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Trump, Pope Leo XIV and the gospel of ‘Pulp Fiction’

It is hardly surprising that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s explicitly Christian monthly worship services monthly in the Pentagon have raised alarm in some quarters about the separation of church and state. But who expected to find him quoting lines of alleged scripture that were lifted from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic “Pulp Fiction”? The flap begins with a prayer. At an April 15 worship service, Hegseth recited a prayer he said was sent to him by the lead mission planner of “Sandy One,” of the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran that saved a ...

Stacy A. Marling should be GOP candidate for Trumbull auditor

The Republican race for Trumbull County auditor is one of the most interesting in the May 5 primary. Incumbent Martha Yoder is bidding for a second term against GOP challengers Stacy A. Marling, the current deputy auditor in Mahoning County — who also serves as Bazetta Township’s fiscal officer — and former state Rep. Mike Loychik. In Yoder’s first campaign, she emphasized increased accessibility, transparency and fiscal responsibility. “We made a lot of progress,” Yoder said. “We revamped our website to make information more accessible by moving those things that ...

What are politicians thinking?

Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were both accused of sexual misconduct involving staffers. Californian Swalwell said he’d resign from his House seat after giving up on his run for governor. Texan Gonzales said he was withdrawing from the 2026 reelection race. Back in the day, male politicians cavorted with their female staffers and got away with it. But that was way back and many days ago. An official cheating on his wife with a woman picked up at a rally doesn’t seem to bother voters the way it once did. Donald Trump has numbed the electorate to that level ...

A sickness in our society is spreading

After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, podcaster Candace Owens turned her wrath on Mr. Kirk’s widow, Erika. Owens began perpetuating conspiracy theories about Mrs. Kirk with a heavy implication that Mrs. Kirk was somehow tied to Israel, which itself was tied to Mr. Kirk’s assassination. Meanwhile, in Utah, Tyler Robinson is standing trial for Mr. Kirk’s murder. His parents and his partner will be witnesses for the prosecution. Robinson left a trail of evidence and confessions behind. He had been radicalized into transgender politics and wanted to kill Mr. Kirk because of his ...

Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To Warren Police Capt. Jeff Cole for his 32 years of dedicated, hard-working and productive service to Trumbull County’s largest police department. Cole, who retired earlier this month, rightly received the key to the city from Mayor Doug Franklin. He also rightly earned the praise of many at a recent city council meeting who recognized his ability to build community trust in the police force during some turbulent times. For example, he played a vital role in helping to restore trust in the department during the several years it worked successfully to lift a federal consent ...

Don’t freak out over major loss of jobs in Valley

At first blush, the latest unemployment data for the Mahoning Valley hits like a ton of bricks. The report last week from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reveals that joblessness in the Mahoning Valley bounced disturbingly high between the end of 2025 and the start of 2026. Unemployment in January for Mahoning County rose to 6.5% from 4.8.% in December; in Trumbull County, the rate climbed even higher to 7.0%. Worse, unemployment in the city of Youngstown jumped to 8.5% and in Warren, the rate leapfrogged to 9.4%. Those latter rates reflect the highest levels among the ...