Week in review: Trump's court defeat, a feminist rally cry and a challenger for Rauner

Here are recaps of the week's stories (Sunday, Feb. 5 through Friday, Feb. 10) to catch you up on what's been happening.Court refuses to reinstate Trump's travel banA federal appeals court on Thursday ruled against reinstating President Donald Trump's...

Week in review: Trump's court defeat, a feminist rally cry and a challenger for Rauner

Here are recaps of the week's stories (Sunday, Feb. 5 through Friday, Feb. 10) to catch you up on what's been happening.

Court refuses to reinstate Trump's travel ban

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled against reinstating President Donald Trump's travel ban, questioning the motives of the ban and saying the order was unlikely to survive legal challengers.

An appeal to the Supreme Court seems the likely next step for Trump, who tweeted after the ruling "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

The matter would go to a divided Supreme Court, which still has a vacancy after Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, was blocked from Senate consideration last year.

Judge Neil Gorsuch, Trump's Supreme Court nominee, said on Wednesday that Trump's attacks on the judiciary over the travel ban case were "disheartening" and "demoralizing," according to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

DeVos, Sessions confirmed on contentious votes

Two members of Donald Trump's Cabinet were confirmed this week despite fierce opposition from Democrats in the Senate.

Jeff Sessions was confirmed as attorney general on a 52-47 vote on Wednesday, with only West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin voting with Republicans.

Sessions was confirmed after a hostile process, including a round-the-clock debate Tuesday night that saw Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell interrupt Sen. Elizabeth Warren's speech to complain that she breached Senate rules by impugning "the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama."

Warren, who was reciting the words of a letter written by Coretta Scott King in 1986 when Sessions was being considered for a federal judgeship, was ordered to sit down and forbidden from speaking for the remainder of the debate.

"Sen. Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation," McConnell said. "Nevertheless, she persisted."

The Tribune's Heidi Stevens writes that those three words — "Nevertheless, she persisted" — coin a new feminist rally cry "that women can draw on for decades to come, when something needs to be said and, darn it, we plan to say it."

GOP's silencing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren only raises her profile as the Democratic alternative to Trump

Warren punctured the political noise when Senate Republicans silenced her reading of Coretta Scott King's criticisms of Trump's attorney general pick

Warren punctured the political noise when Senate Republicans silenced her reading of Coretta Scott King's criticisms of Trump's attorney general pick

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On Tuesday, Betsy DeVos, a staunch advocate for charter schools and school choice, was confirmed as education secretary on Tuesday, but she needed a historic tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 tie.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in an effort to sink the divisive nomination of DeVos, who faced criticism for her lack of experience and some of her answers in her confirmation hearing. Pence's vote was the first by a vice president to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner weighed in on her nomination, dismissing concern from critics as "overblown emotion."

On Friday, DeVos was briefly blocked from entering a public school in Washington, D.C., by protesters.

Also Friday, Tom Price, Trump's pick for health and human services secretary, was sworn in after an overnight party-line Senate vote.

In other nation and world news:

Tornadoes struck New Orleans and other parts of southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, injuring about 40 people and destroying homes and businesses.

An Amnesty International report said that as many as 13,000 people were hanged in one Syrian prison, known as "the slaughterhouse," since 2011.

Construction crews resumed work on the Dakota Access oil pipeline on Thursday, a day after the Army granted it formal permission to finish the project. Opponents vowed to challenge the decision in court and to continue protesting.

Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy has announced his candidacy for Illinois governor.

(Chicago Tribune) Chris Kennedy enters race for Illinois governor

The businessman and son of the late Robert F. Kennedy is joining the Democratic race for Illinois governor, aides said Wednesday.

The campaign released a video that took aim at Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, saying that Kennedy believes "in working with others, not telling them what to do" and that "compromise is not surrender," a reference to Rauner's lengthy budget stalemate with Democrats in the General Assembly.

So far, Kennedy joins Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar in the Democratic field, but another Chicago businessman, J.B. Pritzker, is also considering a run.

The meteor over Wisconsin

What happened to the meteor that traveled over the Midwest early Feb. 6, 2017?

What happened to the meteor that traveled over the Midwest early Feb. 6, 2017?

See more videos Lisle cop catches meteor on dashcam

There were more than 380 reports of meteor shower sightings across the Midwest on Monday, according to the American Meteor Society.

The society said the meteor ended its flight in Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. Jim Dexter, a police officer from Lisle, was on patrol near Interstate 88 and captured a "giant green-lighted orb" streaking across the sky with his patrol car dashboard camera.

Millions of years ago, the Chicago area got more than a light show from a meteor that crashed into what is now Cook County. The strike hit with the force of thousands of hydrogen bombs, according to the Illinois State Geological Survey. The Tribune's Kyle Bentle has that story.

In other news from Chicago and the suburbs:

Northwestern University is investigating reports that students were sexually assaulted and possibly drugged at fraternity houses in recent weeks. The school issued a security alert to students on Monday. Police at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are also investigating alleged assaults at fraternities.

Three lottery players and one bar owner are suing Northstar Lottery Group, private manager of the Illinois Lottery, claiming it defrauded scratch-off players and retailers, after a Tribune investigation found the lottery didn't award 40 percent of grand prizes.

Trump weighed in on Chicago violence again this week. On Tuesday, he repeated a debunked claim that the U.S. murder rate is the highest it's been in 45 years. On Wednesday, he asserted, with no evidence, that many of Chicago's problems are caused by many gang members who "are not even legally in our country."

A man was charged with a hate crime on Wednesday for allegedly breaking a window and placing swastika stickers on the door of a Loop synagogue. On Thursday, Stuart Wright, 31, was ordered held in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Two Chicago police officers were cleared of wrongdoing over allegations from U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush that he had been racially profiled during a traffic stop.

The CTA is planning a new Green Line station near the United Center. Meanwhile, the CTA union said, some drivers and rail workers say they opt to wear diapers to work because the few bathrooms available to them are often unsanitary. Meanwhile, Mayor Rahm Emanuel revived talk of an express train to O'Hare but provided few specifics.

The city on Tuesday announced plans for a street redesign in the Fulton Market historic district to make it more friendly for pedestrians.

John Paxson, Gar Forman Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

Despite a rocky season for the Bulls, the jobs of team Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson, left, and general manager Gar Forman are safe.

Despite a rocky season for the Bulls, the jobs of team Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson, left, and general manager Gar Forman are safe.

(Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) John Paxson, Gar Forman's jobs with Bulls safe, sources say

The jobs of Bulls Executive Vice President John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman are safe, sources familiar with the ownership's thinking told K.C. Johnson.

Their jobs appear safe even if they miss the playoffs again as ownership understands it may take several seasons to overhaul the roster and make it younger and more athletic.

The futures of Dwyane Wade, who has a player option for next year, and Jimmy Butler, however, are another matter.

In other sports news:

In an epic comeback, or thanks to an epic choke job, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rallied from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, on Sunday in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. Patriots coach Bill Belichick, in what also may be a first, showed a little bit of personality as the team celebrated with fans at the Patriots' victory parade by starting an unusual chant.

The Bears came nowhere near the Super Bowl, finishing 3-13, but that didn't stop them from raising ticket prices for the 2017 season. Prices will increase from 1 percent to 4 percent for most seats.

Chicago sportscaster and former Bear Mike Adamle revealed that he has post-traumatic epilepsy, dementia and the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a result of his football career.

Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher sued a Florida hair restoration company for allegedly using his name and image without permission.

PharmaCann in Dwight cultivates medical marijuana

Ryan Loess, cultivation manager at PharmaCann, a medical marijuana cultivation center in Dwight, Ill., discusses the process for growing and processing the plants. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Ryan Loess, cultivation manager at PharmaCann, a medical marijuana cultivation center in Dwight, Ill., discusses the process for growing and processing the plants. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

See more videos Growing pains for medical pot businesses

Illinois medical marijuana businesses have seen a slower-than-expected growth in patient numbers and are learning how hard it is to shed the stigma associated with the drug, reports Ally Marotti.

"Engaging in normal business activities is made that much more complicated by the subject matter of what we do for a living," said Jeremy Unruh, general counsel and compliance chief at PharmaCann, which operates two cannabis cultivation centers and four dispensaries in Illinois. Unruh illustrated his firm's difficulty by noting the unexpected challenge of getting internet access from a cable company.

The industry has generated $42 million in retail sales so far in Illinois, but there is a fear of what Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, will do, as he has said he won't commit to disregarding federal law and is against the drug's legalization.

In other business news:

Chicago-based Marbles: The Brain Store filed for bankruptcy on Monday and is seeking to close all of its 37 stores.

Ride-sharing service Lyft announced on Monday it is expanding service in the Chicago area north to Milwaukee and west to Elgin in an effort to compete with Uber. Lyft has seen a boost in popularity due to its stand against Trump's travel ban.

President Trump on Wednesday targeted Nordstrom on Twitter after the department store chain dropped his daughter Ivanka Trump's clothing and accessory line. But Nordstrom wasn't the only retailer rethinking the Ivanka Trump brand. The Nordstrom decision prompted Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to promote Ivanka's fashion line on national TV from the White House, which drew immediate condemnation from ethics watchdogs.

Wheeling-based Evanger's Pet Food recalled some of its dog food after it was found to contain pentobarbital, a sedative used to euthanize animals. One dog died and several became sick after eating the tainted food, Evanger's said.

Loyola University Chicago graduate students working as teaching and research assistants voted on Wednesday to unionize.

The Double Door, a music venue in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, has hosted local, national and international artists including the Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, Kings of Leon, Kanye West and John Legend. The nightclub opened in 1994 and closed because of eviction Feb. 6, 2017.

Double Door evicted from longtime Wicker Park home

The longtime Chicago music spot was evicted after club management failed to post bond while appealing a judge's decision in its eviction case, the Tribune's Tracy Swartz and Greg Kot reported on Monday.

A day after their eviction, Double Door's co-owners said they will continue to appeal a judge's decision requiring them to vacate the space.

"This is merely another chapter for Double Door — it is not the end of its iconic presence as a music venue and arts incubator in Chicago," co-owner Joe Shanahan said in an emailed statement.

In other news from entertainment, lifestyles and dining:

Granddad, the oldest zoo animal in Chicago and the longest-lived aquarium fish in the world, died Sunday, the Shedd Aquarium said. The Australian lungfish, believed to be at least in its 90s, was brought to Chicago for the 1933 World's Fair.

McDonald's has four new Shamrock Shake flavors and the food and dining team taste-tested them for you.

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