Featured Commentary category, Page 3

Against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding measles outbreak, what we need right now is urgent assistance from the federal government to support immunization and strengthen vaccine delivery, not more challenges. Unfortunately, vaccine expertise is instead being sidelined while anti- vaccine perspectives are being elevated. Last Friday, Dr. Peter Marks, a...

This might appear to be a frivolous observation, given other issues that have hit the headlines over the past few days, but I have a big problem with the secretary of Homeland Security’s wardrobe. Normally, I don’t pay all that much attention to the sartorial style of women in the...

I met Miguel* one summer when his mom, who was enrolled in an English as a second language (ESL) class with my sister-in-law, attended our family’s Memorial Day picnic. He easily blended in with the rest of the preteens kicking around a soccer ball and talking about all things pop...

In ninth grade, I started high school at the Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. I wanted to experience the diverse community that the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) magnet program offers. At Obama, I have been exposed to new experiences: participating in sports with limited funding, opportunities to lead...

On March 12, French artists, DJs and musicians united to fight the threat of the far-right government in France that they felt was a threat to democracy in their country. More than 1,200 artists, DJs and promoters from the French music industry came together to galvanize “the world of the...

While seeking another stay in the White House, Donald J. Trump did what most politicians do: promised the moon to those who might help him get elected. Trump also assured us that promises made would be promises kept. But as former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo is famously quoted: “You...

President Donald Trump has not yet completed 100 days in office, but for Democratic governors, the shadow primary for 2028 is underway as they test messages and search for ways to flip the script from the defeatism of their party in Congress. Into this fray has stepped Illinois Gov. JB...

Across Pennsylvania, emergency medical services are in crisis. It is not just a rural issue. It is not just about volunteers. It is a systemic failure; unless we act now, lives will be lost waiting for help that never comes. In recent years, local EMS agencies have struggled to maintain...

At the very moment when bold, urgent action and strategic investment are needed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its pledge to provide essential funding for southwestern Pennsylvania (and the rest of the country) by terminating contracts under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). These grants were a once-in-a-lifetime...

President Donald Trump’s administration quietly deleted the first federal police misconduct database — a critical tool created to prevent federal law enforcement officers with histories of serious misconduct from being rehired by other agencies. This reckless decision undermines accountability, weakens public trust and makes our communities less safe. Ironically, it...

Earlier this month, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Harrisburg Republicans sent a letter asking the Trump administration to shut down a Medicaid program designed to help new mothers, children and poor families. I previously served as the acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and have...

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet asks, making the point that what matters is a person’s essence, not what we call them. That’s true in love. In politics, not so much. People entering the U.S. at our southern border are now routinely called a name — migrant — that is...

Are you angry about politics right now? Seething? You’re not alone. According to the Mood of the Nation Poll by researchers at Penn State, 9 in 10 Americans can name a recent news event or something about American politics that made them angry. Political scientists Steven Webster, Elizabeth Connors and...

President Trump’s convincing victory and mandate ignited optimism for more stock market gains, continued economic growth, and higher inflation. A leaner government, less regulation and lower taxes, combined with U.S. leadership in semiconductors and software for artificial intelligence, were expected to spark more innovation and investment. From Nov. 5 to...

The conventional wisdom — really, it’s an Article of Faith for the Republican Party — is that the federal bureaucracy is a hopeless swamp of waste, fraud and inefficiency staffed by lazy, incompetent idlers. But is it? It’s a question worth considering, since it’s the rationale that drives the chainsaw...

I’m a Republican, always have been. I believe in small government, low taxes, a free market and personal liberty. For these reasons, I support the legalization of adult use of cannabis. Every state surrounding the commonwealth with the exception of West Virginia has already legalized, and it seems almost a...

In countless reports and studies, obesity is often reduced to just a number: 42% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s in charts, statistics and graphs that dominate the conversation. But what these numbers fail to capture is the reality...

I am an American without any Ukrainian heritage. So I have no “ethnic” bias at play here. What I write below is based on 28 years of experience working in Ukraine. I have made 60 trips to the region since 1997, including four since the war began. I have visited...

The Democratic primary battle for Pittsburgh mayor, between incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, looks to be yet another Western Pennsylvania-centered test case on the strength of the state’s progressive movement. Gainey, a progressive Democrat, has stumbled throughout his term and is widely seen as an...

President Trump is using an 18th-century law, the Alien Enemies Act, to justify the deportation of hundreds of people he says are members of a vicious Venezuelan gang. That law was last used during World War II by the Roosevelt administration to justify the internment of Japanese Americans. The government...

Across the country, we are witnessing a troubling trend: the closure of regional college campuses. Some may see these as mere financial restructuring decisions, but I see them for what they truly are: economic earthquakes that shake the very foundation of local economies. The announced closure of Penn State New...

The cliche has been that the ball is now in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s court. Not any longer. Putin has responded to U.S. appeals for a ceasefire in the war with Ukraine with a strong backhand, rejecting a ceasefire in his unprovoked invasion. Now the ball is in President Trump’s...

Women’s History Month finds us at a critical crossroads. Nearly three-quarters of the world’s population faces increasing backlash against women’s rights, while technological disruption and economic uncertainty threaten to deepen existing inequalities. Yet, within this challenging landscape lies an opportunity to radically reimagine our approach to gender equality through a...

Last spring, I read a lot of articles calling for cuts to public cyber charter school funding here in Pennsylvania. It’s hard to believe these schools continue to be targeted for cuts at a time when more people are moving away from traditional public schools and toward these public cybers....

Earlier this month, science delivered a really cute experimental result. Researchers created a “colossal woolly mouse,” a fluffy rodent that’s purported to be a step on the way to resurrecting woolly mammoths from the age of dinosaurs. But that project — along with Elon Musk’s obsession with establishing a colony...