- published: 16 Feb 2016
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Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American Democratic Party politician who has been serving as the 36th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey since 2006. He is the third African-American mayor of Newark, and was formerly a Newark City Councilman, and practicing attorney. He is a graduate of Stanford University, the University of Oxford (where he was a Rhodes Scholar), and Yale Law School.
Booker was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the predominantly white, affluent town of Harrington Park, New Jersey, 20 miles north of Newark. His parents, Cary Alfred and Carolyn Rose (Jordan) Booker, were among the first black executives at IBM. In 2009, he told US News that he was raised in a religious household, and that he and his family attended a small, African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Jersey. Booker graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. He was named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team in 1986.
He went on to Stanford University, receiving a B.A. in political science in 1991 and an M.A. in sociology the following year. While at Stanford, Booker played varsity football. He also made the All–Pacific Ten Academic team[citation needed] and was elected senior class president.. In addition, he ran The Bridge, a student-run crisis hotline and organized help for youth in East Palo Alto, from Stanford students. After Stanford, he attended The Queen's College, Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, earning an honours degree in U.S. history in 1994. Booker received a J.D. in 1997 from Yale Law School, where he operated free legal clinics for low-income residents of New Haven. At Yale, he was a founding member of the Chai Society (now the Eliezer Society). He was also a Big Brother and was active in the Black Law Students Association. Booker lived in Newark during his final year at Yale. After graduation, Booker served as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center in New York and Program Coordinator of the Newark Youth Project.
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. ( /ˈmɑːr/; born January 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC.
Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets a wide swath of topics including religion, politics, bureaucracies of many kinds, political correctness, the mass media, greed among people and persons in positions of high political and social power, and the lack of intellectual curiosity in the electorate. He supports the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage, and serves on the board of PETA. He is also a critic of religion and is an advisory board member of Project Reason, a foundation to promote scientific knowledge and secular values within society. In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Bill Maher received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on September 14, 2010.
Randal Howard "Rand" Paul (born January 7, 1963) is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian. He is the son of Republican Congressman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas and had never previously held political office. Paul first received national attention in 2008 when making political speeches on behalf of his father. Rand Paul is the first United States Senator in history to serve alongside a parent in the United States House of Representatives.
A graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine, Paul has been a practicing ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Kentucky, since 1993, and established his own clinic in December 2007. In 1994, he founded Kentucky Taxpayers United, of which he is still the chairman.
In 2010, Paul ran as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky and defeated Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway. As a supporter of the Tea Party movement, Paul has been vocal in advocating for term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and the Read the Bills Act, in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation. He has gained prominence for his independent positions on many political issues, often clashing with both Republicans and Democrats.