On This Week in Pennsylvania with Dennis Owens:
- On Jan. 13, 2021, the House voted to impeach Trump, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” for encouraging the rioters at the capitol. This is the second time Trump has been impeached and Pa. lawmakers, like Smucker and Meuser, oppose the impeachment.
- 1,000 Pa. National Guard troops are in Washington D.C. to make sure there is a peaceful transition of power at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
- All 50 state capitols are on heightened alert after an FBI warning about possible violence. Pa. got the memo and is taking it seriously in Harrisburg.
- According to State House Democrats who held a press conference Republican Lawmakers who work in the state capitol should be held accountable for inciting the violence and enflaming the frenzy in our nation’s capitol.
- Senator Doug Mastriano wants people to avoid taking part in rallies and protests, and instead focus on praying. This comes after he admitted to being in D.C. when rioters stormed the Capitol. Mastriano said he was only there to support the president and exercise his Constitutional rights but left when things turned violent. Several prominent Democrats are calling for his resignation.
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is calling on the Senate Republican caucus to hold Mastriano accountable. Senate leadership has refused because there’s no evidence Mastriano participated in any of the rioting.
- Democratic Senator Jim Brewster was sworn in on Wednesday after Republican Leadership refused to seat him. A federal judge on Tuesday sided with the state supreme court and Brewster, rejecting a challenge by Republican Nicole Ziccarelli over mail-in ballots that weren’t dated.
- Pa. is working hard, but struggling, to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, only a third of the doses the state has been given has been administered. The state said it’s considering mass vaccination sites and hopes to soon expand beyond just front line workers and nursing home residents, getting closer to vaccinating the general public. Governor Wolf also tried to dispel fears about a rushed vaccine that some say they won’t get just yet and to not worry.
- The State House Republicans announced the launch of the House Recovery Task Force that will focus on the pandemic’s devastation on state businesses including the service industry. The task force is looking for solutions to help these businesses succeed in the future. Lawmakers say their plan is to find ways to rejuvenate the economy and get people back to work safely.
- President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pa. native William Burns to be CIA Director. The former ambassador to Russia and Jordan has served under both Democrats and Republicans. Burns was Deputy Secretary of State under President Obama. Burns graduated from Trinity High School in Camp Hill in 1973 before going to La Salle University in Philadelphia.
- This week the Pa. House Speaker called a special election to fill the Johnstown area seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Mike Reese. The special election will take place during the May 18 primary.
