INSIDER
Simone Biles Presidential Medal of Freedom
Read full article: Simone Biles Presidential Medal of FreedomThursday, Houston Olympian and gymnastics-great Simone Biles is expected to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden. Thursday at 3:00 p.m. on Houston Life, we’ll have details of the ceremony and how her local gym is celebrating the news. That’s Thursday at 3:00 p.m. on KPRC 2.
Former UT-Brownsville President Juliet García to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Read full article: Former UT-Brownsville President Juliet García to receive Presidential Medal of FreedomGarcía served as the president of the University of Texas at Brownsville until it merged with the University of Texas-Pan American to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the first Mexican American woman to lead a college or university in the United States.
Holocaust survivor, author Gerda Weissmann Klein dies at 97
Read full article: Holocaust survivor, author Gerda Weissmann Klein dies at 97Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor and author who wrote about her ordeal and went on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, will be remembered at a memorial May 1 after her death this month.
Rush Limbaugh, bombastic talk radio host and voice of American conservatism, has died, his website says
Read full article: Rush Limbaugh, bombastic talk radio host and voice of American conservatism, has died, his website saysRadio personality Rush Limbaugh reacts after First Lady Melania Trump gives him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. PALM BEACH, Fla. – Rush Limbaugh, bombastic talk radio host and voice of American conservatism, has died, his website says. He began his professional career, and in 1988 debuted the “Rush Limbaugh Show,” which was popular with many conservatives. Limbaugh is also said to have been the most-listened to radio host in America at one point. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 2020.
Dolly Parton turned down Presidential Medal of Freedom offer from Trump twice
Read full article: Dolly Parton turned down Presidential Medal of Freedom offer from Trump twiceRANCHO MIRAGE, CA - JANUARY 24: Singer Dolly Parton Performs at Agua Caliente Casino on January 24, 2014 in Rancho Mirage, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)Dolly Parton has turned down the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice, TODAY reports. The queen of country also added that she has already heard from President Joe Biden regarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to TODAY. According to TODAY, former President Barack Obama could be the influence behind President Biden’s recent offering. AdIn an interview last fall, Obama said he should have honored Parton, but assumed she had already received the award.
Belichick won’t get Presidential Medal of Freedom after all
Read full article: Belichick won’t get Presidential Medal of Freedom after allThe presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is expected Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Instead, Belichick explained, “the decision has been made not to move forward with the award” in the wake of last week's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol. “Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team.”Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick has waded into politics on occasion.
Trump hails vaccine ‘miracle,’ with millions of doses soon
Read full article: Trump hails vaccine ‘miracle,’ with millions of doses soonTrump led Tuesday's White House event celebrating “Operation Warp Speed,” his administration's effort to produce and distribute safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside of “Operation Warp Speed,” but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution. Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and local governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer vaccine, and it will meet later this month on the Moderna version. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.
Feds passed up chance to lock in more Pfizer vaccine doses
Read full article: Feds passed up chance to lock in more Pfizer vaccine dosesUnder its contract with Pfizer, the Trump administration committed to buy an initial 100 million doses, with an option to purchase as many as five times more. The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna. Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses.
Trump honors legendary Iowa wrestler Gable at White House
Read full article: Trump honors legendary Iowa wrestler Gable at White HousePresident Donald Trump congratulates Olympic gold medalist and former University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable after awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to Dan Gable, a renowned wrestler and coach from Iowa who won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Gable was a champion wrestler at Iowa State University, compiling a 117-1 record and winning two NCAA titles. Gable would go on to an incredibly successful coaching career at the University of Iowa, where his teams won 15 NCAA titles. “No one has done more to promote wrestling in America than Dan Gable,” Trump said.
The Latest: Female lawmakers want Flournoy as defense chief
Read full article: The Latest: Female lawmakers want Flournoy as defense chiefWASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):8:05 p.m.More than a half dozen Democratic congresswomen have sent an open letter to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to make Michèle Flournoy the country's first female defense secretary. Biden has been facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party over his defense pick. The swearing-in ceremony and a lunch for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol. ___3:50 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says the Trump administration’s plan for distributing an approved coronavirus vaccine to the public lacks important detail. ___3:35 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says that the most recent jobs report is “dire” and that there is no time to lose as millions of people have lost their jobs or have seen their incomes slashed.
Trump honors football coach Holtz as 'one of the greatest'
Read full article: Trump honors football coach Holtz as 'one of the greatest'Former football coach Lou Holtz smiles after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday called Lou Holtz "one of the greatest coaches in American history” as he honored the college football Hall of Famer and political ally with the nation's highest civilian honor. “He’s really a life teacher," said Trump, noting the respect and loyalty Holtz earned from the many players he mentored. Holtz is one of several sports figures Trump has awarded the Medal of Freedom during his time office. “I’m even prouder to receive it from President Donald Trump," said Holtz, who added that Trump was the "greatest president in my lifetime”A graduate of Kent State, Holtz also served seven years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Trump honors former track phenom and Kansas congressman Ryun
Read full article: Trump honors former track phenom and Kansas congressman RyunPresident Donald Trump speaks during an event to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jim Ryun, left, in the Blue Room of the White House, Friday, July 24, 2020, in Washington. Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House, calling him a Legendary athlete and legendary runner." In announcing the award, the White House described Ryun, 73, as one of the most accomplished American runners in history. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is presented to those who make especially meritorious contributions to the nation. Ryun went on to serve as a member of the House representing a Kansas congressional district from 1996 to 2006.
Civil rights trailblazer C.T. Vivian to be laid to rest
Read full article: Civil rights trailblazer C.T. Vivian to be laid to restFILE- In this Nov. 20, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama awards minister, author and civil rights activist Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. who organized pivotal civil rights campaigns and spent decades advocating for justice and equality, died Friday, July 17, 2020 at the age of 95. Vivian, a pioneer of the civil rights movement who helped end segregation across the South and left an abiding imprint on U.S. history. More than a decade before lunch-counter protests made headlines during the civil rights movement, Vivian began organizing sit-ins against segregation in Peoria, Illinois, in the 1940s.