Columns

Former Indiana U,S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, who was co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, in his office at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington on Nov. 24, 2006. (Pete Souza/baiduhai)

John T. Shaw: We need Congress to ponder the long term with a new future-focused group

By John T. Shaw

October 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Half a century ago, many lawmakers viewed their responsibilities differently and created a forum to...

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...

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...

A mix of proponents and opponents to teaching critical race theory are in attendance on Nov. 16, 2021, as the Placentia-Yorba Linda School Board in California discusses a proposed resolution to ban it from being taught.

Column: Critical race theory is no excuse for ignorance

By Clarence Page

December 3, 2021 at 5:37 p.m.

Political campaign season may be over but battles against what increasingly is being called "critical...

Chris Cuomo attends the 12th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at American Museum of Natural History on December 9, 2018 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CNN/TNS)

Column: Chris Cuomo helping circle the wagons to protect his brother is exactly why some survivors stay silent

By Heidi Stevens

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

For anyone who has ever asked, "Why didn't she come forward sooner?" Chris Cuomo texting...

Students hug at a memorial at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, on Dec. 1, 2021. Authorities say a 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at the school, killing four students and wounding seven other people.

Column: Michigan school shooting doesn’t happen without a gun. Why can’t America connect these dots?

By Rex W. Huppke

December 3, 2021 at 12:30 p.m.

As Americans watched yet another deadly school shooting unfold in Michigan, we were again (guns)...

Volunteers load boxes and bags of food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository for residents.

Column: The Insult-A-Columnist Holiday Food Drive is back — with a shot at celebrity Zoom chats — to help with a lot of need

By Rex W. Huppke

December 1, 2021 at 9:36 a.m.

Nothing says "It's the holidays!" quite like a chance to publicly humiliate someone while also...

Jussie Smollett arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago for jury selection in his trial on Nov. 29, 2021.

Column: Jussie Smollett case also puts hate crime law on trial

By Clarence Page

November 30, 2021 at 5:13 p.m.

As the Jussie Smollett trial began this week, I was reminded of the early verdict...

A woman receives a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a center in Soweto, South Africa, on Nov. 29, 2021. The emergence of the new omicron variant is a reminder of what scientists have warned for months: The coronavirus will thrive as long as vast parts of the world lack vaccines.

Column: A message from the omicron variant: ‘I promise I won’t hurt you. Let’s go, Brandon!’

By Rex W. Huppke

November 29, 2021 at 5:16 p.m.

Through some well-placed sources in the virus community, I was given a missive penned by...

Josh Smith,attorney for Matthew Heimbach, Matthew Parrott and The Traditionalist Working Party, walks away after speaking with the media Nov. 23, 2021, at the Federal Courthouse in Charlottesville, Virginia. A jury ordered white nationalist leaders and organizations to pay more than $25 million in damages over violence that erupted during the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

Column: Another way to fight violent hate groups? Take ’em to court

By Clarence Page

November 26, 2021 at 4:44 p.m.

Once there was a time when the very idea of suing a hate group like...

Imagine if enjoying an indulgent holiday meal was not connected to guilt.

Column: We don’t need to downhill ski for 9 hours to burn holiday calories. We need to stop demonizing food.

By baiduhai

November 24, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.

A delightful meme is making the rounds on social media, just in time for the...

ICU nurse Samantha Lazzara heads into a COVID-19 patient's room at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital on Oct. 1, 2021.

Column: On Thanksgiving, gratitude for vaccine takers, science embracers and attorneys who bankrupt Nazis

By Rex W. Huppke

November 24, 2021 at 11:41 a.m.

It's the time of year when we are constitutionally required to ponder the things we...

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