Aaron Riggleman: AI needs national guardrails
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming how Pennsylvanians work, learn and deliver essential, everyday services. From manufacturing shop floors and health care systems to small businesses and startups, AI tools are improving productivity and expanding opportunity. But the benefits of this technology depend on clear, consistent rules. Without federal leadership,...
Letter to the editor: DOJ’s transgender subpoena sets dangerous precedent
Kudos to Chief Judge Cathy Bissoon for blocking the DOJ’s subpoena for the medical records of transgender children and to UPMC Children’s Hospital for refusing to turn over those records (“Judge blocks access to UPMC transgender care records,” Dec. 27, TribLive). As Bissoon wrote, this request for “deeply private and...
Letter to the editor: What’s wrong with PennWest
In regards to the report that PennWest University will eliminate academic majors (“More than 100 academic offerings on PennWest’s chopping block,” Dec. 24, TribLive), specifically Spanish, art education and others — some academic, some truly belonging at a community college or technical college: This is not what “universities” do; rather,...
Editorial: Mike Tomlin’s exit and Pittsburgh’s future
Calls for Mike Tomlin to step down are not new. They tend to surface the same way every time — after an ugly loss, after a season that ends not with hope but with disappointment. Monday night’s 30-6 wild-card loss to the Houston Texans followed that familiar script. It was...
Matt K. Lewis: The year’s new political fault lines are already forming
That escalated quickly. We’re barely into 2026, and events are already unfolding that could meaningfully reshape the political landscape. The death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis last week, has the potential...
Barbara McQuade: The DOJ suing for voter data is dangerous on many levels
Uncle Sam wants you. And now he wants your voting data, too. The law — and long-standing policy — say he shouldn’t get it. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed lawsuits in 23 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to detailed voter information for the purpose of...
Letter to the editor: Hotel Saxonburg offers unique opportunity
I read that the historic, much-loved Hotel Saxonburg, which has been around for 193 years, is up for sheriff’s sale (“Hotel Saxonburg sheriff’s sale postponed until May 15,” Jan. 10, TribLive). The article “Historic Hotel Saxonburg set for sheriff’s sale” (Nov. 14, TribLive) reminds readers the town of Saxonburg was...
Letter to the editor: Trump a Christian?
I think President Trump’s best lie and his best con job ever is that he’s a Christian. I don’t think he goes to church, prays, reads the Bible, petitions for forgiveness of sin or contemplates his destination after death. Trump worships on the altar of money. Money. Money. Money and...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ gaslighting
Politicians understand it is far more effective to appeal to the emotions of voters than try to convince them their policies make sense. That is why Democrats spent the entire 2024 campaign season inciting fear and hatred of Donald Trump. The fact it backfired has only resulted in a doubling-down...
Editorial: Why Macy’s can’t save a failing mall
A pyramid can be the strongest shape humans know how to build. Load-bearing. Enduring. It also can be a scheme — something that looks solid from the top down but collapses when the base proves hollow. At one time, the shopping mall was a pyramid in the best sense of...
Ruth Johnston: Assisted outpatient treatment is a gift
It’s the season for thank-you notes, as we contemplate gifts given and received. Allegheny County just gave a wonderful gift this year to me and families like mine. In 2026, the county is going to opt into the newest provision of the Mental Health Procedures Act: We’re going to try...
Colin McNickle: Follow this blueprint, Mayor O’Connor
New Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor must hit the ground running by spearheading five action items that represent the first steps to improve the city’s financial, economic and business climate situation to promote private-sector growth and healthy finances, says the research director of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “In order...
Letter to the editor: Thoughts on the Steelers
I’ve been a Steelers fan since 1969. Steelers fans need to quit crying. Officiating has sucked all year. Only D.K. Metcalf is responsible for his stupidity. Aaron Rodgers needs to start accepting he is part of the poor offense. Mike Tomlin and staff are average. We lost to Cleveland because...
Letter to the editor: Why are we celebrating fascism?
In 2016, JD Vance called Donald Trump “America’s Hitler.” Apparently he decided to join the party as Hitler’s version of Joseph Goebbels. That would make Steven Miller a carbon copy of Hermann Goring. We now know Pete Hegseth fills the shoes that Wilhelm Keitel walked in 1930s Germany. Kristi Noem...
Editorial: Recording law enforcement officers is not a crime
An official with the Department of Homeland Security recently suggested that following or recording federal law enforcement officers “sure sounds like obstruction of justice.” The statement was given to Reason magazine in response to a direct question, was confirmed in writing and followed by a warning that DHS will prosecute...
Letter to the editor: Pa. needs open primaries
Welcome to 2026. The midterms are here, and the political establishment is already wringing its hands about youth turnout. We’ll hear the same old story: Young voters are “apathetic.” But the system insists this is a motivation issue, when it is clearly a design flaw. In Pennsylvania, 91% of state...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 12
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 12....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 12
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 12....
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Trump’s action in Venezuela — gunboat diplomacy on steroids
Like his domestic policy that seeks to roll back the civil rights revolution and other 21st-century advances, President Donald Trump’s imperialist foreign policy is invoking the kind of unilateral approach that marked an earlier era. That’s the bottom line on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and his threats...
Russell Jeung: Deaths of Asian immigrants in ICE custody reveal a community under threat
More than 30 people died while being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2025, marking it as the deadliest year for those held in custody by the agency in two decades. At least five of the detainees who died were Asian nationals: Chaofeng Ge, Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, Tien Xuan...
Letter to the editor: The kick that deserves a name — the Amen Play
Not since the Immaculate Reception has a single play in a Steelers game earned the right to be named. Start with the odds. Chris Boswell misses an extra point roughly once in 100 tries. Tyler Loop — a rookie, but highly accurate — misses only about one in 10 field-goal...
Editorial: Stability matters for Pittsburgh police leadership
Pittsburgh needs stability at the top of its police bureau. The question is how to get it. For much of the past several years, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has operated under a cloud of uncertainty concerning its chiefs. Scott Schubert retired after a three-decade career with the department. A...
Letter to the editor: We Are Penn State — or not!
Penn State’s closing of seven commonwealth campuses because of declining enrollments is its own fault. However, it fails to acknowledge its camouflaged complicity in that decline. University Park is the gatekeeper for all campuses. It favors student placement at University Park to increase revenue to support its own growth. Since...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Remember Jan. 6 — the unvarnished truth
When the Class of 1942 graduated from Braddock High School, each student was given a handful of calling cards that included the student’s name and the words “Remember Pearl Harbor” printed across the bottom. These high school graduates were living in a scary time on high alert. That motto about...
Rep. Mandy Steele: Listen to teachers — restrict cellphones in schools
In a 2024 poll conducted by the National Education Association, 90% of teachers said students should be required to put their phones away during instructional time, while 75% believe phones should be off-limits for the entire school day. Teachers cited several concerns, including impacts on student learning, mental health, safety...
