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1. Emails show questionable collusion between Krasner and PAC donors

By Ben Mannes
 

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, long a focal point in the national debate over progressive criminal justice reform, faces escalating legal and ethical scrutiny after a trove of documents revealed extensive coordination between his campaigns, outside political action committees, and a powerful nonprofit consulting operation. 

The findings, resulting from open records  requests obtained by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF), uncover a network of relationships that not only push the boundaries of ethical conduct but, under federal and local law, may cross into unlawful territory for candidates and political action committees (PACs). 

Why It Matters. At the heart of the issue is the strict legal prohibition against politicians and candidates coordinating directly with PACs. Federal statutes alongside Pennsylvania’s election laws explicitly forbid collaboration on campaign strategy, expenditures, or messaging between candidates and these independent political committees. Violations of these firewalls fundamentally undermine limits on campaign contributions and can distort the integrity of democratic elections.

The implications of these findings reverberate well beyond Philadelphia. Documents show Wren and peer organizations actively shaping both campaign strategy and the policies implemented by the very prosecutors they help elect. The same funding streams, in some cases, back protest groups and advocacy organizations whose members could face prosecution — further muddying questions of independence and public accountability for chief law enforcement officials. 

Quotable. “Overall, Wren and entities like Fair and Just Prosecution act as the coordinating brain of the progressive prosecutor movement. Because of the way they are financially structured, they allow some of the high-profile liberal donors to funnel money to progressive prosecutors while leaving a very murky trail.” – former Chester County DA and federal prosecutor Thomas Hogan.

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2. Federal probe launched into Unionville-Chadds Ford School District after parent complaints

By Beth Ann Rosica
 

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum earlier this month directing “the Civil Rights Division to be alert to violations of parental rights and First Amendment liberties in educational settings” and for the “U.S. Attorneys to work with federal, state, and local partners to identify and respond to credible threats against parents and violations of their federal rights.”

Just eight days after the memorandum was issued, the U.S. Department of Justice contacted a local father regarding alleged violations of his First Amendment and due process rights by the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.

According to the letter, dated September 16, 2025, Edward R. Martin, Jr., appointed by President Trump to serve as the Director of the United States Department of Justice Weaponization Working Group, notified local parent Chad Williams about opening a new investigation regarding his allegations.

Why It Matters. As a parent of school-aged children who attend the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, Williams began voicing concerns during Covid regarding the extended school closures and mandatory masking. He claims the district and the superintendent ignored him, despite numerous requests to meet. 

The lack of transparency regarding the closures and forced masking pushed Williams to start looking at other issues in the school. He then discovered the district facilitated the administration of a third-party survey without parental consent. According to Williams, he asked to meet with members of the board and the superintendent, and they once again ignored his requests — denying his parental rights, First Amendment rights, and right to due process.

Based on the district’s actions, Williams lodged a number of complaints at the state level, including with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, but no agency investigated.

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3. Lightning Round

• Ben Mannes: Dugan talks crime, Krasner talks Trump

• Beth Ann Rosica: New Chester County Human Relations Commission passes 2–1 amid heated debate

• Guy Ciarrocchi: Pop quiz for school boards and candidates

• Tom DePietro: Now is the time to reform pharmacy benefit managers 

• Seth Higgins: Rural Pennsylvanians can hear you, you know?

• Paul Davis: Philadelphia spy case ends in prison sentence for former defense contractor

• Thom Nickels: Listening to Justice Barrett

• Stew Bolno: Trump Derangement Syndrome is a very real thing

4. What we're reading

Student test scores around the country have been declining, despite more tax money being poured into the system every year. This was true before Covid and the pandemic accelerated the decline even more. But there is one bright spot, and it’s from the poorest region of the country, a place that richer states once looked at as a cautionary tale: the Deep South.

Now, as Kelsey Piper reports for a new publication, The Argument, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee have led the way out of America’s education decline and are teaching students better — doing more with less than the richer states of the North and West. The story is not new, but the rest of the country has been hesitant to follow or even talk about it. Why? Political tribalism. “I think the story is going untold for the same reason journalists ignored the successful school reopening stories in Florida and the rest of the Sun Belt in August 2020: The appetite to tell positive stories in red states is low,” one expert told Piper. 

Illiteracy is a choice, Piper writes. What choice will Pennsylvania make?

5. Snakebit?

The Eagles are flying high. The Phillies are back in the playoffs. But the Sixers are suffering devastating injuries before the 2025-26 season even begins. 

Jared McCain’s torn UCL is a setback for a team that already spent much of last season hobbled by injuries. The timeline for McCain’s comeback is still uncertain, Austin Krell writes, but it certainly means nothing good for him or the team. Read more about it at On Pattison — a part of the Fideri News Network.