forgot her i.d. but a we saw her inside the white house doing the mannequin challenge with the other honorees. it is the highest civilian honor in the country that the president can give. thank you for joining us. here's shep. it's 3:00 on the east coast, noon on the west coast. we'll take a live look at the white house where the presidential medal of freedom is about to be bestowed upon a number of people, many names if you've heard, many names that you haven't, a few, kareem abdul jabbar, ellen degeneres, robert de niro, bill and melindagates, frank geary, tom hanks. a star-studded affair, no doubt. and something to which we in this hour look forward to every year for many presidents past. as this is sort of the time of day when this happens. it often happens as an outgoing president is in the process of transitioning as we are now. i remember this happening with president bush and presidents previous. and it is always really sort of

a great american day no matter how you feel about it politically. it's normally a big american thank you to people who have made a difference in our lives. and it's the president's opportunity to say something nice about them and give them their moment in the sun after what is, you know, widely believed to be fantastic accomplishments. in the room now, you see members of the president's cabinet and many of those who will receive these awards. they are running just a couple minutes behind. and over the last hour, we've gotten a flood of new information from the president-elect about many subjects, this is all new. and we'll get to what we can before the ceremony begins. first off, and this one is complicated, prosecuting hillary clinton. remember now, first donald trump said she should be in jail. then he said he would prosecute her. then he said, he would launch an investigation. then he became the president-elect. hours ago his senior adviser says president-elect trump does not plan to pursue charges

against hillary clinton. then breitbart news ran headlines about it. conservative commentators went off about it to some degree. there was a great deal of uproar about what you might call the base, among many in the alt-right. and now something brand new, donald trump has just been sitting down for an interview with "the new york times," which he first said he would do, and then said he wouldn't do. and this morning went back and said he would do. and now he has told them, and we know this through tweets from maggie havreman from the new york times, he says he still might try to lock up hillary clinton after all, which would be a complete reversal of his campaign promise to appoint a prosecutor and put secretary clinton in jail. no matter how you feel about secretary clinton, whether she should be investigated or prosecuted or just locked up or left to her own accords or talked about endlessly, all the positions are available to you depending on which version you would like.

all available right now. so anything you want to happen to secretary clinton, any of those matters are now available to you almost officially from the now president-elect's mouth. and we have all of them. so whichever one you like, you may have it. according to a reporter at "the times," trump told journalists, quote, my inclination would be for whatever power i have on the matter is to say let's so forward. this has been looked at for so long ad nauseum. and i quote, it i think it would be very very divisive for the president count /* -- country, end quote. >> if donald trump can help her heal, then perhaps that's a good thing. >> well, just hours after that

comment from senior adviser kellyanne conway, president-elect trump told "the new york times" he's not taking a clinton investigation off the table. it's not off the table. the president-elect told "the times" he'll keep an open mind on climate change, which he used to call a hoax, but no more. so if you want the president-elect to believe climate change is a hoax, he said that on the record. and today he admitted, quote, he does see some connectivity between human activity and global warming, end quote. which could make it not a hoax, so if that's what you prefer, that is also now available to you. during this interview, donald trump also distanced himself from the so-called alt-right movement. it was a movement that he said did not exist, and over which steve bannon had no control, but his aids said his site breitbart.com was a site for the alt-right. but now he said, i don't want to energize the group, and i disavow the group. of course, the president-elect' chief strategist and former

campaign ceo steve bannon was an executive at a website called breitbart news, which he said was a website for the alt-right. trump said he would have never bannon if he thought he was a racist or part of the alt-right movement. but bannon said he was the head of the news organization as he put it that was for the alt-right. so all of those positions are now available. the president-elect has also posted a youtube video laying out his agenda. the problem with the youtube video from the journalist standpoint is, journalists want to be there when he makes statements. we want to hear the statements and ask questions about them where appropriate. we were not allowed there. no journalists were. therefore, we will not be showing it. that's the fox news policy, and it has been. it does not include some of the other campaign promises. he did not mention building the wall along the border with mexico at all. he did not mention banning muslims from entering the country or banning anyone from entering the country.

instead, donald trump said he wants to focus on creating jobs and cutting regulation. and it looks like he's trying to reach out to people who did not vote for him. it really has some positions for those who did, some positions from the disaffected, those from the rust belt being left behind and he made a number of statements and those are van available. and trump ended the video, which we won't be showing, by saying he, quote, wants to make america great for everyone. peter doocy is live at trump tower. thanks to maggie haferman from the new york times who was able to get some information from president-elect trump. they said reince priebus miscommunicated saying the meeting was off. then they rescheduled the meeting and they just had it and we have learned a lot about it, right, peter?

>> reporter: right. we know the meeting happened because we saw the motorcade leave and went to the "times" headquarters. and donald trump behind closed doors started tweeting. the impression we get based on the tweets is that mr. trump, the president-elect, is tired of talking about hillary clinton's legal problems. one of the reporter there is wrote that trump said this, quo, i don't want to hurt the clintons, i really don't. she went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways, end quote. trump is also quoted as saying that he thinks the clinton foundation, some could argue, has done some good work. and he's listed that as one of the reasons that when he gets sworn in as president, he does not plan as of right now to aggressively pursue prosecution of hillary clinton, although it is something that is still on the table. not ruled out completely yet. >> but kellyanne conway said there will be no prosecution, that he really wants to move on. that's what we were hearing from inside his circle.

and then when he was pressed on it by "the new york times," we got another answer, not a different answer, but another answer. did he say anything about cabinet appointees today to "the new york times"? >> reporter: it was interesting, in terms of who is going to be doing what in the trump administration, trump suggested that his son-in-law jared kushner could play a big role in solving a problem that has vexed american presidents for the last several decades. one of the "times" reporters wrote, i asked the president of the united states what role he could see kushner playing and he said, he indicated a formal role unlikely. and then he said, quote, i would love to be the one who made peace with israel and the palestinians, end quote. he thinks climate change is possibly connected to human activity, but as for staying in

international global warming accord, there's this from a reporter who was there. quote, on climate change, trump says he's also thinking about how much it will cost our companies and the effect on american competitiveness, end quote. mr. trump is now set to head on to palm beach for thanksgiving. >> peter doocy, live from trump tower. there will be much more on this throughout the day. and there will be more on "special report" tonight. we'll sort out what has been said, what is being said. the different sort of statements available in all the different matters, whether to prosecute, whether or not to prosecute, whether to put her in jail, whether to investigate, whether to just move on. all of those things are out there and available for you. for today and for the next hour or so, the awarding of the presidential medal of freedom. as i mentioned, this is a day we look forward to in this hour no

matter who the president, no matter who the recipients, right before thanksgiving, we all have so much to be thankful for. and the president is making the point today that these are some of the people and their works who our nation has to be thankful for. so enjoy this with us. we will not interrupt this in any way. and we'll listen together with you as we head off toward a thanksgiving holiday. here we go. >> tom hanks. debra marie subbing on behalf of grace hopper. michael jordan.

maya lee. lawrence michaels. eduardo padron. robert redford. diana ross.

vin scully. bruce springsteen. cicely tyson. [ cheers and applause ]

ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states. ♪ ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama. [ cheers and applause ]

>> thank you. thank you. everyone please have a seat. we have some work to do here. this is not all fun and games. welcome to the white house, everybody. today we celebrate extraordinary americans who have lifted our spirits, strengthened our union, pushed us towards progress. i always love doing this event. but this is a particularly impressive class. we've got innovators and artists, public servants, rebel rousers, athletes, renown

character actors, like the guy from "space jam." we pay tribute to those distinguished individuals with our nation's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom. now, let me tell you a little bit about each of them. first we came close to missing out on a bill and melinda gates incredible partnership because apparently bill's opening line was, do you want to go out two weeks from this coming saturday? the man is good with computers but -- fortunately, melinda

believes in second chances and the world is better for it. for two decades the gates' foundation has worked to provide life-saving medical care to millions, boosting clean water supplies, improving education for our children, rallying aggressive international action on climate change, cutting childhood mortality in half, the list could go on. these two have donated more money to charitable causes than anyone ever. many years ago melinda's mom told her an old saying, to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived, that is success. and by this, in just about any other measure, few in human history have been more successful than these two impatient optimists. frank gehry has never reversed

his impulse defying convention. i was an outsider from the beginning, he says, so for better, for worse, i thrived on it. the child of poor jewish immigrants, frank grew up in los angeles and throughout his life he embraced the spirit of the city defined by an open horizon. he spent his life rethinking shapes and mediums, seemingly the force of gravity itself, the idea of what architecture could be, he decided to up-end, constantly repurposing every material available from titanium to paper towel tubes. he is inspiring our next generation through his advocacy through art generations in our schools. from the gugenheim to chicago parks to his home in santa monica, which causes consternation among his

neighbors, frank's work teaches us that while building could be sturdy to the ground, great art can lift our spirits, soar and broaden our horizons. when an undergraduate from rural appalachia first set foot on the national mall many years ago, she was trying to figure out a whey to show that war is not just a victory or a loss, but about individual lives. she considered how the landscape might shape that message rather than the other way around. the project that maya lin designed for her class earned her a b-plus. and a permanent place in american history. so all of you b-plus students out there -- the vietnam veterans memorial has changed the way we think about monuments but also how we think about sacrifice and patriotism in

ourselves. maya has given us more places than for memory, she created places for us to make new memories, her sculptures, chapels, homes are physical acts of poetry to remind us of the most important element in art or architecture is human emotion. three minutes before armstrong and aldrin touched down on the moon, apollo 11's lunar lander alarm's trigger red and yellow lights across the board. the astronauts didn't have much time, but thankfully they had margaret hamilton. a young mit scientist and a working mom in the '60s, margaret led the team that created the software to allow the eagle to land safely. and keep in mind at this time software engineering wasn't even a field yet. there were no textbooks to follow, so as margaret says, there was no choice but to be pioneers. luckily for us, margaret never stopped pioneering and she

symbolizes that generation of unsung women who helped send humankind into space. her software architecture echoes in countless technologies today. and her example speaks of the american spirit of discovery that exists in every little girl and little boy to know that somehow to look beyond the heavens is to look deep within ourselves and figure out just what is possible. if right is flight and edison is light, then hopper is code. born in 1906, rear admiral grace murray hopper followed her mother into mathematics and earned her ph.d. from yale and set out on a long and storied career. at age 37 in a full 15 pounds below military guidelines, the gutsy and colorful grace joined the navy and was sent to work on one of the first computers.

she saw beyond the bound ris of the possible and invented the first compiler, which allowed programs to be written in regular language and then translated for computer to understand. while the women who pioneered software were often overlooked, the most prestigious award for young computer scientists now bear her name. from cell phones to cyber command, we can thank grace hopper for opening programming to millions more people, helping to usher in the information age and profoundly shaping our digital world. speaking of really smart people n the summer of 1950 a young chicago physicist found himself at alamos national laboratory. duke garwin was there base chicago paid its faculty for nine months but his family ate for 12. so by the next summer, dick helped create the hydrogen bomb. and for the rest of his life he

dedicated himself to reducing the threat of nuclear war. dick's not only an architect of the atomic age, ever since he was a cleveland kid tinkering with his father's movie projectors, he's never met a problem he didn't want to solve. recognizant satellites, gps technology, the touchscreen all bear his fingerprints. he even patented a muscle washer for shellfish, which that i haven't used. the other stuff i have. where is he? dick has advised every president since eisenhower, often rather bluntly, and rico is said to have called dick the only true genius i have ever met. i do want to see the mussel

washer. along with these scientists, artists and thinkers we honor those who shaped our culture from the stage and the screen. in her long and extraordinary career, cicely tyson has shaped the course of history. she was never the likelyiest of hollywood stars. the daughter of immigrants from the west indes, she was raised by a mother who cleaned houses and forbade her children to attend the movies, but once she got her education and broke into the business, cicely made a conscious decision, not just to salines but to speak out. i would not accept roles, she said, unless they projected us, particularly women n a realistic light and dealt with us as human beings. and from sounder to the trip to bountiful to the autobiography of miss jane pittman, cicely's convictions helped for us to see the dignity of every single

beautiful member of the american family. and she's just gorgeous. [ applause ] yes, she is. in 1973, a critic wrote of robert de niro, this kid doesn't just act, he takes off into the vapors. and it was true, his characters are iconic. this sicilian father turned new york mobster, a mobster who runs a casino, a mobster who needs therapy, a father-in-law who is scarier than a mobster, al capone, al mobster, robert combines dramatic precision and it turns out comedic timing with his signature eye for detail. and while the name de niro iscy

than mou non -- synonomous with tough guy, he has tireless preparation from learning the saxophone to remaking his body, he once said, i feel i have to earn the right to play a part. and the result is honest and authentic art that reveals who we really are. in 1976 lorne michaels asked the beatles to reunite on his show. in exchange he offered them $3,000. and then he told them, they can share it equally or they could give ringo a smaller cut, which was early proof that lorne michaels has a sense of humor.

on "saturday night live" he's created world where abandoned no names become comedy's biggest stars, where our friends the coneheads and cheerleaders and land sharks and basement deadbeets and motivational speakers and unfrozen caveman lawyers show up, and tom hanks is on black "jeopardy." after four decades, even in this fractured media culture that we've got, "snl" remains appointment viewing, a mainland into not just our counter culture but our culture. still a challenge to the powerful, especially folks like me. and yet even after all these years, lorne jokes his tombstone should bear a single word that's often found in the show's

reviews, uneven. as a current u.s. senator would say, dog gone it, lorne, that's why people like you. and he's produced a senator or two. that's pretty impressive. ellen degeneres has a way of making you laugh about some thing rather than at someone. except when i danced on her show, she laughed at me. but that's okay. it's easy to forget now, when we've come so far, where now marriage is equal under the law, just how much courage was required for ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago, just how important it was, not just to

the lbgt community, but for all of us to see somebody so full of kindness and liked, somebody we liked so much, somebody who could be our neighbor or our colleague or our sister, challenge our own assumptions, remind us that we have more in common than we realize, push our country in the direction of justice. what an incredible burden that was to bear, to risk your career like that. people don't do that very often. and then to have the hopes of millions on your shoulders. but it's like ellen says, we all want a tortilla chip to support the weight of guacamole, which really makes no sense to me. but i thought it would break the mood because i was getting kind of choked up. and she did pay a price.

we don't remember this. i had to remember. she did, for a pretty long stretch of time. even in hollywood. and yet, today, every day in every way, ellen counters what too often divides us, with the countless things that bind us together, inspires us to be better, one joke, one dance at a time. when the candidate wins his race in the iconic 1972 film of "the same name," which continues by the way for those of you who haven't seen it and many of you are too young to be perhaps the best movie about what politics is actually like ever, he famously asks his campaign manager the reflective and revealing question, what do we

do now? and like the man he play in that movie, robert redford has figured it out. and applied his talent and charm to achieve success. we admire bob not just for his remarkable acting but for having figured out what to do next. he created platform for independent the sundance institute. he has supported our national parks and our national resources as one of the foremost conservationists of our generation. he's given his unmatched charisma to rory hobbs, nathan mure and the sundance kid entertaining us for more than half a century. as an actor, director, producer and advocate, he has not stopped. and apparently drives so fast that he had breakfast in napa and dinner in salt lake. at 80 years young, robert redford has no plans to slow down.

according to a recent headline, the movie "julisully, was the last straw, we should never travel with tom hanks. you have pilots and crashes, you have purgatory, volcanos, something happens which tom hanks. and yet somehow we can't resist going where he wants to take us. he's been an accidental witness to history, a crusty woman's baseball manager, and every man who fell in love with meg ryan three times, made it seem natural to have a volleyball as your best friend. from a philadelphia courtroom to normandy's beachheads to the dark side of the moon, he has introduced us to america's unassuming heroes. tom says he just saw ordinary guys who did the right thing at the right time. well, it takes one to know one.

and america's dad has stood up to cancer with his beloved wife rita, he's championed our veterans, supported space exploration and the truth is, tom has always saved his best roles for real life. he is a good man. which is the best title you can have. so we've got innovators, entertainers, three more folks who have dedicated themselves to public service. in the early 1960s, thousands of cuban children fled to america seeking an education they would never get back home. and one refugee was a 15-year-old named eduardo padron who enrolled at college that led to a master's degree, then a ph.d., and then he had a choice to go to corporate america or give back to his alma mater. and eduardo decided to create more stories like his.

as miami-dade's president since 1995, dr. padron has built one of the most diverse student bodies. 165,000 students in all. he's one of the world's preeminent education leaders, seeking outside the box, supporting students throughout their lives, embodying the belief that we are only as great as the doors we open. eduardo's example is one we can all follow, a champion of those who strive for the same american dream that first drew him to our shores. when elouise cobell first filed a lawsuit, she said, i just wanted to give people -- i just wanted to give justice to people that didn't have it. and her lifelong quest to address the mismanagement of american-indian lands resources trust funds wasn't about special treatment, but the equal treatment at the heart of the

american promise. she fought for almost 15 years across three presidents, seven trials, ten appearances before a federal appeals court, all the while she traveled the country some 40 weeks a year telling the story of her people. in the end, this graduate of a one-room schoolhouse became a mcarthur genius, she was a proud daughter of montana's black feet nation, reached ultimately a historic victory for all native americans through sheer force of will and the belief that the truth will win out. elouise cobell overcame the longest odds reminding us that fighting for what is right is always worth it. now every journalist in the room, every media critic knows the phrase newt minow coined, "the vast wasteland." but these two words are

remembered, public interest. that's been the heartbeat of his life's work. advocated for residents in public housing, advising a governor and a supreme court justice, cementing presidential debates as our national instituti institution, leading the sec. when newt helped launch the first communications satellite making nationwide broadcasts possible and eventually gps possible and cell phones possible, he predicted it would be more important than the moon landing. this will launch ideas into space, he said. and ideas last longer than people. as far as i know, he's the only one of today's honorees who was present on my first day with michelle. imagine our surprise when we saw newt, one of our boss' that summer at movie theater. do the right thing. so he's also been vital to my

personal interest. and finally, we honor five of the all-time greats in sports and music. the game of baseball has a handful of signature sounds. you hear the crack of the bat, you got the crowd singing in the seventh inning stretch, and you've got the voice of vin scully. most fans listen to a game's broadcast when they can't be at the ballpark, generations of dodgers fans brought their radio into the stands. because you didn't want to miss one of vin's stories. most play-by-play announcers partner with an analyst in the booth to chat about the action. vin worked alone. and taught just with us. since jackie robinson started at second base, vin's taught us the game and introduced us to its players, he narrated the impossible years, the impossible

heroics, turned contests into conversations. when he heard about his dishonor, then asked with characteristic humility, are you sure? i'm just an old baseball announcer. and we had to inform him that to americans of all ages, you are a old friend. in fact, i thought about him doing all these citations, which would have been very cool but -- i thought we should make him sing for a supper like that. up next -- here's how great kareem abdul jabbar was. 1967 he had spent a year dominating college basketball. the ncaa bans the dunk.

didn't say it was about kareem, but it was about kareem. when a sport changes its rules, to make it harder just for you, you are really good. [ applause ] and yet despite the rule change, he was still the sport's most unstoppable force. a title he would hold for more than two decades, winning nba finals, mvps a staggering 14 years apart. bless you. and as a surprisingly similar looking co-pilot, roger murdoch once said in the movie "airplane," we have some great actors here, "space jam,"

"airplane," he did it all in 48 minutes. but the reason we honor kareem is more than just a pair of goggles and the sky hoop. he stood up for his muslim faith when it wasn't easy and when it wasn't popular. he's as comfortable sparring with bruce lee as he is advocating on capitol hill or writing with extraordinary eloquence about patriotism. physically, intellectually, spiritually, kareem is an american who illuminates our basic freedoms and highest aspirations. when he was 5 years old, michael jordan nearly cut off his big toe with an ax. back then his handle needed a little work. but think, if things had gone differently, air jordans might never have taken flight. i mean, you don't want to buy a

shoe with, like, one toe missing. we may never have seen him switch hands in mid-air against the lakers or drop 63 in the garden or gut it out in the flu game or hit the shot three different times over georgetown, over russell. we might not have seen him take on larry bird in horse. or lift up the sport globally along with the dream team. yet m.j. is still more than those moments, more than just the best player on the two greatest teams of all time, the dream team and the 1996 chicago bulls. he's more than just a logo, more than just an internet meme. more than just a charitable donor or business owner committed to diversity, there is

a reason you call somebody the michael jordan of -- michael jordan of neurosurgery or michael jordan of rabbis, or the michael jordan of -- you know what you're talking about. because michael jordan is the michael jordan of greatness. he is the definition of somebody so good at what they do that everybody recognizes it. that's pretty rare. as a child, diana ross loved singing and dancing for family friends, but not for free. she was smart enough to pass the hat. and later in detroit's brewster housing projects, she met florence ballard, her neighbor, smokey robson put them in front of barry gordy and the rest was magic. music history. the supremes earned a permanent

place in the american soundtrack, along with her honey voice, her soulful sensibility, diana exuded glamour and grace and filled stages that helped to shape the sound of motown. on top of becoming one of the most successful recording artists of all time, raised five kids, somehow found time to earn an oscar nomination for acting. today, from the hip-hop that samples her to the young sinners who have been inspired by her to the audiences that still cannot get enough of her, diana ross' influence is inescapable as ever. he was sprung from a cage out on highway 9. quiet kid from jersey. just trying to make sense of the temples of dreams and the mystery that dotted his hometown, pool halls, bars,

girls and cars, altars and assembly lines. and for decades, bruce springsteen has brought us all along on a journey consumed with the bargains between ambition and injustice and pleasure and pain. the simple glories and scatter of heartbreak of every day life in america. to create one of his biggest hits, he once said, i wanted to craft a record that sounded like the last record on earth. the last one you would ever need to hear, one glorious noise. then the apocalypse. every restless kid in america was given a story, born to run. he didn't stop there. once he told us about himself, he told us about everybody else. steel worker in youngstown, the vietnam vet in "born to run," "born in the usa." the sick and marginalized on the streets of philadelphia. the firefighter carrying the weight of a resilient nation on

the horizon, the young soldier reckoning with devils in iraq. the communities knocked down by recklessness and greed in the wrecking ball. all of us with our faults and failings, every color, class and creed bound together by one defiant restless train rolling toward the land of hope and dreams. these are all anthems of our america, the reality of who we are and the reverie of who we want to be. the hallmark of a rock and roll band, bruce springsteen said, the narrative you hold together is bigger than anyone could have told on your own. and for decades alongside the big man, little steven, the jersey girl named patty and all the men and women of the east street band, bruce springsteen has been carrying the rest of us on his yojourney, asking us all what is the work for us to do in our short time here?

i am the president, he is the boss. and pushing 70, he's still laying down for our lifesets. if you have not been at them, he is working. fire-breathing rock and roll. so i thought twice about giving him a medal name for freedom because we hope he remains, in his words, a prisoner of rock and roll for years to come. so, i told you, this is like a really good class. ladies and gentlemen, i want you all to give it up for the recipients of the 2016 presidential medal of freedom. [ cheers and applause ] this is a good group. all right.

now we've got to actually give them medals. so please be patient. we are going to have my military aide read the citations. each one will come up to receive the medals and then we'll wrap up the program. okay, let's hit. >> kareem abdul-jabaar. [ applause ] an iconic basketball player who revolutionized the sport with his all-around play and sky hook, kareem abdul-jabaar is a 19-time all-star, a six-time world champion and the leading scorer in nba history.

adding to his achievements on the court, he also left his mark off of it advocating for civil rights, cancer research, science education and social justice. in doing so, kareem abdul-jabaar leaves a towering legacy of compassion, faith and service to others. a legacy based not only on the strength and grace of his athleticism, but on the sharpness of his mind and the size of his heart. [ applause ] kurt cobell accepting on behalf of his mother, elouise cobell.

a member of the black feet nation, elouise cobell spent her life defying the odds and working on behalf of the people. as a young woman she was told she was not capable of accounting so she mastered the field. she helped restore triable lands to her black feet nation and any other tribes. her unwavering spirit lives on in thousands of people and thousands of tribes for w fought and in all those she taught to believe that it is never to late to right the wrongs of the past and help shape a better future. [ applause ]

ellen degeneres. in a career standing three decades, ellen degeneres has lifted our spirits and brought joy to our lives as a stand-up comic and television star. in every role she reminds us to be kind to one another and to treat people as each of us wants to be treated. as a pivotal moment, her counselor and candor helped change the hearts and minds of millions of americans, accelerating our nation's constant drive toward equality and acceptance for all. again and again, ellen degeneres has shown us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place so long as we just keep swimming. [ applause ]

robert de niro. [ applause ] for over 50 years, robert de niro has delivered some of the screens most memorable performances, cementing his place as one of the most gifted actors of his generation. from the "did godfather part 2" to "legendary heat," relentle relentlessly committed to his character, he created nuance

portraits to reflect the heart of the experience. robert de niro continues to demonstrate the extraordinary skill that has made him one of the most revered and influential artists. [ applause ] richard l. garwin. [ applause ] one of the most renown scientific and engineering minds of our time, dr. richard garwin has always answered the call to help solve society's most problems. he pioneered his work in defense and technologies with defense

and leadership that underscores the urgency for humanity to control the spread of nuclear arms, through his advice to republican and democratic administrations dating to president eisenhower, his contributions in fundamental research and his inventions that power technology that drive our modern world, richard garwin contributed not only to this nation's security and prosperity, but to the quality of life for people all over the world. [ applause ] william h. gates iii and melinda

gates. few people have had the profound global impact of bill and melinda gates. through their work at the bill and melinda gates foundation, they demonstrated how the most capable and fortunate among us have the responsibility to use their talents and resources to tackle the world's greatest challenges. from lifting themselves out of poverty, they have transformered countless lives with their generosity. bill and melinda gates continue to inspire us with their inpatient optimism that together we can remake the world as it should be. [ applause ]

frank gehry. [ applause ] never limited by conventional materials, styles or processes, frank gehry's bold and thoughtful structures demonstrate architecture's power to revitalize communities. he began his career by building imaginary homes in cities with scrap material from his grandfather's hardware store. since then his work continues to strike a balance between experimentation and functionality resulting in some of the 20th century's most iconic buildings. from his pioneer use of technology to the dozens of sites to bear his signature style to public service as a

citizen artist through his work with turn-around arts, frank gehry has proven himself an exemplary scholar of american innovation. [ applause ] margaret hayfield hamilton. [ applause ] a pioneer in technology, margaret hamilton helped launch an industry to change human history. her software architecture led to giant leaps for human kind, riding the code to help america set foot on the moon. she broke barriers and founding

her own software businesses, revolutionizing an industry and inspiring countless women to probe in stem fields. her genius has inspired generations to reach for the stars. [ applause ] thomas j. hanks. [ applause ] throughout a distinguished film career, tom hanks has revealed a

character of america as well as his own. portraying war heroes and astronauts, a ship captain, a cartoon cowboy, a young man growing up too fast and dozens of others, he's allowed us to see ourselves not only as we are but as we aspire to be. on screen and off, tom hanks has honored the sacrifices of those who served our nation, and called on us to think big and inspire a new generation of young people to reach for the sky. [ applause ] debra murray accepting on behalf of her great-aunt grace murray

hopper. [ applause ] as a child who loved disassembling alarm clocks, grace hopper found her calling early. with a ph.d. in mathematics from yale, hopper serve in the navy during world war ii becoming one of the first programmers in early computing. known today as the queen of code, grace hopper's work helped make the coding language more practical and assessable. she invented the first compiler or translator, a fundamental element of our world. amazing grace was committed to making the language of computer programming more universal. today we honor her contributions to computer science and the sense of possibility she inspired in generations of young people. [ applause ]

michael j. jordan. [ applause ] powered by a drive to compete that earned him every major award in basketball, including six nba champions, five most valuable player awards and two gold medals, michael jordan has a name that's become a synonym for excellent. his high-flying dunks make him a global superstar that tr transcended basketball. his life and example have

inspired millions of americans to strive to be like mike. [ applause ] maya y. lin. boldly challenging our understanding of the world, maya lin's designs have brought people of all walks of life together with remembrance and humanity. the manipulation of natural