A government shutdown has been averted.
The Senate passed a six-month spending bill Friday night, overcoming Democratic opposition to approve the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
Meanwhile, a trade war is brewing. President Trump on Wednesday increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, a move that was met by Canada and the European Union imposing new taxes on a litany of U.S. products, from American beef and bourbon to textiles and metals.
It’s been a crazy week for the education system — both nationally and locally. The Department of Education announced Tuesday it would lay off roughly half of its staff, bringing it one step closer to fulfilling a Trump campaign promise to shutter the agency. The state of Illinois sued to stop the president’s moves to dismantle the department and Gov. JB Pritzker issued a warning that cuts to federal education funding could “damage the future” of the state. Trump also targeted two Chicago universities this week for alleged racial discrimination and failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus, hundreds of thousands of students’ information was exposed in a massive Chicago Public Schools data breach and Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed CPS to refinance about $240 million in debt to balance its budget for the year,
In other city news, aldermen rejected an effort to ban new fur products, a man was shot at O’Hare, and a federal jury on Monday awarded $120 million in damages to two Chicago men wrongfully convicted of murder in 2003.
Outside the U.S., Russian President Vladimir Putin did not rule out a monthslong ceasefire proposed by the U.S. and Ukraine, but set out several tough conditions that would likely delay any agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response that Putin’s comments show that he has no interest in stopping the war.
The Cubs are in Japan for Tuesday’s season opener, a two-game series against superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome. Meanwhile, the Bears are rebuilding their roster for next season, adding five new starters in the trenches.
Oh, and getting ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? The Tribune has you covered with everything you need to know, from when to watch the Chicago River dyeing, to which restaurants and bars are offering holiday specials and where to grab a quality corned beef sandwich.
Without further ado, here’s the Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz from March 9 to 15. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
