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...

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a House GOP member retreat at the Kennedy Center in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2026. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Guess who fears impeachment? A guy who’s been through it twice.

By Clarence Page

January 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump is showing concern about the possibility of an impeachment if the GOP...

Paintings by Bruce Goff in the exhibition "Bruce Goff: Material Worlds" the Art Institute of Chicago, Jan. 9, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Bruce Goff was not your typical architect

By Edward Keegan

January 13, 2026 at 1:22 p.m.

Providing context for the idiosyncratic work of architect Bruce Goff isn’t easy. The Art Institute's...

Dr. Jasmine Saavedra, medical director of pediatrics, examines 10-month-old Renata Garcia as she sits on am exam table near her mother Lety Ixquereu at the Esperanza Health Centers Brighton Park North Clinic on Dec. 31, 2025. Ixquereu brought her daughter in for her second flu shot and for a checkup because Renata was diagnosed with the flu last visit to the health center and she might have an ear infection, a possible complication from the flu. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: Stripping science from vaccine schedule chips away the dream of a better future for our children

By Heidi Stevens

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

I fear that skepticism and scorn have been elevated to the upper echelons of power,...

A demonstrator stands next to banners during an anti-Donald Trump protest at Plaza de Bolivar square on Jan. 7, 2026, in Bogotá, Colombia. After Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on Jan. 3 by U.S. forces, Gustavo Petro convened Colombians to protest against the Trump administration and to defend Colombia' sovereignty, as both governments have exchanged hostile messages since Trump began his second term as U.S. president. (Andres Rot/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: The United States is better off as a global power than a global bully

By Elizabeth Shackelford

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

The Trump administration has consistently denounced this international order. We are not going to like...

President Donald Trump looks on as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times)

Steve Chapman: The lawless president launches a lawless war

By Steve Chapman

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

What sets Donald Trump's second presidency apart is his refusal to let any laws, domestic...

Birds fly past a giant banner with the image of President Donald Trump on the U.S. Department of Labor building on Jan. 5, 2026, in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump wants to be the emperor of Latin America

By Daniel DePetris

January 6, 2026 at 11:12 a.m.

What happened in Venezuela over the weekend is the most dramatic illustration of Donald Trump's plan...

Activists protest federal agents Sept. 30, 2025, in Chicago on North Michigan Avenue. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Political goings-on in 2025 reflect anything but comity

By Laura Washington

December 31, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Donald Trump and Mayor Brandon Johnson ensured this departing year has been like no other.

People walk amid destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza City on Nov. 4, 2025. The U.S. pressed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution that would enshrine President Trump’s Gaza peace plan. (Saher Alghorra/New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: The foreign policy moves Donald Trump got right this year

By Daniel DePetris

December 30, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

As erratic as Donald Trump can be, there were a few policy moves in the...

A neighbor walks past Pope Leo XIV's childhood home at 212 E. 141st Place on July 2, 2025, in Dolton. A roofing company renovated the home's roof shingles and placed a sign on the lawn the previous day, according to a Dolton police officer who was posted in front of the structure. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: This year in Chicago architecture wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card

By Edward Keegan

January 13, 2026 at 1:26 p.m.

2025 included a few head scratchers: a papal pilgrimage site in suburban Dolton and an...

A Palestinian woman walks past Israeli soldiers as she carries her belongings ahead of planned home demolitions in the refugee camp of Nur Shams, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Majdi Mohammed/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: No peace for Palestinians in the land of Bethlehem

By Elizabeth Shackelford

December 28, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Palestinians in the West Bank live in a state of fear and trauma that will...

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