Featured Commentary

The real value of President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million “palace in the sky” — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and...

It’s no secret that partisanship is more intense than at any other time in recent history. And these intense political feelings don’t just play themselves out through gridlock in Congress. The threats of political violence have increased dramatically. Politics seeps into the workplace, resulting in coarse relations with colleagues (and,...

If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you may have seen Insta stories of giddy teens dumping water — which doesn’t even contain ice — on their friends in the name of #SpeakYourMIND. Influencers give pretty speeches in which they claim “mental health is important!” and give a cheerful thumbs-up of...

The opening paragraph of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 wrote, “America is now divided between two opposing forces: woke revolutionaries and those who believe in the ideals of the American Revolution.” What a perfect example of fake news. By taking on the mantle of American values and attacking their opponents...

My family used to be very close. We took vacations together. We never missed a birthday or a Christmas, even though it meant traveling from different states. And we talked on the phone often. But something happened during President Obama’s second term that changed our family drastically. I don’t think...

Last week, something unusual happened in Harrisburg. A Senate Republican committee chair brought up the cannabis legalization bill I introduced with Rep. Rick Krajewski — just to vote it down. It was all theater. No legalization bill will become law without a negotiation with HB 1200, the House-passed legislation. So...

Bob Worsley has solid conservative credentials. He’s anti abortion. A fiscal hawk and lifelong member of the Mormon Church. As an Arizona state senator, he won high marks from the National Rifle Association. These days, however, Worsley is an oddity, an exception, a Republican pushing back against the animating impulses...

As Pennsylvania’s baby boomer generation continues to age, the commonwealth’s system is failing to meet the growing demand for nursing home care, the LIFE program and other critical aging services. In fact, at a time when we should be expanding services, nursing homes are removing beds and scaling back services...

Pennsylvania is home to more YMCAs than any other state in the nation — more than 700,000 Pennsylvanians are members of their local YMCA, and an additional 180,000 people participate in YMCA programs each year. It is hard to overstate the positive impact a YMCA has on a community —...

Western Pennsylvania helped build America’s energy backbone. Now, we stand at the edge of another turning point – one where the region can once again lead, this time by investing in clean hydrogen technologies that power the future and support our workers, manufacturers, or communities. Let’s be clear: This isn’t...

In picking a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the Vatican had a chance to honor the late Pope Francis’ legacy as the greenest pope in modern history. In choosing the American (and Peruvian) Cardinal Robert Prevost — henceforth known as Pope Leo XIV — his fellow cardinals...

Waste, fraud and abuse. These are the seemingly magic words the world’s richest man incants to justify the chainsaw he’s taking to our government in the form of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, as Elon Musk steps back to a part-time role, the question remains: Were these words...

Critics swing between accusing the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of overreach and declaring it a failure at cutting government. Here are some reality checks: DOGE-like efforts are not new. George H.W. Bush’s Council on Competitiveness was created to ease regulatory burdens. Led by Vice President Dan Quayle,...

It’s 50 years ago when the Steelers had a string of years, 1975 to 1980, where most experts would say they had the best defense in the NFL, and some might assert the best in the game’s history. This defense, known as the Steel Curtain, was a major reason the...

Pittsburgh, you have a problem. A water problem. And City Council is flirting with a permanent decision that could make it a whole lot worse by asking voters to ban any future partnerships with regulated, private water companies. This referendum is shortsighted and ignores the reality of the city’s crumbling...

In recent weeks, there has been growing conversation around potential legislation that would consolidate smaller, rural transit systems — such as our own Westmoreland County Transit Authority — into Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). While no formal bill has been introduced, the concept alone is already drawing attention across Southwestern Pennsylvania....

The tallest building between New York and Chicago, the U.S. Steel Tower stands as a monument to Pittsburgh’s industrial past — and a reminder of what the future could be if our nation’s leaders step up for our manufacturing sector. Once the world’s largest steelmaker, U.S. Steel’s presence remains vital...

Americans are finding “nice work if you can get it” an increasingly unlikely scenario. Whether down on the farm or high atop the skyscraper, manufacturing goods or providing services, at Fortune 500 corporations or mom-and-pop stores, employing college graduates or tradespeople, Americans feel completely exhausted, unfairly compensated and totally expendable....

Editor’s note: The following is portions of an interview conducted by Gemma Ware, host of The Conversation Weekly podcast, about what it’s like to be a scientist whose funding has been cut by the Trump administration with Brady Thomas West, a research professor of survey and data science at the...

The 30 pieces of silver have already changed hands. Pilate has washed his palms, pretending neutrality. And the die has been cast. That’s what it feels like as a Pennsylvanian watching Penn State turn its back on the very communities that built it, funded it and depended on it. I’m...

Ronald Reagan was wrong. The nine most terrifying words in the English language are not “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” They are: “The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.” This is a pretty phrase that was invented by a good person, Theodore Parker, and...

AI companions programmed to forge emotional bonds are no longer confined to movie scripts. They are here, operating in a regulatory Wild West. One app, Botify AI, recently drew scrutiny for featuring avatars of young actors sharing “hot photos” in sexually charged chats. The dating app Grindr, meanwhile, is developing...

Is there such a thing as a “real America”? A battle now rages over this simple question. Some Democratic Party operatives claim the real America are so-called “Trump voters,” who they say they need to better “study” in order to win future elections. Many Republican voices argue the real America...

The prevalence and financial burden of chronic disease continue to rise. We spend $1 trillion each year in the United States treating preventable illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension, which affect more Americans now than ever before. Globally, the spiraling rates of incidence and cost are even more stark:...

Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Tommy Tuberville recently introduced the Abolish TSA Act of 2025, effectively calling for the privatization of airport security. Against the backdrop of DOGE and the elimination of longstanding institutions like the Department of Education and the U.S. Postal Service, it appears that if ever there...