Featured Commentary category, Page 7
Bryan L. Kline: County prison’s disregard for religious freedom violates Pa. law
The treatment of inmate Kort Noel Eckman at Westmoreland County Prison is a troubling example of the systematic failure to respect religious freedoms in our correctional system. Eckman, awaiting trial on serious charges including attempted homicide, requested to wear a yarmulke in court and receive kosher meals aligned with his...
Robin Abcarian: Kirk’s killing undermines basis of our democracy
The killing of Charlie Kirk is a national tragedy. It is hard to overestimate the enormity of what happened Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University, where a civil debate about politics taking place under sunny skies turned into a bloody horror show with what are certain to be...
Ryan Spak: FDA must do better for smokers trying to quit
I’m a businessman and a real estate developer, so I’m no stranger to overcoming obstacles. But one of my biggest achievements has nothing to do with the business world — it was quitting smoking. I’m confident that anyone who’s done it will agree. It’s a habit that’s hard to leave...
Megan McDonough: HB 502 is a betrayal of local communities
When Pennsylvanians elect state legislators, we expect them to represent the will of their communities — not that of corporate polluters or political power brokers in Harrisburg. That’s why House Bill 502 is not just bad policy, it’s a betrayal. For Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, the bill’s prime sponsor,...
Austen Campbell: Tired of the 2-party gridlock? Independents offer a way out
Something feels wrong. American democracy is supposed to be the beacon of hope that leads the free world. But for far too many, it feels like our votes do not elect leaders who truly represent what is best for our families and our communities. Affordability of basic necessities is out...
Mark Z. Barabak: ‘I think it was recklessness’ — Harris criticizes Biden’s late exit from 2024 campaign
When Kamala Harris left the White House, she was trailed by three big questions. She’s now answered two of them. First off, the former vice president will not be running for California governor in 2026. After months of will-or-won’t-she speculation, the Democrat took a pass on a race that was...
Angeles Ponpa: Why young people don’t run for office
One of the first lessons I learned when I tried to run for local office is that politics is less about ideas than it is about paperwork. I was in my early 20s, excited to run for alderman. I thought I could bring fresh energy to my community. At the...
Ro Khanna, Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride: Revive America’s innovation economy before it’s too late
For decades, the United States has been the world leader in innovation. Generations of business, political and educational leaders evolved a balanced system of public-private partnerships, deep science funding and support for small and emerging businesses. All Americans had a hand in creating a culture that celebrates a unique level...
Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin: Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence
The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed attention to the climate of political violence in the United States. To many, Kirk was not just another partisan commentator. He was one of the...
Cal Thomas: The girl on the train
She fled Ukraine for fear she might be killed in the war with Russia and came to America where she thought she might be safe. She was wrong. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was sitting alone on a train in Charlotte, N.C., when a security camera showed a man getting up from...
Derek Dressler: Killing pundits is killing our nation
What can be said that hasn’t already? Political violence has no place in ordered society. It is a hallmark of this nation — since its forebears’ earliest thoughts — that the most powerful tool in politics was the pen, not the sword. In 1787, James Madison wrote of political violence...
Chip Minemyer: ‘Up to us’ to be worthy of the heroes of Flight 93
Many speakers at Sept. 11 anniversary events at the Flight 93 National Memorial over the years have urged those gathered to live in a manner worthy of the sacrifices made there. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Gordon Felt, brother of Flight 93 passenger Edward Felt, said: “The path we...
Commentary: How Donald Trump can safeguard our drug supply
The Trump administration believes — correctly — the existing prescription drug supply chain endangers our national security. China, a military adversary under a communist regime, plays a key role in 90% of generic antibiotics and 8% of all active pharmaceutical ingredients consumed by Americans. According to The Brookings Institution, 3.5%...
Nick Troiano: The Primary Problem — why most 2026 elections will be decided before November
The 2026 midterm elections should be the American people’s next best opportunity to issue a verdict on the direction of the country. In a functioning democracy, the outcome would offer a clear signal: Do most voters want change or to stay the course? But in reality, we won’t get a...
David M. Drucker: Why Trump isn’t turning into a lame duck
President Donald Trump’s second term is barreling ahead with the political momentum typical of a first term — and it shows no outward signs of dissipating. Having lost reelection in 2020 but declined to retire from campaigning, Trump has been the central, all- consuming figure in American politics for a decade....
Lisa Jarvis: Florida made a vaccine mistake. Now, it’s everyone’s problem
Vaccine policy in the U.S. is rapidly dividing into two opposing camps: state leaders who are prioritizing access to shots, and those who are taking increasingly aggressive steps to undermine confidence in them. That piecemeal policy approach, enabled by federal health leadership that appears to question the value of, and...
Allison Schrager: How can an economy this good feel this bad?
On paper, these are good times for the U.S. economy. The latest GDP numbers show growth was at 3.3% in the second quarter. Business investment is up. The unemployment rate remains low, and the inflation rate is reasonable. Still, underneath it all lies a nagging question: If the economy is...
Parmy Olson: ChatGPT’s drive for engagement has a dark side
A recent lawsuit against OpenAI over the suicide of a teenager makes for difficult reading. The wrongful-death complaint filed in state court in San Francisco describes how Adam Raines, aged 16, started using ChatGPT in September 2024 to help with his homework. By April 2025, he was using the app...
Solomon D. Stevens: We can rebuild social trust, but it won’t be easy
We are witnessing an unprecedented drop in social trust in America. This lack of trust is directed toward other people and the government. Social trust began to decline in the United States in the mid-1970s, after Watergate, and it has gotten significantly worse in the last decade. The Pew Research...
Ronald L. Hirsch: What does ‘all men are created equal’ really mean?
What exactly does ‘all men are created equal’ mean in the Declaration of Independence? I used to think the answer was obvious; it was self-evident. But it’s not, at least not in today’s political context. MAGA Republicans and Democrats have a very different take on the meaning of this phrase...
Natalia Arcos Cano: Maybe I will ‘go back to where I came from’
As part of the Trump administration’s many moves toward tackling the United States’ “immigrant crisis,” the DOJ recently announced a prioritization of denaturalization procedures, a move that some migrant support organizations recognize as setting a dangerous precedent. But that’s not all. The Trump administration has also requested over $175 billion,...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Democrats face continued divisions over aid for Israel
At last week’s Democratic National Committee meeting in Minneapolis, chairman Ken Martin avoided a showdown over competing policy proposals on the troubled and increasingly divisive U.S.-Israel relationship. But neither Martin nor the party’s congressional leaders are likely to prevent continued collisions in Congress and some Democratic primary splits reflecting divisions...
Steve Lopez: I got covid for the first time and can’t smell. But RFK Jr.’s vaccine policies still stink
For five years, I dodged every bullet. I don’t know how I managed to beat covid-19 for so long, even as family, friends and colleagues got hit with the coronavirus. Although I took precautions from the beginning, with masking and vaccinations, I was also out in public a lot for...
David V. Auth: Pittsburgh must grow
Pittsburgh’s failure to grow has directly contributed to the simmering fascism that has exposed its face under President Trump’s second term. With cuts to lifesaving research and foreign aid, militarization of ICE, the National Guard being deployed in our own cities, and raids at work sites, it has never been...
Chris DeCardy and Sara Innamorato: Our region’s clean technology future — let’s get to work
Pittsburgh may have had more attention from our political leaders than any other region of the United States in the last four years. There are good reasons for that — there may be no region that better illustrates the changes taking place in our country’s economy, culture and politics. Pittsburgh...
