Columns

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addresses supporters during a victory rally after winning a fourth term in the presidential runoff in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 25, 2026. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

Daniel DePetris: What Donald Trump should do now that his Brazilian ally has been defeated

By Daniel DePetris

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

Flávio Bolsonaro's own self-imposed exile comes at a tricky time for relations between the United...

Former President Barack Obama speaks Oct. 28, 2026, in Morrow, Georgia, where he repeated the Cheesecake Factory Oval Office comparison. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

Clarence Page: Barack Obama’s Cheesecake Factory joke explains the state of MAGA

By Clarence Page

November 2, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Oval Office belongs to all of us, which is one reason why Barack Obama’s...

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...

Players take the field for their first home game as the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland on April 15, 2022. The Guardians and Washington Commanders had seemingly resolved the name matter by selecting new names. Now, thanks to the president of the United States, the issue is back on the table. (Dustin Franz/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump’s naming game is a pitch to his restive base

By Clarence Page

July 28, 2025 at 8:18 a.m.

President Donald Trump has called on two sports teams to revert to their former names...

Flood waters left debris including vehicles and equipment scattered in Louise Hays Park on July 5, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Eric Vryn/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: As our land literally burns, we don’t owe the president quiet subservience

By Heidi Stevens

July 25, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

A country that doesn't allow citizens to criticize their leaders is not a democracy. It's...

State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk outside State Department headquarters following layoffs July 11, 2025, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Burning down America’s best tool for peace and prosperity

By Elizabeth Shackelford

July 25, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

As a former U.S. diplomat, I know that these cuts at the State Department will...

Susana Mendoza drops off her nominating petitions for Chicago mayor at the Cook County Administration Building on Nov. 26, 2018. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Chicago mayoral wannabes are already edging to the gate

By Laura Washington

July 23, 2025 at 2:03 p.m.

The potential Chicago mayoral race competition is getting itchy. My wild card: Lisa Madigan who...

President Donald Trump looks at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a dinner at the White House in Washington, July 7, 2025. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu don’t have the same goals

By Daniel DePetris

July 22, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Donald Trump wants the war in Gaza solved, but the possibility of a ceasefire deal...

Nancy Keenan, left, and her daughter, Nora Tonn, pose for a photograph with a portrait of Tonn's son Brooks on Jan. 29, 2020, in Hinsdale, Illinois. Brooks died of cancer in 2017 at age 10. Nora and her husband, Rob, created a foundation in memory of their son. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: Years after his death, Hinsdale boy’s legacy of kindness leads the way

By Heidi Stevens

July 18, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Nora and Rob Tonn launched Brooks Strong, a nonprofit to fund pediatric cancer research and to...

Residents gather in the rubble of their neighborhood after a Russian drone strike next to a military recruitment center in the background in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 11, 2025. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: Vladimir Putin’s conduct causes Donald Trump to have a change of heart on Ukraine

By Daniel DePetris

July 15, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Vladimir Putin’s conduct has prompted Donald Trump’s shift as Russia's war effort in Ukraine has...

Attorney General Pam Bondi, left, listens as President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on July 8, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Clarence Page: Is the Jeffrey Epstein scandal finally behind us? Don’t bet on it.

By Clarence Page

July 13, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Whether they exist or not, "the Epstein files" became a story in themselves.

People walk past the National Public Housing Museum at 919 S. Ada St. in Chicago on July 11, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: The future of public housing is on Chicago’s Taylor Street

By Edward Keegan

July 13, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago's new National Public Housing Museum and Roosevelt Square mixed-use apartments show glimmers of architectural...

An ICE agent is shown at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on June 15, 2025. ICE detained an immigrant in Skokie. (Audrey Richardson/baiduhai)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Donald Trump wants to deport migrants to South Sudan. What awaits them isn’t pretty.

By Elizabeth Shackelford

July 11, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

I have worked in South Sudan as a diplomat. It is on the brink of...

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