Columns

A poster depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot, his main rival and leader of the Yashar ("Straight") party, along a pedestrian path on Oct. 26, 2026, in Tel Aviv, Israel, ahead of the country's general election. (David Goldman/AP)

Daniel DePetris: If Israel gets a new prime minister, will anything change?

By Daniel DePetris

October 26, 2026 at 12:42 p.m.

Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger in Israel's elections, Gadi Eisenkot, are more alike than...

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dr. Amy Acton visits with supporters during a campaign event along the Ohio River in Marietta, Ohio, on Sept. 17, 2026. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Clarence Page: Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad in Ohio governor’s race backfires

By Clarence Page

October 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The fracas over a campaign ad from governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy could blow back on...

Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his budget address Oct. 21, 2026, at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

David Greising: The fight over Chicago’s budget is healthy. Now the city needs a charter.

By David Greising

October 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

If an independent City Council becomes an expected feature of the budget process, we really...

The remains of what appeared to be a working dairy farm burned and bombed by the Ecuadorian army, as part of a campaign aimed at drug cartels, in Sucumb'os, Ecuador, on March 13, 2026. Authorities are using drones, troops and artificial intelligence to crack down on cocaine smuggling, but gangs are finding new ways to move record amounts of drugs across the world. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: The Pentagon is blending the war on drugs with counterterrorism. It isn’t working.

By Daniel DePetris

May 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

By fusing the two, the U.S. is embarking on a long-term military engagement whose goal...

Cardinal Blase Cupich places ashes on the forehead of a worshipper during an outdoor Ash Wednesday Mass followed by a procession around Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park on Feb. 18, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

John T. Shaw: Cardinal Blase Cupich provides spiritual statesmanship in a turbulent world

By John T. Shaw

May 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The cardinal speaks passionately about the importance of prayer and the Gospels. He also believes...

Vice President JD Vance takes questions from reporters during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 19, 2026, in Washington. (Heather Diehl/Getty)

Clarence Page: ‘Anti-weaponization fund’ is corruption, but it’s also an instrument of abuse

By Clarence Page

May 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Oval Office has become a zone of lawlessness, built by the president with the...

After leaving her jacket in a Warsaw hotel room, Heidi Stevens had her faith in humanity restored by the kind people who returned it to her, and an outpouring of similar stories from readers. (Heidi Stevens/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: A lost jacket shipped overseas opens up a world of examples that people really do want to help

By Heidi Stevens

May 22, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In last week’s column, Heidi Stevens wrote about traveling to Warsaw for the international Literacy...

Clouds pass over Soldier Field on April 23, 2026. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

David Greising: Chicago’s parking meter deal was rushed. The Bears megaprojects bill shouldn’t be.

By David Greising

May 22, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Illinois could be days away from passing the megaprojects bill with untold millions in tax...

Baraa Heikal, center, mourns over the body of his brother Fadi Heikal, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on May 10, 2026. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump’s board of irrelevant peace

By Daniel DePetris

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

Seven months after the U.S.-negotiated ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Gaza, Donald Trump's Board of...

President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Mehmet Oz, left, administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, delivers remarks during an event on maternal healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House on May 11, 2026, in Washington. The Trump administration recently launched Moms.gov, a website to help provide resources for expecting women and their families. Also pictured are philanthropist Olivia Walton, second from left, and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., third from right. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

Clarence Page: Feeling ‘under-babied’? More like underpaid and overburdened

By Clarence Page

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

Dr. Mehmet Oz sounded the alarm on a fertility crisis, but what about those who...

Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park in 2017. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings are always worth revisiting

By Edward Keegan

May 17, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Two new books on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie and Bogk houses build upon the remarkable...

Undersecretary of Defense/Comptroller Jules Hurst, from left, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the fiscal year 2027 budget request at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026. The Trump administration is asking for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: An indefensible defense budget proposal and what it portends for our nation

By Elizabeth Shackelford

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

Giving the Trump administration a massive increase in funding only dials up the risk of...

This view from the observation deck of the Varso Tower shows the Palace of Culture and Science and a skyline of Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Sergei Gapon/Getty-AFP)

Heidi Stevens: A glimpse at Warsaw history reinforces why books and literacy are vital for democracy

By Heidi Stevens

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

When we ban books, we take away the stories and witnesses who can help us...

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