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UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Preparations underway for Army parade in D.C. on Saturday
1 of 13 | Fencing and staging go up on Monday near the White House for the Army's 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturfday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo June 9 (UPI) -- Preparations are underway for a military parade Saturday in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary that is projected to cost $45 million and possibly higher because of possible road damage. Construction workers are erecting a stage along Constitution Avenue near the White House. Steel plates have been embedded in the asphalt to protect damage from 140,000-pound Abrams tanks. Saturday also is Flag Day and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. The parade will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by the Army Golden Knights' parachute demonstration and a concert at the Ellipse. A fireworks show will occur at 9:45 p.m., the U.S. Army said. All of the activities are free. Registration for the festival and parade is available through America250's event registration portal. The parade will include 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft going from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument. Around 200,000 spectators are expected to watch the parade, including Army personnel wearing uniforms representing every U.S. conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War. About 1,800 Soldiers from III Armored Corps in Fort Cavazos will participate. Vehicles have been arriving by train from Texas. "The Army's 250th birthday is a once-in-a-lifetime event," Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, a spokesperson for the III Armored Corps, said as one of the trains left Fort Cavazos, Texas. "This is a chance to see our soldiers, our leaders and the world-class force on full display in our nation's capital. We look forward to being a part of history." A list and photos of military equipment is available on the Army website. The parade starts at 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue North and travels down Constitution Avenue along the National Mall, ending at 15th Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest, the U.S. Army said. WTOP reported there will be several road closures. D.C. officials have expressed concern about potential road damage from the vehicles, including 60-ton tanks. Army has installed thick steel plates at key turns but straightaway on Constitution Avenue remain unprotected. Mayor Muriel Bowser said potential damage could cost millions but the Army has pledged to cover the costs. During his first presidency, President Trump asked the Pentagon to organize a military parade in the capital after he watched the French Bastille Day military parade in France in 2017. But Pentagon personnel convinced him then not to move forward with plans. Instead in 2019, he celebrated Independence Day with a speech at the Lincoln Memorial with military planes' flyovers. Two Bradley fighting vehicles also were at the Lincoln Memorial. "I think it's time for us to celebrate a little bit," Trump said Monday. "You know we've had a lot of victories." The White House estimates the parade will cost between $25 million and $45 million. Besides the parade, concert and fireworks, there will be a fitness competition at 9:30 a.m. and a festival beginning at 11 a.m. that includes an NFL kids zone and military demonstrations, along with other activities. Flights to and from Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., will be suspended for 90 minutes during the military parade.
UPI
5 days ago
- Health
- UPI
'Unite for Vets' rally in Washington, D.C., protest overhaul of VA
1 of 8 | Veterans, military families and demonstrators gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,, to participate in a Unite for Veterans Rally to protest the Trump Administration's cuts to staffing and programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo June 6 (UPI) -- Several thousand veterans converged on the National Mall on Friday at a rally among 200 events nationwide against a proposed overhaul that includes staffing reduction and some services shifted. The Veterans Administration counters the new proposed budget is higher than last year, processing of claims have sped up and it's easier to get benefits. Veterans, military families and others participated in the Unite for Veterans, Unite for America Rally on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, which was the Allies' amphibious invasion of German-occupied France. The protests, which were organized by a union, took place at 16 state capitol buildings and more than 100 other places across 43 states. "We are coming together to defend the benefits, jobs and dignity that every generation of veterans has earned through sacrifice," Unite for Veterans said on its website. "Veteran jobs, healthcare, and essential VA services are under attack. We will not stand by." Speakers in Washington included Democrats with military backgrounds: Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, former Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania and California Rep. Derek Tran. There were signs against President Donald Trump, VA Secretary Doug Collins and Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire who ran the Department of Government Efficiency. They said those leaders are betraying the country's promises to troops. "Are you tired of being thanked for our service in the public and stabbed in our back in private?" Army veteran Everett Kelly, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, asked the crowd. "For years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have campaigned on their support of veterans, but once they get into office, they cut our benefits, our services. They take every opportunity to privatize our health care." The Trump administration plans to cut 83,000 VA staffers and shift more money from the federal health care system to private-sector clinics. The administration's proposed budget for the VA, released on Friday, slashes spending for "medical services" by $12bn - or nearly 20% - an amount offset by a corresponding 50% boost in funding for veterans seeking healthcare in the private sector. The Department of Veterans Affairs employs approximately 482,000 people, including 500,000 workers at 170 hospitals and 1,200 local clinics in the nation's largest health care system. In all, there are 15.8 million veterans, which represents 6.1% of the civilian population 18 years and older. VA officials said the event was misguided. "Imagine how much better off veterans would be if VA's critics cared as much about fixing the department as they do about protecting its broken bureaucracy," VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said in a statement to UPI. "The Biden Administration's VA failed to address nearly all of the department's most serious problems, such as rising health care wait times, growing backlogs of veterans waiting for disability compensation and major issues with survivor benefits." Kasperowicz told UPI disability claims backlog is already down 25% since Trump took office on Jan. 20 after it increased 24% during the Biden administration. He said VA has opened 10 new healthcare clinics around the country, and Trump has proposed a 10% budget increase to $441.3 billion in fiscal year 2026. The administration's proposed budget for the VA reduces spending for "medical services" by $12 billion - or nearly 20% - which is offset by a 50% boost in funding for veterans seeking healthcare in the private sector. Kasperowicz said the "VA is accelerating the deployment of its integrated electronic health record system, after the program was nearly dormant for almost two years under the Biden Administration." The event was modeled after the Bonus Army protests of the 1930s, when veterans who served in World War I gathered in the nation's capital to demand extra pay denied after leaving the service. Irma Westmoreland, a registered nurse working at a VA hospital and the secretary-treasurer of National Nurses United, told the crowd in Washington: "It's important for every person to keep their job, from the engineering staff to the housekeeper to the dietary staff. When cuts are made, the nursing and medical staff will have to pick up all their work that needs to be done."
UPI
6 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Veterans Affairs' health, benefits app passes 3 million downloads
1 of 2 | The Department of Veterans Affairs, headquartered in Washington, D.C., announced its Health and Benefits mobile app has achieved more than 3 million downloads since its launch in 2021. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo June 6 (UPI) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs' Health and Benefits mobile app has achieved more than 3 million downloads, or nearly 20% of all veterans, since its launch in 2021. The app has 1.4 million active users, according to an agency news release Friday on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, which was the Allies' amphibious invasion of German-occupied France. The app provides veterans access to healthcare and benefits information from their mobile phones, and features fingerprint and face recognition. Users can refill and track VA prescriptions, review appointments, review claims and appeals status, submit evidence for claims and appeals, review VA payment and direct deposit information, locate the closest VA facilities, access the Veterans Crisis Line and show proof of veteran status. "We encourage all VA-enrolled Veterans to stay connected and informed by downloading the app," Eddie Pool, acting assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and acting chief information officer, said in a news release. In all, there are 15.8 million veterans, which represents 6.1% of the civilian population 18 year and older. Of those, 7.8 million served in the Gulf War era between 1990 and now, 5.6 million during the Vietnam era from 1950 to 1073, 767,000 during the Korean conflict in the 1940s and 1950s, and less than 120,000 World War II veterans, according to Pew Research in 2023. As of 2023, 78% of veterans served during wartime. The Department of Veterans Affairs employs approximately 482,000 people, including 500,000 workers at 170 hospitals and 1,200 local clinics in the nation's largest health care system. Like with other agencies, the agency is being downsized with plans to cut 83,000 jobs.
New York Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Live Updates: Trump Administration Begins Pulling Back Money for the Arts
Skip to contentSkip to site index The Voice of America building in March, a day after more than 1,300 employees of the media broadcaster were placed on leave in Washington. Credit... Annabelle Gordon/Reuters Voice of America, which for eight decades brought news to corners of the globe where reliable journalism was scarce, went dark in March after the Trump administration cut its funding and put its workers on leave. But next week, journalists for the organization, a U.S.-funded international news broadcaster, are set to return to work, its director said, after it won a court victory last month restoring its funding. The director, Mike Abramowitz, said in an email to his staff on Friday that the Justice Department had alerted Voice of America that the broadcaster's access to its computer systems was being restored. The email was obtained by The New York Times. 'I am seeking further details, and I will share them as soon as possible,' Mr. Abramowitz wrote. 'But on the face of it, this news is a positive development.' Voice of America, founded in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda, was broadcasting in 49 languages to an estimated 360 million people around the world before President Trump moved to mute its airwaves. The broadcaster had long been seen as a vital tool in America's efforts to promote democracy globally, and it transmitted news into countries such as Russia and Iran, where press freedoms were limited. Mr. Trump has accused Voice of America of being biased against him and branded it the 'voice of radical America.' He issued an executive order in mid-March to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the congressionally chartered agency that funds Voice of America and other government-supported international news outlets. The order targeted parts of the federal bureaucracy that the president had determined to be 'unnecessary,' it said. Almost immediately, Voice of America's roughly 1,300 workers were sent home. The network's radio transmitters were cut, and its wire services were terminated. A battle in the courts followed, with Voice of America and other federally funded news outlets arguing that Mr. Trump lacked the power to withdraw funding that had been authorized by Congress. Last week, Royce C. Lamberth, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, agreed. He issued a temporary order requiring the administration to restore funding for Voice of America. The administration appealed the ruling. The issue remains unsettled. A federal appeals court has left in place the ruling requiring the administration to allow Voice of America to resume its news programming. But the appeals court said that the administration could continue, for now, to withhold funding from three broadcasters under the umbrella of the Agency for Global Media: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Voice of America is a government entity, unlike the other three broadcasters, which are federally funded private nonprofits. Mr. Trump has installed one of his loyalists, Kari Lake, a former news anchor and Senate candidate from Arizona, to advise the Agency for Global Media. In an email on Saturday, Ms. Lake said that she had always intended to 'bring V.O.A. into the 21st century.' She added that 'frivolous litigation' had slowed her efforts to 'streamline' Voice of America, but that she looked forward to 'effectively telling America's story to a worldwide audience.' In court papers, journalists for Voice of America said the Trump administration had engaged in the 'wholesale' dismantling of the broadcaster by 'ordering virtually the entire staff not to report to work, turning off the service and locking the agency's doors.' On Friday evening, Voice of America's lawyers received the email from the Justice Department indicating that the government was following Judge Lamberth's order, Mr. Abramowitz told his staff. Peter Baker contributed reporting. The National Endowment for the Arts began withdrawing and terminating grants from arts organizations around the country. National Endowment for the Arts withdrew and canceled grant offers to numerous arts organizations around the country on Friday night, sending a round of email notifications out just hours after President Trump proposed eliminating the agency in his next budget. The move, although not unexpected, was met with disappointment and anger by arts administrators who had counted on the grants to finance ongoing projects. In Oregon, Portland Playhouse received an email from the endowment just 24 hours before opening a production of August Wilson's 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone,' an acclaimed work that is part of the playwright's series of 10 dramas about African Americans through the course of the 20th century. The N.E.A. had recommended a $25,000 grant for the show, which would have paid about one-fifth of the production's personnel costs. 'Times are tough for theaters — we're already pressed, and in this moment where every dollar matters, this was a critical piece of our budget,' said Brian Weaver, the theater's producing artistic director. 'It's ridiculous.' The emails were sent to arts administrators from an address at the endowment that did not accept replies. 'The N.E.A. is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president,' the emails said. 'Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities.' The emails went on to say that the endowment would now prioritize projects that 'elevate' historically Black colleges and universities, and colleges that serve Hispanic students. The emails also said the endowment would focus on projects that 'celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster A.I. competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.' Some of those affected expressed skepticism about the email's nod to support for diversity initiatives, noting that many of the withdrawn grants had been to support work by artists of color. 'It's strange that the Trump administration is trumpeting their priorities to serve diverse America while canceling grants for our August Wilson play,' Mr. Weaver said. Among the other examples of canceled support for diverse work: Yale Repertory Theater in Connecticut got an email saying that its project to develop and produce a stage adaptation of the Zora Neale Hurston short story 'Spunk' was losing a $30,000 grant. The terminations of the arts grants came after the Trump administration had canceled grants at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. There were at least two versions of the email from the arts endowment. Some said that 'the tentative funding recommendation for the following application' had been withdrawn. Those emails went to groups that had already received offer letters and been recommended for grants, but had not yet gotten their official awards. Others were sent to groups whose grants had been approved, and said, 'This is to inform you that the above referenced National Endowment for the Arts award has been terminated, effective May 31, 2025.' The N.E.A. did not respond to requests for comment. The future of the arts endowment has been in doubt since the start of the Trump administration. At first, the agency suspended one grant program. Then it tried to require applicants for other grant programs to promise not to promote 'diversity, equity and inclusion' or 'gender ideology' in ways that ran afoul of Mr. Trump's executive orders on those issues, only to suspend and then alter that requirement as it faced legal challenges. Then, on Friday, Mr. Trump proposed eliminating the agency altogether, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities and others, in the next fiscal year. Democrats and arts advocates promised to try to fight to save the agency. Mr. Trump had also tried to eliminate the arts endowment during his first term in office, but it was saved with the support of congressional Republicans as well as Democrats. It is not yet clear whether the agency still has bipartisan support in the current political climate, when few Republicans have shown a willingness to cross Mr. Trump. Many organizations across the country reported receiving the cancellation emails. Among them: The New Harmony Project, an Indianapolis nonprofit that assists stage and screen script writers, and which had been recommended for a $40,000 grant to help fund a writers' residency program. 'This Friday night mass email that cut funding for so many arts organizations all over the country is a clear attack on the arts,' said The New Harmony Project's executive artistic director, Jenni Werner. 'This administration has wanted to kill the N.E.A. and the artistic freedom that it has supported, and tonight's email may have done just that.' The Great Plains Theater Commons, in Omaha, Neb., got an email withdrawing a recommendation for a $35,000 grant for an annual play festival. The organization's artistic director, Kevin Lawler, called the cuts 'devastating,' but pledged to work to 'continue to support storytellers and share stories because that is the work that we love and it's our way to be of service.' And TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, in California, got a notice withdrawing a recommendation for a $10,000 grant to support a writers group. Giovanna Sardelli, the artistic director, called the move 'disheartening and infuriating.' Among the others affected: The American Conservatory Theater, in San Francisco, and The Civilians, a New York-based theater company, both of which got emails with the subject line 'notice of termination.' The New York group had been recommended for a grant to support a new musical by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby. The Eugene Symphony, in Oregon, got two termination notices, one for a grant to support a concert and residency by the jazz pianist Darrell Grant, and one to support work by the pianist Dan Tepfer. 'These sudden terminations are hitting arts organizations hard at a moment when many are already bracing for the post-pandemic fiscal cliff, following the temporary boost of relief funds that helped keep the sector afloat,' said Dave Moss, the symphony's executive director. 'But this upheaval, unlike the pandemic, is entirely man-made, and just as we begin to recover from one challenge, we're immediately thrust into another.' President Trump at the funeral for Pope Francis last month at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times President Trump on Tuesday had a ready answer when reporters asked who he would like to see become the next supreme pontiff. 'I'd like to be pope,' he joked to reporters at the White House. 'That would be my number one choice.' He took the joke a step further on Saturday, sharing on social media what appeared to be an A.I.-generated photo of himself wearing the traditional vestments of the pope. The photo depicts him in a white cassock with a cross around his neck, his face solemn as he raises a pointed finger. The origins of the photo were not immediately clear, and Mr. Trump did not include any commentary in his post. He shared the image on Truth Social, Instagram and X, and the White House reposted it on its official Instagram and X accounts. The idea of 'Pope Trump,' as some people called it, was immediately polarizing. Some religious people, including Catholics, did not see the humor in it, calling the photo offensive, at a time when millions of people were still mourning Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. Several commenters on Truth Social, which is run by a company controlled by Mr. Trump, called the post sacrilegious and said it fueled misinformation. Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, said posting the photo during a period of mourning was evidence that Mr. Trump was 'unserious and incapable.' But some conservative Republicans have been playing along with the president's joke this week. Among them was Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. 'I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,' he said Tuesday in a post on X. 'The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides,' he added. 'Watching for white smoke … Trump MMXXVIII!' A screenshot of an image, likely created with A.I., of President Trump wearing papal robes. After the president shared it, the image was posted to the official White House Instagram account. Credit... via Instagram The Vatican, which is deep in preparations for the election of Pope Francis' successor, could not immediately be reached for comment on the image. It is not the first time that Mr. Trump has shared polemical content that appeared to be generated with artificial intelligence. In February, he posted a video that depicted the Gaza Strip reimagined as an opulent resort emblazoned with his name. A representative for the Hamas-run government in Gaza called the video 'disgraceful.' After his jest to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Trump, who has significantly expanded the influence of conservative Christians in the White House, said he had no strong preference for pope. But then he pointed to the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, as one of his favorite candidates. Cardinal Dolan is not among the front-runners that have emerged to be the next pope, who will be elected at a conclave that begins Wednesday. Tens of thousands of investors flocked to Omaha on Saturday to hear directly from Warren E. Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, on a wide range of topics. Credit... Rick Wilking/Reuters Warren E. Buffett took a shot at President Trump's efforts to use tariffs to batter global commerce on Saturday, as his $1.1 trillion conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, braced for potential hits from American trade policies. 'Trade should not be a weapon,' Mr. Buffett said at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting, a perennially popular event that has been nicknamed the Woodstock of capitalism. 'I don't think it's right and I don't think it's wise.' The comments by Mr. Buffett, Berkshire's chief executive, were long awaited by the conglomerate's shareholders, tens of thousands of whom flocked to the company's hometown in Omaha to hear directly from the investor — particularly on Mr. Trump's trade policies. His comments on Saturday ended what had been months of Mr. Buffett maintaining a relatively low public profile. Mr. Buffett's comments were especially notable as the 94-year-old billionaire acknowledged that he had previously proposed an idea to help address trade imbalances. But on Saturday, the Berkshire chief defended the broader concept of global trade flows: 'We should do what we do best and they should do what they do best,' he said, drawing applause. Fears about the consequences of the tariffs have roiled markets and affected vast swaths of American companies. That includes Berkshire, which on Saturday reported a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings. The company reported $9.6 billion in operating income, Mr. Buffett's preferred measure, down 14 percent from the same time a year ago. Using generally accepted accounting principles, Berkshire reported a nearly 64 percent drop in net income, largely because of paper investment losses. But while markets have grown much more volatile in response to Mr. Trump's whipsawing approach to trade, Mr. Buffett professed little worry about the effects of that volatility on Berkshire. 'It's really nothing,' he told shareholders, suggesting that riding out market vicissitudes was part of stock investing. Despite Mr. Buffett's criticism of the Trump administration's trade policy, he again repeated his longtime praise of the United States as a fount of opportunity. 'If I were being born today, I would just keep negotiating in the womb until they said you could be in the United States,' he said. The company reported that a 'majority' of its businesses had lower sales and earnings in the first three months of the year, particularly in insurance underwriting income, which was hit by losses tied to the California wildfires. In a regulatory filing on Saturday, Berkshire warned that Mr. Trump's trade policies were generating 'considerable uncertainty,' which could affect the company's operating results. 'We are currently unable to reliably predict the potential impact on our businesses, whether through changes in product costs, supply chain costs and efficiency, and customer demand for our products and services.' That said, net earnings at BNSF, a company owned by Berkshire, rose in the quarter, as the railroad said it benefited from higher volumes in the first three months of the year. During the period, many companies raced to stockpile goods before Mr. Trump's tariffs took effect. One thing that stood out was Berkshire's cash hoard, which Mr. Buffett has often called his 'elephant gun' and used to make major acquisitions, only continued to grow as the investor found few attractive opportunities of size to spend on. Berkshire's cash pile in the quarter grew to $347.7 billion, a record. During his question-and-answer session with shareholders at the annual meeting, Mr. Buffett acknowledged stocking up on cash to prepare for any potential buying opportunity. He revealed that he had weighed a potential $10 billion investment — but later refused to elaborate. Mr. Buffett has also acknowledged that given Berkshire's size, it is nearly impossible now for Berkshire to find deals that could meaningfully augment its earnings. The conglomerate continued to be a net seller of stocks: Berkshire sold $4.68 billion worth of equity in the quarter, compared with $3.18 billion in purchases. Berkshire is often regarded as a bellwether for corporate America, given its wide array of businesses. Besides BNSF, one of the nation's biggest railroads, the company owns a powerful insurance operation, an energy utility, many consumer brands — from See's Candies to Fruit of the Loom — and more. A number of prominent corporate and business leaders were on hand on Saturday, including the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Tim Cook of Apple (which is one of Berkshire's biggest stock holdings) and the billionaire financier William A. Ackman. Two first timers, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Priscilla Chan, the wife of Meta's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, were also present. Andrew Ross Sorkin contributed reporting. President Trump shakes hands with Nick Saban, the former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach, ahead of his address to graduating students at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, on Thursday. Trump is considering an executive order to examine payments made to college athletes and whether they have created an unfair system, two people briefed on the matter said Friday. Mr. Trump's focus on the issue — which he's talked about in the past, one of the people briefed on the matter noted — was renewed after he spoke with Nick Saban, the famed former University of Alabama football coach, backstage at an event Thursday night in Tuscaloosa, where Mr. Trump delivered an address to graduates. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Mr. Trump's consideration. The two people who were briefed on it were not authorized to speak publicly. The executive order would address newly expanded opportunities for student-athletes to monetize their athletic careers. Last year, the N.C.A.A., the organization that governs much of college sports, agreed to settle a class-action antitrust lawsuit that had accused it and its member schools of exploiting student-athletes while hoarding the profits of the lucrative college sports industry. The $2.8 billion settlement, which is nearing approval, created a revenue-sharing plan for college athletics in which schools would start directly paying their athletes, a major shake-up of the college sports landscape. The N.C.A.A. has already removed restrictions on athletes monetizing their athletic careers through endorsements and sponsorships — known as 'name, image and likeness' payments. The changes initiated an arms race in college athletics, as wealthy teams offered larger and larger compensation packages to lure top talent into their programs. Star players have since signed deals worth millions of dollars. Mr. Saban, while coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, criticized the payments, saying that the system favored wealthy college sports programs that could afford to offer better compensation to the best players. He argued that the system was not 'sustainable.' Mr. Saban could not be immediately reached for comment. Other critics have said the payments are distorting the competitiveness of college sports, beyond football. This year's men's national basketball tournament, beloved by fans for its unpredictability, featured the fewest upsets in recent memory. Mr. Trump, who in the 1980s owned a team in the short-lived United States Football League, has many allies among celebrity athletes and wealthy team owners. He has been quick to weigh in on sports issues as a candidate and as president. Mr. Trump is particularly vocal on cultural shifts in sports. In 2017, he urged N.F.L. owners to fire players who did not stand for the national anthem as a way to protest racial injustice and police brutality. He has defended the names of sports teams with Native American names and images, criticizing the ultimately successful movement to change them as political correctness. The president has continued to fixate on that particular issue. As recently as last week, Mr. Trump again criticized the name changes for those teams and announced his opposition to the changing of a sports mascot of a public high school on Long Island. 'I think the Indian population is a great part of this country,' Mr. Trump said, adding, 'I think it's degrading to the Indian population.' Preparing for a Fourth of July event in Washington in 2019. Credit... Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The United States Army said on Friday it is planning a parade in Washington with thousands of soldiers and military demonstrations celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding on June 14, which is also President Trump's 79th birthday. The parade is set to include 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft and participation from 6,600 soldiers, according to a statement from the Army. A fireworks display and a daylong festival are also planned, including equipment displays, musical performances and a fitness competition alongside the military demonstrations. The Army said the celebration was in honor of its 250th birthday but did not mention that the president's birthday happened to be the same day. 'Given the significant milestone of 250 years,' the statement said, 'the Army is exploring options to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community.' It was not clear from the Army statement on Friday which events would be held on June 14 and which would happen in the lead-up to the anniversary. The White House last month denied that a military parade was scheduled for Mr. Trump's birthday. But The Associated Press reported on Thursday that it had reviewed military planning documents that had the parade scheduled for June 14. When asked for clarification on the schedule, a spokeswoman for the Army responded that planning was underway and suggested the festival with the display of military equipment would be held on the 14th. Mr. Trump has expressed a fondness for military parades since his first term, when he backed off his bid for a spectacle after some in his administration balked at the cost. The lack of enthusiasm in Washington and the comparisons to authoritarian showcases of military might have failed to douse his interest. 'We're going to show the people as we build up our military, we're going to display our military,' he told a reporter ahead of his first inauguration. 'That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.' Mr. Trump again became enthralled with the idea after witnessing the grandeur of Bastille Day in Paris in 2017, which featured an elaborate display of tanks, soldiers on horseback and military jets flying overhead. His own military advisers pushed back against the idea when estimates of the price soared close to $100 million. But Mr. Trump did not let go of the idea. 'Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN,' he wrote on Twitter in August of 2018. He blamed local government officials in Washington for inflating the price 'so ridiculously high' that he had to cancel the parade. Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, asked last month if the city had been contacted about plans for a military parade, repeated concerns about the cost and the potential damage to the city's streets from heavy combat vehicles. 'If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,' Ms. Bowser said. While many countries, from France to North Korea, use such parades to mark milestones, displays of military might are rare in Washington. Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin at the State Capitol. Credit... Morry Gash/Associated Press A dispute over a memo about how Wisconsin state workers should interact with federal immigration agents escalated this week into sharply worded warnings from the president's border czar, Thomas Homan, and the state's Democratic governor, Tony Evers. Mr. Evers and others interpreted comments by Mr. Homan to suggest that he and other elected officials could face arrest over local immigration policies, leading the Wisconsin governor to say he was 'not afraid' of what he described as 'chilling threats.' The Wisconsin dispute was the latest chapter in a long-running fight between President Trump's administration and Democratic-led cities and states over whether local officials must cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. In Wisconsin, Republicans had for days pushed for Mr. Evers to rescind a message to state employees, issued on April 18 by the state's Department of Administration. The single-page memo instructed workers to call a state lawyer if an ICE agent or other federal official visited their workplace. The memo told state workers to stay calm and notify their supervisors, to not immediately answer an agent's questions and to not give them access to nonpublic areas. Chicago officials issued similar guidance to city workers earlier this year. The disagreement over the memo intensified outside the White House on Thursday when a person who identified himself as being from The Gateway Pundit, a right-wing website, asked Mr. Homan why the government was not simply arresting 'the leaders who are harboring and shielding' people who should be deported. Mr. Homan responded, 'Wait till you see what's coming.' When the reporter followed up by asking specifically about Mr. Evers and the Wisconsin memo, Mr. Homan expanded on his first response. 'Wait to see what's coming,' he said, according to video of the exchange posted by C-SPAN. 'I meant what I said: You can not support what we're doing. And you can support sanctuary cities if that's what you want to do. But if you cross that line of impede-ment, or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony and we're treating it as such.' Thomas Homan, the president's border czar, spoke last year at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Credit... Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Mr. Evers responded on Friday with a video message in which he said 'a Trump administration official, in not so many words, apparently threatened to arrest me.' 'I haven't broken the law,' Mr. Evers said in the video. 'I haven't committed a crime. And I've never encouraged or directed anyone to break any laws or commit any crimes.' He added that 'these threats represent a concerning trajectory in this country.' 'We now have a federal government that will threaten or arrest an elected official — or even everyday American citizens — who have broken no laws, committed no crimes and done nothing wrong,' said Mr. Evers, a former teacher and state schools superintendent who is serving his second term as governor. In the video, Mr. Evers also defended the memo and accused his political opponents of distorting its content and intent. 'The goal of this guidance was simple: to provide clear, consistent instructions to state employees and ensure they have a lawyer to help them comply with all federal and state laws,' Mr. Evers said. When asked by The New York Times on Friday to explain what he meant by his previous comment about the Wisconsin governor, Mr. Homan said that the Trump administration would not allow entities to impede immigration enforcement. 'I'm just saying: watch what happens. I mean, D.O.J. is taking a strong stance,' Mr. Homan said, referring to the Justice Department. 'They're suing sanctuary cities. We're going to arrest people who cross that line of harboring and concealing. So if they cross that line, just see what happens.' Asked about whether Wisconsin's new guidance violated the law, Mr. Homan said he would defer to the Justice Department. 'I can't answer that question,' he said. 'We've got to leave that up to the Department of Justice. They're the ones to decide if it met that metric. They're the ones who decide at what point did it cross the line. I have my personal opinion, but I'm not going to give you that because I don't want to get ahead of D.O.J.' The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Evers had faced pressure over the memo from Republican state legislators, who asked in a letter this week that he 'rescind this guidance to avoid future conflicts between state and federal authorities, to assist our brave men and women in law enforcement, and to ensure the Trump administration's goal of deporting violent illegal immigrants is given the full assistance of the state of Wisconsin.' Cracking down on jurisdictions that do not proactively cooperate with ICE has been a priority of Mr. Trump and his appointees since the president returned to office in January. The Justice Department sued officials in Illinois and Chicago, arguing that their laws limiting cooperation with immigration agents are illegal. The top federal prosecutor in New Jersey said her office was investigating that state's governor and attorney general over their immigration policies. And the president has sought to block funding for cities and counties that do not cooperate with immigration officials. Wisconsin, a swing state that Mr. Trump carried last year, has become a focus of federal immigration policy in recent days. Last week, federal agents arrested a state judge in Milwaukee who they said steered an undocumented immigrant through a side door in her courtroom while agents waited to arrest him in a public hallway. Glenn Thrush contributed reporting. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times The C.I.A. plans to cut more than 1,000 staff positions through attrition over the next few years as the Trump administration shrinks the federal government, according to officials briefed on the plans. The agency does not plan any more mass firings. About 80 recently hired employees were let go in March. The C.I.A. is also firing officers who had worked on diversity issues, although a judge has temporarily halted that effort. For the next rounds of reduction, the agency plans, for now, to use normal attrition, including retirements and resignations. A spokeswoman for the agency did not directly confirm the plan to reduce its size but said in a statement that John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, was 'moving swiftly' to ensure that its work force was 'responsive to the administration's national security priorities.' The cuts were confirmed by officials who were not authorized to speak publicly about them. Changes at the agency, the spokeswoman said, would 'provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position C.I.A. to deliver on its mission.' The plan to reduce the size of the agency was earlier reported by The Washington Post. The C.I.A. does not officially discuss the size of its staff, but it is believed to number about 22,000. Other intelligence agencies, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Agency, are planning reductions as well. Flooding in Elizabethton, Tenn., after Hurricane Helene swept through last fall. Credit... Loren Elliott for The New York Times Five former National Weather Service directors have taken the unusual step of signing onto an open letter warning that cuts to the organization by the Trump administration may soon endanger lives. 'N.W.S. staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,' they write in the letter, dated Friday. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.' Hundreds of Weather Service employees, or about 10 percent of the agency's total staff, have been terminated or accepted buyout offers since President Trump began his second term, according to the letter. The letter notes that the coming weeks are 'the busiest time for severe storm predictions like tornadoes and hurricanes,' and it points to a wide range of activities that rely on accurate forecasting: 'Airplanes can't fly without weather observations and forecasts; ships crossing the oceans rely on storm forecasts to avoid the high seas; farmers rely on seasonal forecasts to plant and harvest their crops which feed us.' 'Perhaps most importantly,' they write, 'N.W.S. issues all of the tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, flood warnings, extreme wildfire conditions and other information during extreme weather events.' The loss of staff is already affecting local forecast offices, said Joe Friday, who led the Weather Service from 1988 to 1997 and who signed the letter. 'You have offices that cannot maintain their balloon launch schedules,' he said. 'You have offices that cannot maintain 24-hour-a-day operations fully staffed.' The more than 100 Weather Service offices around the country have traditionally launched at least two balloons a day to collect data that helps them produce forecast models. In an interview, Dr. Friday said he was concerned that meteorologists who are stretched increasingly thin will be left to issue severe weather warnings with less lead time. 'There's going to be fewer people keeping their eyes on what's going on,' he said. In addition to Dr. Friday, the letter was signed by Louis Uccellini, who led the Weather Service from 2013 to 2022; Jack Hayes, who led it from 2007 to 2012; D.L. Johnson, who led it from 2004 to 2007; and John J. Kelly Jr., who led it from 1998 to 2004. The Weather Service declined to comment on the letter on Friday. The agency may soon face another challenge. On Friday, the White House published a budget proposal including a $1.5 billion cut in funding to the Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has already faced the loss of hundreds of employees. The budget proposal does not describe specific reductions in funding to the Weather Service, but the cuts planned for NOAA's research arm could have a profound effect on meteorologists' capacity to improve forecasting techniques. 'Given the interconnectedness of all of the parts of NOAA, there will be impacts to weather forecasting as well,' the letter says. The proposed cuts at NOAA echo a plan laid out in Project 2025, a policy playbook published by the conservative Heritage Foundation in 2023 that described the agency as 'one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.' It called for NOAA to be 'broken up' and for the Weather Service to be privatized. Dr. Friday said he worried that a forced decline in the accuracy of Weather Service products could eventually offer a pretext for the agency's privatization. 'If you want to basically wipe out an organization, the personnel policies that are going on right now under DOGE are probably about the best way to do it,' Dr. Friday said. 'You destroy the organization from the inside.' See more on: Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni News © 2025 The New York Times Company Manage Privacy Preferences
