Latest news with #MedalofFreedom
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Edward Coristine aka Big Balls could get prestigious presidential medal after DC assault; suspects revealed
Former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, aka Big Balls, who was beaten up at a late-night carjacking attack in Washington, DC, could get the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted. The highest civilian honor has been awarded to historic figures like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Mother Teresa. Former DOGE worker Edward Coristine aka Big Balls was attacked in Washington DC(X) Leavitt was asked about the honor by MAGA pundit Benny Johnson. He spoke about his personal experience with violence in DC and thanked the press secretary for President Donald Trump's directive to deploy the National Guard in the capital. Johnson asked if Big Balls would get a Presidential Medal of Freedom in view of his 'heroic actions just a few blocks from this building'. 'Perhaps it's something he would consider,' Leavitt replied. Coristine was assaulted around 3 AM on a Sunday in the city's Logan Circle neighborhood by a group of teenagers attempting to carjack him and a woman whom police identified as his significant other, according to authorities. President Trump and former DOGE boss Elon Musk slammed the attack. Big Balls, who earlier this year worked with Musk to cut federal bureaucracy, now holds a position with the Social Security Administration. Information on suspects A 15-year-old boy and a girl were arrested and remain in juvenile detention. DC Metro Police also released two photos of a third suspect. They are yet to be identified. Republican Senator Mike Lee, meanwhile, shared an AI-generated video depicting Trump placing the Medal of Freedom around Coristine's neck. Addressing the attack on Coristine, the president had said that he was 'very badly hurt' and 'beat up by a bunch of thugs in DC'. 'We just almost lost a young man, a beautiful, handsome guy that got the hell knocked out of him the night before last. I'm going to call him now. He was left dripping in blood. He thought he was dead with a broken nose and concussion. Can't believe that he's alive,' Trump said at the time.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Karoline Leavitt Asked If Trump Will Give 'Big Balls' Medal Of Freedom
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Tuesday whether President Donald Trump will consider awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., to Edward "Big Balls" Coristine. Leavitt replied that the president may "consider" doing so, adding that she would follow up with Trump about it. Why It Matters Coristine, 19, rose to prominence as a member of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was tasked with slashing the size of the federal bureaucracy after Trump came into office. He now works for the Social Security Administration, according to Politico. Coristine was attacked in Washington, D.C.'s Logan Circle neighborhood by a group of teenagers trying to carjack him and a woman at around 3 a.m. onAugust 3, according to The Associated Press and Politico. The woman was identified by police as Coristine's significant other. Trump deployed federal law enforcement to the nation's capital after the attack and said they will patrol the city for at least a week, alleging that crime in the city is out of control. What To Know The right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, who was in the new media seat for Tuesday's White House press briefing, brought up the attack on Coristine when asking Leavitt he Trump would bestow him with the Medal of Freedom. "Given the heroic actions of a member of this administration just a few blocks from this building, will the president consider giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 'Big Balls'?" Johnson asked. Leavitt laughed and said, "I haven't spoken to him about that, but perhaps it's something he would consider." "I'll ask him and get back to you, Benny," she added. The president's allegation that crime in Washington, D.C., is out of control is not supported by empirical evidence. According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime in the city has been on the decline since 2023 and the rolling-crime rate per 100,000 is at its lowest point since before the pandemic. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Extra.ie
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Bono admits he 'circled the subject' as U2 condemn Israel
U2 have released a joint statement condemning the Israeli government for their actions in Gaza. Bono also admitted to 'circling the subject' of the inhumane conditions Israel has inflicted upon the Palestinian people over the past two years. In a series of lengthy statements posted to social media, each of the four members of the band laid out their stances on the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Bono has admitted to 'circling the subject'. Pic: Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images The post was captioned: 'Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza – but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory. 'We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.' Bono's statement, which covered ten slides, admitted that he had circled around the issue of speaking out on Israel's horrific actions in Gaza. Bono has been heavily criticised over his silence. Pic:He still used a great deal of the statement to condemn Hamas over the attack on October 7, 2023 and explain his reactions to it. Bono has been heavily criticised for not speaking publicly about Gaza, along with his decision to accept the Medal of Freedom from then-US President Joe Biden earlier this year. He stated: 'Israel's revenge for the Hamas attack appeared more and more disproportionate and disinterested in the equally innocent civilian lives in Gaza. Gaza is being starved by Israel. Pic: AFP via Getty Images 'The Government of Israel is not the nation of Israel, but the Government of Israel led by Benjamin Netanyahu today deserves our categorical and unequivocal condemnation.' The singer added that he has long believed in Israel's 'right to exist' and supported a two-state solution. He continued: 'I want to make clear to anyone who cares to listen our band's condemnation of Netanyahu's immoral actions and join all who have called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides. View this post on Instagram A post shared by U2 (@u2) 'Our band stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine who truly seek a path to peace and coexistence with Israel and with their rightful and legitimate demand for statehood. 'We stand in solidarity with the remaining hostages and plead that someone rational negotiate their release.' Bono said the images of 'starving children on the Gaza Strip' reminded him of a trip he made to Ethiopia with his wife Ali Hewson nearly 40 years ago. He still used a great deal of the statement to condemn Hamas over the attack on October 7, 2023 and explain his reactions to it. Pic: Getty. He added: 'To witness chronic malnutrition up close would make it personal for any family, especially as it affects children. 'Because when the loss of non-combatant life en masse appears so calculated… especially the deaths of children, then 'evil' is not a hyperbolic adjective.' He wrote that he had felt he should focus on poverty and the humanitarian crisis occurring within Africa, while saying that he felt countries like Sudan were overlooked in their suffering. Bono said that he understands that 'Hamas are not the Palestinian people', who have undergone oppression, occupation, and 'the systemic stealing of the land that is rightfully theirs'. The U2 frontman added that he can see the parallels between the historic occupation of Ireland and the occupation of Gaza, stating: 'It's little wonder so many here in Ireland have campaigned for decades for justice for the Palestinian people.' Shorter statements from the three other band members took the same stance.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Who is Opal Lee? 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' to skip Walk for Freedom march this year
For the first time since 2016, Opal Lee will remain absent from the Walk for Freedom march this year. The 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' will not be participating in the event due to a recent hospitalization. The 98-year-old has remained a part of the event since it was started in 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. In May, it was reported that Lee was admitted to hospital while she was on her way to receive the International Freedom Conductor Award at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Ohio. Speaking to the Fort Worth Report on June 17, Lee's granddaughter, Dione Sims, said that the retired counselor is now 98 and the family 'really wants to keep her in.' Further, Sims told WFAA that while her grandmother's health prevented her from leading the Walk for Freedom, she was still planning to take part in it. The family has assured that the retired teacher will attend it virtually. Also read: What's open and closed on Juneteenth: Details on stock market, banks, post offices, Costco, Starbucks, Walmart and more Born on October 7, 1926, in Texas' Marshall, Opal Lee is a retired educator and counselor. Her parents relocated their three children to Fort Worth when she was 9. While growing up, she learned about Juneteenth from the annual celebrations in her neighborhood. She finished high school at 16 and later graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Minor in English from Wiley College in Marshall. She returned to university to get a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling and Guidance. According to the National Women's History Museum, her home was destroyed by a mob of around 500 people in 1939 during one such celebration. She decided most of her life to preserve the history of Juneteenth. She came into the spotlight in 2016, when she kickstarted a 1,400-mile trek from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. at the age of 89. This was done to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. In 2021, then US President Joe Biden officially declared Juneteenth a federal holiday. Last year, Lee was awarded the Medal of Freedom, recognizing her pivotal role in the establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in the US. Juneteenth is being observed on Thursday, June 19, this year. She taught within the Fort Worth Independent School District for a total of 15 years. She is 98 years old.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Delray Beach post office named for Nazi hunter, peace advocate who lived nearby
A hub for sending and receiving messages, the U.S. Post Office in Delray Beach now bears the name of the man whose work prosecuting Nazis led him to a life spreading the word to advance humanity's momentum against hatred and division. Benjamin Berell Ferencz, who died in 2023 at age 103 in Boynton Beach, was at 27 the youngest prosecutor of Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials that immediately followed World War II. He himself witnessed the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps as a young U.S. serviceman. That experience propelled a lifelong dedication to human rights that needs to resonate even more at this moment in history, Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel said as she unveiled Ferencz's name at the post office at 14280 Military Trail. 'In naming this post office after Ben Ferencz, we not only honor him, we reaffirm the values he stood for: justice, human dignity and the courage to speak out against hate,' said Frankel, who introduced the requisite legislation to make the post office naming happen. 'So may this post office, named effort for Ferencz, be a lasting symbol of those values, a place that reminds us to stand firm against antisemitism and all forms of hatred and division. ➤ Access The Palm Beach Post on the go with the app: Our app offers a personalized experience to your liking. Download our app to personalize your news alerts, swipe and scroll through stories faster, and bookmark them to save and read later. 'That's something we should all commit ourselves to and hopefully, everyone who walks through that door feels the same way,' Frankel added. Dignitaries gathered for the event recalled how Ferencz's short stature — just 5 feet tall — belied his undeniable moral authority and booming voice. Here's a look at his life: The 1943 graduate of Harvard Law School in 2014 received the school's Medal of Freedom. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest honor, in 2022 in recognition of his work at Nuremberg and advocacy for the international rule of law. In addition, Ferencz, who lived for many years at King's Point in Delray Beach, was the last, living Nuremberg prosecutor when Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded him the Governor's Medal of Freedom in 2022. Frankel credited his work with laying the foundation for international law. Former Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs recalled meeting him and experiencing his outsized impact on those around him. 'When I met him, I thought that he would speak in a halting voice — after all he was 100 years old,' Sachs said. 'No, no, no — he spoke up loud and in a very strong voice that we should always honor the law and not hatred and war and how important that message is today.' Ferencz emigrated from Transylvania as a young boy. His family landed in the Hell's Kitchen district of New York City as they sought to escape rampant antisemitism in their native country. Speaking only Yiddish, he didn't start school until he was 8 years old, according to an obituary Harvard University published. His aptitude was recognized and he was sent to a school for gifted boys, which earned him automatic admission to the City College of New York. After enrolling at Harvard, a leading criminologist urged Ferencz to summarize every book in the Harvard library related to war crimes. The assignment, Ferencz told Harvard, 'probably changed my life.' Shortly after graduating from Harvard, Ferencz enlisted and served in an artillery battalion for three years, playing a role in the invasion of Normandy and ultimately earning five battle stars. As a sergeant in Gen. George Patton's 3rd Army, Ferencz visited a handful of concentration camps shortly after they were liberated. 'The scenes have been well-depicted,' he said in 2016. 'Dead bodies lying around, you can't tell if they're dead or alive, their eyes beg for help. Dysentery, lice, rats, stench. Things that are not only indescribable, but unimaginable.' In 1947 when he argued, as chief prosecutor in one of the 13 Nuremberg trials, for the convictions of 22 former commanders who themselves were charged with murdering more than 1 million Jews and other enemies of the Third Reich in Eastern Europe. Harvard credits him with prosecuting the largest murder trials in history, ultimately convicting all 22 of the accused. With the war crimes trials winding down, Ferencz went to work for a consortium of Jewish charitable groups to help Holocaust survivors regain properties, homes, businesses, art works, Torah scrolls and other Jewish religious items that the Nazis had stolen from them. He also later assisted in negotiations that would lead to compensation to Nazi victims. Ferencz, a father of four, published a two-volume book in 1980 titled, "An International Criminal Court: A Step Toward World Peace." More: How Coco Gauff's grandmother made history in Palm Beach County The establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague was the fulfillment of a longstanding dream, his youngest daughter, Nina Dale, told those assembled at the post office naming. 'He spent the rest of his life fighting against crimes against humanity and trying to institute global peace,' she said. 'He had the notion to create an international criminal court where people who commit crimes against humanity could be prosecuted. Fifty years later, that came to fruition. And so for me, that's the man that I remember, because that's my father. He was not home for dinner, and he was not home for my birthday, but he was a great man.' Ferencz's obituary in Harvard's publication recalled that, at the age of 91 in 2011, Ferencz delivered the closing prosecution speech of a Congolese warlord, the first ever heard at the international court. He repeated a line he used in his opening statement his at a Nazi trial 60 years earlier, saying, 'The case we present is a plea of humanity to law.' He added: 'The hope of humankind is that compassion and compromise may replace the cruel and senseless violence of armed conflicts.' Anne Geggis is the insurance reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at ageggis@ support our journalism. Subscribe today This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delray Beach post office named for Nazi prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz
