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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says we have ‘too many non-working holidays.' He has declared these working holidays
President Donald Trump said the U.S. has "too many non-working holidays," but he hasn't shied away from other holiday proclamations. In an apparent critique of Juneteenth, Trump said in a June 19 Truth Social post that non-working holidays are costing billions of dollars to keep businesses closed. Private companies are not forced to close on federal holidays like Juneteenth, which commemorates events of June 19, 1865, when the last Black people enslaved by the Confederacy were ordered free. Trump has railed against the number of paid holidays for federal workers in the past, while also proclaiming new holidays. Trump's post on Juneteenth criticized the number of federal holidays, which most federal workers have as paid holidays. There are 12 federal holidays in 2025; most federal holidays have been created by legislation passed through Congress. But during his second presidency, Trump has issued other holiday proclamations, which would not be paid holidays, to recognize special days like: Victory Day for World War II - May 8 Victory Day for World War I - Nov. 11 (though that day is already federally recognized as Veterans Day.) Gulf of America Day - Feb. 9 "We already have too many Holidays in America," he wrote in a May 5 Truth Social post when announcing the holidays for WWI and WWII. "There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now!" What does Juneteenth celebrate? Meaning and origins, explained Trump's 2025 Truth Social post did not mention Juneteenth. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked by reporters earlier in the day whether Trump was expected to commemorate Juneteenth. 'I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today," she responded. "I know this is a federal holiday." As of June 20, no Juneteenth proclamation has been released from the White House. Trump has previously honored Juneteenth, including in his first term as president. But Trump created controversy in 2020 after scheduling his first rally since COVID-19 lockdowns in Tulsa, Oklahoma – the site of one of the worst massacres of Black Americans in the country's history – on Juneteenth. He later changed the date of the event. Former President Joe Biden. It has long been celebrated by Black Americans, but it rose to national prominence in 2020 amid protests against racial inequities, sparked in part by the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. It was officially recognized as a federal holiday by then-President Joe Biden in 2021. Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, when the last Black slaves of the Confederacy were ordered free following the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas. The day has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Fourth of July. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, here is the full list of U.S. federal holidays in 2025: Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year's Day Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day; coincidentally, that date was Inauguration Day, Trump's second as the 47th president of the United States Feb. 17, Monday: Washington's Birthday, celebrating George Washington and days after Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Many state and local governments designate it as Presidents Day. May 26, Monday: Memorial Day June 19, Thursday: Juneteenth July 4, Friday: Independence Day or July Fourth Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day Oct. 13, Monday: Columbus Day Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving Day Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Saman Shafiq, Melina Khan, Jessica Guynn, Cheryl McCloud, C.A. Bridges; USA TODAY Network Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Juneteenth acknowledgement? He has declared these new holidays
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China to evacuate citizens from Israel, US brain drain gathers pace: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing China's embassy in Israel said it would begin evacuating nationals via the Egyptian border from Friday. Hundreds have already left the country, while about 1,600 Chinese citizens have left Iran over the last few days. As the world watched anxiously to see whether the Middle East would descend into wider war and the US actively joined Israel against Iran, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sidestepped direct questions before Congress on Wednesday and otherwise declined to shed insights into the administration's plans. A clip posted to RedNote purportedly shows PLA helicopters flying in formation, some of them carrying red flags. Photo: Handout Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Putin and Xi discussed 'rough edges' between G7 leaders at summit, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a reception, held on Victory Day marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Putin and Xi discussed 'rough edges' between G7 leaders at summit, Kremlin says ST PETERSBURG - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed in a telephone call on Thursday what they saw as frictions between G7 leaders at this week's Group of Seven summit, the Kremlin said. At the meeting in Canada, the bloc of wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the war in Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support for Putin and left a day early to tackle the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington. His departure deprived Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of a chance to meet him and press for more U.S. weapons. Putin and Xi "discussed the results of the recent G7 meeting in Canada. In particular, they noted the well-known rough edges that emerged in the relations between participants," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "And, by the way, it was mentioned that for Zelenskiy this was by no means the most successful trip abroad." In a call lasting about an hour, the Kremlin said Xi and Putin discussed the Israel-Iran crisis, bilateral ties and cooperation within the BRICS group, set to hold a summit in Brazil next month, including an initiative for a new BRICS investment platform for the Global South. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Russia's Dmitriev says Russia, US and Saudi Arabia could act jointly to stabilise oil markets
FILE PHOTO: Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev attends a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo Crude oil tanker SCF Surgut, owned by Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot, transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik Russia's Dmitriev says Russia, US and Saudi Arabia could act jointly to stabilise oil markets ST PETERSBURG - Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia could act jointly to stabilise oil markets if needed, Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev told Reuters. Oil prices surged on Thursday after Israel said it attacked Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak overnight and as investors grappled with fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East that could disrupt crude supplies. Dmitriev, chief of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said there was a precedent for similar joint action in 2020. "There was an example when (Russian) President Putin, (U.S.) President Trump and (Saudi) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a key role in stabilising markets," Dmitriev said on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. "It is early to talk about concrete joint action yet but based on an earlier precedent, such action is possible." In the spring of 2020, as oil prices plummeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump brokered a deal with top crude producers Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut output and calm the markets. "Events in the Middle East create conditions for oil price rises. The dynamics of these events will define how dramatic this rise will be," Dmitriev said. "The dynamics of such rises sharply reduce the possibility of further restrictions on Russia's energy sector," he said, referring to European Union deliberations on tightening sanctions against Moscow. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Social media videos of ‘PLA jet rehearsals' heighten buzz over China's Victory Day parade
Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September Advertisement On Wednesday, a clip posted to the Instagram-like platform RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – showed at least 45 People's Liberation Army helicopters flying in formation. The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers '8' and '0', and also flew in groups of three, with each carrying red flags representing the Communist Party, the nation and the PLA. This was taken by many as a clear reference to the coming anniversary on September 3. A similar aerial flag guard formation opened the Victory Day parade over Tiananmen Square a decade ago . It commemorated the 70th anniversary of China's victory in World War II, officially termed the 'Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War'. Also on Wednesday, more images– including high-definition photos purportedly showing China's J-35 stealth jets with the serial numbers 3501, 3505, and 3506 – emerged on the platforms Weibo and X. Advertisement The fighters were pictured flying in formation with several J-15T carrier-based fighter jets, hinting at their potential inclusion in the coming parade, according to the social media user who posted the images.
