Good Afternoon everyone,

And welcome to another addition of the Keystone Labor Report. Today, we’re looking at how Pennsylvania would be affected by a government shutdown and what Pennsylvania’s richest billionaire is doing about the upcoming Pennsylvania Supreme Court Election. Hint, he’s writing some large checks.

Also, we’re going to take a brief look at Jimmy Kimmel’s return and why it’s important to take on the Trump administration  and undermine its movements toward an oligarchy. 

(Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Extending ACA tax credits and keeping health care costs stable for millions of Americans is at the center of the ongoing debate surrounding a potential government shutdown. 

This may be the only chance Democrats have to force Republicans to extend the ACA tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Up to 270,000 Pennsylvanians who purchase their health care through Pennie are at risk of losing their coverage due to rising premiums. 

Here’s a comprehensive look at how Pennsylvania would be affected by a government shutdown. 

(Photo: Sean Kitchen)

👉 Jeffrey Yass and two other billionaires with financial ties to President Donald Trump are set to become owners of Tiktok’s American spinoff, according to the Washington Post. Yass became Pennsylvania’s richest billionaire thanks to his investments in ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, and he will most likely own the American version alongside Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Fox News Founder Rupert Murdoch. That’s quite the lineup.

👉 Speaking of Yass, dozens of activists from different progressive organizations showed up to Susquehanna International Group’s Bala Cynwyd offices on Thursday to highlight Yass’ investment in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court election. Yass has already spent $1.25 million funding a “no campaign” to unseat three democratic justices. 

(Graphic: Desiree Tapia / COURIER)

Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves on Tuesday after being temporarily removed for comments related to the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Upon his reinstatement, he didn’t pull any punches when it came to cracking jokes about President Donald Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr and their attempts to tank his late-night television show. 

Instead of bending the knee, Kimmel took on the oligarchy. 

I am not a fan of Kimmel, nor have I ever watched an episode of his late-night television show because I’m usually asleep before 10 p.m. However, the ongoing Kimmel debate is a perfect example of how an oligarchy operates. 

An oligarchy is the concentration of power to a handful of wealthy or powerful individuals, and two people in particular – Perry Sook, CEO of Nexstar, and David D. Smith, Executive Chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group – are now determining who is and who isn’t allowed to watch Kimmel. 

Nexstar and Sinclair are refusing to air Kimmel on their ABC owned affiliates for purely political reasons to appease President Donald Trump’s personal feelings. Because of that, Kimmel is blacked out in 19 counties across the commonwealth with nearly 23% of Pennsylvania’s population unable to watch the late-night TV host.

This is the exact definition of how an oligarchy works to undermine democratic norms and suppress freedom of speech. We cannot have a functioning society if a handful of wealthy media executives act as a cartel, collude with each other and pull the plug on a TV show for simply disagreeing with what someone said. 

As always, feel free to email me at seankitchen@couriernewsroom.com if you have any tips or events that you may have interest in covering.