Good morning, Chicago.

Educators have some important things to say today in our section. Jerald McNair, a south suburban school administrator, celebrates the late Dolly Parton for how she put books in the hands of so many children. As he notes, literacy has a strong influence on the development of children and the trajectory of their lives. Longtime teacher Adam Patric Miller admits in his op-ed that he hasn’t had the “AI talk” with his students yet, and he eloquently ruminates on the ramifications for students and educators as AI becomes a dominant presence. Also in commentary, foreign affairs columnist Daniel DePetris considers the current state of affairs at the six-month mark in the Iran war.

As for its offerings, the Tribune Editorial Board praises Walmart for taking its tariff refund and paying it forward through price cuts; it wonders if other companies will step up to do the right thing. And the board writes about the use of influencers by campaigns to promote candidates. If influencers are being paid, voters deserve to know, the board writes.

Plus, in our letters, a reader praises Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for his support of Amtrak, and another reader explains why removing Temporary Protected Status and deporting Haitians are inhumane acts. If you’d like to submit a letter to us, please click on the link below.

We’ll be back in your inboxes tomorrow.

— Colleen Kujawa, opinion editor

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