President Joe Biden has honored Pope Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor-director Denzel Washington were awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor.

The founder of Literacy Volunteers of America has died.

The sons of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, along with her four grandchildren, pledged $200 million Tuesday to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.

Tiger Woods’ girlfriend wants to nullify a nondisclosure agreement following a six-year relationship with the professional golfer.

Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor and author who wrote about her ordeal and went on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, will be remembered at a memorial May 1 after her death this month.

Vartan Gregorian, the noted scholar and philanthropic leader who led the Carnegie Corporation of New York since 1997, has died.

The presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is expected Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Instead, Belichick explained, “the decision has been made not to move forward with the award” in the wake of last week's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol. “Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team.”Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick has waded into politics on occasion.

Trump led Tuesday's White House event celebrating “Operation Warp Speed,” his administration's effort to produce and distribute safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside of “Operation Warp Speed,” but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution. Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and local governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer vaccine, and it will meet later this month on the Moderna version. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.

Under its contract with Pfizer, the Trump administration committed to buy an initial 100 million doses, with an option to purchase as many as five times more. The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna. Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses.

President Donald Trump congratulates Olympic gold medalist and former University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable after awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to Dan Gable, a renowned wrestler and coach from Iowa who won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Gable was a champion wrestler at Iowa State University, compiling a 117-1 record and winning two NCAA titles. Gable would go on to an incredibly successful coaching career at the University of Iowa, where his teams won 15 NCAA titles. “No one has done more to promote wrestling in America than Dan Gable,” Trump said.

WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):8:05 p.m.More than a half dozen Democratic congresswomen have sent an open letter to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to make Michèle Flournoy the country's first female defense secretary. Biden has been facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party over his defense pick. The swearing-in ceremony and a lunch for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol. ___3:50 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says the Trump administration’s plan for distributing an approved coronavirus vaccine to the public lacks important detail. ___3:35 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says that the most recent jobs report is “dire” and that there is no time to lose as millions of people have lost their jobs or have seen their incomes slashed.

Former football coach Lou Holtz smiles after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday called Lou Holtz "one of the greatest coaches in American history” as he honored the college football Hall of Famer and political ally with the nation's highest civilian honor. “He’s really a life teacher," said Trump, noting the respect and loyalty Holtz earned from the many players he mentored. Holtz is one of several sports figures Trump has awarded the Medal of Freedom during his time office. “I’m even prouder to receive it from President Donald Trump," said Holtz, who added that Trump was the "greatest president in my lifetime”A graduate of Kent State, Holtz also served seven years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jim Ryun, left, in the Blue Room of the White House, Friday, July 24, 2020, in Washington. Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House, calling him a Legendary athlete and legendary runner." In announcing the award, the White House described Ryun, 73, as one of the most accomplished American runners in history. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is presented to those who make especially meritorious contributions to the nation. Ryun went on to serve as a member of the House representing a Kansas congressional district from 1996 to 2006.

FILE- In this Nov. 20, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama awards minister, author and civil rights activist Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. who organized pivotal civil rights campaigns and spent decades advocating for justice and equality, died Friday, July 17, 2020 at the age of 95. Vivian, a pioneer of the civil rights movement who helped end segregation across the South and left an abiding imprint on U.S. history. More than a decade before lunch-counter protests made headlines during the civil rights movement, Vivian began organizing sit-ins against segregation in Peoria, Illinois, in the 1940s.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Diana Ross, who is considered one of the most successful recording artists and entertainers of all time, will be stopping in Jacksonville this March for a one night concert. The show will be at 8 p.m. March 4 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts Moran Theater. The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences celebrated her remarkable career with its highest honor, The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. In 2016, Ross received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the most prestigious civilian award given to a U.S. citizen. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or at the box office at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.