Let’s suppose you were a Democrat who secretly wanted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to become our next president. What would you do? Call America an irredeemably racist nation. DeSantis has become the rhetorical general of America’s new culture war, repe

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is spending part of this week in the Middle East, where he’s scheduled to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian officials to reduce the roiling violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But you can bet that

According to a new Harris Poll, public safety is the top concern of Chicago’s voters. As the Harris CEO Will Johnson wrote in the Tribune this week, 95% of voters cited that issue. Johnson also reported that his poll showed most Chicagoans feel that

Grab the popcorn and settle in: The great electric vehicle price war is here. Weeks after Tesla slashed prices across its U.S. lineup, Ford is set to follow suit. On Monday, the Michigan-based automaker announced price cuts on its electric Mustang Ma

CHICAGO — The video-recorded killing of Tyre Nichols that led to charges against police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, stirred echoes in Chicago, where eight years ago another recorded death similarly sent shock waves across the nation and spurred p

CHICAGO — One of the two Chicago police officers in a video released this week of a man being beaten while in custody was also captured in footage of a suspect being body-slammed on a city street the same year, records show. Damien Stewart and commun

CHICAGO — If Ryan Poles has said it once, he has said it a thousand times. He’s not so much interested in seeking short-term satisfaction as he is eager to develop a formula for sustainable achievement. Thus as his second offseason as the Chicago Bea

CHICAGO — In his second inaugural address in January, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to “make preschool available to every family throughout the state” — a feat that will require solutions to staffing shortfalls, school capacity limitations and

CHICAGO — Regina Michalski made homemade kolaczki and planted beautiful flowers in her Northwest Side backyard every year. Born in Poland in 1926, the “very smart” 96-year-old retired Motorola technician was fluent in German and Russian and lived thr

Along with our heartfelt sympathies for their loss, we extend our gratitude and admiration to the family of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old father who died three days after a sickeningly savage police beating in Memphis on Jan. 7. The family’s courageo

The first month of 2023 has brought disturbingly familiar news. In California, 31 people were killed and 24 wounded in seven shootings. In North Carolina, four shootings took nine lives and left 12 people wounded. In Utah, eight were killed in one sh

Improbably, drag queens have become the latest glittery flashpoint in our ongoing culture wars with a new wave of legislative proposals designed to limit the freedom of these performers to do what they long have done. If certain popular social media

The Oscar-nominated short film “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” could be the name for Silicon Valley’s latest gift to Western civilization — and to many practitioners of misinformation. The artificial intelligence chatb

“Knock at the Cabin” is a real load — 100 lugubrious minutes of what is intended as steadily mounting dread and apocalypse prevention seminar. It’s frustrating because writer-director M. Night Shyamalan has made seriously good films and some that go

Read any good books lately? Any great books? Any books that you might consider for the title Great American Novel? It’s a frequent game in the book world, this Great American Novel contest. I have never been one to participate. Writing books is hard

Startup electric truck manufacturer Rivian said Wednesday it is laying off 6% of its workforce, including a small number of nonmanufacturing employees at its downstate Normal assembly plant. California-based Rivian has about 7,000 employees at its a

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Lake County prosecutors indicated the massive investigation into the July Fourth Highland Park parade shooting is still ongoing during a brief courtroom appearance Tuesday for alleged shooter Robert Crimo III. In a case management co

CHICAGO — Lanita Carter first told police and prosecutors two decades ago that R. Kelly sexually abused her. No charges were filed. She tried to move on, she said. She raised her children, she found a stable career, but Kelly’s music followed her. “E

MOBILE, Ala. — As Senior Bowl practice for the American roster wrapped up late Tuesday afternoon at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy peeled off his team-issued pullover. Underneath, he wore a T-shirt from Veets

For Pamela Anderson, fame came in increments. First as a model for the Canadian beer brand Labatt Blue. Then in the pages of Playboy magazine. “Baywatch” was the project that brought her to life in three dimensions, even if the show’s producers treat

CHICAGO — With the Feb. 9 trade deadline just around the corner, Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has some big decisions to make. Should the Bulls stay the course and hope the team shows the kind of u

SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois appellate court on Tuesday upheld a downstate judge’s decision to temporarily block Illinois’ recently enacted ban on high-powered weapons and high-capacity magazines from being enforced on more than 850 people and a handful

CHICAGO — Cook County prosecutors formally dismissed all charges against imprisoned R&B star R. Kelly on Tuesday, marking a subdued end to indictments that made international headlines when they were announced four years ago. State’s Attorney Kim Fox

CHICAGO — Chicago’s mayoral hopefuls exchanged personal attacks during a contentious candidate forum Tuesday evening that was repeatedly interrupted by loud protesters. A group of demonstrators chanted against Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson

Perhaps the first time you heard the phrase “checks and balances” was in middle school civics class. Not surprising, since it’s a cornerstone of American democracy. The executive, legislative and judicial branches of government act as counterweights

CHICAGO — O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 5 now has more space to accommodate planes and passengers after 10 new gates opened for airlines’ use. The new gates entering service mark the completion of a key piece of the revamp of the former int

A new team combining paramedics and recovery specialists will now respond to some Chicago 911 calls for overdose emergencies. The city’s first Opioid Response Team launched Monday, Chicago Department of Public Health Director Dr. Allison Arwady said.

CHICAGO -- The world headquarters of Mold-A-Rama Inc. is tucked inside a colorless strip of businesses in Brookfield, Illinois, the kind of block so forlorn it’s hard to tell if anything is open or closed. There’s a small mailbox noting that Mold-A-R

CHICAGO — Before I was a food critic for the Chicago Tribune, I spent 15 years writing, cooking and, most importantly, eating as much as I could. To review a restaurant these days, I visit multiple times, read any books that might be helpful, and spe

This month, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug, lecanemab, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, sold under the brand name Leqembi, was developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and will be marketed commercial