Opinion category, Page 40
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,...
Letter to the editor: Springdale parking ordinance payback?
On July 15, Springdale Borough Council passed new parking restrictions that few people seem to want except borough council. Why? I believe it is to punish the Allegheny Valley School District for merging facilities for the football program into the soccer and track programs by making repairs to the field...
Editorial: NIH budget cuts are a setback for American science
White House budgets, generally speaking, aren’t serious governing documents. Even so, they’re a declaration of national priorities — and by that measure, the latest blueprint is deeply troubling. What sort of administration aspires to shrink its budget for scientific discovery by 40%? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy...
Letter to the editor: Lessons for America as we approach 250 years
The concept of entropy refers to the tendency toward increasing disorder over time in the dispersal of energy. Entropy applies to political entities, such as empires, as well as to the physical world. Although Americans may not think of our country as an empire, much of the world does. According...
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 28
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 28....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 28
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 28....
Letter to the editor: Protect our forests
In one of the most remote yet beautiful areas of Pennsylvania lies Allegheny National Forest, home to several endangered species as well as the Eastern hellbender salamander — our state amphibian, whose population also is threatened. In 2025, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced plans to roll back the Roadless...
Editorial: Should Washington County DA be second-guessed on death penalty cases?
The world of fiction makes it seem like the death penalty is a simple, almost foregone conclusion in a courthouse. It isn’t, at least not in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State has a complicated relationship with capital punishment. Much like with a federal death penalty case, it is a multistep process...
Letter to the editor: Government policies power our inequality
Our income and wealth inequality are a significant concern for Americans, and rightly so, because the United States is the most unequal high-GDP economy in the world. And the situation is worsening: The top 20% own 86% of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 80% own 14%. Our government’s policies...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Cruelty the theme of Trump administration
The signs were there back in November 2015 when candidate Donald Trump mocked a physically disabled reporter from the podium at one his rallies. Cruelty was being acted out on the main stage in American politics. New York Times journalist Serge Kovaleski, who has limited use of his arms, debunked...
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...
Letter to the editor: Did you vote for stopping the pollution fight?
Regarding the letter “My choice — Trump” (July 11, TribLive): When you voted for Donald Trump and Dave McCormick and Guy Reschenthaler, did you know you were voting to: “Repeal funding to Address Air Pollution at Schools” and to “Repeal EPA Rules Relating to Multi-pollutant Emissions Standards.” These are in...
Letter to the editor: A critical decision on prisoner leg restraints
Voters need to be aware of a serious matter regarding emergency rooms and the need to provide security. There have been three critical incidents this year where an individual from the Allegheny County Jail has attempted to escape and had to be tackled on a hospital floor in the presence...
Editorial: Canceled town halls, shrugged-off support staff disrespect value of Pittsburgh VA
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health System is dealing with deep losses to its workforce. In an exclusive interview with TribLive, Pittsburgh VA director Donald Koenig spoke about the reductions. Since January, 238 employees have been lost. Another 87 will be gone by the end of the year. There are 151...
Letter to the editor: Reasons to release Epstein list
First Jeffrey Epstein’s client list was on the Attorney General Pam Bondi’s desk for review. Then it became Jeffrey who? The question is, who is being protecting? There is no reason to doubt that President Trump is on the list. Just about everyone in the world has seen the video...
Letter to the editor: Pirates need to find better work ethic
Pittsburgh is an exceptional, hard-working town. We work shifts and overtime; we are known as the highest coffee consumers to get us through those long, late hours, a variety of jobs, a spectrum of skills. People show up and stay until relieved. I think the Pirates’ ownership, management, coaches and...
S.E. Cupp: We are obsessed with Coldplay’s kiss cam couple
By now, you’ve definitely seen it — the viral video of Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in the canoodle heard ’round the world. The two were at a Coldplay concert outside Boston, and they were caught on the jumbotron kiss cam at the exact worst moment, with their arms wrapped...
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:...
Letter to the editor: RIP Ozzy, a musical god
Heard the news of Ozzy (Osbourne)’s passing with a heavy heart. I’ve been a huge fan since the ’60s, as were millions of others over the years. Never be another like him. The song “American Pie” is about “the day the music died” about the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie...
Letter to the editor: America’s quagmire
In 1981, CIA Director William Casey is quoted as saying, “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” In many ways this quote sums up what I believe is the modus operandi (mode of operating) of our government. With this in mind, I...
