by tyler | Mar 12, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of Oprah Winfrey, who hosted the award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Birth date: January 29, 1954
Birth place: Kosciusko, Mississippi
Birth name: Oprah Gail Winfrey
Father: Vernon Winfrey, a barber
Mother: Vernita Lee, a maid (parents never married)
Education: Tennessee State University, B.A., Speech and Performing Arts, 1976
At age 19, while still a sophomore in college, becomes the youngest and first African-American anchor for WTVF-TV in Nashville.
Winfrey’s first name is spelled Orpah on her birth certificate but there was confusion over how to pronounce the name, so the spelling was changed to Oprah. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, Winfrey explained that her aunt chose the name Orpah as a bible reference. Winfrey said that she’s happy the spelling got switched to Oprah because backwards it spells Harpo.
Stedman Graham has been her companion for more than 30 years.
Together, Winfrey and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received a total of 16 Daytime Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Talk Show Host” and ” Outstanding Talk Show,” and one for her work as supervising producer of the “ABC Afterschool Special: Shades of a Single Protein.” Winfrey was also presented with two honorary awards.
After removing her name from competition in the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2000, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” won Emmy awards in the technical categories only.
Winfrey has been involved in various projects that have garnered many Primetime Emmy Award nominations, she has won one, and was also presented with an honorary award.
Two Academy Award nominations. Received one honorary award.
Two Tony Award nominations with one win.
1976 – Becomes a news co-anchor at WJZ-TV in Baltimore.
January 1984 – Becomes the anchor of “A.M. Chicago,” which airs opposite Phil Donahue.
September 1985 – The show is renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1985-2011 – Host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” the highest-rated talk show in history.
1985 – Makes her film debut in “The Color Purple,” for which she is nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
November 8, 1986 – “The Oprah Winfrey Show” goes into national syndication.
1987, 1988, 1989, 1991-1992, 1994-1996 and 1997 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show Host for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1988 – Forms her own production company, Harpo Inc.
December 20, 1993 – President Bill Clinton honors Oprah by signing into law the “Oprah Bill,” following her 1991 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee advocating for a national database to search for child abusers. This bill, officially called the National Child Protection Act, creates a national criminal history background check system.
1993 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Special, “ABC Afterschool Special: Shades of a Single Protein.” Oprah is also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
1996 – Starts “Oprah’s Book Club” on her show. The book club becomes very influential in the publishing world as selected books rise to the top of bestseller lists.
1997 – Starts Oprah’s Angel Network, a charitable foundation.
1998 – Winfrey is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
1998 – Produces the movie “Beloved.”
1998 – Partners with Oxygen Media, which plans to operate a 24-hour cable channel for women.
1999 – Withdraws her name for consideration in the Daytime Emmy Awards.
2000 – Wins the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie for “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie.”
April 2000 – Launches “O, The Oprah Magazine,” and the Oxygen Network.
2002 – Accepts the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
February 2003 – Becomes the first African-American woman on Forbes magazine’s “World’s Richest People” list, with a net worth of about $1 billion.
September 13, 2004 – Begins a new season of her talk show by giving each member of the audience a brand-new car.
September 26, 2005 – Winfrey announces that she is investing more than $1 million to bring the musical “The Color Purple” to Broadway in December 2005.
September 25, 2006-January 1, 2015 – Oprah and Friends (renamed Oprah Radio) airs on SiriusXM Radio.
January 2, 2007 – The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opens in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa. The school houses 152 girls from deprived backgrounds and provides them with an education. Winfrey has reportedly spent $40 million opening the school.
September 8, 2007 – Hosts a fundraiser for presidential hopeful Barack Obama at her California home.
October 2007 – NBC buys the Oxygen Network for $925 million.
January 15, 2008 – Winfrey and Discovery Communications announce that beginning in 2009 the Discovery Health Channel will be renamed OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.
November 20, 2009 – Announces on her show that she will discontinue her talk show in 2011. She will then move to California and launch OWN.
December 5, 2010 – Winfrey is honored at the Kennedy Center as part of the 33rd annual Kennedy Center Honors gala.
January 1, 2011 – OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network debuts.
May 25, 2011 – The last “Oprah Winfrey Show” airs. There are no guests for this episode.
June 19, 2011 – Receives the Chairman’s Crystal Pillar Award for her decades of work in network television from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
November 12, 2011 – Winfrey receives an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
January 1, 2012 – Winfrey’s new show, “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” debuts on the OWN network.
November 20, 2013 – Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
October 19, 2015 – Winfrey and Weight Watchers announce a partnership in which Winfrey is buying a 10% stake in the company and taking a seat on its board of directors.
June 12, 2016 – Wins a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for “The Color Purple.”
January 3, 2017 – Releases a cookbook, “Food, Health, and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life.”
January 31, 2017 – CBS announces that Winfrey will be a special contributor to “60 Minutes,” starting in the fall of 2017.
August 9, 2017 – Partners with the Kraft Heinz Company to produce a line of refrigerated comfort food called O, That’s Good!, available in stores beginning October 2017.
January 7, 2018 – Winfrey receives the 2018 Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is given “to a talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
February 20, 2018 – Announces she is donating $500,000 to March For Our Lives, an event formed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
June 15, 2018 – Apple announces Winfrey has signed a multi-year deal with the company to create new original programming.
July 11, 2018 – Winfrey invests in True Food Kitchen, a Phoenix-based healthy restaurant chain.
November 1, 2018 – Delivers a speech in support of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. “For anybody here who has an ancestor who didn’t have the right to vote, and you are choosing not to vote – wherever you are in this state, in this country – you are dishonoring your family,” Winfrey said in Marietta, Georgia.
April 8, 2019 – The Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund announce that Winfrey is donating $2 million to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria.
April 10, 2019 – It is announced that Winfrey and Prince Harry are partnering on a multi-part documentary series focusing on mental health. The series is set to air on the Apple TV platform in 2020.
October 7, 2019 – While at Morehouse College celebrating its 30th anniversary, Winfrey announces a $13 million donation to its scholarship fund. This brings her total donation to $25 million. It is the largest endowment in the college’s history, according to the school.
January 10, 2020 – Withdraws as executive producer of a documentary expose concerning allegations of sexual misconduct against Russell Simmons. “On the Record” was being produced for air on the Apple TV streaming platform as part of Winfrey’s multi-year content partnership with the company.
April 2, 2020 – Announces that she has donated $10 million “to help Americans during this pandemic in cities across the country.” Of her total donation, $1 million will go toward America’s Food Fund to alleviate food insecurity. The rest will be donated to other groups helping Americans during the pandemic.
July 30, 2020 – “The Oprah Conversation” debuts on Apple TV+.
July 30, 2020 – It’s announced that Breonna Taylor will be featured on the cover of O magazine. The first time in the magazine’s 20 year history that Winfrey hasn’t been on the cover.
March 7, 2021 – “Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” airs on CBS, and draws over 17 million viewers in the United States.
December 13, 2023 – A painting honoring Winfrey is unveiled at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
February 28, 2024 – It is announced that Oprah is leaving the board of WeightWatchers, ending a nearly decade-long stint as director of the company. Winfrey will also be giving away her stake in the company, donating all of her stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
by tyler | Mar 12, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at some of the most important cases decided by the US Supreme Court since 1789.
1803 – Marbury v. Madison
This decision established the system of checks and balances and the power of the Supreme Court within the federal government.
Situation: Federalist William Marbury and many others were appointed to positions by outgoing President John Adams. The appointments were not finalized before the new Secretary of State James Madison took office, and Madison chose not to honor them. Marbury and the others invoked an Act of Congress and sued to get their appointed positions.
The Court decided against Marbury 6-0.
Historical significance: Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, “An act of the legislature repugnant to the constitution is void.” It was the first time the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law that had been passed by Congress.
1857 – Dred Scott v. Sandford
This decision established that slaves were not citizens of the United States and were not protected under the US Constitution.
Situation: Dred Scott and his wife Harriet sued for their freedom in Missouri, a slave state, after having lived with their owner, an Army surgeon, in the free Territory of Wisconsin.
The Court decided against Scott 7-2.
Historical significance: The decision overturned the Missouri Compromise, where Congress had prohibited slavery in the territories. The Dred Scott decision was overturned later with the adoption of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in 1865 and the 14th Amendment in 1868, granting citizenship to all born in the United States.
1896 – Plessy v. Ferguson
This decision established the rule of segregation, separate but equal.
Situation: While attempting to test the constitutionality of the Separate Car Law in Louisiana, Homer Plessy, a man of 1/8 African descent, sat in the train car for whites instead of the blacks-only train car and was arrested.
The Court decided against Plessy 7-1.
Historical significance: Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote, “The argument also assumes that social prejudice may be overcome by legislation and that equal rights cannot be secured except by an enforced commingling of the two races… if the civil and political rights of both races be equal, one cannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.” The Court gave merit to the “Jim Crow” system. Plessy was overturned by the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In January 2022 Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards granted a posthumous pardon to Homer Plessy. The pardon comes after the Louisiana Board of Pardons voted unanimously in November 2021 in favor of a pardon for Plessy, who died in his 60s in 1925.
1954 – Brown v. Board of Education
This decision overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and granted equal protection under the law.
Situation: Segregation of the public school systems in the United States was addressed when cases in Kansas, South Carolina, Delaware and Virginia were all decided together under Brown v. Board of Education. Third-grader Linda Brown was denied admission to the white school a few blocks from her home and was forced to attend the blacks-only school a mile away.
The Court decided in favor of Brown unanimously.
Historical significance: Racial segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
1963 – Gideon v. Wainwright
This decision guarantees the right to counsel.
Situation: Clarence Earl Gideon was forced to defend himself when he requested a lawyer from a Florida court and was refused. He was convicted and sentenced to five years for breaking and entering.
The Court decided in favor of Gideon unanimously.
Historical significance: Ensures the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee to counsel is applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.
1964 – New York Times v. Sullivan
This decision upheld the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Situation: The New York Times and four African-American ministers were sued for libel by Montgomery, Alabama, police commissioner L.B. Sullivan. Sullivan claimed a full-page ad in the Times discussing the arrest of Martin Luther King Jr., and his efforts toward voter registration and integration in Montgomery were defamatory against him. Alabama’s libel law did not require Sullivan to prove harm since the ad did contain factual errors. He was awarded $500,000.
The Court decided against Sullivan unanimously.
Historical significance: The First Amendment protects free speech and publication of all statements about public officials made without actual malice.
1966 – Miranda v. Arizona
The decision established the rights of suspects against self-incrimination.
Situation: Ernesto Miranda was convicted of rape and kidnapping after he confessed, while in police custody, without benefit of counsel or knowledge of his constitutional right to remain silent.
The court decided in favor of Miranda 5-4.
Historical significance: Upon arrest and/or questioning, all suspects are given some form of their constitutional rights – “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”
1973 – Roe v. Wade
This decision expanded privacy rights to include a woman’s right to choose pregnancy or abortion.
Situation: “Jane Roe” (Norma McCorvey), single and living in Texas, did not want to continue her third pregnancy. Under Texas law, she could not legally obtain an abortion.
The Court decided in favor of Roe 7-2.
Historical significance: Abortion is legal in all 50 states. Women have the right to choose between pregnancy and abortion.
1974 – United States v. Nixon
This decision established that executive privilege is neither absolute nor unqualified.
Situation: President Richard Nixon’s taped conversations from 1971 onward were the object of subpoenas by both the special prosecutor and those under indictment in the Watergate scandal. The president claimed immunity from subpoena under executive privilege.
The Court decided against Nixon 8-0.
Historical significance: The president is not above the law. After the Court ruled on July 24, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned on August 8.
1978 – Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke
This decision ruled that race cannot be the only factor in college admissions.
Situation: Allan Bakke had twice applied for and was denied admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis. Bakke was white, male and 35 years old. He claimed under California’s affirmative action plan, minorities with lower grades and test scores were admitted to the medical school when he was not, therefore his denial of admission was based solely on race.
The Court decided in Bakke’s favor, 5-4.
Historical significance: Affirmative action is approved by the Court and schools may use race as an admissions factor. However, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment works both ways in the case of affirmative action; race cannot be the only factor in the admissions process.
2012 – National Federation of Independent Business et al v. Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services et al
Situation: The constitutionality of the sweeping health care reform law championed by President Barack Obama.
The Court voted 5-4 in favor of upholding the Affordable Care Act.
Historical significance: The ruling upholds the law’s central provision – a requirement that all people have health insurance or pay a penalty.
2013 – United States v. Windsor
This decision ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined the term “marriage” under federal law as a “legal union between one man and one woman” deprived same-sex couples who are legally married under state laws of their Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection under federal law.
Situation: Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer were married in Toronto in 2007. Their marriage was recognized by New York state, where they lived. Upon Spyer’s death in 2009, Windsor was forced to pay $363,000 in estate taxes, because their marriage was not recognized by federal law.
The court voted 5-4 in favor of Windsor.
Historical significance: The court strikes down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, ruling that legally married same-sex couples are entitled to federal benefits.
2015 – King et al, v. Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al
Situation: This case was about determining whether or not the portion of the Affordable Care Act which says subsidies would be available only to those who purchase insurance on exchanges “established by the state” referred to the individual states.
The Court ruled 6-3 in favor of upholding the Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Historical significance: The court rules that the Affordable Care Act federal tax credits for eligible Americans are available in all 50 states, regardless of whether the states have their own health care exchanges.
2015 – Obergefell et al, v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al.
Situation: Multiple lower courts had struck down state same-sex marriage bans. There were 37 states allowing gay marriage before the issue went to the Supreme Court.
The Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Obergefell et al.
Historical significance: The court rules that states cannot ban same-sex marriage and must recognize lawful marriages performed out of state.
2016 – Fisher v. University of Texas
Situation: Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas after her admission application was rejected in 2008. She claimed it was because she is white and that she was being treated differently than some less-qualified minority students who were accepted. In 2013 the Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower courts for further review.
The Court ruled 4-3 in favor of the University of Texas. Justice Elena Kagan recused herself from the case, presumably because she dealt with it in her previous job as solicitor general.
Historical Significance: The court rules that taking race into consideration as one factor of admission is constitutional.
2020 – Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia
Situation: Gerald Bostock filed a lawsuit against Clayton County for discrimination based on his sexual orientation after he was terminated for “conduct unbecoming of its employees,” shortly after he began participating in a gay softball league. Two other consolidated cases were also argued on the same day.
The 6-3 opinion in favor of the plaintiff, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch and joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, states that being fired “merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII” of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Historical Significance: Federal anti-bias law now protects people who face job loss and/or discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
2022 – Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
Situation: Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, passed in 2018 and which greatly restricts abortion after 15 weeks, is blocked by two federal courts, holding that it is in direct violation of Supreme Court precedent legalizing abortion nationwide prior to viability, which can occur at around 23-24 weeks of pregnancy, and that in an “unbroken line dating to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s abortion cases have established (and affirmed and re-affirmed) a woman’s right to choose an abortion before viability.” The court said states may “regulate abortion procedures prior to viability” so long as they do not ban abortion. “The law at issue is a ban,” the court held.
Mississippi appeals the decision to the Supreme Court.
The 6-3 opinion in favor of the plaintiff, written by Justice Samuel Alito states that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start…Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
In a joint dissenting opinion, Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan heavily criticized the majority, closing: “With sorrow – for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection – we dissent.”
Historical Significance: The ruling overturns Roe v. Wade and there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion, leaving abortion rights to be determined by states.
1944 – Korematsu v. United States – The Court ruled Executive Order 9066, internment of Japanese citizens during World War II, is legal, 6-3 for the United States.
1961 – Mapp v. Ohio – “Fruit of the poisonous tree,” evidence obtained through an illegal search, cannot be used at trial, 6-3 for Mapp.
1967 – Loving v. Virginia – Prohibition against interracial marriage was ruled unconstitutional, 9-0 for Loving.
1968 – Terry v. Ohio – Stop and frisk, under certain circumstances, does not violate the Constitution. The Court upholds Terry’s conviction and rules 8-1 that it is not unconstitutional for police to stop and frisk individuals without probable cause for an arrest if they have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has or is about to occur.
2008 – District of Columbia v. Heller – The Second Amendment does protect the individual’s right to bear arms, 5-4 for Heller.
2010 – Citizens United v. FEC – The Court rules corporations can contribute to PACs under the First Amendment’s right to free speech, 5-4 for Citizens United.
2023 – Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard together with Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina – Colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration as a specific basis in admissions. The majority opinion, written by Justice John Roberts, claims the court is not expressly overturning prior cases authorizing race-based affirmative action and suggests that how race has affected an applicant’s life can still be part of how their application is considered.
2024 – Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson, et al – The Court rules former President Donald Trump should appear on the ballot in Colorado in a decision that follows months of debate over whether Trump violated the “insurrectionist clause” included in the 14th Amendment.
by tyler | Mar 11, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican governor of South Carolina.
Birth date: January 20, 1972
Birth place: Bamberg, South Carolina
Birth name: Nimrata Nikki Randhawa
Father: Ajit S. Randhawa, professor and business owner
Mother: Raj Kaur Randhawa, teacher and business owner
Marriage: Michael Haley (1996-present)
Children: Rena and Nalin
Education: Clemson University, B.S., 1994
Religion: Christian
Haley’s parents are Indian immigrants who owned Exotica International Inc., a small foreign goods store that evolved into a multimillion-dollar clothing and gift venture. Exotica closed in 2008 when the Randhawas retired.
Haley helped with bookkeeping at her parents’ business when she was a teenager.
Her husband served in the National Guard and was deployed in Afghanistan for a year. He was part of an agricultural team that trained Afghan farmers how to turn their poppy crops into food crops.
Haley was raised in the religion of Sikh but converted to Christianity in her 20s. In an interview with the New York Times, Haley said she and her husband, “chose Christianity because of the way we wanted to live our life and raise our children.”
In 2011, she made history by being the first woman and the first person of an ethnic minority to hold the governorship of South Carolina. She is also the second Indian-American governor in US history. Bobby Jindal was the first, in Louisiana.
1998 – Is named to the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.
2003 – Is named to the Lexington Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.
2004 – Becomes the president of the National Association of Women Business Owners.
2004 – Haley is elected to South Carolina House of Representatives’ 87th District.
2005 – Is elected chairman of the State House’s Freshman Caucus.
2006 – Serves as majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly.
2006 and 2008 – Is reelected to her seat in the South Carolina state House of Representatives.
November 2, 2010 – Is elected governor of South Carolina, with the support of the Tea Party movement.
January 12, 2011 – Takes office as the governor of South Carolina.
April 2012 – Her autobiography, “Can’t Is Not an Option: My American Story,” is published.
November 8, 2014 – Is reelected for a second four-year term as governor.
June 22, 2015 – Calls for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds days after Dylann Roof opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof was repeatedly photographed with the Confederate flag. The flag is taken down weeks later.
January 12, 2016 – Delivers the Republican party’s response to President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address.
November 23, 2016 – President-elect Donald Trump announces Haley as his selection to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.
January 24, 2017 – The Senate confirms Haley as the next UN ambassador by a vote of 96-4.
January 24, 2017 – Resigns as governor of South Carolina.
January 25, 2017 – Is sworn in as ambassador to the United Nations.
September 2017 – In an interview with Elise Labott published in CNN’s STATE Magazine, Haley discusses her conditions for becoming US ambassador to the United Nations, including the condition that she be able to speak her mind.
December 10, 2017 – Haley says that any women who speak up about inappropriate sexual behavior “should be heard,” including Trump’s accusers.
December 21, 2017 – In a speech in front of the UN General Assembly, Haley warns participating countries that the United States will think twice about funding the world body if it votes to condemn Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there. Despite Haley’s threat, member nations overwhelmingly vote in favor of the resolution condemning the Trump administration for its decision on Israel.
December 26, 2017 – Haley says the United States has negotiated a $285 million reduction of the UN budget for 2018-2019, compared to the budget for 2016-2017.
October 9, 2018 – Haley submits her resignation as UN ambassador. She will leave her post by the end of the year.
February 2019 – Launches the policy advocacy group Stand for America.
February 26, 2019 – Boeing announces its board of directors has nominated Haley for a seat on the board.
April 29, 2019 – Haley is elected to Boeing’s board of directors during the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
November 12, 2019 – Haley’s memoir, “With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace” is published.
December 2019 – During an interview with conservative podcaster, Glenn Beck, Haley revisits her decision to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House after the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Haley says that gunman Dylann Roof “hijacked” the meaning of the flag. She explains the flag signified service, sacrifice and heritage to many people. She later says, via Twitter, that her remark was misconstrued by “the outrage peddlers in the liberal media.”
March 19, 2020 – Boeing releases a March 16 letter from Haley in which she resigns from the board of directors. She states, “I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position. I have long held strong convictions that this is not the role of government.”
October 4, 2022 – Haley’s book, “If You Want Something Done: Leadership Lessons from Bold Women,” is published.
February 14, 2023 – Haley announces in a video that she will run for president in 2024.
March 6, 2024 – Haley announces she is ending her presidential campaign.
by tyler | Mar 11, 2024 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Birth date: March 17, 1945
Birth place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Birth name: Michael Vincent Hayden
Father: Harry Hayden
Mother: Sadie Hayden
Marriage: Jeanine (Carrier) Hayden
Children: Margaret, Michael and Liam
Education: Duquesne University, B.A, 1967; Duquesne University, M.A., 1969
Military service: US Air Force, 1967-2008, General
Is a retired four-star general.
Is a distinguished visiting professor and founder of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University.
Worked as a cab driver during college.
January 1970-January 1972 – Analyst at Headquarters Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
January 1972-May 1975 – Chief of Current Intelligence Division at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
July 1975-August 1979 – Academic Instructor at Reserve Officer Training Corps Program, St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
June 1980-July 1982 – Chief of Intelligence, 51st Tactical Fighter Wing, Osan Air Force Base, South Korea.
1984-1986 – Air attaché, US Embassy, Bulgaria.
1986-1989 – Political-Military Affairs Officer, US Air Force Headquarters.
1989-1991 – Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council.
1991-1993 – Chief, Secretary of the Air Force Staff Group.
1993-1995 – Director of Intelligence, US European Command.
1996-1997 – Commander, Air Intelligence Agency, and Director, Joint Command and Control Warfare Center.
1997-1999 – Deputy Chief of Staff, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea.
1999-2005 – Director of the National Security Agency.
April 2005 – Is appointed principal deputy director of national intelligence.
May 8, 2006 – President George W. Bush nominates Hayden to be director of the CIA.
May 30, 2006 – Is sworn in as the director of the CIA.
February 5, 2008 – During congressional testimony, Hayden acknowledges for the first time that the CIA has used waterboarding in the interrogations of detainees.
July 1, 2008 – Retires from the Air Force.
February 12, 2009 – Steps down as the director of the CIA.
February 13, 2009 – Leon Panetta is sworn in as the new director of the CIA.
April 2009 – Joins the Chertoff Group, a security consulting firm founded by Michael Chertoff, former Department of Homeland Security secretary.
September 11, 2014 – In an interview with U.S. News and World Report, Hayden compares the White House strategy of using air strikes against ISIS to casual sex. Hayden says, “The reliance on air power has all of the attraction of casual sex: It seems to offer gratification but with very little commitment.”
December 9, 2014 – The Senate releases a report criticizing the CIA’s interrogation tactics used against terrorist detainees during the Bush era. Hayden responds in an interview with Politico, calling the Senate’s conclusions “analytically offensive.”
February 23, 2016 – Hayden’s book “Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror” is published.
August 9, 2016 – After signing a letter, along with 49 other Republican national security officials, declaring Donald Trump unqualified to be president, Hayden tells CNN that Trump represents a “clear and present danger” and says he “fears for our future” if Trump governs as he has campaigned.
May 1, 2018 – Hayden’s book “The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies” is published.
November 23, 2018 – According to a statement released by his family, Hayden suffers a stroke at home earlier in the week.
January 18, 2019 – Hayden returns home after suffering a stroke.
October 7, 2020 – Hayden tells CNN’s Jim Sciutto that reelecting Trump would be “very bad for America,” while endorsing Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president.
by tyler | Mar 11, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of Oprah Winfrey, who hosted the award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Birth date: January 29, 1954
Birth place: Kosciusko, Mississippi
Birth name: Oprah Gail Winfrey
Father: Vernon Winfrey, a barber
Mother: Vernita Lee, a maid (parents never married)
Education: Tennessee State University, B.A., Speech and Performing Arts, 1976
At age 19, while still a sophomore in college, becomes the youngest and first African-American anchor for WTVF-TV in Nashville.
Winfrey’s first name is spelled Orpah on her birth certificate but there was confusion over how to pronounce the name, so the spelling was changed to Oprah. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, Winfrey explained that her aunt chose the name Orpah as a bible reference. Winfrey said that she’s happy the spelling got switched to Oprah because backwards it spells Harpo.
Stedman Graham has been her companion for more than 30 years.
Together, Winfrey and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received a total of 16 Daytime Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Talk Show Host” and ” Outstanding Talk Show,” and one for her work as supervising producer of the “ABC Afterschool Special: Shades of a Single Protein.” Winfrey was also presented with two honorary awards.
After removing her name from competition in the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2000, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” won Emmy awards in the technical categories only.
Winfrey has been involved in various projects that have garnered many Primetime Emmy Award nominations, she has won one, and was also presented with an honorary award.
Two Academy Award nominations. Received one honorary award.
Two Tony Award nominations with one win.
1976 – Becomes a news co-anchor at WJZ-TV in Baltimore.
January 1984 – Becomes the anchor of “A.M. Chicago,” which airs opposite Phil Donahue.
September 1985 – The show is renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1985-2011 – Host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” the highest-rated talk show in history.
1985 – Makes her film debut in “The Color Purple,” for which she is nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
November 8, 1986 – “The Oprah Winfrey Show” goes into national syndication.
1987, 1988, 1989, 1991-1992, 1994-1996 and 1997 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show Host for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
1988 – Forms her own production company, Harpo Inc.
December 20, 1993 – President Bill Clinton honors Oprah by signing into law the “Oprah Bill,” following her 1991 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee advocating for a national database to search for child abusers. This bill, officially called the National Child Protection Act, creates a national criminal history background check system.
1993 – Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Special, “ABC Afterschool Special: Shades of a Single Protein.” Oprah is also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
1996 – Starts “Oprah’s Book Club” on her show. The book club becomes very influential in the publishing world as selected books rise to the top of bestseller lists.
1997 – Starts Oprah’s Angel Network, a charitable foundation.
1998 – Winfrey is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
1998 – Produces the movie “Beloved.”
1998 – Partners with Oxygen Media, which plans to operate a 24-hour cable channel for women.
1999 – Withdraws her name for consideration in the Daytime Emmy Awards.
2000 – Wins the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie for “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie.”
April 2000 – Launches “O, The Oprah Magazine,” and the Oxygen Network.
2002 – Accepts the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
February 2003 – Becomes the first African-American woman on Forbes magazine’s “World’s Richest People” list, with a net worth of about $1 billion.
September 13, 2004 – Begins a new season of her talk show by giving each member of the audience a brand-new car.
September 26, 2005 – Winfrey announces that she is investing more than $1 million to bring the musical “The Color Purple” to Broadway in December 2005.
September 25, 2006-January 1, 2015 – Oprah and Friends (renamed Oprah Radio) airs on SiriusXM Radio.
January 2, 2007 – The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opens in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa. The school houses 152 girls from deprived backgrounds and provides them with an education. Winfrey has reportedly spent $40 million opening the school.
September 8, 2007 – Hosts a fundraiser for presidential hopeful Barack Obama at her California home.
October 2007 – NBC buys the Oxygen Network for $925 million.
January 15, 2008 – Winfrey and Discovery Communications announce that beginning in 2009 the Discovery Health Channel will be renamed OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.
November 20, 2009 – Announces on her show that she will discontinue her talk show in 2011. She will then move to California and launch OWN.
December 5, 2010 – Winfrey is honored at the Kennedy Center as part of the 33rd annual Kennedy Center Honors gala.
January 1, 2011 – OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network debuts.
May 25, 2011 – The last “Oprah Winfrey Show” airs. There are no guests for this episode.
June 19, 2011 – Receives the Chairman’s Crystal Pillar Award for her decades of work in network television from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
November 12, 2011 – Winfrey receives an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
January 1, 2012 – Winfrey’s new show, “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” debuts on the OWN network.
November 20, 2013 – Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
October 19, 2015 – Winfrey and Weight Watchers announce a partnership in which Winfrey is buying a 10% stake in the company and taking a seat on its board of directors.
June 12, 2016 – Wins a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for “The Color Purple.”
January 3, 2017 – Releases a cookbook, “Food, Health, and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life.”
January 31, 2017 – CBS announces that Winfrey will be a special contributor to “60 Minutes,” starting in the fall of 2017.
August 9, 2017 – Partners with the Kraft Heinz Company to produce a line of refrigerated comfort food called O, That’s Good!, available in stores beginning October 2017.
January 7, 2018 – Winfrey receives the 2018 Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is given “to a talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
February 20, 2018 – Announces she is donating $500,000 to March For Our Lives, an event formed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
June 15, 2018 – Apple announces Winfrey has signed a multi-year deal with the company to create new original programming.
July 11, 2018 – Winfrey invests in True Food Kitchen, a Phoenix-based healthy restaurant chain.
November 1, 2018 – Delivers a speech in support of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. “For anybody here who has an ancestor who didn’t have the right to vote, and you are choosing not to vote – wherever you are in this state, in this country – you are dishonoring your family,” Winfrey said in Marietta, Georgia.
April 8, 2019 – The Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund announce that Winfrey is donating $2 million to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria.
April 10, 2019 – It is announced that Winfrey and Prince Harry are partnering on a multi-part documentary series focusing on mental health. The series is set to air on the Apple TV platform in 2020.
October 7, 2019 – While at Morehouse College celebrating its 30th anniversary, Winfrey announces a $13 million donation to its scholarship fund. This brings her total donation to $25 million. It is the largest endowment in the college’s history, according to the school.
January 10, 2020 – Withdraws as executive producer of a documentary expose concerning allegations of sexual misconduct against Russell Simmons. “On the Record” was being produced for air on the Apple TV streaming platform as part of Winfrey’s multi-year content partnership with the company.
April 2, 2020 – Announces that she has donated $10 million “to help Americans during this pandemic in cities across the country.” Of her total donation, $1 million will go toward America’s Food Fund to alleviate food insecurity. The rest will be donated to other groups helping Americans during the pandemic.
July 30, 2020 – “The Oprah Conversation” debuts on Apple TV+.
July 30, 2020 – It’s announced that Breonna Taylor will be featured on the cover of O magazine. The first time in the magazine’s 20 year history that Winfrey hasn’t been on the cover.
March 7, 2021 – “Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” airs on CBS, and draws over 17 million viewers in the United States.
December 13, 2023 – A painting honoring Winfrey is unveiled at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
February 28, 2024 – It is announced that Oprah is leaving the board of WeightWatchers, ending a nearly decade-long stint as director of the company. Winfrey will also be giving away her stake in the company, donating all of her stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
by tyler | Mar 8, 2024 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.
Birth date: February 20, 1942
Birth place: Colbert County, Alabama
Birth name: Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.
Father: Addison Mitchell McConnell
Mother: Julia (Shockley) McConnell
Marriages: Elaine Chao (1993-present); Sherrill Redmon (1968-1980, divorced)
Children: with Sherrill Redmon: Porter; Claire; Eleanor
Education: University of Louisville, B.A., 1964; University of Kentucky, J.D., 1967
Religion: Baptist
Contracted polio at age 2 and was not allowed to walk for two years while completing physical therapy.
His wife, Elaine Chao, served as secretary of the Department of Labor under President George W. Bush and deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush. Chao served as the secretary of the Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump.
1968-1970 – Chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook.
1974-1975 – Deputy Assistant United States Attorney for Legislative Affairs.
1975 – Acting Assistant Attorney General.
1978-1985 – Judge-Executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
1984 – Elected to the US Senate to represent Kentucky.
1990 – Reelected to the US Senate.
1996 – Reelected to the US Senate.
2002 – Reelected to the US Senate.
2003-2007 – Senate Republican Whip.
November 16, 2006 – Elected Senate Republican leader. McConnell replaces Bill Frist.
January 4, 2007-January 6, 2015 – Senate Minority Leader.
2008 – Reelected to the US Senate.
October 23, 2010 – During an interview with the National Journal, McConnell says, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President [Barack] Obama to be a one-term president.”
November 4, 2014 – Reelected to the US Senate.
November 13, 2014 – McConnell is reelected leader of the Republican party in the Senate. When Congress reconvenes in January 2015, McConnell will take over as Senate majority leader from Harry Reid.
January 6, 2015–January 20, 2021 – Senate Majority Leader.
December 12, 2016 – Announces he supports a congressional investigation into findings that Russian hackers attempted to influence the election.
June 12, 2018 – Becomes the longest-serving Republican leader in the Senate’s history, surpassing former Sen. Robert Dole’s record.
August 4, 2019 – McConnell fractures his shoulder after falling in his Kentucky home. “This morning, Leader McConnell tripped at home on his outside patio and suffered a fractured shoulder,” David Popp, McConnell’s communications director, says in a statement. “He has been treated, released, and is working from home in Louisville.”
August 15, 2019 – McConnell undergoes surgery to repair the fracture in his shoulder. “The surgery was performed without incident, and the Leader is grateful to the surgical team for their skill,” Popp says in a statement.
November 3, 2020 – Wins reelection to the US Senate, defeating Democratic opponent Amy McGrath and her massive fundraising efforts to unseat him.
November 10, 2020 – McConnell is reelected as a Senate party leader, but the party holding the Senate majority won’t be determined until two runoff elections in Georgia take place in January.
December 15, 2020 – Six weeks after Election Day McConnell finally acknowledges Joe Biden’s victory and refers to him as president-elect.
January 2, 2021 – Police report that McConnell’s home has been vandalized. The damage takes place after the Senate stalls on increasing stimulus checks to $2,000. The home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the other highest-ranking member of Congress, was vandalized the previous day.
January 20, 2021-present – Senate Minority Leader.
February 13, 2021 – McConnell directly blames former President Trump for instigating last month’s riot at the Capitol but votes to acquit him anyway of inciting an insurrection.
November 16, 2022 – Wins a secret-ballot leadership election, putting him on pace to become the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history. McConnell defeats Florida Sen. Rick Scott in a 37-10-1 vote, his first challenger in his 15 years atop his conference.
March 8, 2023 – McConnell is being treated for a concussion and is staying at a hospital for observation after a fall at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC.
July 26, 2023 – McConnell stops speaking in the middle of remarks at his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. After a 30-second pause, his colleagues crowded around to see if he was OK and asked him how he felt. He later tells reporters that he’s “fine.”
August 30, 2023 – Appears to freeze for about 30 seconds while speaking with reporters after a speech in Covington, Kentucky.
February 28, 2024 – McConnell will step down as GOP leader in November, a source tells CNN.
