"As he leaves the hospital, the former vice president and his family want to again express their deep gratitude to the donor and the donor's family for this remarkable gift," aide Kara Ahern said in a statement.
Cheney waited nearly two years for the transplant. He suffered five heart attacks, with the first one striking him at age 37 and the most recent one in 2010. That year, Cheney also had surgery to implant a small pump to help keep his heart beating.
The odds of survival are good. More than 70 percent of heart-transplant patients live at least five years, although survival is a bit lower for people over 65. Cheney was President George W. Bush's vice president for eight years, beginning in 2001.
- AP
In a statement, the Miss Universe Organization said that 23-year-old Jenna Talackova, who underwent a sex change four years ago, can compete in the 2012 competition to become Canada's pageant contestant. Talackova's attorney, Gloria Allred, held a news conference earlier Tuesday demanding that the organization eliminate its rule requiring contestants to be born female.
The Miss Universe Organization, which is run by Trump, said that it made a fair and just decision on Monday to allow Talackova's participation. The organization said that it was reviewing rules to make sure similar issues did not arise again.
- AP
The measure passed by the Tennessee General Assembly would protect teachers who allow students to criticize evolution and other scientific theories, such as global warming. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said this week that he would likely sign it into law.
Haslam said the State Board of Education has told him the measure won't affect the state's current scientific curriculum for primary, middle, or high school students. Louisiana enacted a similar law in 2008. The bill says it would encourage critical thinking by protecting teachers from discipline if they help students critique "scientific weaknesses." - AP
