump—who he said "sows chaos and division"—and his criminal history. The Republican nominee was recently convicted in New York and faces dozens of charges for three ongoing cases, two of which stem from Trump's refusal to accept his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden and another related to classified materials.
"Donald Trump would damn sure take us backward—let's be clear about that. And don't believe him when he plays dumb" on Project 2025, Walz warned, referring to a Heritage Foundation-led initiative that includes a sweeping policy agenda for the next right-wing president.
"His running mate shares his dangerous and backward agenda for this country," Walz said. The governor expressed his enthusiasm for debating Vance and called out the senator for "trashing" where he came from in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy.
"These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell," Walz said, leaning into a now-widely embraced descriptor. "That's what you see."
The rally featured chants such as "We will win" and "We're not going back." It also featured promises of what Walz and Harris would prioritize in office, from abortion rights to paid family leave and gun control.
After the event in Philadelphia, the pair plans to visit Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada. The Associated Press reported that "a scheduled stop in Savannah, Georgia, was canceled due to the expected effects of Hurricane Debby."
Before Harris and Walz took the stage on Tuesday, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro—who was on the
short list of potential vice presidential picks who interviewed for the job over the weekend—delivered a passionate speech to the packed arena. As Walz later put it, "Holy hell, can this guy bring the fire."
Others who were vetted to be Harris' running mate—including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and JB Pritzker of Illinois—welcomed Walz's selection, as did other governors, members of Congress, Biden administration leaders including the president, and climate, labor, and reproductive rights groups.
Walz has the support of anti-Trump Republicans like former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Independent Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and progressives including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as well as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
The caucus' political action committee enthusiastically endorsed the Harris-Walz presidential ticket. In a joint statement, Jayapal and her PAC co-chairs—Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)—said that "a true champion for working families, Tim Walz represents the best of the Midwest. As a teacher, coach, union member, veteran, and lifelong public servant, he has done more to help middle-class families get ahead than any other statewide leader in recent memory. And it is these Midwestern values and conviction in fighting for everyday Americans that will make him an excellent vice president to Kamala Harris."
"A hero to Minnesotans as the leader of the Democratic Farm-Labor Party, Gov. Walz has proven that progressive policies like paid family and medical leave, universal background checks, investments in clean energy, an expanded child tax credit, and lowering healthcare costs are not only popular—they're possible," they said. "A father and husband, he knows that reproductive freedom—including IVF—is a right that must be guaranteed to all Americans."
The trio emphasized that "he knows LGBTQ+ Americans deserve to live without fear of discrimination or mistreatment. He knows that rural and marginalized communities have been left behind, and fought to pass the largest tax cut in Minnesota history to give working people much-needed relief. And he has done so by building a broad and diverse coalition that rejects extremism, hatred, and the radical MAGA agenda."
"For these reasons and more, the Progressive Caucus enthusiastically endorses the Harris-Walz Democratic ticket and applauds Kamala Harris for selecting a leader who will strengthen and expand our movement," they added. "Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz will unify the country around a popular agenda that is focused on meeting the urgent needs of everyday people and rebuilding the American dream for the poor, working, and middle class. Now it's time to put in the work and make our vision a reality."
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Renters in Philly Say: ‘Fighting Together We Are Stronger!’
The Philadelphia renters are part of a growing tenants’ rights movement, with advocacy that centers on the government support provided to irresponsible corporate landlords.
Jun 08, 2024
Tyrone Jones had good reasons for pulling on a bright gold Renters United Philadelphia t-shirt and delivering a petition to the corporate headquarters of Odin Properties last week. Jones is a tenant of Odin’s, one of the largest property owners in Philadelphia and the landlord for 10,000 rental units across multiple states, and he has been living through difficult conditions.
Jones uses a wheelchair, and only one of the four entrances to his building is accessible. Even at that entrance, the ramp is so narrow that he can barely fit through. The lock to the door to the building is hard to reach from the chair, the double doors of the elevator nearly impossible to navigate.
Leaks coming through Jones’ ceiling went unrepaired so long that the ceiling caved in. Now, mold has developed. The closest exit from his apartment has steep stairs Jones cannot descend. “God forbid if there is a fire on the side where the ramp is,” Jones says. “I couldn’t get out of this building at all.” A short video of Jones showing his building and apartment has been posted online by Renters United Philadelphia here.
Among the other renters joining Jones at Odin headquarters was Lori Peterson. Also an Odin renter, Peterson explains that the rodent problem in her apartment is so bad that bugs crawl on her while she sleeps. Cockroaches drop into any pot or pan of food while she is cooking. “They say they do pest control regularly, but they don’t,” she says. The front door to Peterson’s building has a hole where the doorknob should be, she too has leaks in her apartment, and she recently found a dead mouse on top of a dress in her closet.
The petition the Odin renters delivered was signed by over 450 people and states in part, “In neighborhoods across Philadelphia, particularly in Black working-class areas, Odin Properties has allowed its buildings to fall into disrepair... These unsafe living conditions are a direct assault on our dignity and well-being, exacerbating the housing crisis and fueling displacement.”
The petition calls for the problems to be fixed by July 17, along with a freeze on rent and evictions during the repair period and rent rebates for those who lived through poor conditions. The renters also call on the City of Philadelphia to inspect all of Odin rental properties and severely penalize all landlords whose properties violate housing codes.
The tenants point out that Odin is receiving generous government subsidies, with the Philadelphia Housing Authority paying the rent for many of the Odin units that are in the worst condition. The City of Philadelphia has even promoted its partnership with Odin, which receives reimbursement from low-income housing vouchers. “We are asking the city to light a fire under Odin’s behind, to be honest with you,” Peterson says.
Odin Property did not respond to a request for comment.
The Philadelphia renters are part of a growing tenants’ rights movement, which includes strong tenant union presence in places like Louisville, Kansas City, and Connecticut. Much of the advocacy centers on the government support provided to corporate landlords like Odin through direct subsidies or federal housing loan support .
On the way home from delivering the petition, Peterson received a call from Odin staff, asking for a meeting. Management was waiting for Jones at his building, asking to look at his apartment problems. No repairs have happened yet, so the renters have a plan to escalate the confrontation on July 18 if their demands are not met.
“I have at least a little hope,” Jones says. “When we are fighting together, we are stronger.”
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'This Ain't It': Pennsylvanians Slam Jay-Z's Roc Nation for School Voucher Push
"An out-of-state billionaire is pairing with a suburban Philadelphia one to try to destroy public education," said one critic.
Jun 07, 2024
As pro-public education groups plan a rally at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, educators and advocates on Friday criticized hip-hop icon Jay-Z's company Roc Nation over a campaign backing a proposed school voucher program in the commonwealth.
The campaign's "Dine & Learn" events in Philadelphia this month are intended to share information about the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) or "Lifelife Scholarships," as supporters also call them. If approved by state legislators in the next budget, the program would put tax dollars toward "education opportunity accounts" for certain families to send their children to K-12 private schools rather than low-performing public ones.
"Just to be clear for those not in Pennsylvania, the legislation Jay-Z is supporting here is a Republican-led effort to gut public education."
"We have enjoyed such a special connection with Philadelphians, so we've made it our mission to invest in the long-term success of the city's changemakers," Roc Nation managing director of philanthropy Dania Diaz said in a statement. "Impact starts with the students and with awareness. We want to empower the youth and families with the knowledge to pursue their scholastic dreams, make their voices heard, and become the leaders of tomorrow."
While the campaign led to multiple headlines about "How Roc Nation Is Helping Underprivileged Students in Philadelphia Get Into Private Schools," some critics of putting tax money—in this case, potentially tens or hundreds of millions of dollars—toward private school tuition expressed disappointment and frustration on Friday, just weeks away from Pennsylvania's June 30 budget deadline.
"This ain't it," said the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania (AFTPA) on social media, posting a photo of Jay-Z—whose given name is Shawn Carter—with suburban Philadelphia multibillionaire Jeffrey Yass, a Republican megadonor with a history of using his money to push for school vouchers and the defeat progressive political candidates.
"Don't get it twisted, PASS is a Yassified school choice/school voucher bill," one social media user wrote.
Other critics also mentioned Yass. Phil Gentry, an organizer with West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools, referenced reporting that the billionaire is being considered as a potential Treasury secretary if former Republican President Donald Trump beats Democratic President Joe Biden in the November election.
"Just to be clear for those not in Pennsylvania," Gentry noted, "the legislation Jay-Z is supporting here is a Republican-led effort to gut public education, spearheaded by future Trump Cabinet member Jeffrey Yass."
Challenging the framing of some of the news coverage about the Roc Nation campaign, Philadelphia public interest lawyer Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg said, "As Pennsylvania is on the verge of transforming the most inequitable school funding system in the nation, an out-of-state billionaire is pairing with a suburban Philadelphia one to try to destroy public education instead."
The attorney highlighted that the hip-hop
billionaire's company is pushing for vouchers as Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are "working to pass a $5.1 billion transformation" to help the commonwealth's poorest school districts, sharing a report from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Urevick-Ackelsberg also circulated criticism from New York Times Magazine journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones, who said that "voucher programs have not been shown to improve results for poor Black children because most cannot get into high-quality private schools."
"Read the fine print. All of the money is coming from taxpayers," she continued. Roc Nation's "involvement is to convince poor Black parents to leave the public schools."
While PASS advocates argue the program will not take money from public schools because it "will be fulfilled by government funds from a separate line item and will not reduce the overall budget to public education programming," Hannah-Jones pushed back.
"It is a lie that these programs do not take from public school funding. Fewer kids in the classroom means fewer dollars to the school," the journalist stressed. "This is a windfall to the city's private schools at the expense of the public ones that most kids attend."
Citing research by Michigan State University professor Josh Cowen—the author of The Privateers, a forthcoming book on school vouchers—Hannah Jones added: "Stop playing with us. Not only do students who go to private schools on vouchers not perform better, 1 out of 5 [leave] the private school and actually see improved academic results by returning to the public school."
Other critics referenced an award-winning sitcom created by Philadelphia-born writer and actress Quinta Brunson, with National Press Foundation fellow Bradford William Davis saying that a "new Abbott Elementary villain just dropped."
Dena Driscoll, a
parent in the city, said that "Jay-Z is like 'defund Abbott Elementary' and for real though my actual Philadelphian children's public school. Lifeline Scholarships mean most of our children are left to drown."
The battle over including the program in Pennsylvania's 2024-25 budget follows a similar fight last year. As the
Capital-Star reported in May: "The PASS program was initially supported by Gov. Josh Shapiro during partisan debates over the state budget last year, but House Democrats opposed it. While the version of the budget that passed the Senate included funding for the voucher program, House Democrats refused to pass it unless Shapiro agreed to veto the item. Ultimately, that's what happened."
When the Democratic governor
unveiled his budget proposal in February, he called school vouchers "unfinished business."
While Roc Nation is now behind the push for PASS, people across Pennsylvania continue to organize against school voucher programs. AFTPA pointed out Friday: "We're literally holding a rally on Monday against this. Join us!"
The
rally, planned for noon local time on June 10, will involve "a coalition of pro-public education labor unions, organizations, and advocates," organizers said in a statement. Parents, students, retirees, and group leaders "will speak on the need for the General Assembly to fulfill its constitutional duty by funding public education and rejecting any effort to divert funds away from public schools through private school vouchers."
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