Family member Eric Cowell

Events in 2014 and 14-2

Events in US in the birth year of Eric Cowell

• Jan. 6: The United States Senate confirms American economist Janet Yellen as the 15th Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Yellen, the current vice-chairman, becomes the first woman to hold the position.
• Jan. 10: The Obama administration announces that the federal government will recognize the marriages of the 1,300 same-sex couples in Utah even though the state government has currently decided not to do so. With federal approval, same-sex couples will be able to receive spousal benefits, like health insurance for federal employees and filing joint federal income tax returns.
• Jan. 17: President Obama announces reforms to the U.S. surveillance program based on recommendations from his advisory panel. The reforms he outlines include: requiring NSA analysts to get a court order to access phone data unless in cases of emergencies; an eventual end to the collection of massive amounts of metadata by the government; the NSA will stop eavesdropping on leaders of allied nations; officials can pursue a phone number linked to a terrorist association by two degrees rather than three; and Congress will appoint advocates to argue on the side of civil liberties before the FISA court. Mar. 25: President Obama introduces a NSA reform plan, developed by the Justice Department and intelligence agencies, which will be presented to Congress for approval. The plan reflects many of the proposals he made in January. He goes further, however, saying the NSA will no longer collect phone data from Americans. Instead, the phone companies will collect and store that information for 18 months, as it currently does, and make it available in a standard format. The NSA will have to seek a court order to access the phone records.
• Feb. 24: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announces that the Pentagon will be shrinking the U.S. Army to the smallest size it has been since before World War II. The cuts come as the Pentagon prepares for nearly a trillion dollars in spending reductions over the next decade.
• Feb. 27: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoes a bill that would have allowed businesses in the state to deny service to gays and lesbians in the name of religious beliefs. The bill has sparked controversy and outrage from the LGBT community as well as civic leaders, even Sen. John McCain urged Brewer to veto the bill.
• Mar. 11: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) lashes out at the CIA, accusing it of spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee, covering up its torture and detention program, and potentially violating the constitution. After her speech, the Senate Judiciary Committee announces it will investigate the accusations. July 31: The CIA announces that an internal report found that agents did in fact hack into the Senate Intelligence Committee computer network and used a false identity when doing so. In addition, the CIA inspector general says that agents read the emails of the committee members. The news sparks bipartisan outrage.
• Mar. 26: Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, is convicted by a federal jury in Manhattan of conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiring to provide support to al-Qaeda, and providing support to al-Qaeda. He is the most senior member of those close to bin Laden to be tried in a civilian court in the U.S. since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. U.S. officials hope his conviction by a civilian jury will silence critics who think suspected terrorists should be tried by military tribunals.
• April 2: In another blow to campaign-finance reform, the Supreme Court strikes down caps on the total amount individuals can donate to federal campaigns and political parties. The court rules 5-4 in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission that the limits violate free speech protections.
• April 11: After the national health care open enrollment deadline passes, Kathleen Sebelius resigns as secretary of health and human services. Both Sebelius and the Obama administration insists the move is voluntary, but administration officials have done little to hide their outrage about the many problems that dogged HealthCare.gov. The president nominates Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace Sebelius.
• April 22: The Supreme Court rules, 6�2, in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action to uphold a constitutional amendment that bans public universities and colleges in Michigan from implementing a race-sensitive admissions policy. The ruling does not address the affirmative action policy in Michigan; instead, it confirms the constitutionality of the amendment process.
• April 29: The Supreme Court rules 6-2 that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has the authority to regulate air pollution emitted from coal plants that crosses state lines. Smog from coal plants in 28 Midwest and Appalachia states blows toward the east and increases pollution in states that are downwind of the plants.
• May 5: In Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court rules 5-4 that Christian prayers said at the beginning of council meetings in an upstate New York town do not violate the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion.
• May 23: A gunman, identified as Elliot Rodger, kills six people and wounds 13 others in Isla Vista, California, a small town near Santa Barbara. He stabs three men in his apartment before driving to locations throughout the town where he kills three students.
• June 25: In an unanimous vote, the Supreme Court rules that police need a warrant to search the cellphone of anyone that they arrest. The decision is for two cases on the same issue that the Court heard back in April, Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie.
• June 25: The Supreme Court decides in a six to three vote that the start-up streaming company Aereo violated copyright laws by capturing and offering broadcast signals to their subscribers for a fee. The ruling in ABC v. Aereo is in favor of the major networks in the television broadcasting industry which argued that Aereo was stealing their programming.
• June 30: In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court decides in favor of corporations owned by religious families. In a close five to four vote, the Court rules that corporations like Hobby Lobby cannot be forced to pay for insurance that covers contraception for female workers under the Affordable Care Act because it is a violation of the federal law protecting religious freedom. The ruling is seen as the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act. July 22: Two conflicting rulings are handed down, jeopardizing a key component of the Affordable Care Act. Both cases center on the Internal Revenue Service rule that makes some people who buy insurance on federal exchanges eligible for subsidies. The rule says that subsidies are offered in exchanges "established by the State." In Halbig v Burwell, a three-judge panel in Washington, DC, rules 2-1 that the federal subsidies are illegal because they are not explicitly mentioned in the law. Thirty-six states have not created their own exchanges, forcing residents to enroll through federal exchanges. In the other ruling, King v Burwell, the panel in Virginia unanimously upholds the rule. The rule will likely end up before the Supreme Court.
• Aug. 9: Police Officer Darren Wilson shoots and kills Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old teenager in Ferguson, Mo. Details of the shooting are disputed. Aug. 10: After a candlelight vigil for Brown, protesters fill the streets near the shooting. Police officers arrived on the scene with riot gear, including rifles and shields. The protest turns violent and images from cellphones go viral on social media, including several accounts of looting in Ferguson. Aug. 11: The F.B.I. begins a civil rights investigation in the shooting of Brown while protests continue in Ferguson. Aug. 14: At a press conference, President Obama asks Attorney General Eric Holder to "do what is necessary to help determine exactly what happened and to see that justice is done." Aug. 16: Citing looting, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew from midnight to five a.m. in Ferguson. The announcement is met with more protests and arguments that the curfew will only create more violence. Aug. 17: The curfew is extended for another night and violence erupts again. Attorney General Holder announces that because of the "extraordinary circumstances" in the case, the Justice Department will conduct its own autopsy of Brown. Meanwhile, the private autopsy preliminary results are released and show that Brown had been shot at least six times, including twice in the head. Aug. 18: Gov. Nixon lifts the curfew and deploys the National Guard to assist the police. However, the presence of the National Guard fails to quell the unrest. That night at least two people are shot and dozens are arrested as bottles and Molotov cocktails are thrown from the crowd. Nov. 24: A grand jury in Missouri decides not to indict Officer Wilson. While some people respond to the decision with peaceful protests, others set fire to police cars, loot, and destroy buildings. Several buildings are severely damaged. Dozens of protestors are arrested. Protests spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago, and New York. Dec. 4: Protests continue to grow throughout the country after a Staten Island grand jury decides not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner. Crowds of protesters gather in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.
• Sept.: The National Football League (NFL) struggles to deal with multiple incidents of domestic violence. TMZ releases video footage from an elevator camera that captured Baltimore Raven Ray Rice punching his fiancee, Janay Palmer, in the face. The video release renews criticism that the initial two game suspension of Rice had been too lenient. Sept. 9: During a CBS News interview, Goodell reiterates that no one in the NFL had access to the video prior to the initial suspension of Rice. Sept. 10: The Associated Press publishes a report that a copy of the video had been sent to a league official in April 2014. Sept. 12: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. After a second abuse claim surfaces involving Peterson and another son, the Vikings announce that Peterson has been placed on the Exempt List which requires him to stay away from all Vikings activities. Sept. 19: Goodell holds a press conference to apologize for the way he and the league has handled the domestic violence incidents. Nov. 4: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson pleads no contest to the charge of misdemeanor reckless assault of a child in Texas. Nov. 18: The NFL bans Peterson for the rest of the year, citing the new conduct policy, which calls for a six-game suspension for first time domestic abuse offenders. Nov. 28: Judge Barbara Jones rules that the NFL and Commissioner Goodell had no new evidence in Sept. when they increased the suspension of Ray Rice. Therefore, Rice wins his appeal and can be reinstated to the NFL. The league accepts the decision, but it is unclear if a team will sign Rice.
• Sept. 19: After the first family leaves the main residence, Omar Jose Gonzalez jumps the fence and runs across the North Lawn of the White House, carrying a knife. Gonzalez enters the main residence where he is apprehended by an officer. In the days following the breach, a House committee holds a hearing to examine how the U.S. Secret Service failed to prevent the intrusion. Oct. 1: The first female director of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, resigns just days after the House committee hearing examined how the U.S. Secret Service failed to prevent the intrusion into the White House and uncovered other lapses in security. Former special agent Joseph Clancy is named interim Secret Service director.
• Sept. 25: After six years as the first African American attorney general, Eric Holder resigns. He is the fourth-longest serving attorney general in U.S. history.
• Oct. 6: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear appeals of rulings in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin that allowed same-sex marriage. The move paves the way for same-sex marriages in the five states. Nov. 20: The U.S. Supreme Court denies a request to block same-sex marriage in South Carolina. Thus, South Carolina becomes the 35th U.S. state where same-sex marriage is legal.
• Nov. 3: More than 13 years since the twin towers were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, One World Trade Center opens for tenants in lower Manhattan. The new building is 1,776 feet high. Magazine publisher Cond� Nast becomes the first tenant, occupying one third of the 104-story building.
• Nov. 4: In the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans take back the majority in the Senate for the first time since 2006, while also adding to their majority in the House. The GOP even makes huge gains by winning governor races in states that usually lean Democratic, such as Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
• Nov. 20: In a prime-time, televised speech, President Barack Obama announces he is taking executive action to delay the deportation of some 5 million illegal immigrants. Under the new policy about 4 million people who are parents of U.S. citizens or legal residents will receive deportation deferrals and authorization to work legally if they have been in the U.S. for more than five years and pass background checks. The deferrals are renewable. The action also amends the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows people under age 31 who were brought to the U.S. as children to apply for two-year deportation deferrals and work permits. The policy change lifts the age ceiling and adds a year to the deferral period. However, neither program offers the immigrants a path to citizenship.
• Nov. 24: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigns. Hagel will remain in the job until the Senate confirms a successor. Officials point to the rising threat from ISIS, which requires a different skill set than Hagel brings to the position, as the reason for the resignation.
• Dec. 20: In Brooklyn, New York, Ismaaiyl Brinsley walks up to the passenger window of a police car and shoots Officer Wenjian Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos in the head. Brinsley then runs into a nearby subway station and shoots himself. Before the incident, Brinsley vows through online posts to put "wings on pigs," in response to the recent killings of unarmed black men by white police officers. Dec. 21: The death of the two officers only increases the tension of an already strained relationship between Mayor de Blasio and New York City police unions. Hours after Liu and Ramos are killed, officers turn their backs on de Blasio when he visits the hospital. Dec. 27: When Mayor de Blasio speaks at the funeral of Officer Ramos, officers can be seen outside the church turning their backs to the large screen broadcasting the service.

Birthday Eric Cowell (14-2) in history

• Day 14-2 year 1859: Oregon became the 33rd state in the United States.
• Day 14-2 year 1912: Arizona became the 48th state in the United States.
• Day 14-2 year 1920: The League of Women Voters was founded.
• Day 14-2 year 1929: Members of Al Capone's gang killed rival gang members in the St. Valentine's Day massacre.
• Day 14-2 year 1989: Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, calling for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
• Day 14-2 year 2001: The Kansas Board of Education reversed its 1999 ruling and restored evolution to the state's science curriculum.
• Day 14-2 year 2003: Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, was euthanized because of incurable lung cancer.