Politics
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
President Biden recognized an expansive cast of public figures, celebrities and cultural luminaries on Saturday with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, covering a list of household names in his final ceremony as president.
The 18 honorees included some of the Democratic Party’s best-known leaders and boosters: Hillary Clinton, the philanthropist and major Democratic donor George Soros, and Robert F. Kennedy, who was given the recognition posthumously.
The list Mr. Biden drew up also included famous figures in sports, entertainment, fashion and film. Here are each of the honorees.
José Andrés
Aside from his fame as a celebrity chef, Mr. Andrés’s philanthropy work became a highly visible element of the war in Gaza during Mr. Biden’s presidency, as his aid group, World Central Kitchen, assumed a dangerous role bringing food into the region after the war displaced the majority of its 2.2 million residents. Last year, seven people working for World Central Kitchen were killed by Israeli airstrikes while working in Gaza, drawing attention to the risk of famine during the war and the dangers facing aid workers.
Bono
The Irish singer-songwriter, whose band, U2, the president has described as a “bridge between Ireland and America,” has enjoyed a close friendship with Mr. Biden during his tenure. Mr. Biden personally introduced the band at the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors and hosted Bono at his 2023 State of the Union address.
Ashton B. Carter (posthumous)
Mr. Carter, a Rhodes scholar and trained physicist, served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama. He assumed the post after a lengthy Pentagon career and used his influence as defense secretary to expand military eligibility for women and transgender service members. He died at age 68 in 2022.
Hillary Clinton
A former first lady and senator from New York, Mrs. Clinton served as secretary of state under Mr. Obama, whom she competed with for the Democratic nomination in 2008. She ran for president again in 2016 and earned the party’s nomination but lost the general election to Donald J. Trump.
Michael J. Fox
Mr. Fox is known for roles in the film “Back to the Future” and the 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.” He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 29 and has become a leading voice for research on the disease through his foundation.
Tim Gill
After founding the tech company Quark, which produced novel layout and design software through the 1980s and ’90s, Mr. Gill sold his stake to concentrate on charity work aimed at L.G.B.T.Q. rights and advocacy. His foundation has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in campaigns to shift policy on issues such as marriage equality and bullying in schools.
Jane Goodall
The scientist and activist, who turned 90 this year, is known for her breakthrough work on the study of primates and human evolution.
Fannie Lou Hamer (posthumous)
Ms. Hamer, a civil rights activist and the co-founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, fought for equal representation in politics after being born into sharecropping in the Jim Crow era. She died at age 60 in 1977.
Earvin Johnson
A five-time N.B.A. champion and basketball star known as Magic, Mr. Johnson became an influential voice off the court after publicly announcing an H.I.V. diagnosis in the early ’90s and helping to destigmatize living with the virus. He was also a close supporter of Mr. Biden during his presidential campaign, stumping for the president in Michigan.
Robert F. Kennedy (posthumous)
Robert F. Kennedy had a storied career in Democratic politics as a senator and the U.S. attorney general before his assassination in 1968. His son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has embraced the G.O.P. and President-elect Donald J. Trump, and is Mr. Trump’s pick to be health secretary.
Ralph Lauren
The 85-year-old, whose clothes have been a favorite of Jill Biden’s throughout her time as first lady, is the first fashion designer to receive the Medal of Freedom.
Bill Nye
Implanted in the psyche of millions of children through his role as the host of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” Mr. Nye re-emerged after the show ended in 1999 as a popular personality on TikTok and a science and climate policy advocate.
George W. Romney (posthumous)
A former chairman of the American Motors Corporation, Mr. Romney, a Republican, later served as a three-term governor of Michigan and as President Richard M. Nixon’s housing secretary. As governor, he embraced a range of progressive policy stances including supporting civil rights initiatives and opposing the war in Vietnam. He died at age 88 in 1995.
David M. Rubenstein
The billionaire co-founder of the Carlyle Group has donated to fund work on some of the best-known spaces around Washington, including the Washington Monument and the National Zoo.
George Soros
An ally of Mr. Biden and a fierce supporter of liberal causes, Mr. Soros is among several prominent Democratic figures to receive the award during Mr. Biden’s presidency. A billionaire and Democratic megadonor, Mr. Soros has become a polarizing figure in American politics, often vilified by conservative commentators.
George Stevens Jr.
Mr. Stevens is a filmmaker, a producer and the founder of the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center Honors. His writing and producing credits include the 1998 film “The Thin Red Line” and a play about the life of Thurgood Marshall. Outside of film and the stage, his work has focused on preserving American cinematic heritage.
Denzel Washington
An acclaimed actor and the national spokesman for Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 30 years, Mr. Washington was selected by Mr. Biden to receive the award in 2022 but missed the ceremony after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Anna Wintour
Ms. Wintour is the editor in chief of Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. A key fund-raiser at the center of Democratic celebrity circles, she has also served as the co-chairwoman of the annual Met Gala.
Lionel Messi
The Argentine soccer superstar was originally on the list but was unable to accept the award on Saturday because of a scheduling conflict.
Politics
Your guide to the California secretary of state race: Democrat Shirley Weber vs. Republican Don Wagner
Across the country, debates over voter identification laws have become a flash point in broader fights about election security and voting access.
Supporters of voter ID laws say they are needed to prevent election fraud and ensure only eligible voters cast ballots. Critics argue there is little evidence of noncitizens voting and say the requirements instead would reduce voter participation in elections.
Under California law, voters in the state are not required to show or provide identification when casting a ballot in person or by mail. The state does require ID when registering to vote, and residents must swear under penalty of perjury that they are eligible to vote and they are a U.S. citizen.
Weber has opposed proposals that would require voters to show identification in order to cast a ballot. She and many Democratic leaders argue that voter ID laws can create barriers for eligible voters, particularly those who may not have easy access to government-issued identification.
Weber believes Voter ID efforts are meant to sow doubt in the integrity of the elections system.
“When you really get to it, Voter ID is a smoke screen for trying to create the idea that this is a corrupt system,” she said.
Weber instead supports policies aimed at expanding participation among eligible voters, including vote-by-mail ballots and automatic registration.
Conversely, Wagner wants the state to require voters to show ID at the polls. He argues that requiring identification would strengthen public trust in election results and align California with practices used in many other states. He said it’s patronizing to minorities when critics argue it’s hard for them to get identification.
“You need an ID to drive,” he said. “You need an ID to fly in a plane. You need one to buy alcohol. You need it to buy tobacco.”
Wagner has been working with proponents of the Voter ID ballot measure to raise money and helped gather signatures. That statewide ballot measure would require state or local elections officials to verify that Californians registering to vote are U.S. citizens by “using government data,” which according to supporters could include information in the federal Social Security Administration database, jury summons information and other government records.
“What I’m pledging the people of California is that if they pass voter ID, I will protect it. I will sue if I have to,” Wagner said. “If I am secretary of state, I will implement it and hold the registrars accountable and hold my office and myself accountable for doing the will of the people.”
The Defense Department’s nearly $1.45 trillion budget request — the largest ever for the Pentagon — was ostensibly the reason for the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday. But anyone who hoped for details on how that money might be used would have been left wanting.
For three hours, senators questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Pentagon’s comptroller, Jay Hurst. But for the most part, the session focused on the U.S. war against Iran and Mr. Hegseth’s tenure.
Here are the main takeaways.
Hegseth said Democrats were the enemy.
At the hearing’s outset, Mr. Hegseth condemned members of Congress who have questioned or challenged the Iran war, just as he did a day earlier during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
“I’ll say it again today, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” he said.
Democrats asked about civilian deaths in the war.
Democratic senators questioned Mr. Hegseth on his gutting of the office that works to reduce harm to civilians in combat, which the Pentagon created in 2022 in response to New York Times reporting about noncombatants killed during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The defense secretary dismissed their concerns, and did not answer a question from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, about why he cut about 90 percent of the employees from the civilian protection office.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asked about the Pentagon’s investigation into U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles that hit a girl’s elementary school, killing 168 people on the first day of the war. Mr. Hegseth would only say that the attack remained under investigation.
Two Republican senators, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, asked Mr. Hegseth and General Caine if U.S. forces ever deliberately targeted civilians in conflict. Both men said no.
Hegseth and Caine did not respond directly to questions about women in combat.
Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, asked General Caine three times for his opinion on whether having women in combat units lowered standards if they meet the same physical fitness standards of men, and each time the general avoided answering directly.
General Caine said that “standards” were set by “civilian leaders” and offered a tepid declaration that women “continue to perform well across a range of” military specialties and assignments, but did not make a clear statement of support for their continued assignment to combat units.
Mr. Hegseth said that “the highest male standard for every combat arms position” should be the standard for whether women are allowed to serve in those roles.
Christian nationalism and race were also tense issues.
Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, asked Mr. Hegseth about his removal of women and Black men from senior leadership positions.
The senator said that Mr. Hegseth had “an intense interest in Christianity, in nationalism, and in not recognizing the talents of women and nonwhite men.”
“And that’s the wrong direction,” he added.
Mr. Hegseth appeared to be incensed.
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, senator, but I am not ashamed of my faith in Jesus Christ,” he replied, calling Mr. Reed’s comments a “smear” on his character.
Mr. Reed pressed forward, asking about the secretary’s monthly Christian prayer services in the Pentagon auditorium and his tendency to give a Christian rationale for war.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Secretary,” the senator said. “Stressing the need for more Christianity in the military forces doesn’t seem like a neutral position in which you tolerate and accept all religions.”
Hegseth was accused of using antisemitic language.
Senator Jacky Rosen, Democrat of Nevada, accused Mr. Hegseth of using antisemitic language when he compared members of Congress and the news media to the Pharisees who criticized Jesus of Nazareth for performing miracles.
“It’s a problematic and weaponized term that casts Jewish communities as hypocritical or morally corrupt,” Ms. Rosen said of the defense secretary’s use of the term Pharisee.
“Words matter — what you say, how we choose to say it,” she said. “How do you justify using this language as secretary of defense?”
“I feel like it’s a pretty accurate term for folks who don’t see the plank in their own eye and always want to see what’s wrong with an operation,” the defense secretary said. “As opposed to the historic success of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapons.”
“So I stand by it,” he added.
Democrats focused on the war’s harm to the U.S. economy.
Democrats repeatedly steered the discussion to the economic impact of the Iran war on Americans, specifically the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.
“We can try and tell the American people that it’s going great and we’re killing it,” said Senator Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, “but until the Strait of Hormuz is open, I don’t think we can credibly say that with any seriousness.”
There was a rare moment of agreement across party lines.
Senator Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan, asked Mr. Hegseth when the war with Iran would end. The senator noted that the United States could continue to have tactical successes while still not creating the political conditions for the two countries to negotiate its end.
Mr. Peters asserted that the United States would not be able to end the war until it took control of the Strait of Hormuz.
That spurred perhaps the lone point of agreement between members of the Democratic caucus and a senior Republican on the committee.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he welcomed the question from Mr. Peters.
“Let me observe that I very much appreciate the senator from Michigan suggesting ways in which our efforts in Iran could be more successful,” he said. “I do appreciate that.”
Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Robert Jimison, Greg Jaffe and Megan Mineiro contributed reporting.
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A Wyoming city councilman is facing backlash after posting a comment suggesting the state should “hang bad judges” in response to a court ruling on abortion, later insisting the remark was “not a threat.”
State Rep. Mike Yin, a Democrat, shared a post from Wyoming Public Radio & Media on Facebook regarding a Natrona County judge temporarily blocking the state’s six-week abortion ban, allowing abortions to resume while the law faces ongoing legal challenges.
“The legislature should obey the Constitution and the freedom to make your own healthcare choices. Instead we keep making it harder to keep doctors in Wyoming and kids in this state,” Yin wrote in the post. “The only way that changes is at the ballot box.”
Troy Bray, a city councilman in Powell, Wyoming, commented on the post about a judge blocking the state’s so-called “heartbeat” abortion law.
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“In order for Wyoming to find justice, we will have to hang bad judges,” Bray wrote.
The comment quickly drew criticism from other users, some of whom described the remark as dangerous and inappropriate given the role of elected officials.
Bray later addressed the backlash in a lengthy Facebook post, saying his comment was “a statement of my beliefs, NOT a threat,” and not intended as a call for others to act.
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Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed the fetal heartbeat abortion restriction in March, but he acknowledged the likelihood of legal challenges to come from it. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
“That is a statement of my beliefs, NOT a threat, as some have characterized it, nor is it a call for others to act,” Bray wrote.
Bray added that he is working to address what he sees as systemic issues “by any means necessary,” a phrase that has drawn additional scrutiny, though he said he intends to pursue peaceful solutions.
“I will exhaust every peaceful means I can find,” he wrote.
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Anti-abortion rights demonstrators march to the Supreme Court for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. (Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
He also argued that Wyoming’s judicial system is “broken” and accused judges of overstepping their authority, writing that courts are often the “last place you will ever find justice.”
Bray expanded on that point in his follow-up post, arguing the legal system is often inaccessible to ordinary people.
“Lawyers file frivolous lawsuits intended to use the system as a punishment, financially draining their adversaries with a process that is formatted to require a specialist lawyer just to participate,” he wrote. “Show up without a lawyer, and you aren’t even allowed to present an argument. Justice is denied to anybody who doesn’t pay for it.”
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He also pointed to historical and international examples of public unrest, arguing that people will “fight” for justice when they believe it is being denied.
The comment came as legal battles over Wyoming’s abortion laws continue to play out in court.
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Bray, who serves on the Powell City Council, is one of several local officials who have weighed in publicly on the issue, which has drawn strong reactions from both supporters and opponents of abortion restrictions.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bray for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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