Fox News host Megyn Kelly will interview Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a Fox TV special to air next month.
The GOP presidential front-runner will be a guest on "Megyn Kelly Presents," a prime-time special airing May 17 on Fox TV.
Extended portions of the sit-down interview will also appear on "The Kelly File" on Fox News Channel beginning on May 18.
The interview, which will take place in New York, marks the first sit-down between the two since the August 2015 presidential debate on Fox News Channel.
Kelly will explore how events unfolded with Trump after the August debate as one of the most prominent voices covering the 2016 presidential campaign of the front-runner, according to a statement from Fox News.
She will also examine Trump’s successful campaign for the White House to date and his role in one of the most historic presidential runs in modern times.
"Mr. Trump and I sat down together for a meeting earlier this month at my request. He was gracious with his time and I asked him to consider an interview. I am happy to announce he has agreed, and I look forward to a fascinating exchange — our first sit-down interview together in nearly a year,” Kelly said in a statement announcing the upcoming interview.
In addition to the Trump interview, “Megyn Kelly Presents” will feature a wide variety of notable guests from the entertainment world and other spheres of human interest to be interviewed by Kelly. The full list of guests will be announced at a later date.
FOX News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes is the show’s senior executive producer, while broadcast veteran Bill Geddie serves as the executive producer.
It's Thursday, March 3rd and tonight in the historic city of DETROIT, 4 remaining GOP presidential candidates (Trump, Rubio, Cruz & Kasich) will face-off at the Fox Theatre.
This debate is sponsored by Fox News.
Super Tuesday winner and 2016 GOP Presidential Frontrunner Donald Trump is now being targeted by 2012 GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Romney a Respected member of the GOP Establishment and a Michigan native, is demonstrating a great deal of Disrespect towards Trump by hurling insults.
Romney has even called Trump a "Fraud" among other very derogatory, negative demagogue.
Could it be that perhaps Romney is JEALOUS of Trump's glory and favorability with 2016 voters?
Regardless of Romney's JEALOUSY,
does it make sense to help sabotage your own party's success which appears to be within close reach?
When will Romney and other GOP Establishment leaders line up behind Trump as the Koch Brothers have recently done, to help the Republican regain control of the White House?
Tune in tonight to the Detroit GOP debate at 9:00pm ET.
Donald Trump answered Mitt Romney’s public indictment Thursday of his front-running Republican bid by skewering the 2012 GOP presidential nominee as a “failed candidate” who “let us down” with his loss to President Obama.
“Mitt is a choke artist,” Trump told supporters at a pre-debate rally in Portland, Maine.
Trump went on to call Romney disloyal, claiming he begged Trump for his endorsement the last time around.
“You can see how loyal he is. … I could have said Mitt, drop to your knees, he would have dropped to his knees,” Trump said.
He spoke after Romney delivered a scathing speech at the University of Utah about the prospect of a Trump presidency, in what amounted to perhaps the most full-throated effort yet by a member of the so-called Republican establishment to thwart Trump’s march to the nomination.
The party’s 2012 presidential nominee issued a stark warning that Trump’s policies would lead to recession and “make America and the world less safe” -- and said the “only serious policy proposals” are coming from the other Republican candidates on the field.
“I understand the anger Americans feel today,” Romney said, but added: “Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing ... the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat.”
Romney also claimed Trump, if nominated, would enable Hillary Clinton to be elected president.
The speech comes ahead of the Fox News Republican primary debate Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET in Detroit, the candidates' first showdown since Super Tuesday.
Trump swiftly responded to the ex-GOP nominee, taking to Twitter to claim he’s the “only one who can beat Hillary Clinton” and recalling Romney’s record in the presidential elections so far.
Later at his rally in Maine, despite claiming he wouldn’t spend much time responding to Romney’s “irrelevant” remarks, Trump delivered a point-by-point rebuttal to many of Romney’s charges.
To Romney’s criticism of his business record, Trump said, “I made so much more money than Mitt,” and pointed to his successful ventures across New York City.
He also said Romney begged him for his endorsement in 2012 – but Romney later tweeted that if Trump had said the things he’s saying today, he would not have accepted that endorsement.
The address earlier Thursday amounted to an astonishing full-court press by Romney to stop Trump from winning the party’s nomination. Until now, Romney has mostly criticized Trump via Twitter and media interviews, but this is his most robust effort yet to rally the party and primary voters against the GOP front-runner.
Romney cast his alarm-bell warnings Thursday in dire terms, suggesting nothing less than the character of the nation is at stake, and saying Trump’s “brand of anger” has led “other nations into the abyss.” He said Trump “lacks the temperament to be president,” rebuking him for “bullying” and “greed” and “misogyny.” He borrowed a phrase from Marco Rubio, calling Trump a “con man” to boot.
On the sidelines, the party’s 2008 nominee also seemed to join with Romney in expressing concerns.
“I share the concerns about Donald Trump that my friend and former Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, described in his speech today,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement, urging voters to “think long and hard about who they want to be our next Commander-in-Chief and leader of the free world.”
2016 candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich also gave Romney a Twitter thumbs-up, tweeting “well said” after the speech.
Romney has not yet endorsed a candidate in the race, or moved any closer publicly to reconsidering a run himself. Romney weighed another White House run at the beginning of 2015 before deciding against the move, reportedly after being out-raised by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- who has since suspended his campaign.
Sources: Dallas News, Daily Beast, Fox News, YouTube
As the two Cubans on the 2016 GOP campaign trail continue to battle for voters & donors, after Nevada & Texas only one will stand alongside Frontrunner Donald Trump.
Many Political Strategists predict GOP establishment favorite Marco Rubio will soon claim that position.
If Ted Cruz loses Texas will he immediately concede as Jeb Bush did when he lost South Carolina?
“Electability” was the deciding factor, Patterson said. “Who will win in November against a Democrat.”
In his view, Rubio and Cruz tout similar priorities — namely protecting the Second Amendment and religious freedom.
“Trump doesn’t have a clue what he knows or rather what he doesn’t know,” Patterson said.
Patterson said he had to disregard Trump’s status and take a close look at Rubio and Cruz when making his endorsement decision.
“Ted is impressive,” Patterson said in a written statement. “He’s remarkably intelligent. He knows the issues. He’s a great debater.”
But Cruz’s shifting status on immigration is “too cute, too clever,” Patterson said.
Cruz proposed an amendment in 2013 to an immigration bill backed by Rubio and seven other senators dubbed the “Gang of Eight.” The bill required more border security and a path for unauthorized immigrants to pursue legal status after undergoing background checks, waiting periods and paying fines and back taxes.
Cruz’s amendment would have stripped the citizenship provision from the bill while still allowing immigrants to apply for a work permit, and after 10 years enable them to apply for permanent residency.
Rudio earned a second Texas endorsement Sunday evening from Elizabeth Ames Jones Coleman, who served two terms representing Bexar County in the Texas House and was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to chair the the Texas Railroad Commission from 2005 until 2012. She is a partner at EnergyNorthAmerica, LLC, a Washington D.C.-based energy consulting firm.
Coleman said in a written statement that Rubio is the candidate who “best understands the importance of our domestic energy industry.”
In his energy plan, Rubio calls for immediate approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, expedited approval for American natural gas exports and returning control energy development efforts to the states.
“He will claw back the confiscatory tax schemes and crippling government regulations that hamstring entrepreneurs and job creators,” Coleman wrote. “I am convinced that Marco Rubio is the man for the job.
Civil Rights Activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that the move by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to use the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a makeup snow day is "clearly insulting and hits a very raw nerve."
Jackson spoke in an interview with the Observer shortly after the local NAACP announced it would march today "in honor of Dr. King and in support of educating our youth on the important contributions Dr. King and others made throughout the Civil Rights movement."
Jackson said he would not be in Charlotte today. A spokesperson said he would participate in events in Chicago.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools were out for three days last week because of wintry weather and icy roads.
The first makeup snow day is today, which is also the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
Saturday was the slain civil rights leader's birthday. He would have been 82.
Having children go to school today has sparked criticism and comments from parents, from Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and, now, Jackson.
The holiday, he said, "represents a sacred trust of the end of legal segregation and oppression."
"In many ways, Charlotte has been a leader in new relations and bridge-building, and this has been a slap in the face."
Jackson said parents should keep students home from school.
Foxx said on Saturday that it's "regrettable" that the snow makeup day is today, but he still encouraged children to go to school.
"Given the challenges so many young people are facing, it's hard for me to make the argument that if class is in session they shouldn't go," he said.
The decision for students to attend school today has brought protests from civil rights leaders who believe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day should be honored as a day of service instead. There have been protests and the NAACP called on parents to keep their children home.
A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast was held this morning at the Westin uptown. It's meant to honor and celebrate the life of the civil rights leader. But the controversy surrounding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' decision to hold school today was a hot topic of discussion.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Rock Hill, and Fort Mill schools are among those choosing to make up for lost classroom time because of snow last week by opening school Monday.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson says he’ll come to Charlotte and Rock Hill sometime this week to join a protest over sending children to school on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
"Dr. King's legacy and martyrdom, the movement he led to bring about the South is bigger than a snow day to replace a national holiday," said Jackson, when reached by phone Sunday night. Jackson was born in Greenville, SC, and visited Charlotte often as a child. He said Charlotte has made a lot of progress as a New South city, but sending children to school on King’s birthday is a big step back.
“I've had some great moments in Charlotte over the years, bringing down walls and building bridges -- and now this puts Charlotte in a real awkward position,” he said. Details for his visit were not complete Sunday night, but he promised to meet with local officials and rally with people who also wanted to protest the holiday being used as a snow make-up day.
Activist John Barnett led a rally in York County Sunday to protest Rock Hill and Fort Mill schools’ decisions to open school Monday.
"If we got ten inches of snow, it’s still not enough to let kids go to school on Dr. King's birthday," said Barnett. “We already fought nine years ago to get the holiday approved here and now it’s reared its ugly head again.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Rhonda Lennon said CMS had little control over use of the holiday as a snow day.
"This calendar was approved in May of 2009 before I was even sworn into office, so the dates were established and the makeup days were established at that point also,” said Lennon. “It's something we gotta do."
Lennon said the state legislature’s rules allow local districts very little time to make up for lost days.
"We are very restricted by the state of North Carolina on when we can start and stop school, and how many teacher workdays,” said Lennon. “If we had more flexibility from the state legislature we would have the option to not have this kind of situation again."
CMS used Memorial Day as a make-up day in 2009 – a decision not everyone was happy with, but there were few protests. Lennon said next year’s calendar doesn’t use King’s birthday as a make-up day.
Parents walking outside the Harvey Gantt Center Sunday seemed to understand CMS’s position.
"I think it's okay. I think Martin would have wanted kids to go to school," said Jackie Anderson. “Hopefully they'll teach them something about him.”
Michelle Rose believes her children have already missed enough school. “They have been out of school for three days last week, and it's okay for them to go back to school tomorrow," she said.
Calvin Roulhac understands the debate, and doesn’t necessarily like using the holiday to make up for lost class time – but he’s not about to give kids a free pass out of class, either. "As long as the schools are still doing something to celebrate that day I think it's good.. but I wish they could have it off," he said.
CMS has released a list of events that will be held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx(a Black Democrat) Publicly Endorses North Carolina's Decision To Use Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Holiday As A Public School Snow Make-Up Day!
In Case You Weren't Aware 2011 Is An Re-election Year For Foxx.
He's Probably Trying To Win Back His Displeased White Voters.
Obviously A Move Straight Out of Pres. Obama's 2012 Centrist Political Playbook
Or....
Since its No Secret Anthony Foxx Is Extremely Partisan, Is It Possible He's Taking This Stance Due To Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Political Affiliation?
Never Thought I'd See The Day When A Black Politician Throws Dr. King Under The Bus!
Disgraceful!!
Were It Not For Courageous, Well-Educated Black Men Like Dr. King, Black Men Like Anthony Foxx Would Never Have Been Afforded The Opportunity To Become Mayors Of Metropolitan Cities.
I Expected Pres. Barack Obama To Throw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Under The Bus Because Obama Has Never Understood The Black American Struggle.
However Anthony Foxx Whose Ancestors Were Southerners, Former Slaves & Native American Indians, Should Most Certainly Know Better!
Where's YOUR Courage, Gratitude & Respect Mayor Foxx??
Mayor Anthony Foxx called it regrettable that Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will be used as a snow make-up day for Charlotte-Mecklenburg students, but said students should be in class.
“But given the challenges so many young people are facing,” Foxx said Saturday morning, “it’s hard for me to make the argument that if class is in session they shouldn’t go.”
Foxx spoke briefly to reporters following a wreath-laying ceremony at the statue of King in Marshall Park uptown.
During the ceremony, Foxx urged Charlotteans to use Monday as a time “to reflect on our children and what kind of future we as a community want for them.”
Governor Bev Perdue says it is a local decision to open schools as a make-up day or keep them closed on the holiday set aside to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Speaking in Charlotte, where schools will be kept open Monday, the Perdue said, "It is my hope that we can all honor the Martin Luther King Day holiday."
She also said it is not a decision that should be made by state government.
The Reverend Kojo Nantambu, who is the head of the local chapter of the NAACP, called on parents to keep students home on Monday saying it is the only holiday set aside to honor an African-American.
"We do not want to miss an opportunity for our children to experience that or to celebrate that," said Nantambu, "I think it is unfair."
Eric Davis the chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board said students would spend part of the day Monday learning about the history and importance of what Dr. King did for the country.
"We will honor him by educating students," said Davis.
Parents dropping off their children at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary in Charlotte had differing opinions of the decision to keep schools open.
"I think it would take away some of what it represents," said Latasha Harris. Harris said she had not yet decided if she would keep her child home.
“I think that it is fine," said Roger Stowe.
"I think the spirit of Martin Luther King should rest in your heart,” Stowe said. “You should really celebrate him wherever you are."
Put yourself in the shoes of Michael Murray, the associate superintendent of a small school district in the North Carolina foothills.
He has to provide 180 days of education for his 6,000 students by June 10. This past week of unusually brutal ice and snow in the South put the district behind schedule, and he suspects that more snow days are coming.
By state law, the only holiday he cannot cancel is Veterans Day. His solution? Make children go to school on Monday, the day when most of the nation’s schools are closed to observe Martin Luther King’s Birthday.
In the South, where establishing an official holiday for Dr. King was long in coming, that kind of move can be particularly controversial. But administrators in a handful of districts in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina say they have no choice.
That is not going over well with some parents and politicians.
“It always seems like Martin Luther King day is the first one they are willing to give up,” said Dot Scott, president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton have also weighed in. “We’re urging people to keep their kids home,” Mr. Sharpton said. “It’s un-American not to observe the holiday.”
In South Carolina, the 17,400 students in the Rock Hill School District, 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C., will be in school on Monday. Making up for snow days will also put them in school on Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day.
“There’s no intention on our part to dishonor Martin Luther King in any way,” said a district spokeswoman, Elaine Baker. She said that even black families had contacted the district to support the move and that Dr. King would not have had a problem with students learning on his holiday.
That is not good enough for State Representative John R. King, whose district includes Rock Hill.
“The amount of snow has nothing to do with it; this is a state holiday,” he said. “I think it’s blatant. I think it’s disrespectful. As the only African-American legislator in my area, it’s a slap in my face and in the faces of people who look like me.”
The move has Mr. King so concerned that he plans to introduce a bill next week that would require the entire state to close schools on the King holiday.
In North Carolina and South Carolina in particular, the holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has long been a sensitive topic. Senators John P. East and Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republicans, provided stiff opposition in a battle to have the day declared a national holiday, which Congress did through legislation that President Ronald Reagan signed in 1983. At the time, only 27 states and Washington observed it as a holiday.
South Carolina became the last state to do so, in 2000, the same year the Legislature voted to remove the familiar Confederate battle flag that flew atop the Statehouse. The state now flies a smaller version of the battle flag in front of the Statehouse, and it will be the target of a rally on the King holiday.
But school administrators are pleading for mercy. Students can have excused absences that day, if they like. In some schools, the curriculum will be based on Dr. King’s story and the history of civil rights.
Mr. Murray, of the McDowell County public schools in North Carolina, said that other holidays were likely to become school days before the year is out.
And he has one more piece of bad news for students: they have to go to school this Saturday, too.
The NAACP held a press conference Friday morning, protesting the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ decision to have classes on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Chapter president Kojo Nantambu said the decision to use the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a snow make-up day is disrespectful to the memory of Dr. King.
Nantambu called for a protest at the Government Center on Monday at 10 a.m. and urged parents to keep their children out of school and bring them to the protest.
He said after the protest, the children will be taken to the Levine Museum of the South and to the Harvey Gantt Center where they would learn about the legacy of Dr. King.
“We are appalled that of all the days they would choose – that the Board of Education of Charlotte-Mecklenburg would choose to use the Martin Luther King birthday as a make-up day for snow, “ Nantambu said.
On Thursday, CMS board chairman Eric Davis said there will be special programs in the schools on Monday to let students learn more about Dr. King.
The calendar of make-up days was written two years ago and the board recently agreed that in 2012, no matter what, Martin Luther King Jr. Day would not be used as a make-up day.
Paul LePage, Maine's new Tea Party-backed Governor, will reportedly not attend an NAACP event to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and if the NAACP doesn't like it, LePage said, they can "kiss my butt."
"They are a special interest. End of story ... and I'm not going to be held hostage by special interests," LePage said, according to local station WCSH. "And if they want, they can look at my family picture. My son happens to be black, so they can do whatever they'd like about it."
LePage has an adopted son from Jamaica, WCSH reports.
The NAACP had invited the governor to visit black inmates at a Maine prison, according to CNN. LePage reportedly contends that the organization was upset he insisted on meeting with white prisoners as well.
Denise Lord, associate commissioner in the Department of Corrections, tells NEWS CENTER that she is not familiar with this specific invitation, but that she would be surprised if the prison had allowed an event that was only for black inmates.
LePage Spokesman Dan Demeritt told the local outlet that the governor had prior commitments during the proposed time slots.
LePage's gruff rhetoric also raised eyebrows during the 2010 campaign season when he told a group of fishermen at a Republican forum that they could expect to see him tell President Barack Obama to "go to hell."
As NBC and Conan O'Brien come close to reaching an agreement, fans of the late night host are planning protests.
A settlement that would let former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno reclaim the job from O'Brien, and allow O'Brien to leave the network, could come as early as today, ABCNews.com reports.
NBC will reportedly pay the ousted host between $30 and $40 million, a source close to contract negotiations told ABC.
Other "Tonight Show" staffers - many who followed O'Brien from New York to Los Angeles when he left "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" to take over the "Tonight Show" from Leno – will reportedly receive severance and buy-out packages.
Negotiations began last Wednesday, a day after O'Brien announced his refusal to go along with NBC's proposal to move his "Tonight Show" later, so that "The Jay Leno Show" could occupy the 11:35 p.m. time slot.
The staff severance packages are an apparent sticking point in contract negotiations, says ABC, since O'Brien's team wants "to make sure everyone's treated really well," says their source.
O'Brien isn't the only one offended by NBC's move. Fans in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle were planning to hold rallies to "show love" for O'Brien, whom they call "CoCo."
"I don't think we're going to change NBC's stance on what they want to do with late night – I think that's already been inked," rally organizer Mike Mitchell told ABC. "I think hopefully we're going to show Conan's got a huge following and we're behind him no matter where he ends up."
Mitchell also runs the Facebook group, "I'm With COCO," which grew from 200 to more than 315,000 members in days.
"Now is just a good time to support him because he's kind of been put in a tough spot and people can relate to his situation," the 27-year-old freelance illustrator says. "Everybody's had a bad boss that has maybe put them in a position that they didn't want to be in."
Even O'Brien's crew members are part of the movement.
"Everybody on the show has 'I'm With Coco' avatars on Facebook," Mitchell says. "I know personally they want to follow Conan wherever he goes. . . They love him and they respect him."
Meanwhile, the last "Tonight Show" featuring O'Brien as host is set to air this Friday.
Sources: NBC, NY Daily News, MSNBC, Facebook, Youtube
It was a fortune founded on the healing of Americans. But, in the 123 years since Robert Wood Johnson and his brothers began making bandages, the family has suffered its own plague of feuds and scandals.
Long before 30-year-old Casey Johnson’s body was found in Los Angeles on Monday, the pharmaceutical dynasty’s wealth didn't inoculate it against tragedy.
Though Casey’s death is still under investigation, the passing of his drug-addled daughter is bound to call up excruciating memories for New York Jets owner Robert (Woody) Johnson 4th, 62.
In 1975, his 25-year-old brother, Keith, died in his Fort Lauderdale., Fla., apartment, apparently of a cocaine overdose. Police found his nude body with a belt wrapped around one arm. In a nearby closet, cops found hypodermic needles, a spoon and a plastic bag stuffed with white powder.
The following month, Woody’s 22-year-old brother, Billy, was thrown 60 feet when his motorcycle crashed in Santa Monica, Calif. The family’s fortune, built on first aid, couldn’t save him.
“Woody rarely speaks about his brothers,” says a family friend. “But you can’t help but feel that year shaped him. It forced him to be strong. It may also have made him more guarded about revealing too much emotion. He keeps his cards pretty close to his vest.”
Some think that the no-nonsense owner of an NFL team was too hard on Casey, who saw her allowance dry up when her father was said to have become fed up with her bills and pills.
“After the death of his brothers, I think he could have been more understanding of her,” says a family friend. “He gave her attention, but I don’t know if it was the right kind.”
Casey was the first of the three daughters of Woody and wife Sale. (The couple married in 1979 and divorced in 2001.)
“Casey was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 8,” says the friend. “Sale and Woody were determined to do everything to help her. They co-wrote a book about juvenile diabetes. They kind of turned her into a poster child for the disease.
“But I don’t think she wanted to be a poster child. She wanted to be a healthy, normal kid. But she always felt she was different. She was very sad and searching to be loved.”
Another friend argues that Casey “was trouble from the time she was young. Her sister Jaime suffered from lupus disease, but she was a great student. Her sister Daisy is practically an Olympic-level equestrian.
“Casey couldn’t hold down a job. She went to work in PR for a while. I remember a fund-raiser for Christopher Reeve’s charity where she was supposed to be assisting guests, most of whom were in business attire. She showed up in a pink satin negligee with a feather boa. It was totally inappropriate, but she wanted to be the center of attention.
“You can’t say her parents neglected her,” continues the friend. “They didn’t divorce till she was 21. Sale helped her recover from a couple of diabetic comas. As a diabetic, Casey’s body couldn’t metabolize the drugs and alcohol she was using. They did everything they could to straighten her out. They sent her to one detox program after another — but she’d quit. They were trying to keep her alive.”
Sale also stepped into the breach when Casey adopted a baby girl, Ava, from Kazakhstan two years ago.
“Casey was probably the last person who should have been taking care of a baby,” says a family friend, pointing to reports of the bisexual Casey’s spats with girlfriends. (One gal pal, Courtenay Semel, allegedly set fire to Casey’s hair. Model Jasmine Lennerd had her arrested for allegedly stealing clothes and jewelry.)
While painful, the domestic strife was nothing new for Woody, who had grown up reading about his family in the tabloids.
His grandfather, Robert Wood Johnson 2nd, known as the General, had a bitter falling-out with Woody’s divorced father, firing him as president of Johnson & Johnson.
“The General stopped at nothing to take control of the company, and, like many famous men, he thought his own son was worthless,” family member Nicholas Rutgers told family biographer Barbara Goldsmith. “He used to tell my mother: ‘Bobby is nothing. Bobby will amount to nothing.’ ”
In the 1960s, Woody’s relative Mary Lea Johnson sued to get more money out of the family trust and went through a divorce, in which she accused her second husband, Victor D’Arc, of having “an open, notorious, continuous course of deviant homosexual intercourse” with the family chauffeur. She also claimed D’Arc had plotted to kill her. D’Arc denied the allegation.
Mary Lea ignited another court battle when she passed away, by leaving a fortune to Oscar-winning producer Marty Richards. Trustees of the family trust disputed the bequest.
But wait, there’s more.
In a 1963 divorce proceeding, it came out that Woody’s great-uncle John Seward Johnson Jr. had allowed his wife to move her boyfriend into their home, and that she had even ordered her husband to pay for a trip the lovers took aboard the Queen Elizabeth.
Seward Johnson Jr., then in his 70s, took as his third wife his much-younger Polish maid, Basia. His furious children charged that she helped him rework his will on his deathbed, leaving her all his money. The children eventually re-claimed their inheritance, or at least what was left of it after the legal bills.
It appears to be a case of familial feuding that runs right up to today. Memories of those scandals had just started to dim for Woody when, in 2003, Casey declared war on his sister Elizabeth (Libet) Ross Johnson. Libet, who was married five times before she was 40 (once to singer Michael Bolton), had once been great pals with Casey. Together, aunt and niece traveled to Cambodia, where Libet had founded an orphanage. Casey said she wanted to bring home a Cambodian child.
But then Casey claimed in print that Libet had stolen her boyfriend John Dee (ex-husband of actress Lara Flynn Boyle).
“I think that was the final straw for Woody,” says a friend. “Casey was attacking his only sister. It was too much. He didn’t talk with Casey for a long time.”
In spite of their ongoing problems, a friend says, “I’m sure Woody is terribly tormented by her death. I’m sure he and Sale would do anything to bring Casey back.
“Casey always had Sale to look out for Ava. When Casey started spinning out of control, Sale flew to California to get Ava. That may have sent Casey further off the rails. She came back to New York in the fall, determined to get Ava back. Thank goodness, Sale didn’t let Ava go.”
Sale, who married former Minnesota Vikings star Ahmad Rashad in 2007, didn’t return calls for comment but, in 2008, she insisted the child wasn’t at risk.
“She only takes drugs for her diabetes,” she told the Daily News. “Ava is the happiest, spunkiest kid I’ve ever seen. If Casey were to have to go into the hospital, that would affect Ava, but it’s not affecting her mothering abilities. Ava’s favorite word is mommy. She kisses the photographs of Casey. Casey worships the ground Ava walks on.”
Welcome to the BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ Blog. (Established 2008)
My name is Laurel. (Author & Publisher)
I Blog with a focus on POLITICS, Business, and occasionally Entertainment.
FACTS ABOUT LAUREL:
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Please don’t ask me to Compensate you for Expressing individual commentary/ Posted Articles, which are protected by the First Amendment, citing Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Expression.
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Per the Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case: 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan………
The Public has a Right to Criticize the People who Govern them, so the least Protection from Defamation is given to Public Officials. When officials are accused of something that involves their behavior in office, they have to prove all of the above elements of defamation and they must also prove that the defendant acted with “actual malice.” (For a definition of actual malice, see the “History of Defamation and the First Amendment, below.”)
People who aren’t Elected but who are Still Public Figures because they are influential or famous — like Actors, Actresses, Movie Stars, Singers & Entertainers, Journalists, TV Hosts, Bloggers, etc., — also have to Prove that Defamatory statements were made with Actual Malice, in most cases.
To the Associated Press and other Media Organizations:
When I use your Content Links., I’m also citing the Fair Use Doctrine (Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107) for further Copyright permission.
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Laurel @BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ
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