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Alex Wagner

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Alex Wagner
Wagner in December 2011
Born
Alexandra Swe Wagner

(1977-12-04) December 4, 1977 (age 46)
Washington, DC
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBrown University
OccupationTelevision show host
Spouse
​
(m. 2014)​
Parent(s)Tin Swe Thant
Carl Wagner
WebsiteMSNBC: Now With Alex Wagner

Alexandra Swe "Alex" Wagner (born December 4, 1977)[2] is an American television host and liberal political commentator. She was the anchor of the daytime program Now with Alex Wagner on MSNBC.

Early life and education

Alex Wagner was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Her mother, Tin Swe Thant, is an immigrant from Rangoon, Myanmar, who became a naturalized American after marrying Alex's father.[2] Her father, Carl Wagner, is from Iowa, of German and Irish descent, and is a prominent Democratic Party political consultant who co-chaired Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign.[3] She attended Woodrow Wilson High School[4] and graduated from Brown University in 1999, having studied art history and literature.[5][1] Wagner was raised Roman Catholic.[6]

Career

Wagner has worked as the cultural correspondent for the Center for American Progress.[7] From 2003 to 2007, she was editor-in-chief of The Fader magazine, covering music and cultural movements from around the world.[8] She also served as executive director of Not On Our Watch Project, an advocacy organization focused on mass atrocities and human rights violations.[8]

Wagner then became the White House correspondent for Politics Daily, a political news magazine under AOL News.[8] She moved to The Huffington Post after it was acquired by AOL.[9]

As an analyst on MSNBC, Wagner appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann and The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.[10]

On November 14, 2011, Wagner began hosting Now with Alex Wagner weekdays (originally at noon ET, but later at 4 PM ET).[11] On July 30, 2015, MSNBC President Tim Griffin announced that the series had been cancelled in an effort to transiton the network's daytime programming to more breaking news reporting and less political commentary and opinion. The next day the program aired its final episode.

Political views

She has described herself as progressive[12] and believes that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution should be repealed.[13] On matters involving Israel, she believes that there is an element of “trepidation that inhibits a robust discussion about Israel in the American media" due to fears of being falsely slurred as an anti-Semite.[14]

Personal life

On August 30, 2014, Wagner married former White House chef Sam Kass in a ceremony held at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant in Pocantico Hills, New York.[15] The wedding was attended by President Obama and his family, as Kass is considered a family friend.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b Weisberg, Jacob (January 22, 2014). "The Talk of the Town: Alex Wagner and Sam Kass—Politics' It Couple". Vogue. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Goodman, Lizzy (April 19, 2012). "Politicool: Alex Wagner". Elle. Retrieved August 11, 2012. Wagner, who is 34 but looks 26, is young to have her own TV show... "I feel strongly about this as the first-generation American on my mom's side," Wagner says. (Her mother is from Burma, her father, Carl Wagner, from Iowa.)
  3. ^ Burmese-American Alex Wagner Hosts Her Own U.S. Political TV Show IIP Digital, U.S. Department of State
  4. ^ Neal, Jill Hudson. "Alex Wagner: A Voice for All Things Now". Capitol File. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Now with Alex Wagner - Biographies". NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  6. ^ Real Clear Politics: "Fireworks: MSNBC's Alex Wagner vs. Ron Paul On Syria, Liberty, Anti-Semitism" September 5, 2013 | Wagner: I was raised Catholic, so that’s the last thing I’d want to do.
  7. ^ "Alex Wagner". Politics Daily. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Alex Wagner". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  9. ^ Weprin, Alex (October 20, 2011). "Political Analyst Alex Wagner to Host New NoonET Show on MSNBC". TV Newser. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  10. ^ Alvarez, Alex (October 21, 2011). "MSNBC Analyst Alex Wagner Developing Her Own Noontime Show On The Network". Mediaite. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  11. ^ Knox, Merrill (November 11, 2011). "'Now With Alex Wagner' Debuts Monday on MSNBC". TV Newser. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  12. ^ Byers, Dylan (June 9, 2012). "MSNBC's Alex Wagner breaks the old mold". Politico.
  13. ^ "MSNBC's Alex Wagner: Get Rid Of Second Amendment". Real Clear Politics. November 6, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  14. ^ Haaretz: "MSNBC host Alex Wagner: Fear of anti-Semitism charge inhibits 'robust discussion' about Israel" by Chemi Shalev March 15, 2013
  15. ^ a b Korte, Gregory (30 August 2014). "Obamas attend wedding of White House chef". USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  16. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (28 August 2014). "Sam Kass, the Obamas' Foodmaster General". The New York Times. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
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