On today’s episode of The Confluence:
GOP launches new political platform in Southwestern Pennsylvania
(0:00 - 6:38)
Last Friday, top leaders of the national GOP stopped in the Monongahela Valley to formally announce their platform, “Commitment to America,” ahead of November’s election.
The “Commitment to America” focuses on four pillars: safety, the economy, individual freedom and an accountable government. Chris Potter, WESA’S government and accountability editor, says there were no surprises in the GOP’S plan.
“It was a lot of stuff that you'd expect: We're going to reduce wasteful government spending. We're going to crack down on immigration. We're going to investigate the heck out of the White House and the Department of Justice. We're going to be offering fewer regulations, especially where energy is concerned, a lot of very familiar policy prescriptions that we've all heard from Republicans before,” says Potter.
Potter says the platform didn’t have a lot of details regarding how to enact these issues and avoided the topic of abortion.
Reports of child abuse in PA increase in 2021, following pandemic
(6:43 - 14:07)
In 2021, the state Department of Human Services received a little more than 38,000 reports of suspected child abuse. That’s an increase of about 5,000 reports, compared to 2020.
Many states, including Pennsylvania, anticipated the rise last year, as they suspected reports would drop earlier in the pandemic as children stayed home and were around fewer mandated reporters, like teachers.
“The thing to remember is that child abuse was continuing. This wasn't something that stopped. This was something that wasn't being reported as much as it usually is, simply because children didn't have those contact with mandated reporters,” says Richard DiBello, Senior Forensic Interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
The Child Advocacy Center now partners with Pittsburgh Public Schools to educate both physical education teachers and parents about topics such as child cyber bullying, sexting and internet safety.
“Across the Walls” documentary premieres at Carnegie International
(14:10 - 22:30)
This past weekend, the 58th Carnegie International art show opened. One of the exhibits featured is a 20-minute documentary, “Across the Walls.” In the documentary, seven women are interviewed about their experiences being sentenced to life without parole and incarcerated in a Pennsylvania correctional facility.
Etta cetera, is one of the co-founder of Let’s Get Free, which was involved with the creation of this film.
“I hope people will really listen to the voices of the women and learn about them, learn about their lives, and understand that they are mothers, sisters, grandmothers, and that they should not be disposed of, they should not be warehoused,” she says. “That actually the solutions to many of our problems involving violence come from their mouths, in their minds, in their bodies, in their lives and we will benefit from their stories.”
The Carnegie International will run through April 2, 2023.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
