Dems find a pulse in Trump country
No. 43 | Monday, March 31, 2025
City News
Trump's funding cuts put Philly's education and medical jobs on the chopping block, which account for 30% of the city’s total jobs.
After 4am Wednesday morning, mere hours before they were set to strike, American Federation of Teachers Local 2026 announced a tentative agreement with the Community College of Philadelphia that delivers major raises for teachers, smaller class sizes, and free SEPTA passes for students.
Mayor Parker’s proposed 5-year plan includes $26 million in new revenue for the school district, but the sum is small compared to the need. It does not include a restoration of expiring funding for homeless students, climate staff, or programs for immigrant students — all popular demands from organized parents and advocates.
Mayor Parker’s tax plan sucks. On the other hand, the “People’s Tax Plan” from DSA Council Members Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke is good – raising revenue by taxing the rich while delivering tax cuts to the working class and small businesses.
Philadelphia Police Officer Thomas Thompson murdered Aaron Rainey, a 36-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis, and then lied, saying Rainey had grabbed his partner's gun and shot him. In reality, it was Thompson who shot the other officer.
A new study conducted by a University of Pennsylvania physician found that access to buprenorphine, a life-saving drug used to treat opioid addiction, is uneven across different treatment programs in Philadelphia. Only 42% of programs could offer buprenorphine immediately to patients, while many appear to require counseling before prescribing the drug--even though research has shown that requiring counseling does not improve health outcomes.
State News
Signs of life: a special election for a state Senate race this week returned surprising results. Democrat James Malone won in the heavily Republican district, a county Democrats say they haven't represented "in over a century.” The Republicans maintain control of the upper chamber, while a second special election restored a Democratic majority in the State House.
The EPA is canceling grants in the area. Several were intended to engage local communities in resiliency planning ahead of extreme weather.
Pennsylvania House Democrats passed a bill doubling fines for child labor violations—85 Republicans voted against it. Apparently, $500 was plenty to let bosses continue overworking kids.
More than 400 people protested outside a Tesla dealership in Chester County as part of a national day of action targeting Trump's billionaire benefactor.
Democrats in the PA House passed four bills enshrining some protection of the Affordable Care Act into state law in case Trump and the Republicans manage to destroy the ACA. While it's a pleasant surprise that Democrats can manage even this minimal amount of foresight, the bills now have to pass the Republican controlled Senate.
The U.S. deported four Bhutanese refugees—Pennsylvania residents who fled ethnic cleansing decades ago. ICE calls it “proper procedure,” but it’s just tearing people from their communities and tossing them across borders like paperwork, with zero concern for their safety.
A Pennsylvania Republican is pushing for marijuana legalization—not to end criminalization or right a historic wrong—but to keep the profits in private hands. She’s railing against DSA Rep. Rick Krajewski’s state-distribution model, calling it “communist cannabis.”
Under socialism, there will be no paywalls...until then, use this.
The Weekly Rose
Either we have fewer rats—or we're just tougher. The Inquirer reported that Philadelphians complain less about rats than New Yorkers, Washingtonians, and Baltimoreans.
Have an idea for the Weekly Rose? Send it our way by Saturday, along with your first name, and we might feature it in the next issue: thethornphilly@gmail.com