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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
America's first military parade in decades sees US marching into dark chapter of history
Today, Washington DC will wake up to its first military parade in decades. The US capitol will rumble with the sounds of armoured tanks, marching soldiers, and the roar of military aircraft. The parade, which is being held on US president Donald Trump's 79th birthday, is ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Sometimes a parade is just a parade and any resemblance to the proclivities of would-be despots living or deceased is, as they say in Hollywood, entirely unintentional. But it's difficult, given the events of the past week, not to see today's flex of military muscle as a metaphor for the authoritarian creep that threatens US democracy in ways large and small - and a warning to those who would defy it. On Wednesday night, Trump attended the opening night of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Centre, where he has also installed himself as cultural commander in chief, apparently oblivious to the irony of his fondness for a musical about the sans culottes struggle against authoritarians. People take photos with a tank parked on the National Mall in Washington during preparations for the upcoming military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary. Photo: AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr. 'Viva Los Angeles!' a member of the audience shouted amid cheers and boos. Trump's executive order provides for the deployment of the US military across the US as he sees fit. His decision to invoke an obscure provision of a little-known law may provide a sufficient, albeit flimsy legal fig leaf to withstand California governor Gavin Newsom's legal challenge, paving the way for the deployment of the US military across the United States, even as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency ratchets up raids and detentions in a bid to meet its unfeasible 3,000 detentions a day quota. It was always going to be Los Angeles first. The state of California and America's second largest city have long been in Trump's crosshairs. No other state is home to as many immigrants, documented and undocumented. And no state is more innovative or more prosperous; it recently bypassed Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy. California has wrestled with inequality and unrest, racism and political extremes throughout its history, but for 150 years America's wealthiest and most populous state has doubled as the petri dish that fuelled almost every surge in America's economic fortunes. From Levi's jeans to Mickey Mouse, from the movie industry to the internet, from smartphones to electric cars to CAT scans, California has been synonymous with creativity and innovation. The US Capitol is seen through security fencing set up on the National Mall in Washington during preparations for the upcoming military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary. Photo: AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr. It's where surgeons first removed an appendix through a mouth and a gallbladder through a bellybutton. Cheap immigrant labour has allowed its construction, agriculture and hospitality industries to flourish, while progressive policies laid the groundwork for investment in technology and green energy. Now it seems it may become the testing ground for Trump's strongman tactics. A combination of border proximity, liberal policies, and a labour market that relies on migrants both documented and undocumented has contributed to California's disproportionately high migrant population. Los Angeles county is home to 10 million people of whom almost four million live in Los Angeles city. Around 3.5 million are first-generation immigrants and of these an estimated 800,000 to 950,000 are undocumented. Many live in 'mixed status' households where one or more family members may be legally working in the US while others are undocumented. They are concentrated in working-class neighbourhoods like Paramount, which along with a downtown clothing wholesaler, was the site of the initial ICE raids that triggered the protests that prompted Trump to deploy of US troops onto its streets. Protests and clashes Trump's decision to deploy the military marks the first time in 60 years that a US President federalised the National Guard without consulting, much less obtaining the consent, of its governor. The last time it happened Lyndon Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights activists against a virulently racist governor and police force. The city bears decades-old psychic scars from riots in the 1960s and the 1990s when mob violence and mayhem took a savage toll on the city and left an abiding mistrust of the Los Angeles Police Department, which has a long and undistinguished history of corruption and racism. Recently, however, community policing initiatives have led to significant drops in violent crime in some of Los Angeles's most dangerous neighbourhoods. Predictably, the protests against ICE led to clashes with the LAPD and re-inflamed tensions, with thugs setting fire to Waymo cars and providing the sort of made-for-FOX-News images that Trump seized upon to retrospectively justify his overreach. Trump's narrative LA was "trash", he said. Willing supplicants fanned out across pro-MAGA media outlets peddling the narrative that the military prevented an all-out conflagration, protecting ICE agents and federal buildings from marauding hordes of homegrown anarchists, leftists, and communists who are simultaneously seeking to destroy the US from within, whilst preventing the rounding up and deporting of an invasion of foreign terrorists, drug cartel members, murderers and child traffickers. It's a narrative that Trump has pushed to justify his trampling of the presidential norms that have thus far protected and nurtured the American experiment as it approaches its 250th anniversary. A protester holds a sign as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, California last Saturday. Photo: AP/Eric Thayer While previous presidents from both parties have dinged the guardrails of democracy in furtherance of their aims, none has attempted the sort of blatant transgressions of the past five months. His Department of Justice is a willing and eager accomplice, defending the absurdity of deploying more US troops to Los Angeles than is currently spread across Iraq and Syria to prevent a resurgence of ISIS – just hours after the LAPD police chief issued a press statement acknowledging the peaceful nature of the protests. Protests spread At the time of writing, protests had spread across the United States to other cities with significant migrant populations – Denver, St Louis, Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Philadelphia. Most are cities in blue states but protests also broke out in Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania – four of the six swing states that Biden won in 2020 and Trump claimed back in 2024, both candidates doing so with the narrowest of margins. Trump may not be particularly bothered by the political impact of his flirtation with authoritarianism in the 2026 midterms – or indeed the 2028 presidential election. Thus far, his presidency seems to be primarily an exercise in self-enrichment and retribution. But even Congressional Republicans who have drowned their political principles in a murky bath of expediency and denial are aware that, to paraphrase Elon Musk, Trump has 3.5 years left while the GOP presumably hopes to match and exceed Musk's prophesied expiry date of 40 years hence. The border crisis The current crisis has its roots in part at least in Joe Biden's reckless border policies. The Biden administration did little to curb or control the post-covid surge of undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. When he and the Democrats finally acted, delivering a comprehensive bipartisan border reform bill in early 2024, it was deliberately tanked by Trump's Congressional lackeys, who knew a solution to America's decades-old border crisis would stall the engine that was powering his 2024 comeback campaign. Polls have shown so far that the public remains largely on Trump's side. A majority of Americans prefer the performative hyper kinetics of his immigration policies to the listlessness of the Biden era. But outside the far-right faction of the GOP, that support is contingent upon the belief that mass deportations will lead to increased prosperity for American citizens, to cheaper homes, lower crime rates, and better paying jobs. It's unclear to what degree and for how long America will remain willing to tolerate chaos and the suppression of individual rights if prices keep rising and Trump fails to deliver on his side of the economic Faustian pact that America has entered. Last week may be just the beginning of a dark new chapter in US history.
Toronto Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Two Israeli Embassy staffers killed in shooting near DC Jewish museum
Published May 22, 2025 • 4 minute read Law enforcement work the scene after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. Photo by Rod Lamkey / AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, 'Free, free Palestine' after he was arrested, police said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel. They were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said. When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting, 'Free, free Palestine,' Smith said. She said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The stunning attack prompted Israeli missions to beef up their security. The shooting comes as Israel has launched another major offensive in the Gaza Strip in a war with Hamas that has heightened tensions across the Middle East and internationally. 'These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!' President Donald Trump posted on social media early Thursday. 'Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.' Israel's reaction Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office said Thursday that he was 'shocked' by the 'horrific, antisemitic' shooting. 'We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,' he said in a statement. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, saying the man had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that the woman killed was an American employee of the embassy and the man was Israeli. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the U.S. attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case. The statement from Netanyahu's office said he spoke to Bondi, who told him Trump was 'involved in managing the incident' and the U.S. would bring the perpetrator to justice. It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered. Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that 'early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This photograph taken from the official Facebook account of The Embassy of Israel to the United States of America, shows an undated image of Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky (R) and Sarah Lynn Milgrim taken at an undefined location. (Photo by 'Israel in the USA' official Facebook account of The Embassy of Israel to the United States of America / AFP) Photo by - / 'Israel in the USA' official Fac Israel's campaign in Gaza The influential pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera aired on a loop what appeared to be mobile phone footage of the alleged gunman, wearing a suit jacket and slacks, being pulled away after the shooting, his hands behind his back. The war in the Gaza Strip began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas coming out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, to kill 1,200 people and take some 250 hostages back to the coastal enclave. In the time since, Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count doesn't differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory's roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza's urban landscape. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The violence occurred following the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum. 'This is a shocking act of violence and our community is holding each other tighter tonight,' Ted Deutch, American Jewish Committee's chief executive, said in a statement early Thursday. 'At this painful moment, we mourn with the victims' families, loved ones, and all of Israel. May their memories be for a blessing.' Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, 'Free Palestine,'' Kalin said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This event was about humanitarian aid,' Kalin said. 'How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.' Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum's leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington. 'We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,' Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz told the TV station. 'And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In response to the shooting, the museum said in a statement that they are 'deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless violence outside the Museum this evening.' The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said in a statement that he was horrified by the shooting and mourned the loss of the two people killed. 'Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, and with all of those who are impacted by this tragic act of antisemitic violence,' he said. Israeli diplomats in the past have been targeted by violence, both by state-backed assailants and Palestinian militants over the decades of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict that grew out of the founding of Israel in 1948. The Palestinians seek Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, with east Jerusalem as its capital — lands Israel captured in the 1967 war. However, the peace process between the sides has been stalled for years. Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls World Canada Sports
