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  • Virginia Tech Shootings Fast Facts | CNN

    Virginia Tech Shootings Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    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

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  • David Letterman Fast Facts | CNN

    David Letterman Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of former late-night talk show host David Letterman.

    Birth date: April 12, 1947

    Birth place: Indianapolis, Indiana

    Birth name: David Michael Letterman

    Father: Harry Letterman, florist

    Mother: Dorothy (Hofert) Letterman Mengering

    Marriages: Regina Lasko (March 19, 2009-present); Michelle Cook (divorced)

    Children: with Regina Lasko: Harry Joseph

    Education: Ball State University, B.A., 1969

    Letterman is the founder of the production company Worldwide Pants, which produced “Late Show with David Letterman.”

    Is a co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

    Letterman has been nominated for 50 Emmy Awards and won five.

    “Late Night with David Letterman” was nominated for 25 Emmy Awards and won three.

    “Late Show with David Letterman” was nominated for 76 Emmy Awards and won nine.

    “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” has been nominated for four Emmy Awards.

    1969 – Begins working as an announcer and weekend weatherman at WLWI (now WTHR), an ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    1975 – Moves to Los Angeles and begins performing stand-up at the Comedy Store. Later he is hired by Jimmie Walker, star of the CBS sitcom “Good Times,” as a writer.

    1978 – Appears on Mary Tyler Moore’s variety show, “Mary.”

    November 1978 – Makes the first of 22 appearances on “The Tonight Show” hosted by Johnny Carson. Letterman also serves as a guest host on “The Tonight Show” several times.

    June 23, 1980-October 24, 1980 – Hosts “The David Letterman Show,” a daytime talk show on NBC.

    February 1, 1982-June 25, 1993 – Hosts “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC.

    September 23, 1984 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

    September 18, 1985 – Premiere of the “Top Ten” list.

    September 22, 1985 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

    September 21, 1986 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

    September 20, 1987 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

    May 1992 – Carson announces his retirement and speculation begins that Letterman will replace him.

    January 1993 – After it is announced that Jay Leno will take Carson’s place, Letterman announces he will be leaving NBC for CBS, and expresses anger over what he regards as NBC’s poor treatment of him.

    August 30, 1993-May 20, 2015 – Host of “Late Show with David Letterman.”

    September 11, 1994 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series.

    March 27, 1995 – Hosts the Academy Awards.

    January 14, 2000 – Letterman undergoes quintuple bypass surgery.

    September 17, 2001 – Is the first late-night talk show host to return to air after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Instead of starting the show with a humorous monologue, Letterman mourns those lost and praises the city’s firefighters and police officers. His first guest, CBS anchor Dan Rather, breaks down in tears during the broadcast.

    March 31, 2003 – Letterman returns to his show after being out for nearly a month due to shingles.

    March 17, 2005 – Kelly Frank, a house painter who worked on Letterman’s Montana ranch, is charged with plotting to kidnap Letterman’s son for ransom. In September, Frank pleads guilty to a lesser charge and is sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2007, he escapes, but is later recaptured.

    October 1, 2009 – Letterman admits on air that he has had sexual relationships with female staff members and that someone has been attempting to blackmail him over the affairs.

    October 5, 2009 – Letterman apologizes to his wife and female staffers in front of a live studio audience.

    March 9, 2010 – Robert “Joe” Halderman, a former CBS News producer accused of trying to blackmail Letterman, pleads guilty to attempted second-degree grand larceny and is sentenced to six months in jail, five years’ probation and 1,000 hours of community service. In September, Halderman is released after serving four months of his six-month prison sentence.

    April 2012 – Extends his contract with CBS through 2014.

    December 2, 2012 – Is honored at the Kennedy Center Honors gala along with Buddy Guy, Dustin Hoffman, Natalia Makarova and the musical group Led Zeppelin.

    October 4, 2013 – Extends his contract with CBS through 2015.

    April 3, 2014 – During a taping of “The Late Show,” Letterman announces that he will be retiring in 2015.

    May 20, 2015 – Tapes his final show. Counting his work on both NBC and CBS, this is show number 6,028 for Letterman.

    October 30, 2016 – Letterman’s segment on climate change for the “Years of Living Dangerously” series airs on the National Geographic Channel. The episode follows Letterman as he travels around India discussing India’s zealous renewable energy plan.

    October 22, 2017 – Is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

    January 12, 2018 – In the debut of his new Netflix series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” Letterman interviews former US President Barack Obama. Guests scheduled for the rest of Letterman’s shows include George Clooney, Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey and Howard Stern.

    February 1, 2022 – “Late Night” host Seth Meyers welcomes Letterman to help celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary.

    December 12, 2022 – Letterman’s interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” debuts on Netflix. Letterman traveled to Kyiv for the wartime interview, which took place in an underground subway station.

    ‘Late Show with David Letterman’: Our top 10 moments

    November 20, 2023 – Returns to his former studio for the first time as a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

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  • Tulsi Gabbard Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Tulsi Gabbard Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of former US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who represented Hawaii’s 2nd District and was a 2020 presidential candidate.

    Birth date: April 12, 1981

    Birth place: Leloaloa, American Samoa

    Birth name: Tulsi Gabbard

    Father: Mike Gabbard, Hawaii state senator

    Mother: Carol (Porter) Gabbard, former Hawaii Board of Education member

    Marriages: Abraham Williams (2015-present); Eduardo Tamayo (2002-2006, divorced)

    Education: Hawaii Pacific University, B.S.B.A., 2009

    Military service: Hawaii Army National Guard, 2003-2020, Major; US Army Reserve, 2020-present, Lieutenant Colonel

    Religion: Hinduism

    As a teenager, co-founded Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, an environmental non-profit.

    She is the first American Samoan congresswoman and first practicing Hindu member of the US Congress.

    She is an avid surfer.

    2002 – At age 21, is elected to the Hawaii State House to represent West Oahu, making her the youngest woman ever elected to the state legislature.

    2003 – Enlists in the Hawaii Army National Guard. She completes her basic training between legislative sessions.

    2004-2005 – Gabbard’s unit is activated, and she voluntarily deploys, serving with a field medical unit in Iraq.

    2006-2009 – Legislative aide to Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii.

    2007 – Graduates from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy. This makes Gabbard the first woman in the Academy’s 50-year history to earn the title of the distinguished honor graduate.

    2008-2009 – Gabbard deploys to Kuwait, training counterterrorism units.

    November 2, 2010 – Is elected to the Honolulu City Council.

    2011 – Founds the film production company, Kanu Productions.

    November 6, 2012 – Defeats David “Kawika” Crowley in the 2nd Congressional District of Hawaii for the US House of Representatives.

    January 22, 2013 – Elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

    August 28, 2013 – Aniruddha Sherbow is apprehended in Tijuana, Mexico, after making threats against Gabbard that the FBI and US Capitol Police “deemed credible.” Sherbow is later sentenced to 33 months in prison.

    October 12, 2015 – On CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Gabbard says she was disinvited from a Democratic presidential debate after voicing a call for more of them.

    October 12, 2015 – Is promoted by the Hawaii Army National Guard from captain to major at a ceremony in Hawaii.

    November 20, 2015 – Calls for the United States to let Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remain in power.

    February 28, 2016 – On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gabbard announces her decision to step down as DNC vice chair to endorse Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid.

    November 21, 2016 – Meets with President-elect Donald Trump. “President-elect Trump asked me to meet with him about our current policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face,” Gabbard says in a statement.

    January 25, 2017 – Gabbard tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that she met with Assad during an unannounced, four-day trip to Syria. “When the opportunity arose to meet with him, I did so because I felt that it’s important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we’ve got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we can achieve peace,” Gabbard says.

    January 31, 2017 – Facing criticism, Gabbard issues a statement saying that she will personally pay for her trip to Syria.

    April 7, 2017 – Gabbard claims she’s “skeptical” that Assad’s regime was behind a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens in Syria though the President, secretary of state and Pentagon officials found that Assad’s regime was responsible for the attack.

    November 21, 2018 – Gabbard refers to Trump as “Saudi Arabia’s bitch” in a tweet after he issues a statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    January 11, 2019 – Gabbard tells CNN’s Van Jones she will run for president in 2020, during an interview slated to air on January 12. “There are a lot of reasons for me to make this decision. There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I’m concerned about and that I want to help solve,” she says.

    January 17, 2019 – Gabbard issues an apology for her past comments and actions against the LGBTQ community following CNN reporting that she supported her father’s anti-gay organization, The Alliance for Traditional Marriage. Gabbard had previously apologized in 2012 while running for Congress.

    January 20, 2019 – Gabbard says that she does not regret meeting with Assad in 2017, adding that American leaders must meet with foreign leaders “if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country.”

    February 2, 2019 – Gabbard officially launches her 2020 presidential campaign at an event in Hawaii.

    October 17, 2019 – In a podcast interview, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton suggests that the Russians are “grooming” a current Democratic presidential candidate to run as a third-party and champion their interests. The comment appears to be directed at Gabbard, who has previously been accused of being boosted by Russia. In her response, Gabbard calls Clinton “the queen of warmongers,” and concludes, “It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.”

    October 24, 2019 – Gabbard releases a campaign video announcing that she won’t run for reelection to Congress in 2020.

    December 18, 2019 – Votes “present” on both articles of impeachment against Trump.

    January 22, 2020 – Gabbard files a defamation lawsuit against Clinton, alleging the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee “lied” about Gabbard’s ties to Russia. She drops the defamation lawsuit in May.

    March 19, 2020 – Ends her 2020 presidential campaign and endorses former Vice President Joe Biden.

    October 11, 2022 – Gabbard announces that she is leaving the Democratic Party. She does not indicate which party she will be affiliated with moving forward but calls on “independent-minded Democrats” to join her in leaving.

    January 9, 2024 – Social media platform X announces a content partnership with Gabbard.

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  • How a medication abortion, also known as an ‘abortion pill,’ works | CNN

    How a medication abortion, also known as an ‘abortion pill,’ works | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    While the fate of mifepristone, one of two drugs used for medication abortions, is in the hands of the US Supreme Court, the drug continues to be available in states where abortion is legal.

    “While many women obtain medication abortion from a clinic or their OB-GYN, others obtain the pills on their own to self-induce or self-manage their abortion,” said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.

    “A growing body of research indicates that self-managed abortion is safe and effective,” he said.

    Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, which is needed for a pregnancy to continue. The drug is approved to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks’ gestation, which is “70 days or less since the first day of the last menstrual period,” according to the FDA.

    In a medication abortion, a second drug, misoprostol, is taken within the next 24 to 48 hours. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract, creating cramping and bleeding. Approved for use in other conditions, such as preventing stomach ulcers, the drug has been available at pharmacies for decades.

    Together, the two drugs are commonly known as the “abortion pill,” which is now used in more than half of the abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

    “Some people do this because they cannot access a clinic — particularly in states with legal restrictions on abortion — or because they have a preference for self-care,” said Grossman, who is also the director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research group that evaluates the pros and cons of reproductive health policies and publishes studies on how abortion affects a woman’s health.

    READ MORE: With US Supreme Court abortion drug hearing looming, study shows how self-managed abortion became more common post-Dobbs

    What happens during a medication abortion? To find out, CNN spoke with Grossman. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

    CNN: What is the difference between a first-trimester medication abortion and a vacuum aspiration in terms of what a woman experiences?

    Dr. Daniel Grossman: A vacuum aspiration is most commonly performed under a combination of local anesthetic and oral pain medications or local anesthetic together with intravenous sedation, or what is called conscious sedation.

    An injection of local anesthetic is given to the area around the cervix, and the cervix is gently dilated or opened up. Once the cervix is opened, a small straw-like tube is inserted into the uterus, and a gentle vacuum is used to remove the pregnancy tissue. Contrary to what some say, if the procedure is done before nine weeks or so, there’s nothing in the tissue that would be recognizable as a part of an embryo.

    The aspiration procedure takes just a couple of minutes. Then the person is observed for one to two hours until any sedation has worn off. We also monitor each patient for very rare complications, such as heavy bleeding.

    A medication abortion is a more prolonged process. After taking the pills, bleeding and cramping can occur over a period of days. Bleeding is typically heaviest when the actual pregnancy is expelled, but that bleeding usually eases within a few hours. On average people continue to have some mild bleeding for about two weeks or so, which is a bit longer than after a vacuum aspiration.

    Nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, diarrhea and headache can occur after using the abortion pill, and everyone who has a successful medication abortion usually reports some pain.

    In fact, the pain of medication abortion can be quite intense. In the studies that have looked at it, the average maximum level of pain that people report is about a seven to eight out of 10, with 10 being the highest. However, people also say that the pain can be brief, peaking just as the pregnancy is being expelled.

    The level of cramping and pain can depend on the length of the pregnancy as well as whether or not someone has given birth before. For example, a medical abortion at six weeks or less gestation typically has less pain and cramping than one performed at nine weeks. People who have given birth generally have less pain.

    CNN: What can be done to help with the pain of a medication abortion?

    Grossman: There are definitely things that can be used to help with the pain. Research has shown that ibuprofen is better than acetaminophen for treating the pain of medication abortion. We typically advise people to take 600 milligrams every six hours or so as needed.

    Some people take tramadol, a narcotic analgesic, or Vicodin, which is a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Recent research I was involved in found medications like tramadol can be helpful if taken prophylactically before the pain starts.

    Another successful regimen that we studied combined ibuprofen with a nausea medicine called metoclopramide that also helped with pain. Other than ibuprofen, these medications require a prescription.

    Another study found that a TENS device, which stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, helps with the pain of medication abortion. It works through pads put on the abdomen that stimulate the nerves through mild electrical shocks, thus interfering with the pain signals. That’s something people could get without a prescription.

    Pain can be an overlooked issue with medication abortion because, quite honestly, as clinicians, we’re not there with patients when they are in their homes going through this. But as we’ve been doing more research on people’s experiences with medication abortion, it’s become quite clear that pain control is really important. I think we need to do a better job of treating the pain and making these options available to patients.

    CNN: Are there health conditions that make the use of a medication abortion unwise?

    Grossman: Undergoing a medication abortion can be dangerous if the pregnancy is ectopic, meaning the embryo is developing outside of the uterus. It’s rare, happening in about two out of every 100 pregnancies — and it appears to be even rarer among people seeking medication abortion.

    People who have undergone previous pelvic, fallopian tube or abdominal surgery are at higher risk of an ectopic pregnancy, as are those with a history of pelvic inflammatory disease. Certain sexually transmitted infections can raise risk, as does smoking, a history of infertility and use of infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

    If a person is on anticoagulant or blood thinning drugs or has a bleeding disorder, a medication abortion is not advised. The long-term use of steroids is another contraindication for using the abortion pill.

    Anyone using an intrauterine device, or IUD, must have it removed before taking mifepristone because it may be partially expelled during the process, which can be painful.

    People with chronic adrenal failure or who have inherited a rare disorder called porphyria are not good candidates.

    CNN: Are there any signs of trouble a woman should watch for after undergoing a medication abortion?

    Grossman: It can be common to have a low-grade fever in the first few hours after taking misoprostol, the second drug in a medication abortion. If someone has a low-grade fever — 100.4 degrees to 101 degrees Fahrenheit — that lasts more than four hours, or has a high fever of over 101 degrees Fahrenheit after taking the medications, they do need to be evaluated by a health care provider.

    Heavy bleeding, which would be soaking two or more thick full-size pads an hour for two consecutive hours, or a foul-smelling vaginal discharge should be evaluated as well.

    One of the warning signs of an ectopic pregnancy is severe pelvic pain, particularly on one side of the abdomen. The pain can also radiate to the back. Another sign is getting dizzy or fainting, which could indicate internal bleeding. These are all very rare complications, but it’s wise to be on the lookout.

    We usually recommend that someone having a medication abortion have someone with them during the first 24 hours after taking misoprostol or until the pregnancy has passed. Many people specifically choose to have a medication abortion because they can be surrounded by a partner, family or friends.

    Most people know that the abortion is complete because they stop feeling pregnant, and symptoms such as nausea and breast tenderness disappear, usually within a week of passing the pregnancy. A home urine pregnancy test may remain positive even four to five weeks after a successful medication abortion, just because it takes that long for the pregnancy hormone to disappear from the bloodstream.

    If someone still feels pregnant, isn’t sure if the pregnancy fully passed or has a positive pregnancy test five weeks after taking mifepristone, they need to be evaluated by a clinician.

    People should know that they can ovulate as soon as two weeks after a medication abortion. Most birth control options can be started immediately after a medication abortion.

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  • Al Gore Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Al Gore Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of Al Gore, 45th vice president of the United States and environmental activist.

    Birth date: March 31, 1948

    Birth place: Washington, DC

    Birth name: Albert Arnold Gore Jr.

    Father: Albert Gore Sr., former US senator from Tennessee

    Mother: Pauline (La Fon) Gore

    Marriage: Mary Elizabeth “Tipper” (Aitcheson) Gore (May 19, 1970-present, separated June 2010)

    Children: Albert III, Sarah, Kristin, Karenna

    Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1969; Vanderbilt University, Graduate School of Religion 1971-1972; Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1976

    Military service: US Army, 1969-1971, served in Vietnam as a reporter with the 20th Engineering Battalion.

    Religion: Baptist

    Wrote his 1969 Harvard thesis on how television would impact the conduct of the American presidency.

    In 2009, former President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea to negotiate the release of two journalists working for Gore’s Current TV.

    1971-1976 – Is an investigative reporter and editorial writer for the Nashville Tennessean.

    1977-1985 – US Representative in the 95th-98th Congresses, representing first the 4th and then the 6th District of Tennessee. Elected to the House in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982.

    1985-1992 – US Senator from Tennessee.

    1988 – Runs for the Democratic Party nomination for president in the 1988 election. Later drops out of the race.

    July 9, 1992 – Bill Clinton chooses Gore to be his running mate in the 1992 presidential election.

    1992 – Publishes “Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit.”

    January 20, 1993 – Inaugurated as vice president.

    January 20, 1997 – Second term as vice president begins.

    March 9, 1999 – Gore states in an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, “During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country’s economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.” This quote creates a large amount of rhetoric with his opponents.

    June 16, 1999 – Announces his intention to run for president in the 2000 election.

    August 16, 2000 – Wins the Democratic Party nomination.

    November 7, 2000 – Election Day.

    November 8, 2000 – Concedes in the early morning to George W. Bush but later retracts his concession. Florida is too close to call for either Bush or Gore.

    November 9, 2000 – Requests a recount in Florida.

    December 13, 2000 – Concedes the election to Bush after the US Supreme Court rules that another recount in Florida would be unconstitutional, 36 days after the election.

    2002 – “Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family,” co-written with Tipper Gore, is published.

    March 19, 2003 – Joins the board of directors for Apple Computers Inc.

    May 4, 2004 – Announces intention to purchase Newsworld International from Vivendi Universal SA for an undisclosed price and plans to transform it into a network aimed at viewers ages 18-35.

    August 1, 2005 – Gore’s cable television channel, Current TV, debuts.

    2006 – His crusade against global warming is featured in the book “An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do about It “ and documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

    May 2007 – His book, “The Assault on Reason,” is published.

    February 9, 2007 – Joins Sir Richard Branson at a press conference announcing the $25 million Virgin Earth Challenge, a prize for a design to safely remove man-made greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Gore and Branson are among the judges.

    February 15, 2007 – Announces a series of concerts called Live Earth to be held on all seven continents on July 7, 2007. The 24-hour music event is the kickoff of a campaign to “Save Our Selves (SOS).”

    February 25, 2007 – “An Inconvenient Truth” wins an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

    March 21, 2007 – Testifies at separate House and Senate events, urging legislation to curb climate change.

    October 12, 2007 – Is co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for work on global warming. The prize is shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    October 26, 2007 – Receives the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation.

    November 12, 2007 – Announces he is joining the venture capital firm of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers. He will help the company invest in start-up “green” companies. Gore will also donate his salary to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

    November 2007 – Receives the International Emmy Founders Award at the 35th International Emmy Awards.

    December 10, 2007 – Accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.

    February 12, 2009 – Receives the NAACP Chairman’s Award during the annual Image Award ceremony. The honor is given in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. This year’s award is shared with Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai.

    June 1, 2010 – Gore and wife Tipper, announce they are to separate after 40 years of marriage.

    January 2, 2013 – Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera purchases Current TV for a reported $500 million, personally netting Gore an estimated $70 million.

    December 5, 2016 – Meets with President-elect Donald Trump to speak about climate change issues.

    January 19, 2017 – “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. Paramount Pictures releases the film worldwide in July.

    2017 – Publishes “The Assault on Reason: 2017 Edition” with a new preface and conclusion: “Post-Truth: On Donald Trump and the 2016 Election.”

    November 4, 2019 – Releases a statement expressing his disappointment over failing to persuade Trump to keep the US in the Paris climate agreement. “I thought that he would come to his senses on it, but he didn’t,” Gore said.

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  • Apple Fast Facts | CNN

    Apple Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at Apple, Inc, creator of the Mac computer and the iPhone.

    The corporate headquarters are in Cupertino, California.

    As of September 2023, the company reported that it employs approximately 161,000 people full-time.

    April 1, 1976 – Apple Computers, Inc. is founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Their first product is the Apple I personal computer.

    June 1977 – The Apple II is released.

    December 1980 – Apple conducts an initial public offering of 4.6 million shares at $22 per share.

    January 1983 – Apple introduces the Lisa, a new brand of personal computer.

    January 22, 1984 – The Macintosh computer is introduced with a futuristic commercial that airs during the Super Bowl.

    1985 – Apple discontinues the Lisa after a disappointing run, and Jobs leaves the company.

    December 1996 – Apple buys Jobs’ company, NeXT Software.

    1997 – In the wake of corporate shakeups and a sales slump, Apple welcomes Jobs back as interim CEO.

    August 15, 1998 – The iMac, a streamlined personal computer, debuts.

    January 2000 – Jobs becomes permanent CEO.

    January 9, 2001 – iTunes is introduced.

    October 23, 2001 – The iPod MP3 player makes its debut.

    January 2003 – Apple releases the Safari web browser.

    April 28, 2003 – Apple introduces the iTunes Music Store.

    January 2006 – Apple rolls out its first Intel-based computers, the iMac and the MacBook Pro.

    January 9, 2007 – The iPhone is unveiled.

    March 2007 – Apple TV hits stores.

    January 27, 2010 – The iPad is announced.

    June 6, 2011 – Apple announces iCloud, an online media storage system.

    August 24, 2011 – Jobs resigns as CEO. Tim Cook takes his place.

    October 5, 2011 – Jobs dies after battling cancer.

    February 6, 2013 – Apple announces that iTunes has reached a milestone of 25 billion songs sold.

    May 28, 2014 – Apple announces deal to buy Beats for $3 billion.

    June 9, 2014 – Apple conducts a stock split, bringing the price down from $647.50 to $92.44.

    September 9, 2014 – Apple unveils the Apple Watch, a wearable device.

    December 16, 2014 – Apple wins an antitrust lawsuit brought by eight million iPod owners who alleged that Apple abused its monopoly power in the music industry to force out competition.

    June 8, 2015 – Apple unveils Apple Music, a streaming music service, live radio station and social network.

    February 3, 2016 – A jury orders Apple to pay $626 million in damages after finding that iMessage, FaceTime and other Apple software infringed on another company’s patents. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2010 by the company VirnetX, accuses Apple of violating four patents, which mostly involve methods for real-time communications over the Internet.

    February 16, 2016 – Apple refuses to comply with a California judge’s order to assist the FBI in hacking the iPhone of the San Bernardino gunman. A public letter signed by Cook states why the company is refusing to abide by the government’s demands.

    March 28, 2016 – The Department of Justice says the FBI has “successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone,” and is dropping the case against Apple, since it no longer needs the company’s help.

    August 30, 2016 – The European Union rules that Apple must pay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes. According to the EU, Ireland had been giving the tech company a break on taxes for more than two decades. Ireland’s finance minister issues a statement criticizing the EU’s ruling and declares that the country does not play favorites with a lower tax rate for certain companies. In a letter, Cook says he anticipates the EU’s tax ruling will be reversed on appeal.

    September 12, 2017 – Apple unveils the iPhone X, alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus – all of which support wireless charging. The iPhone X will also feature facial detection technology, no home button, a 3D camera and an edge-to-edge screen.

    December 21, 2017 – Apple issues a statement saying that it has used software updates to limit the performance of older iPhones that may have battery issues that would cause them to turn off suddenly.

    December 28, 2017 – Apple apologizes to customers for how it rolled out an update that can slow down older iPhones. It is offering cheaper battery replacements to make up for it.

    June 15, 2018 – Oprah Winfrey signs a multiyear deal with Apple to create new original programming.

    August 2, 2018 – Apple becomes the first American public company to surpass $1 trillion in value.

    October 10, 2019 – In a memo to employees, Cook defends Apple’s decision to pull a map app that Hong Kong protesters used to track police, saying that it had been used in ways that “endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.”

    November 1, 2019 – Apple TV+, a subscription streaming service containing original programming, launches.

    November 4, 2019 – Apple announces a $2.5 billion financial package to help address the housing crisis in California, which has worsened in part because of the rapid growth of tech companies.

    July 29, 2020 – Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, CEO of Google’s parent company Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg all testify before a House subcommittee on anti-trust to address concerns that their businesses may be harming competition.

    August 20, 2020 – Apple reaches the $2 trillion market value mark.

    November 18, 2020 – Apple agrees to pay $113 million to settle an investigation by states including California and Arizona over how Apple wasn’t transparent about its iPhone battery problems that led to unexpected device shutdowns.

    December 14, 2020 – Launches Apple Fitness+, a service built around Apple Watch.

    November 23, 2021 – Apple files a lawsuit against NSO Group and its parent company, accusing the Israeli firm of violating a federal anti-hacking law by selling potent software that clients have used to spy on Apple customers. The lawsuit alleges that NSO’s spyware, known as Pegasus, and other malware have caused Apple monetary and property damages, and violated the human rights of Apple users along the way.

    January 3, 2022 – Apple becomes the world’s first company valued at $3 trillion.

    May 10, 2022 – Apple announces that it is ceasing production of the iPod.

    June 18, 2022 – Workers in Maryland vote to form the first-ever labor union at one of Apple’s US stores.

    June 30, 2023 – Apple’s stock ends trading valued at $3 trillion, the only company ever to reach that milestone.

    December 18, 2023 – Apple announces plans to stop selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in US due to a patent dispute. In January 2024, a federal appeals court denies the company’s motion to temporarily pause the ban while it appealed the US International Trade Commission ruling.

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  • Mike Pence Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Mike Pence Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States.

    Birth date: June 7, 1959

    Birth place: Columbus, Indiana

    Birth name: Michael Richard Pence

    Father: Edward Pence, gas station owner

    Mother: Nancy Pence-Fritsch

    Marriage: Karen Pence (1985-present)

    Children: Michael, Charlotte and Audrey

    Education: Hanover College (Indiana), B.A., 1981; Indiana University School of Law, J.D., 1986

    Religion: Evangelical Christian

    After two early unsuccessful runs for Congress, Pence wrote an essay, “Confessions of a Negative Campaigner.” In the 1991 piece, he pledged not to use insulting language or air ads disparaging opponents.

    During the 2010 Value Voter Summit, Pence took the stage and said, “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.”

    Pence was a Democrat as a teen. He has said that he voted for Jimmy Carter, not Ronald Reagan, in the 1980 election.

    Pence’s Irish grandfather immigrated through Ellis Island in 1923.

    1991-1993 – President of the conservative think tank, Indiana Policy Review Foundation.

    1992-1999 – Hosts a talk radio show, “The Mike Pence Show.” The show is syndicated on 18 stations in Indiana.

    2000 – Is elected to the US House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Indiana.

    2002 – Is elected to the US House of Representatives for the 6th District of Indiana. The district was renumbered in 2002. He is reelected in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

    2009-2011 – Is the Republican Conference chair.

    2012 – Is elected governor of Indiana. His campaign includes a grassroots trek across the state called the “Big Red Truck Tour.”

    January 2015 – Announces, then scraps plans to launch a state-run news outlet called “Just IN.”

    January 27, 2015 – Gains federal approval for a state plan for Medicaid expansion, “Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0.”

    March 26, 2015 – Pence signs the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), banning local governments from intervening when businesses turn away customers for religious reasons. The law sparks concern about discrimination, particularly within the LGBTQ community. After the law is passed, a wave of boycotts and petitions roil the state, with companies like Apple and organizations like the NCAA criticizing the bill and threatening to reconsider future business opportunities in Indiana.

    April 2, 2015 – Pence signs a new version of the RFRA that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

    July 15, 2016 – GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump tweets that he has chosen Pence to be his running mate. The formal announcement takes place July 16.

    November 8, 2016 – Is elected vice president of the United States.

    January 20, 2017 – Sworn in as vice president of the United States.

    January 27, 2017 – Pence speaks at the March for Life, an anti-abortion rally in Washington. He is the first sitting vice president to make a speech at the annual event.

    February 7, 2017 – Casts a tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as the next education secretary. This is the first time a vice president has needed to cast the deciding vote on a cabinet nomination.

    February 18, 2017 – Pence delivers a speech at the Munich Security Conference, declaring that the United States will hold Russia accountable for acts of aggression even as the Trump administration makes an effort to cultivate stronger ties with Moscow. The vice president also says that the United States “strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our transatlantic alliance.” Pence adds a caveat, saying that NATO member nations should boost their defense spending.

    March 2, 2017 – The Indianapolis Star reports that while governor of Indiana, Pence used a private email account to conduct some state business and that it was hacked. Indiana’s Code of Ethics does not address officials’ use of personal emails. Pence also had a state-provided email address. Pence says, “there’s no comparison” between his situation and that of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

    August 9, 2018 – In a speech to US military and civilian personnel, Pence calls for the establishment of a Space Force by 2020. Pence also announces immediate steps the Department of Defense would take to reform how the military approaches space.

    January 16, 2019 – At the Global Chiefs of Mission conference, Pence declares that “the caliphate has crumbled, and ISIS has been defeated.” Hours before, the US-led coalition confirmed that American troops had been killed in an explosion in Manbij, an attack that ISIS claimed responsibility for.

    May 30, 2019 – During talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Canada, Pence says he is “very proud to be part of a pro-life administration” and that he is troubled by what he calls “the Democratic party in our country, and leaders around the country, supporting late-term abortion, even infanticide.”

    February 26, 2020 – Trump places Pence in charge of the US government response to the novel coronavirus, amid growing criticism of the White House’s handling of the outbreak.

    April 28, 2020 – Pence visits the Mayo Clinic without a face mask, ignoring the facility’s current policy requiring protective masks be worn at all times. Later, Pence says he should have worn a mask during his visit.

    November 7, 2020 – Days after the presidential election on November 3, CNN projects Trump and Pence have lost to former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris.

    April 7, 2021 – Pence announces the launch of a new political advocacy group, “Advancing American Freedom.” The group’s stated goal is to “promote the pro-freedom policies of the last four years that created unprecedented prosperity at home and restored respect for America abroad, to defend those policies from liberal attacks and media distortions, and to prevent the radical Left from enacting its policy agenda that would threaten America’s freedoms,” according to a statement from the group. On the same day, publisher Simon & Schuster announces it will publish Pence’s autobiography.

    April 14, 2021 – Pence undergoes surgery to have a pacemaker implanted to help combat a slow heart rate.

    November 14, 2022 – During a interview with ABC’s David Muir, Pence says he thinks “America will have better choices in the future” than Trump as president in 2024, and admits he’s considering running himself.

    November 15, 2022 – Pence’s new memoir, “So Help Me God,” is published. The book includes Pence’s recollections of his experience during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

    April 27, 2023 – Pence testifies to a federal grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election and the actions of Trump and others, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The testimony marks the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify about the president he served beside.

    June 6, 2023 – Pence announces that he’s running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in a launch video. On October 28, he suspends his campaign for president.

    March 15, 2024 – Says he “cannot in good conscience” endorse presumptive GOP nominee Trump, a stunning repudiation of his former running mate and the president he served with.

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  • NCAA Basketball Tournament Fast Facts | CNN

    NCAA Basketball Tournament Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. The single-elimination tournament is nicknamed “March Madness” or “The Big Dance.”

    2024 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Finals

    April 8, 2024 – Men’s Finals – The national championship game is scheduled to be played in Glendale, Arizona.

    April 7, 2024 – Women’s Finals – The national title game is scheduled to take place in Cleveland.

    2023 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Finals

    April 3, 2023 – Men’s Finals – The University of Connecticut Huskies win its fifth men’s basketball national title with a 76-59 victory over the San Diego State University Aztecs in Houston.

    April 2, 2023 – Women’s Finals – The Louisiana State University Tigers defeat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 in Dallas, to win the program’s first NCAA women’s basketball national championship.

    68 teams are invited to compete.
    – 32 teams receive automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.
    – 36 teams receive an at-large bid from the NCAA Selection Committee.

    The 12-member selection committee, comprised of athletic directors and conference commissioners, is responsible for selecting the 36 at-large teams, seeding (or ranking) all 68 teams and placing them in one of four regions within the bracket. The committee’s field of 68 is revealed on the Sunday before the four first-round games, appropriately dubbed “Selection Sunday.”

    The selection committee primarily uses the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which is comprised of Team Value Index (TVI), or wins against quality opponents, and an adjusted net efficiency across all games. The NET replaces the Ratings Percentage Index.

    68 teams are invited to compete.
    – 32 teams receive automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.
    – 36 teams receive an at-large bid from the NCAA Selection Committee.

    Similar to the men’s selection process, a 12-member selection committee primarily uses NET rankings to choose the 36 at-large teams, seed (or rank) all 68 teams and place them in one of four regions within the bracket.

    The committee’s field of 68 is revealed on the Sunday before the four first-round games.

    The “First Four” are the four opening round games in the Men’s tournament. Two games match number 16 seeds against each other, and the other two games feature the last four at-large teams selected into the tournament. The winners advance to the next round, the round of 64.

    For both the men’s and women’s tournaments, each of the four regions consists of 16 teams that are seeded No. 1 to No. 16. In the first round, teams are paired according to seed. The No. 1 seed faces No. 16, No. 2 faces No. 15, No. 3 faces No. 14, and so forth. The winning teams advance to the second round.

    The 16 teams that advance beyond their first and second-round games are referred to as the “Sweet Sixteen.” The remaining eight teams are called the “Elite Eight,” and the last four teams are the “Final Four.”

    An underdog or lower-seeded team that advances throughout the tournament is often referred to as a “Cinderella” team.

    The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins have the most NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament titles with 11.

    The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies have the most NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament titles with 11.

    1939 – The first men’s tournament is held, and eight teams compete. Oregon defeats Ohio State 46-33.

    1954 – The tournament final is broadcast live nationwide for the first time.

    1982 – The first women’s tournament is held, and 32 teams compete. Louisiana Tech beats Cheyney State 76-62.

    1991 – CBS begins broadcasting all games live.

    1999 – CBS obtains an 11-year contract through 2013 worth $6 billion to broadcast the tournament.

    2005 – College Sports Television begins a two-year agreement with CBS Sportsline.com and the NCAA for exclusive video streaming rights on CSTV.com for out-of-market game coverage. CSTV pays CBS $3 million for the rights and expects to be profitable in the first year.

    April 22, 2010 – In addition to expanding the men’s tournament basketball field to 68 teams from 65, the NCAA announces a 14-year, $10.8 billion television rights deal with CBS and Turner Sports. The deal, which goes into effect in 2011, marks the first time that each game will be televised nationally.

    April 12, 2016 – The NCAA announces an 8-year extension of its TV deal with Turner Broadcasting and CBS Sports. The extension to the current deal – for a combined total rights fee of $8.8 billion – will keep the big game at Turner and CBS until 2032.

    February 20, 2018 – The NCAA Infraction Appeal Committee announces they will uphold penalties against the Louisville Cardinals Men’s Basketball team for their serious violations of NCAA rules. The Committee panel found that they “acted unethically….by arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others, and did not cooperate with the investigation.” The penalties vacate every win from 2011 to 2015, including the 2013 national championship and the 2012 Final Four appearance.

    August 22, 2018 – The NCAA announces a new ranking tool, the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool). It replaces RPI, or the ranking performance index, as the method which will be used to choose which teams will be selected to participate in the tournament.

    March 12, 2020 – NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors cancel the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournament, and other winter and spring NCAA championships, due to concern over the Covid-19 pandemic. The Division I championships have been played every year since the men’s inception in 1939 and women’s in 1982.

    January 4, 2021 – The NCAA announces that the entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be played in the state of Indiana, with the majority of the 67 scheduled games to be played in Indianapolis.

    February 5, 2021 – The NCAA announces that the entire 2021 NCAA women’s basketball tournament will be played in Texas, with the majority of the 63 scheduled games to be played in San Antonio.

    September 29, 2021 – After a “comprehensive external review of gender equity issues,” the NCAA announces that beginning in 2022, the “March Madness” branding that has historically been used for the Division I men’s basketball tournament will also be used for the women’s basketball tournament.

    November 17, 2021 – The expansion of the women’s tournament bracket is approved. Sixty-eight teams will participate in the 2022 championship, up from 64.

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  • Warren Beatty Fast Facts | CNN

    Warren Beatty Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of actor, director, producer and writer Warren Beatty.

    Birth date: March 30, 1937

    Birth place: Richmond, Virginia

    Birth name: Henry Warren Beaty

    Father: Ira O. Beaty, school administrator

    Mother: Kathlyn (MacLean) Beaty, drama teacher

    Marriage: Annette Bening (March 1992-present)

    Children: Stephen, Benjamin, Isabel and Ella

    Education: Attended Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1956; Attended the Stella Adler Theatre School, New York, New York, 1957

    He is the younger brother of actress Shirley MacLaine.

    Beatty turned down several football scholarships to study drama at Northwestern University instead.

    Beatty dated many famous women, such as Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Julie Christie and Madonna, before he was married at age 54 to actress Annette Bening.

    Nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won once. He has also received an honorary award.

    Beatty is one of a small group to have been nominated for an Oscar as writer, director, producer and actor on an individual film. Beatty did it twice, for “Heaven Can Wait” and “Reds.” Orson Welles was the first, for “Citizen Kane.”

    Honorary chair of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, originally founded by the much-admired acting teacher. Other prominent alumni include Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Martin Sheen, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

    In November 2015, singer-songwriter Carly Simon admitted to People magazine the second verse of her 1972 song, “You’re So Vain,” is about Beatty, a former beau, confirming a decades-old rumor.

    1957 – Makes his television debut, in the lead role of a hitchhiker, on NBC’s “The Curly Headed Kid.”

    1959-1963 – Appears in five episodes of the TV series “the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Changes his last name to “Beatty.”

    November 28, 1959 – Debuts on Broadway in “A Loss of Roses.”

    1961 – Beatty makes his film-acting debut as Bud Stamper in “Splendor in the Grass” opposite Natalie Wood.

    1967 – Makes his producing debut (and also stars) in the film “Bonnie and Clyde.” Initially panned, the film later receives critical recognition and is now considered a movie classic.

    1975 – Makes his writing debut with “Shampoo,” co-written with Robert Towne, in which he also stars and produces.

    1978 – Makes his directing debut with “Heaven Can Wait,” in which he is also the star, producer and writer.

    1981 – For the second time, he serves as actor, director, producer and writer, for “Reds.”

    March 29, 1982 – Winner, Academy Award for Best Director, for “Reds.” This is his only Academy Award win.

    1987 – Produces and stars, with Dustin Hoffman, in the famous flop, “Ishtar,” about two lounge singers traipsing around North Africa.

    1990 – Produces, directs and stars in the film, “Dick Tracy,” based on the hero police detective of the comic strip.

    1991 – Meets his future wife, Annette Bening, when they star in the film “Bugsy,” a biopic about mobster Bugsy Siegel.

    1998 – Produces, writes, directs and stars in the political satire, “Bulworth.”

    August 12, 1999 – The New York Times reports Beatty, a Democrat, is considering a run for the White House in the 2000 election.

    March 26, 2000 – Receives the Academy’s highest honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial award, which is presented to “creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”

    December 5, 2004 – Receives the Kennedy Center Honors.

    March 25, 2011 – Wins a long-running legal fight in federal court against Tribune Media Services over rights to the Dick Tracy character.

    February 26, 2017 – Beatty and Faye Dunaway – on hand to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Bonnie and Clyde” – announce the wrong winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture after being handed the wrong envelope by one of the two partners from accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). “Moonlight” finally accepts the award for best picture after “La La Land” is mistakenly announced.

    November 7, 2022 – Beatty is sued by Kristina Charlotte Hirsch for sexual assault and sexual battery. Hirsch accuses Beatty of coercing her into sex in 1973 when Hirsch was a minor. Beatty is not named directly in the lawsuit. In December 2023 the lawsuit is dismissed with prejudice.

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  • Mariah Carey Fast Facts | CNN

    Mariah Carey Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Grammy Award-winning singer and actress, Mariah Carey.

    Birth date: March 27, 1970

    Birth place: Long Island, New York

    Birth name: Mariah Carey

    Father: Alfred Roy Carey, aeronautics engineer

    Mother: Patricia (Hickey) Carey, opera singer and voice coach

    Marriages: Nick Cannon (2008-2016, divorced); Tommy Mottola (1993-1998, divorced)

    Children: with Nick Cannon: Moroccan and Monroe (twins)

    Has a five-octave vocal range.

    Supported herself as a waitress and back-up singer before being signed to Columbia Records.

    Has won five Grammys and has been nominated for 34.

    Is the first artist ever to top the Billboard charts in four different decades.

    1988 – Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola listens to Carey’s demo tape and signs her to the label.

    1990 – Her debut album, “Mariah Carey,” is released. It goes on to sell more than six million copies and spawn four number one singles.

    1991 – Carey wins two Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for “Vision of Love” and Best New Artist.

    1994 – Joins the board of directors of the Fresh Air Fund. She is a supporter of the fund’s Career Awareness Program, which is named Camp Mariah, in honor of her.

    Summer 2001 – She suffers an “emotional and physical breakdown” and is hospitalized.

    September 2001 – Carey stars in a semi-autobiographical movie, “Glitter,” and releases an album of the same name. Both the album and movie are unsuccessful critically and commercially.

    2002 – Virgin pays Carey a reported $28 million to end her contract. She later signs a $20 million deal with the Island Def Jam Music Group.

    2006 – Wins three Grammy Awards: Best Contemporary R&B Album, with Brian Garten and Dana John Chappelle for “The Emancipation of Mimi,” Best R&B Song, with Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin, and Manuel Seal Jr., for “We Belong Together,” and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “We Belong Together.”

    2009 – Portrays a social worker in the film “Precious,” directed by Lee Daniels.

    March 2011 – Following reports that she accepted payment in 2009 to perform for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Carey releases a statement that she was “naïve and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess.”

    2013 – Appears as a judge for the 12th season of “American Idol.”

    August 5, 2015 – Carey is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

    December 4, 2016 – The eight-episode E! docuseries “Mariah’s World” premieres.

    December 31, 2016 – Experiences an audio track malfunction while lip-syncing in front of a live audience on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”

    April 2018 – Carey reveals she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In an interview in People magazine, she says she is now in therapy and is taking medication for bipolar II disorder, which involves periods of depression as well as hypomania.

    January 16, 2019 – Carey’s former assistant, Lianna Shakhnazaryan, files a civil lawsuit claiming she was harassed and tormented by Carey’s manager, Stella Bulochnikov. In the complaint, Shakhnazaryan alleges that she was physically abused and urinated on by Bulochnikov, and that Carey was sometimes present for the abuse and allowed it to continue. Carey files her own lawsuit against Shakhnazaryan, claiming breach of contract, invasion of privacy and extortion. The case is settled in July 2021 for an undisclosed amount.

    December 16, 2019 – Carey’s 25-year-old holiday song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time.

    September 29, 2020 – Carey’s memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” is published.

    March 3, 2021 – Carey’s brother, Morgan Carey, files a lawsuit against her for defamation, alleging that his depiction in “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” caused him “intentional infliction of emotional distress.” The lawsuit follows a separate suit filed by Carey’s sister, Alison Carey, a month earlier for emotional distress caused by the memoir.

    June 3, 2022 – In a complaint filed in New Orleans federal court, Andy Stone sues Carey over her 1994 Christmas classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Stone says he co-wrote a song with the same title five years earlier. The complaint states that Stone’s lawyers first contacted the defendants in April 2021 about their alleged unauthorized use, but were “unable to come to any agreement.” On November 1, Stone files to dismiss the case.

    June 16, 2022 – Is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

    November 1, 2023 – Andy Stone re-files his complaint in Los Angeles federal court over “All I want for Christmas Is You.” Stone is alleging copyright infringement and unjust enrichment and is asking for at least $20 million in damages.

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  • Kamala Harris Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Kamala Harris Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of Vice President Kamala Harris.

    Birth date: October 20, 1964

    Birth place: Oakland, California

    Birth name: Kamala Devi Harris

    Father: Donald Harris, economics professor

    Mother: Shyamala Gopalan Harris, physician

    Marriage: Douglas Emhoff (2014-present)

    Education: Howard University, B.A. political science and economics, 1986; University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1989

    Religion: Baptist

    First African American, first woman and first Asian American to become attorney general of California.

    First South Asian American attorney general in the nation.

    First Indian American and second African American woman to serve as a senator.

    First African American woman to represent California in the Senate.

    She is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.

    Grew up attending a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple.

    Her name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “lotus” flower.

    1990-1998 – Serves as deputy district attorney for Alameda County, California.

    1998 – Is named managing attorney of the Career Criminal Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

    2004-2011 – District attorney of San Francisco.

    2009 – “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer” is published.

    2011-2016 – Attorney general of California.

    January 3, 2017-January 18, 2021 – Serves in the US Senate.

    December 5, 2018 – Accepts the resignation of Larry Wallace, a senior aide, after accusations of harassment surface from the time that he worked with her at the California Department of Justice.

    January 8, 2019 – Harris’ memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” and picture book, “Superheroes Are Everywhere,” are published.

    January 21, 2019 – Announces she is running for president in a video posted to social media at the same time she appears on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

    October 30, 2019 – In a memo to staff and supporters, Harris’ campaign manager says the campaign will cut staff and expenses to focus on strategy in Iowa. It will lay off staffers in her Baltimore headquarters and deploy staff from New Hampshire, Nevada and California to Iowa.

    December 3, 2019 – Harris ends her 2020 presidential campaign.

    March 8, 2020 – Harris endorses Joe Biden for president.

    August 11, 2020 – Biden names Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party’s presidential ticket.

    November 7, 2020 – Days after the election on November 3, CNN projects Harris is elected vice president, making her America’s first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president.

    January 20, 2021 – Is sworn in as vice president of the United States.

    May 28, 2021 – Harris gives the commencement speech at the United States Naval Academy addressing the 2021 graduating class. She is the first woman to give a commencement speech at the school.

    November 19, 2021 – Biden temporarily transfers power to Harris while he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy. Harris becomes the first woman with presidential power.

    April 26, 2022 – The White House announces that Harris has tested positive for Covid-19. She is exhibiting no symptoms. She will isolate and work from the vice president’s residence.

    May 27, 2023 – Becomes the first woman to deliver a commencement address at the graduation ceremony at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

    March 14, 2024 – Harris visits a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota, the first time a sitting US president or vice president is believed to visit an abortion provider.

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  • Eddie Murphy Fast Facts | CNN

    Eddie Murphy Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Oscar-nominated actor, singer, writer and comedian Eddie Murphy.

    Birth date: April 3, 1961

    Birth place: Brooklyn, New York

    Birth name: Edward Regan Murphy

    Father: Charles Murphy, police officer

    Mother: Lillian Murphy, telephone operator

    Marriage: Nicole Mitchell (March 18, 1993-April 17, 2006, divorced)

    Children: with Paige Butcher: Max and Izzy; with Melanie Brown (Mel B, aka Scary Spice): Angel; with Nicole Mitchell: Bella, Zola, Shayne, Miles and Bria; with Tamara Hood: Christian; with Paulette McNeely: Eric

    Education: Attended Nassau Community College

    Nominated for three Grammy Awards and won one.

    Nominated for one Academy Award.

    Nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and won one.

    Murphy’s childhood heroes include Richard Pryor, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis.

    When Murphy was three years old, his parents split up. His father was murdered by a girlfriend five years later. Murphy was raised by his mother and stepfather, Vernon Lynch.

    His flair for celebrity voices springs from watching and imitating cartoons as a kid.

    Demonstrating his slapstick versatility, Murphy portrayed multiple characters in “Coming to America,” “Bowfinger,” “Norbit,” “Vampire in Brooklyn,” “Meet Dave,” “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” and the “Nutty Professor” films.

    Murphy’s musical output includes two Billboard Hot 100 singles, “Party All the Time” and “Put Your Mouth on Me,” as well as a duet with Michael Jackson, “Whatzupwitu.”

    November 22, 1980 – Murphy makes his first appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He had auditioned six times before he was hired as a featured player to occasionally appear in skits. The comedian later gets promoted to the main cast and portrays such characters as a petulant version of Gumby, Buckwheat and Mister Robinson, a parody of Mister Rogers. He and Joe Piscopo are the only members of the 1980 ensemble who aren’t fired at the end of the season.

    December 8, 1982 – Murphy’s first movie, “48 Hrs.” is released. The action comedy centers on a thief (Murphy) who helps a cop (Nick Nolte) track down a murderous fugitive.

    1983 – HBO airs Murphy’s concert special, “Eddie Murphy – Delirious.”

    June 8, 1983 – “Trading Places,” a comedy starring Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis, debuts in theaters.

    February 28, 1984 – Murphy’s live album, “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” wins a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.

    December 5, 1984 – “Beverly Hills Cop” opens. Sylvester Stallone had been originally slated to play the main character, Axel Foley, but he quit weeks before the shoot and Murphy replaced him.

    December 18, 1987 – The comedy concert film, “Eddie Murphy Raw,” is released.

    April 11, 1988 – Presenting the Best Picture award during the Oscars telecast, Murphy criticizes the Academy for failing to recognize the contributions of Black performers throughout film history. He quips that he likely will never get an Oscar because of the remark.

    November 17, 1989 – “Harlem Nights,” directed by Murphy, is released. Two of Murphy’s childhood idols, Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, costar in the 1930s-period piece about a wild New York nightspot.

    June 28, 1996 – Murphy makes a comeback with the release of “The Nutty Professor,” a Jerry Lewis remake.

    May 2, 1997 – The comedian gets pulled over after offering a ride to an alleged transgender prostitute. A spokesman for Murphy says the star was simply trying to help someone who appeared to be troubled and alone.

    January 10, 1999 – “The PJs,” an animated series co-created by Murphy and Larry Wilmore, debuts on Fox. The series is criticized for perpetuating black stereotypes. It garners three Primetime Emmy awards, two for voice actress, Ja’Net DuBois and one for achievement in animation. It’s canceled after three seasons.

    May 16, 2001 – “Shrek,” a computer animated fairy tale about an ogre (Mike Myers) who befriends a hapless donkey (Murphy), opens and grosses $42 million during its first weekend.

    May 19, 2004 – “Shrek 2” opens in theaters. The movie tallies $441 million in ticket sales, making it the top box office hit of 2004.

    December 15, 2006 – “Dreamgirls” opens in limited release. Critics praise Murphy for his dramatic turn as James “Thunder” Early, a fading star struggling with addiction.

    September 6, 2011 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that Murphy will host the Oscars. On November 9, Murphy says he is stepping down as Oscar host. He and director Brett Ratner were slated to collaborate on the show but Ratner quit amid controversy over his usage of an anti-gay slur. Billy Crystal is selected as Murphy’s replacement.

    February 15, 2015 – During a “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary special, Murphy makes a brief appearance. He declines to participate in a sketch mocking Bill Cosby, according to a series of Tweets by writer and former cast member, Norm McDonald. Cosby expresses gratitude through a spokesman, telling NBC News, “I am very appreciative of Eddie and I applaud his actions.”

    October 18, 2015 – Murphy is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

    September 16, 2016 – After a four-year hiatus from the big screen, “Mr. Church” opens with Murphy playing the title role.

    December 21, 2019 – Murphy returns to “Saturday Night Live” after 35 years, bringing back many of his most popular characters. The episode is the top rated show for “Saturday Night Live” in more than two years.

    September 20, 2020 – Murphy wins an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for hosting “Saturday Night Live” in December 2019.

    March 5, 2021 – “Coming 2 America” debuts on Amazon.

    January 10, 2023 – Receives the Cecil B. DeMille career achievement award at the 90th annual Golden Globes.

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  • Taliban Fast Facts | CNN

    Taliban Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the Taliban, a Sunni Islamist organization operating primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    The group’s aim is to impose its interpretation of Islamic law on Afghanistan and remove foreign influence from the country.

    Taliban, in Pashto, is the plural of Talib, which means student.

    Most members are Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

    Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada has been the Taliban’s supreme leader since 2016.

    Reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar led the Taliban from the mid-1990s until his death in 2013.

    The exact number of Taliban forces is unknown.

    1979-1989 – The Soviet Union invades and occupies Afghanistan. Afghan resistance fighters, known collectively as mujahedeen, fight back.

    1989-1993 – After the Soviet Union withdraws, fighting among the mujahedeen erupts.

    1994 – The Taliban forms, comprised mostly of students and led by Mullah Mohammed Omar.

    November 1994 – The Taliban take control of the city of Kandahar.

    September 1996 – The capital, Kabul, falls to the Taliban.

    1996-2001 – The group imposes strict Islamic laws on the Afghan people. Women must wear head-to-toe coverings, are not allowed to attend school or work outside the home and are forbidden to travel alone. Television, music and non-Islamic holidays are banned.

    1997 – The Taliban issue an edict renaming Afghanistan the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The country is only officially recognized by three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    1997- Omar forges a relationship with Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, who then moves his base of operations to Kandahar.

    August 1998 – The Taliban capture the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, gaining control of about 90% of Afghanistan.

    October 7, 2001 – Less than a month after terrorists linked to al Qaeda carry out the 9/11 attacks, American and allied forces begin an invasion of Afghanistan called Operation Enduring Freedom.

    December 2001 – The Taliban lose its last major stronghold as Kandahar falls. Hamid Karzai is chosen as interim leader of Afghanistan.

    November 3, 2004 – Karzai is officially elected president of Afghanistan.

    December 2006 – Senior Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani is killed in an airstrike by the United States.

    December 11, 2007 – Allied commanders report that Afghan troops backed by NATO have recaptured the provincial town of Musa Qala from Taliban control.

    October 21, 2008 – Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal confirms that Saudi Arabia hosted talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban in September. It is reported that no agreements were made.

    April 25, 2011 – Hundreds of prisoners escape from a prison in Kandahar by crawling through a tunnel. The Taliban take responsibility for the escape and claim that 541 prisoners escaped, while the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says the number is 470.

    September 10, 2011 – Two Afghan civilians are killed, and 77 US troops are wounded in a truck bombing at the entrance of Combat Outpost Sayed Abad, an ISAF base in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. The Taliban claim responsibility.

    September 13, 2011 – Taliban militants open fire on the US embassy and ISAF headquarters in central Kabul. Three police officers and one civilian are killed.

    February 27, 2012 – The Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide bombing near the front gate of the ISAF base at the Jalalabad airport in Afghanistan. At least nine people are killed and 12 are wounded in the explosion. The Taliban say the bombing is in retaliation for the burning of Qurans by NATO troops.

    June 18, 2013 – An official political office of the Taliban opens in Doha, Qatar’s capital city. The Taliban claim they hope to improve relations with other countries and head toward a peaceful solution in Afghanistan.

    September 21, 2013 – A Pakistani official announces that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founding members of the Taliban, has been released from prison. Baradar had been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2010.

    May 31, 2014 – The United States transfer five Guantánamo Bay detainees to Qatar in exchange for the release of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. It is believed Bergdahl was being held by the Taliban and the al Qaeda-aligned Haqqani network in Pakistan. The detainees released are Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Nori, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Mohammad Nabi Omari.

    July 29, 2015 – An Afghan government spokesman says in a news release that Taliban leader Omar died in April 2013 in Pakistan, citing “credible information.” A spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence service tells CNN that Omar died in a hospital in Karachi at that time.

    September 28, 2015 – Taliban insurgents seize the main roundabout in the Afghan provincial capital of Kunduz, then free more than 500 inmates at the prison.

    December 21, 2015 – A police official says Taliban forces have taken almost complete control over Sangin, a strategically important city in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

    May 21, 2016 – Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour is killed in an airstrike in Pakistan.

    May 25, 2016 – The Taliban name Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader. He is a senior religious cleric from the Taliban’s founding generation.

    January 25, 2017 – The Taliban release an open letter to newly elected US President Donald Trump. The letter calls on Trump to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan.

    April 21, 2017 – The Taliban attack a northern army base in Afghanistan, killing or wounding more than 100 people.

    July 25, 2017 – CNN reports it has exclusive videos that suggest the Taliban have received improved weaponry in Afghanistan that appears to have been supplied by the Russian government. Moscow categorically denies arming the Taliban.

    August 3, 2017 – Taliban and ISIS forces launch a joint attack on a village in northern Afghanistan, killing 50 people, including women and children, local officials say.

    January 27, 2018 – An attacker driving an ambulance packed with explosives detonates them in Kabul, killing 95 people and injuring 191 others, Afghan officials say. The Taliban claim responsibility.

    February 28, 2018 – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the government is willing to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate political party as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.

    April 12, 2018 – At least 14 people, including a district governor, are killed and at least five are injured in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan’s southeastern Ghazni province.

    June 7, 2018 – In a video message, Ghani announces that Afghan forces have agreed to a ceasefire with the Taliban between June 12 and June 21. The proposed truce coincides with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the period during which Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

    June 15-17, 2018 – The three-day-old ceasefire between the Taliban, Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition is marred by two deadly attacks. ISIS, which did not participate in the truce, claims responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Nangarhar province that kills at least 25 people, including Taliban members and civilians. A second suicide bombing is carried out near the Nangarhar governor’s compound, killing at least 18 people and injuring at least 49. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the second attack.

    August 10, 2018 – The Taliban launch an attack on the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni, south of the capital Kabul, seizing key buildings and trading fire with security forces. At least 16 people are killed and 40 are injured, most are Afghan security forces.

    October 13, 2018 – The Taliban issues a statement announcing that the group met with the US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan. The United States does not confirm that the meeting occurred.

    November 9, 2018 – In Moscow, Taliban representatives participate in talks with diplomats from Russia, Pakistan, India and other countries, as well as officials from the Afghan government. The United States sends a diplomat from its embassy in Moscow as an observer.

    January 22, 2019 – Authorities say at least 12 members of the Afghan military were killed and another 28 injured when the Taliban carried out a suicide attack on a military base in the central province of Maidan Wardak.

    January 28, 2019 – Officials from the United States and the Taliban announce they have agreed to a framework that could end the war in Afghanistan. The framework for peace would see the Taliban vow to prevent the country from being used as a hub for terrorism in return for a US military withdrawal. An Afghan source close to the negotiations tells CNN that while a ceasefire and US withdrawal were both discussed, neither side came to final conclusions.

    January 30, 2019 – In its quarterly report to the US Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction declares the Taliban expanded its control of territory in 2018 while the Afghan government lost control of territory. In October 2018, the Afghan government controlled just 53.8% of districts in the country, according to the report. The insurgency made gains to control 12.3% of districts while 33.9% of districts were contested.

    February 5-6, 2019 – Talks are held in Moscow between Taliban leaders and politicians from the government of Afghanistan.

    March 12, 2019 – Peace talks between representatives from the United States and the Taliban end without a finalized agreement. Khalilzad, the main American negotiator, says that progress has been made and the talks yielded two draft proposals.

    September 7-8, 2019 – Trump announces that Taliban leaders were to travel to the Unites States for secret peace talks over the weekend but that the meeting has been canceled and he has called off peace talks with the militant group entirely. Trump tweets that he scrapped the meeting after the Taliban took credit for an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed a dozen people, including an American soldier.

    November 28, 2019 – On a surprise trip to Afghanistan for a Thanksgiving visit with US troops, Trump announces that peace talks with the Taliban have restarted.

    February 29, 2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign a historic agreement which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlines a series of commitments from the United States and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism and the intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

    August 9, 2020 – Afghanistan’s grand assembly of elders, the consultative Loya Jirga, passes a resolution calling for the release of the last group of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for direct peace talks with the insurgent group. The release of the 400 prisoners is part of the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in February.

    April 14, 2021 – US President Joe Biden formally announces his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, deeming the prolonged and intractable conflict in Afghanistan no longer aligns with American priorities.

    August 15, 2021 – After the Taliban seize control of every major city across Afghanistan, in just two weeks, they take control of the presidential palace in Kabul. A senior Afghan official and a senior diplomatic source tell CNN that Ghani has left the country.

    August 30, 2021 – The last US military planes leave Afghanistan.

    September 7, 2021 – The Taliban announce the formation of a hardline interim government for Afghanistan. Four men receiving senior positions in the government had previously been detained by the United States at Guantánamo Bay, and were released as part of a prisoner swap for Bergdahl in 2014.

    November 30, 2021 – New research released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details “the summary execution or enforced disappearance” of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces who had surrendered or were apprehended by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31. A Taliban deputy spokesman rejects the HRW report, saying that the Taliban established a general amnesty on their first day of power in Afghanistan.

    December 27, 2021 – The Taliban says it has dissolved Afghanistan’s election commission as well as its ministries for peace and parliamentary affairs, further eroding state institutions set up by the country’s previous Western-backed governments.

    February 11, 2022 – Biden signs an executive order allowing $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan’s central bank to eventually be distributed inside the country and to potentially fund litigation brought by families of victims of the September 11 terror attacks. The Taliban has claimed rights to the funds, which include assets like currency and gold, but the United States has declined access to them after Afghanistan’s democratic government fell. The United States has not recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

    March 23, 2022 – The Taliban prevents girls above the 6th grade in Afghanistan from making their much-anticipated return to school. They are told to stay at home until a school uniform appropriate to Sharia and Afghan customs and culture can be designed, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported. The Taliban originally said that schools would open for all students – including girls – after the Afghan new year, which is celebrated on March 21, on the condition that boys and girls were separated either in different schools or by different learning hours.

    November 13, 2022 – The Taliban orders judges in Afghanistan to fully impose their interpretation of Sharia Law, including potential public executions, amputations and flogging, a move experts fear will lead to a further deterioration of human rights in the impoverished country.

    December 20, 2022 – The Taliban government suspends university education for all female students in Afghanistan.

    December 24, 2022 – The Taliban administration orders all local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop their female employees from coming to work, according to a letter by the Ministry of Economy sent to all licensed NGOs.

    June 15, 2023 – The United Nations releases a report saying that since re-taking control of the country,the Taliban has committed “egregious systematic violations of women’s rights,” by restricting their access to education and employment and their ability to move freely in society.

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  • Rex Tillerson Fast Facts | CNN

    Rex Tillerson Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of former US Secretary of State and ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson.

    Birth date: March 23, 1952

    Birth place: Wichita Falls, Texas

    Birth name: Rex Wayne Tillerson

    Father: Bob Tillerson, Boy Scouts of America executive

    Mother: Patty (Patton) Tillerson

    Marriage: Renda (St. Clair) Tillerson

    Children: Four children

    Education: University of Texas at Austin, B.S., 1975

    Tillerson and his wife, Renda, operate a Texas horse ranch called Bar RR Ranches.

    An Eagle Scout, Tillerson served as president of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 2010 and 2011. As a member of the BSA executive board, he helped advocate for the inclusion of gay youth in the Scouts. The organization reversed its ban on gay Scouts in 2013 and four years later, the BSA opened up membership to transgender youth. While Tillerson has a reputation as a BSA reformer, he has been criticized by gay rights groups because, under his leadership, Exxon continued to resist calls to implement policies protecting LGBTQ employees from harassment. In 2015, the company added sexual orientation and gender identity to its equal opportunity policy.

    1975 – Joins Exxon as a production engineer.

    1987-1989 – Business development manager of Exxon’s domestic natural gas department.

    1989-1992 – General manager for regional oil and gas production.

    1992 – Production adviser for Exxon Corporation.

    1992-1995 – Coordinator of affiliate gas sales for Exxon Company, International.

    1995 – Becomes president of Exxon Yemen and other overseas subsidiaries.

    1998 – President of Exxon Ventures and Exxon Neftegas in Russia.

    1999 – Becomes the executive vice president of Exxon Development Company.

    1999 – Exxon Corp and Mobil Corp complete their merger.

    2001-2003 – Senior vice president of ExxonMobil.

    2004 – Becomes president of ExxonMobil and a member of the company’s board of directors.

    2006 – Is named chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil.

    2013 – Receives the Order of Friendship award from Russian President Vladimir Putin. During Tillerson’s tenure as ExxonMobil CEO, the company invests in oil production in Siberia, the Arctic Circle and the Black Sea.

    December 13, 2016 – President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team announces that Tillerson has been nominated for secretary of state. Tillerson was recommended for the role by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Their consulting firm, RiceHadleyGates LLC has a contract with ExxonMobil.

    December 14, 2016 – Tillerson announces that he will retire from ExxonMobil at the end of December.

    January 11, 2017 – During his confirmation hearing, Tillerson is questioned about his ties to Russia and asked about what he will do to promote human rights abroad. In response to a query on global warming, Tillerson says he believes climate change is a serious issue.

    February 1, 2017 – Tillerson is confirmed by the Senate by a 56-43 vote. All of the Republicans voted for him while most of the Democrats voted against him. Later in the evening, Tillerson is sworn in as secretary of state.

    February 15, 2017 – Tillerson arrives in Germany on his first overseas trip. He represents the United States at the G20 summit in Bonn.

    February 22-23, 2017 – Tillerson visits Mexico with Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. They make the trip to meet with Mexican diplomats amid tensions over border issues and new immigration policies. Enrique Peña Nieto, the president of Mexico, canceled a planned January trip to Washington to meet President Trump due to a dispute about a proposed border wall and Trump’s campaign pledge that Mexico would pay for the structure.

    February 24, 2017 – The State Department announces that it will resume holding regular press briefings on March 6. Under previous administrations, the department took questions from reporters on a daily basis but the briefings were suspended after Trump took office on January 20.

    March 14-19, 2017 – Tillerson makes his first trip to Asia, stopping in China, Japan and South Korea. During the visit, Tillerson declares that a new approach is needed to counter provocations by North Korea.

    March 20, 2017 – Officials tell Reuters that Tillerson will not attend a NATO meeting in April, skipping the event so he can participate in talks with Trump and President Xi Jinping of China at Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. Officials also say the secretary of state is planning a trip to Russia later in April.

    October 2017 – NBC reports that Tillerson called Trump a “moron” during a Pentagon meeting. Tillerson refuses to confirm or deny the allegation.

    March 13, 2018 – Is fired by Trump.

    December 7, 2018 – Tillerson calls Trump “undisciplined” during an interview with former CBS News’ Bob Schieffer. “When the President would say, ‘Here’s what I want to do and here’s how I want to do it.’ And I’d have to say to him, ‘Well Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can’t do it that way. It violates the law. It violates treaty,’” Tillerson says.

    May 21, 2019 – Tillerson meets with Democratic chair Rep. Eliot Engel and ranking Republican Rep. Michael McCaul from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and their senior staff for an interview that focuses primarily on his time in the Trump administration.

    January 11, 2021 – In a lengthy interview published in Foreign Policy, Tillerson paints a scathing picture of Trump as someone who made uninformed decisions that were not based in reality. “His understanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of US history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking about this,” Tillerson said in the interview conducted just prior to the US Capitol insurrection.

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  • Rodrigo Duterte Fast Facts | CNN

    Rodrigo Duterte Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

    Birth date: March 28, 1945

    Birth place: Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines

    Birth name: Rodrigo Roa Duterte

    Father: Vicente Duterte, lawyer and politician

    Mother: Soledad (Roa) Duterte, teacher

    Marriage: Elizabeth Zimmerman (annulled in 2000)

    Children: with Elizabeth Zimmerman: Paolo, Sebastian and Sara; with Honeylet Avanceña: Veronica

    Education: Lyceum of the Philippines University, B.A.,1968; San Beda College, J.D.,1972

    Religion: Roman Catholic

    Duterte was mayor of Davao City for seven terms and 22 years, although not consecutively.

    His father was the governor of unified Davao and a member of President Ferdinand Marcos’ cabinet.

    Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte, was the mayor of Davao City.

    Once compared himself to Adolf Hitler, saying he would kill millions of drug addicts.

    Cursed Pope Francis for traffic problems caused by the pontiff’s visit to the Philippines.

    For decades, he has allegedly been tied to “death squads” in Davao City.

    Has declared that he will urge Congress to restore the death penalty by hanging in the Philippines.

    1977-1986 – Special counsel, and then city prosecutor of Davao City.

    1986-1988 – Vice-Mayor of Davao City.

    1988-1998 – Mayor of Davao City.

    1995 – After Flor Contemplacion, a Filipino domestic worker, is hanged in Singapore for murdering her co-worker in 1991, Duterte leads protestors in burning the Singapore flag.

    1998-2001 – Becomes a congressman representing Davao City’s 1st District.

    2001-2010 – Mayor of Davao City.

    April 6, 2009 – Human Rights Watch publishes the findings of its “Davao Death Squad” investigation, scrutinizing more than two dozen killings that occurred in 2007 and 2008. Findings show no direct link to the killings and Duterte but do provide evidence of a complicit relationship between government officials and members of the DDS.

    May 24, 2015 – He vows to execute 100,000 criminals and dump their bodies into Manila Bay.

    April 2016 – Duterte comes under fire after making a controversial comment during a campaign rally about a 1989 prison riot that led to the rape and murder of a female missionary. According to a CNN Philippines translation of the video, he says, “they raped her, they lined up to her. I was angry she was raped, yes that was one thing. But she was so beautiful, I thought the mayor should have been first. What a waste.” His party issues an apology, but Duterte later disowns it.

    May 30, 2016 – The Philippine Congress officially declares Duterte the winner of the May 9th presidential election after the official count is completed.

    June 30, 2016 – Takes office as president.

    August 5, 2016 – In a speech, he claims he told US Secretary of State John Kerry that US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg is a “gay son of a bitch.”

    September 7, 2016 – Duterte and US President Barack Obama meet briefly in Laos while attending the yearly Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. The two were scheduled to meet prior for bilateral talks regarding the South China Sea, but Obama canceled their meeting as Duterte’s fiery rhetoric escalated.

    September 15, 2016 – A witness, Edgar Matobato, testifies before a Philippine Senate committee, claiming he is a member of Duterte’s alleged “Davao Death Squad,” and that the Philippine president gave orders to kill drug dealers, rapists and thieves. The committee was set up to probe alleged extrajudicial killings in the three months since Duterte became president.

    October 4, 2016 – The Philippines and the United States begin joint military exercises in Manila for what Duterte claims will be the final time under the decade-long landmark Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

    October 20, 2016 – Duterte announces at the PH-China Trade & Investment Forum, “In this venue I announce my separation from the US; militarily, [but] not socially, [and] economically.”

    November 29, 2016 – Nine members of Duterte’s security team are injured after their convoy is hit by an explosive device in advance of a planned visit by the president to Marawi City.

    December 12, 2016 – Admits to killing suspected criminals during his time as mayor of Davao City.

    November 9, 2017 – Ahead of APEC meetings with regional leaders, Duterte tells a group of Filipino expatriates, in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang, that he stabbed someone to death when he was 16.

    November 13, 2017 – US President Donald Trump and Duterte “briefly” discussed human rights and the Philippines’ bloody war on drugs during their closed-door conversation, the White House announces. However, the spokesman for Duterte tells reporters that “human rights did not arise” during the meeting.

    February 8, 2018 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) says it is opening a preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines regarding extrajudicial killings. The examination “will analyze crimes allegedly committed … in the context of the ‘war on drugs’ campaign,” specifically since July 1, 2016. Duterte’s spokesman tells reporters that the president “welcomes this preliminary examination because he is sick and tired of being accused of the commission of crimes against humanity.”

    December 5, 2018 – The ICC reports that they have a “reasonable basis to proceed with the preliminary examination” into the alleged extra-judicial killings of thousands of people since July 1, 2016.

    March 17, 2019 – The Philippines officially leaves the ICC. The action, taken after a 12-month waiting period required by ICC statute, follows an initial announcement made March 14, 2018.

    October 5, 2020 – Duterte reveals he has a chronic neuromuscular disease. In a speech in Moscow, he tells a crowd of Filipinos living in the Russian capital he had myasthenia gravis, which he describes as a “nerve malfunction,” reports CNN Philippines.

    March 12, 2020 – Duterte places Metro Manila under community quarantine from March 15 to April 14 to contain the COVID-19 spread in the metropolis.

    March 23, 2020 – The Senate, in a 12-0 vote, approves a bill declaring the existence of a national emergency and granting Duterte additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis. The additional powers will remain in effect for at least three months or until the state of calamity in the entire country is lifted.

    November 15, 2021 – Files to run for senator in the 2022 election. Duterte is not eligible to run for president again, and his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, is running for vice president. He withdraws his bid on December 14.

    June 30, 2022 – Duterte steps down as president.

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  • Samuel Alito Fast Facts | CNN

    Samuel Alito Fast Facts | CNN

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    Here’s a look at the life of US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

    Birth date: April 1, 1950

    Birth place: Trenton, New Jersey

    Birth name: Samuel Anthony Alito Jr.

    Father: Samuel Alito, a teacher

    Mother: Rose (Fradusco) Alito, a teacher

    Marriage: Martha-Ann (Bomgardner) Alito (1985-present)

    Children: Philip and Laura

    Education: Princeton University, A.B., 1972; Yale University, J.D., 1975

    Nicknamed “Scalito” as his views resemble those of the late conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

    Argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court, the first in 1982.

    1976-1977 – Law clerk to Leonard I. Garth, judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

    1977-1981 – Assistant US attorney for the District of New Jersey.

    1981-1985 – Assistant to the US solicitor general.

    1985-1987 – Deputy assistant to the US attorney general.

    1987-1990 – Named by President Ronald Reagan as the US attorney for the District of New Jersey.

    February 20, 1990 – Nominated by President George H.W. Bush to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

    April 27, 1990 – Confirmed unanimously by the Senate on a voice vote.

    April 30, 1990-2006 – Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Newark, New Jersey.

    1991 – Is the only dissenting voice in a Third Circuit ruling striking down a Pennsylvania law that required women to notify their husbands if they planned to get an abortion.

    1993 – Agrees with the majority that an Iranian woman seeking asylum could establish eligibility by showing that she has an abhorrence with her country’s “gender specific laws and repressive social norms,” or because of a belief in feminism or membership in a feminist group.

    1999 – Writes the opinion in a case that says a Christmas display on city property does not violate separation of church and state doctrines because it included a large plastic Santa Claus as well as a Menorah and a banner hailing diversity.

    2001 – Agrees with the majority that strikes down a public school district’s anti-harassment policy, saying the policy – which included non-vulgar, non-school-sponsored speech – violated the First Amendment.

    October 31, 2005 – President George W. Bush nominates Alito to be Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s replacement on the Supreme Court.

    January 31, 2006 – Alito is confirmed as an associate justice to the Supreme Court. The US Senate votes 58-42. He is immediately sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.

    February 1, 2006 – Sworn in as a Supreme Court justice a second time in a ceremony at the White House.

    May 29, 2007 – In a 5-4 ruling, the court dismisses a pay discrimination lawsuit, with Alito writing for the majority. The original suit was filed by a female worker, Lilly Ledbetter against her employer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. She claimed that she was underpaid due to gender discrimination. In the opinion, Alito writes that Ledbetter filed the claim after the federally-mandated 180-day time window, concluding that the “filing deadline protects employers from the burden of defending claims arising from employment decisions long past.”

    January 28, 2010 – During a State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, Alito is seen mouthing the words “not true” in response to the president’s criticism of the court’s 5-4 ruling on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which removed long-established legal limits on campaign spending by corporations and unions.

    March 2, 2011 – Alito is the sole dissenter in the free speech case involving Westboro Baptist Church. In an 8-1 decision, the court rules that the First Amendment allows the church to carry out anti-gay protests, even at military funerals. Westboro had been sued by the family of a fallen Marine whose funeral was disrupted by church protesters. In his dissent, Alito writes, “Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case.”

    June 25, 2013 – Writes the majority opinion in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl where the question is, can an unwed non-custodial parent block an adoption using the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act. The court ruled, 5-4, in favor of the adoptive parents ruling that the ICWA did not apply when the parent had never had physical or legal custody of the child.

    June 30, 2014 – Writes the majority opinion in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, with the court ruling 5-4 that family-owned corporations can be exempt from a federal mandate requiring the inclusion of contraception coverage in employee health plans based on religious objections.

    June 27, 2018 – The court issues a 5-4 ruling striking down an Illinois law requiring non-union public sector workers to pay fees for collective bargaining. The opinion, written by Alito, reads, “It is hard to estimate how many billions of dollars have been taken from nonmembers and transferred to public sector unions in violation of the First Amendment. Those unconstitutional exactions cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.”

    February 1, 2019 – Alito temporarily blocks a Louisiana abortion law from going into effect, filing an order that says the justices need more time to review the filings in the case against a measure restricting access to clinics.

    November 25, 2019 – Writes the sole dissent in the court’s denial of National Review’s defamation suit petition. Climate scientist Michael Mann sued the conservative magazine in 2012 after two columnists wrote about his work and the “Hockey Stick” curve graph illustrating the rise in average global temperatures, accusing him of “misconduct” and data “manipulation.” Alito writes that the case brings up First Amendment concerns “that go to the very heart of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and freedom of the press: the protection afforded to journalists and others who use harsh language in criticizing opposing advocacy on one of the most important public issues of the day. If the Court is serious about protecting freedom of expression, we should grant review.”

    June 24, 2022 – The Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, holding that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion. In his majority opinion, Alito says “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.”

    November 28, 2022 – In a letter, the Supreme Court legal counsel says there is no evidence that Alito violated ethics standards, in response to questions from congressional Democrats about allegations that Alito revealed the outcome of a 2014 decision before it was released.

    July 28, 2023 – Alito agrees to temporarily freeze a lower court order that bars the US government from regulating so-called ghost guns – untraceable homemade weapons – as firearms under federal law.

    October 6, 2023 – Alito freezes a lower court ruling that blocked the Biden administration from regulating so-called ghost guns.

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  • Jane Goodall Fast Facts | CNN

    Jane Goodall Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of world-renowned primatologist, activist and conservationist Jane Goodall.

    Birth date: April 3, 1934

    Birth place: London, England

    Birth name: Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall

    Father: Mortimer Morris-Goodall, businessman

    Mother: Margaret Myfanwe (Joseph) Morris-Goodall, a novelist

    Marriages: Derek Bryceson (1975-1980, his death); Hugo van Lawick (March 28, 1964-1974, divorced)

    Children: with van Lawick: Hugo

    Education: Cambridge University, Ph.D. in ethology, 1965

    Obtained a doctorate without receiving a bachelor’s or master’s first.

    Was the first scientist to give names to her research subjects instead of the conventional practice of assigning them numbers.

    Found that chimpanzees engage in warfare with neighboring communities and that chimps are capable of altruism, which they display by adopting unrelated orphaned infants.

    First to observe chimps eating meat and making and using tools.

    1956 – While working as an assistant in a London film studio, she receives an invitation from a friend to visit her farm in Kenya.

    1957 – Arrives in Africa and meets famous archeologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey. He hires her as an assistant and then asks her to study a group of chimpanzees living in Tanzania.

    July 1960 – Arrives at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in Tanzania to begin her study of chimpanzees.

    October 1960 – Goodall observes chimpanzees eating meat; they were thought to be vegetarians.

    November 1960 – Observes the first recorded instance of chimpanzees making and using tools.

    1977 – Founds the Jane Goodall Institute.

    1991 – Begins the Roots & Shoots environmental program for young people.

    2002 – Designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

    February 20, 2004 – Is invested as a Dame of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace.

    2010 – A documentary film about her life, “Jane’s Journey,” premieres.

    March 2013 – Apologizes for plagiarized passages in her book, “Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants,” scheduled to be released in April. The Washington Post first reported on the borrowed passages, saying they came from Wikipedia and other websites.

    September 30, 2014 – A new species of orchid is named after Goodall. The Dendrobium goodallianum orchid was collected in Papua New Guinea in 2003.

    October 20, 2017 – “Jane,” a documentary about Goodall’s early work with chimps, directed by Brett Morgan, opens.

    January 2019 – Announces launch of the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation, “in the hope that we can create an endowment that will enable the programmes I have developed to continue, new ones to be initiated, and so that the fight for the good of the natural world will continue beyond my lifetime.” It is registered in Switzerland.

    April 17, 2019 – Is named to the Time 100, the magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in the world.

    May 8, 2020 – In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Goodall says that humanity’s disrespect for nature led to the coronavirus pandemic, saying “we brought this on ourselves.”

    May 20, 2021 – Is announced as the winner of the Templeton Prize, an award worth over $1.5 million, that honors “outstanding individuals who have devoted their talents to expanding our vision of human purpose and ultimate reality.”

    July 12, 2022 – Mattel Inc announces the release of a new Barbie doll of Goodall, made from recycled plastic, as part of its Inspiring Women Barbie collection.

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  • William Shatner Fast Facts | CNN

    William Shatner Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of award-winning actor William Shatner.

    Birth date: March 22, 1931

    Birth place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Birth name: William Shatner

    Father: Joseph Shatner, business owner

    Mother: Ann Shatner

    Marriages: Elizabeth (Anderson Martin) Shatner (February 13, 2001-March 3, 2020, divorced); Nerine Kidd (November 15, 1997-August 9, 1999, her death); Marcy Lafferty (October 20, 1973-1996, divorced); Gloria Rand (1956-1969, divorced)

    Children: with Gloria Rand: Melanie Ann, Lisabeth Mary and Leslie Carol

    Education: McGill University, B.A., Business, 1952

    Nominated for seven Emmy Awards and has won two. Was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

    Nominated for one Grammy Award for a spoken word recording but did not win.

    His family is of Ukrainian-Jewish descent.

    In the shows “The Practice” and “Boston Legal,” he plays the same character, Denny Crane.

    His character, Capt. James T. Kirk, appears in 10 of the 13 Star Trek franchise films. Shatner portrays Kirk in the first seven.

    He breeds and owns champion horses.

    1954 – Joins the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.

    January 1956 – Makes his Broadway debut in “Tamburlaine the Great.”

    1958 – “The Brothers Karamazov” premieres, his first major film role.

    1963 – Appears in “The Twilight Zone” episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”

    1966-1969 – Appears in the lead role of Captain James Tiberius Kirk in “Star Trek.”

    November 22, 1968 – The “Star Trek” episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” airs. It is the first interracial kiss shown on television, when Capt. Kirk is forced to kiss Lt. Uhura.

    1979 – Stars in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”

    1982-1986 – Stars in the police series “T.J. Hooker.”

    1989 – Stars in and directs “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”

    1997-2004 – Stars in the legal drama series “The Practice.”

    2004 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama series for “The Practice.”

    2004-2008 – Co-stars in “Boston Legal.”

    2005 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for “Boston Legal.”

    December 14, 2006 – Is inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

    2011 – Begins performing a one-man show “Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It.”

    2016 – Stars in the NBC reality TV series, “Better Late than Never,” with Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, and Henry Winkler. The show is about a group of celebrities who travel across Asia with a young guide, comedian Jeff Dye.

    March 25, 2016 – Is sued by Peter Sloan for libel and slander. Sloan says that Shatner is his biological father, a claim which Shatner denies. The case is dismissed in June 2018.

    October 13, 2021 – Blasts off onboard a New Shepard suborbital spacecraft — the one developed by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, before parachuting to a landing, making Shatner the oldest person ever to travel to space.

    October 4, 2022 – Shatner’s biography, “Boldly Go,” is published.

    March 11, 2024 – Shatner publicly discusses his stage 4 melanoma diagnosis and treatment at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting. He did not disclose when it occurred.

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  • Jon Huntsman Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Jon Huntsman Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Jon Huntsman, former Utah Governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate.

    Birth date: March 26, 1960

    Birth place: Palo Alto, California

    Birth name: Jon Meade Huntsman Jr.

    Father: Jon Meade Huntsman Sr., billionaire chemical magnate

    Mother: Karen (Haight) Huntsman

    Marriage: Mary Kaye Cooper (1983-present)

    Children: Asha Bharati, adopted from India; Gracie Mei, adopted from China; William, Jon III, Elizabeth, Abigail and Mary Anne

    Education: Attended University of Utah, 1978-1980; University of Pennsylvania, B.A. in Political Science, 1987

    Religion: Mormon

    Dropped out of high school in his senior year to play piano with local bands. The University of Utah, at the time, allowed completion of high school coursework after admission.

    Served a two-year Mormon mission in Taiwan.

    Speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.

    Worked as legislative intern for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

    His father owned the company that invented the McDonald’s Big Mac clamshell box.

    The family chemical business, Huntsman Corp., is a global enterprise with subsidiaries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America.

    Huntsman has served on numerous boards, including Caterpillar Inc., the US Naval Academy Foundation, Hilton Worldwide and the National Committee on US-China Relations.

    1982-1983 – White House staff assistant to President Ronald Reagan.

    1983-1989 – Executive at Huntsman Corp.

    1989-1990 – Deputy assistant secretary for the Trade Development Bureau of the Commerce Department.

    1990-1991 – Deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for East Asia and the Pacific.

    1992-1993 – US ambassador to Singapore.

    1995-2001 – President of Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

    2001-2003 – Deputy US trade representative.

    2001 – Divests of most personal stock upon becoming trade representative, including that held by his wife and held in the trust for his children.

    2003-2004 – Chairman and CEO of Huntsman Family Holdings Co.

    2004 – Places personal assets, 1.5% of Huntsman Family Holdings Co. in blind trust during gubernatorial campaign.

    2005-2009 – 16th Governor of Utah, resigns in 2009 to become US ambassador to China.

    2005 – Divests all personal holdings in Huntsman Corp.

    July 2006 – Endorses Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the 2008 presidential race.

    2008 – Serves as national co-chairman of McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.

    August 7, 2009 – Huntsman is confirmed by the US Senate as US ambassador to China.

    August 11, 2009-April 30, 2011 – Ambassador to China.

    January 2011 – Delivers letter of resignation to President Barack Obama, stating his intention to step down as ambassador on April 30, 2011.

    June 21, 2011 – Announces candidacy for 2012 GOP nomination for president at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, the same place Reagan launched his campaign in 1980.

    October 18, 2011 – Boycotts the CNN/Western Republican Presidential Debate out of deference to New Hampshire, which is locked in a political scheduling fight with Nevada.

    January 16, 2012 – Withdraws from the Republican presidential race and endorses former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

    January 26, 2012 – Huntsman is named chairman of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

    June 20, 2012 – The Brookings Institution announces that Huntsman will serve as a distinguished fellow.

    January 3, 2013 – The bipartisan political group No Labels names Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as leaders of the organization.

    January 15, 2014 – The Atlantic Council names Huntsman chairman of its board of directors.

    September 3, 2014 – Huntsman tells the Deseret News he feels same-sex marriage across the country is “inevitable,” and rules out another run for president in 2016.

    July 18, 2017 – The White House announces that President Donald Trump has chosen Huntsman to be the US ambassador to Russia.

    September 28, 2017 – The Senate confirms Huntsman as ambassador to Russia.

    November 1, 2018 – The Deseret News publishes an interview in which Huntsman reveals he has stage one skin cancer.

    August 6, 2019 – Huntsman submits his resignation letter to President Trump. His resignation is effective October 3.

    November 14, 2019 – Announces he is running for governor of Utah in 2020.

    February 7, 2020 – Huntsman announces Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi as his running mate in the Utah gubernatorial race.

    July 6, 2020 – Hunstman concedes Utah’s GOP gubernatorial primary race to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.

    September 8, 2020 – Chevron announces that Huntsman has been reelected to the board of directors, effective September 15. Huntsman previously served on the board from 2014 to 2017.

    October 2020 – Reelected to the board of directors for Ford Motor Company, after serving on the board from 2012 to 2017.

    January 21, 2021 – Named chair of World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah), an organization promoting the state’s businesses globally.

    March 11, 2024 – Is hired by Mastercard as the vice chairman and president of strategic growth.

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  • Iditarod Fast Facts | CNN

    Iditarod Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the Iditarod dogsled race. The event is named after the Iditarod Trail, an old mail and supply route, traveled by dogsleds from Seward and Knik to Nome, Alaska.

    March 12, 2024 – Dallas Seavey wins his sixth Iditarod, breaking the record for most wins.

    March 14, 2023 – Ryan Redington wins his first Iditarod.

    The race traditionally begins on the first Saturday in March, starting in Anchorage and ending in Nome.

    The race ranges from 975 to 998 miles long, depending on whether the southern or northern route is being run. The length can also vary from year to year based on course conditions.

    The beginning of the race in Anchorage is considered a ceremonial start. The competitive part of the race usually begins the next day in Willow, but depends on weather conditions.

    There may be only one musher (person who drives the sled) per team.

    There are 12-14 dogs on each team. At least five dogs must be in harness (pulling the sled) at the finish line.

    The most commonly used sled dogs are the Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Husky and Chinook. The animals get tested for strength and endurance before being selected.

    The musher must make a mandatory 24 hour stop at some point during the race.

    The route alternates every other year, one year going north through Cripple, Ruby, and Galena, the next year going south through Iditarod, Shageluk, and Anvik.

    Most Consecutive Wins – Lance Mackey won four consecutive times from 2007-2010.

    Most Wins – Dallas Seavey won six times, in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2024. Rick Swenson won five times, in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1991.

    Fastest winning time – Mitch Seavey finished the 2017 race in eight days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, 13 seconds.

    Winner by a [dog’s] nose – Dick Mackey finished the 1978 race one second ahead of Rick Swenson. The winner is decided by the nose of the first dog across the finish line.

    First female winner – Libby Riddles in 1985.

    Youngest winner – Dallas Seavey, 25, in 2012.

    Oldest winner – Mitch Seavey, 57, in 2017.

    1925 – A diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska, creates an emergency need for medical supplies to be delivered, and dogsledders make the journey. The current race commemorates this mission and partially follows the same route.

    1966 – Dorothy Page, President of the Wasilla-Knik Centennial Committee, decides to organize a dogsled race to celebrate Alaska’s centennial in 1967. Page and Joe Redington Sr., a local musher, work together to launch the first event.

    1967 – The first Iditarod is held, with 58 mushers competing along a 50-mile trail.

    March 1973 – After shorter races in 1967 and 1969, the first full-length race takes place. The course is approximately 1,100 miles long. The first winner is Dick Wilmarth, with a time of 20 days and 49 minutes.

    March 12, 2016 – A man on a snowmobile hits two teams competing in the Iditarod, killing one dog and injuring several other dogs. Alaska state troopers arrest Arnold Demoski, 26, of Nulato. Later, Demoski is sentenced to six months and three days in jail and ordered to pay restitution totaling $36,697.15.

    October 6, 2017 – The Iditarod Trail Committee revises Rule 39 after a musher’s team of dogs test positive for an opioid drug called Tramadol. Before the rule is revised, the ITC determines that intent of the alleged musher could not be proven. The revised rule holds a musher liable for any positive canine drug test, unless they can prove that they are not at fault. The ITC later reveals four-time champion Dallas Seavey as the musher. Seavey denies the allegations.

    December 4, 2018 – The Iditarod Trail Committee clears Seavey of any wrongdoing and releases a statement saying, “After several meetings with Dallas Seavey, and review of all relevant information and evidence, the board does not believe that Dallas had any involvement with, or knowledge of, the events that led to the positive test in his team.”

    2021 – The 2021 ceremonial Mushers’ Banquet is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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