Latest news with #Spanish-AmericanWar
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Las Vegas sprawl at a crossroads
Homes near Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area may no longer be considered the outskirts of Las Vegas if proponents of public lands sales have their way. (Photo courtesy Kyle Roerink) A remarkable sequence of events unfolded in the week before Memorial Day that could shape the future of Las Vegas more than anything else in recent memory. First, Nevada Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei made what may prove to be a fateful miscalculation in the waning days of the House's negotiations over the reconciliation budget bill. He added an amendment in the literal dark of night that would authorize — nay compel — the sale of over half a million acres of public land in Nevada. Public outrage ensued. The lands in question in Amodei's amendment have been considered for sell-off in various land legislation proposals in recent years. Though those proposals have been problematic, conservation interests and county governments were at least involved in the negotiations. It felt like Amodei was blowing up the years of work they'd put in. His sneak attack also sparked outrage across the entire country. Former Interior Secretary and Montana Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke led the charge in D.C. against the amendment, calling it 'my San Juan Hill,' in reference to a battle in the Spanish-American War. Other members of Congress spoke out, and calls from around the country flooded Amodei's office. In the end, Amodei bowed to pressure and his amendment was withdrawn from the final House budget bill. Instead of scoring a victory for the real estate and mining interests that bankroll him, he dealt a historic setback to the public lands sell-off movement. At the same time as negotiations were under way in D.C., the Nevada legislature was considering Assembly Joint Resolution 10, which was an endorsement of the Clark County lands bill. The Clark County lands bill — one of the aforementioned lands legislation proposals of recent years — would facilitate tens of thousands of acres of new sprawl south of Las Vegas. It would create a new city the size of St. Louis, stretching all the way to the California border. While some environmental groups have been supportive of the Clark County lands bill, citing conservation interests, our groups have steadfastly opposed any proposal that would facilitate the endless sprawl that strains our water supply and harms our air quality, wildlife habitats and communities. The Sierra Club, Great Basin Water Network, and Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition worked relentlessly for weeks to halt the measure. Amodei's deeply unpopular amendment loomed large in Nevada's legislative chambers. The prospect of Democrats endorsing endless sprawl days after Zinke — Trump's former Interior Secretary — defended public lands was something that Carson City politicians couldn't stomach. Legislators let the Clark County lands bill die late last week. It wasn't just sprawl on public lands that was dealt a blow last week, however. Coyote Springs — a proposed city on a privately owned parcel of land 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas — had one of the last nails pounded into its coffin by a Clark County District Court judge. The developers behind Coyote Springs proposed building a city of a quarter million people on desert they own in northern Clark and southern Lincoln counties. The problem is they have no water. And the groundwater that sits deep under their land — which they propose pumping to fill swimming pools and irrigate golf courses — is connected to waters that sustain endangered species and communities downstream via the Muddy River and Colorado River system. After years of wrangling in court — including a key victory for the Center for Biological Diversity and allies when the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed the state's right to manage groundwater for the public interest, including wildlife — Judge Bita Yeager ruled last week that pumping at Coyote Springs would harm endangered species and communities. While Coyote Springs backers are sure to appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, the evidence and law is overwhelmingly against the project. Recent momentum clearly favors those who oppose the endless sprawl machine. But what does the future hold? We caught a glimpse last week, as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management launched an environmental review for the proposed Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport, formerly known as the Ivanpah Airport. The enormous international airport would be built 30 miles south of Las Vegas on a playa near Primm. In addition to the airport and associated facilities, the site would also include retail and industrial development. It would need pipelines for water, tons of concrete, and land currently inhabited by the imperiled desert tortoise. The land for the airport was given to Clark County by Congress in 2000, meaning that its permitting is close to a foregone conclusion. Even before Trump launched his assault on the nation's bedrock environmental laws, federal agencies by and large have rubber-stamped these sorts of developments. What's not a foregone conclusion is whether the airport will ever be built. Where will the water come from? Who will pay the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build one pipeline to tap into Colorado River water and another to bring back effluent? Where will the people who work there live? Will we have an exodus of workers driving 60 miles roundtrip to the airport, while tourists do the same long journey just to get to The Strip? Who will pay for the new electricity infrastructure, new schools, new roads, new sewers — new everything? The Las Vegas growth machine is at a crossroads. While corporations and their politician handmaidens are growing bolder than ever in pushing the development agenda, the public is coming to the defense of our public lands and pushing back against endless sprawl. Our organizations will continue to highlight the absurdities of selling off public lands for sprawl and oppose these measures in all their forms. The remarkable events of the past week underscored that we have the power to resist — and win.
Boston Globe
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump is getting his military parade in Washington. On his birthday.
But critics say it is another example of how Trump has politicized the military. The Army estimates the cost at $25 million to $45 million. But it could be higher because the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages, plus the cost of cleanup and police are not yet part of the estimate. While $45 million is a tiny fraction of Trump's proposed Pentagon budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the administration seeks to slash funding for education, health and public assistance. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It's a lot of money,' the Army spokesperson Steve Warren acknowledged. 'But I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army.' Advertisement The parade will include tanks, other vehicles, and helicopters. Eric Gay/Associated Press The Army is not calling the event a birthday parade for Trump. It is the Army's birthday parade. The Continental Army was officially formed on June 14, 1775, so June 14 will mark 250 years. Advertisement That also happens to be Trump's birthday. Related : There was no big parade in Washington back when the Army turned 200 in 1975, when Vietnam War scars were still raw. While smaller commemorations were held at Army bases around the country, complete with dinner dances, barbershop quartets and cake cutting, few people were looking to glorify the military so soon after the Kent State shootings. Besides, the country was gearing up for big bicentennial celebrations the next year. If things were going to be similarly low-key this time around, Fort Myer, across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, might be an ideal location, 'where the Old Guard could march with some veterans,' said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, in a reference to the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Army's oldest active duty infantry unit. 'But this is Trump,' Reed added, speaking to reporters last week at the Defense Writers Group. 'It's consistent with so much of what he's doing.' President Trump attended an Independence Day celebration in front of the Lincoln Memorial, July 4, 2019, that featured a flyover by the US Navy Blue Angels. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Army officials say the parade will cross in front of Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue, near the White House, on the evening of Saturday, June 14, part of a big bash on the National Mall. There will be marching troops who will be housed in two government buildings, officials say. They will sleep on military cots and bring their own sleeping bags, a topic of much merriment on late-night television. There will be Paladins, the huge self-propelled howitzers, and nods to vintage style. Army officials want to outfit some troops in uniforms from the wars of long ago, like the one in 1812 or the Spanish-American War. For more than two years, the Army has been planning national, global and even interstellar aspects of the celebration -- an Army astronaut on the International Space Station will be phoning in, Warren said. Advertisement But those planned celebrations focused on festivals, a postal stamp, various fun runs, military bands and the like. At some point this year, Army officials said, a military parade in Washington appeared in the plans. Related : Still, officials say there are no plans at the moment to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump, or to the Army, during the parade. One plan does, however, call for paratroopers from the Golden Knights, the Army parachute team, to land amid the festivities and hand Trump a flag. In 2017 during his first term, Trump watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron of France and returned home wanting his own. But the Trump 1.0 Pentagon shut him down. Jim Mattis, the defense secretary at the time, said he would 'rather swallow acid,' according to 'Holding the Line,' a book by Guy Snodgrass, Mattis' former speechwriter. 'We're all aware in this country of the president's affection and respect for the military,' Mattis said tersely when reporters asked about Trump's wishes. 'We have been putting together some options. We will send them up to the White House for decision.' President Trump, pictured with French President Emmanuel Macron, watched the Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, on July 14, 2017. Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press Gen. Paul J. Selva, then the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Trump during a meeting at the Pentagon that military parades were 'what dictators do,' according to 'The Divider,' by Peter Baker, a New York Times reporter, and Susan Glasser. When Mattis was gone, Trump brought up the idea again. Mattis' successor, Mark T. Esper, responded with an 'air parade' as part of July 4 celebrations in 2020, Pentagon officials said. An array of fighter jets and other warplanes flew down the East Coast over cities that played roles in the American Revolution, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Advertisement Officials in Trump's first Defense Department resisted his parade suggestion -- it was never a direct order -- because they viewed it as putting the military in the middle of politics, something the Pentagon historically has been loath to do. But now Trump has Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military leaders who have been more willing to put his musings into action. This 'raises the question, 'Is the U.S. military celebrating Trump?'' said Risa Brooks, an associate professor of political science at Marquette University. 'Having tanks rolling down streets of the capital doesn't look like something consistent with the tradition of a professional, highly capable military,' Brooks said in an interview. 'It looks instead like a military that is politicized and turning inwardly, focusing on domestic oriented adversaries instead of external ones.' There have been big American military parades in the past, but the last one was almost 35 years ago, to commemorate the end of the first Gulf War. Military parades in the United States have traditionally followed the end of major conflicts, such as the Civil War and the two World Wars. There were also military parades during three presidential inaugurations during the Cold War. And small-town festivities also sometimes commemorate the military with a few armored vehicles and troops. 'I don't actually see the problem with a military parade,' said Kori Schake, a former defense official in the George W. Bush administration who directs foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Schake said more Americans need to see the troops who serve the country. Advertisement 'If seeing our fellow Americans in uniform encourages public knowledge and connection, or inspires volunteering, it would be beneficial,' she said. At the end of the day, 'the military won't die on this hill even if they do not like it,' said Peter Feaver, a political-science professor at Duke University who has studied the military for decades. 'Trump's 2.0 team is better at giving the president what he wants whether or not it is best in the long run.' This article originally appeared in .
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A ghost in a painting, secret tunnels and fossils in the stairs: Readers share favorite Wisconsin Capitol lore
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently asked readers for their favorite stories or parts of the state Capitol, and you delivered some interesting tidbits of history. We checked in with the state Capitol tour desk, and took a look around the Capitol ourselves, to learn more about each piece of lore. Here are the highlights of the reader survey. Edwin Blashfield painted the large mural at the front of the Assembly, where 99 lawmakers meet to vote on bills. Blashfield was asked to add a Wisconsin symbol to the painting, so he added a badger. But Blashfield felt something needed to be removed, so he painted out a Civil War soldier. As time passed and the mural was cleaned, the soldier became more visible, according to the Assembly Sargeant at Arms. Right below the ghostly mural sits Old Abe, the mascot of the 8th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. Old Abe "became famous for spreading his wings and shrieking at appropriate moments" during battles, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. But the current bald eagle isn't the original. After Old Abe survived the war, a keeper took take care of him in the Capitol basement. In 1881, paints and oils kept in a room near Old Abe caught fire. The eagle inhaled smoke and died about a month later. His body was stuffed and displayed in the Capitol, but he was lost in the 1904 fire that destroyed much of the building. According to a display about Old Abe in the first-floor rotunda, legend has it a farmer found a dead eagle in his field and offered it to the state as a replacement for Old Abe. More: Stories behind Wisconsin's four capitol buildings include pigs, destructive fires and Iowa If you look closely, the marbles, granites and limestones that make up the Capitol interior have some fascinating fossils embedded in them. That includes a starfish found on the staircase between the first and second floor of the North Wing. If you go up the stairs into the North Hearing Room, you can see shell-shaped fossils along the walls. A badger statue, made from melted-down cannons from the Spanish-American War, sits outside the governor's office. His nose has gotten a little worn down — visitors rub it for good luck. The U.S. Naval Academy Museum originally lent the statue to the state and asked for it back in 2020 for use in another museum. State officials balked, according to the Associated Press, and the Navy extended the loan for 50 more years. While walking around on the second floor, you'll see glass panels built around the stonework. That design was meant to help natural light flow from the skylights and into the bottom floors of the building. Some of the skylights feature intricate stained glass, including a 28-foot design on the ceiling of the Senate chamber. More: Why did Wisconsin's capital move from Belmont to Madison? Corruption, land and lobbying A reader mentioned tunnels from the Capitol to Lake Mendota or Monona used by the National Guard during Vietnam War protests in the 1970s. We weren't able to verify those specifics, but a tour guide did confirm there are tunnels that lead across the street, likely connected to power plants. Republican senators were led out of the Capitol through the tunnels during the Act 10 protests in 2011, with the help of Capitol police. Former Gov. Scott Walker also used the tunnels during the protests. There is a small museum on the top floor of the Capitol, where visitors can read displays about the building's history and see artifacts. Within the circular hallway is the trumpeter's ring, which offers a birds-eye view of the dome. More: An annual ornament helps fund projects at the state Capitol. Here's how it got started. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: From a ghost to Old Abe, readers share best lore about state Capitol
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP Strips Public Land Sell-Off From Trump Budget Bill, Narrowly Passes House Vote
Supporters of outdoor recreation scored a major victory Wednesday. For 2 weeks, public land advocates had sounded the alarm over a budget amendment from House Republicans that aimed to sell about half a million acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada. Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) added the controversial proposal on May 7, arguing that the land sell-off would help President Trump fund his budget. The move quickly drew the ire of both local representatives and a large coalition of outdoor brands and organizations. Now, those same outdoor groups are applauding the efforts of Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), who successfully spearheaded efforts to remove the provision late Wednesday evening. Zinke, who served as Trump's Secretary of the Interior during the president's first term, said it's 'folly' to sell public land to 'get out of debt.' 'This was my San Juan Hill,' Zinke said in a news release Wednesday, referring to a key battle of the Spanish-American War. 'I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn't creating more land. Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism… our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands.' Zinke's efforts were crucial, as no House Democrats voted to pass the reconciliation bill — which squeaked through by a single vote (215-214). The bill now heads to the Senate. On Thursday, outdoor organizations were quick to praise Rep. Zinke as one of the only House Republicans to support Democrats' efforts to prevent the sale of public lands. Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers both issued statements applauding the political victory. Approving land sell-offs to fund the federal budget would set a 'dangerous precedent,' according to ORR. 'Over the last week, the entire outdoor recreation has been diligent about putting the word out,' Outdoor Alliance spokesperson Nicole Brown said Wednesday in a meeting that brought together many outdoor organizations. 'We have sent 80,000 letters to lawmakers over this. The outdoor recreation community is paying attention …This is a very unpopular thing for these lawmakers to be doing.' However, both groups also said that the public land sell-off was merely the most egregious of several proposals that threaten Americans' access to the outdoors. Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which refers to Trump's budget as it moves through the House, has several other provisions that still worry advocates for land access. Those include: Reinstating Twin Metals' mining leases in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, which would threaten the health of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Requiring oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the next 10 years and reinstating previously canceled leases, exempted from judicial review, as well as rescinding previous environmental reviews Rescinding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding allocated for conservation, ecosystem, and habitat restoration projects Cutting $100 million from the Forest Legacy Program, which adds protections on rural, private 'working forests' that support hunting and recreation access, Moreover, Trump is planning even more cuts to the federal agencies that manage public lands. After massive layoffs, spending freezes, and other measures, the president's budget now proposes another $1 billion cut to the National Park Service. Many of the nation's parks still lack the majority of the seasonal staff that would normally be in place for the busy summer season. 'Most parks, including Yosemite, are lacking 50-70% of their seasonal staff,' Jesse Chakrin, executive director of The Fund for People in Parks, said in a Wednesday meeting of outdoor groups. 'I live right outside Yosemite … I was cleaning bathrooms with my friends a few weeks ago.' While the removal of language that would have allowed public land sell-offs marks a win for outdoor access advocates, the bill itself still faces an uncertain future. Senate Republicans have already signaled lackluster support for various provisions in the bill. 'Unprecedented Threat': Outdoor Brands to Raise Prices If Trump Tariffs Continue
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zinke leads push to strip public lands sale from federal budget bill
Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke speaks at a press conference announcing the launch of the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus on May 7, 2025. (Courtesy photo) Calling it his 'San Juan Hill,' a reference to a Spanish-American War battle victory by Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced Wednesday he had successfully led a bipartisan charge to remove a provision to sell public lands from the federal budget bill. The provision to sell off roughly 450,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee in early May, but met opposition from conservation groups and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The proposed sale and exchanges of land involved areas near Las Vegas, Reno and St. George, Utah, aimed at allowing for affordable housing developments on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Land. Zinke, a Republican and former Interior Secretary who formed the new bipartisan Public Lands Caucus the day after the provision was adopted in committee, has been a strong opponent to the sale of federal public land. 'I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn't creating more land,' Zinke said in a press release on Wednesday. 'Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism… our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands.' The House Rules Committee removed the provision from the budget bill after opposition from several Western Republicans, including Zinke, Rep. Troy Downing, R-Montana, and Public Lands Caucus Vice Chairman Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. The opposition to public lands sale threatened to derail President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' a sweeping 1,116-page bill that contains the administration's spending priorities. With the federal land transfer portion struck from the reconciliation package, Zinke and Downing both endorsed the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' which includes extending the Trump Administration's tax cuts from 2017, increasing funding for the border wall, Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and temporarily eliminates taxes on overtime work and tips. The bill could also cut funding from programs such as Medicaid and SNAP benefits, which states may have to fund in order to keep service levels intact. It also includes implementing work requirements for Medicaid within two years and accelerates the phase-out of clean energy tax credits enacted by former President Joe Biden. The bill, which passed an initial House vote by a single vote, still faces opposition for its price tag. The Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it would add nearly $4 trillion to the nation's debt. Multiple conservation groups released statements praising the work done by Zinke, and thousands of constituents nationwide, to remove the public lands sale amendment from the bill. 'Tens of thousands of Montana hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts have been flooding the Capitol switchboard, attending weekend rallies, and writing letters and postcards to Congress, asking that the public lands transfer amendment be killed,' said Mike Mershon, board chair and president of the Montana Wildlife Federation, in a statement. . 'Selling our shared public lands to pay for tax cuts for the rich was and is an awful, un-American idea, and we appreciate Rep Zinke's work to keep it out of the bill. His colleagues never should have considered it in the first place,' Lydia Weiss, senior director for government relations at The Wilderness Society, said in a statement. Montana Conservation Voters, Trout Unlimited, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, MeatEater and other groups also released statements. The success in appealing to Republican leaders to make the change marked a strong win for the new members of the Public Lands Caucus. Downing said in a statement that he was pleased the bill removed the public lands sale, and that it includes keeping the Bull Mountains Mine in Musselshell County operational. 'Our legislation delivers historic tax cuts, secures our borders, strengthens key programs for future generations, eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse, and sets the country on a path toward fiscal responsibility,' Downing said. 'Our work is not done, but Republicans will not rest until this once-in-a-generation legislation is signed by the President.'
