In the cutthroat world of cable news, ratings are more than just numbers; they are declarations of war, verdicts on relevance, and, sometimes, the quiet prelude to a political execution. This week, the industry was rocked by a ratings report so staggering, so utterly dominant, that it felt less like a victory and more like a conquest.

Laura Ingraham – now we know why the talkshow host has never been married

Born June 19, 1963, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, Laura Anne Ingraham grew up in a blue-collar household. Her father, James F. Ingraham III, was a World War II veteran who ran a carwash, while her mother, Anne Kozak, worked at the local school and later waited tables. The youngest of four children—and the only girl—Laura spent her school years focused more on sports than on politics. After graduating Glastonbury High in 1981, she headed to Dartmouth College, where she became the first female editor-in-chief of the conservative Dartmouth Review.

The paper’s provocative tone landed it on 60 Minutes and in a two-year libel battle with professor William Cole—an early glimpse of Ingraham’s appetite for controversy. Law, speechwriting, and the Reagan years. A summer stint writing speeches for Reagan administration education secretary William Bennett nudged her toward Washington. Following Dartmouth, she joined the White House speechwriting staff, then earned her J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law.