logo
Donald Trump's Army Day parade canceled? ‘Birth certificate' claim causes confusion

Donald Trump's Army Day parade canceled? ‘Birth certificate' claim causes confusion

Hindustan Times2 days ago

Many social media users have claimed that the military parade being held on June 14 in Washington, DC for the 250th Army Day, a day that also happens to be President Trump's 79th birthday, is now canceled due to his inability to produce a birth certificate.
The rumor started from a satirical news report published by Andy Borowitz on his blog The Borowitz Report on Thursday (May 29). The report, which was meant to be taken humorously, has left many people confused about whether the parade is still on.
'Though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the missing document as an 'administrative error', the Joint Chiefs of Staff disagreed, stating, 'Without a birth certificate, we have no evidence of when or where President Trump was born.' Trump reportedly begged his wife, Melania, to swear under oath that he was born on June 14, but she refused, telling him, 'You never remember my birthday," the blog on the official website for The Borowitz Report read.
Borowitz also published the same on his social media with the caption 'I knew it! —Obama', an obvious reference to the questions raised by Trump over the legitimacy of former President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Though many people understood the humor of the post, others were left puzzled by what they took to be actual news.
The confusion, however, is completely unnecessary since the parade is still very much on. As of now, there has been no official notice from the White House regarding a possible cancellation. The report was clearly meant to be a satirical jest that was taken too literally by some people. Moreover, Borowitz, the writer of the original report, self-describes himself as a humorist on his website. 'I've been writing satirical news since I was eighteen. This represents either commitment to a genre or arrested development,' the website reads.
Preparations are currently underway for what many expect to be a grand spectacle of troops and vehicles to celebrate Army Day in the best way possible. Many individuals have also blamed this action as a way for Trump to commemorate his birthday.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Donald Trump warns of ‘economic ruination' if courts block his tariff authority
Donald Trump warns of ‘economic ruination' if courts block his tariff authority

Mint

time15 minutes ago

  • Mint

Donald Trump warns of ‘economic ruination' if courts block his tariff authority

US President Donald Trump on Monday (June 1) issued a stark warning on his Truth Social platform, claiming that a potential court ruling against his proposed tariff policies could leave the United States vulnerable to foreign economic aggression. Trump framed the issue as one of national survival, warning that a court decision against his proposed tariffs would 'cripple' the country's ability to respond to unfair foreign trade practices. 'If the Courts somehow rule against us on Tariffs, which is not expected,' Trump wrote, adding, 'that would allow other Countries to hold our Nation hostage with their anti-American Tariffs that they would use against us. This would mean the Economic ruination of the United States of America!' The post appears to be a response to growing legal scrutiny over whether the executive branch has the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs, especially as Trump has floated a proposal for a universal 10% tariff. Critics have argued that such tariffs could raise prices for American consumers and trigger retaliatory trade measures from allies and rivals alike. But Trump has consistently defended tariffs as a tool to protect American industry and pressure foreign governments. A legal tug-of-war over President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff plan intensified, as a federal appeals court reinstated the duties temporarily on May 29 just a day after a lower trade court ruled they were unconstitutional. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington issued a temporary stay ruling by the US Court of International Trade, which had blocked Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs. The appeals court ordered plaintiffs to respond by June 5, and the government by June 9, signaling a fast-moving legal showdown. The lower court had concluded that Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs, arguing that such powers belong to Congress under the Constitution. Trump's controversial tariffs, branded as 'Liberation Day' duties, target imports from most US trading partners. Additional 25% tariffs were also levied on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, citing their alleged role in the flow of fentanyl into the US. The US Court of International Trade had ruled the IEEPA was not intended to be used for trade policy, noting it was meant to address national emergencies, not to serve as a tool for imposing broad economic restrictions.

EU readying 'countermeasures' if tariffs deal with US crumbles
EU readying 'countermeasures' if tariffs deal with US crumbles

Time of India

time32 minutes ago

  • Time of India

EU readying 'countermeasures' if tariffs deal with US crumbles

BARCELONA: The European Union on Monday said it is preparing "countermeasures" against the United States after the Trump administration's surprise tariffs on steel rattled global markets and complicated the ongoing wider tariff negotiations between Brussels and Washington. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed last week to "accelerate talks" on a deal, but that if those trade negotiations fail "then we are also prepared to accelerate our work on the defensive side," European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told a press conference in Brussels. "In the event that our negotiations do not lead to a balanced outcome, the EU is prepared to impose countermeasures, including in response to this latest tariff increase," Gill said. He said the EU is finalizing an "expanded list of countermeasures" that would "automatically take effect on July 14 or earlier." That's the date when a 90-day pause, intended to ease negotiations, ends in tariffs announced by the two economic powerhouses on each other. About halfway through that grace period, Trump announced a 50% tariffs on steel imports. Trump's return to the White House has come with an unrivaled barrage of tariffs, with levies threatened, added and, often, taken away. Top officials at the EU's executive commission says they're pushing hard for a trade deal to avoid a 50% tariff on imported goods. Negotiations will next continue on Wednesday in Paris in a meeting between the EU's top trade negotiator, MaroS Šefčovič, and his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Live Events The EU could possibly buy more liquefied natural gas and defense items from the U.S., as well as lower duties on cars, but it isn't likely to budge on calls to scrap the value added tax - which is akin to a sales tax - or open up the EU to American beef. The EU has offered the U.S. a "zero for zero" outcome in which tariffs would be removed on both sides for industrial goods including autos. Trump has dismissed that but EU officials have said it's still on the table. The announcement Friday of a staggering 50% levy on steel imports stoked fear that big-ticket purchases from cars to washing machines to houses could see major price increases. But those metals are also so ubiquitous in packaging that they're likely to pack a punch across consumer products from soup to nuts.

Climate startups are pausing operations, cutting staff and entering bankruptcy as Trump policies bite
Climate startups are pausing operations, cutting staff and entering bankruptcy as Trump policies bite

Mint

time38 minutes ago

  • Mint

Climate startups are pausing operations, cutting staff and entering bankruptcy as Trump policies bite

Climate startups are feeling the impact of President Trump's attacks on the energy-transition sector, as funding and job cuts, operational halts and bankruptcies rack up. From carbon capture to solar power, companies across the clean-tech spectrum are reeling from funding withdrawals, policy changes and import restrictions brought in by the Trump administration as it has set about dismantling the climate goals of its predecessor. On Friday, the Department of Energy announced $3.7 billion worth of funding cuts for clean-energy and climate projects, with a large portion of the cancelled grants focused on carbon capture and sequestration. Of 24 projects terminated in the move, 16 were signed between election day and Trump's inauguartion, the DoE said in a statement. 'There are going to be some companies that do fall away because they do not have strong fundamentals," said Amy Duffuor, general partner at Azolla Ventures, a climate focused venture capital investor. 'But a lot of high quality companies that do not receive the funding will not scale." Last week, Republicans moved to roll back tax credits for solar, hydrogen and other clean-energy sources, while a number of government departments are exploring whether or not to keep billions of dollars worth of funds in place for projects such as carbon capture and storage. The impact of tariffs has also hit the sector hard, pushing up prices for imports. The move marks a sharp reversal to the policies of the previous administration, which pumped billions into the sector, supercharging startups in the field and attracting automakers, battery manufacturers and solar producers from across the globe to set up shop in the U.S. because of the generous incentives offered by the government. Now those companies are figuring out how to do it on their own, as funding is pulled. In the past month, Li-Cycle, a Canadian battery recycling startup that had aimed to build large facilities in Rochester, N.Y., filed for bankruptcy, while Climeworks, a Swiss direct air capture startup, said it was cutting nearly a quarter of its staff amid uncertainty over whether millions of dollars in grants from the Energy Department would remain in place for its joint venture plant in Louisiana. Both declined to comment for this article. The policy changes have pummeled stock prices of some clean-energy companies that went public in recent years. First Solar said in its earnings report that Trump's tariffs would significantly raise costs for imports. Its stock is down 15% since the inauguration. Hydrogen startup Plug Power's shares are down nearly 60% in the same time period and have fallen into penny stock territory, with the company announcing job cuts amid revenue struggles. It now faces being delisted from the Nasdaq. Likewise, Sunrun, a solar power provider, is down 25%. All companies were hit by news that tax credits for businesses working in the renewables field could be rescinded. Plug said it was continuing to 'monitor the evolving landscape," while First Solar declined to comment. Meanwhile, Group14, a Seattle-based silicon-battery maker said it was delaying opening its battery factory in Moses Lake, Washington, due to uncertainty over Trump's tariffs and was also unsure whether a separate silane production plant would still be receiving $200 million in grant funding it had been contracted under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Silane is a gas used to produce silicon for batteries. 'What we are seeing is just uncertainty from the tariff conversations," said Rick Luebbe, CEO of Group14. He added that it had asked local contractors to pause some of their construction work on the site, with opening having been expected within the next month now delayed into next year. Companies in the space are likely to be 'stress testing" to see if projects could still go ahead without public financing, according to Gabe Rubio at consulting firm BDO. He added that the industry has weathered shifts like this before. 'If you go on LinkedIn, the industry is saying 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling'," he said. 'I think that can be tempered with the fact that these tax credits have changed many times over the years." To the surprise of Democratic policymakers, the move to roll back the subsidies put in place is likely to hit red states hardest, with much of the grant money flowing to Republican controlled regions, something which had been thought of as a way of protecting the measures put in place by the last administration. That also included Group14's Moses Lake plant, set in a rural Republican County, though Luebbe added that to pull funding would likely require an act of Congress. 'In the short term there are some purchasing decisions that could be affected by tariffs etc. and so it may have some impact on supply chains in the very near term, which is currently causing some uncertainty. But in the long term, folks are in wait and see mode." Giana Amador, executive director at the non profit, Carbon Removal Alliance said that the current policy landscape could also mean the U.S. losing the leadership it has built in the clean technology industry, noting that especially in sectors like carbon removals U.S. funding has allowed the country to develop and attract companies to the region. 'This is unfortunately a tale that has been seen before," Amador said, citing the U.S. previous lead in research in solar energy, but failed to capitalize with most manufacturing being centered in Asia. 'If you lose the next two to four to six years we will be ceding that leadership," said Amador adding, 'we do not want to see that with the carbon removal industry." How the industry moves forward without as much public support also remains a question. Philanthropic funding from billionaire backed sources such as Bill Gates' backed Breakthrough Energy had helped dozens of startups get off the ground through its venture fund, but it also laid off many of its U.S. and European climate policy team earlier this year. 'Bill Gates remains as committed as ever to advancing the clean energy innovations needed to address climate change," a Breakthrough spokesperson said. 'His work in this area will continue and is focused on helping drive reliable affordable, clean energy solutions that will enable people everywhere to thrive." Others have also mooted increased spending outside the U.S. in places like Europe, where the climate policy landscape is more stable. GDI, a silicon battery developer that opted to build in Europe amid the flurry of funds fueled by the IRA said it was key to have a strong presence in Europe and the U.S. 'The uncertainty of the current geopolitical environment, in addition to Europe's commitment to invest in its security, supply chains, and domestic manufacturing, requires GDI to move forward in both markets in parallel," said GDI CEO Rob Anstey.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store