Who will dare represent Pennsylvania at the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair?
The commonwealth’s Governor Josh Shapiro announced last week that the state would not be represented at the fair because no businesses were interested in sponsoring the booth. Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick countered two days later that they had assembled a coalition of Pennsylvania companies, including crayon manufacturer Crayola, willing to step in.
“Pennsylvania is where America’s story began, and there was no way we were going to let the Commonwealth go unrepresented,” McCormick explained. “Celebrating America’s 250th birthday and Pennsylvania’s special role in our country is important and bipartisan,” said Fetterman. That doing so happens to show up Shapiro, a 2028 presidential contender who Fetterman severely dislikes, is just a bonus.
Shapiro’s initial stance aligned with the view that the event, run by the Trump administration’s Freedom 250, is divisive and partisan. (More on Freedom 250 here.) “It reflects this sad state of affairs that we find ourselves in – that the President has politicized this to a degree that businesses don’t want to participate,” Shapiro told the New Republic.
But the businesses that agreed to support McCormick and Fetterman’s effort don’t seem to agree. Crayola sent boxes of markers and Pennsylvania history coloring sheets. US Steel contributed a commemorative penny-press machine. The Gettysburg Foundation shared artifacts, stickers and bookmarks of the Gettysburg Address.
Cockburn ventured down to the fairgrounds this morning to visit the contentious booth. It’s decorated with a replica of the Liberty Bell, a flag from the state’s centennial celebration in 1876 and a vintage pennant from a Civil Rights demonstration.
“It’s all been put up in the past 48 hours,” a volunteer told Cockburn, who also described his coworkers driving laps between PA and DC to pull it off. So far, it seems to have paid off.
On our radar
BORN IN THE USA The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn birthright citizenship in a 5-4 decision. Justice Clarence Thomas’s dissent is 91 pages long.
BALL’S IN HER COURT The Court also upheld the right of states such as Idaho and West Virginia to ban transgender women from women’s sports.
WHERE KEAN’S BEEN Representative Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent from Congress for months, explained that this was due to depression.
We’ll always have Reykjavik
Old habits die hard: Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General and Republican candidate for Senate in the Lone State State, was caught halfway across the world this past weekend with his mistress.
In the footage, taken in an Iceland airport by a fellow tourist, Paxton side-eyes the sly videographer. He hides behind his companion, who looks like a cross between Lady Gaga and a lacrosse mom. She has long highlighted brown hair and is wearing big hoop earrings, tight black pants, a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist, with a smile. He looks… well… a touch less glamorous.
For context, Ken and his wife Angela are in the process of getting a divorce. Angela filed on “Biblical grounds” of adultery, after 38 years of marriage. It might also be worth noting that in 2023, Ken Paxton was impeached on grounds of Bribery and Corruption, Abuse of Office and Retaliation. One of the State Senators who was supposed to oversee an impeachment proceeding was… Angela Paxton. President Trump has also endorsed Paxton over the incumbent John Cornyn. What makes a government work is what makes a family work, right folks?
At the time of the divorce filing, Angela wrote on Twitter that “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation, But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”
On the other hand, Paxton cited “pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny.” In the thick of his highly competitive race with James Talarico, who is running on an anti-corruption message, Paxton might have thought Iceland was a safe place to cool off with his lover. Instead he found himself in hot water. Better luck next time, geyser…
Is Freddy the fan a CIA plant?
Patriotism hit a record low in 2026, according to a new US News poll, with only a third of Americans reporting pride in their national identity. Enter “Freddy,” the anonymous “German” soccer fan.
Freddy became popular on X after posting about his road trip through America for the World Cup, showing excitement for iconic American brands such as Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, Buffalo Wild Wings and others. His vicarious American pride drew invitations from NASA, Ella Langley, Gordon Ramsay, J.J. Watt and Ambassador Nick Adams to visit other landmarks, including the White House.
Yet Freddy’s influx of posts, and older details on his account, have sparked speculation about his authenticity, as Freddy has kept his face hidden through his travels. One prominent theory posits Freddy is a CIA plant designed to redeem America’s image.
A number of these people were therefore delighted by Germany’s shock exit on penalty kicks against Paraguay last night. “Back to Langley I’m afraid,” wrote one podcaster. Brands and celebrities who have met Freddy have attempted to quell the speculation. “We can confirm Freddy is real, is German and loves New Orleans,” the New Orleans Pelicans said in a post after Freddy visited the facility.
Cockburn, unfortunately, doesn’t get his news from the New Orleans Pelicans and remains skeptical of Freddy’s overly enthusiastic persona. How many Germans do you know who support the Danish team FC Midtjylland and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, as his bio stipulates?
Despite Germany’s early flight home, Freddy and his friends are keeping the hustle going. “Our flight back home is on July 23rd lol,” he wrote. “We need a lot of good suggestions for what to do in the coming weeks.” He also pledged to disappear into the æther at the tournament’s conclusion: “When I’m back in Germany I’m gonna close this account. The ‘influencer’ life is not for me.” Pretty convenient conclusion to draw after four weeks of free stuff from titans of American capitalism.
Cockburn has an alternative theory about Freddy’s origin: what if he’s an influencer pulling a stunt, soon to be revealed in a highly dramatized YouTube video? Where’s Mr. Beast been recently…?
Cockburn’s Diary will return on July 7. Subscribe to Cockburn’s Diary on Substack to get it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Fridays – before anyone else.
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