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Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On This Day, June 2: U.S. F-16 shot down over Bosnia O'Grady rescued
On this date in history: In 1865, the Civil War officially came to an end when Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. In 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, the 21-year-old daughter of his former law partner, in a White House ceremony. The bride became the youngest first lady in U.S. history. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law, extending citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States and its territories. In 1946, in a national referendum, voters in Italy decided the country should become a republic rather than return to a monarchy. The results were officially announced three days later after votes were counted. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in London's Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. A year earlier, upon receiving word of her father's death, the former Princess Elizabeth broke down and wept. In 1985, police near San Francisco arrested Leonard Lake, who, along with an accomplice, Charles Ng, were accused of between 11 to 25 murders. Lake killed himself in jail before he could go to trial. Ng was convicted in 11 homicides in 1999 and sentenced to death. In 1992, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. In 1995, a U.S. F-16 fighter-jet was shot down by a Serb-launched missile while on patrol over Bosnia. The pilot, Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady, ejected safely and landed behind Serb lines. He was rescued six days later. In 1997, a federal jury in Denver convicted Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. He was sentenced to death and executed June 11, 2001. In 2004, Ken Jennings won his first game on Jeopardy! It started a string that ended after a record 74 wins and more than $2.5 million in winnings. In 2010, a 52-year-old British taxi driver was accused of a shooting rampage in which 13 people were slain and 11 others injured before he killed himself. In 2014, Seattle's City Council approved a $15 hourly minimum wage -- the highest in the United States. In 2024, Mexicans elect former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as their first female and first Jewish president.
Boston Globe
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Today in History: June 2, Queen Elizabeth II crowned
In 1886, 49-year-old President Grover Cleveland became the first president to get married in the White House, wedding 21-year-old Frances Folsom. Advertisement In 1924, Congress passed, and President Calvin Coolidge signed, the Indian Citizenship Act, a measure guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within US territorial limits. In 1941, baseball's 'Iron Horse,' Lou Gehrig, died in New York of the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease; he was 37. Advertisement In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at age 27 at a ceremony in London's Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI. In 1966, US space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface. In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder by a federal jury in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people. (McVeigh would be sentenced to death and was executed in 2001.) In 1999, South Africans went to the polls in their second post-apartheid election, giving the African National Congress a decisive victory; retiring President Nelson Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki. In 2012, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison after a court convicted him on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him from power. (Mubarak was later acquitted and freed in March 2017; he died in February 2020). In 2016, autopsy results revealed that musician Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France gave the Statue of Liberty, Qatar offered $400M plane. Experts say it's not the same
What do the Statue of Liberty and a super luxury jumbo Boeing 747-8 have in common?Other than their proximity to clouds, not much. But in response to concerns that President Donald Trump's acceptance of a $400 million plane from Qatar could be unconstitutional, social media users began drawing parallels. Trump has said the jet would be gifted to the U.S. Air Force and used as the new Air Force One. "I can't wait for the press to find out about France's so-called 'gift' of the Statue of Liberty, accepted in 1886 by then-President Grover Cleveland," conservative commentator Ann Coulter posted May 13 on X. "If you don't think we should accept the Qatari 747s, should we give the Statue of Liberty back too?" another X user said. So what's the difference between accepting Lady Liberty, gifted by the French people, and Trump accepting a plane from Qatar's monarchy?The people of France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States, not to a government official. Congress formally accepted it and the statue remains a public monument accessible to the public. Congress has not accepted the plane, which would be used mainly by Trump and his staff. Trump has said that after his term ends Jan. 20, 2029, the plane would be transferred to his presidential library — although it's unclear whether it would be under private or public ownership and accessible to the public. The Statue of Liberty was not a gift to a specific government official nor the U.S. government. "The Statue of Liberty was gifted by the French people to the American people," said Edward Berenson, professor of history and French studies at New York University and author of the book "The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story." The statue and pedestal were both mainly funded with private donations. The French public raised money to build the statue and the American public raised money for the statue's pedestal. Although it didn't set aside funds for it, Congress formally accepted the statue as a gift from the people of France in statue's acceptance and erection spanned five presidencies. In 1877, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill designating Bedloe's Island, which is federal property, as the statue's site. Ultimately, Cleveland spoke at the statue's unveiling in 1886. Since 1933, the National Park Service has managed the Statue of Liberty. The site is free to visit, but a ferry to the island costs money. In the late 1800s, the statue didn't raise the same concerns we are currently seeing around the plane. "Since it wasn't a gift to the president, emoluments didn't come up, and there were no constitutional issues," Berenson said. The Constitution's emoluments clause says, "No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." The situation with the plane is "radically different," University of Carolina Law professor Michael J. Gerhardt said. "Cleveland never took the Statue of Liberty home." It is not unusual for presidents to receive gifts from foreign states, but gifts valued at over $480 are traditionally turned over to the National Archives. Sometimes, the gifts that presidents receive are ultimately displayed by the National Archives in a presidential library or museum, said Barbara Perry, a professor of governance and presidential expert at the University of Virginia. Some legal experts told PolitiFact they believe accepting the plane would violate the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause. Trump's White House has countered that this gift is not a constitutional violation, because it is not a personal gift to the president but a gift to the U.S. Air Force. Still, University of Missouri law professor Frank Bowman said that it doesn't mean it's not an emolument. "The gift of this particular plane, the principal enjoyment of which both during the next three and a half years… and then for the rest of his life would accrue only to Donald Trump. That's an emolument, any way you slice it, because the benefit goes to one person." And that the plane will not remain a U.S. Air Force property, "blows the notion that this is a gift to the country completely out of the water," Bowman said. Trump said the plane will go to his library, similar to the retired Air Force plane at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi, California. "It would go directly to the library after I leave office. I wouldn't be using it," he said on May 12. But that parallel isn't quite the same as what Trump and Qatar have proposed. The Air Force One plane at the Reagan library was not a gift from a foreign country, but a plane that was retired in 2001 after 30 years of use. The Reagan library does not own the plane; it remains on permanent loan from the U.S. Air Force, Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute told PolitiFact via email. Presidential libraries are typically co-managed by the National Archives and private foundations, Perry said. It is not clear which part — the private or public side — would get the airplane. If it's given to his private library foundation, Trump may have more latitude to continue to use the plane after his presidency. If it is given to the National Archives for display in the library, the government would likely be able to dictate its use. The White House did not respond to PolitiFact questions about who would own the plane once at the library. It is possible that the plane ultimately becomes a publicly-owned tourist attraction, like Air Force One at the Reagan Library or the Statue of Liberty, but that's not guaranteed. Statement from White House Press Office, May 15, 2025 Email Interview with Melissa Giller, Chief Marketing Officer at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, May 14, 2025 Interview with Barbara Perry, professor of Governance at the University of Virginia, May 14, 2025 Email Interview with Edward G Berenson, Professor of History and French Studies at New York University, May 14, 2025x Email Interview with Michael Gerhardt, law professor at the University of North Carolina, May 14, 2025 Email Interview with Richard Briffault, law professor at Columbia University, May 14, 2025 Interview with Frank Bowman, law professor at University of Missouri, May 14, 2025 PolitiFact, "Can Trump legally accept a $400 million plane from Qatar? What experts, Constitution say," May 13, 2025 Ann Coulter, "X post," (archived), May 13, 2025 X post, (archived), May 12, 2025 The Statue of Liberty, "Overview + History," accessed May 14, 2025 PBS, "A Look at Lady Liberty's First 125 Years," Oct. 28, 2011 National Park Service, "Liberty Island Chronology," May 4, 2023 State Department, "Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States with the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1884," 1884 Miller Center, "May 11, 1886: Message on the Statue of Liberty," May 11, 1886 ABC News, "Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources," May 11, 2025 National Park Service, "Fees & Passes - Statue Of Liberty National Monument," accessed May 15, 2025 C-SPAN, "Pres. Trump Signs Executive Order on Drug Prices," May 12, 2025 The Washington Post, "From elephants to inline skates, a history of foreign gifts to presidents," May 13. 2025 U.S. Constitution, "Foreign Emoluments Clause Generally | Constitution Annotated," accessed May 15, 2025 Karoline Leavitt, "X post," (archived), May 14, 2025 National Archives, "Presidential Libraries and Museums of the National Archives," accessed May 15, 2025 Reagan Library, "About Us," accessed May 14, 2025 National Archives, "Frequently Asked Questions," May 15, 2025 This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How the Statute of Liberty, Qatari plane gift differ
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Statue Of Liberty Trends On X As People Compare It To Trump's Qatar Plane Gift
Since news broke that President Donald Trump was being gifted a new plane by the government of Qatar, some have tried to justify it by bringing up the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from France to celebrate the 1876 U.S. centennial. But while Lady Liberty's pedestal famously features the words 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,' the social media reaction to Trump's plane gift was more like, 'Give me a break.' That's because there's a big difference between the two: The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. from France to celebrate a century of U.S. independence, one Congress authorized President Grover Cleveland to accept. Meanwhile, Trump will reportedly use the $400 million Qatari plane as Air Force One until the end of his presidency andthen donate it to his presidential library. Although Trump has claimed the plane wouldn't be a gift to him but to the Defense Department, his past behavior ― like when the FBI recovered thousands of government documents during a 2022 raid at Mar-a-Lago ― suggests a guy who will take what he wants despite any rules or norms in place. The plane gift is raising serious ethical and security concerns from both sides, even as some people try to conflate it with France's gift of a statue. I can't wait for the press to find out about France's so-called "gift" of the Statue of Liberty, accepted in 1886 by then-President Grover Cleveland. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) May 13, 2025 To all of the Democrats bitching about Qatar giving us a Statue of Liberty would like to have a chat. — AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) May 13, 2025 You can't be mad about Qatar sending the 400million dollar jet as a gift to the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Gifts from foreign countries is not a new thing. — Calvin (@RealCalvin1) May 13, 2025 However, many people, including a few current and former members of Congress, chimed in to explain the very significant difference between giving a gift to a country vs. sending one to a country's leader. By far the worst take I've heard: 'We accepted the Statue of Liberty, so Trump can take the Qatari jet.' The Statue was a gift to the nation. This is a luxury bribe to one man while he holds power. If you can't see the difference, you've lost the plot. — Mike Levin (@MikeLevin) May 13, 2025 Others pointed out that the Constitution requires Congress to approve any gifts from foreign states. Just FYI because evidently Fox or OAN or whatever is pushing the lie that America accepted the Statue of Liberty and that's equivalent to the VOTED to approve receiving the statue. So congress should vote on the jet — Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@AdamKinzinger) May 13, 2025 I've been bombarded all day by 'Joe, should we give the Statue of Liberty back?'Yep, Qatar giving a luxury plane to Trump is exactly the same as France giving the Statue of Liberty to America. — Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 12, 2025 So the 'palace in the sky,' $400M, Uday Hussein jet is actually a gift to Defense Department that will be used exclusively by Trump and he gets to take it home? This would be like Grover Cleveland taking the Statue of Liberty and installing it in his yard when he left office. — Turnbull (@cturnbull1968) May 12, 2025 I missed the part where Grover Cleveland rode around on the Statue of Liberty & then packed it up and took it with him for personal use when he left office and struck a $5.5B real estate deal with France while in office enriching himself. Can you direct me to this info? — Enough Alrighty (@enough_alrighty) May 12, 2025 Remember the esoteric arguments about emoluments from Trump term 1? With a $400 million plane gifted from a foreign government, the subtlety is gone. And for those comparing the Statue of Liberty, let me know whose presidential library that one is in now. — Jeff Roush (@JeffRoushPoetry) May 12, 2025 Who can forget the classic story of the Statue of Liberty, which was shipped to the U.S. in 1886 and served as a public monument until 1889, when ownership was transferred to exiting president Grover Cleveland — Andrew Egger (@EggerDC) May 13, 2025 Statue of Liberty staring at the Trump Administration like what the fuck — FilaFresh (@filafresh) May 11, 2025 If I was France, I'd be taking back the Statue of Liberty and giving the U.S. a packet of Kleenex instead. — PNW Area Man (@Notalwayswrite) May 13, 2025 Literally speechless: ABC reports Trump will accept a luxury jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One, then transferred to his presidential library for personal use. A foreign regime gifting a jet to a former president. It's bribery in broad daylight. — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 11, 2025 Congress approved the Statue of Liberty. If Trump wants the Qatar plane, the Constitution says he needs Congressional to vote in favor of it. — Eric Nelson (@literaryeric) May 13, 2025 Senior Trump Aide Throws Extraordinary Rant On Live TV Over Qatar Jet Gift Trump's Plan To Accept Qatari Jet Gift Raises Ethical, Security Concerns Qatar Says No Final Decision Made On Gifting Trump A Jet To Use As Air Force One Donald Trump Makes Outrageous 'World Class' Claim Over Qatar Jet 'Gift'
Chicago Tribune
11-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: ‘Big' Jim Colosimo gunned down inside his cafe
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 11, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) Flashback: Chicago's place at the forefront of labor history1894: About 2,000 Pullman Co. factory workers on the city's Southeast Side began a protracted and bloody strike. When the 1893 depression caused business to plummet, George Pullman sharply reduced wages to cut costs. Yet he held firm on rents, which paymasters subtracted from employees' shrinking paychecks. Desperate, Pullman workers appealed to the American Railway Union, which was holding its national convention in Chicago. The union voted to support the Pullman strike, instructing its members not to handle any trains containing Pullman cars. By July, sympathy strikes were underway in 23 states. Episodes of violence led President Grover Cleveland to order federal troops to intervene, however, and the strike collapsed. 1920: 'Big Jim' Colosimo, father of the Chicago Outfit, was shot and killed by a person who had been hiding in a cloakroom inside Colosimo's Cafe on South Wabash Avenue. His murder was never solved. 1924: Cardinal George W. Mundelein, recently elevated at the Vatican by Pope Pius XI as prince of the Roman Catholic church, returned to Chicago on Mother's Day. Flashback: Mercy Hospital's major milestones1933: A special lead-protected wing was opened on the grounds of Mercy Hospital that housed an 800,000-volt X-ray machine — the most powerful in the world at the time — for treatment of cancer patients. It was the first facility in the Midwest to have the equipment. 1987: The speed limit on the Illinois Tollway and rural interstates was increased to 65 mph from 55 mph. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
