Columns

Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin departs July 22, 2026, at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., after a mock graduation event to commemorate Durbin’s long advocacy for the Dream Act, a path to citizenship for undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

John T. Shaw: Sen. Dick Durbin is not giving up on immigration reform

By John T. Shaw

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

Sen. Dick Durbin has a strategy on immigration reform that draws from others' earlier struggles...

A rendering of a planned 160-key hotel that is part of the Woodlawn Central development on Chicago’s South Side at 6320 S. Dorchester Ave. near Jackson Park and the Obama Presidential Center. (Gensler)

Edward Keegan: Planned high-rise apartments show new tendencies in the Chicago tall building

By Edward Keegan

November 1, 2026 at 8:43 a.m.

Until recently, it was quite unusual to find a tall building outside of the Loop....

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,...

President George W. Bush signs the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 with Stephannie Hamlett, left, mother of Kyle, and Carolyn Bailey, second from right, Isabelle Bailey and Benjamin Bailey looking on Dec. 3, 2004, in Washington, D.C. (Dennis Brack/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: Gutting special education services is a betrayal of conservative ideals and our collective values

By Heidi Stevens

October 17, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

When you chip away at any child's ability to access education, you chip away at...

President Donald Trump greets Argentina's president, Javier Milei, at the White House in Washington on Oct. 14, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty-AFP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Donald Trump applies his strongman approach to Latin America

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 17, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump seems intent on promoting autocratic leaders in Brazil and Argentina and bringing...

President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Israel on Oct. 12, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump declares a new dawn in the Middle East. The reality is a little more complicated.

By Daniel DePetris

October 14, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

There’s no doubt that President Donald Trump has scored a big diplomatic win. But what does...

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty)

Clarence Page: Attorney General Pam Bondi faces critics, ‘burns’ them

By Clarence Page

October 12, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

In her first oversight hearing as attorney general, Pam Bondi made it clear that she...

People cheer as runners cross the LaSalle Street Bridge during the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 13, 2024, through the Loop. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: Chicago isn’t defined by Trump’s immigration blitz — or any single moment, beautiful or heartbreaking

By Heidi Stevens

October 10, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

We have it in us to cheer for people from everywhere and to make room...

Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists wave flags during dueling protests near Prime Minter Benjamin Netanyahu's hotel at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2025, in New York. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Two years later, the war in Gaza has been catastrophic for all sides

By Daniel DePetris

October 7, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Oct. 7 sparked the most violent war between Israel and Hamas in history and dealt...

Part of a piece called “Fragments of Disability Fictions, by Ignacio G. Galán, David Gissen and Architensions (Alessandro Orsini, Nick Roseboro) in the exhibit "SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial in the Chicago Cultural Center is installed Sept. 16, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: It is unclear what the Chicago Architecture Biennial is shifting to

By Edward Keegan

October 6, 2025 at 12:41 p.m.

It’s hardly clear what the Chicago Architecture Biennial is offering in this time of radical...

Hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals from around the globe listen as President Donald Trump talks at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, on Sept. 30, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump faces his generals

By Clarence Page

October 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Was an address by the president and defense secretary to military leaders a green light...

Protesters take selfies and celebrate on Sept. 9, 2025, at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government ministries and offices, after it was set on fire during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Gen Z-led protests are spreading rapidly across the globe

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 3, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The globe is seeing the most significant spike in dissent since the Arab Spring all...

Gregory Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol official, stands with other federal agents near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: ‘We’re going to throw our humanity out?’ Immigration crackdown taking us down a cruel path

By Heidi Stevens

October 2, 2025 at 8:17 a.m.

It's hard to believe that this blitz has anything to do with public safety or...

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