WARNING: This video can get graphic, though at times a bit blurry.

Three of the kids allegedly involved in this fatal beating of Derrion Albert, a 16 honor-roll student at Fenger High School in Chicago, were arrested and formal charges were filed yesterday, according to the ChicagoBreakingNews.com.

Let Madrid, Rio, or Tokyo have the 2016 Olympic Games. Mr. President, if you love Chicago, you will ask the IOC to spend that summer anywhere but your adopted hometown.

As we predicted last week, yesterday President Obama flip-flopped on traveling to Copenhagen to lobby the Olympic committee. According to the NY Times:

Start building the basketball court. And make sure it has glass backboards and breakaway rims. While you’re at it, paint the White House black…at least half of it. If you’re reading this George Clinton – you predicted it a long time ago homeboy. Chocolate City baby.

Last night in Chicago was surreal.

That’s right Kanye – you’re no longer the most popular black man in Chicago. Until people are let out of work early to see you rock a concert, that title officially belongs to Barack Obama.

Loads of employees were released at three today, and, judging by the number of supporters swarming on Grant Park, I’m guessing that most of them didn’t stop at home to re-apply deodorant.

Chris Faraone is in Chicago blogging and Twittering from Obama HQ. He's also been getting drunk and interviewing people all over town. Below, his video interview with Steve Juras of Mode, who (along with Sol Sender) co-designed the Obama campaign logo. We know there were beers involved, but did Juras really vote for Nader?

Whether or not Chicago is Obama country largely depends on where you are and who you’re talking to. As anyone who’s ever met a Massachusetts Republican will attest, there’s ignorance and insanity no matter how blue the turf may be.

Last night I grabbed a drink before dinner at a hole outside the downtown loop. The joint – simply called Richard’s Bar – is the sort of spot where you’d expect to find McCain supporters, or at least Obama haters.

Before touching down in Chicago, I had a romantic vision that this would be some sort of blue Utopia – a prObama mirage hidden between New York and Los Angeles. In my dreams, Obama-Biden posters line every block, with small children gleefully hoisting “Change” signs on all corners.

And to some degree – depending on where you are – it’s almost like that.

I’m off to Chicago, but my original plan for this week was to hit Washington D.C. with a pit stop in Scranton. Even though the latter is a cliché reporter destination this election season, it’s as good a snap shot of the dummy belt that one can get without venturing too far off the coast.

But then I thought: who cares about Capitol Hill aides, Republicans, and foolish undecided voters? Sure, if newsroom budgets were what they were 30 years ago, every alt weekly in the country would even dispatch writers to Arizona just to watch John McCain’s presidential hopes dry up once and for all.