Enjoying the snow, Chicago?
The week started off with an unexpected (and unentertaining) Super Bowl win. Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, denying the reigning champs a three-peat and claiming the Vince Lombardi trophy for Philly.
The following day, President Donald Trump pardoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the disgraced Illinois politician convicted more than 13 years ago on an array of federal corruption charges. But while one former state politico may be rising from the ashes — with a new book and possible ambassadorship on the horizon — another has fallen. A jury found former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan guilty of bribery conspiracy, wire fraud and other charges Wednesday, concluding the landmark public corruption trial with a conviction on 10 of 23 counts.
After talks this week, Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations to end the almost three-yearwar in Ukraine, a point of contention for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said he will not accept any negotiations that do not include his country. The president also said Thursday he wants to resume denuclearization talks with Russia and China, hoping that all three countries can cut their defense budgets in half.
Two of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet picks were also confirmed by the Senate this week: Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services. The confirmation votes were split almost entirely along party lines, with Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell the sole outlier, joining Democrats on both votes.
In other news, two federal judges have temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order against gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the DuPage County courthouse is changing its name, three members of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration are stepping down and the family of Sonya Massey, the woman fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy inside her Springfield-area home last year, will receive a $10 million payout after the Sangamon County Board unanimously approved the settlement.
And it’s officially almost baseball season. The Cubs and White Sox reported to spring training this week, with the former hoping several big roster changes pay off and the latter looking to redeem themselves after their historic 121-loss season last year.
Well, those are the headlines. Without further ado, here’s the latest installment of the Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz from Feb. 9 to 15. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.