Thomas, the tireless White House correspondent who covered every president from Kennedy to Obama, died at her apartment in Washington on Saturday following a long illness.

Hearst Newspapers has just released a statement announcing the immediate retirement of veteran newswoman Helen Thomas. The news comes shortly after Thomas drew heaps of criticism for a videotaped interview in which she said Israelis should “get the hell” out of Palestine and go elsewhere, including to Poland or Germany. The Washington Post also reported this morning that Thomas has agreed to cancel her scheduled appearance as the commencement speaker at Walt Whitman High School…