Opinion category, Page 54
Lori Falce: The bromance is over
In December, as the Biden administration was winding down and the air was thick with plans for the second Donald Trump term in the White House, I asked a question. I looked at the events surrounding the continuing resolution bill making its way through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan...
Laurels & lances: Making changes
Laurel: To a new shepherd. After 18 years leading the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik announced his retirement this week. In his place, Pope Leo XIV appointed another Allegheny County native to lead the Catholic flock. The new bishop is Mark A. Eckman, a product of South Hills Catholic...
Letter to the editor: Obesity drug coverage will improve our communities
I am an active member of my community and someone who cares deeply about the health and economic well-being of our communities. I’m writing to urge lawmakers to support Medicaid coverage for GLP-1 medications used to treat obesity. This is not a political issue. It’s about people — working families...
Paul Kengor: Trump’s big deal for steelworkers
It was September 2020. United Steelworkers, the steelworkers union, was aglow — literally — for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You might recall what I’m talking about. Driving around Pittsburgh, you couldn’t miss it. The steelworkers union — which is to say, the brass that runs the union — had...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump shows that loyalty is all that matters to him
Last week, the Court of International Trade delivered a blow to Donald Trump’s global trade war. It found that the worldwide tariffs Trump unveiled on “Liberation Day” as well his earlier tariffs pretextually aimed at stopping fentanyl coming in from Mexico and Canada (as if) were beyond his authority. The...
Letter to the editor: Bill will hurt those with the least
According to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s post, all Republican U.S. representatives from Pennsylvania, including Guy Reschenthaler, voted (in the dark of night) for a “Big Beautiful Bill” that would have devastating impact on his constituents and our state. At least 140,000 Pennsylvanians would lose access to assistance they need to put...
Letter to the editor: Military parades show insecurity
President Donald Trump’s push for a military parade is not a show of strength; it’s a display of insecurity. Even President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five-star general and war hero, opposed such parades, saying, “This is what they do in third world countries. Parades are for weak nations trying to...
Editorial: Misidentified patient is a crisis averted
What is an identity crisis? The answers can be varied. Maybe it’s that time in junior high when a kid who loves music and football is trying to figure out if he wants to be on the field for the game or the halftime show. Maybe it’s when a woman...
Letter to the editor: We should thank Musk and Trump
Columnist S.E. Cupp ("Musk’s rise and fall was pitiful and predictable,” May 31, TribLive) fits her usual “take no prisoners” emasculation of politicians she loathes. Most voters believe government spending is excessive. Enter Elon Musk, one of the world’s smartest men. Musk volunteers his time to lead a Department of...
Daniel J. Stone: Biden’s cancer diagnosis should be a teaching moment
Former President Joe Biden’s metastatic cancer diagnosis brings together two controversial issues: PSA testing for prostate cancer and presidential politics. To understand what is at stake Americans need basic information about PSA testing, and a frank discussion of the reasoning behind the prostate cancer screening decisions in the former president’s...
Guy Ciarrocchi: More questions than answers in recent Pa. primary
Even in an off-year primary, Pennsylvania continues to garner the attention of politicians and analysts hoping to understand the state’s political puzzle. Indeed, the recent primary offered insights into trends while also highlighting battles between woke and old-guard factions of the Democratic Party in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Is Pennsylvania now...
Letter to the editor: Stop water pollution at the source
The EPA’s announcement of nearly $1 million in beach monitoring grants for Mid-Atlantic states, including $216,000 for Pennsylvania, is a step in the right direction — but hardly a solution. Testing beach water for bacteria like E. coli is important, but these grants don’t fix what causes the problem in...
Letter to the editor: Big beautiful bill would harm many
Take a good look around your community. Right now, there are American families in harm’s way if President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful bill” passes the Senate. The most vulnerable members of our community — children, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities — will lose lifesaving services. The package includes austere measures...
Editorial: Where does Trump stand on coal mining?
President Donald Trump has been adamant in voicing support for coal mining. From his first campaign, he has talked a lot about the importance of the industry as a domestic energy source. There’s also no underestimating the importance of speaking to coal miners when courting votes. While federal statistics tell...
Letter to the editor: Trump-Musk breakup
The breakup was announced on the news. Splitsville for two fine men who took their walk on the wild side and are now sunsetting their moon-age daydream. President Trump and stardust oligarch Elon Musk were a hot item, more so than other freak-offs lately in the news. What was DOGE...
Letter to the editor: Disgusted by Rocky Bleier, Steelers
I’m writing to express my disappointment in and disgust over the display that former Steelers player Rocky Bleier put on for Donald Trump (“Rocky Bleier names Trump ‘honorary Steeler’ during West Mifflin event,” May 30, TribLive). I can only say that Art Rooney must be turning over in his grave....
F.D. Flam: ‘Organs-on-a-chip’ is one of many alternatives to animal testing
There’s one area of surprising agreement in the often adversarial relationship between conservatives and the scientific community: the need to phase out animal testing in biomedical research. The new leaders of both the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration have said they plan to reduce their...
Karishma Vaswani: America’s cold shoulder to foreign students is worrying Asia
An Ivy League degree has long been central to the Asian dream — a ticket to success and status. But President Donald Trump’s message to international students is clear: Far fewer of you are welcome. The blunt statement and growing chaos across the university sector has left families wondering if...
Letter to the editor: Prison not right for mentally ill mom
Skye Naggy is and has been diagnosed as being mentally ill. Putting her in prison 10 to 20 years is so wrong (”Mentally ill Greensburg mother to serve prison sentence for daughter’s attempted murder,” May 23, TribLive). She needs to be in a mental hospital where she can get help....
Letter to the editor: Good for science, good for animals
April 2025 marked a historic turning point for science, public health and animal welfare. With the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration announcing plans to phase out animal testing in favor of human-based research methods, we are finally moving past a system that has harmed millions...
Editorial: Schools can teach lessons about residential use
Schools are one of those ubiquitous structures that are familiar in every community. Whenever you have kids, you have schools. The evolution of the buildings can be seen in one-room relics, massive brick structures built in the 1930s, the more streamline baby boom buildings, and the newest campuses of recent...
Letter to the editor: Nutting has an obligation to do better
A message to Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting: Mr. Nutting, as an owner, you have a moral obligation to the fans, the city, the region and the MLB to field a winning team. Reinvest your MLB earnings to pay Paul Skenes real money now. Build a real team with a...
Cal Thomas: Watch your language — a chronicle of today’s improper English
The beginning of summer offers a columnist the opportunity to address subjects he might avoid the rest of the year because of his focus on domestic and foreign issues. Inattention to proper English seems to be a subject that few are bothering to address. I have been making a list...
Jason W. Park: President Trump vs. President Garber — a game of cat and mouse
Recently, the Trump administration froze over $2.2 billion in grants and contracts from Harvard University, to quash antisemitic and pro-Hamas sympathies, dismantle DEI initiatives, and revoke international student rights. Harvard chose to litigate, and recently, a judge blocked President Trump’s ban on international students, as the legal case heats up....
Letter to the editor: No alcohol in Lower Burrell parks
Thank you to police Chief John Marhefka and Councilman Mike Stanoski for their support of no alcohol in our city parks (“Still no vote on Lower Burrell allowing alcohol at city park events,” May 19, TribLive). It does not matter if other communities allow it in their parks. We all...
