Author: Reporter

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to stop protests against his immigration crackdown is not the first time an elected U.S. official has sent troops to thwart unrest over civil rights. But National Guard troops are typically deployed, for a variety of emergencies and natural disasters, with the permission of governors in responding states. Trump, a Republican, sent about 1,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles despite the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats. Confrontations began on June 6 when dozens of protesters gathered outside a...