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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Brad Spellberg, Jaimo Ahn and Robert Centor: Medical guidelines should embrace humility of uncertainty
Clinical guidelines greatly influence how doctors care for their patients. By providing recommendations on how to diagnose and treat particular situations, guidelines can help standardize the care patients receive. For instance, when a patient is suffering from an infection, a physician can consult the relevant guidelines to confirm that antibiotics...
Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman: Herschel Walker and abortion hypocrisy
Herschel Walker’s financial support of his former girlfriend’s abortion would be laudable if he weren’t running on a no-abortions-ever platform. As a former abortion counselor, I am not surprised at his hypocrisy. Anyone who has worked in an abortion clinic knows that people who claim to be against abortion get...
Janice Traflet: Learning to speak fearlessly in midst of college cancel culture
Many parents send their college students off for a new academic year with well-intentioned advice. For some, that now includes a cautious directive: maintain a low profile in the classroom on political and religious subjects. Parents have good reason to offer such counsel. Colleges are no longer robust arenas for...
Joyce M. Davis: Let’s talk about white nationalism in America
Robert P. Jones has spent a lot of time studying white Christians in America. As president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute, he’s done extensive research into the history of Christianity in the United States and has found one irrefutable fact: They don’t like to talk about tough...
Rachel Kraus: Breast cancer awareness campaigns can do better
Is there anyone who isn’t aware of breast cancer? Since 1985, cancer-­related nonprofits, along with pharmaceutical firms and other businesses, have sponsored an international campaign to observe October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During these weeks, the public is bombarded with awareness and education messaging featuring the campaign’s symbol, a...
Stephanie Vander Wel: Loretta Lynn was an advocate for white rural working-class women
Loretta Lynn’s death Oct. 4 at the age of 90 marks the end of a remarkable life of achievement in country music. Her dramatic life story — retold in the award-winning 1980 film “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” based on Lynn’s 1976 biography — made Lynn a household name. She grew up...
David McMillan: How new UK government stumbled into political, financial crisis of its own making
The new British government is off to a very rocky start — after stumbling through an economic and financial crisis of its own making. Just a few weeks into its term Sept. 23, Prime Minister Liz Truss’ government released a so-called mini-budget that proposed £161 billion — about $184 billion...
Michelle Annette Meyer: Nonprofits key to recovery from a disaster like Hurricane Ian
Massive storms like Ian and Fiona mark the beginning of a long and frustrating process for anyone who loses their home and possessions. Recovery usually takes years. Everyone’s experience is unique, but I’ve noticed some common patterns while researching disaster recovery. Understanding this complex process, which includes dozens of nonprofit...
Peter Morici: Americans want a president selling solutions, not a revolution
Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump would be among the least desirable nominees for 2024. Americans are profoundly unhappy about the direction of the country and want someone focused more sharply on challenges in their daily lives and less on the cultural issues that obsess the extremes of the Democratic...
Stratton Yatron: Biden, congressional leaders must unite to fight for Pa. jobs
As we enter the final weeks of a Senate race that may determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz continue to argue over who will be the best fighter for hardworking Pennsylvania families. The upcoming debate between the two Senate candidates must...
Robert T. Smith: Tilting at global warming windmills
Just as Don Quixote tilted at the windmill of the evil giants in his mind, so we tilt at the windmill of man-caused global warming. The alleged environmentally friendly “green energy” alternatives are the add-on tragedy to the battle with the earth’s climate. While much of the world struggles with...
Sheldon Jacobson: ‘Shark Tank’ sinks with live audience
“Shark Tank,” the popular prime-time ABC network business reality program, started its 14th season Sept. 23 with a new twist: It was broadcast with a live audience. The results of this change were highly vocal spectators much like what you would find at a professional wrestling event, with the Sharks...
Lt. Col. Michal Polidor: Air Force set for another 75 years of air domination
“PROCEED DIRECTLY TO KEATING. IT IS BEING OVERRUN.” Those were the first words we heard over the radio on the morning of Oct. 3, 2009. In response, 1st Lt. Aaron “Finch” Dove and I, who were the lead aircraft in a formation of two F-15E Strike Eagles, positioned ourselves for...
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Does your party represent your moral foundation?
We are divided by our different belief systems. Roughly half of the population believes that our institutions are fair and that everyone is responsible for the outcome of his/her chosen pathway. The other half believe that the playing field is lopsided and that outcomes are not primarily determined by the...
Peter Morici: Biden’s student-debt forgiveness encourages universities to raise tuition
Present Joe Biden’s student-loan forgiveness has attracted wide criticism, but few express the menace it poses to the Federal Reserve and congressional powers. Federal student loans create more equal access to quality higher education for working- and middle-class students, and the average college graduate earns more, lives longer and expresses...
Greg Fulton: It’s inflation, stupid
When Bill Clinton was running for president in 1992, his chief political strategist was James Carville. Carville presented himself as a good old country boy from Louisiana, but really was one of the sharpest and best political minds in the country. Carville understood politics and had the pulse of the...
Eric Felton: A comedic showdown in the Keystone State
For a dead serious election that may determine which party controls the Senate come 2023, the contest in Pennsylvania between hulking Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and slender celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz has its share of comic relief. Some of it is self-aware: Walking into a Philadelphia rec center gym for...
Kathy English: Journalists must explain our work to our readers
Journalists do our jobs in the belief that journalism — at its best — matters to citizens the world over. As journalists around the globe unite today on this World News Day to proclaim publicly that journalism makes a difference, we must not turn away from the discouraging fact —...
Ari Mittleman: Working to eradicate hate
Earlier this month, our nation marked the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. After a hot summer of intense debate and humbling compromises, 39 Americans with diverse interests and backgrounds signed their names to a first-of-its-kind document in world history. Sitting at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit at...
William Hauk, Lisa Miller and Wayne Au: Is the pandemic over?
President Joe Biden’s declaration that “the pandemic is over” raised eyebrows and the hackles of some experts who think such messaging could be premature and counterproductive. But to many Americans who have long since returned to pre-covid-19 activities and are now being forced back into the office, the remark may...
POINT: Canceling student debt one of many steps needed to restore promise of higher education
The president’s debt cancellation plan will help millions of borrowers who have fallen through the cracks of a broken higher education system. Each year, the federal government makes billions of dollars available in loans to students pursuing a college degree or postsecondary credential. These loans are made under the guise...
COUNTERPOINT: 2 plus 2 make 5 in Biden’s student loan handout
Someone once said that if you torture the data long enough, it will confess. Even still, it is difficult to manipulate the data to the point where you can justify the White House’s student loan handout. Simply put, the numbers do not add up. The claim is that nearly all...
Beth L. Fossen: Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it
Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage voters from casting ballots altogether. As the 2022 midterms get closer, political attacks in campaign advertisements are on the rise. In November, Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime cartoon video showing...
Dr. Norbert Goldfield, Dr. Mitch Kaminski and Jeffrey C. Lerner: Voting for the common health of Pa.
The first patient one of us treated as a young internist 45 years ago had been refused care by another physician because his insurance had expired. The man cried. He hasn’t been forgotten. Scenes like this were more common at one time. Today, millions of patients are spared humiliation and...
Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo and Fernando Tormos-Aponte : Puerto Rico’s vulnerability to hurricanes magnified by weak government, bureaucratic roadblocks
EDITOR’S NOTE: Five years after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona has killed at least four people, caused widespread flooding and left hundreds of thousands of residents without water or power. Maria caused extensive damage to Puerto Rico’s power grid in 2017 that left many residents without...


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