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...

Josina Morita, left, chair of the Asian American Caucus, is seen with her husband, Cornell Collins, and children Kai Collins, 2, and Mei-Mei Collins, 1, on March 17, 2021. "I hope that people who see this crime understand that it's not an isolated incident," Morita said.

Column: Atlanta shootings a chance to speak out, say members of Illinois’ Asian American community. ‘We’re tired of being quiet.’

By Heidi Stevens

March 17, 2021 at 2:51 p.m.

Josina Morita hopes the horrific shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors Tuesday will shake America...

Column: Ken-Matt Martin is new artistic director at Victory Gardens. He is just one of a new group of Black arts leaders coming to Chicago.

By Chris Jones

March 17, 2021 at 11:02 a.m.

On Wednesday, Victory Gardens Theater announced that it has hired Ken-Matt Martin, currently an associate...

Column: Gospel artist Kirk Franklin and the hard truth about toxic relationships

By Dahleen Glanton

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

Grammy-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin apologized to the public last weekend after his adult son...

People walk through the Historic District in Savannah, Georgia, amid the pandemic on April 25, 2020.

Column: What are you going to do when you’re fully vaccinated?

By Mary Schmich

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

So what are you going to do once you're fully vaccinated? It's one of the...

President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One as he leaves the White House for Pennsylvania to promote his COVID-19 relief plan on March 16, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Column: Biden’s diplomatic team on China needs real experts, like Hunter and Swalwell

By John Kass

March 17, 2021 at 11:37 a.m.

President Joe Biden's handlers are still shielding him from full-blown news conferences with reporters, but...

Column: Uncovered faces at Naperville’s open-the-schools rally send wrong message

By Eric Zorn

March 16, 2021 at 4:19 p.m.

If you're among those demanding that we reopen schools for five-day-a-week, in-person education, the least...

A pedestrian walks past a mural reading: "When out of your home, Wear a mask over your mouth and nose," during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco on Nov. 21, 2020.

Column: An incomplete list of things I feel guilty about, a year into pandemic living

By Heidi Stevens

March 16, 2021 at 1:44 p.m.

A not-even-close-to-complete list of things I have felt guilty about during this pandemic: Never finishing...

President Joe Biden leaves after speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House on March 11, 2021.

Column: Voters show more unity in the COVID-19 crisis than their political leaders do

By Clarence Page

March 16, 2021 at 3:14 p.m.

Are we all socialists now? In numerous intriguing ways, the pandemic appears to be pumping...

If you are feeling bad, try filling out the Tweet of the Week poll! Hope this helps!

By Eric Zorn

March 19, 2021 at 12:13 p.m.

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

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., steps into an elevator at the U.S. Capitol on March 5, 2021.

Column: Sen. Ron Johnson is afraid of people who don’t look like Sen. Ron Johnson. That makes me afraid of him.

By Rex W. Huppke

March 16, 2021 at 5:09 a.m.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is frightened by people who don't look like U.S....

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