The Democrats' path back to power might start in places like this Appalachian town
A former Kentucky Supreme Court justice, the 70-year-old Stumbo said the event was 'the biggest Democratic gathering I have ever seen in Johnson County,' an enclave where Republican Donald Trump got 85% of the presidential vote last November.
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Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
West Kelowna denies permit for MAGA singer Sean Feucht on safety grounds
The City of West Kelowna has cited public safety reasons to deny a permit for a concert by American Christian singer Sean Feucht, who is outspoken in the Make America Great Again movement. The city said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the permit for a concert in Memorial Park on Saturday had been sought by the Burn 24/7 Canada Worship Ministries Society. 'The city, with assistance from the RCMP and West Kelowna Fire Rescue, reassessed the safety and security plans submitted by the organizer and determined the potential public safety risks have not been appropriately mitigated,' it said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. West Kelowna in the B.C. Interior was the latest Canadian community to reject a concert by Feucht, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for Congress in 2020 and has been criticized for remarks on the LGBTQ+ community and abortion. The City of Abbotsford last month denied a permit for a show at Mill Lake Park, which would have taken place this Sunday. That was after six of his concerts in Central and Eastern Canada were cancelled. Feucht said in a social media post on Wednesday afternoon that he was in Canada, posting a photo from inside Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. 'Your fav American worship leader is back. They let me in again,' said Feucht. He alluded to the controversies surrounding his Canadian tour dates in a post earlier Wednesday. 'It's wild watching 'Christian' mayors across Canada cancel outdoor worship services 'for safety reasons' while allowing mass protests and pride events in their cities,' he wrote. Feucht could not immediately be reached for comment. He was scheduled to play in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Saskatoon on Thursday, and Edmonton on Friday. His show in Abbotsford on Sunday will now take place at a private venue. Advocacy Canada, a not-for-profit group representing the LGBTQ community, celebrated West Kelowna's decision. It said on Facebook that it was thankful to everyone who raised their voices 'in opposition to the hateful rhetoric that has no place in our valley.' The group said it initially planned to hold a peaceful rally at the concert, but this had been cancelled. The Canadian Constitution Foundation said last month that Feucht's Charter rights had been violated by the string of cancellations. James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, has said it raised 'red flags' to see public bodies revoking Feucht's permits. Feucht posted on social media in August 2023 that 'the LGBTQ+ mafia is a cult bent on perverting and destroying the innocence of every child they can.' He said in June last year, in an apparent reference to pride celebrations, that 'June is the month you discover which people, businesses, influencers, corporations & ministries have sold their soul to a demonic agenda seeking to destroy our culture and pervert our children.'
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
White House officials make public appearances with troops amid tensions in D.C.
Published Aug 20, 2025 • 5 minute read Members of the National Guard listen as Vice-President JD Vance, right, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speak during a visit to Union Station on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Trump administration has deployed federal officers and the National Guard to the district to place the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and assist in crime prevention in the nation's capital. Photo by Al Drago-Pool / Getty Images WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's law-enforcement crackdown on Washington expanded Wednesday and top administration officials visited National Guard troops to support a deployment that has left parts of the U.S. capital looking like occupied territory. Anger and frustration dotted the city as the vice-president lauded an operation that he asserted has 'brought some law and order back.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The tense situation, which began more than a week ago when Trump took control of the local police department, appeared primed for escalating confrontations between residents who say they feel under siege and federal forces carrying out the president's vision of militarized law enforcement in Democratic cities. Other residents have said they welcome the federal efforts as a way to cut crime and bolster safety. As Trump ratcheted up the pressure, Vice-President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared burgers with soldiers at the city's main railroad hub as demonstrators gathered nearby. The appearance, a striking scene that also included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, illustrated the Republican administration's intense dedication to an initiative that has polarized the Democrat-led city. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vance told the troops assembled in the Union Station Shake Shack that 'you guys are doing a helluva job' and 'we brought some law and order back.' While protest chants echoed through the restaurant, he rejected polling that shows city residents don't support the National Guard deployment as a solution to crime. Someone booed Vance loudly and repeatedly as he left. The vice-president grinned and said, 'This is the guy who thinks people don't deserve law and order in their own community.' Trump has already suggested replicating his approach to D.C. in other cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore. He previously deployed the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. Swaths of city on edge In the seven months since Trump took office for the second time, the traditionally liberal city of Washington has buckled under his more aggressive presidency. Thousands of federal employees have been laid off, landmark institutions like the Smithsonian are being overhauled on grounds of doctrine, and local leaders have been increasingly wary of angering the commander-in-chief. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Now parts of the city are bristling with resentment over Trump's approach. Spectators chanted 'free D.C. ' at a soccer game. Residents share sightings of immigration agents to help migrants steer clear. In the Columbia Heights neighbourhood, crowds jeered federal officers and flipped middle fingers as they drove away. On some nights, people bang pots and pans outside their front doors in a cacophonous display of defiance. Less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol, an armoured National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car in the early morning on Wednesday, trapping the driver inside until emergency crews arrived. The massive military transport, designed to withstand improvised explosive devices in war zones, towered over the crushed silver SUV. Bystanders gathered. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?' a woman yelled at the troops in a video posted online. More troops have been arriving in the city, many from six Republican-led states. An estimated 1,900 are being deployed in total, with most posted in downtown areas like the National Mall, metro stations and near the park where baseball's Washington Nationals play. In addition, federal officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have circulated through D.C. to make arrests. Col. Larry Doane, the commander of the joint task force in the D.C. National Guard, said they're trying to provide 'an extra set of eyes and ears' for police and 'helping them maintain control of the situation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This is our community, too,' Doane said. That's not how D.C. native LaVerne Smalls, 46, feels. 'It's very different. It's very quiet,' she said. 'And I don't like it. It should be full of life.' Smalls knows D.C. has struggled with crime, but she didn't used to feel worried walking around. 'I feel even more threatened,' she said. 'And I think that's how they want us to feel.' The actions from law enforcement have occasionally veered beyond safety and crime reduction and into regulating expression. Over the weekend, masked agents took down a profane protest banner in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood — to the apparent delight of the administration, which posted a video of the incident online. 'We're taking America back, baby,' one of the agents said in the video. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Corey Frayer, 42, who lives nearby, said 'that sends a message. 'Mt. Pleasant has always been a very activist, outspoken neighbourhood,' he said. 'And I think they think if they can show up here and scare us, then they'll have done their job.' Arrests increasing as officials navigate situation The White House said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the U.S. Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional arrests. 'Together, we will make DC safe again!' Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media. City statistics show crime was already declining before Trump's intervention, despite his claims of a crisis necessitating the federal takeover of the D.C. police department. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The number of people arrested each day in Washington has increased by about 20% since the government began sending in a surge of federal agents, according to law enforcement data. On average, there were 78 people booked in the city jail in the first 10 days, compared to 64 in the 10 days before that. Those numbers don't include immigration arrests, though they do include arrests by both local police and federal officers, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss data that has not been publicly released. Policing experts say it's tough to draw firm conclusions over such a short period of time, especially since increases in police presence can relocate crime instead of preventing it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Extending federal control of the city police department would require congressional approval, but Vance suggested the decision ultimately rests with Trump. 'If the president of the United States thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to public safety, that's exactly what he'll do,' he said. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the militarized backdrop in the city as she attended a back-to-school event with teachers and staff. She said it's important that children 'have joy when they approach this school year,' which starts on Monday. Those early overtures didn't stop Trump's executive order or his increasingly disparaging rhetoric about the city's leadership. Bowser has been measured but directly critical of the federal operation, saying officers should not be wearing masks and arguing that the National Guard should not be used for law enforcement. 'I don't think you should have an armed militia in the nation's capital,' she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, the skewer-everyone cartoon television show 'South Park,' which has leaned into near-real-time satire in recent years, this week made the federal crackdown fodder for a new episode. This year, the show's 27th-season premiere mocked the president's body in a raunchy manner and depicted him sharing a bed with Satan. — Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, David Bauder and Michelle Price contributed to this report. Read More Columnists Toronto & GTA Editorials Toronto & GTA Ontario
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Texas House approves redrawn maps sought by Trump ahead of 2026 elections
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House on Wednesday approved redrawn congressional maps that would give Republicans a bigger edge in 2026, muscling through a partisan gerrymander that launched weeks of protests by Democrats and a widening national battle over redistricting. The approval came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps, which would give Republicans five more winnable seats, need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official.
