Columns

Far-right activist Jake Lang stands on the back of a truck displaying anti-Muslim messages during a demonstration outside the annual Palestine Fest at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Oct. 4, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Steve Chapman: Republicans are fanning baseless fears about American Muslims

By Steve Chapman

October 8, 2026 at 10:10 a.m.

You might expect that as the memory of the 9/11 attacks and the global war...

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

Laura Washington: Brutal school board elections are the name of the Chicago game

By Laura Washington

October 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

This Chicago school board will decide how much taxes we will all pay and how...

Supporters of presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro for the Partido Liberal react during general election day on October 4, 2026, in Brasilia, Brazil. According to official results, Bolsonaro has 47.06% of the votes, and incumbent president of Brazil and presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva has 45.13%, with 99% of the voting counted. Bolsonaro and Lula will face off in a runoff on Oct. 25, 2026, after neither reached 50% of the votes to be elected president. (Ton Molina/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Brazil’s elections appear to be another win for Donald Trump

By Daniel DePetris

October 6, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Over the last year and a half, right-wing candidates have won seven presidential elections in...

Mexican National Guard soldiers patrol in Culiacán, in Mexico's Sinaloa state, Feb. 4, 2026. The U.S. has indicted Sinaloa's governor, Rubén Rocha Moya, and nine other officials. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: An indictment of Sinaloa’s governor could roil US-Mexico ties

By Daniel DePetris

May 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

An indictment against current and former Mexican officials will complicate the two nations' work to...

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act on Aug. 6, 1965, in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Surrounding the president, from left directly above his right hand, are Vice President Hubert Humphrey; House Speaker John McCormack; Rep. Emanuel Celler, D-N.Y.; first daughter Luci Johnson; and Sen. Everett Dirksen, R-Ill. Behind Humphrey is House Majority Leader Carl Albert of Oklahoma, and behind Celler is Sen. Carl Hayden, D-Ariz. (AP)

Clarence Page: The Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling will promote corrupt electoral maps

By Clarence Page

May 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In striking down the Louisiana voting map as a racial gerrymander, the court opened the...

Assistant manager Martice Chatman, 17, walks over to play some music on a record player in the music library at BandWith Chicago in East Garfield Park on April 30, 2026. The renovated industrial building is now home to a community-based music program. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Garfield Park performing arts center is modern and minimalist

By Edward Keegan

May 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

BandWith Chicago’s new home in East Garfield Park displays a more contemporary approach to Ludwig...

Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, from left, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Ungovernable billionaires may be our biggest global threat

By Elizabeth Shackelford

May 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The biggest threat of AI is that the bulk of this powerful technology is within...

Mary Claire Haver speaks onstage at the’ We Need to Talk About Women’ s Health’ panel during Hello Sunshine’s Second Annual Shine Away Experiential Event, Connected by AT&T at Nya Studios on Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: Women ‘will not be shamed into silent suffering’ in this menopause moment. Hallelujah

By Heidi Stevens

May 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Women are clearly done being sidelined, shushed, gaslit and otherwise disregarded the moment their bodies...

President Donald Trump, right, and British King Charles III review the Guard of Honour after arriving at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Will King Charles’ visit help soften the animus between the US and the UK?

By Daniel DePetris

April 28, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The British monarch will have some work to do during his visit to chip away...

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel arrive for a news conference at the Justice Department, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Clarence Page: Is the Southern Poverty Law Center indictment about fraud or something more sinister?

By Clarence Page

April 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center has all the hallmarks of political...

Sen. Philip A. Hart, D-Mich., is in Washington on March 19, 1971. (AP)

John T. Shaw: Former US Sen. Philip Hart modeled leadership that Capitol Hill sorely needs

By John T. Shaw

April 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Former U.S. Sen. Philip Hart's career is a case study in quiet and effective statesmanship....

State Rep. Kam Buckner listens as fellow state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado answers questions while meeting with a House committee on a transit funding plan during the legislative session at the Illinois Capitol on Oct. 29, 2025, in Springfield. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

David Greising: Illinois’ megaprojects bill should go no further. The effects would ripple beyond the Bears.

By David Greising

April 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

There are too many unanswered questions in the Illinois megaprojects bill to responsibly pass such...

Chelsea Clinton reacts after finishing the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026, in Boston. (Paul Rutherford/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: I wasn’t in Boston, but here’s why I’m cheering Chelsea Clinton’s marathon success

By Heidi Stevens

April 23, 2026 at 10:48 a.m.

Chelsea Clinton is a model of quiet, unflappable composure who just keeps absolutely slaying at...

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