WorldPride rally in Washington, DC takes aim at Donald Trump's ‘deeply personal attacks' on LGBTQ+ community

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LGBTQ+ people and their allies ­gathered yesterday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC – the site of Martin Luther King's 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech – to rally for preserving decades of progress while protesting setbacks under US president Donald Trump.
After the festive nature of a parade on Saturday through the streets of the capital, the rally, one of the main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration, turned more overtly political.

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Irish Times

2 hours ago

• Irish Times

Another week, another war: Trump pivots from America first to talk of a bunker buster

Story of the Week Another week. Another war. The prospect of carnage and thousands of deaths. Worrying questions about its impact on the region and beyond, the impacts on global stability. Israel 's launch of a war against Iran was not defensive or triggered by any attack. Rather it is a war of choice. Its stated aims at the start – eliminating Iran's nuclear threat – quickly pivoted into something else , regime change, or, more accurately, regime destruction. True to his make-it-up-as-you-go-along presidency, Donald Trump had pivoted within a day from his strict America first non-interventionist stance on international wars (a strong position with his MAGA base) to cheerleading the Israelis and threatening to deploy the only piece of arsenal the Israel Defense Forces do not have. That is, the 14-tonne so-called bunker-buster bomb which just might be able to penetrate into Fordo, the mountain where the Iranian regime has its main underground nuclear enrichment facility. [ Netanyahu's ruling party gets popularity boost in wake of Iran conflict Opens in new window ] True to form, Trump tells the whole of Tehran (population 10 million) to evacuate. Which, by all reports, most citizens have done. Meanwhile the Israelis and Iranians continue to pound each other. READ MORE The move has drawn attention away from Israel's continuing onslaught against the population of Gaza . The statement of the G7 was read by some as troubling as it seemed to give almost unconditional support for what Israel had done. Of course, a war between Israel and Iran is a different proposition than its siege of Gaza, as the Iranian regime is unsavoury by any yardstick. It seems that Israel's move to being an international pariah – even in the eyes of erstwhile supporters – has been modified, with some ambivalence expressed. Make no mistake it will employ the same ruthlessness and indifference to civilian casualties as it has done in Gaza and elsewhere. There is a long and sad history of intervention by big global powers in this region, where regime-change unfortunately leads to a new regime that is in some cases worse than the henchmen they replaced. Meanwhile Ireland continues to work to try to assist the few hundred citizens still in Iran and Israel. The Tánaiste has spoken to foreign affairs ministers in the region but, in truth, there is little our State can do bring influence to bear. Bust-up Row of this week. And every week. When you meet all the leaders outside the chamber they are all so civil. But there's something about the cauldron of the Dáil chamber that brings out the raspiness in Micheál Martin , Mary Lou McDonald , Simon Harris and Pearse Doherty . No matter what the issue it descends within seconds into a dogfight. If you want a perfect summary of what happened this week there no better place to start than these two (verbal) blow-by-blow accounts Miriam Lord. The first is here and the second is here . All very well but does it affect me? The story was almost missed given everything else that was happening this week but it was a significant moment in recent Irish political and financial history. AIB bought the very last part of its shareholdings back from the State making it a fully independent entity once more. After the financial crash, the State took shares in our two biggest pillar banks, Bank of Ireland and AIB, in order to make sure they survived. Bank of Ireland, which was less exposed to the property crash, came out of State ownership relatively quickly but it has been a long and slow process for AIB, taking almost a decade and a half. But the moment finally arrived this week. And Joe Brennan has a wonderful account of it , including that enticing line that at one stage the bank's art collection was worth more than the bank. Banana Skin When you go on a solo run as a Minister, just make sure the ball does not slip form your grasp. Minister for Arts and Media Patrick O'Donovan found out all about that this week, when he got a slap on the wrist from the bean counters in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). In recent months, O'Donovan brought two memos to Cabinet, 'under his arm', without informing DPER first. The memos related to the Arts Council 's half-abandoned ICT project as well as a plan to spend €10 million bringing an American football NFL game to Croke Park later this year. As Ellen Coyne reports , a senior DPER official said this practice 'makes it very difficult for this department, and indeed for Government generally, to thoroughly and properly consider issues and their implications, particularly regarding substantial expenditure implications and serious governance issues'. O'Donovan's spokespeople said there were time pressures involved which required him to bring both matters to Cabinet at short notice. He would not want to make a habit of it, as far as DPER is concerned. Winners and losers Winner: Colin Hunt, AIB's chief executive and former special adviser ministers for Finance. This week, the bank bought back the last of the shares held by the State since the banking collapse in 2010. Loser: Children's Hospital Ireland, which faced a grilling and dressing-down for its many failings at the Oireachtas Committee on Health. The Big Read Jack Horgan-Jones is on political column duty this week. Miriam Lord's Saturday column is a must-read. Martin Wall and Jack also have a big piece looking at the CHI in crisis. Hear here Sally Hayden joins Inside Politics on Friday from Beirut where missiles flying overhead have become a fact of daily life despite the ceasefire agreement Lebanon signed with Israel last November. The rising death toll and continuing aerial attacks from Iran and Israel show no signs of abating. And is the US on the verge of joining Israel's attack on Iran? Meanwhile, Children's Health Ireland appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee this week with politicians eager to tear strips off the embattled group responsible for running children's hospital services in Dublin . Could the Israel-Iran war completely destabilise the Middle East? Listen | 49:01

Irish Examiner

8 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

Iran says no nuclear talks while under Israeli fire as Trump considers options

Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. A week after it began attacking Iran, Israel's military said it had carried out new strikes on dozens of military targets overnight, including missile production sites and a research organisation involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran. Iran launched at least one new barrage of missiles early on Friday, striking near residential apartments, office buildings and industrial facilities in the southern city of Beersheba. The White House said on Thursday that US president Donald Trump would decide on "whether or not to go" with US involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks, citing the possibility of negotiations involving Iran in the near future. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday there was no room for negotiations with Israel's superpower ally the United States "until Israeli aggression stops". But he was due to meet European foreign ministers in Geneva later on Friday for talks at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme. Two diplomats said before the meeting involving France, Britain, Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief that Araqchi would be told the US is still open to direct talks. Expectations for a breakthrough are low, diplomats say. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Read More Trump sets deadline of two weeks to decide if US will join Israel's war on Iran

The Journal

8 hours ago

• The Journal

Baseball team LA Dodgers refuse federal agents access to stadium amid US immigration raids

THE LOS ANGELES Dodgers have said they barred US federal immigration agents from entering the team's stadium as a fresh wave of raids continued across the city. The baseball team, who have been criticised for their failure to comment publicly on the US government's immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, said in a statement the team denied access to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who 'requested permission to access the parking lots.' 'They were denied entry to the grounds by the organisation,' the statement said, adding that the team's game on Thursday would go ahead as scheduled. Images and video shared on social media showed a line of unmarked trucks and masked agents at one Dodger Stadium entrance while protesters nearby chanted 'ICE out of LA.' The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later clarified that the agents at the venue were from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), not ICE. 'This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,' a DHS statement said. The incident comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Los Angeles, which has become ground zero of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown across the US. The city has seen scattered violence but mostly peaceful protests in recent weeks, ignited by an escalation in federal immigration sweeps that have targeted migrant workers in garment factories, car washes and other workplaces. Advertisement Los Angeles Police Department, protesters and ICE agents were gathered at an entrance to Dodger Stadium as ICE attempted to use the stadium parking lot as a staging area. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Local media reported further raids across the city on Thursday targeting Home Depot stores, a home improvement retailer where day labourers often gather in car parks seeking work. In addition to mobilising ICE agents, Trump has ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines into the city in response to the protests – a move opposed by city leaders and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is a Democrat. The incident at Dodger Stadium on Thursday comes as the reigning World Series champions have faced criticism for their response to the immigration crackdown. The team has a heavily Latino fan base, with some claiming a sense of betrayal over the franchise's failure to speak out against the ongoing raids. As of early Thursday, the Dodgers have made no formal statement in regard to the immigration raids across the city. '100% betrayal' The team's failure to condemn the immigration offensive came under scrutiny last weekend, when Latin American pop singer Nezza defied Dodgers officials and sang the US national anthem in Spanish before the team's home game. Speaking outside Dodger Stadium on Thursday after federal agents had left the venue, one 27-year-old fan among a small group of protesters told AFP she felt let down by the team. 'They've been very quiet since these ICE raids started, and I think it's very hypocritical of them not to say anything when the majority of their fan base is the Latino population here in Los Angeles,' Paola, who asked only to be identified by her first name, told AFP. Related Reads US anti-deportation protests continue and spread beyond 'test case' Los Angeles Trump says he won't allow 'mob rule' as protests break out across US California governor accuses Trump of tyranny as mass arrests underway in under-curfew LA 'It 100% feels like betrayal. I was born and raised here, I've supported them my whole life – for them not to come out and support us during these times is messed up.' Protesters demonstrate outside of Dodger Stadium. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Los Angeles Times sports columnist Dylan Hernandez has slammed the team's response to the immigration crackdown. 'The Dodgers boast that more than 40% of their fan base is Latino, but they can't even be bothered to offer the shaken community any words of comfort,' Hernandez wrote. 'How ungrateful. How disrespectful. How cowardly.' While the Dodgers have remained silent, the team's popular outfielder Enrique Hernandez lashed out against the raids in a statement on Instagram. 'I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city,' wrote Hernandez, who is from Puerto Rico. 'This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.' With reporting from © AFP 2025 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal