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Ted Kennedy Fast Facts

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CNN Editorial Research

(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of United States Senator Ted Kennedy.

Personal

Birth date: February 22, 1932

Death date: August 25, 2009

Birth place: Boston, Massachusetts

Birth name: Edward Moore Kennedy

Father: Joseph Kennedy

Mother: Rose (Fitzgerald) Kennedy

Marriages: Victoria (Reggie) Kennedy (1992-2009, his death); Virginia Joan (Bennett) Kennedy (1958-1981, divorced)

Children: with Joan (Bennett) Kennedy: Patrick Joseph, 1967; Edward Moore Jr., 1961; Kara Anne, 1960

Education: Harvard University, B.A, 1956; Attended International Law School, The Hague, The Netherlands, 1958; University of Virginia Law School, LL.B., 1959

Military service: US Army, 1951-1953

Religion: Catholic

Other Facts

The youngest of nine children in the famous Kennedy family.

One of only six senators in US history to serve more than 40 years.

Longtime champion of health care reform.

Notable legislation: Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, Kennedy-Hatch Law of 1997, and No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Timeline

1961-1962 – Serves as the Suffolk County, Massachusetts assistant district attorney.

1962 – Is elected to the US Senate, filling his brother’s, President John F. Kennedy, seat.

1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006 – Re-elected to the Senate.

1964 – Breaks his back in a plane crash.

July 18, 1969 – Drives his car off a bridge in Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. His passenger Mary Jo Kopechne drowns. Kennedy fails to notify authorities for several hours and later is found guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

1969-1970 – Serves as the Democratic whip in the Senate.

1979-1980 – Runs unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in the 1980 presidential election.

1979-1981 – Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

1987-1995 – Chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.

April 2006 – Kennedy’s book, “America Back on Track,” is released.

May 2006 – Kennedy’s children’s book “My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington, D.C.” is released.

August 3, 2007 – Casts his 15,000th roll call vote.

May 17, 2008 – Is rushed to the hospital after suffering a seizure. On May 20, doctors announce Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor.

June 2, 2008 – Undergoes brain surgery.

July 9, 2008 – Returns to the Senate to cast the tie-breaking vote on a Medicare bill. He is met with cheers and applause.

August 25, 2008 – Delivers a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

January 20, 2009 – Suffers a seizure during a post-inauguration luncheon for President Barack Obama.

February 2009 – Returns to work briefly and casts a vote in support of the stimulus package.

March 4, 2009 – Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces th

5 takeaways from Pam Bondi’s fiery testimony

Kraig Pakulski 0 22 Article rating: No rating

By Aaron Blake, CNN

(CNN) — Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday was some of the tensest and most combative testimony we’ve seen to date from a Trump Cabinet official.

Bondi came into the hearing with the administration and DOJ facing a series of problems, including their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the newly reported failed indictments of six Democratic lawmakers, and the killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

Below are some takeaways from the hearing:

1. She had a combative — but dicey — Epstein strategy

Early in the hearing, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked Epstein survivors in the audience to stand up. And she challenged Bondi on a difficult issue.

She asked Bondi, who had just apologized to the survivors for the abuse they suffered, to also apologize to them for the Justice Department’s failures to redact survivors’ sensitive personal information.

Bondi paused, as if considering her next move. Then, rather than apologize, she launched into a deflection about her predecessor as attorney general, Merrick Garland. The exchange quickly devolved into arguments and personal attacks.

It was a telling moment. The Justice Department has acknowledged these redaction failures. And the survivors are some of the most sympathetic figures imaginable. But Bondi decided the moment called for combativeness, not contrition.

The rest of the hearing flowed from there. Bondi was extremely combative throughout, doing whatever she could to avoid Democrats’ and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie’s questions about Epstein — in ways that might seem politically unwise.

She also refused Democrats’ repeated entreaties to address the survivors seated behind her — survivors who said DOJ had ignored them — which made for some compelling visuals.

She called a Democrat a “washed up, loser lawyer.” She berated another for attacking “the greatest president in American history,” Trump. When another Democrat pressed her on whether an accuser’s claims about Trump were followed up on, she suggested the lawmaker should focus on “horrific crimes in California,” his home state.

And when another lawmaker urged her again to consider the survivors sitting nearby, rather than responding she pointed to the expired clock, saying, “Your time is up.”

She talked over her interrogators so much that Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan had to repeatedly remind her that the time belonged to the members, not her.

It seemed Bondi was playing to the “audience of one” — Trump. But that came potentially at the expense of appealing to an American public that really does want answers.

A recent poll, after all, showed Americans disapprove about 3-to-1 of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.

The combativeness was normal for Bondi, but it risked looking out of place and like she wasn’t taking a serious issue seriously.

So many Trump officials right now seem to be choosing between doing his bidding and doing what might otherwise seem wise. And Bondi’s performance Wednesday was a case in point.

2. Massie drew some blood in a key exchange

But Bondi couldn’t just go after Democrats. After all, some Republicans hav

Como en EE.UU., las Fuerzas Armadas de Ecuador fijan reglas para la cobertura de prensa. Medios señalan censura

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Por Ana María Cañizares, CNN en Español

El Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ecuador fijó lineamientos para la forma en la que considera deben realizarse las coberturas de prensa sobre la institución, una acción similar a la que el Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos llevó a cabo a finales del año pasado y que ha generado molestia entre medios, periodistas y organizaciones civiles ecuatorianas, que acusan un acto de censura por parte de la milicia.

La difusión de los lineamientos se dio a conocer este martes en el noticiero de la cadena Ecuavisa, afiliada de CNN. Durante la emisión, Ecuavisa reportó la existencia de dos documentos militares con nuevas disposiciones para las coberturas que, dice el medio, podrían afectar el trabajo periodístico. “Desde este 28 de enero quienes, a su juicio, afecten su imagen pública y la confianza ciudadana quedan excluidos de toda cobertura”, señaló.

CNN accedió a los documentos citados por Ecuavisa. Uno de ellos se titula “Informe para la coordinación, acreditación y gestión estratégica de medios de comunicación en eventos institucionales de las Fuerzas Armadas”. El otro, “Lineamientos para la coordinación, acreditación y gestión estratégica de medios de comunicación en eventos institucionales de las Fuerzas Armadas”.

Entre otras medidas, los documentos establecen que la invitación y acreditación de medios de comunicación para actividades de las Fuerzas Armadas se realizará “exclusivamente bajo criterios técnicos previamente definidos”, que consideren aspectos como línea editorial del medio, tratamiento informativo histórico respecto a las Fuerzas Armadas, rigor informativo, conducta profesional y postura frente al rol de las Fuerzas Armadas. También dicen que la acreditación de medios “no afines” se dará solo de forma excepcional.

Por la noche, el Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas confirmó la existencia de estos documentos. En un comunicado, criticó “la reciente difusión de documentación oficial por parte de un medio de comunicación” y dijo que los lineamientos “no tienen como propósito restringir, limitar ni impedir el ejercicio del trabajo periodístico ni afectar el derecho a la información”, sino “ordenar, planificar y garantizar que la labor informativa se desarrolle de manera adecuada, oportuna y segura durante los eventos oficiales organizados por las Fuerzas Armadas”.

CNN contactó al Ministerio de Defensa y al jefe del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas, Henry Delgado, para pedir comentarios sobre los documentos y los señalamientos de censura y está en espera de respuesta.

En un mensaje enviado a periodistas, el Ministerio dijo que las Fuerzas Armadas son una “institución apolítica” y que, en el marco de la declaración de conflicto interno armado que se mantiene desde enero de 2024 en el país, “tiene la facultad para emitir sus propios lineamientos de comunicación”. La institución agregó que ese criterio “no les exime de informar de manera transparente y oportuna las acciones en defensa del país” y dijo estar comprometida con la libertad de prensa.

En sus lineamientos, el Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas ordena que “se evite la acreditación de medios, comunicadores o personal de manera reiterada y debidamente documentada” si, a su criterio, “mantienen una posición contraria, desinformativa o perjudicial para la imagen, visión y valores institucionales”. El documento no especifica cuáles son los criterios para considerar que un periodista o una información tienen esas características.

Por otra parte, solicita que se autorice “de manera excepcional y estratégica” la inclusión selectiva de medios de comunicación “no afines”, solamente cuando existan eventos considerad

A football-size creature may have been among the earliest plant-eating land animals

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By Lily Hautau, CNN

(CNN) — A chunky, squat creature that roamed Earth 307 million years ago is helping scientists understand how plant-eating animals first appeared on land. The newly described species is one of the earliest known tetrapods — or four-limbed animals — to show evidence of having a plant-based diet.

The discovery, detailed in a study that was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, centers on a skull found in a fossilized tree stump along the cliffs of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The species name, Tyrannoroter heberti, is a nod to the man who discovered the fossil, Brian Hebert, a local paleontology enthusiast.

“It translates to ‘Hebert’s tyrant digger,’” said co-lead study author Dr. Arjan Mann. The name combines the Greek words for “tyrant” and “plough man,” since its snout was likely used for digging.

The finding reveals that the oldest four-limbed land animals likely started eating vegetation around the middle of the Carboniferous Period, pushing back the timeline for the emergence of plant-eating vertebrates. “That’s pretty shortly after tetrapods transitioned fully to land,” Mann said.

The body of an early plant eater

Using 3D scanning and printing, the team was able to study the fossil in remarkable detail. “It’s a way of digital preparation that allows us to visualize the skull and make 3D prints for our museum collections, for outreach, and to take around the world without risking the actual fossil,” explained Mann, curator of early tetrapods at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.

After studying the fossil and comparing it with skeletons of relatives, the researchers were able to determine that Tyrannoroter heberti was “a little big, chunky, cute, football-sized, reptile-like thing,” similar to a shingleback skink, which is a type of lizard, Mann said. But what set this creature apart were its teeth and skull.

The animal had a wide, heart-shaped skull and sizable teeth arranged in rows on the roof of its mouth and its lower jaw. These choppers fit together like puzzle pieces, allowing the animal to grind up tough, fibrous plants.

“This massive amount of surface area on its palate, covered in large, robust teeth, is probably a key adaptation to herbivory,” explained Mann, referring to plant feeding.

To confirm its plant-based diet, the research team relied on CT scans and electron microscopes to identify wear facets — areas where the teeth grind together. “Other animals with similar wear facets are herbivores during later time periods,” Mann noted.

The new research shows plant-eating evolved earlier and in more animal groups than previously thought, said Michael Coates, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago who was not involved in the study. The findings shed light on how early land ecosystems developed, according to Coates.

He also noted that Tyrannoroter’s rows of teeth were a leftover trait from its aquatic ancestors.

The study authors hypothesized that this early land animal initially fed on insects but over generations evolved into an herbivore. Coates agreed, adding that feasting on vegetation shortened the Tyrannoroter “food chain by cutting out insects as the ‘middlemen.’”

This dietary shift would have required more than specialized teeth. To digest stalky plants, Tyrannoroter and other early herbivores likely developed bigger, barrel-shaped bodies to accommodate larger guts. These expanded digestive systems would have supported robust gut microbes — tiny organisms that help break down plant material.

Early emergence of the herbivore

The broader significance of the

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