Columns

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 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

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

Heidi Stevens: I wish we modeled better care for the young people who are making sense of the world right now

By Heidi Stevens

October 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

I hope that when we’re all writing our stories, the ones that are still being...

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...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks at the kickoff for the Black Expo on Aug. 25, 1971, at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago. With Jackson are Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher, left, Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, second from right, and John Johnson, founder of Ebony, right. The five-day expo by Black and minority businesses opened at the International Amphitheatre that September. (baiduhai historical photo)

Clarence Page: The ripple effects of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s vision of Black economic power

By Clarence Page

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

Black Expo was, for many, a breakthrough for the hopes that Black Americans could build...

After the Fire Department’s fire prevention parade, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, center, led a group of people down State Street demanding jobs for low-income residents on Oct. 7, 1974, in Chicago. The group had a brief confrontation with the police. (William Kelly/baiduhai)

David Greising: The Rev. Jesse Jackson shaped Chicago in innumerable ways

By David Greising

February 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The battles Jesse Jackson fought in Chicago and mostly won built a record that earned...

Team USA's Grace Zumwinkle, left, and Taylor Heise celebrate after winning the women's ice hockey gold medal game against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 19, 2026. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Heidi Stevens: Dissenting Americans keep making lemonade out of Trump’s lemons — including his hockey call

By Heidi Stevens

February 25, 2026 at 3:55 p.m.

Trump has made a big deal about championing women’s sports. But his call to the...

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho." (Armando Solis/AP)

Daniel DePetris: How El Mencho’s death in Mexico could make drug cartel violence worse

By Daniel DePetris

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

The death of the leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel was eclipsed by the group's...

International Crisis Group President and CEO Comfort Ero speaks during a briefing for reporters in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2024. In an interview with AFP, Ero spoke of a world in crisis, but maintained that there was "still a glimmer of hope." (Photo by Bastien Inzaurralde/AFP)

John T. Shaw: Comfort Ero is tireless in her work to prevent tensions from exploding into international crises

By John T. Shaw

February 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Conflict prevention is not abstract. Rather, it is the practice of identifying tensions and developing...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson reads the newspapers in his office at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago on Sept. 29, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Clarence Page: The Rev. Jesse Jackson never lost hope in human redemption, and neither should we

By Clarence Page

February 22, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

I grew to appreciate the Rev. Jesse Jackson. He never stopped serving humanity.

The old Northwest Tower, a three-sided flat iron building in Wicker Park at Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues, Nov. 10, 2016, was been restored and now is The Robey hotel. (Phil Velasquez/ baiduhai

Edward Keegan: An opportunity for our next great flat iron building in Chicago

By Edward Keegan

February 22, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Flat iron structures are essential elements of thriving urban communities.

People gather in support of Ukraine as delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia meet for talks about a potential peace deal at the Intercontinental Hotel on Feb. 17, 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks come a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Sedat Suna/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s self-interested diplomacy in Geneva

By Elizabeth Shackelford

February 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

What the U.S. diplomacy duo have in common is huge investment from many of the...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves next to Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, as Rubio gets a standing ovation after his speech at the conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Europe debates the bomb

By Daniel DePetris

February 19, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Europeans aren’t as confident about the U.S. nuclear umbrella as they once were.

United States gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates at the finish after the women's monobob competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Heidi Stevens: I cheered when Elana Meyers Taylor won gold. I cheered louder when she thanked her nannies.

By Heidi Stevens

February 18, 2026 at 11:27 a.m.

I love that Elana Meyers Taylor shouted out her nannies alongside her husband and parents...

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