Pittsburgh Police residency rules, wildfire haze, Iran war, China's AI push
What's happening in Pittsburgh and beyond
By Christopher Flowers
The world is an interconnected web of business and political deals. Things around the world can affect you in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. Let’s take a look at what’s happening locally and globally in the Weekly Roundup. Click here for last week’s headlines.
The U.S. and Iran are ramping up activity in the Middle East as we approach wider conflict. From the Associated Press:
The latest attacks again showed how, step by step, the U.S. and Iran have inched closer to all-out war. Last month’s interim deal meant to permanently end the fighting has crumbled and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. Both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people.
The escalation in fighting has pushed oil prices higher. Benchmark Brent crude rose Monday above $90 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, putting pressure on Americans’ wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall.
Additional reading:
Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War (the New York Times)
Since Islamabad MoU: What’s changed for the US, Iran and the Gulf? (Al Jazeera)
How the Iran war will change the Middle East (Brookings Institute)
The Iran war and the limits of American power (European Policy Centre)
What’s happening in…
Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police promoted Lori McCartney, a South Fayette resident, to assistant chief, which “underscored a living arrangement city rules appear to forbid,” per TribLIVE. “Pittsburgh’s home rule charter, akin to a city constitution, is clear, experts say. It mandates that ‘all city employees and officials, including police and fire bureau personnel, shall be domiciled in the city at the time.’” They discovered “at least half of the bureau’s 11 commanders live beyond city limits, all with Mayor Corey O’Connor’s tacit approval — a practice that has frustrated police supervisors who are city residents as well as the union representing rank-and-file officers.”
Pittsburgh’s Public Source won 1st place for investigative journalism in Pennsylvania. The prize went to a three-part investigation by Jamie Wiggan and Quinn Glabicki “into the ecological toll of bauxite mining on a unique Australian forest by a Pittsburgh-based global metals company.”
The “About” page for Pittsburgh City Paper says its “mission is to serve the greater Pittsburgh region with journalistic integrity, wit, and compassion.” I don’t think there’s any compassion in an article making light of the Trump administration neglecting its duty and allowing its own citizens to get sick. I don’t think there’s any wit involved in a pun about the city being “flush” with “explosive diarrhea.” There’s a time and place to be silly — when it involves a 34-time felon elected president, it’s time to get serious.
Pennsylvania is known as one of the top states in bringing criminal charges against suppliers of drugs in overdose cases, per 90.5 WESA. In 2020, “there were about 190 new drug delivery resulting in death charges filed here, state court data show.” Lawmakers are “pushing to expand how long after a death these prosecutions can begin, beyond the current two-year limit. Others have called to restrict when the charges apply, seeking to protect people who share drugs but don’t sell them for profit.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is poised to strike down its last law criminalizing HIV, and is awaiting Gov. Josh Shapiro’s signature to become law. Whitney Downard of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star writes that under Pennsylvania law, people living with HIV “can be charged with a felony for prostitution or related offenses.” Waheedah Shabazz-El, an activist living with HIV in Philadelphia said its “advancement and support” recognizes “that living with HIV is not a crime, but criminalizing people because of their HIV status is an injustice.”
Philadelphia’s been good to me (Pitchfork)
The accounting tricks that balanced Pa.’s budget — but only on paper (Spotlight PA)
Japanese knotweed: the notorious invasive taking root across Pennsylvania (Republican Herald)
National
The president last year directed the Labor Department to shut down “a two-year inquiry into claims of pervasive sexual harassment and discrimination at a company that makes weapons, vehicles and cybersecurity tools for the Pentagon.” Per the New York Times, it was part of an executive order purging the federal government of DEI initiatives that he said “had undermined individual achievement in favor of a ‘pernicious identity-based spoils system.’” The agency had jurisdiction over approximately 35,000 contractors that employed 20% of the U.S. work force, roughly 34 million people. “The office had also become a target for conservative and pro-business groups, which complained that its audits were onerous and unfair. Records show that the agency was scheduled to launch about 2,000 inquiries in 2025, all of which were derailed by [the] order.”
ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say (the Associated Press)
Trump is invoking foreign election interference to justify his own (the Guardian)
World
Russia has unleashed “powerful air attacks on Kyiv, firing its largest number of ballistic missiles since the start of the war,” per Al Jazeera. The strikes killed one and wounded at least 16, according to Ukrainian officials. “The latest bombardment highlights mounting challenges for Ukraine in its fifth year of war as it weathers almost daily Russian attacks with a shortage of Patriot air defence missiles, which are its best chance of downing ballistic missiles,” per the article. It mentions that “domestic tensions are also high due to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s removal of his defence minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle, which has sparked protests on the streets and dismay among many Ukrainian soldiers.”
Andy Burnham Calls for ‘New Politics’ in U.K. in First Speech as Labour Leader (TIME Magazine)
Hungary’s president signs a constitutional amendment ending his term (the Associated Press)
China’s Xi Jinping Wants AI to Be Open to the World — and Out of America’s Control (Gizmodo)
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