Columns

A young woman reacts as she looks at her damaged home after Russia's night missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 14, 2026. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Trump’s abhorrent Russian diesel deal defies US laws and won’t lower gas prices

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 16, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Donald Trump has illegally undone sanctions efforts against Russia. For all of this, Americans won’t...

Saturday Night Live Host Shane Gillis during the monologue on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Will Heath/NBC/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: Shane Gillis ‘SNL’ opener misses the mark — and the moment

By Heidi Stevens

October 16, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

The most disappointing thing about Shane Gillis’ shopworn, hackneyed, tone-deaf, retrograde, unfunny “Saturday Night Live”...

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...

More fun than Penultimate Frisbee, the Tweet of the Week poll

By Eric Zorn

April 2, 2021 at 12:04 p.m.

Instructions: Click the box next to each tweet that amuses you -- no limit to...

A United States Border Patrol agent processes migrants after they arrived illegally from Mexico on March 29, 2021 in Roma, Texas. The group made up of individuals from mostly Central American countries turned themselves in to the Border Patrol after smugglers brought them across the Rio Grande. Members of the group are attempting to be granted asylum in the U.S.

Column: Hiding border troubles from news cameras only makes the spotlight brighter

By Clarence Page

March 11, 2024 at 1:43 p.m.

Mainstream media are trying to make President Joe Biden look good, according to conservative critics...

A person walks a dog past a quiet Buckingham Palace on March 23, 2021.

Column: A diversity czar for the royal family? They already squandered their chance to diversify by driving Meghan Markle away.

By Dahleen Glanton

March 29, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

The British monarchy, or The Firm, as Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry call it,...

Column: The weapon of choice for mass murder merely becomes more popular and politically invincible after each mass murder.

By Eric Zorn

March 27, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.

A tweet Monday with now roughly 240,000 "likes" and more than 75,000 retweets listed 12...

President Joe Biden answers questions during the first news conference of his presidency, in the East Room of the White House on March 25, 2021.

Column: With 2024 already a hot topic, Joe Biden says he’s a ‘respecter of fate.’ We all should be.

By Mary Schmich

March 27, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

What will you be doing in 2024? If you think you know for sure, you're...

Brindille partners and cousins Carrie Nahabedian, left, and Michael Nahabedian at their restaurant on July 30, 2020.

Column: You want to be a chef? Now is the time

By John Kass

March 26, 2021 at 5:12 p.m.

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a great restaurant chef while binge-watching the entertainingly obsessive...

Chicago City Hall in the Loop on Sept. 21, 2020.

Column: Oh man! Chicago’s already 50 years late in dumping ‘alderman’ and making City Council titles gender neutral.

By Eric Zorn

March 26, 2021 at 4:01 p.m.

We'll get used to it easily enough. Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, introduced a resolution Wednesday...

Ann White protests at the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta on March 25, 2021. "It ain't over yet," White said. "I look forward to going door to door working against everybody that voted for (SB 202)." The Georgia state House has passed legislation brought by Republicans that could lead to a sweeping overhaul of state election law.

Column: Sorry, Mr. Smith, but I, too, have turned against the filibuster

By Clarence Page

March 26, 2021 at 3:19 p.m.

At his first official White House news conference Thursday, President Joe Biden said he agreed...

Isabella Lee, left, helps friend Lane Stelzer Jocks, both 12, light a candle during a vigil on March 25, 2021, in Oak Park in honor of the eight people killed at three Atlanta-area spas the previous week. The vigil was organized by a group of Oak Park and River Forest High School students.

Column: Banning assault weapons is unlikely to stop mass shootings

By Steve Chapman

March 26, 2021 at 3:19 p.m.

Many national problems have simple, effective solutions. To curb global warming, reduce fossil fuel use....

Motorola campus redevelopment in Schaumburg lands something rare in the COVID-19 era: a huge retail lease

By Ryan Ori

March 26, 2021 at 9:40 a.m.

A bar, restaurant and entertainment concept has leased 20,000 square feet in the sprawling redevelopment...

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