Secret Service asked to get river level raised for JD Vance's birthday kayak trip
The U.S. Secret Service said it requested the increased waterflow for the Little Miami River, first reported by The Guardian, to ensure motorized watercraft and emergency personnel "could operate safely" while protecting the Republican vice-president, whose home is in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said its Louisville District temporarily increased outflows from the Caesar Creek Lake in southwest Ohio into the Little Miami "to support safe navigation of U.S. Secret Service personnel."
They said the move met operational criteria and fell within normal practice.
"It was determined that the operations would not adversely affect downstream or upstream water levels," the corps said in a statement. "Downstream stakeholders were notified in advance of the slight outflow increase, which occurred August 1."
Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk said the vice-president was unaware the river had been raised.
"The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the Vice-President or his staff, as was the case last weekend," she said via text.
Richard W. Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said on X that "it's outrageous for the Army Corps of Engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so [the vice-president] can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else."
Democratic House member Eric Swalwell quipped on X, "A rising tide only lifts JD Vance's boat."
Vance now on U.K. trip
The incident evoked Al Gore, then a Democratic vice-president as well as a presidential candidate, paddling down the Connecticut River for a photo opportunity in 1999. Utility officials had opened a dam and released four billion gallons of water to raise the river's level.
That request, too, came after a review of the area by the Secret Service — and Gore experienced political pushback. Gore's campaign said at the time that he did not ask for the water to be released.
Vance was born and raised in Ohio, and he spoke to CBC in 2016 about his rural American upbringing, after the publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, and before he decided to enter the political arena.
During a recent trip to Italy, the Roman Colosseum was closed to the public so that Vance's wife, Usha, and their children could take a tour, sparking anger among some tourists. The Taj Mahal also was closed to visitors during the Vance family's visit to India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
Before Intel, which CEOs drew Trump's ire?
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Thursday that Intel's Lip-Bu Tan resign immediately, saying that the company's new CEO was 'highly conflicted' due to his ties to Chinese firms. While Trump's demand marked a rare presidential attempt to determine who leads a corporation, Tan is not the first executive or company to face Trump's ire - the president has been vocal about his complaints concerning corporate policies and operations since he took office in January. Here are some prominent CEOs and businesses that Trump has publicly criticized: Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan delivers a speech during the Computex 2025 exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan delivers a speech during the Computex 2025 exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) Lip-Bu Tan, CEO, Intel Trump's demand for the Intel CEO's departure came after Reuters reported exclusively in April that Tan invested at least $200 million in hundreds of Chinese advanced manufacturing and chip firms, some of which were linked to the Chinese military. 'The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem,' Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Tan responded to Trump late on Thursday, saying he shared the president's commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security and that the Intel board was 'fully supportive of the work we are doing to transform our company.' Donald Trump and Elon Musk Elon Musk speaks during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, right, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, from left, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci/AP) Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla The billionaire tech CEO spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump's re-election, a move investors who bid up Tesla stock expected to benefit Musk's empire. Trump and Musk, however, had a falling out early in June after Musk criticized Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, because it is projected to increase federal debt. Trump responded to Musk's attack on Truth Social, threatening to cut federal subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies and saying the billionaire 'just went CRAZY' after losing the EV mandate in the bill. By early July, Trump messaged, 'Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at (Musk's contracts)?' Days later, Musk announced the formation of a centrist America Party. The President responded to Musk's move, calling him a 'train wreck.' Apple CEO Tim Cook and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a tour of an Apple manufacturing plant, Nov. 20, 2019, in Austin. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File) Apple CEO Tim Cook and President Donald Trump shake hands during a tour of an Apple manufacturing plant, Nov. 20, 2019, in Austin. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) Tim Cook, CEO, Apple Trump has repeatedly targeted Apple and its boss, Cook, for making U.S.-sold iPhones outside the country and has threatened company-specific tariffs. In May, Trump recalled after a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, that he had confronted Cook about shifting production to India, amid the company's plans to make most of its iPhones sold in the U.S. at factories in India by the end of 2026. Trump had said in a social media post that he told Cook 'long ago' that 'I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else.' Trump threatened Apple in May with a 25% tariff on products manufactured overseas. Apple is already reeling from Trump's tariff war, warning that tariffs would add $1.1 billion in costs in the July-September quarter after costing the company $800 million in the June quarter. Earlier this week, though, Trump announced Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., raising Apple's total domestic commitment to $600 billion over the next four years. Cook also gave Trump a U.S.-made souvenir with a 24-karat gold base. Brian Moynihan Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, is photographed at the Bank of America Tower, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Brian Moynihan, CEO, Bank of America and Jamie Dimon, CEO, JPMorgan Chase Trump alleged BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon discriminated against him and his supporters. In January, Trump accused both Moynihan and Dimon of not providing banking services to conservatives, echoing Republican complaints about the industry. 'What you're doing is wrong,' Trump said, in a video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump did not cite evidence or specifics of any wrongdoing, in a question-and-answer session with corporate leaders and CEOs assembled on stage. He also referenced JPMorgan's Dimon. 'You and Jamie and everybody, I hope you're gonna open your bank to conservatives.' Trump said in an interview with CNBC earlier this week, 'When I called him (Moynihan) after I was president to deposit a billion dollars plus and a lot of other things, more importantly, to open accounts, he said, 'We can't do it. No, we can't do it.'' Both lenders have denied the allegations of 'debanking' on multiple occasions. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Doug Mcmillon, CEO, Walmart After Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said that the retailer could not absorb all tariff-related costs because of narrow retail margins, Trump lashed out. 'Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected,' Trump said in a social media post. While Trump did not call out McMillon personally, he publicly criticized Walmart for attributing its price hikes in May to tariffs imposed by his administration. In a social media post, Trump said Walmart and China should 'eat the tariffs' and not burden American shoppers. He emphasized that Walmart's financial strength should allow it to shield customers from price increases. Jaguar Land Rover The Jaguar company logo is shown on the grille of an unsold 2020 F-Pace sports-utility vehicle at a U.S. Jaguar dealership Sunday, April 26, 2020. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Adrian Mardell, former CEO, Jaguar Land Rover Trump criticized Jaguar's recent rebranding effort, calling the campaign 'woke' and 'stupid,' and linking it to the departure of the company's CEO. The remarks from Trump came as the British carmaker, now owned by India's Tata Motors, announced the retirement of CEO Adrian Mardell, who spent more than three decades at the company. Jaguar last year unveiled a new logo and visual identity as part of a broader brand refresh aimed at repositioning itself as an all-electric automaker, a move that drew sharp online backlash and criticism from brand loyalists. Reporting by Deborah Sophia, Niket Nishant, Shivansh Tiwary and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Reuters
CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
U.S. has ‘no plans' to recognize Palestinian state, Vance says before talks with U.K. foreign secretary
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance during a meeting at Chevening House in Kent, England, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool via AP) LONDON — U.S. Vice-President JD Vance met with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday at a stately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agenda includes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Taking questions from reporters before their talks, Vance addressed the U.K. decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying he wasn't sure what such recognition would even mean, 'given the lack of a functional government there.' Asked whether Trump had been given a heads up on Israel's announced intent to occupy Gaza City, Vance said he wouldn't go into such conversations. 'If it was easy to bring peace to that region of the world, it would have been done already,' he said. The meeting comes amid debates between Washington and London about the best way to end the wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas. It's also taking place as the United Kingdom tries to come to favourable terms for steel and aluminum exports to the U.S., and the two sides work out details of a broader trade deal announced at the end of June. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he hoped to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, comments that came a day before Trump's deadline for Moscow to show progress in ending the nearly three and a half year war in Ukraine. While Trump has focused on bilateral talks with Putin, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders have stressed that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations on ending the war. The U.S. and Britain, which have historically close ties known as 'the special relationship,' have also disagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza. The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres (about 1,200 hectares) of gardens that serves as the foreign secretary's official country residence. About two dozen protesters were spotted on the road before the turnoff to the stately home. A few were wearing keffiyeh scarves and another held up a round sign that had a meme making fun of Vance printed on it. Vance and Lammy, who come from opposite ends of the political spectrum but have made a personal connection through their hardscrabble childhoods and Christian faith, While Lammy is a member of the left-leaning Labour Party and Vance is a conservative Republican who supports Trump's 'America First' agenda, the two men have bonded in recent months. Lammy told the Guardian newspaper that the two men can relate over their 'dysfunctional' working class childhoods and that he considers Vance a 'friend.' Lammy attended a Catholic Mass at the Vance home in Washington earlier this year, and the two men met again at the U.S. Embassy in Rome when he and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in May. 'I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me and he completely relates to Angela,' Lammy told the Guardian. 'So it was a wonderful hour and a half.' After spending a few days at Chevening, Vance and his family will head to the Cotswolds, an area that has become popular with wealthy American tourists because of its quaint villages, stone cottages and rural countryside that hark back to old England. The Vance family's trip will include official engagements, fundraising, visits to cultural sites and museums and meeting with U.S. troops, according to a person familiar with Vance's trip who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A host of celebrities descended on the area two weeks ago for the wedding of Eve Jobs, the daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and Harry Charles, a member of the British equestrian team at last summer's Olympic Games in Paris. The Cotswolds cover about 2,000 square kilometres and parts of five counties in the west of England. Vance and his family have reportedly rented a house in the village of Charlbury, 12 miles west of Oxford, according to British media outlets. 'That area is very fashionable,' Plum Sykes, a socialite and journalist, told London-based newspaper The Times. 'If you wanted to be in the super-hot, super-social Cotswolds, that's where you'd go,' she said. 'There's been this mass exodus from America to the Cotswolds. Americans just cannot get over the charm. Then power and money attract power and money.' ___ Danica Kirka And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press Meg Kinnard reported from Washington. Michelle L. Price contributed to this report from Washington.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Yukon First Nation says mineral staking 'unwelcome, unlawful' during land-use planning process
The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) and the Yukon government are at odds over who has ultimate authority over mineral staking in the First Nation's traditional territory. In a statement last week, FNNND said any mining claims staked in its traditional territory while a land-use planning process is underway for the region are "unwelcome, unlawful, and will be opposed through all available legal and political avenues." The First Nation issued the statement after signing a memorandum of understanding with the territorial government to initiate regional land use planning in its traditional territory. The regional land use planning process proposes to cover an area of about 35,000 square kilometres, or about seven per cent of the Yukon. It would determine where development can and cannot happen within the region. "The land use planning process comes very early in our final agreements and really, it should have been completed three decades ago," said FNNND Chief Dawna Hope. "We wouldn't be in the situation we are right now if we knew where the go and no-go zones were across the landscape." The First Nation cited a 2023 Yukon Supreme Court decision regarding a mineral project in FNNND territory, where the court found that new development approved during land planning undermines the process. "Accordingly, Yukon law strongly discourages staking claims in areas undergoing a land use planning process," the First Nation's statement reads. FNNND says it has also adopted its own policy to govern mining in its traditional territory throughout the planning process. "We want to build respectful relationships built on [FNNND's mining policy and the land use planning process] as dictated within our final agreement," Hope said. The First Nation's statement also came on the heels of its announcement last week that it was rejecting the territorial government's framework to overhaul Yukon's mining laws. Yukon Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources John Streicker said on Thursday that the government does not agree with FNNND about the lawfulness of mineral claims staked during the planning process. He said the FNNND's mining policy could be used as an outline for how to engage with the First Nation, but it is not the final authority. While Streicker says the government directs mining companies to consult with First Nations, he says FNNND's final agreement confirms that on non-settlement lands, the Government of Yukon maintains legislative and management authority over mining development.
