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U.S. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to eighteen recipients on Monday.

The event at the White House was a star-studded affair with actresses Meryl Streep and Marlo Thomas, and singer Stevie Wonder among the recipients.

A White House press release said the Medal of Freedom is "presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."