From NASA intern to national fugitive | Morning Newsletter
And Fetterman’s leadership questioned.
The Morning Newsletter
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Hi, Philly. There’s rain in the forecast today and tomorrow, which could impact the golfers at the PGA’s Truist Championship beginning today at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Find more on that event below.
Michelle Zajko was a NASA intern and biomedical researcher. Our top story details how online chatrooms pushed the Delaware County woman into the ranks of an “extremist group” police say is tied to her parents’ murders.
And Sen. John Fetterman was missing votes and largely absent in the state he represents even before a recent news report publicly laid out staff concerns. We go inside the Pennsylvania lawmaker’s office for more details.
— Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
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Michelle Zajko once said her life’s mission was to help people live healthier, better lives. As of her early adulthood, the Chester Heights native and alum of Cabrini and Temple Universities was on that path, interning with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and NASA in the hopes of becoming a scientist.
Yet she also became increasingly drawn into niche online communities, leading her to what investigators describe as an “extremist group” that is behind a spate of crimes spanning from California to Vermont.
How did the Delco woman fall into a group linked to multiple murders — including those of her parents, who were shot to death on her 30th birthday, in her childhood bedroom?
Reporters Vinny Vella, Zoe Greenberg, and Jesse Bunch dig into the case.
Is Sen. Fetterman doing his job?
Following the release of an explosive New York Magazine story in which former staffers detailed concerns about the Pennsylvania Democrat’s mental health, several former staffers spoke to The Inquirer about how that behavior has translated to absentee leadership as a senator.
In recent months, he has made few public appearances in the state he represents — and none in Philadelphia, the largest city in the commonwealth. He sporadically attends Senate committee meetings and has missed dozens of votes, holding one of the worst vote attendance records among legislators. He is also prone to outbursts, former staffers say, even in front of constituents.
“It’s pretty impossible to overstate how disengaged he is,” a recently departed staffer told The Inquirer. “He doesn’t read memos, he’s taking very few meetings … the job is just a platform for him to run for president, that’s all he cares about.”
Politics reporter Julia Terruso details Fetterman’s tumultuous first few years in office.
What you should know today
A Philadelphia police officer was shot Wednesday afternoon while attempting to break up a fight outside Overbrook High School, officials said.
Haverford College president Wendy Raymond was grilled Wednesday in a congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus.
Suburban supporters of President Donald Trump are suing the anonymous sources of threatening letters sent to them before the election.
Pennsylvania took its first step Wednesday toward legalizing recreational marijuana under a state-owned-store model.
Kensington’s Wellness Court for people in addiction has resumed operations after a brief, tension-fueled hiatus.
At a City Council budget hearing, Philly’s embattled sheriff requested new headquarters, a training academy, and a $20 million budget boost. Plus, Mural Arts’ chief advocated for more city funds in the face of a proposed cut, and Council members probed Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s plans to pay for her new housing initiative.
A second Temple student has been suspended over their involvement in an antisemitic incident at a Barstool sports bar over the weekend.
Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner and challenger Pat Dugan are set to participate in a WURD debate this evening, possibly their last meeting before the election. And the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that city judicial candidate Mike Huff is not eligible to run in the May 20 primary, ending a to-the-wire residency challenge.
No, the Wildwood boardwalk is not replacing its tram cars with trucks. But it will test a hybrid truck option this summer.
The Philadelphia area is in the national golf spotlight as the Truist Championship comes to the Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course in Montco, today through Sunday.
The event: The championship convenes dozens of the world’s top players to compete for a $20 million prize pool. Here’s what to expect this week.
The course: The Cricket Club is the oldest country club in the United States. Learn more about its 171-year history — and why, for the first half of the 20th century, Philadelphia was a mecca of golf course design.
The people: Beyond the pros, the competition has already drawn celebrities like Jason Kelce via a pro-am event and influencers aiming to attract younger fans to the sport.
Follow updates about the tour at Inquirer.com.
P.S. The annual Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta at the Cooper River is also happening this weekend. Here’s what to know about the world’s largest college rowing event.
🧠 Trivia time
In Philly, childcare for two kids costs more than rent — and both are getting more expensive. Their combined cost is equal to how much of the area median income, according to a new Redfin report?
A) 20%
B) 38%
C) 45%
D) 61%
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🏨 Comparing: Photos of the historic Bellevue Hotel, then and now.
🏟️ Testing: Our memory of the former names of these Philly venues and landmarks.
🥃 Chuckling at: Inquirer staffers’ taste-test reactions to Malört.
💾 Recycling: Old electronics at these Philly-area sites this spring.
🪖 Considering: V-E Day and the myth of the “Good War.”
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Now-defunct restaurant group behind hotspots like Figo and Chika
SLIGHTLY UTOPIA
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Tiffany Canady, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Jazmine Sullivan. The Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts alumna will join LL Cool J to headline the free Wawa Welcome America festival on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this July 4.
Photo of the day
🎸 One last totally tubular thing: Her collection features setlists, posters, prints, clothing, a guitar from the Thompson Twins, MTV memorabilia, and much more. Take a peek inside the new wave “music museum” in this fan’s Ambler basement.
Enjoy the bouts of sun today, if they appear. I’ll be back with you tomorrow morning to close out the week.
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