Latest news with #AbigailJackson
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House Fumes at ‘Ugly' Sculpture Mocking ‘Dictator' Trump's Birthday Parade
The White House has issued a scathing response to a statue erected on the National Mall to protest President Donald Trump's military birthday parade. Titled 'Dictator Approved,' the 8-foot-tall sculpture features a gold-painted hand giving a thumbs up while crushing the Statue of Liberty's verdigris crown. Its base is decorated with four plaques highlighting quotes from authoritarian leaders praising Trump. According to a permit for the installation issued by the National Park Service, the piece was meant as a rebuke to Trump's June 14 parade celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary—which coincided with Trump's 79th birthday, The Washington Post reported. The parade 'feature[ed] imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regimes' like North Korea, Russia, and China, the statue's creators—who so far haven't been identified—wrote in the application. 'If these Democrat activists were living in a dictatorship, their eye-sore of a sculpture wouldn't be sitting on the National Mall right now,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, wrote to the Post an emailed statement. 'In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called 'art,' no matter how ugly it is,' she added. The plaques on the base quote Russian President Vladimir Putin saying, 'President Trump is a very bright and talented man,' and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying, 'The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump.' A glowing quote from former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro says, 'We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump.' And North Korea's Kim Jong Un is quoted as saying the phrases, 'Your excellency,' 'A 'special relationship' and, 'The extraordinary courage of President Trump.' The statue can stay up through Sunday, according to the National Parks Service permit. The style and materials used are similar to protest artworks put up around Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Oregon, and New York last fall. One of those pieces depicted a pile of poop left on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)'s desk in mock 'tribute' to the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed and defiled the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat. Trump's $45 million military parade drew thin crowds and was poorly attended even by Republicans, though the president declared it a 'tremendous success.' Critics accused the president—who insisted on having tanks rolling through the streets of D.C.—of staging a Soviet-style event and using the troops as political pawns. The event coincided with millions of Americans protesting his administration at 'No Kings' rallies nationwide.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Black and Latino Leaders Condemn Trump's Use of Military in L.A.
A group of Black and Latino civil rights leaders has condemned President Trump's decision to deploy the military to Los Angeles, describing the move as a brazen abuse of power and blatant attempt to attack communities of color. In a call with reporters, more than a half dozen civil rights leaders on Wednesday decried the decision to deploy thousands of members of the National Guard and Marines, which they said was a manufactured escalation intended to punish the president's political enemies and intimidate people exercising their First Amendment rights. Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League, said Mr. Trump's actions amounted to 'military force under the guise of protecting federal property' that 'raises serious questions about racial profiling, government overreach and erosion of our civil rights.' Calling the moves an assault on 'civil rights and democratic norms,' Mr. Morial said they 'elevate the urgent need for us to stand up and defend communities, particularly Black and brown communities from unconstitutional overreach.' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that Mr. Trump was 'fulfilling his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens,' an agenda she said Americans 'overwhelmingly' supported. 'Violently attacking federal law enforcement, setting cars on fire and throwing rocks at police vehicles is not 'free speech' despite what these Democrat activists seem to think,' Ms. Jackson said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Mint
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
The Trump Administration Keeps Denying Disaster Preparedness Aid to States
The Trump administration is increasingly skipping a form of federal disaster aid that helps states better prepare for future storms, flooding and wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected requests for such resiliency money, known as Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, for Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma last week, part of a trend that started this spring. These denials are one way the administration is trying to cut costs and narrow the scope of FEMA, the nation's primary agency for disaster work that sits under the Department of Homeland Security. The administration is weighing the approval of hazard mitigation funding 'with states' ability to execute those funds,' said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. 'To date, we are observing large unobligated balances across the board,' she added. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated his plan to eliminate the agency, possibly as soon as the end of hurricane season in late fall. 'We're going to do it much differently,' he said in the Oval Office. Standing near Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: 'You've been very clear you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today. So I'm preparing all these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that they can help it happen faster.' The federal hazard mitigation money is used for flood buyouts of homes and constructing tornado safe rooms. Not receiving it 'would mean that there would be fewer funds available for Missouri communities to fund such projects,' said Mike O'Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety. A new tack on disaster preparedness The requests for hazard mitigation funds were part of the states' applications for major disaster declarations, a status that comes with federal assistance. Missouri experienced back-to-back severe storms in mid- and late March. That same month, Iowa experienced a severe winter storm, while Mississippi was hit by strong storms and Oklahoma was affected by straight-line winds and wildfires. In each case, the destruction from the disasters overwhelmed local and state responses, prompting Republican Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Kehoe of Missouri and Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma to seek federal assistance. On May 21, Trump signed major disaster declarations that greenlit some funding to help affected communities in the four states recover and rebuild. But the states' specific requests for money to invest in projects to boost defenses and preparedness against future storms and other disasters remained under review. Less than two weeks later, on June 2, FEMA denied the hazard mitigation requests, according to a review of three of the five rejection letters and interviews with state officials. It's a pattern that started in March, when the Trump administration stopped automatically approving hazard mitigation requests tied to major disasters. It later denied two state requests, in May. The denials represent a big change from how previous administrations, including Trump's during his first term, responded to such requests, when the approval of this money as part of large post-disaster aid packages 'was considered to be almost automatic,' said Michael Coen, who used to review the requests as FEMA's chief of staff under former President Joe Biden. Jackson said in a statement that the White House is 'working with states to assist them in identifying projects and drawing down balances in a way that makes the nation more resilient.' Neither she nor the DHS provided any additional details. Missouri officials said they are preparing to appeal FEMA's denial of hazard mitigation funds, while Iowa and Mississippi are still considering their options. Oklahoma has decided against appealing because it received other federal funding it can use in a similar way, according to state officials. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE arrests top 100K under Trump
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have topped 100,000 under President Trump this year, according to a White House spokesperson. The new figures from White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, and would mark a big jump from the last year. In fiscal year 2024, ICE arrested 113,000 people, according to government statistics. Jackson said the administration has reached 100,000 arrests in less than half a year. The ICE numbers come amid recent tension between the Trump administration and California officials over ICE raids in Los Angeles, and subsequent protests. Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area on Saturday amid anti-ICE protests. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other officials have leaned into the administration's immigration enforcement in their response to the unrest. 'These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California's feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,' Leavitt said. Earlier Monday, the president said that Los Angeles was 'looking really bad' as he pushed for troops to be sent to the area. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' Trump said on his Truth Social platform. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently said his state will sue the Trump administration due to its deployment of the National Guard to subdue protests against federal immigration raids. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
ICE arrests top 100K under Trump
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have topped 100,000 under President Trump this year, according to a White House spokesperson. The new figures from White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, and would mark a big jump from the last year. In fiscal year 2024, ICE arrested 113,000 people, according to government statistics. Jackson said the administration has reached 100,000 arrests in less than half a year. The ICE numbers come amid recent tension between the Trump administration and California officials over ICE raids in Los Angeles, and subsequent protests. Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area on Saturday amid anti-ICE protests. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other officials have leaned into the administration's immigration enforcement in their response to the unrest. 'These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California's feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,' Leavitt said. Earlier Monday, the president said that Los Angeles was 'looking really bad' as he pushed for troops to be sent to the area. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' Trump said on his Truth Social platform. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently said his state will sue the Trump administration due to its deployment of the National Guard to subdue protests against federal immigration raids.
