For Emanuel, risk hosting summit ‘will pay off’

Mayor Rahm Emanuel had the most to lose from the NATO summit — having stuck his neck out to get it and squeezed business leaders to spend $36.5 million to fund it — and he appears to have emerged from Chicago’s dance on the world stage relatively unscathed.

Obama on NATO Summit: It’s no Taste of Chicago

Deal with it.

In a nutshell, that was President Barack Obama’s kidding message to Chicagoans carping about all the traffic restrictions and security measures in place for the NATO Summit.

“I’ve been asking: Why is everybody making such a big fuss? This isn’t as big …

Courthouse weddings off

Hoping to get hitched in front of a judge downtown this Saturday?

Well, it won’t happen this weekend, thanks to the NATO Summit.

The Marriage and Civil Union Court at 119 W. Randolph will be closed Saturday, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced …

Barack Obama’s ever evolving views on gay marriage

1996: In his first run for office, state Senate candidate Barack Obama responds to a North Side gay magazine’s issues survey with a letter that includes his support for gay marriage. “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight effort to prohibit such marriages,” Obama …

Feds to impose ‘no-fly zone’ for small planes during NATO summit

The government is warning small-plane pilots they could be shot down if they violate a no-fly zone in Chicago during the NATO summit.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a flight advisory for May 19 to 21, banning non-commercial aircraft from flying within 10 nautical …

Local NATO hosts red-faced over ‘Red Zone’ militarization plan

The head of Chicago’s NATO Host Committee said Thursday she was blindsided by the federal government’s decision to create a militarized “Red Zone” in the Loop to protect federal buildings in the run-up to the May 20-21 summit at McCormick Place.

Protesters: Parts of I-55, Lake Shore Drive to be closed during NATO summit

Portions of Lake Shore Drive and Interstate 55 will be closed to traffic during the May 20-21 NATO summit to accommodate a security perimeter imposed by the U.S. Secret Service to protect world leaders meeting at McCormick Place, protesters were told Tuesday.

Vice President Biden drops in for President Obama fund-raiser

Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up a three-state campaign tour Thursday at the Lincoln Park home of real estate developer Elzie Higginbottom. He gave shout-outs to former Mayor Richard M. Daley and former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, whom he called “one of …

Romney backers here looking ahead with an eye on the rear-view mirror

If Mitt Romney and his supporters weren’t worried about Tuesday’s GOP presidential primary election in Illinois, they would not be spending so much time and money here. Illinois actually has a long history of conservatives upsetting moderates in GOP primaries.

Emanuel: Obama only gave me one-hour heads up on G-8 switch

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday he had only an hour’s advance notice of his former boss’ decision to move the G-8 summit from Chicago to Camp David.

NU law profs’ questions for Attorney General Holder go unanswered

Does what we are in count as “war?”

In Yemen? Is the whole world our “battlefield?”

Attorney General Eric Holder faced a tough audience at Northwestern University’s School of Law Monday as he tried to justify the administration’s killing of Americans terrorism suspects overseas.

Faculty …

Business leaders surprised by G-8 switch

Chicago business leaders had a love-hate relationship with the prospect of back-to-back international summits here in May. But their concerns may subside now that President Barack Obama has moved the G-8 meeting from Chicago to Camp David. The decision caught many business leaders by surprise and threatened to throw the hotel business into an uproar.

Primary rivals Jackson and Halvorson haggle over loyalty to Obama

No, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson did not vote against President Barack Obama 88 times — contrary to an ad her opponent, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., is running on African American-oriented radio.

Conner on Obama playlist: From Jennifer Hudson to the Boss to Aretha to ELO to Ledisi

The chief digs his music, that much is clear. That was a credible Al Green impression President Barack Obama slipped into a speech during a Jan. 19 fund-raising event at the famed Apollo Theater. Not only did the YouTube clip of the singer-in-chief go viral, …

State of the Union: Speech is something for Obama to ‘build’ on

The Obama team’s newest slogan, “An America built to last,” rolled out this week for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, is brawny and evocative of a headline on a car ad.