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...

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in central Moscow on May 9, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Getty-AFP)

Daniel DePetris: Vladimir Putin’s costly warmongering is stirring up resentment at home

By Daniel DePetris

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

The discontent in Russian society over the costly war in Ukraine is beginning to bubble...

With the Chicago skyline in the background, a child runs on the sand at Tobey Prinz Beach in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, March 21, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Clarence Page: Why are young couples delaying having a family? Dread, for one.

By Clarence Page

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

When asked about a delay in having kids, many young couples cite economic and job...

Mayor Brandon Johnson rides the elevator down after meeting with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch in Welch’s office at the Illinois State Capitol building on May 6, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

David Greising: The mayor makes a plea for his Bears plan, but Springfield is megaprojects bill-bound

By David Greising

May 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The mayor calls for a taxpayer-owned Chicago Bears arena, even though the megaprojects bill is...

The activist and painter Judith F. Baca uses paint to darken the right side of Cesar Chavez’s face, creating a shadow to represent, she said, “his dark side arising,” in “The Great Wall of Los Angeles,” at her studio in Santa Monica, California, on April 3, 2026. Artists who created public depictions of the civil rights icon Cesar Chavez have had to revisit their works after accusations emerged of Chavez’s sexual abuse of girls in the movement. (Ariana Drehsler/The New York Times)

Steve Chapman: What the erasure of Cesar Chavez reveals about American politics

By Steve Chapman

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

If Cesar Chavez, now cloaked in disgrace, had his life to do over again, I’m...

Mexican National Guard soldiers patrol in Culiacán, in Mexico's Sinaloa state, Feb. 4, 2026. The U.S. has indicted Sinaloa's governor, Rubén Rocha Moya, and nine other officials. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: An indictment of Sinaloa’s governor could roil US-Mexico ties

By Daniel DePetris

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

An indictment against current and former Mexican officials will complicate the two nations' work to...

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act on Aug. 6, 1965, in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Surrounding the president, from left directly above his right hand, are Vice President Hubert Humphrey; House Speaker John McCormack; Rep. Emanuel Celler, D-N.Y.; first daughter Luci Johnson; and Sen. Everett Dirksen, R-Ill. Behind Humphrey is House Majority Leader Carl Albert of Oklahoma, and behind Celler is Sen. Carl Hayden, D-Ariz. (AP)

Clarence Page: The Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling will promote corrupt electoral maps

By Clarence Page

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

In striking down the Louisiana voting map as a racial gerrymander, the court opened the...

Assistant manager Martice Chatman, 17, walks over to play some music on a record player in the music library at BandWith Chicago in East Garfield Park on April 30, 2026. The renovated industrial building is now home to a community-based music program. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Garfield Park performing arts center is modern and minimalist

By Edward Keegan

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

BandWith Chicago’s new home in East Garfield Park displays a more contemporary approach to Ludwig...

Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, from left, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Ungovernable billionaires may be our biggest global threat

By Elizabeth Shackelford

May 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The biggest threat of AI is that the bulk of this powerful technology is within...

Mary Claire Haver speaks onstage at the’ We Need to Talk About Women’ s Health’ panel during Hello Sunshine’s Second Annual Shine Away Experiential Event, Connected by AT&T at Nya Studios on Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: Women ‘will not be shamed into silent suffering’ in this menopause moment. Hallelujah

By Heidi Stevens

May 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Women are clearly done being sidelined, shushed, gaslit and otherwise disregarded the moment their bodies...

President Donald Trump, right, and British King Charles III review the Guard of Honour after arriving at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Will King Charles’ visit help soften the animus between the US and the UK?

By Daniel DePetris

April 28, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The British monarch will have some work to do during his visit to chip away...

Columnists