Chicago Mayor Gives Oprah a Big Parting Gift

New mayor calls for change, sacrifice to address city's woes

(NEWSER) - It was a departure of sorts for Rahm Emanuel today, a swearing in, as opposed to the swearing at he's famously used to. The potty-mouthed former White House chief of staff today became Chicago's first new mayor in two decades, taking the oath of office and officially marking the end Richard M Daley's 22-year reign, reports the Chicago Tribune. Emanuel takes the reins in a troubled city, and echoed his old boss' call for change: More»

Challenges facing Chicago require painful solutions

(NEWSER) - Rahm Emanuel won the Chicago mayor’s race—but will he be able to keep the job for more than one term? The Sun-Times , the Tribune , and the New York Times take a look at the many, many challenges facing him:

• Financial crisis: Chicago is on the brink of bankruptcy. Mayor Daley borrowed and spent, and the city’s structural deficit is approaching $1 billion. All the solutions will likely be painful. Emanuel outlined $500 million in savings during the campaign, but must find ways to bring in income that will fill the gap.
• City Council: The aldermen basically did what Mayor Richard Daley wanted, but their relationship with Emanuel could be fraught with tension, especially since the new mayor wants to reorganize. In particular, he faces a big fight with 40-year veteran Edward M. Burke.

...But FBI gave him the bomb, so public was never in danger

(NEWSER) - When he dropped the paint can into a trash can near Wrigley Field on Saturday night, Sami Samir Hassoun allegedly thought he was planting a bomb that would cause massive casualties. In reality he was planting… a paint can. The FBI, which had for months been tracking Hassoun and giving him money to plan attacks, pounced and arrested the 22-year-old, the Chicago Tribune reports. “He was acting alone,” said one FBI agent. “He was not, I would say, highly skilled.” More»

Chicago race (and DC race) wide open

(NEWSER) - Richard Daley’s retirement has set off wild speculation in Chicago about who'll replace him, and in Washington about who’ll replace would-be mayor Rahm Emanuel. DC insiders are positive Rahm will run, according to the Hill , but he’ll have competition. “It’s the wild, wild West,” one state senator tells the New York Times . “I’m a candidate myself at the moment. Everyone I know is running. The doorman in my building is running.” More»

Forget president—here's a job he's much more suited to

(NEWSER) - Reihan Salam's career advice for Barack Obama: Give up the presidency and run for mayor of Chicago. No, wait, he's serious! Richard Daley's decision to retire has thrown the city into a tizzy, and who better to take over than a person who knows Chicago's neighborhoods, feels "passionately" about the place, and has "built a diverse coalition in a city sorely in need of new leadership"? Not to mention the fact that one of Obama's inspirations was Harold Washington, the first African-American mayor of Obama's adopted city. More»