UPDATE 5:30 p.m.:
Saturday’s military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army – which just happened to coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday – rolled as planned in Washington, D.C., despite thunderstorms that delayed the procession by 30 minutes and a firestorm of protests around the nation that sought to oppose it.
Tanks, troops and aircraft paraded through central Washington, which was secluded by tall, black crowd-control fences. After the rain delay, the procession was uninterrupted, as social media users posted images of sparse crowds on the Mall and parade route, with people coming and going throughout the day to see modern and vintage equipment and uniforms stream through the streets and overhead.
The parade was the first of its kind since American troops returned from the Gulf War in 1991.
UPDATE 4:30 p.m.:
Mark Ruffalo, Ellen Pompeo, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Kimmel, and many more notable people and celebrities spoke out in support of the nationwide protests or joined themselves, posting images from marches, messages on social media and speaking with reporters Saturday during the “No Kings” demonstrations.
“We see a president who has made himself a king and a dictator,” Ruffalo said. “And we don’t see an opposition that’s powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights, and trampling the Constitution that’s happening every single day with executive orders. With the refusal to obey court orders. Kidnapping of immigrants, people who are here illegally, people whose children are being taken from them. We’re disgusted and we’re scared. And we know that the only way that — to fight this now is for the people, is to come together.”
UPDATE 2:30 p.m.:
One of the largest and liveliest “No Kings” rallies took place Saturday in Los Angeles, where thousands of people streamed to Grand Park in downtown to protest Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Waving signs an flags, the multitude marched along Hill Street, passing a line of National Guard troops protecting a federal building, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The “No Kings” logo – a hand-drawn crown with a red slashed circle – was everywhere, including on the shirt of Richard Ramsey, an Orange County resident who made the drive to central Los Angeles because of what he sees as government overreach.
“We live in a democracy not an autocracy,” the 66-year-old said.
Click here to see a wide variety of images from the No Kings protests taking place Saturday across the nation.
UPDATE 11:30 a.m.:
At a rally of thousands before the Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison paid tribute to State Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was shot and killed overnight, along with her husband, by an assassin dressed as a police officer. The assailant, who also shot a state senator and his wife – still fighting for their lives on Saturday following surgery – was still at large.
“Melissa was a valiant, brave, true warrior and truly compassionate person,” Ellison said. “I want you to know a little bit about Melissa, because Melissa is a person where if you did the things she did, yo’d be on the right track in life. She was a powerful political leader, but she also was a passionate and kind person. Melissa proved you can be a politician, and be a good person … she really was both.”
Ellison turned his ire toward the Trump administration’s immigration policy, repeatedly saying “No kings! No kings!” from the dais and calling the president a dictator. “Every single thing he does is so illegal and unconstitutional.”
“[Hortman] understood that everyone was entitled to due process. She understood that the rule of law is important in a free society. …. she was a beautiful human being.”
PREVIOUSLY:
From Southern California to Washington, D.C., and all points between, large crowds began to gather for the planned “No Kings” rally against the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts on Saturday, the same day the president was set to preside over a 250th anniversary military parade on his 79th birthday.
The demonstrations followed a week of heated clashes between ICE protesters, state and local law enforcement, and National Guard and Marines who arrived in L.A. on Trump’s disputed orders.
Demonstrations began to materialize Saturday morning in the plazas and streets across the country. By mid-morning, thousands of people had already packed Liberty Plaza in Atlanta; at the state capitol in Nashville; Love Park in Philadelphia, and at dozens of other locations across the nation.
Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said Saturday that an 8 p.m.-6 p.m. curfew for downtown would remain in place throughout the weekend. Protesters have been demonstrating for more than a week in the area, where much of the Trump administration’s immigration raids have been focused.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have reportedly paused operations at hotels, restaurants and agriculture industry facilities.
Meanwhile Saturday, Trump was expected to be in D.C., where the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary was being celebrated with a massive parade of military hardware and marching troops.
This story will be updated throughout the day …
