Chicago Tribune Opinion newsletter
Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌
Header Logo

Chicago Tribune Opinion

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Good morning, Chicago.

President Donald Trump is facing many wars both around the world and at home in the U.S. Columnist Laura Washington draws our attention to one conflict that she thinks the president has started himself against Black women.

Trump recently degraded NBC News journalist Yamiche Alcindor for asking him a question at a press briefing, and Washington points out that the president has a long history of demeaning Black women, and not just reporters.

His followers jump on the bandwagon and participate. Washington calls this “trickle-down racism,” a term first coined by an academic study.

“The war on Black women has been greeted with applause from Trump’s MAGA followers and silence from the rest of the Republican Party establishment. It has become permissible, even popular for some, to dehumanize us,” Washington writes.

The Tribune Editorial Board recently sat down with police Superintendent Larry Snelling for an exclusive interview on the state of CPD. Read what he told the board about the ongoing immigration crackdown, the decline in violent crime and more here.

Also today, we have a piece from U.S. Rep. Sean Casten on pilot mental health. Plus, a department dean at the University of Chicago writes on the college’s recent changes to humanities programs.

Thanks for reading. We hope you have a good Wednesday.

— Grace Miserocchi, opinion editor

Submit an op-ed | Submit a letter to the editor | Meet the Tribune Editorial Board | Subscribe to this newsletter

Laura Washington: Donald Trump and MAGA are targeting Black women

President Donald Trump and his supporters have degraded a wide range of accomplished African American women.

Read more →

Editorial: A frank conversation with Superintendent Larry Snelling, Chicago’s top cop

The editorial board has a wide-ranging discussion with the boss of the Chicago Police Department on all things public safety.

Read more →

Rep. Sean Casten: Pilots shouldn’t be grounded for seeking mental health care

Pilots and air traffic controllers who seek mental health care are unfairly penalized.

Read more →

Deborah L. Nelson: The future of the arts and humanities at the University of Chicago

The humanities at the University of Chicago can never be contained within a final, completed form. They must be responsive to change.

Read more →

Letters: Illinois and Chicago leaders are failing their communities

For many families in Chicago, violence is not rare. Yet the governor’s instinct is to downplay the crisis rather than to confront it.

Read more →

Scott Stantis