Biden awards Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton, Bono Messi and 16 others: NPR

President Biden is awarding the Medal of Freedom to 19 people, including civil rights icons such as the late Fannie Lou Hamer and prominent political leaders such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Democratic billionaire George Soros.

It also honors actors and athletes, including Michael J. Fox, Denzel Washington as well as Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the retired basketball star who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships.

“These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and to the world,” said the White House in a press release.

Biden will also posthumously present the medal to former United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom President-elect Trump nominated to be his secretary of Health and Human Services. Social services; and former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, as well as George W. Romney, who served as chairman of American Motors Corp. before becoming Governor of Michigan and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He is also the father of Utah Senator Mitt Romney.

Additional recipients include:

José Andrés – the renowned chef who brought food relief around the world through his World Central Kitchen.

Bono – the frontman of the legendary rock band U2 and activist against AIDS and poverty.

Tim Gill – the entrepreneur whose work has advanced LGBTQI rights and equality.

Jane Goodall, world-renowned ethologist and ecologist whose research has transformed human understanding of primates and human evolution.

Ralph Lauren, a fashion designer who also helped influence culture, business and philanthropy.

William Sanford Nye – who inspired and influenced generations of American students as “Bill Nye the Science Guy”.

David M. Rubenstein – co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, where he created one of the most successful global investment companies.

George Stevens, Jr. – the American writer and director who founded the American Film Institute and co-creator of the Kennedy Center Honors.