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Former First Lady Barbara Bush Has Sadly Passed Away


In some sad news, former First Lady Barbara Bush has passed away at her home in Texas. Just yesterday, the Bush family issued a statement that said she was gravely ill and choosing to forego further medical intervention and would instead focus on “comfort care.” The statement continued, “It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith — but for others. She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.”

Official funeral arrangements are forthcoming.

Bush served as First Lady during her husband, George H.W. Bush’s single term as president from 1989-1983. She was previously Second Lady of the United States for eight years while her husband was vice president in the Ronald Reagan era. Bush was also the mother of President George W. Bush. She is, in fact, only the second American woman to be both the wife and mother of presidents. The first? Abigail Adams. (Her son Jeb, the former governor of Florida, ran in the presidential primary in 2016 eventually losing to now-President Trump.)

PHOTO: Tim Graham/Getty Images

President and Mrs. Bush with Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Born Barbara Pierce in 1925, she met her future husband at the age of 16. Their love story is one that has endured over the years. Just this March, she told the Smith Alumnae Magazine, “George Bush has given me the world. He is the best—thoughtful and loving […] I am still old and still in love with the man I married 72 years ago.”

Former President George H.W. Bush and Ba

PHOTO: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

But while she may have risen to public prominence thanks to her husband’s political career (one she very much helped to build), Bush’s impact on the country and the world goes far beyond that. While in the White House, Bush took up the cause of universal literacy and later founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy over 25 years ago. “The American Dream is about equal opportunity for everyone who works hard,” said Bush on the foundation’s website. “If we don’t give everyone the ability to simply read and write, then we aren’t giving everyone an equal chance to succeed.” She’s also the published author of two autobiographies, plus two other books written in the voices of their famous family dogs, Millie and C. Fred.

And her family—which includes six children and 17 grandchildren—was always at the center of Bush’s life. She often pops up on granddaughter and Today show regular Jenna Bush Hager’s Instagram feed.

While Bush was a Republican, she was universally respected and beloved by those on both sides of the aisle.

We will update as more details become available.



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Priyanka Chopra Says She Was Once Passed Over for a Role Because of Her Skin Color


Get ready for another major groan in Hollywood’s direction: Baywatch and Quantico star Priyanka Chopra recently said that she feels she once didn’t get a part in a movie because of the color of her skin.

Chopra, who grew up in India, spoke to InStyle in honor of Equal Pay Day to discuss the gender wage gap, a cause that she’s been vocal about in the past—especially as it relates to women of color. “No one will say that a woman is getting paid less because she’s a woman of color, but the numbers mostly end up reflecting that,” she told the magazine.

Then she went on to say she thinks she was passed over for a role because of the color of her skin. “It happened last year,” she says. “I was out for a movie, and somebody [from the studio] called one of my agents and said, ‘She’s the wrong’—what word did they use?—’physicality.'” Understandably, she was confused. “So in my defense as an actor, I’m like, ‘Do I need to be skinnier? Do I need to get in shape? Do I need to have abs?’ Like, what does ‘wrong physicality’ mean?” Chopra said. “And then my agent broke it down for me. Like, ‘I think, Priy, they meant that they wanted someone who’s not brown,'” she told InStyle.

“It affected me,” she said.

In 2017, the actress opened up to Allure about her experiences growing up. “[My skin] is as complicated as I am. When I was growing up, I didn’t see anyone on TV who looked like me,” she said, noting that it was also hard to find makeup in a shade that suited her back then. “Everyone in America wants to get a tan, and everyone in Asia wants to get their skin lightened. I straddle both countries. Girls there are told that they’re too dark or dusky and that lighter skin is better. Because I’m a darker tone, I had issues growing up as a teenager.”

Now, though, she views her skin color as an asset, regardless of what certain people in the movie industry may have said. “I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved, and skin color has nothing to do with it—in fact, it might have been an asset,” she told Allure. “I like the color of my skin very much.”

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Why Priyanka Chopra Didn’t Want to Settle for an ‘Exotic’ Indian Character



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The Senate Passed a Major Tax Bill So Hurriedly Some Senators Couldn't Even Read It All


In the early hours of Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate voted on a new, highly contentious tax bill known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” The $1.5-trillion tax bill is set to give massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest Americans alongside uncertain benefits for the middle class, according to the Washington Post. However, some Democrats are crying foul over the process by which the bill was passed: When amendments to the Republican-led bill surfaced, the information didn’t go directly to the Democratic senators, according to the New York Times. Instead, those senators got wind of changes from K Street lobbyists.

Senators turned to social media to express their anger at how they had to catch wind of changes, the state the 479-page bill was in when they eventually received it, and the fact that they had just a few short hours to read the missive before the vote.

“This is so bad. We have just gotten list of amendments to be included in bill NOT from our R colleagues, but from lobbyists downtown,” Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri tweeted, “None of us have seen this list, but lobbyists have it. Need I say more? Disgusting. And we probably will not even be given time to read them.”

Six hours after her initial tweet, McCaskill posted a photo of a page of the bill, which she and her Democratic colleagues had by then obtained—according to USA Today, major changes were unveiled around 7 P.M. Friday evening. The nearly 500-word text was filled with sometimes-illegible handwritten amendments in the margins.

“I defy any member of the Senate to stand here and take an oath that they have read this and understand what in the world it means to businesses and families and individuals,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said.

McCaskill also tweeted saying that Democratic senators had asked if they could adjourn on Monday so everyone could study the bill, but the request was denied.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts posted a video of herself trying to decipher the handwriting on one of the pages. The Massachusetts Democrat was unable to read everything. “I just want to give you an idea of how the Republican leadership thinks we’re supposed to make laws in the United States Senate,” she said.

Other senators also posted images of the scrawl-filled bill on Twitter, explaining their disappointment in the process.

The bill eventually passed 51 to 49, with a winning margin of one vote (Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee voted against the bill due to concerns over its effect on the deficit). However, the saga isn’t over yet: Because of all the differences between this bill and the version that passed in the House of Representatives about two weeks ago, it’s being sent back to a joint committee, who will “iron out an agreement” between the two versions, according to USA Today. From there, both the House and the Senate will have to vote on identical copies of the bill.

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