This year's presidential race has been a national dialogue on what matters to Americans at this point in our nation's history. But it's also been a sometimes difficult debate on the very real gender, ethnic and racial tensions that lie just underneath our country's perception of itself. A week after Jesse Jackson apologized to Barack Obama for vulgar remarks made to a colleague when he thought his microphone was turned off, new footage reveals that......

Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized to Barack Obama yesterday on CNN’s The Situation Room, and later at a press conference, for remarks he made off-air after an interview with Fox News. In fact, because Jackson spoke when he thought he was off the air, it took several hours to know exactly what was said. After hours of hype, both on Fox and online, Bill O'Reilly finally played the tape on his show. At a press conference......

It's hard to avoid if you're keeping up with the mainstream media, but in case you've missed it, today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. King is remembered in today's Tribune, the Sun-Times speaks to Jesse Jackson, who was present at the assassination, and WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight focuses on the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation's efforts to fight substandard housing in the neighborhood as well as their tribute to King,......

21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins accepted Jesse Jackson's endorsement for Cook County State's attorney Sunday at Jackson's South Side Rainbow/PUSH headquarters. A Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll published today shows that there is no clear front-runner in the race for State's Attorney, and most of the county's Democratic power brokers have stayed out of the race. Jesse Jackson Jr endorsed Larry Suffredin earlier this year, ostensibly as part of the on-going feud between the Jacksons and Bill......

The Cook County State's Attorney race has been contentious, with Democratic candidates taking plenty of shots at each other in a televised debate and myriad endorsements. [Ed note: I love when there's a usage note in the dictionary.] Now Jesse Jackson's candidate Larry Suffredin is under renewed scrutiny for his work as a corporate lobbyist. According to the Sun Times, Suffredin, a Cook County commissioner from Evanston lobbied on behalf of Kankakee Regional Landfill LLC.......

The race for Cook County state's attorney has been hot and heavy in the past few weeks, with candidates taking plenty of shots at each other in a debate last week. (You can watch the debate here.) The race has also split up local democrats, as endorsements abound. Lt Governor Pat Quinn is supporting Anita Alvarez, saying "she happens to be a woman. She happens to be Hispanic. And she also happens to be the......

Hillary Clinton's "Emotional Moment" in the Portsmouth, NH café on Monday has already become the stuff of myth, with many pundits directly and indirectly attributing Clinton's surprise victory in Tuesday's primary to the tears that almost fell (but never actually did). Leave it to Chicago's own Jesse Jackson Jr., co-chairman of Barack Obama's national campaign, to siphon the tears out of the excretory ducts of Clinton's eyes and leverage them for political gain: There......

Congressman and mayoral wannabe Jesse Jackson Jr made some strange bedfellows this weekend when he announced that he's endorsing Larry Suffredin for Cook County state's attorney. But the endorsement should come as no surprise to 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins, who is also running for the post. Brookins drew the ire of organized labor when he backed Wal-Mart's attempts to open a store in his ward, and now that Bill Beavers and Todd Stroger are......

Jesse Jackson Jr wants the FEC to tell him whether he can use his campaign funds to help his wife, 7th Ward Alderman Sandi, to unseat Bill "Hog With the Big Nuts" Beavers as ward committeeman. In the advisory opinion request he submitted to the federal commission on October 15, he specifically asked for clarification on several issues, including how much money, if any, his re-election campaign can give his wife, as well as the......

Loyola University Medical Center started testing all incoming patients for that drug-resistant staph germ that's been going around. Our version of a spa is where George Ryan's going to prison. Jesse Jackson Jr. throws a "tea party" style photo op, dumping bottled water in the Chicago River. Big talk for a man who opted not to run against His Elective Majesty for Mayor. Does El Cubanito make the best Cuban sandwich in town? You'll......

What is wrong with people? Chicago police say a fisherman at Montrose Harbor may have been murdered, simply because he was Asian. The South Side is getting their prayer on after last year's tragic incidents of children being caught in the crossfire. Jesse Jackson is going around asking parents to send their kids to school. And he's finding it ironic that he has to beg when African-Americans fought to go to school in the......

Nearly two weeks after Congressman Luis Gutierrez announced that he will, indeed, seek a ninth term in Congress (after announcing that he wouldn't run again), First Ward Alderman Manny Flores has announced that he won't seek the congressional seat. "I did this of my own accord. He's my friend," Flores told the Sun-Times, adding that Gutierrez didn't try to persuade him. Of course, Gutierrez's decision shouldn't be too shocking. The conventional wisdom is that if......

We've been having some fun here with this series of photos featuring Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. practicing martial arts. After Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown wrote about the photos in today's paper, they're now officially more than an Internet phenomenon. The photos make a nice sidebar to an argument last week between Jackson and Nebraska's Congressman Lee Terry after a debate on an agriculture appropriations bill was tabled for the day. Name calling ensued, prompting Terry......

In the mid 90's we were television addicts. From soaps to sitcoms, we soaked up nearly everything the tube could offer. Our collection of VHS tapes at the time was chock full of good stuff. But in some cases it was the commercials that we loved most. One of our favorites featured Judy Tenuta drinking Diet Dr. Pepper while "working out" at the gym. The moment she proclaiming "You can't get a body like mine......

Calling the sentence imposed on Lewis "Scooter" Libby "harsh" and "excessive," George W. Bush commuted the 30-month sentence on Monday. Not quite the full pardon that some conservatives wanted — he still has to pay a quarter million dollar fine and serve 2 years probation for lying under oath — it certainly left Bush open to criticism, from both sides of the congressional aisle. “He was indicted by a grand jury and convicted beyond the......

Illinois budgets are in trouble all over -- at a meeting with legislative leaders late Tuesday, Gov. Blagojevich warned that unless a budget deal is reached, state government could shut down next month. Selling sex toys on the side and earning a $64,000 salary wasn't enough. Karen Bailey, a top assistant to Cook County Commissioner Jerry "The Iceman" Butler, faces felony charges for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 from an 87-year-old woman, prosecutors and police......

While we've been busy enjoying the nice weather over the weekend, and trying to get back in the groove this week, lots of other newsworthy stuff has happened here in the City by the Lake. Let's take a look back at everything that's happened so far this week: Daley Picks a New Chief of Staff; Local Press Makes Bad Sports Jokes. As Daley promoted Ron Huberman to try and save the CTA's ass, he's tapped......

This election has been one of the most significant in recent memory. With seven new aldermen set to take office in May, including the wife of Jesse Jackson Jr. in the 7th Ward, the stage is set for a new power struggle in Chicago. This year, more than any other, saw the city's labor movement — especially the service-sector unions — flex their political muscle. The result? A record-low turnout in the mayoral vote, and......

Same old shit for the Cubs in their home opener. The cicadas are returning after a 17-year hiatus. Imus suspended, Jesse Jackson, et al stage a protest in Chicago. The president of the Chicago Teachers Union thinks that the school chief, Arne Duncan, should be held accountable and canned for the theft of the laptops that had all those teachers' names and Social Security numbers on them. If this ordinance goes through, motorcycles and......

Well, another municipal election has come in Chicago, and in many wards (but not all) it's gone. As expected, Richard M. Daley sailed to re-election, set to eclipse his father as the Chicago's longest-serving mayor, in spite of Ben Joravsky's best efforts. At the time of this writing, a few things are clear: there will be a few runoffs this year, including Madeline Haithcock - Bob Fioretti (2nd), Dorothy Tillman - Pat Dowell (3rd), Shirley......

Some fans are petitioning against advertising at Wrigley field. Jesse Jackson went to jail to get an HIV test and to encourage inmates to get one too. No surprise: Oprah likes Obama. Thousands of insane people ran up the steps of the Hancock Center this weekend. At least it was for charity! They raised a record $1.2 million to research lung disease. Sharky's Billiards says they paid for Justin Timberlake to sign autographs at......

Much has been made about this being the year of change here in Chicago. In November Democrats took control of Congress, harnessing voter dissatisfaction and promising change. And while the main attractions on the reform ticket, Tony Peraica and Jesse Jackson Jr either lost or decided not to run, many pundits are predicting that as much as 30% of the City Council could change in late February. It seems that some candidates believe in miracles,......

In case you missed it, two important filings of candidacies took place this week: Mayor Daley's stalking horse, Dorothy Brown, is now officially running for mayor, and Sandi Jackson threw her hat in the ring to take on William Beavers' daughter, Darcel Beavers, for 7th Ward Alderman. While Brown's announcement is significant only becuase she is a pawn of Daley, the Beavers/Jackson race is sure to be a headline grabber this season. While Chicagoist has......

Although she hasn't officially announced to the press yet, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Jesse Jackson Jr's wife Sandi will be running against William Beaver's daughter Darcel for 7th Ward Alderman. This race looks to be one of the hottest and most contested races in the city this election cycle, as William Beavers tries to hold onto the Ward he left for the County Commission, and Jackson Jr tries to build a base......

To say that Mayor Daley announced his intention to run for a sixth term yesterday would be technically, if not totally, true. As The Beachwood Reporter pointed out weeks ago, Daley all but announced his intention to run when Terry Peterson stepped down from his job as CHA chief to manage Daley’s re-election campaign. And why wouldn’t he? The guy sure knows how to fundraise – a skill that, in light of ongoing federal investigations,......

Everybody's coming to our Happy Hour tomorrow, right? Papa John’s Pizza kicked off its Superman Returns promotion in Metropolis, IL, yesterday, announcing that anyone who lives on a street called Lois Lane will get a free pizza, which is good news for a small block of folks in Phoenix, AZ, among others. Sylvester Stallone was in town last night for the premiere of his new “Rocky” film. He said the message of the film......

In separate press conferences that surprised nobody, both Jesse Jackson Jr. and Luis Gutierrez announced that they were really excited about going back to Congress and working on the new Democratic agenda. Jackson thinks it's an exciting time to be next in line to be chair of the sub-committee on House Foreign Operations Appropriations. And he doesn't want to run for mayor. Gutierrez was a bit more sanguine, citing his desire to be at his......

Chicagoist got a late night phone call from one of our anonymous sources. They tell us that Jesse Jackson Jr. will announce later today that he is not, in fact, running for mayor of Chicago. While Congressional Democrats were basking in the glow of an election-day victory, Jackson was sizing up his odds against an organized, well-funded machine that can still produce the votes. Luis Gutierrez is also expected to make a similar announcement today.......

Being the mayor of a big city can be stressful. Sometimes you need to vent a little to someone who will listen. Luckily, Mayor Daley has lots of folks like that. They're called the press corps. For instance, Da Mare wants to see more college dorms downtown because nothing makes the Loop seem young and vibrant like a bunch of kids in hoodies smoking and text-messaging. He also thinks faculty and staff should live in......

Well, it's been quite a week, and it's only Wednesday! Let's jump into the Way Back Machine and have a look at some of the vitriol and invective that has plagued this fine city's political scene in the last three days: • The big news on Monday was that Barack Obama was going to run for president. Sort of. If you watch the clip, he didn't really commit to anything. Chicagoist thinks that he's playing......