Columns

Supporters of candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva react to the vote count news on general election day on Oct. 25, 2026, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Alexandre Schneider/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Elections in Brazil and Serbia show us that democracy can be surprising

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 30, 2026 at 10:48 a.m.

Brazil and Serbia proved to the world that, even on an uneven electoral playing field,...

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...

President Donald Trump departs after speaking with reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Jan. 20, 2026. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Clarence Page: The information war rages amid Donald Trump’s immigration chaos

By Clarence Page

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

The jackboots are only part of the chaos of immigration operations. Another key element is...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a news conference on the fifth floor of City Hall on Jan. 27, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

David Greising: What are Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plans for stopping abuses by immigration agents?

By David Greising

January 30, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s big moment to issue a call against immigration agent abuses was a...

Crossing guard Joe Sass carries a student though a flooded North Side intersection on Jan. 22, 2026, captured in video from WGN-TV's news helicopter. (WGN-TV)

Heidi Stevens: In the city of big shoulders, a crossing guard shows how we carry our love for all children

By Heidi Stevens

January 28, 2026 at 4:21 p.m.

Joe Sass was caught on camera practicing his mantra: treating every child how he would...

The Ambassador Bridge, where $400 billion in trade crosses between Canada and the U.S. each year, in Windsor, Canada, on Feb. 1, 2025. (Ian Willms/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump stirs up trouble in US-Canada relations

By Daniel DePetris

January 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

U.S.-Canada relations are getting iced over due to a philosophical difference of how international politics...

U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen, of Illinois, the Republican leader, sits on a desk in the Senate Press Gallery at the Capitol in Washington on May 5, 1964, to discuss efforts at ironing out differences among supporters of the House-passed civil rights bill. He and other leaders reported progress after a conference. (Henry Griffin/AP)

John T. Shaw: Two iconic US senators from Illinois demonstrated different dimensions of statesmanship

By John T. Shaw

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

U.S. senators from Illinois, Democrat Paul Douglas and Republican Everett Dirksen, made consequential contributions to...

The Forty Acres Fresh Market is located at 5713 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, as shown Sept. 29, 2025. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: West Side fresh market asks, ‘What would it look like if we actually got our 40 acres?’

By Edward Keegan

July 23, 2026 at 8:18 p.m.

The new Forty Acres Fresh Market on Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood succeeds at...

A woman is detained by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The driver and passenger of a vehicle and several observers were detained after a car accident on Blaisdell Avenue. (Stephen Maturen/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: As federal agents target citizens, where are the folks who cried ‘tyranny’ over pandemic restrictions?

By Heidi Stevens

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

I’m wondering how federal immigration agents' actions sit with those who saw vaccine mandates as...

People walk on a snow-covered shopping street in the city center on January 21, 2026, in Nuuk, Greenland. (Sean Gallup/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Humoring Donald Trump is appeasement, and appeasement is surrender

By Elizabeth Shackelford

January 22, 2026 at 1:25 p.m.

Threatening broad financial punishment or force if Denmark doesn’t hand Greenland to the U.S. is...

A truck carries an Israeli armored personnel carrier as it moves along the border with the northern Gaza Strip on Jan. 16, 2026, in Southern Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: The Trump administration launches Phase 2 of the Gaza plan. Will peace materialize?

By Daniel DePetris

January 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

As the White House would like to proclaim its policy on Gaza as a clear...

Demonstrators, including some wearing traditional Native American dress, on Jan. 10, 2026, protest the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: ICE has been accused of profiling Native Americans. What a cruel irony.

By Clarence Page

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

Tribal leaders in Minnesota say federal agents are detaining members in raids on immigrants because...

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