by tyler | Apr 2, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of former US Representative Michele Bachmann.
Birth date: April 6, 1956
Birth place: Waterloo, Iowa
Birth name: Michele Marie Amble
Father: David Amble, an engineer
Mother: Arlene Jean (Johnson) Amble
Marriage: Marcus Bachmann (September 10, 1978-present)
Children: Sophia, Caroline, Elisa, Harrison and Lucas
Education: Winona State University, B.A., 1978; Oral Roberts University, J.D., 1986; College of William and Mary, L.L.M., 1988
Religion: Lutheran
Bachmann, a conservative Republican, worked for Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.
Has said that she switched parties while reading Gore Vidal’s novel, “Burr.”
Bachmann and her husband Marcus own a mental health care practice.
1988-1992 – Tax litigation attorney.
2000-2006 – Minnesota state senator.
November 7, 2006 – Is the first Republican woman from Minnesota to be elected to the House of Representatives.
January 4, 2007-January 3, 2015 – Serves as Republican representative from the 6th District of Minnesota.
October 17, 2008 – Tells MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, “I’m very concerned that he [US President Barack Obama] may have anti-American views.”
November 4, 2008 – Is elected to a second term.
July 2010 – Establishes the House Tea Party Caucus.
November 2, 2010 – Is elected to a third term.
January 25, 2011 – Delivers the Tea Party response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.
June 13, 2011 – At a CNN-sponsored debate of Republican candidates, Bachmann announces that she has filed the papers necessary to run for president and will formally announce her candidacy soon.
June 27, 2011 – Formally announces her candidacy for president during an appearance in Waterloo, Iowa.
November 21, 2011 – Her memoir “Core of Conviction: My Story” is published.
January 4, 2012 – Suspends her presidential campaign after her sixth-place finish in the Iowa Republican caucuses.
November 6, 2012 – Wins reelection to the House of Representatives for a fourth term.
May 29, 2013 – Announces in a video posted to her campaign website that she will not seek reelection.
January 3, 2015 – Last day in office.
June 21, 2016 – Announced as an adviser on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board.
December 22, 2019 – Signs an open letter to Dr. Timothy Dalrymple, the president of Christianity Today, pushing back against an op-ed in the magazine that called for Trump to be removed from office. The letter, signed by nearly 200 evangelical leaders, praises Trump for seeking advice from “Bible-believing Christians and patriotic Americans.”
December 22, 2020 – Is announced as the dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, effective January 1, 2021.
by tyler | Apr 1, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is some background information about the shootings at Virginia Tech in April 2007, one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
Twenty-three-year-old Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, before taking his own life.
Cho was a senior at Virginia Tech, majoring in English. He was born in South Korea in 1984 and became a permanent US resident in 1992.
December 13, 2005 – Cho is ordered by a judge to seek outpatient care after making suicidal remarks to his roommates. He is evaluated at Carilion-St. Alban’s mental health facility.
February 9, 2007 – Cho picks up a Walther P-22 pistol he purchased online on February 2 from an out-of-state dealer at JND Pawn shop in Blacksburg, across the street from Virginia Tech.
March 2007 – Cho purchases a 9mm Glock pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition from Roanoke Firearms for $571.
April 16, 2007 – (Events are listed in local ET)
7:15 a.m. – Police are notified in a 911 call that there are at least two shooting victims at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a four-story coed dormitory on campus that houses approximately 895 students.
9:01 a.m. – Cho mails a package containing video, photographs and writings to NBC News in New York. NBC doesn’t receive it until two days later due to an incorrect address on the package.
9:26 a.m. – The school sends out an email statement that a shooting took place at West Ambler Johnston Hall earlier that morning.
9:45 a.m. – 911 calls report a second round of shootings in classrooms at Norris Hall, the engineering science and mechanics building.
9:50 a.m. – “Please stay put.” A second email notifies students that a gunman is loose on campus.
9:55 a.m. – University officials send a third message about the second shooting via email and text messages to students.
10:16 a.m. – Classes are canceled.
10:53 a.m. – Students receive an email about Norris Hall shooting, with the subject line, “Second shooting reported: police have one gunman in custody.”
12:42 p.m. – VT President Charles Steger issues a statement that people are being released from campus buildings and that counseling centers are being set up. He announces that classes are canceled again for the next day.
April 17, 2007 – Virginia Tech Police announce that they “have been able to confirm the identity of the gunman at Norris Hall. That person is Seung-Hui Cho. He was a 23-year-old South Korean here in the US as a resident alien.”
April 18, 2007 – NBC News announces that they have received a package containing pictures and written material which they believe to be from Cho, sent between the two shootings.
August 15, 2007 – It is announced that the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, funded by private donations, will donate $180,000 to the families of each of the 32 victims. Those injured will receive $40,000 to $90,000, depending on the severity of the injuries, and a waiver of tuition and fees if applicable.
March 24, 2008 – The state proposes a settlement to the families related to the shooting. In it, $100,000 is offered to representatives of each of the 32 people killed and another $800,000 is reserved to those injured, with a $100,000 maximum. Expenses not covered by insurance such as medical, psychological, and psychiatric care for surviving victims and all immediate families are also covered.
April 10, 2008 – Governor Tim Kaine announces that a “substantial majority” of the families related to the shootings have agreed to the $11 million settlement offered by the state. It isn’t clear how many families have not accepted the deal. The settlement will pay survivors’ medical costs for life and compensate families who lost loved ones. By accepting the settlement, the families give up their right to sue the university, state, and local government in the future. Neither the attorneys representing the families nor the governor would discuss the exact terms until final papers are drawn.
June 17, 2008 – A judge approves the $11 million settlement offered by the state to some of the victims and families of those killed in the shooting rampage. Families of 24 of the 32 killed, as well as 18 who were injured are included in the settlement.
April 10, 2009 – Norris Hall reopens. The 4,300-square-foot area will house the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, which relocated to the building.
December 9, 2010 – The US Department of Education releases a report charging that Virginia Tech failed to notify students in a “timely manner,” as prescribed by the Clery Act.
March 14, 2012 – A jury awards $4 million each to two victims’ families who sued the state for wrongful death. The jury finds Virginia Tech failed to notify students early enough following the discovery of two shooting victims at West Ambler Johnston dormitory. The families of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde argued that had officials notified students and staff earlier of the shooting, lives might have been spared. The Peterson and Pryde families did not accept a portion of an $11 million settlement between the state and the families of victims, opting instead to sue for wrongful death. The amount is later reduced to $100,000 per family.
October 31, 2013 – The Supreme Court of Virginia overturns the jury verdict in a wrongful death suit filed against the state by the families of two of the victims, that “there was no duty of the Commonwealth to warn students about the potential for criminal acts” by Cho.
January 21, 2014 – The court denies a request by the Pryde and Peterson families to reconsider its ruling.
April 2014 – Virginia Tech pays fines totaling $32,500 to the Dept. of Education for violation of the Clery Act, a law requiring colleges and universities to provide timely notification of campus safety information.
West Ambler Johnston Hall (dorm)
Ryan Clark, 22, Martinez, Georgia
– Senior, English, Biology and Psychology
– Resident Assistant on campus, also in the Marching Virginians college band
– Known as “the Stack” to friends
Emily Jane Hilscher, 19, Woodville, Virginia
– Freshman, Animal and Poultry Sciences
Norris Hall (dept. bldg/classrooms)
Ross Alameddine, 20, Saugus, Massachusetts
– Sophomore, English
– Died in a French class
Dr. Christopher “Jamie” Bishop, 35, Pine Mountain, Georgia
– Instructor, Foreign Languages and Literatures (German)
Brian Bluhm, 25, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
– Graduate Student, Civil Engineering
Austin Cloyd, 18, Blacksburg, Virginia
– Sophomore, International Studies and French
Jocelyn Couture-Nowak, 49, born in Montreal, Canada
– Instructor, French
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva, 21, Woodbridge, Virginia, originally from Peru
– Junior, International Studies
– Died in French class
Dr. Kevin Granata, 45, Toledo, Ohio
– Professor, Engineering Science and Mechanics
Matt Gwaltney, 24, Chesterfield, Virginia
– Graduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Caitlin Hammaren, 19, Westtown, New York
– Sophomore, International Studies and French
Jeremy Herbstritt, 27, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
– Graduate student, Civil Engineering
Rachael Hill, 18, Richmond, Virginia
– Freshman, Biology
Jarrett Lane, 22, Narrows, Virginia
– Senior, Civil Engineering
Matt La Porte, 20, Dumont, New Jersey
– Sophomore, Political Science
Henry Lee, 20, Roanoke, Virginia
– Sophomore, Computer Engineering
Dr. Liviu Librescu, 76, from Romania
– Professor, Engineering Science and Mechanics
– A Romanian Holocaust survivor
Dr. G V Loganathan, 53, born in Chennai, India
– Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
– Had been at VA Tech since 1981
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan, 34, Indonesia
– Doctoral student, Civil Engineering
Lauren McCain, 20, Hampton, Virginia
– Freshman, International Studies
Daniel O’Neil, 22, Lafayette, Rhode Island
– Graduate student, Environmental Engineering
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz, 26, San Juan, Puerto Rico
– Graduate student, Civil Engineering
Minal Panchal, 26, Mumbai, India
– Graduate student, Architecture
Erin Peterson, 18, Centreville, Virginia
– Freshman, International Studies
– Died in a French class
Michael Pohle, 23, Flemington, New Jersey
– Senior, Biological Sciences
Julia Pryde, 23, Middletown, New Jersey
– Graduate Student, Biological Systems Engineering
Mary Karen Read, 19, Annandale, Virginia
– Freshman, Interdisciplinary Studies
Reema Joseph Samaha, 18, Centreville, Virginia
– Freshman, University Studies
– Went to the same high school as Cho
Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32, Zagazig, Egypt
– Doctoral student, Civil Engineering
Leslie G. Sherman, 20, Springfield, Virginia
– Junior, History and International Relations
Maxine Turner, 22, Vienna, Virginia
– Senior, Chemical Engineering
Nicole Regina White, 20, Smithfield, Virginia
– Sophomore, International Studies
by tyler | Apr 1, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of John Delaney, a businessman, former US representative from Maryland and former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.
Birth date: April 16, 1963
Birth place: Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Birth name: John Kevin Delaney
Father: Jack Delaney, electrician
Mother: Elaine (Rowe) Delaney, homemaker
Marriage: April McClain-Delaney
Children: Summer, Lily, Grace and Brooke
Education: Columbia University, B.S., 1985; Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 1988
Religion: Roman Catholic
Went to Columbia University on scholarships from his father’s trade union, the American Legion, the VFW and the Lions Club.
Delaney was one of the wealthiest members of the US Congress when he served as a representative from Maryland, according to the 2018 Roll Call Wealth of Congress analysis, which placed him as the sixth-richest, with a calculated net worth of $93 million.
The youngest CEO of a publicly traded company when his first company was listed on the stock exchange.
He practiced law briefly at Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge in the late 1980s, after completing law school.
1990-1992 – Co-owns and runs American Home Therapies, a health care firm, with Ethan Leder.
1993 – Co-founds HealthCare Financial Partners, a lender to health care companies, with Leder and Edward Nordberg Jr.
1993-1997 – Serves as chairman of the board, CEO and president of HealthCare Financial Partners.
2000-2009 – Co-founds and acts as CEO/executive manager of CapitalSource, a lender to small- and medium-sized businesses.
2010 -2012 – Serves as executive chairman of CapitalSource.
April 6, 2012 – Resigns as executive chairman of CapitalSource after becoming the Democratic candidate in Maryland’s 6th District race.
January 3, 2013-January 3, 2019 – US representative from Maryland’s 6th District.
July 28, 2017 – Announces in a Washington Post opinion piece that he is running for president and will not run for reelection to the House of Representatives.
May 29, 2018 – Delaney’s book, “The Right Answer: How We Can Unify Our Divided Nation,” is published.
January 31, 2020 – Delaney announces that he is ending his 2020 presidential campaign.
September 21, 2021 – Delaney founds Forbright Inc. and becomes executive chairman of Forbright Bank, formerly Congressional Bank. Delaney purchased control of Congressional Bank in 2011.
by tyler | Apr 1, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of former Texas Congressman Tom DeLay.
Birth date: April 8, 1947
Birth place: Laredo, Texas
Birth name: Thomas Dale DeLay
Father: Charles Ray DeLay
Mother: Maxine (Wimbish) DeLay
Marriage: Christine (Furrh) DeLay (1967-present)
Children: Danielle
Education: Attended Baylor University, 1965-1967; University of Houston, B.S., 1970
Nicknamed “The Hammer.”
Lived in Venezuela as a child.
Owned a pest control company before getting involved in politics.
1979-1984 – Member of the Texas House of Representatives.
1984-2006 – United States Representative for the 22nd District of Texas.
November 13, 2002-September 28, 2005 – House Majority Leader.
September 28, 2005 – Steps down as the House majority leader after a Texas grand jury indicts him on a conspiracy charge stemming from a campaign finance investigation. DeLay is accused of improperly steering corporate donations to Republican candidates for the Texas legislature.
October 3, 2005 – A second indictment is brought against DeLay, charging him with money laundering.
October 19, 2005 – An arrest warrant is issued for DeLay in connection with his indictment for conspiracy and money laundering. He turns himself in the next day.
December 5, 2005 – A judge dismisses the conspiracy charge against DeLay, but upholds the money laundering charges.
January 7, 2006 – Announces he will not try to reclaim the House majority leader post, but he will seek reelection when his term expires in November.
March 7, 2006 – Wins the primary election in his Texas district.
April 4, 2006 – Announces he is dropping his bid for reelection and will resign from Congress in June.
June 8, 2006 – Delivers his farewell address to Congress.
2007 – His memoir, “No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight,” is published.
2009 – Competes in the ninth season of “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC. He drops out due to stress fractures in both feet.
November 1, 2010 – Money laundering trial begins.
November 24, 2010 – Is convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
January 10, 2011 – Is sentenced to three years in prison for the conspiracy charge and five years for the money laundering charge. But the judge will allow DeLay to serve 10-years on probation with community service on the laundering charge in lieu of the prison sentence, and the two sentences will be served concurrently. DeLay remains free on bond while he appeals his conviction.
2012 – Founds the First Principles PAC.
July 2012 – Registers as a lobbyist on sex-trafficking issues.
September 19, 2013 – Delay’s conviction on money laundering charges is overturned by a court in Texas. The court opinion says that “the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain DeLay’s convictions.”
March 19, 2014 – The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agrees to hear the case.
October 1, 2014 – By a vote of 8-1, Texas’s criminal appeals court upholds the lower court’s ruling to throw out DeLay’s 2010 convictions of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
by tyler | Apr 1, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Mitch Daniels, former governor of Indiana.
Birth date: April 7, 1949
Birth place: Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Birth name: Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr.
Father: Mitchell Daniels Sr., drug company salesman
Mother: Dorothy Mae (Wilkes) Daniels
Marriage: Cheri (Herman) Daniels (1997-present and May 20, 1978-1994, divorced)
Children: Margaret, Meredith, Melissa and Meagan
Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1971; Georgetown University, J.D., 1979
Religion: Presbyterian
Daniels is a motorcycle enthusiast and rides a Harley Davidson.
Daniels has worked in the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
He is known for being fiscally responsible, balancing Indiana’s budget in his first term as governor, cutting expenditures wherever possible and having a surplus over multiple years.
1971-1976 – Serves as aide and later adviser to Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar.
1977-1983 – Serves as chief of staff to Senator Lugar (R-Indiana).
1983-1984 – Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
1985-1987 – Serves as senior adviser to President Reagan.
1987-1990 – Chief Executive Officer, Hudson Institute.
1990-2001 – Executive at Eli Lilly.
2001-2003 – Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
2004 – Is elected the 49th governor of Indiana.
January 10, 2005-January 14, 2013 – Two-term Republican governor of Indiana.
May 22, 2011 – Announces he will not be running for president in 2012.
June 21, 2012 – Purdue University announces Daniels has been unanimously elected to be the school’s next president. His term begins on January 15, 2013.
January 27, 2015 – Daniels writes a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, “How Student Debt Harms the Economy.” He writes that there is “evidence that it’s not just consumer spending that these debts are denting, but also economic dynamism.”
November 28, 2016 – Is elected as a member of the Board of Directors for Norfolk Southern Corporation.
June 10, 2022 – Purdue announces that Dr. Mung Chiang will replace Daniels as president of Purdue University on January 1, 2023.
January 31, 2023 – In a statement, Daniels says he has decided against a 2024 Indiana Senate bid.
March 28, 2023 – The Liberty Fund announces that Daniels will join the private educational foundation as a distinguished scholar and senior adviser, beginning on April 1.
by tyler | Apr 1, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of environmental and human rights activist Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy.
Birth date: April 11, 1928
Birth place: Chicago, Illinois
Birth name: Ethel Skakel
Father: George Skakel, businessman
Mother: Ann (Brannack) Skakel
Marriage: Robert F. Kennedy (June 17, 1950-June 6, 1968, his death)
Children: Rory, 1968; Douglas, 1967; Matthew, 1965; Christopher, 1963; Mary, 1959; Michael, February 27, 1958 – December 31, 1997; Courtney, 1956; David, June 15, 1955 – April 25, 1984; Robert Jr., 1954; Joseph II, 1952; Kathleen, 1951
Education: Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, 1949 (now called Manhattanville College)
Established an organization called Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which supports the causes championed by Robert F. Kennedy.
Met Robert Kennedy though his sister, Jean.
Her nephew, Michael Skakel, was convicted in 2002 of the 1975 murder of his neighbor, Martha Moxley. In 2018, the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated Skakel’s conviction and ordered a new trial. Prosecutors announced they would not retry Skakel in October 2020.
1955 – Ethel’s parents, George and Ann Skakel, are killed in an airplane accident.
1959 – Campaigns for Robert’s brother, John F. Kennedy, during his run for the presidency.
1961-1964 – Robert Kennedy serves as attorney general of the United States.
1964 – Robert Kennedy is elected to the US Senate to represent New York.
March 16, 1968 – Robert Kennedy announces he will run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
June 5, 1968 – Robert Kennedy is shot while campaigning in Los Angeles. He dies on June 6 at the age of 42.
2012 – Daughter Rory Kennedy’s documentary, “Ethel,” premieres.
November 24, 2014 – Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
September 20, 2016 – Ethel attends a ceremony held by the US Navy as they announce the naming of a Navy refueling ship in honor of Robert F. Kennedy.
