Letters to the Editor | Feb. 25, 2026

Is anyone surprised U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon — young, inexperienced, and appointed by Donald Trump — has ruled that special counsel Jack Smith’s report on the president’s retention of classified documents may not be released, now or ever? Cannon has consistently acted as a Trump stooge, stalling proceedings against him, making rulings to his benefit, and playing a significant role in ensuring he would never be subjected to justice for any of the alleged crimes he committed.

No doubt Cannon’s deference to Trump will earn her a pat on the head, and that the president will speak of her “brilliance.” Perhaps she was auditioning to be Trump’s next selection if a vacancy were to open on the U.S. Supreme Court. I imagine that most, if not all, of the supine Republican U.S. senators would go along with the nomination of such a lightweight. Trump believes those whom he appoints should be loyal to him rather than to the country. He got what he wanted in Cannon.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

All this outrageous conversation of Israel and genocide and apartheid, rooted in a false narrative, denies the reality of Israel being “a light unto the nations.” Take pancreatic cancer. This pernicious affliction, a death sentence accompanied by hopelessness and horrific pain, has no boundaries; no ethnic, national, racial, or political favorites. The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved Israeli-founded company Novocure to market a wearable device for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. The device, Optune Pax, uses high-frequency electric fields and is designed to be used in combination with standard chemotherapy drugs. The electrical treatment not only extends patients’ lives on average, but also delays the worsening of pain by about six months. This is the reality of Israel: cutting-edge medicine and discovery for all; living life, day by day, with its vulnerabilities, many challenges, and remarkable achievements.

Rabbi Charles S. Sherman, Elkins Park

I appreciate The Inquirer setting the record straight in response to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s inaccurate comments about the voting issue that occurred in Chester County. In comments on the Senate floor and in his weekly newsletter, he repeats the heavily investigated and thoroughly debunked claim that noneligible voters are casting ballots. He says people question the integrity of voting — if they do, it is because Donald Trump has spent years making this same false claim. I had been expecting our new senator, with his history of military and government service, would stand up for facts and democracy rather than join the forces sowing mistrust.

Karen Melton, Philadelphia

My work as a therapist makes two concepts abundantly clear: There are parallel personality traits shared by destructive leaders in all walks of life and — for those who are enamored, empowered, or terrified by them — the defense mechanism of denial is extremely difficult to pierce. When it becomes clear that a leader of a household is a killer of either spirit or body or both, it is an uphill challenge to convey a warning to countless partners and many sons and daughters that, without their wake-up call, further destruction is both predictable and inevitable.

In like manner, warning signs clearly show our 47th president, raised to be a destroyer of all he cannot control, dominate, or seduce, never intends to leave office. For readers loyal to Donald Trump, I ask you to consider the futures of your sons, daughters, and theirs when you are no longer here to protect them, and they dare to have thoughts that lead to their imprisonment or death by an authoritarian leadership. If Trump ever intended to leave office, why has he sent a team of FBI agents armed with a search warrant to Fulton County to seize all available materials relating to the 2020 election? Do you think he will stop this behavior with Georgia?

Terrified his poll numbers are dropping, his intention is to alter evidence and once again lie — to tell the American people that evidence of voter fraud has, as he has always insisted, been found. Subsequently, he will tell us it will be too dangerous to hold elections. This takeover is our future if not stopped by a union of sane voices.

SaraKay Smullens, Philadelphia

The article on making CPR more accessible missed one important factor: the cost of the training. CPR can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, but to do that, proper training is necessary. When we explored CPR training in this area, the costs were over $80 per person. Some people need $80 for food and other essentials. If we all agree that CPR is critical, then provide a less expensive way to deliver it.

Anne Weisbord, Blue Bell

Nasrallah Abu Siyam, born in Philadelphia, was shot by Israeli settlers in a West Bank village last week, becoming at least the sixth American citizen killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the last two years. The Israeli Knesset voted last year to annex the Palestinian West Bank, which was supposed to be the land for a Palestinian state — something past American administrations have supported. Our American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is an avowed Christian Zionist and supports Israel’s “biblical claim” to that area, and possibly further expansion, despite all international resolutions and laws saying it is illegal. Palestinian families have lived there for centuries and now face violence and ethnic cleansing. After supporting Israel in killing tens of thousands in Gaza, we should not continue to allow Israel to act with such impunity. We should also defend the right to life of an American born in Philadelphia.

Joan Hazbun, Media

As columnist Trudy Rubin recently reminded us, this week marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that now counts two million casualties and nearly half a million deaths. Despite these losses and the threat of many more, the purpose and urgency of U.S. support for Ukraine have faded in the minds of many American leaders. So this is an appropriate moment to recall why Ukraine’s fate matters.

As the world’s model for democracy and freedom, the U.S. has long stood by those who align with those values. Invaded by a country whose population, wealth, and weaponry far exceed their own, the Ukrainian people have fought steadily with grim and unfailing endurance. Through commitment, grit, and bloodshed, they have shown themselves to be true partners in the pursuit of values we share. To abandon Ukraine today would be a betrayal of what we as Americans have long stood for.

To assure global peace and security, it is essential that this war ends in a way that assures Russia will not renew it. By procrastination and by insistence on impossible terms, Vladimir Putin has shown repeatedly that peace with Ukraine is not on his agenda. He will call a halt to the war only when its price becomes intolerable. A weak deal will only invite renewed aggression. On this anniversary, let’s broadcast our support for Ukraine. We urge our fellow Philadelphians to convey to our elected representatives that we want a just and enduring end to this conflict, one that will be possible only when the U.S. exerts the necessary economic, political, and military pressure on the invader.

Elaine Fultz and John Francis, Philadelphia

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