Columns

This image from CCTV video released by Saudi Arabia's Media Ministry shows passengers taking cover as flames and smoke fill part of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during what authorities described as a strike at the airport on Oct. 10, 2026. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP)

Daniel DePetris: Resumption of war between Houthis and Saudis is bad timing for Donald Trump

By Daniel DePetris

October 12, 2026 at 1:27 p.m.

The attacks in Saudi Arabia come when Donald Trump is in a standoff over the...

Attorneys for Christa Pike hold a news conference after a judge ruled the Tennessee Department of Corrections must preserve all evidence related to the failed execution of Pike, on Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP)

Clarence Page: A botched execution shakes our death penalty presumptions

By Clarence Page

October 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The botched execution of Christa Pike offers a gross illustration of the cruelty that capital...

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...

President Joe Biden poses with attendees after speaking at Brookland Baptist Church's banquet and conference center in West Columbia, S.C., Jan. 28, 2024. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

Laura Washington: President Joe Biden is struggling to shore up the Black vote

By Laura Washington

February 5, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

President Joe Biden was elected, thanks in no small part to Black voters. Yet, he...

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with Taylor Swift after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game Jan. 28, 2024. Swift is very likely to be at the Super Bowl cheering for Kelce, and that irks some football fans.

Column: You whining about Taylor Swift at football games won’t break your kid. But it is a wasted opportunity

By Heidi Stevens

June 7, 2024 at 11:50 a.m.

Barring a cataclysmic event, like the flight from her Tokyo tour getting delayed, Taylor Swift...

The home of Amy and Brian Scott in Naperville is decorated with a Taylor Swift theme on Dec. 14, 2023.

Clarence Page: Joe Biden’s campaign could use some star power. Paging Taylor Swift?

By Clarence Page

January 31, 2024 at 11:58 a.m.

The success of Swift and her record-breaking Eras Tour have made this such a successful...

Heidi Sarmiento of Venezuela, center, walks with other migrants to the city's landing zone after traveling from Glen Ellyn to Ogilvie Transportation Center in the early morning of Jan. 5, 2024. The migrants were given a sheet of paper with walking directions to the city's landing zone.

Clarence Page: When partisan politics leave migrants out in the cold

By Clarence Page

January 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

As a long, dreaded January chill made life on the streets unthinkable for waves of...

Pete was 41 when he was standing next to his orange tent near Interstate Highway 90 on Dec. 22, 2022, in Chicago's Irving Park Neighborhood. He died in early January 2024.

Column: ‘He was such a sweet soul.’ A community grieves the loss of its neighbor Pete, who lived quietly in a big, orange tent

By Heidi Stevens

June 7, 2024 at 11:50 a.m.

For a few years, it's hard to say how many exactly, a man named Pete...

President Joe Biden talks to reporters before walking to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in 2023.

Clarence Page: Could Dems hold a ‘brokered convention?’ It would keep the crowd alert

By Clarence Page

January 24, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

It occurs to me, as the presidential race heats up, that I have not yet...

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at the Alpine Grove Event Center on Jan. 18, 2024, in Hollis, New Hampshire.

Clarence Page: Where the Civil War never seems to end — our presidential campaigns

By Clarence Page

January 21, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

I wrote before about Nikki Haley and her gaffe in December about the causes of...

Supporters arrive before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party on Jan. 15, 2024, in Des Moines.

Clarence Page: Donald Trump, unifier? That’s a new one.

By Clarence Page

January 17, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

In striking contrast to his usual bombast, Donald Trump's victory speech in Iowa sounded surprisingly...

A police officer and her dog walk along the Carroll Gartin Justice Building in Jackson, Mississippi, on Jan. 4, 2024, as officials deal with a second consecutive day of bomb threats in the capitol.

Clarence Page: Threats of violence mar MLK holiday. Still, his words guide us.

By Clarence Page

January 14, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

In the days leading up to the national holiday to honor the great champion of...

Under HB 1069, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, Florida residents have the right to demand the removal of any library book that "depicts or describes sexual conduct." Including the dictionary.

Column: In attempt to shield kids from sexual content, Florida school district bans dictionaries. Do better, grown-ups

By Heidi Stevens

June 7, 2024 at 11:50 a.m.

A school district in Florida has made the bold and bewildering decision to ban dictionaries...

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