Thousands descend on downtown Denver for "No Kings" rally
Saturday, thousands of people descended on downtown Denver to exercise their First Amendment right.
It was Denver's "No Kings" rally. One in a series of nationwide protests where attendees voiced their opposition to the Trump administration and its policies. Hundreds of similar protests took place nationwide, scheduled for the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary and the president's birthday.
It seems everyone had their own reason for showing up.
"It's really important that we're keeping families together," said a woman who only wished to be identified as Jasmine.
"I'm really concerned about women's rights," said a woman who only wished to be identified as Leslie.
"Your people voted for you. It's time to serve your people," said an unidentified woman.
But no matter what issue was on the top of their list, all demonstrators agreed on one thing. They don't like President Trump.
"Trump is a felon. He's in office, and he said that he was going to go after criminals and deport the criminals, but in reality, he seems to be deporting a lot of innocent people," said Jasmine.
"Donald Trump has to go," said Leslie.
This is Leslie's second protest ever. She says she wasn't sure she was going to come at first.
"I come from the sixties and seventies, and the sixties and seventies were violent times, so I was a little scared to come, but my friend here said 'come' so I did and I'm glad I did," she said. "The first one was nothing compared to this. This is huge."
Jasmine says this isn't just about disliking President Trump, it's about loving where she's from, the United States of America.
"We're all here. We're all trying to do something good for this country," she said. "I think it's amazing the sense of community that's here right now is really cool."
She and the rest of Saturday's demonstrators say they hope this sends a message to Washington, D.C., and President Trump that the people of Denver want change.
"I do not think he will listen to us, but I think it's necessary. He can't ignore it completely," said Leslie.
The protests come just one week after protests against ICE broke out across the country, but those weren't connected to today's events.
Nearly 2,000 "No Kings" speeches and marches were planned by volunteers through 50501, a movement that has held numerous national days of protest this year. The name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
The White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X shared a video of the president responding to questions about Saturday's planned rallies. "I don't feel like a king," Trump said. "I have to go through hell to get stuff approved." He told reporters, "We're not a king, we're not a king at all."
"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"
–President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/IMr4tq0sMB — The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2025
In February, the president caused a stir on social media when the official White House social media accounts posted a mock cover of Time Magazine depicting Trump wearing a crown along with the words "Long live the king."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
16 minutes ago
- Washington Post
What to know about the Democratic lawmakers shot in Minnesota
Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot at their home in Brooklyn Park, near Minneapolis, in the predawn hours Saturday. Hortman was a Democratic leader and served as the speaker of the state House of Representatives until early this year. The attacker also targeted Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, early Saturday. The two sustained multiple bullet wounds and are in stable condition, according to authorities. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) condemned the bloodshed as an 'act of targeted political violence.' President Donald Trump and leaders from both parties denounced the violence as Minnesota's entire congressional delegation issued a joint statement calling the shootings an attack on public servants. Hortman, 55, was a lawyer and Democrat who spent 20 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, which she led as speaker for six years, a tenure that ended in January. Hortman got her start in politics working for Al Gore and John F. Kerry. She was first elected to the chamber in 2004, when she defeated incumbent Stephanie Olsen (R). Hortman rose up quickly through the ranks of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, known as the DFL Party, serving as assistant majority leader, minority whip, speaker pro tempore, deputy minority leader and minority leader. She became speaker of the house in 2019, after Democrats took control of the chamber. During her tenure, Hortman advanced several liberal priorities, including legislation that provided universal free school lunches and codified abortion into the state's constitution. In 2020, she backed efforts to pass police reform legislation after the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing unrest. In tributes, colleagues remembered her as deeply committed to education, environment and reproductive rights. 'She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota,' Walz said. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who attended law school with Hortman, described her as 'a bright shining light of a person.' Gore said in a tweet that Hortman left 'a lasting impact' on his team during her time working with him in the U.S. Senate. She held a bachelor's degree from Boston University, a law degree from the University of Minnesota and a master's in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Her husband, Mark Hortman, worked as a program manager for nvent Electric, an electric manufacturing company, according to his LinkedIn and social media profiles. They leave behind two children. Hoffman, whose district includes Brooklyn Park and Champlin, was first elected to the state Senate in 2012. He served as minority whip from 2017 until 2021. He is chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the largest parts of the state budget. Hoffman has backed legislation that extended the state's health-care program to undocumented immigrants, according to the Associated Press. Before being elected to the state legislature, Hoffman served on the Anoka-Hennepin School Board. He ran for state office after he struggled to obtain insurance for a daughter with spina bifida, and he figured others had the same difficulty, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. He is a former chair of the Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council. Mat Ollig, a nephew of the couple, said in a Facebook post that Hoffman went into politics 'to help people with disabilities get the care they need,' adding that he worked across the aisle 'to push bills that would help Minnesotans.' Ollig wrote that the Hoffmans were both out of surgery and recovering after John Hoffman was shot six times and his wife, Yvette, was shot five times. He also said their daughter, Hope, was present during the attack. 'My aunt threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life,' he wrote.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
After day of nationwide protests, Trump's military parade rolls through D.C
By Phil Stewart, Jeff Mason, Brad Brooks and Karl Plume WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's long-sought military parade rolled though the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday, but the celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord. In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, protesting Trump's actions while in office, in the largest such actions since his return to power in January. Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large. Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged further attacks early on Sunday, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations. All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Trump calling in National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to help keep the peace, over the objections of the state's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. The parade, which fell on Trump's 79th birthday, kicked off earlier than expected with thunderstorms forecast in the Washington area. Tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery rumbled down the parade route along storied Constitution Avenue, an unusual sight in the U.S. where such displays of military might are rare. "Every other country celebrates their victories, it's about time America did too," Trump told the crowd following the parade. Thousands of spectators lined up along the route. Trump watched the proceedings from an elevated viewing stand behind bulletproof glass. Some of the president's opponents also managed to find a spot along the parade route, holding signs in protest. Other demonstrators were kept separate from the parade crowd by local police. The U.S. Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119. ARMY'S HISTORY The parade traced the history of the Army from its founding during the Revolutionary War through modern day. Trump frequently stood and saluted troops as they marched by. Members of Trump's cabinet including Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked on. Trump had first expressed interest in a military parade in Washington early in his first 2017-2021 term in office. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War. The celebrations were expected to cost the U.S. Army between $25 million and $45 million, U.S. officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops. Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government. Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington. 'I don't see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy,' 61-year-old Henrie said. 'SHAME! SHAME!' Earlier in the day, thousands marched in Washington and other cities in protest of Trump's policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, and marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January. In Los Angeles, however, the situation remained tense. About an hour before a downtown curfew, police officers mounted on horses were aggressively pushing back demonstrators, using gas, flash bangs and other less lethal munitions, causing large groups to panic and flee. Protesters were firing what police called commercial-grade fireworks against officers, along with rocks and bottles. Some demonstrators wore gas masks and helmets and vowed to stay in the area for many more hours. A crowd earlier had confronted soldiers guarding a federal building, yelling 'Shame! Shame!' and 'Marines, get out of LA!' Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many took place under the theme "No Kings," asserting that no individual is above the law. Thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the 'No Kings' theme. 'No crown for a clown,' said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read "immigrant." 'We're seeing dehumanizing language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people,' said Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. 'Somebody's got to show that most Americans are against this.' Protesters in downtown Chicago stood off against police on Saturday, with some waving upside-down American flags and chanting: 'Who do you protect? Who do you serve?' and 'No justice, no peace." Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta "No Kings" protest, wearing the group's distinctive black and yellow colors. About 400 protesters, organized by a group called marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that "they're going to be met with very big force." Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd, 'Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, 'Hell no.''
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
DEA Delays MMJ Cannabis Research While Allowing Texas Ibogaine Studies Without Obstruction: The Tale of Two Schedule I Substances
Two Schedule I drugs. Two research tracks. One DEA double standard. MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's FDA sanctioned cannabis research has been stonewalled for seven years. Meanwhile, Texas launches state-funded ibogaine trials with full political support and zero DEA obstruction. Is federal drug policy about science or selective enforcement? WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / June 15, 2025 / The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has spent the last seven years obstructing MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's federally lawful efforts to research cannabis derived medicine for devastating neurological diseases. Yet this week, the same Drug Enforcement Administration sits idly by as Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs SB 2308, a bold new law investing $50 million into clinical research of ibogaine, a Schedule I psychedelic with no FDA approval and known cardiotoxicity risks. The DEA hypocrisy is staggering. Two Schedule I Drugs, Two Opposite Realities Ibogaine and marijuana are both Schedule I substances - the most restrictive classification under the Controlled Substances Act. This means the DEA claims they have: And yet, while Texas is encouraged to pursue ibogaine trials through gifts, grants, and state matching funds, MMJ BioPharma has been trapped in a Kafkaesque limbo for attempting the same with cannabis-despite MMJ's direct alignment with the FDA's Investigational New Drug (IND) process, orphan drug designation, and a DEA-compliant manufacturing facility. 'Why is Texas allowed to bypass federal enforcement for psychedelic research while MMJ BioPharma Cultivation is targeted and delayed for developing cannabis-based therapies through the FDA?' stated Duane Boise CEO MMJ. The Texas Psychedelic Loophole: DEA Selective Enforcement? Under SB 2308, Texas will now: There has been no indication that the DEA intends to interfere with this psychedelic research initiative. In fact, Texas officials cite DEA coordination as merely a procedural formality. Compare that to MMJ BioPharma: Despite this, DEA attorneys - including those under internal ethics investigation - have argued to dismiss MMJ's claims and to keep the company locked out of cannabis-based drug development. So let's ask the obvious: Will the DEA block Texas next? Or are Schedule I drugs only 'dangerous' when researched by companies the DEA doesn't control? Veterans Deserve Science, Not Bureaucracy Both ibogaine and cannabis have shown promise in treating PTSD, opioid dependency, and neurodegenerative diseases, especially among U.S. veterans. But only one path is being respected by federal regulators: the one funded by politics, not science. 'Patients deserve real medicine, not political footballs,' said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ International Holdings. The Inconvenient Truth: MMJ Followed the Law - And Paid the Price The contrast could not be more striking: If the DEA allows Texas to move forward unimpeded while continuing to obstruct MMJ's FDA-approved research, it will be a glaring admission of regulatory bias, abuse of discretion, and political favoritism. Congress, the courts, and the public must now ask: Is the DEA enforcing the law-or weaponizing it? If the DEA cannot respect the law, then the law must be used to dismantle the DEA. MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan. CONTACT: Madison Hisey [email protected] 203-231-8583 SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings press release
