WASHINGTON--Before flying to Chicago today, President Barack Obama met with outgoing Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and will be awarding medals to outstanding U.S. citizens.

After the Napolitano event, according the to the pool report, "as the pool was ushered out, POTUS declined to answer questions about Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel and about the 2016 presidential prospects of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff."

That's a reference to a Daily Beast story about Emanuel and 2016 you can read HERE.

My column on Emanuel and the 2016 White House race is HERE.