The Daily Populous Sunday January 5th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by independent.co.uk and submitted by alecmets2011

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President Joe Biden is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — to 19 people, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He’ll bestow the awards in a ceremony Saturday, marking the final time Biden will present the prestigious honor during his time in office.

In addition to Clinton, the group also includes chef and World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres, U2 frontman and activist Bono (whose real name is Paul Hewson), the late Obama administration defense secretary Ashton Carter, actor and activist Michael J. Fox, and Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

open image in gallery Longtime Vogue editor Anna Wintour is among those honored ( 2024 Invision )

Other arts and cultural luminaries set to be honored include actor Denzel Washington, longtime Vogue editor Anna Wintour, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr, and former Kennedy Center chair David Rubinstein.

In addition, the president will give the award to designer Ralph Lauren, soccer star Lionel Messi, LGBTQ+ activist and entrepreneur Tim Gill, conservationist Jane Goodall and Democratic Party megadonor and philanthropist George Soros.

Biden will also posthumously honor voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, the late Michigan governor George Romney (father of former Utah senator Mitt Romney) and the late New York senator and U.S. attorney general Robert F Kennedy Sr., whose son, lawyer and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is set to be nominated as Donald Trump’s next Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The honor is awarded solely at the discretion of the President of the United States, but recipients are often selected with the help of an outside advisory panel.

open image in gallery Two-time Oscar-winner Denzel Washington is among the 19 people named ( Getty Images for Paramount Pictu )

Established under the late president John F Kennedy, the medal is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else. These 19 Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world,” the White House said in a statement announcing the awards.

In 2022, Biden bestowed the medal on 17 recipients, including gymnast Simone Biles and former Arizona congresswoman turned gun safety advocate Gabrielle Giffords.

Last year he awarded the decoration to 19 people, including former vice president Al Gore, ex-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.

devanchya on January 4th, 2025 at 20:04 UTC »

So he has the Order of Canada and a Metal of Honor Freedom.

I guess we found the new leader for the combined Canadian US empire.

SnooStrawberries620 on January 4th, 2025 at 19:40 UTC »

As a Canadian I approve of this. Americas been very good to our fella. Thanks for taking care of him during the hard times and seeing him for the great things he’s brought. He made a good home there.

Groundbreaking_War52 on January 4th, 2025 at 19:30 UTC »

He turned a horrible diagnosis into a crusade that had helped millions. He’s a good man.