Author: Reporter

How the military spectacle marking U.S. Army’s 250th birthday will unfold under Trump’s imperial gaze

The tanks are staged and ready to roll. Barriers are up. Protective metal plating has been laid out on Washington’s streets. And more than 6,000 troops are poised to march near the National Mall to honor the Army’s 250th anniversary on June 14, which happens to be Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. With preparations well in hand, one big unknown is the weather. Rain is in the forecast, so there is a chance the parade could be interrupted by thunderstorms. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that rain or shine, the parade would go on. But it could be delayed...

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U.S. veterans divided over Trump’s militarized birthday spectacle seen as a patriotic loyalty test

A massive Soviet-style military parade planned in Washington DC has become a flashpoint for veterans and the public alike. Falsely promoted as a celebration of U.S. Army history, the event’s timing and structure have fueled accusations of politicization, deepening the divide over whether the orchestrated display honors service or exploits it. James McDonough served in the U.S. Army for 27 years, fighting in Vietnam and delivering humanitarian aid to Rwanda. For him, the June 14 military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday, is about the resilience of a vital institution and...

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Military traditions of neutrality face strain as Trump drags U.S. military into his political agenda

Donald Trump took the extraordinary step of arbitrarily mobilizing the National Guard on June 7, and then the U.S. Marines, sending them into Los Angeles over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom quickly took Trump to court for unilaterally calling in the military to clamp down on peaceful protests against the administration’s draconian immigration policies. Trump followed that up with a campaign-style rally at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where uniformed soldiers cheered as he disrespected former President Joe Biden, slammed Governor Newsom, and tried to humiliate other Democrats. While such toxic behavior is Trump’s signature brand,...

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Outrage after Senator Padilla tackled for opposing Noem’s coup threat against elected California leaders

“If this is how they respond to a senator with a question, imagine what they’re doing across the country … you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers, throughout the L.A. community and throughout California and throughout the country. We will hold this administration accountable. We’ll have more to say in the coming days.” – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla When videos first rocketed around the internet on June 12, showing security officers forcibly removing Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in California, senators...

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Judge rules Trump violated Constitution by illegally deploying National Guard to suppress L.A. protests

The 9th U.S. Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids. The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter on June 17. The ruling on June 12 came only hours after a federal judge’s order was to take effect at noon on Friday, June 13. That judge ruled the National Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority. The...

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Netanyahu ignores Trump’s demand for military restraint and launches surprise attack on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Iran’s capital on June 13, raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq. Just hours before the attack, Donald Trump was still holding onto tattered threads of hope that a long-simmering dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program could be resolved without military action. Trump said he urged Netanyahu to hold off on any action while his regime negotiated with Iran over nuclear enrichment. “As long as I think there...

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