TIME Magazine interviews Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Dan Winters

In their latest issue, TIME Magazine interviews Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on her remarkable recovery after the devastating shooting last January. She talks about her marriage, her views on death,  and whats next for her.

An excerpt from the Q&A.

What's an average day like for you these days? 
Busy, busy, busy. Stretching at 6:30 a.m. Up at 7 a.m. Breakfast and read the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Republic and New York Times. Drive to rehab at 8 a.m. Physical, occupational and speech therapy for most of the day. Home, dinner and watch The Daily Show. Then off to bed.

Are you religious? If so, did that help you through this experience? 
Yes, I am. Of course it did.

You have two stepdaughters, Claire and Claudia. Your book says your relationship with them has improved this year. Why? 
I nearly died. That drew us much closer together.

To read more visit: TIME

Rep. Gabby Giffords covers the new People Magazine

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, along with her husband Mark Kelly is on the cover of the new People Magazine talking about her ongoing recovery and the next steps after her rehabilitation. The cover story will also feature inserts about the couple's new memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, which will be released on Tuesday, November 15. To read more go here or pick up the issues on stands now.

Photos: Glamour Magazine's 2011 Women of the Year Awards

Glamour Magazine held its 21st annual Women of the Year awards ceremony yesterday in New York City honoring women in various sectors including politics, entertainment, fashion, and humanitarian work. The women honored included Jennifer Lopez, Tory Burch, Arianna Huffington, Laura Bush, Barbara Bush & Jenna Bush Hager, Chelsea Handler, Withelma “T” Ortiz-Macey, Gabrielle Giffords, Lea Michele, Cindy Sherman, Esraa Abdel Fattah, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Gloria Steinem. To read more about each honoree, visit Glamour.com.      

Diane Sawyers' interview with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords set to air on Nov. 14

ABC News' Diane Sawyer sat down with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and her husband Mark Kelly this past week to talk about her new memior and the January shootings in Arizona. The interview will air next Monday and will "document the couple’s courtship, marriage, and extraordinary careers in public service.”

Obama's Wing-woman? Debbie Wasserman Schultz featured in Marie Claire magazine

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is featured in this month's Marie Claire magazine. As head of the Democratic National Committee, the outgoing and charismatic legislator is tasked with helping raising money for President Obama's reelection in 2012. In a Q&A, she explains how she got involved in politics and her diagnosis with breast cancer.

Here are my favorites:

What are you most proud of in your career?

My top priority legislatively has been taking care of children. I passed the Protect Our Children Act, which focuses on Internet safety and going after child predators online. Also swimming-pool safety legislation—I’ve been championing that for years. As a breast-cancer survivor, I passed the Early Act—the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act—into law, as part of health-care reform, because young women are really like the redheaded stepchild of breast cancer. It’s considered an older women’s disease, but there are a large number of young women—25,000 every year under 45—who are diagnosed with breast cancer. So it was important to educate them about the risk and to help health-care providers understand that you’ve got to take them seriously.

You’re friends with Gabby Giffords—what was it like to see her back in Congress for the recent vote debt-ceiling bill?

It was absolutely incredible. You know, I’m so proud of her. She’s fighting so hard to recover and come back, and she’s made tremendous progress. It was really incredible. I was so glad to help her and walk her into the chamber and see the members, who were very crabby and cranky after a long hard-fought battle. They were reminded what our service is all about.

You can read the rest of the article, here.

Photo of the Day: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords celebrates the retirement of her husband, Capt. Mark Kelly

White House

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was in Washington, DC today to celebrate the retirement of her husband, Captain Mark Kelly. Capt. Kelly has been in the military for twenty five years, including stints an astronaut and a Navy captain. On hand at today's ceremony was Vice President Joe Biden and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

So good to see Rep. Giffords out and about - and smiling!

Photo of the Day: Gabrielle Giffords surprises colleagues on Capitol Hill

House TV

Yesterday, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) surprised everyone and attended the House vote on raising the debt ceiling. This is her first appearance on the House floor since she was shot earlier this year. Her visit was accompanied by loud applause and a standing ovation by members of both parties. It really was a great moment to see Rep. Giffords looking great after all that she has been through.

Spotlight: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand interviews with Marie Claire

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is featured in the latest issue of Marie Claire Magazine. In a Q & A format, the junior senator from New York explains why she was moved to start Off the Sidelines, why she left her career in law, and her relationship with Gabrielle Giffords.

From Marie Claire:

Gillibrand, 44, has been compared to Tracy Flick, the maniacally ambitious class-president candidate played by Reese Witherspoon in Election. Sure, Gillibrand is driven — and petite and blonde, with a blazing blue-eyed gaze — but she is also hardworking and no-nonsense. Since switching careers from law to politics, she has been instrumental in key measures such as passing the 9/11 health bill for rescue workers and repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We asked how she made it all happen. 

First Photos: Gabrielle Giffords is shown smiling

P.K. Weis, SouthwestPhotoBank.com

Now isn't this awesome! These wonderful new photos of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were just released today of her looking good and smiling. The congresswoman is shown smiling above with her mom as she prepares to leave the hospital in a month.

From The Associated Press:

The photos were taken May 17 outside the Houston rehabilitation facility where Giffords has been undergoing treatment since she was wounded five months ago at a meet-and-greet event with constituents. Six people died and a dozen others were hurt in the Jan. 8 attack in Tucson, Ariz. Since then, access to the Arizona congresswoman has been tightly controlled. Until Sunday, no clear images had been released. The only recent sign of Giffords came in late April, when grainy television footage showed her slowly ascending a flight of steps to a NASA plane that took her to Florida to watch her astronaut husband rocket into space. The image was so blurry that it was impossible to confirm it was Giffords until doctors did so at a news conference in mid-May.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz named new ChairWOMAN of the DNC

A woman at the top! It was announced earlier today that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) will become the new Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She will be replacing the current chairman Tim Kaine, who is stepping down to run for Senate in Virginia.

I must say I am totally psyched for this! Rep. Wasserman Schultz is finally getting a chance to show the entire country what she is made of. Now, we just need her gal pal, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to get better so she can run for Senate in Arizona! Total Girl Power!

From the LA Times:

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida will succeed Tim Kaine as chair of the Democratic National Committee, placing a rising female lawmaker from a key swing state into one of the most prominent surrogate roles for the Obama reelection campaign. Currently a party vice chair, Wasserman Schultz, 44, was the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from Florida, and she is serving her fourth term representing the state's 20th Congressional District. She will continue to serve in the House.Vice President Joe Biden announced the selection in an email to Democratic supporters Tuesday evening, praising "her tenacity, her strength, her fighting spirit, and her ability to overcome adversity." "President Obama expressed great admiration for her as a leader, and he was honored that she accepted this important challenge on behalf of the Democratic Party," Biden wrote. "No one should have any doubt that Debbie will work hard to strengthen our party and our country."

Photos: Ladies in Red

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to take a look back at some of our favorite political women wearing red - the color of love. When women wear red, it truly makes a bold statement and shows that we aren't afraid of being powerful. Luvs it!

One Month Later: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband writes letter to supporters

Today marked the one year anniversary of the terrible tragedy in Tuscon, Arizona. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AR) was meeting with constituents on January 8 at a local supermarket when a gunman opened fire and shot her in the head. During the incident, 13 other people were injured and 6 people died. Rep. Giffords is now receiving rehabilitation therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX.  Her husband, Astronaut Mark Kelly marked the day by posting a update on her facebook page along with several pictures.

"It is hard to believe that only one month has passed since Gabrielle was shot. The doctors say she is recovering at lightning speed considering her injury but they aren’t kidding when they say this is a marathon process. There are encouraging signs everyday though. Gabby’s appetite is back and – even though it’s hospital food – she’s enjoying three meals a day. We can’t thank you enough for the heartfelt show of support that has come in from all around Arizona and the nation. I want the families of all the other victims and the entire Tucson community to know that Gabrielle will soon stand by your side to mourn this tragedy and learn how we can heal. In the mean time, your prayers are being heard so don’t stop." - Mark Kelly

You can visit Rep. Giffords page here and send her a note of support too. Let's continue to keep her, her husband, and all those that suffered that terrible day in our prayers.

Photos: Michelle Obama and Nancy Pelosi at National Prayer Breakfast

Getty

The annual National Prayer Breakfast was held this morning in Washington, DC and President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband Mark Kelly were among those who attended. During his remarks, President Obama talked about his own faith, the events in Egypt and the recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

State of the Union: Hugs for Christina Taylor Green

(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the Green family after the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 25, 2011. John and Roxanna Green are the parents of eleven-year-old Dallas and the late Christina Taylor, the nine-year-old girl killed when a gunman opened fire on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson earlier this month. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The First Lady at the State of the Union

Getty

First Lady Michelle Obama looked gorgeous tonight as she stood in the box for the State of the Union address tonight. The First lady looked gorgeous in a white dress and was surrounded by several everyday Americans like John, Dallas and Roxanna Green, family of the late Christina Taylor Green of Tucson and Daniel Hernandez the intern credited with saving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords life.

The First Lady, as well as members of Congress wore a black and white ribbon in honor of Rep. Giffords.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand featured in Newsweek

Alessandra Petlin for Newsweek

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is featured in Newsweek this week in story called "Senator Surprise." While we have always kept our eye on the junior senator, it looks like others are starting to notice. The article focuses on her two big legislative wins in the lame duck session as well as how she has stood by her friend Rep. Gabrielle Giffords with the recent tragedy in Tucson. 

From Newsweek:

The junior senator from New York has just hung up with Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the House member shot in the head in Tucson. Gillibrand is quite close to Giffords and was among the handful of lawmakers to accompany President Obama to the memorial service for victims of the shooting. She was at her friend’s bedside when the wounded congresswoman opened her eyes for the first time. Since then, at Kelly’s behest, Gillibrand has been making the media rounds to help humanize “Gabby” and put a personal face on the tragedy. Meet the Press, Good Morning America, Face the Nation, The View—it’s the kind of exposure an ambitious lawmaker would ordinarily revel in. But these are not ordinary circumstances, and Gillibrand looks exhausted and emotionally wrung out. Her husband, Jonathan, she says, is having an especially rough time. Asked about the shooting, he noted simply, “I worry about her every day, and I always have.”

You can check out the rest of the article here.

Sunday Brunch: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz on Face the Nation

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz were guests on CBS’s “Face the Nation” this morning. They talked about how to achieve civility in the upcoming congressional session in light of the shootings in Tuscon. They also spoke about the new proposal of Democrats and Republicans sitting together in the chamber instead of divided by party lines at the upcoming State of the Union.

Doctors remove Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's breathing tube

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's breathing tube has been removed her doctors stated today. Doctors at University Medical Center said Rep. Giffords underwent a procedure Saturday morning to have a tracheotomy tube inserted in her windpipe to protect her airways and freeing her from the ventilator. She had been breathing on her own since she was shot in the head Jan. 8, but doctors had left the tube in as a precaution. She also had a feed tube inserted in her today so she could receive nutrition. Rep. Giffords stills remains in critical condition but this is great news!

Behind the Scenes: Together We Thrive Memorial

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are greeted by officials after arriving at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson

President Obama greets Ron Barber, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ district director, and members of his family at University Medical Center in Tucson

Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano stands with Mark Kelly

President Obama greets Mavy Stoddard and members of the Stoddard family. Dorwan Stoddard, Mavy’s husband, died while protecting her during Saturday’s shooting.



The White Hosue released these photos this week of the President and First Lady visiting Arizona on Wednesday. Official White House Photos by Pete Souza

Photo of the Day: Comfort

President Barack Obama hugs First Lady Michelle Obama following his remarks at the "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America" memorial service at the University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 12, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)