Featured Commentary category, Page 5
Ken Silverstein: Bridging the red-blue divide on climate
Heather Reams, the president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), stepped onto the stage at Breckenridge’s Mountain Towns 2030 summit — a room full of progressives accustomed to negotiating with Republicans on climate policy. She faced an audience from Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado — areas that often depend...
Patricia Murphy: Trump forged Middle East peace. How about fixing Congress next?
Defying the odds and expectations of many, President Donald Trump went to the Middle East last week and announced what many thought impossible — a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and, hopefully, a path to peace in the Middle East. As a part of getting both sides to agree to...
Ryan Kennedy: Far fewer Americans support political violence than recent polls suggest
A series of recent events has sparked alarm about rising levels of political violence in the U.S.: the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 ; the murder of a Democratic Minnesota state legislator and her husband in June ; and two attempts to kill Donald Trump during...
Cal Thomas: After Gaza, what’s next?
In his address to Israel’s Knesset following the release of 20 living hostages by Hamas, President Donald Trump said several things that reflect wishful thinking. Among them: “The forces of chaos that have plagued the region are totally defeated.” “The enemies of all civilization are in retreat.” And the “long...
Panini Chowdhury: We all have a right to walk safely on our streets
We all walk. When we visit a place, we walk — and those moments often become the highlights of our journey. Whether young or old, whatever our race or gender, walking is the hum of daily life — the simplest confluence of dignity, mobility and human connection. Yet in America,...
Tyler Samstag: From Mister Rogers to machine learning — Pittsburgh’s next big moment in education
When cellphones became widely available in 2007, educators suddenly faced a question with no clear answer: What happens when every student carries a device that can calculate, record and connect them to endless information? Some worried about distraction. Others saw possibility. Across Pittsburgh, teachers, artists, librarians, museum leaders and technologists...
Jackie Calmes: George Washington would be spinning in his grave
George Washington, who set long-followed precedents by voluntarily giving up first military and then civilian power, and who built the foundation of the nation’s wall between its military and partisan politics, would by all historical evidence be appalled by successor Donald Trump’s escalating efforts to tear down that wall in...
David M. Drucker: Politicians need to stop being so online
As it turns out, Twitter is not the town square. Someone might want to alert American political leaders. In the era of social media, Democratic and Republican politicians have grown hyper-sensitive, and responsive, to activists who seemingly live their lives online. Whether on X, formerly Twitter, where the right ruminates...
Alex Wallach Hanson: Strassburger’s failed play on inclusionary zoning
On Wednesday, Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger introduced a surprise amendment to the inclusionary zoning bill that has been debated in Pittsburgh City Council for months. This proposed amendment would gutthe bill. Instead of requiring developers of buildings with over 20 housing units to include at least two units of...
Mark Reinecke: A goal of zero youth suicides is reasonable. Here’s how we get there
After 35 years as a clinical child and adolescent psychologist and a medical school professor, treating hundreds of children and teens who suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts and meeting with thousands of parents, I had hoped that through research, training and clinical care, I’d eventually be put out of...
Henry I. Miller: Autism, Tylenol and the perils of easy answers
Half of all pregnant women take acetaminophen — better known as Tylenol or paracetamol — to relieve pain or reduce fever. The drug has been around for decades, is available without a prescription and is often one of the few options doctors consider safe during pregnancy. However, on Sept. 23,...
Mary Ellen Klas: Threats against judges have crossed the line
The destruction of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s home in a fiery inferno Oct. 4 immediately led to speculation it was an act of political violence. South Carolina officials are still investigating, and they said Monday “there is no evidence to indicate” the cause of the explosion “was...
Sheldon H. Jacobson and Dr. Janet A. Jokela: Sage advice — get a flu shot this year
The influenza (flu) season is fast approaching. With it brings the risk of upper respiratory discomfort, fever and various aches. Those over 65 years of age and children under 2years of age have historically been at the greatest risk of poor outcomes, including hospitalizations and even death. In the 2024-25...
Patricia Murphy: The biggest losers of the government shutdown, for now
This column started out as a list of winners and losers of the government shutdown. But it’s obvious that there are no winners in a situation like the one we’ve got today. It’s the first government shutdown in seven years, but also the first I can remember where both sides...
LZ Granderson: Anyone calling Bad Bunny un-American needs a geography lesson
Is there a better inkblot test for America right now than reaction to Bad Bunny being the halftime act for Super Bowl LX? Soon after his name was announced, social media exploded into meritocracy debates as if the National Football League’s decisions are culturally motivated and not commercially. Taylor Swift...
Albert Eisenberg: Congressional Republicans can win big with health care solutions
We are living in a time of high and growing suspicion toward “the Establishment,” be it political, financial, cultural, media — and especially health. Much of this is well-founded. For years, Americans have been told to “trust the science” and not believe our own eyes. The disconnect between experts and...
Kim Scouller: The financial nightmare of domestic violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many people think of bruises or broken bones, but there’s another weapon of abuse that leaves scars you can’t see on the outside: financial abuse. Experts estimate that more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence, and almost 100% also experience financial abuse. Sadly,...
Dan DeBone: Small businesses need support during federal government shutdown
With the federal government officially shut down, small business owners are once again facing a period of uncertainty and concern. While large corporations often have the resources to withstand disruptions like these, small businesses — the backbone of our local economy — feel the effects almost immediately. Shutdowns have consequences...
Cal Thomas: Bring back Clinton-Gingrich
On Aug. 5, 1997, President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress, led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, enacted the Balanced Budget Act. This bipartisan agreement aimed to balance the federal budget by 2002. Most of the credit goes to Gingrich because Clinton had vetoed previous Republican proposals for reducing the debt....
Counterpoint: The court isn’t drifting rightward — the pedal is to the floor
Whether the Roberts Supreme Court will continue to push American jurisprudence to the right — bending the law toward their preferred policy outcomes rather than precedent or originalist intent — is no longer a matter for debate. The question is how brazenly and how quickly it will press forward in...
Point: Another momentous term is in the offing
The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to grant a stay of a lower court decision telling South Carolina it has to allow a transgender girl to use the boys’ bathroom in a public school emphasizes the importance of issues the court will be reviewing when its new term starts Oct. 6....
John T. Shaw: Congresswomen unite for immigration reform and show us the statesmanship that’s possible
During this time of fear and division in the United States, it is heartening to see an example of courage and unity, especially as it pertains to one of our most contentious issues: immigration. President Trump seized on fears related to immigration in the 2024 presidential campaign to help win...
Rep. Arvind Venkat: New infrastructure means healthier families, healthier Pa.
As an emergency physician and current state legislator, I’ve spent my career serving Pennsylvanians and supporting them in a lifelong journey to live healthy, fulfilling lives. We know that eating nutritious foods and exercising regularly is important. Practicing good hygiene — brushing your teeth, washing your hands, and keeping clean...
Karen Feridun: Preserve local control on natural gas
The burgeoning data center boom in Pennsylvania is reminiscent of the early days of the fracking boom. No attention was given to the impacts fracking would have on public health or the environment. Unlike New York and Maryland, no studies were done to guide policy decisions about how, or even...
Alexander Ciccone: Congress should not turn a temporary handout into a permanent burden
Pennsylvania families already face some of the steepest health care costs in the nation, with premiums and deductibles eating up bigger chunks of household budgets every year. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has warned that premiums are expected to rise by nearly one-fifth in the year ahead, putting even greater pressure...
