Brighter evenings are ahead, Chicago. Tonight we spring forward an hour for daylight saving time, one of the first signs the seasons are changing.
But time isn’t the only thing shifting this week. In a sudden Cabinet shakeup, President Donald Trump announced Thursday he’s firing embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead the department. The news was met with celebration by many local activists and Illinois public officials.
Earlier this week, Noem appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about immigration agents’ use of excessive force and the department spending billions of congressional dollars. During the hearing, Noem declined to address the shooting of Marimar Martinez by an immigration agent in Chicago, saying she was not “familiar with the details” of the case. Meanwhile, DHS remains shut down after another unsuccessful effort by the Senate to pass a funding bill.
After the U.S. and Israel launched a series of attacks against Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the president on Friday ruled out attempting to negotiate with Iran unless the nation surrenders and suggested that he wants to pick its next leader. Travelers in the Middle East had difficultly leaving the region — including one group of Chicagoans in Dubai — with airspaces restricted as the U.S., Israel and Iran continued retaliatory airstrikes throughout the week. Congress, in an effort to limit Trump’s war against the Islamic Republic, considered a pair of war powers resolutions. The Senate voted down the legislation Wednesday, and on Thursday, the House defeated a similar measure.
In other world news, the State Department said Thursday the United States and Venezuela have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations, marking a major shift just two months after former President Nicolás Maduro’s ouster. Locally, Illinois joined some two dozen states in suing over Trump’s new global tariffs, plans for the state’s largest data center are moving forward, and the race is on in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District.
Services continued this week for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 84. The civil rights icon was honored in his native South Carolina on Monday, lying in repose inside the state capitol. Back in Chicago, former presidents, religious leaders, sports figures and everyday Chicagoans converged on the South Side for a public celebration of life ceremony.
In fallout from last week’s deposition, Gov. JB Pritzker had to set the record straight about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein after former President Bill Clinton testified before Congress that he thought he remembered traveling with the Illinois politician on Epstein’s plane. The governor also commented this week on when Springfield could act on proposals to ensure the Bears stay in Illinois, but not in Chicago. The mayor, however, said he believes there is still hope for the team to stay in the city.
Chicago’s football team was also busy this week — though unrelated to their stadium prospects. Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was released from his contract, wide receiver DJ Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills, and Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman informed the team that he’s retiring at the age of 27, leaving the team scrambling to replace a big hole on the offensive line. The Blackhawks saw a similar reshuffling. The NHL trade deadline was Friday afternoon, and general manager Kyle Davidson traded away four Hawks players, including veteran captain Nick Foligno.
At the same time, the Cubs and White Sox are hard at work in Arizona preparing for the start of their seasons and considering opening day rosters. But more than a dozen Chicago players and prospects departed camp this week to participate in the World Baseball Classic. Plus, former White Sox play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti, who left the booth in 2024 for a job with the Detroit Tigers, was selected Wednesday as the new voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”
And the Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards) were Sunday. In perhaps the biggest upset of the night, Michael B. Jordan won the award for best male actor for his dual performance as the Smokestack twins in “Sinners,” beating out category favorite Timothée Chalamet. Director Ryan Coogler’s Jim Crow-era vampire thriller also took home the night’s top prize: best ensemble. The wins set up an interesting best picture race heading into the Oscars next Sunday.
Which, speaking of, if you haven’t seen all the nominated films yet, there’s still time to do so! A handful of Chicago-area theaters are screening the best picture nominees ahead of the awards ceremony on March 15.
Without further ado, here’s the Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz, from March 1 to 7. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
