Latest news with #WashingtonDC
Yahoo
34 minutes 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.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Fox News
White House has suggestion for Jasmine Crockett after Dem calls Trump supporters 'sick'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clapped back against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, after she accused President Donald Trump supporters of being "sick" and mentally ill. Speaking with reporters in the White House briefing room on Thursday, Leavitt said, "It's incredibly derogatory to accuse nearly 80 million Americans of mental illness." "The last time I checked, Jasmine Crockett couldn't dream of winning such a majority of the public as President Trump did," she said. "The America first movement, which President Trump has built, is filled with hardworking patriots. The forgotten men and women, business owners, law enforcement officers, nurses and teachers and Middle America, as we all know from where you all grew up outside of this Beltway. That's who makes up this president's movement," said Leavitt. "And Jasmine Crockett should go to a Trump rally sometime, and she can see it for herself." Leavitt also quipped that she hopes Crockett will continue to be a "rising star" in the Democratic Party, "for the Republican Party, at least." During a recent interview with Katie Couric, Crockett, one of the leading Democratic voices in the Trump resistance movement, explained Trump's reelection as being made possible by a national mental health crisis. "We've got a mental health crisis in this country because everyone, no matter how you affiliate yourself, should be against Trump, period. This is not partisan for me," said Crockett. The congresswoman also went on to claim that former Vice President Kamala Harris was more qualified to be president than Trump and that he was elected simply on the basis that he is an "old white man." She also said her "heart breaks for service members" in the military under Trump because "the very thing that they signed up to fight against is now their commander-in-chief." "It is really sick and anybody that supports it is also sick," said Crockett. During the same interview, Crockett also defended former President Joe Biden's mental acuity, claiming that she "never saw anything" from Biden that would have made her wonder about his mental sharpness, and argued that his mental acuity was "supreme" to President Donald Trump's. "We all slow down. But I will tell you that I will take a broken — or however they want to describe Joe Biden — over Donald Trump any given day, because, number one, I know Joe Biden's heart," Crockett said. Crockett has also recently taken heavy criticism for other comments against Republican leaders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whom she mocked as "governor hot wheels." This comment garnered her wide condemnation given the fact that Abbott is a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair to move about.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Says one thing, does another': What's Trump's endgame in Iran?
Washington, DC – Over the past week, United States President Donald Trump has been issuing statements on Iran that appear to be contradictory. He has called for ending the war and hinted at peace coming 'soon', only to then suggest that assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could be an option for the US along with joining Israel's bombing campaign. In the latest turn, the White House said on Thursday that Trump will make a decision on whether to join the war within two weeks. These changes in the president's stance has some observers thinking that Trump may not have a clear strategy or endgame; rather he is being dragged to war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been seeking US attacks on Iran for decades. Alternatively, could Trump be using his increasingly bellicose rhetoric against Iran to compel Tehran to agree to entirely give up its nuclear programme? If so, experts warn that brinkmanship could turn into an all-out war between the US and Iran. Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said Trump could be attempting to build leverage with threats to strongarm Iran into accepting his demands of 'total surrender'. 'I think he's trying to present himself as this madman who is unpredictable, and in so doing, he can then insist on this very hard line that Iran has refused to accept for decades of full dismantlement of its enrichment programme,' Abdi told Al Jazeera. Another possible explanation of Trump's latest statements, Abdi added, is that he is 'being taken for a ride by Bibi Netanyahu to commit the United States to a full-on war with Iran'. Iranian American analyst Negar Mortazavi also said that Trump is being 'outmaneuvered' by Netanyahu. 'I don't even know if President Trump knows what he wants,' Mortazavi told Al Jazeera. 'He campaigned as the president of peace … he promised he's going to end conflicts. Russia-Ukraine hasn't ended. Gaza has escalated, and he just let the third big Middle East war – which looks like a regime-change war – start under his watch. So, he says one thing he does another.' Israel launched its bombing campaign against Iran last week, two days before US and Iranian officials were set to meet for a sixth round of talks in Oman. Hours before the Israeli assault began, Trump renewed his commitment to diplomacy. And the initial US response to the Israeli strikes was to stress that Washington is not involved in the attacks. In subsequent days, however, Trump appeared to take credit for the Israeli bombing campaign. 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,' he wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, without elaborating on who the 'we' was. 'Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn't compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff.' Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA.' Israel's strikes have targeted Iran's air defences, military and nuclear facilities, oil infrastructure and residential buildings, killing hundreds of people, including top military and political officials as well as many civilians. Iran has responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles that have killed at least 24 Israelis and left widespread destruction across the country. Israeli officials claim they are trying to destroy Iran's nuclear and missile programmes, but also note that their military campaign could lead to the collapse of the Iranian governing system, which they say would be a welcome development. However, it is widely believed that Israel would need US help to destroy Iran's main uranium enrichment facility, Fordow, which is buried inside a mountain. Mortazavi said war hawks and Israeli officials appear to be making the case to Trump that bombing Fordow will be an easy task. 'Instead of a regime change war – a devastating, unnecessary war with Iran, which he has been warning everyone and running against in his campaigns, they're just making this look like, 'Oh, you just use your bunker busters once and done.''But Iran has promised to retaliate harshly against any US attack. Thousands of US troops in the region could come under Iranian missile strikes. If the war escalates, Iran could also disrupt shipping lanes in the Gulf – a major lifeline for global energy. Iranian lawmakers have already suggested that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz that connects the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Mortazavi said escalating the conflict will have 'catastrophic' consequences for the region. 'It will look like Iraq and Afghanistan combined, if not worse. Iran is a big country,' she said. In Iraq, Bush's regime-change war led to years of sectarian bloodshed and the rise of groups like ISIL (ISIS). In Afghanistan, US forces fought for 20 years after deposing the Taliban from the capital Kabul, only to see the group swiftly return to power as US troops withdrew. Even if Iran's governing system is toppled under US and Israeli blows, experts warn that US war hawks should be careful what they wish for. Iran is a country of more than 90 million people. The fall of the government could lead to internal conflict, displacement crises and regional – if not global – instability, analysts say. 'This is not a colour revolution. This is going to be war and chaos, potentially civil war, and unrest,' Mortazavi said. Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the rights group DAWN, said that even if Trump is trying to gain leverage with his threats and is not seeking war or regime change in Iran, it's a risky strategy. 'The possibilities of the assaults on Iran escalating into not just a broader regional war, but potentially a global war, are extremely high,' Whitson told Al Jazeera. 'And so, continued belligerence and hostile rhetoric from President Trump is only throwing fuel on the fire.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Athlete Sounds Off on ‘Weird' Moment With Trump at the White House
A member of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team said he was 'caught by surprise' by the 'weird' press conference President Donald Trump held for him and his Juventus teammates in the Oval Office. The storied Italian soccer club was in Washington, D.C., for the FIFA Club World Cup and made a 15-minute appearance at the White House Wednesday afternoon. The president introduced the two Juventus players who also play for the national U.S. men's team—Tim Weah and Weston McKennie—and told journalists gathered in the Oval Office there would be a game that night. He then invited the reporters to ask questions about FIFA. But the political journalists in the room were more interested in asking about Iran and other political topics, forcing the players to stand by awkwardly while Trump discussed missile strikes, travel bans, and women playing men's sports. Speaking to reporters after the Juventus game, Weah said the White House visit was a surprise. 'They told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,' the 25-year-old said, according to The Athletic. 'I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of like, I just want to play football man.' Officials didn't give an explanation for who organized the visit or why, but sources told The Athletic that the White House extended the invitation. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Exor chief John Elkann were also there and presented Trump with jerseys. Exor, which is a holding company controlled by the Elkann-Agnelli family, owns a majority stake in the club. Elkann has met with Trump repeatedly in Washington as the chair of Stellantis—the automaker conglomerate that owns the Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Fiat, Jeep, and Maserati brands, among others—and traveled to Saudi Arabia with him in May, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. During Wednesday's press conference, Trump took a press pool question about former President Joe Biden's administration and used it as an opportunity to grill the Juventus players on gender politics. After claiming the 'autopen' was running the Biden White House, Trump said, 'He wasn't making a decision… He was never for open borders and he was never for transgender for everybody, or men playing in women's sports.' The president then turned to the Juventus players and asked, 'Could a woman make your team, fellas? Tell me, what do you think?' A couple of players seemed to shrug and say yes, prompting Trump to say, 'You're being nice,' and then direct the question to the team's general manager, Damien Comolli. Comolli tried to deflect, saying, 'We have a very good women's team.' 'But they should be playing with women,' Trump said. When nobody answered, he turned to the press pool and said, 'See, they're very diplomatic.' The players then shuffled their feet and crossed their arms while the president answered questions about Iran and went on a tangent about the futility of war, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the American Civil War. 'You look right up there. I see the Declaration of Independence and I say, 'I wonder if the Civil War—it always seemed to me that could have been solved without losing 600,000-plus people.'' The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War, not the Civil War, though Trump was basically right that an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 people died during the Civil War. After the Juventus game, Weah told reporters it was his first time visiting the White House. 'I guess it was a cool experience being in the White House,' he said. 'But I'm not one for the politics, so it wasn't that exciting.' His fellow U.S. Men's National Team player McKennie also shook Trump's hand during the visit. During Trump's first term, McKennie had told a German media outlet that he didn't support the president.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Forces Remote Staff To Relocate
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is forcing thousands of corporate staff to relocate closer to their teamsoften across the countrywith tight deadlines or risk losing their jobs. Bloomberg reports that teams are being told in one-on-ones and town halls to move to hubs like Seattle, Arlington, VA, or Washington, DC. Employees have 30 days to decide and 60 days to either start the move or resign, without severance. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with AMZN. Amazon says this hub strategy has been rolling out for over a year to boost collaboration, but many roles hired as fully remote during the pandemic are now on the chopping block. This comes after CEO Andy Jassy ended remote-first policies and amid broader cost cuts and warnings that AI will shrink headcount. After years of remote-work flexibility, this hard pivot tests Amazon's ability to retain top talent and maintain morale. Tight relocation windows and no-severance clauses could spur resignations, complicating hiring in a competitive tech labor market already jittery about layoffs. Watch for turnover spikes in affected teams and whether Amazon adjusts deadlines or support packages. How smoothly this transition goes will shape the company's post-pandemic workplace modeland signal how far tech giants will go to centralize their workforce. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
