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 10, 2026 at 10:01 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...

Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris walks to board Air Force Two as she departs for New York at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Oct. 7, 2024.

Heidi Stevens: ‘Not aspiring to be humble’ is a rallying cry for this moment, but let’s not stop there

By Heidi Stevens

October 11, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

I want to focus on a different quote from Harris, which is less pithy but...

Former House Speaker Michael Madigan arrives outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Oct. 2, 2024, for the final in-person hearing before his trial begins. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Could the fall of Michael Madigan be decisive for Illinois corruption?

By Laura Washington

March 9, 2025 at 12:53 p.m.

Many political insiders thought Michael Madigan would reign forever. He seemed to possess the magic...

A gathering at the site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2024. Israel commemorated on Monday the anniversary of the deadliest day in its history, the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 others abducted. (Avishag Shaar-Yashuv/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: A year after Oct. 7, what gains can Israel lay claim to?

By Daniel DePetris

October 8, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Oct. 7 has proved to be an inflection point for Israel. Decades of Israeli policy...

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, left, and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota are seen on a screen during the vice presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York on Oct. 1, 2024. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump ‘saved’ Obamcare? Now that’s a whopper.

By Clarence Page

March 9, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

You don't have to be a fact checker to know that Donald Trump and JD...

Materials for teens and parents on pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections provided by Teen Health Mississippi are displayed Sept. 26, 2023, in Jackson, Mississippi. Many states are shifting their approach to sex education in K-12 schools with stricter regulations on when and what students learn about their bodies. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

Heidi Stevens: Rolling back comprehensive sex ed fails to prepare young people for the world they actually live in

By Heidi Stevens

October 4, 2024 at 12:24 p.m.

Whatever words we’re cringing about our kids hearing from a certified educator, we’ll cringe into...

Smoke rises from a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike as journalists and local residents visit during a press tour on Oct. 2, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon. (Daniel Carde/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: The dominoes have been unleashed in the Middle East

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 4, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Israel had good cause to try to neutralize Hezbollah, but that justification doesn’t change the...

Washington delegate Sophia Danenberg
cries while Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the presidential nomination. (Tess Crowley/baiduhai)

Steve Chapman: Kamala Harris claims the cause of freedom

By Steve Chapman

October 3, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Given Donald Trump’s many attacks on basic liberties, all Democrats have to do to look...

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets supporters after speaking at a rally on Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Laura Washington: Here’s what Kamala Harris must do to appeal to a fractured voter base

By Laura Washington

March 9, 2025 at 12:53 p.m.

Donald Trump has locked up his GOP base. Kamala Harris must wrestle with a fractured...

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock speaks at a campaign event before the arrival of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in Atlanta, on March 9, 2024.

Heidi Stevens: Why voters — even women, like, past 50 — care about abortion rights

By Heidi Stevens

September 30, 2024 at 12:09 p.m.

For women of any age, the issue of abortion is about far more than whether...

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates attends the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 19, 2024. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

David Greising: Stacy Davis Gates’ attacks on Pedro Martinez aren’t what’s best for CPS

By David Greising

September 26, 2024 at 1:27 p.m.

If Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates chose to own some of her responsibility...

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