Robert T. Smith: Our planet’s doom is not so imminent
As the means of communicating its administration of the nation’s environmental laws to the public, on Feb. 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register stating that the prior action by the EPA regarding the control of greenhouse gases, called the Endangerment Finding,...
Justin Callais and Clay Routledge: The economic common ground America isn’t talking about
These days, it can feel like Americans across the political divide cannot agree on much of anything. But there is encouraging news: When it comes to the economic foundations of human progress and flourishing, we are not as divided as we might think. Political polarization has become a defining feature...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump needs to get ready for the blowback
It is a special kind of folly to make long-term predictions amid the fog of war. Nobody knows how Operation Epic Fury will end. But there are already a few things we can celebrate and condemn. On the celebration side: The professionalism and courage of the American military stand out....
Letter to the editor: What is wrong with the Democrats?
During the State of the Union address, President Trump asked members of Congress to stand if they agreed with this statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Not one Democrat stood up in support. What is wrong with the Democrats? They...
Letter to the editor: Shame on those who voted for shutdown
To all in Congress who voted to shut down the government again: How dare you. You put many families in economic peril without giving a thought to their distress. Then like cowards some of you went overseas for days, I assume so your constituents could not contact you. I saw...
Editorial: How did Pittsburgh Regional Transit calculate CEO’s bonus?
On Friday, the board of Pittsburgh Regional Transit unanimously approved a $55,000 bonus for CEO Katharine Kelleman. The issue is not that the transportation authority came off a financially difficult year. It is not that $55,000 is a lot of money when the organization had to use $100 million in...
Letter to the editor: Congress must stop Trump
I have questions: Shall we celebrate with a monthly “military operation” on a weakened sovereign state? Shall we continue to indulge the senseless whims of a man-child who distracts us from hideous crimes of an amoral lifetime committed to self-enrichment and self-indulgence? What of his noble demand for “regime change”?...
Panini Chowdhury: Allegheny County needs regional approach to mobility
Every weekday morning, thousands of Pittsburghers board a bus to get to work or school. That bus is operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). It travels along a street paved and maintained by the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure. It often crosses a bridge maintained by the...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: Crunching the numbers on the affordability crisis
The word that seems to concern many people today is “affordability.” Whether one is purchasing a home, buying food or paying doctors’ bills, everything seems more expensive. And the fact is, everything is more expensive. The consumer price index in December 2021 stood at 278. By December 2025, it had...
Cal Thomas: Trump fulfills his promise
If you wanted to look at it this way, President Trump is keeping his promise to end wars by taking out an Iranian regime that has made war on us and underwritten terrorism throughout the Middle East and the world since its 1979 revolution. In killing Iran’s top leadership, including...
Letter to the editor: Things are good, thanks to Trump
No, this is not a movie, it’s real life. This is dedicated to all of you who hate the president and are constantly bad-mouthing the country and don’t realize how good you have it thanks to Donald Trump. I’ll bet everything I own that every one of you will take...
Letter to the editor: Good will prevail over evil
The 26th Winter Olympics concluded with an outstanding ceremony in the coliseum of Verona, older than the coliseum in Rome. It was very uplifting to see the rainbow mosaic of humanity together in joy. Everyone is special, and as George Fox of the Quakers said, there is the divine light...
Editorial: The boundary around medical privacy
On Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon denied a Department of Justice request to force UPMC to turn over records for minor patients who received gender-affirming care. In doing so, she did not mince words about the federal government’s approach. “Left to its devices, the DOJ would trample states’...
Letter to the editor: Detention of children as a revenue stream
Westmoreland County is expanding its juvenile detention center after a $1 million security upgrade, doubling capacity at a time when juvenile crime and detention rates are historically low (“Westmoreland juvenile center to double capacity as
$1M security project wraps,” Feb. 24, TribLive). Built in 1979, the facility once held 24...
Alfonso Serrano and Donald Heflin: Despite massive U.S. attack and death of ayatollah, regime change in Iran is unlikely
After the largest buildup of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades, American and Israeli military forces launched a massive assault on Iran on Feb. 28 . President Donald Trump has called the attacks “major combat operations” and has urged regime change in Tehran. Iranian media reported...
Sarah Schiffling: Strait of Hormuz — if Iran conflict shuts world’s most important oil chokepoint, global economic chaos could follow
The reported sinking of several Iranian warships by U.S. missiles in the Gulf of Oman serves as a reminder of the maritime aspect of the conflict which began Saturday with a barrage of Israeli and American missiles targeting Iran. Two other vessels, believed to be tankers, have also been reported...
Letter to the editor: Which toxic gases are harming us?
In the letter “Trump, Zeldin should try breathing exhaust fumes” (Feb. 26, Triblive) the writer states toxic gases are being emitted from cars. He is absolutely correct. However, the emitted gas is CO, not CO2. We human beings emit CO2. According to his reasoning, we human beings are emitting toxic...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Clarks and reviewer
Just wanted to comment on the review of the Clarks show at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont (“The Clarks are still rocking the stage after 4 decades,” Feb. 28, TribLive). Wonderful story and superb writing. We saw them a week before in Irwin at the Lamp Theater, and the show...
Letter to the editor: Double down on Homeland Security
After witnessing the recent riots in Minneapolis, it has become clear to me our federal law enforcement officers are operating at a huge disadvantage. There are only approximately 50,000 ICE, CBP and HSI agents in total working to protect us from this foreign invasion. In comparison, some estimates indicate there...
Editorial: Safety tools need safety rules
In the event of an emergency, it is important to have the best information possible. You can hear that in the recordings of 911 calls when dispatchers calmly try to get the whos and whats and hows from people dealing with medical events, accidents or crimes. It still leaves holes...
Letter to the editor: Trans people have always existed
As a trans woman, as Trans Day of Visibility approaches (March 31), I feel compelled to address the letter “Transgender law doesn’t supersede natural law” (Jan. 24, TribLive). Being transgender is not classified as a mental illness by major medical and psychological associations. Nor does being transgender “defy nature.” Medical...
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun: Failure of U.S.‑Iran talks was all too predictable — but turning to military strikes creates dangerous unknowns
Three rounds of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran failed to persuade President Donald Trump that a solution to the two countries’ nuclear impasse lay in diplomacy, rather than military action. A perceived lack of progress in the last of those indirect negotiations on Feb. 26 was enough to...
Adam L. Buckalew: Corporate hospital monopolies driving Pa.’s health care crisis
Health care affordability has become an increasingly tough burden for Pennsylvania families. Behind this crisis lies a clear culprit: corporate hospital systems that maximize profits and leave patients footing the bill. These hospital systems have cornered the market, tripled their prices, and buried patients under confusing bills – all while...
Jessica E. Martínez: Worker insecurity raises safety threats
Across the country, people are skipping meals and falling behind on housing payments while layoffs, automation and diminishing labor protections deepen insecurity. The message many workers hear is simple: You are replaceable. In that climate, people take dangerous jobs and stay silent about hazards. They skip water breaks in extreme...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s old sins cast long shadows
The Cuban Coast Guard’s shooting of a Florida registered speedboat raises the question of whether U.S. unprovoked murders of mariners in international waters have put a target on Americans. This country elected a president who provoked an insurrection in 2020 in order to cling to power. This president’s association with...
