To fight the coronavirus at home, France is removing all military forces from Iraq. When NATO scaled back its war games in Europe because of the pandemic, Russia reciprocated. Moscow announced it would cancel its war games along NATO's border.

The COVID-19 pandemic is altering many dimensions of our national life: economic, social, political. But it cannot be allowed to infect the health of our democracy or weaken the ability of every American to cast a ballot in November.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Mines and Minerals Bulldog coal mine permit is now under Administrative Review.

Sometimes, the numbers speak for themselves -- and loudly.

This is a time of great testing for Congress. As it considers responses to the nation’s health and economic crises, it faces close scrutiny by ordinary Americans, financial markets, and businesses large and small across the country. The pressure to move quickly is intense, and it is not an i…

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An emergency room doctor in New York City got thrust into an international spotlight this week when former President Barack Obama responded to what he had posted on Twitter. The doctor’s theme: a day in the ER.

As the coronavirus stops normal life, trapping more Americans in their homes, some have raised the specter of another health threat: loneliness. Before this crisis seized our anxieties, much discussion centered around the dangers of perceived social isolation and feeling cut off from others.

During a recent spate of cynicism, I made a prediction to friends: Before this thing is over, Trumpists will be calling COVID-19 God's will. So let's get back to work, save the stock market and let the disease sort them out. There are more than 300 million individuals in the United States. S…

Most of us are understandably preoccupied with the latest news about COVID-19. So much else goes unnoticed.

Now that Joe Biden has virtually clinched the Democratic nomination, the next question is his running mate. He's promised to name a woman, and there are many good candidates — but his best bet would be Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota who ran a credible race for the top spot and str…

"The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time," said Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey to a friend on the eve of Britain's entry into the First World War.

We come to you today with a simple message: Let’s listen to the people who know what they’re talking about.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker order Friday for state residents to stay home casts a much more serious light on the spread of COVID-19 for many of us. Vermilion County has been fortunate as of Saturday morning that no confirmed cases of the virus had been reported, but it’s unlikely we will conti…

The nation seems to have two Donald Trumps now: One is the calm, focused president who emerged last week to finally begin taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously. The other is the more familiar figure of division and xenophobia who has dramatically lowered the bar of our political discours…

As was only fitting on St. Patrick's Day, my brother Tommy and I congratulated each other on our hardy Irish peasant genes. Centuries of living on dirt floors with pigs, we smugly agreed, have rendered us Micks immune from contagion.

If Bernie Sanders were amassing a nearly insurmountable lead in the delegate counts, I have little doubt that he would be saying to Joe Biden: "Democrats have spoken. Time to drop out and help the team."

As we adjust to our new normal in the season of COVID-19, there are adjustments we can make in our everyday lives to make things better for everyone. Some of these are already common sense and in extensive use, for which we are grateful. But we’ll present some suggestions, even at the risk o…

The magic number so far — the amount of federal money necessary to protect our nation from COVID-19’s economic devastation — is $1 trillion or more.

Thanks to coronavirus, the phrase “social distancing” has entered the social consciousness. It means to avoid crowds and personal contact, such as shaking hands.

Did the U.S. Supreme Court go too far in its rationale for free speech and press when ruling for the New York Times in a landmark libel case brought by a public official 56 years ago?

Dr. Brian Monahan, attending physician of Congress, told a closed meeting of Senate staffers this week that 70 million to 150 million Americans — a third of the nation — could contract the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci testified that the mortality rate for COVID-19 will likely run near 1 percent.

At statehouses across the country, news bureaus are in distress.

Health experts and government officials want us to be aware and use caution regarding the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, that has caused thousands and thousands to become ill. It is a potentially fatal virus, with the elderly among the most vulnerable.

Concerts don’t get postponed, sporting events don’t get played in empty stadiums, and countries don’t shut down on a whim.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hitched her star to Bernie Sanders — and vice versa. AOC brought a young, hip Latina vibe to the elderly Sanders' rallies. Photogenic and enjoying a massive social media presence, she joined Bernie in the far left's crusade to take over the Democratic Party.

To hear some people tell it, a loss for Elizabeth Warren is a loss for womankind. Ever since the Massachusetts senator withdrew her presidential candidacy after finishing third in her home state primary on Super Tuesday, many have described her demise as resulting from dislike and fear of st…

On June 1, 2019, the votes of state Rep. Allen Skillicorn on two dozen bills and resolutions that came before the House that day were placed into the legislative record, and the East Dundee Republican was listed as present at the 12:15 p.m. roll call. But Skillicorn was nowhere near Springfi…

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A week ago, the candidacy of Joe Biden was at death's door. On a taping of "The McLaughlin Group," this writer suggested it might be time to "call the rectory" and have the monsignor come render last rites.

President Trump is treating the coronavirus as a public relations problem, not a medical problem; a question of spin, not science. He's focusing on the threat to his own political health, not the threat to Americans' physical health. And that is deeply dangerous.

Remember the original threat-level warning established by the United States following the Sept. 11 attacks? The since-abandoned color chart gave the degree of alert under which the country should be.

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I know this is an outlier story. It's about Brooklyn brownstone couples who pay over $2,000 for professionals to choose and care for their houseplants. Houseplant designing is actually a service being offered to the urban and suburban gentry. One such "Plant Doctor & Stylist" charges an …

During a recent presidential debate, one Democratic candidate came out foursquare against majority rule, and hardly anybody noticed.

Bravo to YouTube for announcing a ban on misleading political content from its site. It’s a tall order for a platform on which people upload 500 hours of video per minute, but a necessary one, as political saboteurs spread misinformation aimed at confusing voters about candidates, issues and…

The Illinois Department of Public Health recently took a big step in a wise direction when it acquired the ability to conduct in-state tests for coronavirus. The disease originated in China in the city of Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, and quickly became enough of a concern the Wor…

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Thomas gave Democrats on the high court a figurative kick in the rear end in 2016 after they ruled 4-3 that the Independent Map Amendment didn’t meet constitutional requirements.