This is What’s Trending Today. Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, died Monday. She had Parkinson’s disease, which affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles. She was 78 years old. The attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice. Many people remembered her on social media sites Monday, making her name one of the top trending topics. Reno was the attorney general under President Bill Clinton for eight years, beginning in 1993. Reno grew up in Miami, Florida. She studied chemistry at Cornell University in the state of New York. She graduated from Harvard University’s school of law in 1963. Reno started her career at a legal office in Miami before joining public service. While Reno was U.S. attorney general, the Department of Justice was involved in a number of important cases. Reno ordered a raid of a religious group’s property in Waco, Texas during a standoff with government officers. The raid resulted in the deaths of nearly 80 members of the group. She was involved in the capture and prosecution of Ted Kaczynski, a man who sent bombs through the mail. Under Reno, the Justice Department brought charges against men who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. It also investigated and tried the case of men who bombed a government building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which killed more than 160 people. And her department brought an anti-trust lawsuit against the huge software company Microsoft. Towards the end of her time as attorney general, the Department of Justice was involved in a case involving a boy from Cuba. The boy, Elian Gonzalez, was born in Cuba. He lived with his mother in Florida. When the boy’s mother died, he continued living in Florida with his mother’s family. Reno said he should go back to Cuba to live with his father. Federal agents took the boy away and sent him back Cuba. Not everyone in the U.S. approved of her decisions. However, she was very visible during her term. Even the comedy television show Saturday Night Live included her in skits. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Do you remember some of the cases Reno worked on? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story skit– n. a short, funny story or performance anti-trust– adj. protecting against unfair business practices that limit competition or control prices raid– n. an occurrence in which police suddenly enter a place in a forceful way to find criminals, illegal drugs, etc. standoff– n. an argument
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