Donald Trump in Abu Dhabi: what to expect today
Live updates: Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip President Donald Trump wraps up his trip to Qatar this afternoon with a visit to the US air base at Al Udeid, where he will meet servicemen and women. Then, he will depart for Abu Dhabi. Here's what to expect: On Friday, Mr Trump is scheduled to meet US embassy staff, participate in a US-UAE business event and visit the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat Island, a symbol of interfaith dialogue. He will then depart for Washington DC by mid-afternoon on Friday. UAE and US working to announce AI and tech partnership 'Trump is our hope for peace': US residents in UAE buoyed by visit Inside Abu Dhabi's Presidential Palace hosting Donald Trump
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Gulf Today
32 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
Reclaiming the US Flag for ‘No Kings Day'
Paul Loeb, Tribune News Service Will marchers carry flags on "No Kings Day"? On June 14, more than 1,000 local demonstrations will challenge President Donald Trump's North Korean-style military parade for his birthday with our defense of democracy. The 14th is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the US Army. The flag can't replace protest signs. But it complements and amplifies them. The demonstrations send a message that even as Trump and his allies wrap themselves in their flags, they are betraying the best of America. They highlight a culture of corruption where the only Americans who matter are allies of Trump at the top and persons or institutions who would challenge this become subjects of attacks. Our flags make clear, in contrast, that we are defending Americans' fundamental right to speak out, without which all other rights become meaningless. They're a message to all who agree with us but also to all those Americans who voted for Trump or stayed home, rejecting both candidates. Because to change the direction of our country, the support of at least some of these people will be essential. As "No Kings Day" reminds us, 'The flag doesn't belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us.' But at most anti-Trump protests, flags have been absent or marginal. I counted one when several thousand people marched in Seattle this past May Day, plus scattered Uncle Sam and Statue of Liberty images. That may be because carrying the flag feels uncomfortable, a false embrace for many who've marched to challenge American wars, call out racial injustice, or push back against corporate power. But the flag also stands for legacies of courage and sacrifice that should give us all hope and strength, like the classic World War II image of GIs raising it over Iwo Jima. The flag represents the imperfect but essential mechanisms of democracy that Trump's regime so profoundly threatens, ones that allow us to keep working for justice. In defending these mechanisms and the rule of law, Thomas Jefferson condemned the very Alien and Sedition Acts whose remnants Trump is now abusing. These acts created the power of kings, Jefferson warned, writing of threats to the 'constitutional rights and liberties of the States and by the suspicions of the President, or be thought dangerous to his or their election, or other interests, public or personal.' These acts first targeted 'the friendless alien,' Jefferson wrote, but 'the citizen will soon follow.' Flags have long been part of the protest tradition and may have even more impact when those speaking out are being marginalized or attacked. American labor activists from the radical IWW union carried them at the Lawrence Textile 'Bread and Roses' Strike. They fly next to Martin Luther King Jr. in photos from the 1963 March on Washington and his talks at anti-war rallies. This year, demonstrators who helped defeat South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's dictatorial power grab waved South Korean flags along with their signs. Some recent anti-Trump rallies have featured them. But they need to become protest staples to help take the flag back. A recent Vietnam trip reminded me of the power of national pride. Americans are welcomed now, even as museums, statues, and street names commemorate heroes in what they call 'the American war,' and the related fights against the Japanese and French occupations. But Vietnam also honors 13th, 15th, and 16th-century kings who resisted and eventually defeated repeated invasions by the Chinese and Mongols. The country's leadership could have dismissed them as the embodiment of now-discarded feudalism. Instead, they present their stories as part of a continuing story of resistance, a history they highlighted during the war as Ho Chi Minh and other leaders talked of fighting for their country, not communism. Whatever the limits of Vietnam's current regime in terms of democracy, this worked because the roots of national patriotism ran deeper than any particular ideology. The threat to American democracy that those of us marching address is internal, of course (with help from white South African billionaires Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks). But the lesson of patriotism and national pride as a wellspring of resistance still holds true. I've learned to appreciate those who bring flags to social justice protests. And I finally bought my own the other week at my local hardware store to complement a 'Don't Putinize America' sign I plan to carry. The young woman at the counter's initial look seemed to mark me, an older white man, as a likely Trump supporter. When I said I was buying it for the Trump protest, 'No Kings Day,' she broke into a grin. No matter our anger or disappointment for America failing to achieve much of what it should be, we need to defend what we have had and the possibility of what could be. Making the flag our own helps us do that.
Gulf Today
32 minutes ago
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Trump's new travel ban goes into effect against citizens of 12 nations
President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early on Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and Libya. In announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent "terrorist attack" on Jews in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his visa. That attack, Trump said, "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted" or who overstay their visas. The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed. New countries could be added, Trump warned, "as threats emerge around the world." Mehria, a 23-year-old woman from Afghanistan who applied for refugee status, said the new rules have trapped her and many other Afghans in uncertainty. "We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives... on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another," she told AFP. World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Nor will it apply to diplomats from the targeted countries. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that "the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law." US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and unconstitutional. "I know the pain that Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand," congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, posted Sunday on X. "We will fight this ban with everything we have." Rumours of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on visas. US officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt. His proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran was included because it is a "state sponsor of terrorism," the order said. For the other countries, Trump's order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas. Agence France-Presse
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
LA police brace for more protests as Trump and California governor trade blame
President Donald Trump and California's governor have traded blame for the protests that have rocked Los Angeles following immigration raids in the second largest US city. Police braced for more protests on Monday after ordering demonstrators to go home. Law enforcements clashed with demonstrators at the weekend, after immigration authorities staged raids in the city's fashion district and several other places over the past week. 'Donald Trump has manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions,' Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on social media late Sunday night. 'If he can't solve it, we will. To the bad actors fuelling Trump's flames – California will hold you accountable.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass made similar comments during a press conference on Sunday. 'What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,' she said. 'This is about another agenda – this isn't about public safety.' Mr Trump, meanwhile, said Mr Newsom and Ms Bass should apologise for the 'absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the continuing LA riots'. 'These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists,' he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area of south-east Los Angeles, with a second protest developing in the city's downtown area on Saturday night. Protests intensified on Sunday, as demonstrators blocked a major motorway, throwing rocks, electric scooters and other items on to police vehicles. Several self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire. Vandalism and looting were reported by area businesses overnight on Sunday, with graffiti visible on several buildings. Police have declared the entirety of downtown Los Angeles as an 'unlawful assembly', although there were indications that protests would continue, with local station KTLA 5 saying a rally was scheduled for noon in Los Angeles's Grand Park. Police have been using mounted officers, non-lethal munitions and tear gas to control crowds. An Australian journalist who was covering the event on live TV was hit with what was believed to be a rubber bullet as she reported live from the protests. Lauren Tomasi of 9News was speaking to a camera on Sunday when an officer behind her suddenly raised their firearm and fired a nonlethal round at close range. The video shows Tomasi scream and limp away, but she can be heard assuring the film crew that she was 'good'. About 30 protesters have been arrested so far, in addition to the scores of immigration-related detentions made over the past several days. In response to the unrest, Mr Trump activated 2,000 National Guard troops to support local law enforcement officers. It is the first time since 1965 that a president has deployed a state's National Guard without a request from the governor. Mr Trump wrote on social media that the National Guard troops were doing a 'great job'. 'These radical left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will not be tolerated,' he said. In a later post, he demanded that all people wearing masks be arrested. Police and immigration enforcement agents have also been seen wearing masks during the protests. The President said that the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department had reported protesters – whom he described as 'thugs' and 'paid insurrectionists' – were getting 'very much more aggressive'. 'These past few nights we've seen a level [of violence] that disgusts every good person in this city,' Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said on Sunday. Police have said they will clear streets and protect lives but will not take part in immigration enforcement. Mr Newsom had requested in a letter that Mr Trump remove the National Guard, calling their deployment unlawful and a 'serious breach of state sovereignty'. He added in a later post that he would be suing Mr Trump over the decision to send in the troops. The Trump administration has made cutting down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of its domestic policy, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out an increased number of raids in cities across the country. The White House recently set a goal for its agents to arrest at least 3,000 migrants a day. Thousands have been swiftly deported, sometimes without due process. California is home to more than two million undocumented immigrants, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. About 800,000 were believed as of last year to be residing in the Los Angeles area, which is in the southern part of the state, not far from the border with Mexico.
