51 minJul 18, 2025

Big AI Promises, Rialto Goes Rogue & Emmy Nods for ‘The Pitt’

Show Notes

President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick promised more than $90 billion in private sector investments for PA to become a hub for energy and AI at a CMU summit this week. We talk about potential projects like data centers, power plant upgrades, and natural gas pipelines — and how much of that cash is likely to affect us in Western Pennsylvania. Outside the summit, CMU students and environmental activists protested the visit, and at least a few were met with pepper spray and campus censorship. Meanwhile, someone recently went rogue on Rialto Street in Troy Hill, and the city had to cover up their mark. Plus, we share a few wins of the week, like Emmy nominations for “The Pitt” and an overhaul of our city streetlights — and losses, like the Kraft-Heinz breakup and PNC Park’s big spending to make up for the Bucco Bricks disaster.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Energy/Innovation Summit: An overview the $90B plus in investments announced Tuesday [Pittsburgh Business-Times]
Trump promotes energy and tech investments at a summit in Pennsylvania [Associated Press]
Dave McCormick, Donald Trump announce billions in AI and energy investments in Pa. at innovation summit [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Trump pledges more power to match AI investments in Pennsylvania [Axios]
Pittsburgh police use pepper spray on energy summit protesters [TribLive]
Fence fight: CMU orders students' anti-Trump message painted over ahead of president's visit [TribLive]
CMU community pushes back on AI summit with paint, petitions, and protests [90.5 WESA]
Pittsburgh Leads While Demanding Better from Washington [City of Pittsburgh]
Mike Rowe warns of a ‘will gap’ as millions of men abandon workforce — here’s why [Yahoo Finance]
Trump and the energy industry are eager to power AI with fossil fuels [Wired]
Google career certificates and AI courses [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
What's next for Pittsburgh after big-time summit? [Pittsburgh Business-Times]
Trump administration taking new steps to block wind and solar projects, undisclosed memo says [Politico]
TRIVIA: How well do you know Pittsburgh’s ice cream history? [City Cast Pittsburgh]
When and how did Rialto get a divider line? [Reddit]
Climb Pittsburgh’s 900+ City Steps [City Cast Pittsburgh]
Safer city, brighter future [Pgh LED]
Pittsburgh’s Best Gift Shops for Any Occasion [City Cast Pittsburgh]
‘The Pitt’ receives 13 Emmy nominations [New York Times]
What ‘The Pitt’ Gets Right About Pittsburgh [City Cast Pittsburgh]
Big buzz for zero-proof [Pittsburgh Business Times]
Pirates release plans for permanent display at PNC Park with the Bucco Bricks messages [KDKA]
Pittsburgh City Council gives thumbs down to historic designation for Donny's Place [90.5 WESA]
Kraft Heinz to split, report says [TribLive]
Independents ask Pa. Supreme Court to let them vote in closed, partisan primaries [SpotlightPA]
Big-dollar donors are helping fund fixes at the governor’s mansion [SpotlightPA]

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 18th episode:

Fulton Commons

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

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