Trump isn't the first U.S. politician with his eye on Greenland
Robert J. Walker, a 19th century Washington-based lobbyist, was an ardent expansionist and imperialist, as well as a close friend and ally of Abraham Lincoln's and Andrew Johnson's secretary of state, William H. Seward. That's the same Seward best remembered for his savvy purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million, also known as 'Seward's Folly.'
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
As Trump Prepares to Celebrates Army's Founding, His Critics Take to the Streets
President Trump prepared on Saturday to make a show of American military might with a parade of tanks, missiles and aircraft through the heart of the nation's capital, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Army that has already transformed into a test of wills and competing imagery, with demonstrators around the country decrying his expansion of executive power. On Saturday, central Washington was locked down, divided by a wall of tall, black crowd-control fences designed to assure that the parade, the first of its kind since American troops returned from the Gulf War in 1991, is an uninterrupted demonstration of history and American power. The event was scheduled to go on despite a forecast of thunderstorms. By design, military parades are part national celebration and part international intimidation, and Mr. Trump has wanted one in Washington since he attended a Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017. Formally, the parade celebrates the decision by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, to raise a unified, lightly armed force of colonialists after the shock of the battles with British forces at Lexington and Concord. That army, which George Washington took command of a month later, ultimately expelled the far larger, better armed colonial force. But no celebration of history takes place in a political vacuum. And protesters in large cities and small towns from Seattle to Key West were planning to demonstrate against how Mr. Trump is making use of the modern force. His decisions over the past week to federalize the National Guard and call the Marines into the streets of Los Angeles, in support of his immigration roundups, has rekindled a debate about whether he is abusing the powers of the commander in chief. So the country was preparing for a split-screen show of force, before Mr. Trump presides over the parade and roughly 2,000 protests, under the slogan 'No Kings,' take place from Philadelphia to San Francisco to push back against what they see at authoritarian overreach. While the big-city rallies will attract attention, smaller events are being organized in rural areas, including three dozen in Indiana, a state Mr. Trump won last November by 19 points. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How much damage has Israel inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme?
Israel's strikes on Iran have taken aim at its nuclear facilities, amid fears that the Islamic republic is seeking to develop nuclear weapons -- an accusation Tehran denies. Experts told AFP that while the attacks might have caused some damage to Iran's nuclear programme, they are unlikely to have delivered a fatal blow. - What is the extent of the damage? - Israel's operation included strikes on Iran's underground uranium enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, and a uranium conversion facility at Isfahan, according to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information from Iranian officials. IAEA said on Friday that a key, above-ground component of Iran's Natanz nuclear site had been destroyed, also citing Iranian officials. There was "extensive" damage to the site's power supply, according to a report from the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a US-based organisation specialising in nuclear proliferation, which analysed satellite images. A loss of electricity to underground facilities can significantly damage the site's centrifuges, the machines used to enrich uranium, the ISIS institute said. If backup power is lost, "at the least, the enrichment plant is rendered inoperable for the time being", it said. Iran has said the damage to Fordow, south of Tehran, was minor. But experts said it is impossible at this stage to determine the impact the strikes might have had on uranium stockpiles believed to be stored around the Isfahan site. Ali Vaez, International Crisis Group's Iran project director, told AFP that if Iran managed to transfer significant quantities to "secret facilities," then "the game is lost for Israel". - Can the programme be destroyed? - While "Israel can damage Iran's nuclear programme... it is unlikely to be able to destroy it", Vaez said, arguing that Israel does not have the massively powerful bombs needed "to destroy the fortified, bunkered facilities in Natanz and Fordow". Destroying those would require US military assistance, added Kelsey Davenport, an expert with the Arms Control Association. She also stressed that Israel's unprecedented attack cannot erase the expertise Iran had built up on nuclear weapons, despite killing nine Iranian nuclear scientists. - What are the risks to the Iranian population? - The IAEA has not detected any increase in radiation levels at the affected sites. "There is very little risk that attacks on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities would result in a harmful radiation release," said Davenport. But an attack on Bushehr, Iran's only nuclear power plant, could "have a serious impact on health and the environment", she added. After Israel launched its strikes, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said that nuclear facilities "must never be attacked" and that targeting Iranian sites could have "grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond". - Is Iran close to developing a nuclear bomb? - After the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from a landmark deal that sought to curb Tehran's nuclear activities, Iran has gradually retreated from some of its obligations, particularly on uranium enrichment. As of mid-May, the country had an estimated 408.6 kilogrammes enriched to up to 60 percent -- just a short step from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for about 10 nuclear bombs, according to the definition by the Vienna-based IAEA. Iran is the only non nuclear-armed state producing uranium to this level of enrichment, according to the UN nuclear watchdog. While the IAEA has been critical of Iran's lack of cooperation with the UN body, it says that there is "no credible indications of an ongoing, undeclared structured nuclear programme". Tehran has consistently denied ambitions to develop nuclear warheads. But Davenport warned the strikes could strengthen factions in Iran advocating for an atomic arsenal. "Israel's strikes set Iran back technically, but politically the strikes are pushing Iran closer to nuclear weapons," she said. anb/sr/djt/rmb
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to Watch Trump's Military Parade in Washington
The military parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington will celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary — and coincide with President Trump's 79th birthday. The New York Times will cover the event with reporters and video journalists on the ground, and other reporters who cover the military and the Trump administration will provide analysis of the military procession. The Times will also provide a live feed of the event. The parade will start at 6:30 p.m., with soldiers starting their march to the parade route from the Pentagon in Northern Virginia, and heavy vehicles staged from West Potomac Park in Washington. The soldiers will then proceed to the National Mall, past the Lincoln Memorial to Mr. Trump's review stand near the White House. The event is expected to last about an hour and 15 minutes, ending about 7:45 p.m. The Times will broadcast the military parade on its website and app. Our reporters will also deliver real-time analysis. The parade will be covered by other news outlets online, including on PBS NewsHour and C-SPAN's YouTube channel. Official livestreams will also be available through the Pentagon's media website and the Army's YouTube channel. Major cable news stations and broadcast networks will cover the parade live, including local outlets like Fox 5 on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio. Fox News has a full day of programming planned around the event. But America's three biggest television networks said they did not plan to carry the event live on their affiliates. Each had prior programming commitments for Saturday evening, although ABC, CBS and NBC said that coverage would be available digitally via their 24-hour streaming channels.
