After Day of Nationwide Protests, Trump’s Military Parade Rolls Through DC

US military vehicles drive over the Memorial Bridge during a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army in Washington, DC, USA, 14 June 2025. (EPA)
US military vehicles drive over the Memorial Bridge during a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army in Washington, DC, USA, 14 June 2025. (EPA)
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After Day of Nationwide Protests, Trump’s Military Parade Rolls Through DC

US military vehicles drive over the Memorial Bridge during a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army in Washington, DC, USA, 14 June 2025. (EPA)
US military vehicles drive over the Memorial Bridge during a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army in Washington, DC, USA, 14 June 2025. (EPA)

President Donald Trump's long-sought military parade rolled through the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday, but the celebration of the US Army's 250th anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord.

In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, protesting Trump's actions while in office.

Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large.

Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged further attacks early on Sunday, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations.

All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Trump calling in National Guard troops and US Marines to help keep the peace, over the objections of the state's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

The parade, which fell on Trump's 79th birthday, kicked off earlier than expected with thunderstorms forecast in the Washington area.

Tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery rumbled down the parade route along storied Constitution Avenue, an unusual sight in the US where such displays of military might are rare.

"Every other country celebrates their victories, it's about time America did too," Trump told the crowd following the parade.

Thousands of spectators lined up along the route. Trump watched the proceedings from an elevated viewing stand behind bulletproof glass.

Some of the president's opponents also managed to find a spot along the parade route, holding signs in protest. Other demonstrators were kept separate from the parade crowd by local police.

The US Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary, coinciding with his 79th birthday, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

ARMY'S HISTORY

The parade traced the history of the Army from its founding during the Revolutionary War through modern day. Trump frequently stood and saluted troops as they marched by.

Members of Trump's cabinet including Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked on.

Trump had first expressed interest in a military parade in Washington early in his first 2017-2021 term in office.

In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.

The celebrations were expected to cost the US Army between $25 million and $45 million, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops.

Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington.

"I don’t see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy," 61-year-old Henrie said.

Earlier in the day, thousands marched in Washington and other cities in protest of Trump's policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, and marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January.

In Los Angeles, however, the situation remained tense. About an hour before a downtown curfew, police officers mounted on horses were aggressively pushing back demonstrators, using gas, flash bangs and other less lethal munitions, causing large groups to panic and flee.

Protesters were firing what police called commercial-grade fireworks against officers, along with rocks and bottles. Some demonstrators wore gas masks and helmets and vowed to stay in the area for many more hours.

A crowd earlier had confronted soldiers guarding a federal building, yelling "Shame! Shame!" and "Marines, get out of LA!"

Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many took place under the theme "No Kings," asserting that no individual is above the law.

Thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the "No Kings" theme.

Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta "No Kings" protest, wearing the group's distinctive black and yellow colors.



Death Toll in Pakistan Building Collapse Rises to 27

Rescue workers recover a victim's body during a search operation amidst the debris of a collapsed building in Karachi on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP)
Rescue workers recover a victim's body during a search operation amidst the debris of a collapsed building in Karachi on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP)
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Death Toll in Pakistan Building Collapse Rises to 27

Rescue workers recover a victim's body during a search operation amidst the debris of a collapsed building in Karachi on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP)
Rescue workers recover a victim's body during a search operation amidst the debris of a collapsed building in Karachi on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP)

Rescue teams were in the final stages of clearing the wreckage of a five-story building that collapsed in Pakistan's mega city of Karachi killing 27 people, officials said Sunday.

Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi's impoverished Lyari neighborhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.

"Most of the debris has been removed," Hassaan Khan, a spokesman for government rescue service 1122 told AFP, adding that the death toll stood at 27 on Sunday morning.

He expected the operation to finish by the afternoon.

Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants between 2022 and 2024, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them.

"My daughter is under the rubble," 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene on Saturday.

"She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just six months ago."

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.

But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.