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University of Alabama students weigh in on President Donald Trump's commencement address

University of Alabama students weigh in on President Donald Trump's commencement address

Yahoo01-05-2025

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — President Donald Trump will deliver a commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday. This ticketed event for graduating seniors is set to take place inside Coleman Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.
The event was added to the graduation ceremonies already scheduled to take place by the individual colleges May 2 through May 4.
Nick Saban and University President Stuart Bell are also planning to speak at the event.
UA Senior Clara Hurst says she does not plan to attend his commencement address.
'I just feel like my values do not align with his and not something that I want to go to,' Hurst said.
'I just don't want to deal with the hassle,' another student, Stephen Adkins, said. 'Either way, it's cool for a sitting president to come and do a commencement speech at Alabama.'
'I think it's a cool opportunity for students, especially being a graduating senior. It's something that I'll look back on,' Senior Andrew Stovall added.
The UA College Democrats have planned a peaceful protest from 4- 8 p.m. at Snow Hinton Park. The protest will feature former Representative Beto O'Rourke, former Senator Doug Jones and U.S. Senate candidate Kyle Sweetser.
More information, as well as updates, can be found on the UACD's social media pages.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin gives update on efforts to reduce blighted houses
Riley Mcardle, the Executive Director of the UA Republicans, said he's excited about the president's visit. While he's only a junior, he will get to attend the event.
'First and foremost, I think he should be giving so much honor and praise to our graduates who have worked so hard to get here,' McArdle said, also noting that he would be okay with President Trump discussing his accomplishments.
Braden Vick, President of UACD, said he would not be opposed to a republican commencement speaker as long as they had ties to the University of Alabama.
'But this is Donald Trump,' Vick said. 'This is a guy who has defiled the office of the Presidency throughout his political career. This is a guy who has no real special personal interest in the success of this university, but now he's using it as his playground. We don't exactly take kindly to that around here.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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How viral images are shaping views of L.A.'s immigration showdown
How viral images are shaping views of L.A.'s immigration showdown

Yahoo

time32 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

How viral images are shaping views of L.A.'s immigration showdown

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Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade
Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade

USA Today

time37 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade

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The Army's plans for a low-key birthday celebration of festivals, fun runs and a commemorative stamp have now been dramatically expanded to include what the White House might call a big, beautiful parade. The sight of more than 100 combat vehicles on the ground and dozens of vintage and modern warplanes in the air should be staggering. The troops plus 34 horses, two mules, a dog named Doc Holliday and some of the vehicles will start at the Pentagon in Virginia, cross Arlington Memorial Bridge, then head to the parade route along the National Mall, joined there by the tanks. Trump will be watching from a reviewing stand just south of the White House that is now being constructed for the occasion. Paratroopers from the Army's Golden Knights are set to parachute in, land on the Eclipse and present Trump with an American flag. The president will then preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of 250 soldiers. There will be fireworks. Is it inspiring or alarming? The United States has staged military parades before, of course. At the end of the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history, the Grand Review of the Armies lasted two days and featured 145,000 soldiers from the victorious Union forces marching through Washington and sometimes breaking into song. President Andrew Johnson, who had been sworn in after Abraham Lincoln's assassination a month earlier, presided. During the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a retired five-star general and hero of World War II, had troops, tanks and warplanes in his inaugural parade. His successor, John F. Kennedy, included troops in his inaugural parade in 1961. The last major military parade in the capital was in 1991 to mark the end of the first Gulf War, when George H.W. Bush was president. But there is not much precedent in the United States for such a massive military parade in peacetime. Like many things involving Trump, reactions clash between those who predict a stirring moment of patriotism and those who see it as an alarming echo of authoritarianism. The ritualized display of armaments and troops is more routine in places like Russia, China and North Korea, where strongmen show their force to their own citizens and the world. In the USA, liberal and pro-democracy groups have declared a "No Kings" day of protests on June 14, with anti-Trump demonstrations planned in more than 1,500 communities across the country. Trump has never been shy about demanding attention and claiming credit for his presidential record, putting himself in the top rank of the 45 men who have held the job. In his State of the Union address in March, he said that "many" believed he had just recorded the most successful first month of any presidency − with George Washington in second place. Last month, on the facade of the Agriculture Department that faces the Mall, a huge banner of Trump's face was draped between the columns alongside one of Lincoln. By the way, that's the building where thousands of the troops who will be marching in the parade will bivouac, sleeping on cots and bringing their own sleeping bags. Agriculture employees have been directed to work from home for the first three weeks of the month to clear the way for them. $45 million? 'Peanuts,' Trump says The parade's price tag? The Army has estimated the cost at $30 million to $45 million, in addition to the promise to help the D.C. government deal with the aftermath. Huge steel plates are being embedded at some intersections to protect the asphalt, but at 140,000 pounds each, the Abrams battle tanks are expected to, well, leave an impression. That could add as much as an estimated $16 million. "Peanuts," Trump said of the cost on NBC's "Meet the Press" last month, "compared to the value of doing it."

Why It Will Take Strong Character To Address The Alarming U.S. Deficit
Why It Will Take Strong Character To Address The Alarming U.S. Deficit

Forbes

timean hour ago

  • Forbes

Why It Will Take Strong Character To Address The Alarming U.S. Deficit

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