Columns

This image from CCTV video released by Saudi Arabia's Media Ministry shows passengers taking cover as flames and smoke fill part of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during what authorities described as a strike at the airport on Oct. 10, 2026. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP)

Daniel DePetris: Resumption of war between Houthis and Saudis is bad timing for Donald Trump

By Daniel DePetris

October 12, 2026 at 1:27 p.m.

The attacks in Saudi Arabia come when Donald Trump is in a standoff over the...

Attorneys for Christa Pike hold a news conference after a judge ruled the Tennessee Department of Corrections must preserve all evidence related to the failed execution of Pike, on Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP)

Clarence Page: A botched execution shakes our death penalty presumptions

By Clarence Page

October 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The botched execution of Christa Pike offers a gross illustration of the cruelty that capital...

Chicago school board president candidates Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson participate in a forum at the Copernicus Center on Sept. 29, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

David Greising: The race for Chicago school board president is about ideas — and character

By David Greising

October 10, 2026 at 10:01 a.m.

It will take savvy strategic thinking, backed by the character needed for leadership, to make...

Protesters gather near the U.S. Capitol building during a rally to press Congress to pass voting rights protections and the Build Back Better Act on Dec. 13, 2021, in Washington.

Column: Author describes Republican-led statehouses as ‘Laboratories of Autocracy,’ sees US democracy eroding

By Rex W. Huppke

December 17, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Amid the upcoming holiday cheer, I hope you'll all take a moment — or better...

People line up as workers prepare food boxes for pickup at the food pantry at New Life Centers in Chicago Dec. 14, 2021.

Column: Chicago oligarch caught infiltrating holiday food drive in attempt to make handsome columnist look bad

By Rex W. Huppke

December 16, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

I have terrifying news to share. A noted Chicago oligarch has once again infiltrated the...

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., vice chair of the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., left, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., vote on pursuing contempt charges against former President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for not complying with a subpoena, at the Capitol in Washington on Dec. 13, 2021.

Column: With each day, the probe into Jan. 6 gets more bizarre

By Clarence Page

December 14, 2021 at 5:25 p.m.

By now, almost no one who has paid much attention to today's nexus between politics...

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington.

Column: Hi, I’m Donald Trump’s failed coup. Thanks to Democrats and the media, nobody’s afraid of me!

By Rex W. Huppke

December 14, 2021 at 11:23 a.m.

Hi, everybody! I'm the coup former President Donald Trump and his lackeys attempted to pull...

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy tours King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, before talking to a panel of students about mental health issues.

Heidi Stevens: Surgeon general confirms what parents know. Young people are in crisis.

By Heidi Stevens

June 7, 2024 at 11:51 a.m.

The U.S. surgeon general released a rare public advisory Dec. 7 confirming what parents know...

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx talks to reporters about public safety concerns in Chicago on Oct. 5, 2021.

Column: After Smollett case, Kim Foxx’s ‘progressive’ approach faces more trial

By Clarence Page

December 10, 2021 at 4:33 p.m.

As a Cook County jury found actor Jussie Smollett guilty of faking a racist and...

The site of a burned Christmas Tree in Washington Park on Dec. 8, 2021, in the median at East Garfield Boulevard and South Martin Luther King Drive.

Column: Washington Park kids again see Christmas tree torched. Let’s show them some holiday goodwill.

By Rex W. Huppke

December 10, 2021 at 12:30 p.m.

In the weekly deluge of news, you may have missed this: A towering Christmas tree...

Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett enters the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Dec. 9, 2021, in Chicago where he was found guilty on five of six disorderly conduct charges.

Column: Jussie Smollett is guilty. Good. Let Chicagoans never speak of him again.

By Rex W. Huppke

December 9, 2021 at 7:16 p.m.

Here in Chicago, let us never speak of Jussie Smollett again. What a ridiculous drama....

Security guard Alan Morgan checks on proof of vaccination for Michael Pelikant, second from left, Margaret Kokot-Hart and Tim Hart as the group lines up to enter Metro in Chicago on Aug. 7, 2021.

Column: With delta surging and omicron arriving, Chicago should make proof of vaccination the norm

By Rex W. Huppke

December 9, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

I would go out of my way to eat at a Chicago restaurant that required...

Justin Meyer carries a tree to a customer's car at the Christmas tree at 94th Street and Stony Island Avenue in Chicago on Dec. 3, 2021.

Column: Christmas tree decorating tips from a renowned expert. First step, admit you’re doing it wrong.

By Rex W. Huppke

December 6, 2021 at 3:12 p.m.

For those who celebrate Christmas, this is peak tree-decorating time, a joyous part of the...

Columnists