LIVE NOW: U.S. President Trump delivers remarks at Fort Bragg
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Bragg to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Watch LIVE here.
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CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
U.S. military parade has global counterparts in democracies, monarchies and totalitarian regimes
The military parade to mark the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and its convergence with U.S. President Donald Trump's 79th birthday are combining to create a peacetime outlier in U.S. history. Yet it still reflects global traditions that serve a range of political and cultural purposes. Variations on the theme have surfaced among longtime NATO allies in Europe, one-party and authoritarian states and history's darkest regimes. France: Bastille Day and Trump's idée inspirée The oldest democratic ally of the U.S. holds a military parade each July 14 to commemorate one of the seminal moments of the French Revolution. It inspired — or at least stoked — Trump's idea for a Washington version. On July 14, 1789, French insurgents stormed the Bastille, which housed prisoners of Louis XVI's government. Revolutionaries commenced a Fête de la Fédération as a day of national unity and pride the following year, even with the First French Republic still more than two years from being established. The Bastille Day parade has rolled annually since 1880. Now, it proceeds down an iconic Parisian route, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It passes the Arc de Triomphe — a memorial with tributes to the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars and World War I — and eventually in front of the French president, government ministers and invited foreign guests. Trump attended in 2017, early in his first presidency, as U.S. troops marched as guests. The spectacle left him openly envious. 'It was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen,' Trump told French President Emanuel Macron. 'It was military might, and I think a tremendous thing for France and for the spirit of France. We're going to have to try and top it.' The British set modern ceremonial standards In the United Kingdom, King Charles III serves as ceremonial (though not practical) head of U.K. armed forces. Unlike in France and the U.S., where elected presidents wear civilian dress even at military events, Charles dons elaborate dress uniforms — medals, sash, sword, sometimes even a bearskin hat and chin strap. He does it most famously at Trooping the Colour, a parade and troop inspection to mark the British monarch's official birthday, regardless of their actual birthdate. (The U.S. Army has said it has no specific plans to recognize Trump's birthday on Saturday.) In 2023, Charles' first full year as king, he rode on horseback to inspect 1,400 representatives of the most prestigious U.K. regiments. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, used a carriage over the last three decades of her 70-year reign. The British trace Trooping the Colour back to King Charles II, who reigned from 1660-1685. It became an annual event under King George III, described in the American colonists' Declaration of Independence as a figure of 'absolute Despotism (and) Tyranny.' Authoritarians flaunt military assets Grandiose military pomp is common under modern authoritarians, especially those who have seized power via coups. It sometimes serves as a show of force meant to ward off would-be challengers — and to seek legitimacy and respect from other countries. Cuba's Fidel Castro, who wore military garb routinely, held parades to commemorate the revolution he led on Dec. 2, 1959. In 2017, then-President Raúl Castro refashioned the event into a Fidel tribute shortly after his brother's death. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, known as 'Comandante Chávez,' presided over frequent parades until his 2013 death. His successor, Nicolás Maduro, has worn military dress at similar events. North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, who famously bonded with Trump in a 2018 summit, used a 2023 military parade to show off his daughter and potential successor, along with pieces of his isolated country's nuclear arsenal. The event in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square — named for Kim's grandfather — marked the North Korean Army's 75th birthday. Kim watched from a viewing stand as missiles other weaponry moved by and goose-stepping soldiers marched past him chanting, 'Defend with your life, Paektu Bloodline' — referring to the Kim family's biological ancestry. In China, Beijing's one-party government stages its National Day Parade every 10 years to project civic unity and military might. The most recent events, held in 2009 and 2019, involved trucks carrying nuclear missiles designed to evade U.S. defenses, as well as other weaponry. Legions of troops, along with those hard assets, streamed past President Xi Jinping and other leaders gathered in Tiananmen Square in 2019 as spectators waved Chinese flags and fighter jets flew above. Earlier this spring, Xi joined Russian President Vladimir Putin — another strongman leader Trump has occasionally praised — in Moscow's Red Square for the annual 'Victory Day' parade. The May 9 event commemorates the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II — a global conflict in which China and the Soviet Union, despite not being democracies, joined the Allied Powers in fighting the Axis Powers led by Germany and Japan. A birthday parade for Hitler Large civic-military displays were, of course, a feature in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy before and during World War II. Chilling footage of such events lives on as a reminder of the dangers of authoritarian extremism. Among those frequent occasions: a parade capping Germany's multiday observance of Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday in 1939. (Some far-right extremists in Europe still mark the anniversary of Hitler's birth.) The four-hour march through Berlin on April 20, 1939, included more than 40,000 personnel across the Army, Navy, Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Schutzstaffel (commonly known as the 'SS.') Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the streets. The Führer's invited guests numbered 20,000. On a street-level platform, Hitler was front and centre. Alone. Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
Toronto Star
41 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Democrats squaring off in Virginia primaries say one name a lot: Trump
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Virginia Democrats are battling Tuesday to be their party's nominee for attorney general. Yet, the name mentioned most in their campaigns is not that of their opponent, but rather a man who lives just over the Arlington Memorial Bridge: President Donald Trump. The barrage of changes Trump has wrought to American culture in the first few months of his second White House residency has ignited the campaigns of Virginia Democrats Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor as they appeal unrelentingly to the most devout swaths of their base ahead of down-ballot primary elections. The primary will also determine the party's nominations this year for lieutenant governor and some contested seats in the House of Delegates. In one of only two states electing governors in November — the other is New Jersey — the caustic anti-Trump rhetoric could be a hint of what voters nationwide will hear from Democrats in next year's midterm elections, when the stakes will be higher. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Virginia's nominees for governor have been settled by default. Democrat Abigail Spanberger became her party's nominee after running unopposed, and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears was the only contender who gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot. The other statewide races are for attorney general and lieutenant governor, and Democrats in both contests seem to be vying to top each other with anti-Trump rhetoric and caustic ads. Republicans are not hosting statewide primaries this year, so only Democrats will pick a nominee for lieutenant governor. It's a part-time position that pays about $36,000 a year but is often a stepping stone to higher office. Six Democrats want the job, and most of them have pushed ad after ad on the airwaves and online about their commitment to taking on Trump if elected to the mostly ceremonial role. In the contest for attorney general, Jones and Taylor are competing in much the same way. Turnout is likely to be sluggish, which means firing up base voters is widely seen as the way to go. The last time a left-wing candidate for governor ran unopposed, roughly 142,000 Democrats voted for an attorney general nominee compared with more than 485,000 this past election cycle. Still, the AG's race has been spicy, more so when the candidates' criticism isn't directed at each other. Jones and Taylor have lambasted the White House and argued that the administration's actions should be litigated in court. When they are not lamenting Trump, their attacks are directed toward incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection. In their respective campaigns, the Democrats argue that Miyares submits to the president by not suing him. They say that sets him apart from more progressive attorneys general across the United States, who are going to court over such things as birthright citizenship and elections. Their main message: A Democrat will take the White House to trial when Miyares won't — and saving democracy starts there. 'The job is to protect Virginians, to fight for them, to work for them, to keep us safe,' Jones said while campaigning in June in Falls Church, Virginia, adding, 'I don't understand why he is not going after them.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Last month, Taylor told a room full of Democratic voters that Miyares would enable Trump's overreaches in Virginia, and potentially double down on institutions that don't comply with the president. Either way, 'the result is the same for Virginians: getting hurt,' she said. In a wide-ranging interview in May, Miyares said he identifies as a balls-and-strikes Republican. The former Virginia Beach state delegate, elected top prosecutor in 2021, worked to reduce violent crime. He sought settlements from Big Pharma. When he felt President Joe Biden's administration overstepped, he went to court. But as Trump was ushered into office for a second term, Miyares entered new political terrain. Unlike most other states, Virginians will elect their attorney general this November, nearly a year after the country voted for the president and his consequential agenda. Miyares has waded into the political arena. He often spars on social media with progressive prosecutors throughout Virginia for being too lenient in prosecuting criminal cases. Still, Miyares rebuffed the notion that suing Trump is his top concern. He said the Democrats looking to replace him fail to understand the nature of his position. The attorney general touted meaningful work his office has shouldered: holding listening sessions for crime victims, designating resources to support law enforcement and beefing up his office's prosecutions of child support cases. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He flashed his law enforcement badge, tucked within a leather wallet, and described the emblem as a guidepost for being an effective people's prosecutor. 'They seem very obsessed with Donald Trump, whereas I'm obsessed with how am I going to keep Virginians safe?' Miyares said. ___ Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Read more on the U.S. Election at
Globe and Mail
42 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
LMT, RTX, LHX: Defense Stocks Surge as Military Conflict Erupts Between Israel and Iran
Leading U.S. defense stocks such as Lockheed Martin (LMT), L3Harris Technologies (LHX), and RTX Corp. (RTX) are rising after Israel launched targeted attacks on Iran. Confident Investing Starts Here: Media reports say that Israel attacked Iran overnight on June 13, targeting nuclear facilities and military sites. While the attacks have sent global stock markets in Europe, Asia and the U.S. lower, they have led to a surge in the share prices of defense contractors. LMT, RTX and LHX stocks are each up about 5% on news of the largest attack on Iran since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Israel itself has declared a state of emergency as Iran retaliated early on June 13 with a massive drone strike. Some media have raised the prospect of all-out war between Israel and Iran. Gold and Oil While U.S. defense stocks are gaining on news of the military conflict, it appears that Israel has carried out this latest attack on Iran independent of America. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the American military has not been involved in the attack on Iran. Israel currently employs Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter jets and other state-of-the-art U.S. military equipment and weapons. In addition to defense stocks, the price of gold is up 1.3% to $3,435.50 an ounce and Brent crude oil, the international standard, is up nearly 10% to $75.14 per barrel. Is LMT Stock a Buy? The stock of Lockheed Martin has a consensus Moderate Buy rating among 15 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on seven Buy and eight Hold recommendations assigned in the last three months. The average LMT price target of $521.07 implies 11.04% upside from current levels.
