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,...

Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, on Aug. 27, 2025. (Tom Baker/Getty-AFP)

Heidi Stevens: When a shooting — any shooting — shakes a nation, we need to look at the guns

By Heidi Stevens

September 19, 2025 at 8:19 a.m.

Charlie Kirk's cause of death is all too common. His shooting wasn’t even the only...

Territorial defense officers stand near a damaged house after Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine, in Wyryki near Lublin, Poland, on Sept. 11, 2025. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Daniel DePetris: NATO rose to the challenge and passed Russia’s test in Poland

By Daniel DePetris

September 16, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

After Russian drones breached Polish airspace, NATO sent a message to the Russians that such...

Candles are lit during a vigil in memory of political activist Charlie Kirk at McKiernan Park in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2025, in Chicago. Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Clarence Page: Is another era of political violence upon us?

By Clarence Page

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

I remember the sort of tit-for-tat violence that plagued this country in the 1960s —...

Gov. JB Pritzker steps out to speak after visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on Sept. 9, 2025. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

David Greising: Gov. JB Pritzker should keep his attention on the work needed to offset Donald Trump’s actions

By David Greising

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

When Gov JB Pritzker gets distracted by the rhetoric about the guard, he risks taking...

Soldier Field and the Chicago skyline on April 26, 2023. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: I’m sure a suburban, domed Bears stadium will be lovely, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it

By Heidi Stevens

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

I do understand the appeal of Arlington Heights. But we Chicagoans are not fancy people...

President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro says goodbye after a news conference at Hotel Melia Caracas on Sept. 1, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro stated that his government is targeted by eight military ships and 1,200 missiles, what he called the largest threat on Venezuela in the last 100 years. (Jesus Vargas/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: Boat attack shows that Donald Trump doesn’t know what he wants in Venezuela

By Daniel DePetris

September 9, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Destroying a boat that was allegedly transporting narcotics to the United States is the latest...

People cheer as they listen to Sonora Santanera’s performance on the main stage at El Grito Chicago, a two-day festival in celebration of Mexican Independence Day, at Grant Park on Sept. 14, 2024. Organizers have announced that the 2025 event will be postponed as the city braces for increased immigration enforcement from the federal government. (Tess Crowley/baiduhai)

Clarence Page: When the immigration debate becomes war by another name

By Clarence Page

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

However Americans may feel about immigration broadly speaking, most of us don't like when immigrants...

A rendering of a proposed 24-unit project in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood. (City of Chicago)

Edward Keegan: Chicago’s Missing Middle housing initiative aims too low

By Edward Keegan

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

Chicago’s Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative is intended as an urban repair project. But the...

A visitor looks at art at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art on March 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reshape and remove content that “portrays American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive” and promote "American greatness" at the Smithsonian Institute, and its collection of 21 museums, 14 education centers and the National Zoo. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: Forgetting — or erasing — our past is a sure path to repeating it. Now more than ever

By Heidi Stevens

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

The Smithsonian museums are in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who believes they’re too “woke.”

Chinese troops march in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025, during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. (Pedro Pardo/Getty-AFP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: China is making autocracy great again

By Elizabeth Shackelford

September 5, 2025 at 5:38 p.m.

With most U.S. adversaries present at China's military parade, this was a show of unity...

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