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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Corrupter-in-Chief
WHEN DONALD TRUMP TRIED to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election, he lacked one crucial asset: the military. The armed forces stayed out of the fight, putting loyalty to the Constitution above loyalty to the president. In his second term, Trump is working to rectify that mistake. He's not just purging generals and installing his own loyalists. He's also encouraging rank-and-file service members to side with him against anyone who stands in his way, including the courts. Two weeks ago, Trump spoke to American troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Not once did he thank them for serving the United States. Instead, he thanked them for supporting him politically. 'Nobody [has] been stronger than the military in terms of backing us' in 'three unbelievable campaigns,' he boasted. 'I just want to thank you all very much.' Trump did acknowledge one service member for an act of bravery. The hero, he explained, was an Air Force Reserve master sergeant who 'attended the rally where an assassin tried to take my life' and 'raced to direct law enforcement toward the sniper's perch.' This noble deed—attending a Trump rally and protecting Trump—was the only physical act for which Trump thanked anyone in uniform. The president joked that one of the military's new planes was a tribute to him. 'Our air force will soon have the world's first and only sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47,' he noted. 'Why did they name it 47?' he asked, smirking. 'That was a nice thing.' Share Trump also joked about running for a third term. 'We'll have to think about that,' he told the troops. He explained to them, in the manner of a bro soliciting laughter from his buddies, why he loved to talk about running again: 'We're driving the left crazy.' This dig at the American left was an implicit move to enlist service members in domestic politics, even—in the case of a proposed third term—to the point of defying the Constitution. And in case the troops weren't clear about whom they should regard as the enemy, Trump added that Joe Biden and his administration were 'evil, bad people.' Trump even claimed that 'we won three elections,' including his defeat in 2020. This was a blunt, false allegation that Democrats had stolen that election—the only recent presidential contest they had officially won—and a signal that if Republicans were to lose the next election, the military should view the outcome as fraudulent. All this he said openly on a U.S. military base in front of uniformed service members who had sworn to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' Keep up with all our articles, newsletters, podcasts, and livestreams—and decide which ones show up in your inbox: LAST FRIDAY, A WEEK AFTER his speech in Qatar, Trump announced plans for a military parade in Washington, D.C. On Truth Social, he declared, 'We will be hosting a magnificent Parade to honor the United States Army's 250th Birthday, on Saturday, June 14th.' But that wasn't the only reason he gave for picking June 14. 'It's Flag Day,' he explained in a May 2 interview on Meet the Press. And also: 'My birthday happens to be on Flag Day.' Then, on Saturday, Trump gave a commencement address at West Point. He told the graduating cadets that 'the military's job' was not 'to spread democracy to everybody around the world.' What was the military's job? On Meet the Press, he discussed two possible targets: Canada and Greenland. Kristen Welker: Would you rule out military force to take Canada? Trump: Well, I think we're not going to ever get to that point. It could happen. Something could happen with Greenland. . . . Welker: You are not ruling out military force to take Greenland one day? Trump: I don't rule it out. I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything. No, not there. We need Greenland very badly. But Trump's principal focus was at home. He invited the West Point graduates, like the troops in Qatar, to view his domestic opponents as an adversary. 'They don't like using the word 'liberal' anymore,' he told the cadets. 'That's why I call them liberal.' Henceforth, said the president, a 'central purpose of our military' would be to 'protect our own borders' by fighting illegal immigration. 'On Day One, I deployed our military to the southern border,' he observed. That deployment has run into trouble in the courts. The Posse Comitatus Act, for example, forbids any use of the armed forces to conduct arrests on American soil unless it's 'expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress.' But Trump had an answer to any judge who stood in his way. 'Hopefully, the courts will allow us to continue,' he told the cadets. The courts should yield to him, he explained, because 'we won the popular vote by millions of votes. . . . We had a great mandate, and it gives us the right to do what we want to do to make our country great again.' The right to do what we want to do. That sounded like an invitation to stand with Trump in any confrontation with the judiciary. And if the military were to stand with Trump, the courts would be powerless. JD Vance made that point to Trump in a podcast four years ago: 'When the courts stop you, stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did, and say, 'The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it.'' Share ON MONDAY, AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Trump addressed a military audience one more time. In the annual presidential speech honoring Memorial Day, he thanked God not for protecting America but for engineering Trump's political comeback. 'Look what I have. I have everything,' Trump told the crowd. It's 'amazing the way things work out. God did that.' As Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and others in the audience applauded, the president repeated: 'God did it.' Maybe, in the end, Trump won't run for a third term. Or if he runs and loses, maybe he'll acknowledge defeat. Or if he wins, but the Supreme Court says a third term is unconstitutional, maybe he'll accept that ruling. But if he doesn't acknowledge defeat—or if he doesn't accept the Court's decision—who's going to stop him? Join now
CBS News
23-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
911th Airlift Wing will conduct Memorial Day flyovers across the Pittsburgh area. Here's where.
The 911th Airlift Wing will conduct a series of flyovers on Memorial Day across the Pittsburgh area, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The 911th Airlift Wing is scheduled to conduct C-17 Globemaster III flyovers starting at 10:45 a.m. Monday. People in multiple communities should be prepared to hear and see low-flying aircraft. The airlift wing says each flyover is part of the Air Force Reserve's mission to "honor fallen service members, demonstrate the capabilities of the force, and inspire patriotism across the nation." (Photo by Joshua Seybert) Community members are invited to "observe the flyovers in solemn remembrance of all those who have given their lives in service to the United States." Where will the flyovers happen? The flyovers will happen at several cemeteries as part of the Bethel Park, South Hills, Zelienople and Irwin Memorial Day parades. They'll also fly over Richmond Township Community Park, Anderson Field in Shaler Township and Breckenridge Park. The 911th Airlift Wing says the events are part of training that's already scheduled and they don't come at an additional cost to taxpayers. The 911th Airlift Wing, located at the Pittsburgh International Airport, provides "mission-ready C-17 airlift, aeromedical evacuation, and agile combat support," according to its website. It has about 1,220 Air Force Reserve members and employs around 250 Department of Defense civilians.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane Hunters investigate atmospheric river bringing flood threat to Northwest this weekend
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Forecasters are getting an in-depth look at the next storm that's about to wallop the West Coast this weekend, thanks to the efforts of the Hurricane Hunters. Those are special missions flown by the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. Hurricane Hunters spent about 10 hours in flight overnight Thursday into Friday, gathering crucial weather data by flying into the atmospheric river storm that's currently over the Pacific Ocean. The storm is expected to bring urban and river flooding to western portions of Washington and Oregon beginning Saturday and continuing into Tuesday. The Hurricane Hunters are expected to fly two more missions into the atmospheric river Friday, with the last one taking off from Honolulu, Hawaii, around 9 a.m. local time. What Is An Atmospheric River? As their name suggests, Hurricane Hunters see the most missions during hurricane season. During the winter, their mission shifts toward atmospheric rivers because of how impactful these storms have been on the West, according to a release from the Air Force 403rd Wing. "The data we collect is important for forecasters at the National Weather Service and researchers to track atmospheric rivers, which are large amounts of water vapor in the earth's atmosphere," said Lt. Col. Ryan Rickert, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer. Inside The 'Flying Laboratory' Used By Noaa's Hurricane Hunters According to the Air Force, missions involve flying aircraft from 24,000 to 32,000 feet to collect crucial horizontal and vertical profiles of the winds, temperature, humidity, dewpoint and pressure for forecast models. The planes then drop advanced weather sensors and devices called dropsondes into the storm. This allows the crew to obtain data that could not be gathered by traditional ground-based weather stations or satellites. That data is then sent to the National Center for Environmental Prediction, which is used to improve weather forecast models. In addition to flying out of Hawaii, the missions operate out of Washington state, California, Mississippi, and for the first time, Yokota Air Base in Japan. Hurricane Hunters Track Western Floods, Drought In Off-season As for the atmospheric river itself, the storm is expected to bring heavy rain for the entire Pacific Northwest coast starting Saturday. According to the FOX Forecast Center, urban and river flooding are possible with the potential of up to 8 inches of rainfall in some places, through Tuesday. The bulk of the rain will fall this weekend. River flooding is expected to begin Sunday, with the Skokomish River forecast to rise above minor flood stage. The majority of the snow will fall in the Cascades at elevations starting about 6,500 feet. A multi-day flash flood threat was outlined along the Washington-Oregon coast. This atmospheric river could also bring significant flash flooding across parts of Idaho and Montana where the ground remains frozen from days of subzero temperatures. How To Watch Fox WeatherOriginal article source: Hurricane Hunters investigate atmospheric river bringing flood threat to Northwest this weekend
Miami Herald
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trump picks U.S. attorney in Miami. As criminal prosecutor, he received poor evaluations
On paper, President Donald Trump's new nominee to head the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Florida seems to have solid credentials. He formerly served as an assistant federal prosecutor in the Miami office, was appointed as a Miami-Dade County judge a year ago by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and he's a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. But there are a couple of things in the background of Jason A. Reding Quiñones that were not highlighted in Trump's glowing post about him on his media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, including a name change and that he received poor evaluations as a criminal prosecutor in the same office he has been nominated to head. After a lifetime of only going by the last name 'Reding,' he added 'Quiñones' to his surname in December 2023 when he applied for judicial openings on the county bench — a not so uncommon strategy in the so-called name game of judicial politics in Miami-Dade, where the majority of voters are Hispanic. It's not clear whether Quiñones is a family name, however, because the 44-year-old Reding has never publicly explained why he appended it to his application to the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission in his bid for county judge. Long before he set his sights on that goal, Reding, as he was known, graduated from Florida International University's law school in 2008, practiced corporate law for few years, did a stint as a JAG/military lawyer for the Air Force, and then joined the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Later that year, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami hired Reding as an assistant federal prosecutor in the major crimes section, the starting place for most newly hired assistants. Put on performance work plan But during his four years in the major crimes section, which focuses on violent criminal prosecutions, Reding received poor employee evaluations from his supervisors, the Miami Herald has learned. As a result, Reding was placed on a performance work plan before he took an extended leave from the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2020-2021 to serve in the Air Force Reserve. When Reding returned to the office, he was reassigned to the civil division, which deals mostly with non-criminal prosecutions. In the civil division, Reding received satisfactory job evaluations. Reding did not respond to emails and a call to his office at the Miami-Dade County Court, where he has worked in the domestic violence section over the past year. The Herald not only requested an interview with Reding, but also sought responses to questions about the change to his last name and his poor job reviews at the U.S. Attorney's Office. On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said it could not comment on personnel matters. Miami office one of the busiest Trump, meanwhile, was effusive in his praise of Reding when he announced his nomination for the U.S. Attorney's position on Sunday afternoon. The office, one of the busiest in the country, has about 250 prosecutors who focus on fraud, corruption, drug trafficking and violent crime — though Trump has made it clear that a sweeping crackdown on immigration offenses is the main priority of his administration. 'It is my honor to nominate Judge Jason Reding Quiñones as the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida,' Trump posted on his media platform, Truth Social. 'A former Federal prosecutor and Justice Department National Security Official, Judge Reding Quiñones currently serves as a highly respected State Trial Judge in Miami, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. 'As the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Judge Reding Quiñones will restore Law and Order, prosecute violent crimes and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations Jason!' Federalist Society member Reding, who is a member of the conservative Federalist Society like many of Trump's appointments to U.S. Attorney's posts and federal judge openings, still must go through a Senate Judiciary Committee review and full Senate vote. If confirmed, he will replace interim U.S. Attorney Hayden O'Byrne, who was temporarily appointed to the position by the Justice Department after U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe stepped down last month before Trump was sworn in as president. Lapointe, a Haitian-American immigrant who became the first Black lawyer to serve in the most powerful federal law enforcement position in South Florida, announced his resignation after two years on the job. Lapointe, 56, who assumed the U.S. Attorney's position in January 2023 after being nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, presided over a post-COVID-19 office that cracked down on government loan scams, false Medicare claims and nursing-school diploma mills, as well as Venezuelan corruption, developer Sergio Pino's murder-for-hire plot targeting his wife, and the South Florida-led conspiracy to kill Haiti's president. Senior prosecutors leave office Lapointe's exit was not the only significant departure from the office, which has lost a half dozen senior career prosecutors who either retired or moved into private practice, causing a brain drain and leadership void. Moreover, morale in the South Florida office has sunk to a new low, partly because of Trump's Justice Department firing prosecutors and forcing others to resign in key places, including Washington and New York City. In late January, one of the Miami office's most well-respected prosecutors, Michael Thakur, was fired along with more than a dozen federal prosecutors in the Justice Department by Acting Attorney General James McHenry as political retribution for the special counsel's indictments of Trump during the Biden administration. In an emailed letter to Thakur and others, McHenry cited their roles in either the classified documents case involving an FBI search of Trump's estate in Palm Beach or the election-interference case arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — both brought against Trump by the former special counsel, Jack Smith.
