Latest news with #HillbillyElegy:AMemoirofaFamilyandCultureinCrisis
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Madly in love with Usha, why JD Vance learned Indian cooking from her mother
US Vice President JD Vance and her wife Usha Bala Chilukuri received a warm and enthusiastic welcome during their four-day visit to India that concluded on Thursday, April 24. Usha, the daughter of Radhakrishna Chilukuri and Lakshmi Chilukuri, who migrated to the USA from India decades back, received a 'celebrity' treatment in India, in the land of her roots. 'She's a bit of a celebrity, it turns out, in India. I think more so than her husband,' Vance said in Jaipur about his wife. The couple visited Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, and went on sightseeing tours across Jaipur and Agra. In Jaipur, they explored the historic Amer Fort, while in Agra, they visited the Taj Mahal and the traditional crafts village of Shilpgram. A very special love story JD and Usha, who came together from different backgrounds, shared a deep connection from the word go. The daughter of Telugu Indian immigrants and the son of a drug-addicted mother, met at Yale University and despite their different backgrounds and personalities started to bond well, first as friends. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo At the university, Usha guided JD about subtle aspects of being at an elite institution. In his bestselling 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, JD Vance called his wife a 'spirit guide' and how she helped him adjust to life at the top law college. Enamoured by her, he called her a 'genetic anomaly, a combination of every positive quality a human being should have.' Chilukuri and Vance married in 2014 in Kentucky, in an interfaith marriage ceremony. Their life took a turn when Vance was elected a Senate from Ohio in 2022. During the 2024 presidential campaign at the Republican National Convention , Usha lovingly introduced her husband as a meat and potatoes guy, who also cooks Indian food for her. She noted that her husband learned how to cook Indian food from her mother. Why JD learned Indian cooking from Usha's mother "When JD met me, he approached our differences with curiosity and enthusiasm. He wanted to know everything about me, where I came from, what my life had been like. Although he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food from my mother, Indian food. Before I knew it, he'd become an integral part of my family, a person I could not imagine living without," she said during her RNC speech. An experimental cook In an interview, Usha said Vance was an experimental cook and would cook anything from chana masala to dessert, to various lamb dishes. Vance too is in love with his wife's cooking skills. In a podcast with Joe Rogan, he raved about Indian food calling lab meats 'highly processed garbage'. He shared how his wife makes really delicious Indian food and recommended "paneer and rice and delicious chickpeas" to all vegetarians. Vance has admitted his association with Usha influenced his life deeply. She not only brought him closer to his religion but also instilled in him a deeper appreciation for family, tradition, and the values of hard work and perseverance that shaped both their lives. Musk Defends Usha Vance As First Hindu U.S. Second Lady Faces Racist Attacks; '3 Words Define...'
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JD Vance honors his mother at White House for reaching 10 years sobriety
Vice President JD Vance honored his mother, Beverly Aikins, at the White House Monday to commemorate her reaching 10 years of sobriety. "I remember when I gave my (Republican National Committee) convention speech, which was the craziest thing, and I even said during the speech that we would have your 10-year medallion ceremony at the White House," Vance said in the White House's Roosevelt Room, according to the Washington Examiner. Vance's 'America First' Approach Goes Global, Takes Hardline Message To Greenland "Well, here we are," Vance said. "And you made it, and we made it. And most importantly, you're celebrating a very, very big milestone. And I'm just very proud of you." At the Republican National Convention in July, Vance said that Aikins would hit 10 years of sobriety in January and promised to bring her to the White House "if President Trump is okay with it." Vance presented Aikins with a medallion on Monday to celebrate the major milestone. Vance outlined his mother's battle with sobriety and substance abuse in his book, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis," published in 2016. Specifically, the book chronicles Aikins' struggle with opioid addiction. Read On The Fox News App According to Vance's office, Aikins' advice to those struggling with substance abuse issues is "to reach out, to try to get help, and that recovery is hard, but it's so worth it." Aikins, who also attended the inauguration ceremony for Vance and President Donald Trump in January, is a nurse at an addiction recovery center in Ohio. "Hillbilly Elegy" details how Aikins first obtained access to prescription medications. As a result of Aikins' struggle with addiction, Vance eventually was raised by both his grandparents. Vance previously told Fox News in an interview in July 2024 that had his mother had access to drugs coming through the Mexican border, he doesn't believe she would have survived. "If the poison that is coming across the border now had been coming across 20 years ago, I don't think that my mom would be here," Vance told Fox News' Jesse Watters. Those who joined Vance at the White House on Monday include his wife, Usha Vance, as well as the couple's three children, according to the article source: JD Vance honors his mother at White House for reaching 10 years sobriety
Fox News
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
JD Vance honors his mother at White House for reaching 10 years sobriety
Vice President JD Vance honored his mother, Beverly Aikins, at the White House Monday to commemorate her reaching 10 years of sobriety. "I remember when I gave my (Republican National Committee) convention speech, which was the craziest thing, and I even said during the speech that we would have your 10-year medallion ceremony at the White House," Vance said in the White House's Roosevelt Room, according to the Washington Examiner. "Well, here we are," Vance said. "And you made it, and we made it. And most importantly, you're celebrating a very, very big milestone. And I'm just very proud of you." Vance outlined his mother's battle with sobriety and substance abuse in his book, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis," published in 2016. Specifically, the book chronicles Aikins' struggle with opioid addiction. Those who joined Vance at the White House on Monday include his wife, Usha Vance, as well as the couple's three children, according to the Examiner.
Euronews
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Lithuanian publisher pulls JD Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy' from sale
A Lithuanian publisher has pulled JD Vance's controversial memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" from sale. Here's why. ADVERTISEMENT Sofoklis, a Lithuanian publishing company has confirmed it will stop selling US Vice President JD Vance's memoir "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis", following 'the US presidential administration's decision to suspend aid to Ukraine'. The ban will continue 'as long as US foreign policy towards Ukraine remains unchanged,' the publisher said in a Facebook post. 'We invite you to support Ukraine and read books by Ukrainian authors published by Sofoklis and other publishers and donate to Blue/Yellow'. Opinions were predictably split over Sofoklis' decision to take Vance's book off the shelves. 'You are incredible. Thank you on behalf of all Ukrainians,' one user wrote, while another commented: 'Does this mean that the publishing world no longer supports diversity of opinion? Will books now only be published if their content aligns with the 'correct' ideology?' Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump ordered US intelligence to be withheld from Ukraine. His decision followed a disastrous White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vance's behaviour and comments towards the US' allies has become a point of criticism in Europe. He has been accused of bullying during the Oval Office encounter, where he demanded that the Ukrainian leader say 'thank you' for US aid. UK and French politicians also attacked Vance for suggesting the countries haven't 'fought a war in 30 or 40 years' despite their support in US conflicts. Vance published his memoir in 2016. Written before he became a politician, "Hillbilly Elegy" tells the story of his hometown in Ohio and espouses Appalachian values. It also charts how he believes the US region shifted from voting Democrat to supporting the Republican party. It was adapted into a film in 2020 by Ron Howard, starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Vance delivers a historic defense of free speech in Europe
In 'Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,' J.D. Vance wrote, 'I don't believe in epiphanies. I don't believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment.' Despite that profound point, on Feb. 14, Vance found that transformative moment. Speaking to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference, he shocked his audience by confronting them over their attacks on free speech in the West. For the free speech community, it was truly Churchillian — no less than the famous Iron Curtain speech in which Churchill dared the West to confront the existential dangers of communism. Roughly 80 years after Churchill's speech, Vance called our allies to account not for the growing threat from countries like Russia or China, but from themselves. To a clearly shocked audience, Vance declared that he was not worried about 'external actors' but 'the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.' Vance then pulled back the curtain on the censorship and anti-free-speech policies of the European Union and close allies ranging from the United Kingdom to Sweden. He also chastised one of the most vehemently anti-free speech figures in Europe, Thierry Breton, who led the EU efforts to control speech with draconian measures under the infamous Digital Services Act. Vance called out the hypocrisy of these nations asking for greater and greater military assistance 'in the name of our shared democratic values' even as they eviscerate free speech, the very right that once defined Western Civilization. The point was crushing. Before we further commit to the defense of Europe, he argued, we should agree on what we are defending. These European nations are erasing the very distinctions between us and our adversaries. In my recent book, I discussed many of the examples cited by the vice president. One of the most telling came from Canada last year, when the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau temporarily blocked the citizenship of Russian dissident Maria Kartasheva. The reason was that she had a conviction (after a trial in absentia) in Russia for condemning the Ukrainian war. The Canadian government declared that Kartasheva's conviction in Russia aligns with a Criminal Code offense relating to false information in Canada. In other words, her use of free speech could be prosecuted in Canada under its abusive Section 372(1) of the Criminal Code, punishing speech deemed to be 'convey[ing] false information with the intent to alarm or injure anyone.' Vance ran through just a fraction of the parade of horribles, from Britain arresting people for silent prayers near abortion clinics to Sweden prosecuting a religious protester who burned a Koran, with Judge Göran Lundahl insisting that freedom of expression does not constitute a 'free pass to do or say anything.' Apparently, it does not include acts once called blasphemy or insulting religion. Vance also mocked the underlying premise for speech crackdowns to combat 'disinformation,' pointing out that these measures constitute a far greater threat to citizens in the West than any external threat. He had the courage to say what has long been verboten on the restriction of speech to combat foreign influence: 'if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with.' In perhaps the greatest single declaration uttered by an American leader since John F. Kennedy in Germany declared 'Ich bin ein Berliner,' he added: 'If you are running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you. Nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people that elected me and elected President Trump.' The reaction of the European diplomats was one of astonishment. Few even offered the usual polite applause. Instead, rows of smug leaders looked straight ahead with the same level of disgust as if Vance were the second coming of the Visogoths threatening the Pax Romana, or Romand peace. In a single speech, Vance shattered the hypocrisy of our allies' calling for a defense of the West while abandoning Western values. They did not like it, and many in the American press joined in dismissing his address. He was called a 'wrecking ball' for bringing up the anti-free speech movement that has swept over Europe. One German official declared 'This is all so insane and worrying.' This is a diplomat from a nation that shredded free speech for decades, to the point of arresting people over their ringtones. Of course, our own anti-free speech voices were in attendance, too. Politico quoted one 'former House Democratic staffer' who bravely attacked Vance anonymously: 'I was aghast … He was blaming the victim. What the f— was that? I had my mouth open in a room full of people with their mouth open. That was bad.' No, it was not bad. It was glorious. After Elon Musk purchased Twitter with the pledge to dismantle the company's censorship system, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned to the EU, calling on it to use its Digital Service Act to force the censorship of her fellow American citizens. That did not leave many people agape. But Vance's defense of free speech is considered a breathtaking outrage. In 'Hillbilly Elergy,' Vance explained his lack of faith in transformative moments. 'I've seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change, only to lose their mettle when they realized just how difficult change actually is,' he wrote. And there is no 'genuine desire to change' in Europe. The appetite for censorship is now insatiable, and free speech is in a free fall. In the midst of this crackdown, Vance spoke with a quintessentially American voice. It was clear, honest and unafraid. There was no pretense or evasion. It was a speech about who we are as a nation and the values that still define us — and no longer define our allies. They saw him as a virtual hillbilly, an American hayseed who does not understand transnational values. For the rest of us, it was a true elegy — part lament and part liberating. Bravo, Mr. Vice President, Bravo. Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of 'The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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