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The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Maher spars with Texas Republican over ‘vaguely fascist' Trump military parade
Bill Maher clashed with Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) over President Trump's military parade on HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' on Friday. Maher, although open to the celebration ahead of the event last Saturday, slammed the parade, which drew smaller than expected crowds. 'If you're going to have a vaguely fascist parade, do it right,' he said. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) immediately came to Trump's defense. 'And you know what I saw? I saw the president salute the Corps of Cadets as they walked past him. I watched him salute the 75th Ranger Regiment as they walk past him, I sat there and watched the fireworks behind the Washington Monument,' he said. 'And you what I thought? D—, that's absolutely outstanding. And it's far better than [former President] Biden checking his watch when bodies were being returned to Dover,' he continued, mentioning the return of 11 servicemen killed in Afghanistan in 2021. Hunt served in the military from 2004 to 2012 and flew Apache helicopters. He was deployed in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia after which he left the military and attended Cornell University. Hunt criticized Biden for what he described as a lack of patriotism and applauded Trump for celebrating the troops. 'And so, the dichotomy of what we're seeing with President Trump and his patriotism saluting the flag actually making an effort rather you like it or agree with the execution, the effort is there, that's all we want to see,' he said. Maher responded, thanking Hunt for his service, but emphasized that 'execution does matter.' The military parade drew widespread criticism from Trump critics and allies alike over its price tag, which cost millions of dollars. Hundreds of thousands of protests also gathered for 'No Kings' demonstrations against the parade and the Trump administration to correspond with the Washington event.
07-06-2025
Campgrounds closed along Pacific Crest Trail in search for man wanted in daughters' deaths
SEATTLE -- Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters. Dozens of additional law enforcement officers from an array of agencies joined the investigation and search Friday for Travis Caleb Decker, 32, four days after the girls — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — were found dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth. The girls' mother reported them missing the night of May 30 when Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, after a scheduled visit. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 officers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have been given notice to, and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr. Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction,' the statement said. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Last September his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing. 'He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,' she wrote. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. ... But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Authorities warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and asked those with remote homes, cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked, to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on. It was unclear if Decker was armed, but the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said he should be considered dangerous. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called 'Short Shakespeareans,' and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday. 'Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,' Edwards said. 'They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.' Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state's Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. The patrol did issue an 'endangered missing person alert' the next day, but those do not result in notifications being sent to mobile phones. As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff's deputy found Decker's pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls' bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker. County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed. Authorities issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area, which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north. That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, and around Stehekin, at the northern end of Lake Chelan.
Boston Globe
07-06-2025
- Boston Globe
Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 officers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have been given notice to, and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr. Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction,' the statement said. Advertisement Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Last September his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing. Advertisement 'He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,' she wrote. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. ... But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Authorities warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and asked those with remote homes, cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked, to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on. It was unclear if Decker was armed, but the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said he should be considered dangerous. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called 'Short Shakespeareans,' and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday. 'Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,' Edwards said. 'They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.' Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state's Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. Advertisement The patrol did issue an 'endangered missing person alert' the next day, but those do not result in notifications being sent to mobile phones. As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff's deputy found Decker's pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls' bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker. County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed. Authorities issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area, which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north. That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, and around Stehekin, at the northern end of Lake Chelan.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ditching the standing power throw strengthens the Army fitness test
The recent removal of the standing power throw from the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) has prompted some to cry foul, as argued in an op-ed published last week in Military Times, claiming the move undermines a 'holistic' approach to soldier fitness. However, a closer look reveals that far from weakening the test, this decision reflects a more evidence-based, practical and strategically sound direction — one already embraced by elite military units and backed by sports science literature. While visually dramatic, the medicine ball throw demands a particular motor pattern — hurling a 10-pound object overhead and backward — that rewards practicing the specific skill more than developing fitness. Proponents argue it measures 'explosive power,' but they neglect to address a fundamental truth. There are better tools for this purpose, with greater field utility and scientific support. Defending the standing power throw: A pillar of the Army fitness test While defenders of the SPT cite research from 2001 that suggested that the SPT was a valid and reliable assessment of total body explosive power, subsequent analysis in 2005 observed that combining men and women into a single sample had inflated the correlation. This follow-up research came to the opposite conclusion, stating that throw 'may have limited potential as a predictor of total body explosive power.' More recent research among firefighters further challenged the validity of the SPT, concluding 'practitioners should exhibit caution' in using it as an assessment. A consistent finding in these studies is a strong learning effect, suggesting the uniqueness of the movement tests skill more than underlying fitness. The other studies cited to defend the throw assessed a supine push press and a kneeling chest pass and are therefore irrelevant. The standing broad jump has long been used across athletic and military domains as a validated indicator of lower-body power. It captures the same desired quality — explosive force production — with fewer logistical complications. It requires no special equipment, takes less time to administer and carries greater face validity about tasks such as sprinting, vaulting and jumping — critical movements on the battlefield. This is precisely why the 75th Ranger Regiment, whose RAW assessments helped shape the original ACFT, removed the medicine ball throw years ago in favor of the broad jump. When one of the most elite and operationally focused units in the military chooses to streamline its assessments in this way, the larger force would do well to take notice. Criticism of the recent change to the ACFT also comes from the leadership that oversaw the development and rollout of the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT). Despite initial claims that the OPAT significantly reduced injuries and saved the Army millions, a 2021 Army Audit Agency report contradicted these assertions, revealing increased injury rates and insufficient tracking of injury data during OPAT's implementation. Although public statements by Center for Initial Military Training (CIMT) officials touted substantial benefits, the audit found no reliable data to support those claims. Notably, CIMT later endorsed a recommendation to begin tracking such data. These discrepancies underscore the risks of relying on internal success narratives that lack validated, transparent evidence. Critics of the standing power throw's removal frequently cite concerns over losing a 'comprehensive' evaluation. Yet, they fail to distinguish between complexity and effectiveness. Just because an event appears multifaceted does not mean it provides actionable or essential data — primarily when other options deliver equal or better insight more efficiently. The broad jump offers a more reliable, scalable alternative in an operational environment where time, equipment, personnel and consistency matter. It assesses key components of combat performance — notably, explosive triple extension — in a safer, more intuitive format. The ACFT was always intended to evolve. Removing the standing power throw is not a capitulation but an informed refinement grounded in field realities, best practices and a clear-eyed understanding of what combat fitness truly demands. To conflate nostalgia with necessity is to risk clinging to a version of the test that no longer serves the mission. We should embrace this shift not as a loss but as progress — toward a smarter, more combat-relevant assessment of the soldiers who defend our nation. Nick Barringer is a nutritional physiologist with applied and academic experience. He received his undergraduate degree in dietetics from the University of Georgia and his doctorate in kinesiology from Texas A&M. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official position of any organizations he is affiliated with. He can be reached at drnickbarringer@ Alex Morrow is an Army Reserve officer with experience working in several military human performance programs. He hosts the MOPs & MOEs podcast, which can also be found on Instagram at @mops_n_moes. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official position of any organizations he is affiliated with. He can be reached at alex@
