Another exercise in nonpartisan cooperation ended sadly, as Donald Trump undoubtedly planned. Every year, the nation's governors meet with the president to discuss common concerns. Trump had initially banned two Democratic members of the National Governors Association from attending -- ...

Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank used to mock those pretending not to be influenced by cash funneled into their pockets. "I can't be bought," Frank put it, "but I sure as hell can be rented." These days, it's Performative Primary Politics 101 for Democrats, catering to a left-tilting base ...

Gavin Newsom won't be the Democrats' 2028 presidential nominee unless he wins a significant share of the African American vote. So how's he courting it? Promoting his new memoir to a largely black audience in Atlanta, the California governor decided to forge a connection by boasting about ...

It seems like everyone in Chicago has a story about the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died this week at the age of 84. Here's mine. I was a young reporter when I first talked to him, working the weekend and holiday shifts, which meant I often covered some of the bleakest stories in the newspaper. ...

Having covered the late Rev. Jesse Jackson off and on since the 1960s, I am still amused to receive an email from one of my many critics who wants me to know that you don't have to be white to find something to criticize about Black people, as if I didn't know. In fact, I've made an impressive ...

Gallup released 2025 survey data this month from its National Health and Well-Being Index showing a significant drop in Americans' optimism for the future. Taken from four quarterly surveys conducted last year, a total of 22,125 respondents were asked to "imagine a ladder with steps numbered ...