Columns

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 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

You might expect that as the memory of the 9/11 attacks and the global war...

Chicago school board president candidates Jessica Biggs, from left, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson participate in a forum at the Copernicus Center in Chicago on Sept. 29, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Brutal school board elections are the name of the Chicago game

By Laura Washington

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

This Chicago school board will decide how much taxes we will all pay and how...

Supporters of presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro for the Partido Liberal react during general election day on October 4, 2026, in Brasilia, Brazil. According to official results, Bolsonaro has 47.06% of the votes, and incumbent president of Brazil and presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva has 45.13%, with 99% of the voting counted. Bolsonaro and Lula will face off in a runoff on Oct. 25, 2026, after neither reached 50% of the votes to be elected president. (Ton Molina/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Brazil’s elections appear to be another win for Donald Trump

By Daniel DePetris

October 6, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Over the last year and a half, right-wing candidates have won seven presidential elections in...

An Iranian woman waves a national flag under a billboard depicting slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Valiasr Square in Tehran on June 15, 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a peace deal and an "immediate and permanent" end to military operations on all fronts including Lebanon, mediator Pakistan said, signaling the apparent end to more than three months of war in Middle East. (Atta Kenare/Getty-AFP)

Daniel DePetris: President Donald Trump and Iran get to a deal. Now comes the hard part.

By Daniel DePetris

June 16, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Let’s not pretend we’re out of the woods. The framework deal President Donald Trump and...

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, right, and his wife Amy Gertner gesture to supporters during a primary election night watch party on June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

Clarence Page: Graham Platner’s populist challenge excites Dems — cautiously

By Clarence Page

June 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

There’s a lot of populist appeal in Graham Platner’s spiel. And in keeping with these...

A branch of the Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center campus June 3, 2026, in Chicago’s Jackson Park. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: The public library at the Obama Presidential Center rises above it all

By Laura Washington

June 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The public library at the Obama center will be a gift to the community, where...

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 33rd Mechanized Brigade operates a land combat drone during a training at a polygon in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on June 10, 2026. (Andrii Marienko/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Ukraine’s cheap drones and combat robots offer hope for the good guys

By Elizabeth Shackelford

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

Ukrainian professionals who once worked in finance, IT and construction have turned their civilian capabilities...

"I trusted that the elevator would work. I trusted that the certificate announcing its maintenance was authentic," writes Heidi Stevens. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: Believing we want to help each other is my guiding light — even when I search for reminders

By Heidi Stevens

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

I trust that we want to take care of each other, writes Heidi Stevens.

People check destroyed apartments that were hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on June 7, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Iran and Israel have put Donald Trump in a rough spot

By Daniel DePetris

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

When Iran and Israel resumed attacking each other this week, Donald Trump looked like he...

Simpatizantes del candidato presidencial Abelardo de la Espriella, del movimiento Defensores de la Patria, celebran después de que el candidato avanzara a una segunda vuelta electoral en Cali, Colombia, el 31 de mayo de 2026. (Santiago Saldarriaga/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump tendrá altas exigencias para quien gane las elecciones presidenciales de Colombia

By Daniel DePetris

June 5, 2026 at 5:53 p.m.

Normalmente, unas elecciones presidenciales en Sudamérica no llamarían la atención en los círculos de poder...

Children’s book “J is for Justice: An Activism Alphabet,” by Chicago-based writer Veronica Arreola, appears on PEN America’s latest list of banned books. (Heidi Stevens/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: A Chicago-based author found herself on a banned books list. What it tells us about this moment.

By Heidi Stevens

June 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

“J is for Justice!” was sold out when Heidi Stevens clicked a link to buy,...

Leslie Darling, center, chair of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, meets with ISFA board members and staff at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Feb. 21, 2024. (Antonio Perez/ baiduhai)

David Greising: What’s wrong with using the old Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to help keep the Bears?

By David Greising

June 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

If new and improved financing authority is the answer, perhaps it would be best to...

Pope Leo XIV stands at the window of his studio during the noon Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on May 31, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Pope Leo XIV’s apology for slavery is a start. Now the church must seek atonement.

By Laura Washington

June 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Pope Leo XIV must act on the church's mea culpa by crusading against the racist...

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