Columns

Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher waves to the stage during the 27th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor celebrating Maher on June 29, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP)

Clarence Page: Beware the charm of our rising chatbots

By Clarence Page

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

Besides the existential risks of artificial intelligence, consider how AI chatbots insinuate themselves in the...

The new Cragin Park Fieldhouse stands Oct. 15, 2026, in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Is the minimalist fieldhouse in Chicago’s Cragin Park architecture or just a building??

By Edward Keegan

October 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Cragin Park Fieldhouse expresses a clear architectural character with its exposed steel structure. I...

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...

President Donald Trump walks out of the North Portico of the White House, Oct. 26, 2020, in Washington, as he departs for campaign events in Pennsylvania.

Column: Trump fearlessly surrenders to the coronavirus as cases surge nationwide: ‘It’s going to be over,’ he lied

By Rex W. Huppke

October 26, 2020 at 12:04 p.m.

We now know, with certainty, that the Trump administration has bravely surrendered to the coronavirus...

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the final presidential debate at Belmont University, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn., with President Donald Trump.

Column: Trump had a Hunter Biden story to sell. Reporters at the Wall Street Journal weren’t buying it.

By The New York Times

October 26, 2020 at 7:13 a.m.

By early October, even people inside the White House believed President Donald Trump's reelection campaign...

The exterior of the David Rubenstein Forum building at the University of Chicago on Oct. 19, 2020. Its 10-story tower includes a conference center and classroom building.

Column: A pile of stacked boxes at the University of Chicago — exhibitionism or architecture?

By Blair Kamin

October 26, 2020 at 10:48 a.m.

It's an eye-grabbing pile of irregularly stacked boxes, seemingly designed to land on magazine covers...

People fill out their ballot during early voting at Welles Park in Chicago, Oct. 14, 2020.

Column: This election isn’t just about Donald Trump and Congress. Pay attention to those judges on the ballot too.

By Dahleen Glanton

October 26, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

Judges have it made. Once they are elected in Illinois, it is almost impossible to...

People attending a campaign rally for President Donald Trump on Oct. 25, 2020, in Londonderry, New Hampshire, watch a video that includes Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Column: Pondering how to parlay a Biden victory into a more united country

By Ron Grossman

October 26, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

With Joe Biden's poll numbers holding strong, my wife and I cautiously look forward to...

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School on Oct. 18, 2020, in Durham, North Carolina.

Column: Would Joe Biden transform the American Way into the Chicago Way

By John Kass

October 23, 2020 at 6:50 p.m.

Is Joe Biden the "big guy" engaged in foreign influence peddling, about to transform the...

Fall colors burst from several trees on the 2700 block of North Stockton Drive in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago Oct. 13, 2020.

Column: A binge-worthy show, a surprisingly effective leader and Keith Jarrett: 9 things to like at the end of October

By Mary Schmich

October 23, 2020 at 6:31 p.m.

Every now and then I make a list of 9 things I like. Here's one...

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride appears at the opening of the new Will County courthouse in Joliet on Oct. 9, 2020.

Column: Illinois should modernize its quaint old Supreme Court justice retention system

By Eric Zorn

October 23, 2020 at 3:55 p.m.

If you think it's weird that, in one of the most important, expensive and high-profile...

Review: The David Rubenstein Forum

By Contributed Content

October 23, 2020 at 9:00 p.m.

The new David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago.

Column: Best president for Black America since Lincoln? C’mon, man!

By Clarence Page

October 23, 2020 at 2:47 p.m.

Let us now celebrate the calming, sedative qualities of a mute button. Yes, the mere...

Columnists