Pa. can move ahead with broadband expansion after feds back down on wage dispute; Spotlight PA, May 21, 2026

 Charlotte Keith, Spotlight PA; Pa. can move ahead with broadband expansion after feds back down on wage dispute

"Pennsylvania can move ahead with spending more than $700 million on expanding high-speed internet in rural areas, after federal officials backed down from a threat to withhold the money because of a dispute over state labor law.

The reversal removes what could have been a major roadblock to connecting roughly 130,000 Pennsylvania homes and businesses that still can’t get broadband.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Community and Economic Development said the delay was “unfortunate” but added that the Shapiro administration insisted on “standing up for workers.”

Pennsylvania now has six months to sign contracts with the companies that will receive funding, who then must provide internet service within four years.

Most locations will be connected via fiber-optic cables, which are widely considered the fastest and most reliable internet technology.

As a result of changes made by the Trump administration, however, almost one-quarter of eligible locations will receive satellite internet, which is cheaper to install but often more expensive to subscribe to. In addition, satellite internet may not be able to keep up with future demands for faster speeds as technology evolves."

Philadelphia sues US government for removal of slavery-related exhibit; The Guardian, January 23, 2026

 Marina Dunbar , The Guardian; Philadelphia sues US government for removal of slavery-related exhibit

"Philadelphia is taking legal action against the Trump administration following the National Park Service’s decision to dismantle a long-established slavery-related exhibit at Independence National Historical park, which holds the former residence of George Washington.

The city filed its lawsuit in federal court on Thursday, naming the US Department of Interior and its secretary, Doug Burgum, the National Park Service, and its acting director, Jessica Bowron, as defendants. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the exhibits to be restored while the case proceeds.

The display stood at the President’s House site, once home to George Washington and John Adams, and included information recognizing people enslaved by Washington, along with a broader chronology of slavery in the US...

The Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, sharply criticized the decision to take down the signs, arguing that Trump “will take any opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history”

“But he picked the wrong city – and he sure as hell picked the wrong Commonwealth,” Shapiro added in a message posted on X. “We learn from our history in Pennsylvania, even when it’s painful.”...

Congress had encouraged the National Park Service in 2003 to formally acknowledge the enslaved people who lived and worked at the President’s House. The lawsuit states that in 2006, the city and the agency agreed to collaborate on creating an exhibit for the site, which opened in 2010 with a memorial and informational panels focused on slavery.

The removal of the exhibit is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to eliminate cultural content that does not align with his policy agenda."

What's Next in AI: How do we regulate AI, and protect against worst outcomes?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 13, 2024

 EVAN ROBINSON-JOHNSON , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; What's Next in AI: How do we regulate AI, and protect against worst outcomes?

"Gov. Josh Shapiro will give more of an update on that project and others at a Monday event in Pittsburgh.

While most folks will likely ask him how Pennsylvania can build and use the tools of the future, a growing cadre in Pittsburgh is asking a broader policy question about how to protect against AI’s worst tendencies...

There are no federal laws that regulate the development and use of AI. Even at the state level, policies are sparse. California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a major AI safety bill last month that would have forced greater commitments from the nation’s top AI developers, most of which are based in the Golden State...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai made a similar argument during a visit to Pittsburgh last month. He encouraged students from local high schools to build AI systems that will make the world a better place, then told a packed audience at Carnegie Mellon University that AI is “too important a technology not to regulate.”

Mr. Pichai said he’s hoping for an “innovation-oriented approach” that mostly leverages existing regulations rather than reinventing the wheel."