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...
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...
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,...
Heather Visnesky: Pa. families need paid leave
As the community engagement manager for MomsWork, Powered by NCJW Pittsburgh, I have met hundreds of working mothers in all stages of motherhood: first-time mothers, moms of toddlers and school-aged children, and mothers of teens and young adults. One thing many of them have in common is the experience of...
Destenie Nock: Who pays the price for new data centers?
Amazon plans to spend $20 billion building data campuses in Pennsylvania. Similar proposals are emerging across the state, from the sites of the old Cheswick and Homer City power plants to the Alcoa campus in Upper Burrell. To many, these announcements signal economic growth and innovation. But as an energy...
Joe Morinville: AI, crypto and Pa.’s war on the little guy
Artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency may be the shiny new frontier of technology, but behind the hype lies a brutal truth: they are devouring electricity, straining Pennsylvania’s grid and driving up costs for everyone else. And thanks to PJM’s policies, it’s the smallest consumers — the homeowners, the corner bakeries, the...
Claudia Sahm: Grow the economy? Not with these immigration restrictions
According to the White House and congressional Republicans, the new budget law will spark economic growth of more than 3%. Reaching that goal, however, will be made far more difficult by a provision they see as central to the law: the $150 billion-plus it adds to immigration enforcement. The administration’s...
Luke Bernstein: Ward helped save U.S. Steel — and Pa. is stronger for it
It is impossible to overstate the stakes in the U.S. Steel-Nippon deal: thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in investment and the future of an iconic industry in Pennsylvania. And while many leaders played a role in securing the deal, one state official stepped up early and never backed down:...
Adam Forgie: Trump promised jobs, so why is he undermining the ones we already have?
Over the last three years, America has benefited from a clean-energy jobs boom, and now, President Trump and Congress are turning that boom into a bust. You wouldn’t know it, though, if you saw Trump’s speech in Pittsburgh last week. Despite the slew of promises he made about bringing new...
Cal Thomas: What standard? What scandal?
Following the resignation of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron after he was caught on a Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in Boston cuddling with human resources chief Kristin Cabot (who is not his wife), the company issued the following statement: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct...
Andrew King: Pa. can accelerate energy progress
Last week, Pennsylvania took a historic step forward, securing $70 billion in federal, state and private funding in an effort to become America’s powerhouse for artificial intelligence (AI) and energy. Convening at the artificial intelligence powerhouse, Carnegie Mellon University, a bipartisan group led by Sen. Dave McCormick launched Pennsylvania’s Innovation...
Mark Z. Barabak: Here’s why Jeffrey Epstein’s tangled web is conspiratorial catnip
These are salad days for the likes of Joseph Uscinski, who spends his time peering down rabbit holes and poking in the dark spaces where weird and woolly things grow. There are loads of conspiracy theories out there, the granddaddy of them all being the conjecture surrounding John F. Kennedy’s...
Stacy Garrity: Is Shapiro taking notes from NYC mayoral race?
From New York City to San Francisco, voters are seeing their cities fall apart due to reckless crime policies, careless government spending and leaders who care more about quippy one-liners on social media than public safety. All eyes are now on New York City’s newest far-left sensation, Zohran Mamdani, whose...
Rep. Abby Major: The truth about cannabis legalization in Pa.
My name has been in the news recently for supporting a cannabis legalization effort here in Pennsylvania. While this may have surprised many of you (and myself), I have had my eyes opened this year to the realities that we are facing here in the commonwealth. Cannabis is already legal...
Cal Thomas: Late-night TV not what it used to be
Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” has been canceled by CBS, effective next May. Critics of the decision are claiming politics is the reason. They are right, except the show has been too political. During its 10-year run, it has been a conduit for Democrats to attack President Trump and Republicans. There...
Gregory Bernarding and Jeaneen A. Zappa: Local action can protect Allegheny County from rising energy costs
Pennsylvania families are facing a growing electricity affordability crisis — and President Trump’s latest energy legislation is making it worse. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law July 4, slashes federal incentives for wind and solar power that have been driving down utility costs, all while pouring billions into...
Daniel DePetris: Putin’s conduct causes Trump to have a change of heart on Ukraine
President Donald Trump never stays still for very long. He makes decisions, only to delay their implementation. He listens to pretty much everybody before he settles on a course of action, only to change his mind at the last minute. Whether it’s withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria during his first...
ML Cavanaugh: We desperately need a dose of ‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way’
OK, I’ll say it. I’m sick of superheroes. I blame the Marvel Cinematic Universe (36 movies and counting over 17 years) and the DC Extended Universe (43 movies and counting, mostly since the late 1970s). Maybe Earth’s not big enough for two universes. They’re running pretty thin these days, down...
