Paul Kengor: A nation of slobs
“I always know when I’ve landed in America,” observes a German friend, “because the people in the airport look like slobs.” It isn’t just airports. Americans look like slobs everywhere. When they go out to dinner, attend an event, and basically go out and about in public. My friend Jeanne...
Jonah Goldberg: Why MAGA’s ideologues can’t always get what they want
MAGA has a problem, in the form of Donald Trump. Put simply: MAGA wants to define what MAGA (or “America first”) means, and Donald Trump wants it to mean whatever he says at any given moment. I should offer a little definitional clarity and political nuance. Make America Great Again...
Letter to the editor: Trouble in Trump paradise
Well, on the outside it looks like there is trouble in paradise. President Trump’s followers are asking questions, maybe even demanding answers. Could these blind disciples suddenly be seeing the light? Time will tell if the erosion of support will continue, but what a breath of fresh air to finally...
Letter to the editor: New budget an abomination
The Senate passed a budget that gave the top richest 0.1% Americans the largest tax break in this country’s history. It throws an estimated 14 million to 20 million Americans off Medicaid and will probably close the majority of rural hospitals over the next six years. Billions of cuts to...
Editorial: Name change at Bushy Run Battlefield is about authenticity
Imagine that Pennsylvania was not named by Charles II after founder William Penn’s father, a British admiral. What if, instead of christening it in the Latin for “Penn’s Woods,” the king listened to one of the admiral’s most bitter enemies? What if the same happened with William Pitt, the Earl...
Letter to the editor: Cupp’s anti-Trump campaign
In her continuing campaign to diminish Donald Trump, S.E. Cupp wields her verbal knives, saying he “is a convicted criminal, an adjudicated sexual abuser and an ignoramus” (“We are obsessed with Coldplay’s kiss cam couple,” July 25, TribLive). Wow! She concludes by saying that he is incompetent. Not so. Since...
Cal Thomas: Hey, Democrats, autopsies are for the dead
It’s being described by the media as an “autopsy,” an examination by Democrats as to why they lost the last presidential election and a congressional majority. According to The New York Times, the autopsy will not include Joe Biden’s decision to seek a second term, or Kamala Harris’ poor performance...
LZ Granderson: Malcolm-Jamal Warner carried a heavy load for Black America
There were three television characters who really mattered to me as a kid: Michael, Leroy and Theo. In elementary school, “Good Times” was the television show that most closely resembled my family. And seeing reruns of Ralph David Carter’s portrayal of a precocious young boy learning what it means to...
Panini A. Chowdhury: The government that governs best is the one closest to home
The One Big Beautiful Bill championed by President Trump is more than just a legislation — it’s a mirror. And the reflection staring back at us reveals a troubling cruel, ugly vision of the country we’ve collectively enabled. Whether through ballots cast or silence kept, we’ve allowed policies to take...
Commentary: Medical schools are falling behind in the age of generative AI
While colleges across the nation are adapting their curricula to harness the power of generative AI, U.S. medical schools remain dangerously behind. Most students entering medicine today will graduate without ever being trained to use GenAI tools effectively. That must change. To prepare tomorrow’s doctors — and protect tomorrow’s patients...
Letter to the editor: Good men must do something
You reported, when discussing Congress’ reluctance to challenge President Trump on almost anything, that “… a compliant Congress is ceding more and more of its prerogative to the presidency” (“Trump’s approval motivates Congress,” July 20). That critique of the interaction between Congress and the president reminds me of the quote...
Letter to the editor: We need strong methane rules to protect kids
As a pediatrician in Pittsburgh and secretary/treasurer of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, I’m deeply concerned about the impact of methane emissions on children’s health. While these views are my own, they reflect what I see daily in my clinic. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is...
Editorial: Whose fault is it when an unlicensed nurse is hired?
The state of Pennsylvania makes it easy to figure out if your hair stylist or architect or real estate agent or any other licensed professional is able to work legally. The Department of State’s website can answer your questions about permits and authorizations. The Pennsylvania Licensing System Verification Service allows...
Letter to the editor: Divine intervention on Trump assassination attempt?
Recently Speaker Mike Johnson insinuated that the President Trump assassination attempt in Butler was a case of divine intervention. Really? That’s an insult to my intelligence, as well as any religious beliefs I may have. Are we to believe that God stood by while a man hatched a plan to...
Mike Tedesco: Pittsburgh’s housing gamble — why good intentions could backfire
The process of improving land is called real estate development. Real estate developments are planned, organized and managed by people called developers. Developers may be the public sector, the nonprofit sector, the for-profit sector or a combination of all three. When the public sector partners with the private sector to...
Oliver Bateman: AI, Pittsburgh’s real renaissance
I’ve followed enough Pittsburgh renaissances to know they usually amount to a hill of beans. The eds-and-meds miracle that was supposed to save us? Ask the University of Pittsburgh secretaries making $38,000 a year how that worked out while they watch Polish Hill homes list for $700,000. The robotics revolution?...
Mark Nicastre: Can a Pa. Democrat replicate Mamdani’s winning campaign?
Everyone is still trying to figure out what to make of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s mayoral primary. Mamdani emerged from a field of candidates, including Andrew Cuomo, who was attempting a political comeback after leaving office amid harassment accusations from several women who worked with and for...
Letter to the editor: Attacking law enforcement officers
After reading the letter “What is lunatic politicians’ agenda?” (July 19, TribLive) all I can say is, where were you when President Trump pardoned terrorists who attacked police officers on Jan. 6? So it’s OK for law enforcement people to be attacked if it fits your political agenda? I don’t...
Letter to the editor: What’s wrong with the Steelers?
What’s wrong with the Steelers? Only everything! The latest is T.J. Watt being given this ridiculous contract while he had a year to go on the old one. Jellyfish have more spine than Art Rooney, Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin. Watt wasn’t earning his last contract so you extend him...
Editorial: What is next for closing Penn State campuses?
In two years, there will be no Nittany Lions on the Penn State campuses in New Kensington or Fayette County. What will be there remains to be seen. In May, Penn State trustees voted to follow the recommendations of President Neeli Bendapudi’s administration and close seven Commonwealth Campuses at the...
Letter to the editor: Congress should work for the people, not flee from accountability
At a time when trust in government is hanging by a thread, the American people deserve leaders who show up, do the work and tell the truth. What they don’t deserve is a Congress that cuts and runs. Last week, House Republicans refused to even hold a vote on releasing...
Michael Humphreys and Wendy Spicher: Protecting Pa. residents against scams and frauds
Pennsylvanians deserve a government that listens, responds and protects them — especially at a time when financial decisions are more complex and impactful than ever. Whether you’re frustrated by a denied insurance claim, facing financial exploitation or dealing with identity theft, you should know this: you have a voice. Financial...
Nik Kowsar: Iran’s war on the supernatural
When an Iranian regime insider recently claimed Israel had deployed “supernatural spirits” in its latest war with Iran — complete with Jewish talismans allegedly found on the streets of Tehran — I didn’t laugh. I didn’t scoff. I felt déjà vu. I’ve heard this sort of nonsense before, not from...
Danny Tyree: Is bottomless overtime right for you?
Is work-life balance dead, and will you even find time to attend the funeral? During different phases of my five-decade working career, I have worked all three shifts, toiled every holiday, struggled with doubled production quotas, accepted 48 hours as a standard work week and missed countless family events. Still,...
Letter to the editor: Treason accusations? This is not who we are.
Open letter to Sen. Dave McCormick: Senator, this is not who we are! President Trump now has, without any evidence, stated that former President Obama committed treason. Sitting in the room that is at the heart of the longest standing democracy in history, Trump said, “Whether it’s right or wrong,...
