alleging a racial element to the incident. Fetterman's campaign denied allegations of racism, claiming that Miyares was wearing a black sweatsuit and mask, so Fetterman couldn't have identified his race or gender. Fetterman also added that Miyares was running in the direction of a school and that he made the decision to approach him with the firearm due to the event's proximity in time to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In 2021, Miyares wrote that Fetterman had "lied about everything" that happened during the incident, that he had "done far more good than that one bad act" and "should not be defined by it", and that he hoped Fetterman would win the Senate race. Fetterman's political opponents have questioned Miyares's statement forgiving Fetterman. Media coverage and criticism Fetterman's efforts to create youth-oriented programs, revitalize his town, and attract artists and other "creatives" to his community were featured in The New York Times. A 2009 article in The Guardian called him "America's coolest mayor". Fetterman appeared on the Colbert Report on February 25, 2009, discussing the economic difficulties his town faced due to a decreasing population, plummeting real estate values, and bankruptcy. He also questioned why funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 could not be used to support projects such as those in Braddock. He appeared again on August 16, 2010, discussing what he had been doing and the town's partnership with Levi Strauss. In 2010, Levi Strauss & Company donated money towards Braddock's revitalization and featured the town in an advertising campaign and documentary produced by the Sundance Channel. On May 7, 2012, Fetterman was featured on A Day in the Life; he discussed his work and goals for Braddock as well as his personal history and views. Fetterman was a guest on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on January 14, 2016. He talked about his support for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary and made a second appearance on July 19, 2016 talking about the 2016 election and Donald Trump. While Fetterman was mayor in 2009, some Braddock residents, including the members of the town council, criticized him for his media appearances that emphasized what they saw as negative aspects of the town. Jesse Brown, Braddock's former town council president, said Fetterman "needs to tone down his rhetoric about the community and the bad shape the community is in and the devastation of