S.E. Cupp: Trump and Hegseth gave Mark Kelly a huge 2028 gift
If you’ve ever thought about running for president, don’t. You probably don’t have what it takes. That’s not because you’re inherently unqualified — hell, if Donald Trump can get elected, it sure feels like anyone can, and I have no doubt you’d probably do a better job. But a good...
Joe Battenfeld: Kamala Harris teasing a comeback with AOC as VP
A Kamala Harris-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez presidential ticket is gaining some traction among desperate Democrats but it could be the best case scenario for Republicans in 2028. Harris — trounced by Donald Trump in 2024 — is not ruling out another run and teasing a comeback, aided by the fact that few...
Letter to the editor: Donald Trump defined
During the five years in which Donald Trump has occupied the White House, many things have become known about who and what he is, his character, moral standards and fitness for office. The following is an incomplete list of the words that I think best describe the man America elected...
Letter to the editor: For Pitt, football is only a game
I am a longtime Pitt football fan, from the vindictive Southern officials in Pitt’s ’50s Sugar Bowl games, through the 9-1 ‘63 season, the woeful following decade until the arrival of Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherrill, Jimmy Johnson and all the good local coaches, foremost, Foge Fazio, Junkos, et al. We...
Lori Falce: Who do you play for?
I did not watch “Miracle” the other night just because of the Olympics. Yes, it was offered up to me by my streaming service, I am sure, because of the amount of golden and glorious dreams in the air right now. As a lover of both hockey and inspirational sports...
Laurels & lances: Podiums & plumbing
Laurel: To going for the gold. Winter or summer, whenever the Olympics roll around, Americans tend to get into the flag-waving support of Team USA. This year, Westmoreland County has particular reason to cheer. Jasmine Jones, a Hempfield graduate and former Eastern Michigan sprinter, is competing as a brakeman for...
Letter to the editor: Trump acts while Dems do nothing
Every day we are inundated by the Democrats and their media acolytes with negative reports about President Trump and anything he is trying to accomplish. The Media Research Center’s survey covering Trump’s first year in office shows the AP has an over 90% negative reporting record on Trump. So here’s...
Paul Kengor: The NFL’s outrageous commercialism
With the Cold War victory over communism, Pope John Paul II — himself a victim of Marxism-Leninism in Poland — stepped forward to denounce the ideology in one of his most profound encyclicals, Centesimus Annus. His denouncement was no surprise but what did surprise his supporters was the pope’s simultaneous...
Donny Hamilton Jr.: Pittsburgh’s transportation moment is here. The question is whether we’ll seize it
Pittsburgh is at an inflection point. We are enjoying renewed national attention, preparing to host major events like the NFL Draft and continuing to position ourselves as a center for innovation, technology and advanced industry. Yet beneath that momentum lies a persistent question that will shape our region for decades:...
Jonah Goldberg: Voter ID shouldn’t be this controversial
President Trump says “Republicans” should “nationalize the election” or at least take over voting in up to 15 places where he says voting is corrupt. His evidence of fraudulent voting is that he lost in such places in 2020, and since it is axiomatic that he won everywhere, the reported...
Letter to the editor: Why were protesters there, in Minnesota?
A loss of life at any time is tragic. What happened in Minnesota, a loss of two lives, is unthinkable. Watching this unfold on television brought to mind that although they have a right to “peaceably” assemble, the question remains, why were “they” there? Sonia Porco New Kensington...
Letter to the editor: In praise of Super Bowl commercials
Super Bowl season is always a fun time of the year, and not just for football fans. The very talented people who make the incredibly entertaining commercials outdo themselves every year. My favorite hands down is for our Pennsylvania Lottery featuring Gus (the second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.) on...
Letter to the editor: Is Trump trying to rig midterms?
I hope you remember that President Trump, in his flurry of efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, attempted to disenfranchise the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania “because some counties contacted and permitted voters to fix mistakes with their mail-in ballot declarations while others did not.” Fortunately, Judge Matthew...
Editorial: Adding up the state’s structural deficit versus rainy day fund math
Debt and savings are different columns in the same ledger. Any business can tell you that. So can anyone working on their taxes right now. Like blood circulating in the body, the amount of money in and out of any operation is always in flux. Pennsylvania’s numbers show just how...
Letter to the editor: Support for drug overdose survivors
The Westmoreland County LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) Team has added a DOSS (Drug Overdose Survivor Support) Team. The LOSS Team began responding to suicides in June 2023. Hundreds of families have been impacted by our efforts. We are hoping to expand our reach with the DOSS Team. LOSS/DOSS...
Mark Gongloff: Extreme cold is a billion-dollar problem, too
If you’re a climate-change denier in the eastern U.S., including the president, then the past few weeks have been a dream. It’s cold and snowy where I live, you might say, colder and snowier than in years. Therefore, climate change is a hoax, just as I’m always saying. Would I...
Jason Lias: 5 Democrats, 2 Republicans — is Pa. Gaming Control Board playing loose with the rules?
Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board is supposed to watch over the state’s $14 billion gambling industry. Think of it like the casino eye in the sky — constantly watching, making sure everyone plays fair and catching cheats before they slip by. But right now, the board itself looks like it’s bending...
Sheldon Jacobson: Lessons learned from the Olympics — we must be on the same team
The 232 athletes on the U.S. Winter Olympics team are supported by the entire nation. Watching family, friends and supporters waving American flags and applauding world-class performances makes all of us feel united. Yet watching how Congress is dealing with the final appropriation bill for the Department of Homeland Security...
Letter to the editor: Don’t expect McCormick to protect Pa.
Over the past year, I have written many times to Sen. Dave McCormick about my concerns about democracy in the United States and seeing fascism arrive here. My letters to him included encouraging him to stand up for democracy and condemn political violence. He repeatedly sends me a rote letter...
Editorial: Pennsylvania is more than a political stand-in
Pennsylvania is often described as a microcosm of the nation, its blue population centers offset by wide stretches of red and its elections swinging from cycle to cycle. But that political shorthand can obscure something important: what looks tidy on a map becomes far more complicated when policy reaches real...
Peter Morici: Economy threatens House Republicans in midterms, but Trump’s legacy secure
The Trump economy is delivering growth and investment in artificial intelligence, the stock market is booming and real wages are rising, yet many voters are unhappy. If the Democrats flip the House, then President Trump will be constrained. Still, his overall economic legacy won’t be easily displaced. Democrats could subject...
Letter to the editor: Defendant transport responsibility belongs to police
Due to the increases in the lawful duties of the Sheriff’s Office, we are unable to continue the transport of defendants from the county jail to district judges for preliminary hearings. The responsibility for transporting defendants to district judges is with the arresting agency. The officer who signed the criminal...
David Macpherson: Moral injury and patriotism
I attended high school in the early ’70s, just as the Vietnam War was ending and Richard Nixon was cheating. I wanted to think of myself as a protester, but most war protesting was over by the time I could drive. Furthermore, displaying patriotism was not what cool kids did...
Letter to the editor: Enforcing our immigration laws
America has been enforcing immigration laws since 1876. Every president before President Trump (except for Joe Biden) enforced our laws. President Obama put detainees in temporary cages; President Clinton used heavily armed agents to forcefully remove a 6-year-old kid in Florida and deport him to Cuba. There can be only...
Letter to the editor: Nonprofits need to pay up
PNC and UPMC have given the city of Pittsburgh large donations to purchase city vehicles. Let’s give them a hand. But I have a better idea that would double or triple the size of their donations. Make all nonprofits, large and small, in the city of Pittsburgh pay taxes instead....
