Featured Commentary category, Page 18
Parmy Olson: AI chatbots want you hooked — maybe too hooked
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...
Rich Harwood: Where is the ‘real America’?
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...
Paul Siefken: Public media’s impact isn’t make-believe
Imagine Pittsburgh without Mister Rogers. Without public television, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” would not exist. There would be no Mister Rogers exhibit at the Heinz History Center or annual sweater drive at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. No statue overlooking the city on the banks of the Allegheny. No trolley ride...
William M. Cotter: Print, digital access essential for public notice; bill would enhance government transparency
A developer wants to rezone a public park to allow high-density housing. The local school board weighs a plan to close an elementary school. City council considers selling the sewer system to a private party. Knowing in advance public officials are considering matters like these gives the public an opportunity...
Anantha Shekhar and Vishnu Vardhan: Pittsburgh at center of next-gen health care
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:...
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: Pennsylvania helped deliver Trump the presidency; he’s delivering prosperity back
On Nov. 5, President Donald J. Trump won back the White House in dominating fashion. His 312 electoral votes vastly dwarfed Vice President Kamala Harris’ total of 226. The key state in his victory? Unquestionably, our commonwealth with its 19 electoral votes. Driven by his messages of prosperity, safety, and...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: TSA isn’t perfect, but it’s way better than the alternatives
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...
Kadida Kenner: State government can secure our access to the ballot
The federal SAVE Act would impose barriers to voting that could effectively disenfranchise millions, particularly married women, and disproportionately Black and brown people across the country. The anti-voter bill, teetering on a poll tax, has already passed in the U.S. House. Now we await the U.S. Senate’s vote to determine...
Jonathan Levin: What the tomato teaches us about free trade
Most tomatoes from Mexico will face a 21% tariff effective July 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce said recently. Ironically, the “love apple” may be the perfect illustration of how trade contributes to economic prosperity — and of the folly of President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies. First and foremost, the...
Leon Ford: Pittsburgh’s political divide shouldn’t break our bonds — a call for collaborative leadership
As Pittsburgh’s mayoral race heats up, a growing divide is surfacing — not just between candidates, but between neighbors, friends and even longtime community collaborators. We’re witnessing respected leaders fall out, meaningful partnerships dissolve and years of trust unravel over political affiliation. This isn’t new. We’ve seen it before —...
Scott L. Bohn: Equipping first responders for the age of synthetic opioids
When I started my career in law enforcement, I took an oath to serve and protect my community. Now I see that oath being lived by my fellow law enforcement colleagues throughout Pennsylvania. Members of the Pennsylvana Chiefs of Police Association represent every type of community throughout the commonwealth —...
Point: Trump’s first 100 days — the start of a Golden Age
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office have been a whirlwind of action and change not seen in Washington in decades. The president won a decisive Electoral College victory in November to carry out his campaign promises of securing our southern border, repairing our economy and ending the...
Counterpoint: Trump’s first 100 days — a MAGA mess and authoritarian overreach
As we quickly approach the 100-day mark of the second Donald Trump presidency, let us look at what has happened. A lawless authoritarian blitz is a good summary. Maybe a MAGA mess? Let’s review some of the lowlights by checking in on some predictions and questions I asked after Trump’s...
John Eckenrode: Closing jails a death sentence for communities
Last month, hundreds of members of Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (PSCOA) descended on Harrisburg to fight for the future of SCI-Rockview, SCI-Quehanna and the community corrections centers (CCC) of Progress and Wernersville — all of which are being targeted for closure by the Shapiro administration. The state Department of...
Staten Rector: Targeting international students puts America’s reputation at risk
Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk was on the way to see her friends when masked ICE agents in plainclothes cornered, handcuffed and forced her into an unmarked vehicle. She is now being detained over 1,500 miles away in Louisiana. Carnegie Mellon University student Jayson Ma had his visa suddenly revoked...
Steve Catanese: It’s time to recognize 911 workers for what they are — first responders
What’s the first thing we do in an emergency? Dial 911. The very first person you speak to typically works long, irregular hours. Your call may be about a cat stuck in a tree or a downed power line. It could be for a life-endangering accident or even a shooting....
Erika Strassburger: Pa. must lead on renewable energy
With the potential repeal of clean energy tax credits looming in Congress and crucial decisions about our power grid’s future hanging in the balance in the next few months, Pennsylvania stands at a crossroads. Our choices today will determine not just the cost of powering our homes, but also the...
Keith G. Kondrich: Today’s ‘traitors’ in good company
If it is treason to criticize U.S. health care policies based on pseudo-scientific half-truths and conspiracy theories promulgated by a charlatan, then I am a traitor and should be deported immediately to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. If it is treason to criticize the gutting of critical services...
Kimberlee Josephson: The hidden costs of IRS Direct File for Pennsylvanians
Tax season just came and went, but one Pennsylvania congressman appears worried that thousands of commonwealth residents may have overpaid. Republican Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly, chairman of the House of Representatives’ tax subcommittee, has been sounding the alarm about the IRS’s new Direct File program, a government-run tax filing tool....
Thomas C. Willcox: Don’t blame AI for Pa.’s high rent
Pennsylvanians might be more politically divided than ever before, but there’s one thing they can all agree on: the rent is too darn high. In the commonwealth, rents are expected to jump by more than 6% in 2025, well above the national average of 4.8%. This lack of affordability has...
Jim Howell: Shapiro’s proposal to protect seniors and the lottery deserves bipartisan support
Given the charged political environment that we are enduring, I am hopeful that lawmakers will come to a consensus in support of a key component of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal: the need to protect older Pennsylvanians who rely on programs funded by our state lottery. Our state lottery...
Christine Flowers: Big part of being Catholic is speaking out over injustices
My alma mater was wrong. Villanova should have barred a young man from walking at graduation after filming a young woman being sexually assaulted. Instead, he basically skated. No arrest, no charges, no penalties. It took an intrepid journalist with a solid moral compass to bring the story to the...
Counterpoint: Conventional wisdom behind birthright citizenship is flat error
Once upon a time, doctors were convinced that using leeches and drawing the blood of patients cured illness. No matter how widely accepted that error was, leeches didn’t cure anything. The same is true for the belief that anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. Please...
Point: A defense of birthright citizenship
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship — known as “birthright citizenship” — for children born in the United States to two noncitizen parents. His argument rests on interpreting the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” found in the...
Cal Thomas: Time to stamp out the post office
Better buy your “Forever” stamps now, because the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced another price increase. On July 13, the cost of a first-class stamp is scheduled to rise from 73 cents to 78 cents. The plan is to raise prices four more times by 2027. Meanwhile, it appears...
