In somewhat of a surprise, the House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act last night by a vote of 216 to 198 but it’s unlikely the bill will get through a Senate filibuster today.As expected, all three African-American reps from Illinois, Danny Davis, Bobby

UPDATED Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 5:45pm.  A vote on Don't Ask Don't Tell is unlikely to happen tonight. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has called for a vote on the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell after 6 o'clock tonight, meaning it's do or die for the legislation.

 As I write, Illinois lawmakers Luis Gutierrez and Dick Durbin are scrambling to get the last minute votes in the their respective chambers for the DREAM Act, which will likely get a vote today.If passed, the DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented aliens who were brought

This week, I was a panelist on Ken Davis' Chicago Newsroom:

Sometime this week – possibly even today -- Illinois may make history by passing a civil unions law that will grant same sex couples all the rights of marriage except one: the ability to call their union what it really is.Governor Pat Quinn favors same sex marriage but backs civil unions as wh

 Let’s be honest: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is not really where you’d expect to have a singular piano lounge experience. The piano lounge, almost by definition, needs a big weary city outside its door, a few broken hearts slumping at the bar, a little bit of gayness.