In brief: Illinois legalizes same-sex unions

CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn, saying it was a “day of history,” signed legislation Monday legalizing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, making Illinois one of about a dozen states that extend significant legal protections to same-sex couples.

The law, which takes effect June 1, gives gay and lesbian couples official recognition from the state and many of the rights that accompany traditional marriage, including the power to decide medical treatment for an ailing partner and the right to inherit a partner’s property.

Huntsman resigns as U.S. ambassador

WASHINGTON – U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, a Republican with potential presidential ambitions, submitted a letter of resignation to the White House on Monday announcing he intends to leave the post April 30, a senior administration official said.

Huntsman, a former governor of Utah, was appointed ambassador by President Barack Obama in 2009. Huntsman’s plans have generated considerable attention in political circles because his foreign policy experience could stand out in a crowded GOP field.

Huntsman, 50, surprised many Republican strategists when he accepted the post in China, considered one of the United States’ key diplomatic assignments. A fluent Mandarin speaker from his time as a Mormon missionary, he earned high marks from the Democratic administration but perhaps damaged his own political standing should he seek the GOP nomination in 2012 or 2016.

Airport security won’t be privatized

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Transportation Security Administration said it will not hire private contractors to screen airline passengers, despite calls from a powerful Florida congressman to do so and passenger complaints about federal screeners.

TSA Administrator John Pistole said in a memo to his employees late Friday that the federal agency will keep private contractors at 16 U.S. airports, but will not use them anywhere else unless a clear advantage emerges.

Pistole’s memo comes two months after Florida Republican Rep. John Mica wrote to the country’s busiest airports and asked them to use private security guards.

Attorney says Navy didn’t stop officer

RICHMOND, Va. – An officer fired from command of his aircraft carrier for broadcasting raunchy videos to thousands of sailors was never ordered to stop, the officer’s attorney said Monday, disputing the Navy’s claim that it put an end to the “inappropriate content.”

At least five then-senior officers to Capt. Owen Honors were aware of his video productions when he was the No. 2 in command on the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise several years ago, attorney Charles W. Gittins said.