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Trump, the pope 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 ...

Dear Annie: Bitter divorce threatens to break up family

Dear Annie: My wife and her sister have always had a close but delicate relationship. They can talk for hours, laugh about old family stories and check in on each other several times a week. But every so often, something shifts, and my sister-in-law becomes sharp, angry and deeply hurtful toward my wife. The source of it almost always goes back to her divorce. Even though the marriage ended 15 years ago, she still carries enormous bitterness toward her ex-husband and blames him entirely for the breakup. During their marriage, however, we grew close to him as part of the family. More ...

Man considers hyperbaric oxygen for post-COVID symptoms

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband is considering a hyperbaric chamber to see if it can possibly help him for possible post-COVID symptoms. He contracted COVID this past July, and his atrial fibrillation also started to act up at this time. He spent a week in the hospital and was so weak that he had to use a wheelchair to get home. Two days after arriving home, my husband spent a week or so in a local hospital with continued pneumonia symptoms and sepsis. Then he went to rehab for three weeks to get his strength back. He is now in a research study following the replacement of his aortic valve ...

Why Earth Day matters more than ever

Fifty-seven years ago, Earth Day changed American politics. On April 22, 1970, 20 million American, about 10% of the entire U.S. population, took to the streets, campuses, and town squares in a single day to demand action after 150 years of uncontrolled industrial pollution. The demonstrations were so large and bipartisan that Washington responded almost immediately, probably out of fear but also respect for the intensity and size of the demonstrations. Within just a few years, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and Congress passed 20 landmark laws including the ...

Prioritize healthcare throughout rural Pennsylvania

Every April, Grange chapters from the local to national level celebrate Grange Month. This month is an opportunity to highlight one of the most enduring institutions in rural America and recommit ourselves to the communities we have long served. For generations, the Grange has stood for fellowship, advocacy, and practical support for farm families and rural towns. That mission is just as important today, especially when it comes to health care. Colorectal cancer is one of the greatest examples of why this matters. In Pennsylvania this year, an estimated 6,520 people will be diagnosed ...

Dear Annie: Lost in mixed signals and broken expectations

Dear Annie: About six months ago, I grew close to a woman I had known casually for some time. She had recently come out of a painful breakup, and what began as friendship quickly turned into something much more emotionally intimate. We talked every day, shared deeply personal things and became part of each other’s routine in a way that felt meaningful and serious. Although she kept saying we were “just friends,” our relationship did not feel platonic. We became physically involved, and over time she began making comments that made me believe we were building toward something ...